The Red Moon Collection - 5 - The Empty Night
Chapter 26
ISV Aberrant, Widow System, Serpent Nebula
"Got you on scope," Kay's voice declared. "Get the landing bay open for me, would ya?"
Shansa reached over and tapped a few holographic buttons. "Doors are open and waiting."
"Thanks, sis. We're entering short final."
The Kodiak shuttle closed quickly on the Aberrant. Whether Kay was flying fast because she knew of Bo's current condition or because she always flew that way was a matter of interpretation. Frankly, Shansa was too tired to care at this point.
"Alright, I finally got in touch with Citadel control," Vayren announced from one of the nearby workstations. "Even a Spectre can't be afforded every luxury in these times, apparently. We've got a berth, but it's in the wards. I'll send you the information."
"Thanks," Shansa replied as she opened up her virtual notepad to attach Vayren's message.
"We're in the airlock," Kay informed her.
Shansa checked that the outer airlock door had sealed before reviving the ship's thrusters and bringing their heading in line with the Citadel. She tapped her comm panel to open the ship-wide channel.
"We're en route, everyone. Should be about half an hour."
Will, Fynnis, and Kallux watched as the inner airlock door parted and a black Kodiak zipped into the cargo bay. In typical Kay fashion, the Kodiak darted toward the shuttle docking clamps at what any reasonable person might consider an unsafe speed before snapping into a tight turn for landing position. Ten seconds later the Kodiak was latched into place and the rumble of the thrusters was winding down to a gentle hum.
Shansa's voiced echoed over the intercom. "We're en route, everyone. Should be about half an hour."
"Hope we've got a place to land," Kallux muttered.
The door of the Kodiak slid open to the voice of a mildly annoyed T'Lees.
"Must you fly so recklessly with your daughter on board?" She reprimanded.
Kay rolled her eyes as the hatch fully retracted. "She loves it!" She looked to the side where the young asari girl stood between them. "Dontcha, sweetie?"
Rosie smiled. "It's fun when mama flies fast."
"Yes, little one, but you still stay safe while having fun," T'Lees reminded her.
Kay grinned. "Listen to your mom, Rose. She knows all about how important it is to play it safe."
"Ahem!" Fynnis called out. "You gonna squabble all day or what?"
Kay's eyes snapped forward to see the trio that made up their welcoming party.
"Fynnis!"
She leapt to the ground and scooped Rosie up from the Kodiak's threshold. Kay trotted toward them and lifted her daughter up to ride on her shoulders where she girl eagerly grasped onto her mother's short hair. The two of them beamed the same brilliant smile as Kay came to a stop with her left arm pressing Rosie's legs securely against her chest. T'Lees gracefully lowered herself to the deck and glided after them in their wake.
"Fynnis, you ugly bastard," Kay said with a wide grin.
The turian chuckled. "Probably not wise to drop that kind of flirtatious flattery with your bondmate right behind you."
She ignored the comment and reached out with her right arm to pull him into an amicable hug. "Damn good to see you, Fyn. I've gotta admit… when I heard you were on Omega when all this started going down I wasn't sure you'd make it out."
"Thank you so much for the vote of confidence," Fynnis remarked before turning his eyes up to Rosie. "And how are you doing, young lady? You're taller than me now!"
Rosie laughed and shook her head. "I'm on mama's shoulders!"
Fynnis reached up and placed his hand on his forehead in a moment of faux-enlightenment. "Bah! Of course!"
Rosie giggled again as T'Lees came to stand at Kay's side. "Fynnis. I am glad to see you."
The turian gave her a small nod. "Hey T'Lees, it's good to see you too. All three of you."
Kay looked to Will and raised a brow. "So… anything new?"
He shook his head. "Nothing I didn't tell you in the message I sent yesterday. Bo's still stable, but he needs to get into a medical facility soon."
"It sounds like we're well on our way," Kallux said. "And the Trueshot is…?"
"Safely tucked away in a crater on a moon that no one will ever stumble upon," Kay assured them.
"And we are cleared to land on the Citadel?" T'Lees inquired.
"I assume Vayren's gotten it sorted out," Will replied with a shrug.
Rosie tugged gently on Kay's hair. "Can we go to the big windows?"
Kay's eyes shifted up. "You wanna go to the cockpit so we can see the Citadel?"
The girl nodded quickly as Kay reached up and lifted Rosie from her shoulders and set her softly on the ground. "That sounds a good idea to me. Let's go see Aunt Shansa."
