She ran down the hallway at a clipped pace, her book bag slapping against her back with every stride she made. Jane was late, real late, and the fact that they were having a guest speaker was going to make her untimely entrance even worse. Nihlus Kryik was at the AMA! Turian spectre and one of the most dashing Turian's the seventeen year old had ever seen. Mind you it had only even been from holovids and news reels, but that didn't matter. He was here in the flesh and come hell or high water she was going to meet him. She had to be cool though, collected. No one wanted to get to know someone that was fawning over them.
But now she was late and the wrong impression would undoubtedly be sent. Of all the days to miss her alarm! She had set three of them for crying out loud. Jane rounded the corner, tucking her head to get more speed, but it only obscured her vision and sent her crashing right into someone. Her small body went flying back, landing harshly on the book bag. She let out a grunt of discomfort as she sat up.
"Hey watch it!" Jane shouted as she looked up at the offender. Her mouth dropped slightly and she felt the blood drain from her face as a pair of cold blue eyes stared back at her, the scar on the left side of his face the most intimidating thing she had ever seen. She scrambled to her feet and threw out a sloppy salute. "Sorry Admiral."
Admiral Hackett looked down at her warily, his brow knitted together as if he was trying to place her.
"You're Shepard's sister," He said, his voice toneless and uninterested. Jane beamed at the recognition.
"Yes sir."
"You're obviously not cut from the same cloth. Your brother would never be late, especially something so important."
Jane frowned at him, hatred building inside her scrawny frame as her hands fisted at her sides in defiance.
"I'll be just as good a solider as him one day. You can count on it old man."
She said it without thinking, his eyes narrowing in anger being the last thing she saw before she took off in a dead run.
0000000000
Not much had changed since that day her and Hackett had met; only their hatred for each other had grown. He had seen the constant necessity to compare everything she did to her perfect brother and she saw him as nothing more than a senile old man. And if it wasn't for the fact that she had to debrief, and he had issued the mission, she wouldn't have been speaking to him at all. But there he was in all his holo glory, the same angry eyes looking down on her as she kept herself propped up against the holo table with the palms of her hands.
She hadn't even been able to completely remover her armor before he was demanding her presence in the meeting room. No matter how far away he was and how much she despised him, she still had to follow orders.
"We got eight Sir. Another died on extraction along with Pvt. Myres."
"Did you run into resistance?" Hackett asked, his image flickering lightly before going steady again.
"Yes," Jane replied as she reached into the ammo pouch at her back and pulled out a small chip. She loaded it into the small port on the table. "They were like nothing I have ever seen. I took pictures in hope that maybe someone back at HQ would know what they were."
Hackett fiddled with the console in front of him as he received her photos.
"I'll have them analyzed right away. Anything else to report?"
"Miranda Lawson was injured. Were headed to the Citadel to drop off the children and wounded and some mandatory shore leave."
"Do you think it's the right time for shore leave? The Reapers are coming…"
Jane growled in frustration. No matter what she did, good or bad, Hackett always found something to disapprove of when it came to her.
"Yes it's necessary. The Reapers are coming, there's no stopping that and I want my crew ready to face them head on when that time comes."
He was silent, studying her in that calculating way that always made her furious. She could save the universe and he would still never accept her. Jane would always be nothing but scum living in the shadow of John Shepard when it came to Admiral Hackett.
"I don't like you being in charge of this mission Jane. I don't know what the council was thinking. I would have had you court marshaled a long time ago, but your friends in high places wouldn't allow it."
"What can I say," she said, leveling her eyes at him, "I'm special."
His image flickered, his disapproval of her palpable.
"I will pass on the success of your mission to the Batarian hegemony. It should sway them to join the cause. Hackett out."
His image flickered before going out completely, gone just as fast as he had appeared. Classic Hackett.
000000000000
Jane nodded her head continuously as she listened to Dr. Chakwas fill her in on the medical conditions of three of the squad members, one of her hands playing with a set of dog tags. Her eyes scanned the medical bay as she continued to be briefed. The bodies of the little Batarian girl and Myers were taking up two of the medical slabs by the entrance of the A.I. core, their bodies securely placed in black preserve bags until they could get them back to the Citadel. Miranda was out cold and connected to an I.V. as she received her blood transfusion. Thane and Jack were standing slightly in front of Jane and to the left, Thane ramrod straight and pale and jack looking dazed with her arms crossed over her chest.
