Chapter XI

Aedri crept quietly down the long dark hallway. She was so far up on her tiptoes that she had to keep a hand on the wall for balance. Mira had given her "Spectre lessons" many times, teaching her how to sneak, hide and save the galaxy of course. Her free hand had a death grip on a stuffed pink krogan she'd gotten on her birthday the week before from Garrus and Tali. Her goal was clear: there was a light at the end of the hall coming from a door that was just barely cracked. She knew there was only person who would be in there, especially at this time of morning, when the sun hadn't even begun to light the grey ocean outside the windows yet. She certainly was not supposed to be up yet, nevertheless she pressed on down the hall.

As she got closer she could hear crates being moved around. That was not a good sign. If Mira was packing it meant they were going back to the Citadel again. It wasn't that she didn't like the Citadel, but they'd only been on Thessia for a week and she loved the wide open oceans and the old forests, and she always got to spend more time with Mira. She was always so busy "counciling" when they were on the Citadel. She reached the edge of the door and carefully peaked through the crack. She was met with a mirror of her own green eyes staring back at her. Aedri jumped back with a startled scream, dropping her krogan. The door slid open and Shepard, who was down on her knees, smiled at her.

"Thought you had me, didn't ya?" Shepard teased.

Aedri's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She really thought she had gotten good. Quickly she retrieved her krogan. "I tried so hard!"

Shepard smiled and tapped the side of her head with her index finger. "Cybernetic implants, kiddo. I can hear a pyjak eat a fly from five hundred feet."

Aedri 's brows arched in disbelief. "Cannot!"

"Well, maybe two fifty. What are you doing up so early?" She reached over and pulled the little girl onto her lap.

"I woke up and wanted to see what you were doing," she said, looking sheepishly down at her krogan, which she had named Little Pink Wrex. "Are we leaving already?"

Shepard kissed the top of her blue head. "I'm afraid so, sweetheart."

Aedri sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Please, can't we stay a little longer? Kyta's mom said she would take us to the museum in Lonica." Aedri looked up at her father. "They have a real dead Reaper there. Kyta says they even let you climb on it!"

Shepard chuckled. "You've seen plenty of dead Reapers." She stroked her daughter's back and sighed. "Too many in fact."

"But not this one! Kyta said she read on the Extranet, it's one of the biggest Reapers in any museum anywhere in the whole galaxy."

"Tell you what. I'll talk to Kyta's mom, maybe she can take you two tomorrow."

Aedri nodded excitedly.

"But now, you need to go back to bed, kiddo."

She frowned. "A story first?"

Shepard leaned back against a nearby cabinet, situating Aedri more comfortably in her lap, with her head resting against her chest. "Did I tell you about the time we got Uncle Wrex's old armor back?"

Aedri nodded and began to absently play with the red hair that now fell past Shepard's shoulders. "But it's ok, I like that one."

"So, I was talking to Wrex and he keeps whining about his missing family armor that belonged to his great grand what's-his-name. He said, 'Ahhh, Shepard, I'm not a happy krogan without my family armor. Whatever will I do?'" Shepard did her best Wrex impersonation, which in fact was not very good, but it always made Aedri laugh so that was enough.

"Poor Wrex, always so grumpy," Aedri said and yawned.

Shepard continued the story as Aedri's sharp eyes roved around the room. In the initial excitement she had forgotten about all of the wonderful things in this room. Though most of them were boxed up, there were still weapons and pieces of armor littered about. She eventually pointed to a gun lying on a table nearby. "I like that one. It's pretty. What is it?"

"… so by this time Wrex had accepted the dance challenge from the two hanar and…," Shepard broke off the story to look at what her daughter was pointing at. "Oh, that's a Tempest submachine gun. One of my personal favorites."

"Did you use that one to kill Reapers?"

"More than a few," she said and pressed her forehead to her daughter's. "Remember what I told you."

Aedri rolled her eyes. "I know, Mira. Killing is real. Guns aren't toys."

"Smart girl. When you pick up a weapon to fight, you have to be prepared to accept the consequences."

"Spectre?" A voice called, from seemingly down the hall.

Aedri lifted her head and opened her eyes. A wall of crates stood before her.

"Spectre?" Kirith called again, breaking through her meditation.

Aedri rubbed her temples and couldn't help a little half-grin. "Yes, Lt.?"

"There it is."

Grabbing a crate beside her, she hoisted herself up. She let out a deep breath and walked into the cockpit. Through the viewscreen, in the distance, was Venada, a large blue and green world around which the Alliance Systems Primus Shipyard orbited.

Aedri crossed her arms and nodded. "Take us in, Kirith."