Ships of every size imaginable moved like swarms of lost insects through the skies around the Citadel. Shansa's attention was focused on their flight path and arranging their umbilical services while T'Lees sat in the copilot's seat with Rosie perched wide-eyed in her mother's lap. Together they looked through the cockpit viewport, each pointing out to one another the sights that filled the arrival approach. Kay and Will stood back and watched from the dim conference table at the center of the bridge.
"Goddamn that must be nice," Kay said quietly as she smiled toward her daughter. "Not having the implications of this war hanging over you all the time. Not even being able to grasp what it could really mean."
"Rosie?" Will asked. "You don't think she understands what's happening?"
Kay snorted. "She's barely six years old, Will. I can barely grasp the concept of the Reapers."
"Fair point," Will admitted. He paused a moment before looking back to the forward viewport. "She's a good kid, Kay. You and Fayneer have done a good job raising her."
She sighed. "I fuckin' hope so. I just want her to be normal, you know? I sure as hell didn't have a normal childhood, and I definitely have not had a normal adulthood. Add that to the fact that Fayneer and I don't exactly have the most virtuous or even legal of careers, and it makes me scared for when she finally realizes that half of what we tell her is right is the opposite of how we operate when she's not looking." Kay shook her head. "Sometimes I don't even know if what I'm telling her is right is the right thing. Luckily, whenever I think I might be doing something wrong I can ask myself, 'What would my mother have done in this situation?' That usually puts me on the right track."
"If I recall correctly you did just about everything your mother told you not to do when we were kids," Will reminded her.
"Yeah, I was a brat," Kay said very matter-of-factly. "Some of her stupid rules…"
"Some of it seem less stupid in retrospect?" Will asked with a grin.
"Some of them," Kay admitted.
Will chuckled lightly. "How was the downtime?"
"Good. I needed it," Kay replied.
"Seems like you've maybe come to terms with what happened? To Allison, I mean."
Kay looked down and nodded. "The perspective definitely helped. Like, hell, I'm so damned lucky to have my wife and kid here with me safe and sound. The same can't be said for a lot of people."
Shansa cleared her throat and activated the ship's intercom. "Tul, are Bo and Lectus ready to go?"
"Affirmative," the quarian replied through the cockpit speakers.
"Alright, I'm going to have the ambulance meet us at the gate," she answered. "Vayren was nice enough to get us through to dispatch."
The salarian was still sitting at one of the workstations near the bridge where he was typing away on the orange control panel that hovered before him. The Spectre appeared to be juggling at least three lines of communication at once, but was able to respond to Shansa's acknowledgment with a turn of his head and quick nod. Vayren then spun to face Will and held up a finger as though he had suddenly been reminded of something.
"Hume, we received a message a few minutes ago," the salarian informed him. "A message that I think you would be very interested in reading."
Will raised a brow. "When you set it up like that it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy."
"I'm forwarding it to your omnitool now," Vayren stated as he turned back to the console.
The message appeared on Will's omnitool just a few seconds later. His eyes widened as he read over the short message.
To: William Hume
From: Tyrixis Rentarius
Subject: Re: Stay safe, stay in touch.
Captain Hume,
I hope this finds you and your crew well. I apologize for not responding sooner. My communication options have been rather limited as of late. When the Reapers arrived I contacted Palaven and was reinstated as a Major. I have been serving in the field both on the surface of Palaven and its moons for the past month.
I find it difficult to comprehend that it has been seven… perhaps eight years since we last spoke. And to speak earnestly, I am ashamed of the fact that I severed communications with you and your crew after our mission to neutralize Narenthus Antarian. I should have dealt with my brother's death rationally, but…
I'm not sure what else to say; I simply could not find the words. Then again, I do not know what good it would do if I could. Perhaps, if we live through this war, we will see one another again someday and I will be able to express my thoughts and regrets properly.
I have begun to ramble, and once again, I must apologize. I have been awake for over thirty-seven hours now and only managed to find the time to write this reply to your feeler because the shuttle of wounded I was due to operate on was shot down by Reaper forces while en route to my field hospital. As you said in your original message, stay safe, Captain Hume. And stay in touch.
Major Tyrixis Rentarius
"Holy shit," Will said aloud. "Shansa, T'Lees, we got a message from Tyrixis."
Shansa paused for a tiny moment before resuming her work. "I'll be damned."
"She is alive," T'Lees commented. "Intriguing."
"Sounds like she's been reinstated," Will continued. "Serving on Palaven."
"Hold on a second. Who is this woman?" Kay interrupted.