Miranda had internal bleeding and tearing and would need a visit to Huerta Memorial. Thane had arrived in the last stage of his Kepral's. And Jack…Jane's eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to process the words that Chakwas had just uttered.
"Can you run that by me again please," Jane asked, disbelief in her voice.
"Jack is pregnant, three months actually, and I think that's the reason for the trouble she's been having with her biotics," Dr. Chakwas said nonchalantly as she tapped lightly on her datapad.
Jane's mind reeled at the information, her eyes moving rapidly as she tried to process it all. Three months ago she had been playing C-Sec security and stealing Bailey's coffee while her 'dead' brother was saving the galaxy from the collectors. A flash of a picture on a desk in the Normandy appeared in her mind, making the girl stagger back a step as she realized what exactly Jack being pregnant meant.
"That fucker," Jack muttered as she propped herself up against one of the medical slabs.
Jane's gaze went from Jack's exposed stomach, to her face and then back to the flatness of her stomach again. So she wasn't the last Shepard after all. She had always pictured this going differently in her mind when she had been growing up. Johnny had always been there. She let out a small sigh, Jack's gaze flicking to her instantly.
"You both are off when we get to the Citadel," Jane said suddenly, the words coming out in a tight rush.
"What?" Jack exclaimed as she pushed herself away from the slab. "You can't do this. I can still be useful. I can still fight!"
"Your biotics are useless Jack and I can't let you stay, not in your condition."
"This is bullshit!" Jack continued, her arms unfolding and her hands falling to her sides in fists. "This is our home! Tell her Thane."
Jane looked to the Drell. She expected him to protest against her commands, but he just shook his head.
"She is right. I am in no condition to fight and would only become a hindrance, as will you Jack."
Jack looked at her friend in disbelief.
"But this is your home! It's all we have! You can't take it from us!"
"My word is final. You're both off at the Citadel and that's the end of it," Jane snapped before turning towards the door. She was two steps away when Jack's angry whisper reached her.
"You're doing this because of him, because its Shepard's baby aren't you."
Jane's head ticked to the side as if she meant to look over her shoulder and back at the woman that had now been linked to her by blood. She wanted to look back, but couldn't. Her shoulders slumped forward as she looked at the metal door in front of her.
"I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do," Jane replied before she disappeared through the doorway.
000000000000
Garrus sat quietly in the main battery, his elbows resting on his knees and his eyes staring blankly at the console. He let out a heavy sigh, his eyes blinking once before drifting away from the console and to the paneled flooring below his feet. Garrus knew he could be doing calibrations, but for once he couldn't bring himself to do them. Soft breathing could be heard behind where he sat on the built in bench just right of the door. He looked over his shoulder, gaze landing on the small Batarian boy sleeping peacefully in a mess of blankets Garrus had gotten from Dr. Chakwas.
Sappho had refused to leave Garrus' side the moment they had gotten aboard the Normandy, shadowing his every step. He hadn't had the heart to tell the boy to go with the others, and though Garrus would never admit it, it made him feel needed and depended on. It had been a long time since he had felt that way and had missed it.
His eyelids felt heavy and drifted closed with weariness. It seemed like so long since he'd had a proper rest. A scream ripped through his head as a body flying over him flashed behind his lids, making them snap open. She had risked her life for him and he had done nothing to deserve such an act of selflessness from her. The panic he had felt when she had went flying over him and the two children, her head connecting violently with the valley floor, had been crippling.
The door to the main battery slid open with a muted swish, making Garrus abandon his sitting position and rise to his feet. She walked into the room slowly, her feet dragging a little more than usual. By the look of her she hadn't gone to change yet, just her chest plate and greaves were missing, a gray alliance issue tank top covering her torso. Her hair was still stuck to her head and neck with sweat and a smudge of dirt was just covering a forming bruise on her left cheek. Her gaze found him instantly, a small smile coming to her face at the sight of him, one of her small hands coming up as if to protest his movement. He noticed her middle finger taped to her ring and index fingers. Had she broken it during the fall?
"You're tired Garrus, no need to stand," She said as the door closed quietly behind her.
He hesitated for a moment before sitting back down and letting out a small breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. She fell silent after that, her right hand tapping at one of the blue plates of her leg armor. Awkward silence. They always seemed to fall into awkward silence.
"Thank you," Garrus finally said, "for saving me I mean."
Jane furrowed one delicate brow at him before she reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind one of her slightly large ears and shrugged her narrow shoulders. A slight pink coloring came to her cheeks as Garrus continued to stare at her, the commander still failing to make a verbal response. She started to pace for a moment before starting toward him. She kneeled and turned before sitting herself on the ground by Garrus' legs and using the solid bench as a back rest. Jane scooted down after a moment until she could lean her head back and using the top of the bench and the corner of Sappho's blankets as a head rest. A strong jaw formed into a delicate neck and the scar that ran from her bottom lip to her chin was pinker than normal and Garrus couldn't help but wonder how exactly she had gotten it. Her tired eyes drifted towards Garrus, watching him.
"I couldn't let you die," she whispered, her voice sad as if she hadn't succeeded. She cleared her throat suddenly as her eyes cut away. "Plus I made a promise to this guy. He seems to have taking a shining to you."
Jane motioned to Sappho who was still sound asleep.
"Yeah," Garrus said, pausing for a long moment before continuing. "He isn't too bad either. Doesn't want to leave the ship, but I explained to him that it would be safer for him on the Citadel."
Jane smiled softly, though Garrus didn't see it.
"He can wait for his family there," She said.
"He's an orphan. No one for him to wait for," Garrus replied sadly, looking back down at his commander, at someone who knew that kind of pain.
"He has you," Jane said, "You could always adopt him."
Garrus thought it over. Adopt? He had never thought about it before.
"He deserves more than just me," Garrus said, glancing back at the sleeping batarian boy.
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind just you. And you have a lot to offer Garrus. Don't sell yourself short."
His brow arched as his voice filled with skepticism.
"And you know these things?"
"No, but I'm starting to," she answered, looking back over at him, head still resting on the bench. "And I bet you could get a girl if you weren't so busy with your calibrations all the time."
"I'm not busy now."
He said it without thinking, an automatic response to her strange confidence. She sat up and turned towards him. For the barest of moments he regretted letting it slip, but as the swell of want grew in him as Jane continued to stare at him, he knew it wasn't a mistake. Garrus was starting to come to terms with the fact that something was drawing him to this human female, his best friends little sister, and it didn't feel wrong in the slightest. He reached out for her, his hand pausing for a breath as a hesitant look came to her eyes. Confliction filled their depths. Something or someone was holding her back. Garrus continued forward as he saw the look slip and his hand grabbed gently at the collar of her tank top, pulling her toward him. She resisted fleetingly before letting herself get pulled to him. His head leaned towards hers, a crack over the intercom stalling him inches from his destination.
"Uh, Jane we have a situation on the A.I. Core."
Garrus wasn't able to stop the low growl that slinked from his throat as he let his hands drop and gazed heatedly at the intercom speaker. He had never been more annoyed with Joker in all the time he had known him than he was in that instant. Jane's face hardened immediately as she pushed herself away and got to her feet, all the vulnerability dissolving in an instant.
"I'm on my way Joker," she replied, not muttering another word as she turned and left the main battery and Garrus stewing in his place.
00000000
Kaidan wasn't exactly sure why he had sought out the Geth, but now he was regretting ever seeking it out. He had obviously said the wrong thing because now the unit was whirling uncontrollably. And pacing…it wouldn't stop pacing. Its face plates flared, the light twitching back and forth in a dizzying frenzy. Kaidan's hand itched as it got closer and closer to where his gun usually sat against his armor. He wished that he could just put the thing down.
The sound of the door opening behind him had Kaidan looking over his shoulder, catching Jane walking into the room. Her face at first was passive, but when she saw the state of the Geth her eyes turned to him in righteous fury.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Jane asked, her tone accusatory. Kaidan sputtered for a moment before answering.
"He asked a question and I answered it."