Will deactivated his omnitool. "She was the doctor who joined us in capturing Narenthus Antarian."
"We did not exactly capture him," T'Lees corrected.
"That was the original plan." Will crossed his arms. "Though he did end up rather deceased."
"His capture was not mandated," Vayren reminded them. "And… it is good to hear from her. Send my regards if you respond, will you?"
"I'll write up something this evening," he replied.
His omnitool chimed again. This time it was the message he had been hoping for.
I've attached the address. I'll be there!
Love,
El
Will saved the attached coordinates and looked up the fastest route from the docks they had been assigned.
"How close are we?" Will asked.
"About two minutes from docking," Shansa answered.
"I'm heading to meet Eleena," he said as he turned for the hallway. "I'll keep my eye on my omnitool, but I might not respond unless the world is ending."
"What if the galaxy is ending?" Kay asked.
Will waved a dismissive hand. "You don't need to pester me with things I already know."
Will tapped his foot impatiently as the customs officer looked over the numerous sets of credentials on his tablet.
"Can we hurry this along?" Vayren inquired. "We have wounded that need medical attention."
"I'm sorry, Agent Vayren, but…" The officer sighed and shook his head. "Ah, fuck it."
The turian tapped a few buttons on the pad before looking up and giving them a nod. "It's been hell the past few weeks. We've been trying to keep track of all the refugees entering the station, but if your visit is going to be as brief as you claim… well, all you need to know is that you're all cleared."
Vayren gave him a small smile. "Thank you."
"I'll let the medical technicians know that they're free to enter," the officer said as he turned and made his way to the exit of the berth.
Will looked to Vayren. "Can you all handle getting Lectus and Bo taken care of?"
"If the med techs are just outside the door then it should all be resolved in a few minutes," Vayren replied.
"Good," Will nodded. "When are we meeting with the raloi consulate about our findings?"
"Once Doctor Tokagi has arrived back on the station," Vayren replied. "She will need to verify our findings before we can present them. The last message we received from her indicated that she she and most of the survivors from her outpost had been recovered by an Alliance frigate and were en route to the Citadel. No estimate on her arrival, but hopefully within the next standard day."
"Understood," Will replied.
The airlock door on the far side of the room opened, allowing a trio of medical technicians to enter and hurry toward them at a brisk pace.
"Agent Vayren?" The leader, an asari, asked as she approached the salarian.
"Correct," Vayren answered. "The patients are in the airlock. Please come with me." He glanced to Will. "We shall be in touch if plans change."
Will nodded as the salarian turned and beckoned for the others to follow him onto the ship. "I will forward you copies of the medical scans we performed."
Vayren's voice faded as they disappeared up the gangway, leaving Will alone and finally free of his duties. In a matter of minutes he found himself in a taxi rising up from the Tayseri Ward toward the Presidium. Every few seconds his gaze jumped from the window down to the navigation display, then back to the window in a cyclical pattern. Despite being considered the center of galactic civilization, Will rarely visited the Citadel. Even so, it was obvious what an abnormal situation the station was in. Not only was every visible dock filled to the brim with ships of varying sizes, but hundreds of ships were also scattered around makeshift landing zones throughout the wards.
"Arriving at your destination," the skycar's nav-system announced.
Will stepped out of the taxi and onto a landing platform. He glanced down to his omnitool and committed to memory the short directions displayed on its screen before setting off down the street. After two turns and a short walk he spotted the sign of a cafe and stepped inside to find it a rather small shotgun-style unit, decorated in the rather sterile Presidium standard. A pair of C-Sec officers sat at the table nearest door, talking quietly to one another and sipping on their drinks while a trio of humans waited at the counter for their orders. Beyond them, sitting at a table beside the exterior floor-to-ceiling window sat a single, purple-skinned asari looking down at a holopad laid atop the book on her table. As Will pushed his way past the other patrons the asari looked up from her reading and smiled widely upon catching his eye.
"Eleena!"
She rose from her chair just in time to capture him in a tight embrace. Will closed his eyes and took in a long, deep breath as they basked in one another's comfort. Their eyes opened as Eleena pushed her head back far enough to look over his face.
"Will…" She said with a small pause. "It fucking took you long enough."
He let out a surprised laugh. "Direct your complaints to Shansa."
Their lips came together in a warm, longing kiss. Will let out a content sigh as they parted.
"God, I missed you," he said quietly.
Eleena cracked a small grin. "Me too. But at least you had some perilous combat excursions to keep you distracted."