Jane's gaze slid back to Legion who was still pacing back and forth wildly. The Geth's attention was on the floor as he worried something between the fingers of his Quarian-like hands.
Kaidan's dark eyes narrowed.
"Legion," Jane called out, trying to get his attention, but the Geth continued on whirling and pacing. With a whispered curse she got in Legion's path, Legion turing and stopping when he noticed her there.
"Jane Commander," Legion said, earning a frown from the girl in front of him. He had never called her that before.
"Legion, what's the matter? What did you ask Commander Alenko?"
The Geth was quiet for a moment, his light twitching back and forth a few times before answering.
"This unit asked Alenko Commander…" Legion paused, his face plates flaring as he stayed silent.
"Legion what did you ask him?"
He looked back at her then, her breath catching as he waited for him to answer.
"Does this unit have a soul?"
Kaidan took a hesitant step back when Jane's gaze snapped to him, her whole body turning to face him. She looked lethal at that moment, her eyes turning almost black and every muscle tensing in her body as if she was readying to attack him.
"You said no didn't you?"
Kaidan stumbled over his words before finally answering her.
"Yes that's what I said. It's what I believe. I've never met a Geth that wasn't hooked up to a consensus and hell bent on killing me."
Jane let out a curt laugh and shook her head before her hand snapped out and seized Kaidan by the collar of his uniform shirt.
"How can…how can you say that after what you saw on the shuttle! He was mourning for that little girl. He still is! Look what he has in his hands."
Kaidan looked past Jane and to Legion who now stood still, the only part of him moving being his hands that worried over a long red ribbon.
"That was the Batarian girls. She had it tied around her neck in a bow. Legion didn't want to leave her body so Dr. Chakwas gave it to him as a keepsake, telling him that the girl would always be with him if he kept that ribbon.
He looked back at Jane then, her eyes no longer filled with anger, but with pain. Not for herself, but for Legion.
"Can you tell me that that isn't something someone with a soul does? Can you really say that with Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams' dog tag lying against your own?"
He looked at her in surprise. How the hell did she know that?
"Legion," she called out. Jane didn't look away from Kaidan, but held his gaze. He couldn't help the fidget that came with the shifting of his feet as she continued to hold him against the wall. That stare…it was as if she was looking into his soul and seeing every bad thing he had ever thought or done. He had never felt so ashamed.
"Yes," Legion answered.
"Do you remember that holovid you showed me? The one your Quarian friend left for you?"
"Creator Tali'Zorah?"
"Yes, her. Do you remember what she said?"
"Yes," Legion replied.
"Well every time you doubt yourself or someone makes you doubt yourself remember what she said," Jane replied, finally letting go of her hold on Kaidan and stepping away. "And remember that his human," she continued, "believes you have a soul."
00000000000
Sticks played absentmindedly with his food. He hadn't been able to eat much, his appetite waning when he saw Jane exit the main battery. Normally he wouldn't have minded, but he couldn't stop the small stab of jealousy at knowing who was in the main battery.
Garrus Vakarian. Ex C-Sec. Archangel. Rouge. War Hero.
How the hell was he supposed to compete with that? The guy was more than that old Turian spectre she had been in love with.
"Fascinating," A clipped voice said, breaking Sticks' attention away from his food and to the Salarian sitting across the table from him. "Turian biotics rare. Nova, very hard skill to learn. Impressive. No wonder Jane likes you."
Sticks laughed, one of his clawed hands reaching back and scratching at his neck as he shifted slightly in his seat.
"I'm special," he said with a grin, Mordin only staring back at him and blinking once. He missed the sarcasm. Mordin continued to stare at him, making Sticks fidget. Did the guy want more clarification? Is that why he was getting the bug-eyed stare? "My parents taught me. They were both biotics."
"Ah. Two biotic parents. Likely offspring would be biotic as well. Very rare indeed," Mordin rattled off, missing the waving hand of protest Sticks was giving him.
"My parents were human. I don't know my biological parents."
A muffled thud echoed through the mess hall. It sounded like it had come from the A.I. Core, where Jane had been heading at a reasonable clip. Sticks had the urge to go and investigate, but thought better of it. This was her show and he knew Jane could handle it, whatever it was. She would have said it was his misplaced blind faith in her, but he just knew her better than most.
"Do they agree," Mordin paused for a second, took a sharp breath and continued, "With you fighting the good fight as the humans would say."
Sticks let out a sorrowful laugh as he remembered them, their warm, wonderful smiles they had given him as he left to go fulfill his dreams. His tiny smiled faltered as he looked to the surface of the mess table. It was the last time he ever saw them.
"They would, yeah."
"Would. Past tense. Inflection in voice. No longer with us. How did they die?"
Sticks frowned at the Scientists bluntness. He wasn't surprised though, it was just the way Mordin talked, though it didn't mean Sticks felt like talking about them. It felt too much like bearing his soul and he wasn't good at that. Surface things where fine to discuss and laugh about, cry about, but his parents…that was deep and too personal. He had only discussed them with Jane. She was always the exception to the rule. But as Mordin continued to stare at him in waiting he broke a fraction. Jane trusted Mordin as much as she did him. That had to count for something.
"They were killed by Batarian slavers. I didn't find out until I came back a few months later. The whole town had been destroyed in a raid."
"Guilt. Don't feel guilty. Not your fault."
He laughed again. Man, had he heard that before. The sound of shuffling feet drew his head up only to see a very put out Jane coming their way. Oh good, now he could change the subject. She shuffled over to the table and sat down roughly in the chair next to Mordin, throwing her armored covered legs up onto the table, her boots making a cup sway but not spill.
"Looked troubled. Need to talk?" Mordin asked, blinking once.
"No it's fine, just the same old thing Mordin."
"Males. Egos. Disagreeable positions."
"Yes!" She exclaimed as she threw her head back in frustration. Sticks laughed. He couldn't help himself. Jane looked back at him then, her eyes narrowing. "So what were you guys talking about?"
"Noverian summers," Sticks replied quickly, a breath of relief escaping him when Mordin didn't contradict him.
"Oh secrets between friends, I get it," she teased before continuing. "How are the kids doing?"
"Fine. When I left them Grunt was telling them how he, your brother and Jack killed a thresher maw."
She just nodded her head at that, one of her hands tapping aimlessly on the side of her leg. Her thoughts were elsewhere and by the scrunching of skin between her brows it was focused on something troubling. She needed a distraction or rest…or both. They all fell quiet, comfortable enough with each other to do so even if Sticks thought himself the newbie of their small group. Neither of them made him feel that way. Jane's infectious presence, Mordin's calculated understanding of Jane's need for Sticks, and Sticks' acceptance of the two's history made it seem like they had all know each other forever.
He liked it. It felt like home.
"Thank you," Jane finally whispered, breaking their comfortable silence, "for being here for me. I couldn't do this without you guys."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else Jane," Sticks said, getting a small smile from her.
" Agreed. Best place to be."
He watched as she quickly scratched at her nose, trying to hide the tear that had fallen from her eye. She let out a groan as she shifted in her seat, clearing her throat softly. He smiled. She was always trying to act tough even when she didn't need to.
"I can't wait for it to be over, this war. I'm going on a long vacation after this. A well-deserved one might I add."
"Yes. Going to retire. Somewhere tropical. Collect seashells."
"You mean run tests on seashells," Jane said with a laugh as she turned to her friend, eyes shining with caring.
"Could, yes. So many different kinds."
"That sounds nice actually. Can we come?" Jane asked. She didn't have to clarify who she meant when she said we, he knew who she meant.
"Yes. Help run tests." Mordin replied, a smile gracing his face. It was the first smile Sticks had ever seen from the Salarian.
"How about it Sticks, after this war we go help Mordin study seashells. How does that sound?"
She looked to him then, her eyes knowing the answer before he said it.
"Yeah," He said softly, "sounds nice."
They fell into silence again, Jane's head falling back as Sticks gaze landed on the toes of her boots and Mordin went back to examining his datapad. A soft hum filtered through the silence then. He knew that song. She had taught it to him when she had first brought him back to the Citadel. Her voice was soft, tired, but beautiful all the same. Mordin joined in quickly, humming along in a slightly higher pitch. Then Sticks joined, his hum low and from deep within his chest. They stayed that way until Jane's humming broke and became slight snores instead.