Will frowned softly as they swayed slowly from side to side. "I can promise you… it wasn't all fun."
"I know. I read all of your messages five times over," she assured him. "But I'm looking forward to seeing everyone."
"Vayren, Seltara, Fynnis… they all wondered where you were." He blinked. "Damn, and you haven't even met Binta or Sai."
Eleena laughed. "Yeah, I've got some catching up to do. And I'm itching to get back into the field. Where are we headed to next?"
"Hell if I know," Will said. "We're still waiting for Doctor Tokagi to get back to the Citadel so we can present our findings to the raloi ambassador."
"Of course," she grumbled. "I'm getting sick of this damn station."
Will laughed. "Hey, you lived on Omega for ages before hopping on the Hyperion with us."
"Yeah, and the restlessness drove me so crazy that I joined your crew," she replied with a teasing grin.
"Clearly you weren't right in the head," Will smirked. "What the hell have you been doing to pass the time?"
"Uhh, a couple things, actually," she answered. "I've been volunteering in some of the shipyards lending my skills where I can. Some of the ships that are making it back from battles with the Reapers… let's just say it's hard for me believe that they made their way back here under their own power."
He smiled. "That's great! I know how antsy you get without something mechanical to dig into."
"It's pretty much the only thing that's been keeping me sane." Eleena cracked a sheepish smile. "That and the vid-calls and messages you've managed to get to me through the extranet."
Will stepped back. "Eleena, that sounded downright romantic. Being on this station for so long has undoubtedly gone to your head."
She narrowed her eyes. "I'm trying to open up here, jackass."
He placed his hands back on her waist and leaned in to plant another kiss on her lips. "Sorry, sorry."
Eleena pushed back slightly. "Will, there is one other thing…"
Will raised a brow. "Yeah?"
"I had someone message me about a week ago…" Eleena said reluctantly. "My… mother."
"That's… that's good, right?" Will asked.
She gave him a sideways glance. "You know as well as anyone how displeased I am when dealing with my mother."
"Uh, from the way you've talked about her in the past I'd say that's putting it diplomatically," Will answered. "But I assumed you still cared about her a little bit. Enough to be happy to know that she isn't dead."
Eleena growled. "Barely. But that's only half of it." She let out a deep sigh and turned her eyes back to him. "Apparently I've got a sister."
Will blinked. "What?"
"A sister!" Eleena remarked. "A fucking sister who's seventy-seven years old!" She threw up her hands in disbelief, striking them forward to emphasize each word. "I have a grown-ass sister that my mother never bothered to tell me about!"
Will cocked a brow. "I mean, it's been decades since you've spoken to her at all, right? I assume if you left on such bad terms…"
"I… I guess I did tell her to never… ever contact me again the last time we spoke," Eleena reasoned. "But this isn't just-" She shook her head. "She can explain for herself when we visit them."
"We're going to visit them?" Will asked.
"They just arrived on the Citadel a couple of days ago," Eleena replied. "I've been… avoiding them for the time being." She looked away and grumbled irritably. "I wanted to talk it through with you first. Fuck, I didn't realize how damned dependent I was getting."
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better I was a wreck the past month, too," Will assured her.
Eleena rolled her eyes. "I guess that makes it all okay then."
Will placed a hand on her upper arm. "Look, we've got plenty of time to talk now. And for that I am very, very grateful. Talking with you is the only thing in the goddamn world I want to do right now."
The asari smiled. "You… wanna grab some drinks then? Maybe help me through th-"
The sound and shockwave of an explosion filled the room. Will and Eleena ducked instinctively and drew their pistol and SMG as another quick burst of blasts shook the building. The patrons of the cafe screamed in fright as the C-Sec officers dining near the entrance jumped to combat positions and drew their weapons in search of the danger. Eleena overturned her table and jumped into cover as Will knelt at her side and looked out the window.
"Fuck!" He shouted.
She rose up to look over the table and through the window. All across the ring of the Presidium the flashes of explosions spread like wildfire.
Eleena shook her head. "The Reapers! They're here?! Already?"
"No, no they can't be," Will objected as he frantically looked throughout the sky. "I don't see any of them!"
"Oh, shit." Eleena snapped as she pointed down to the streets below. "Look!"
Near the water and central walkway below a trio of Kodiaks came rumbling to a stop in the street where dozens of white-armored soldiers began pouring from the open hatches. On the tails of the shuttles an emblem of orange and black watched over the soldiers as they fired into crowds of fleeing civilians.
Will gripped his pistol tighter and clenched his teeth in rage.
"Cerberus."