Perhaps she should have just muted her Omni-tool. That would have been a smart decision, considering that her crew had had the bad habit of doing everything she told them not to do lately. Yeah, now that she was thinking about it, muting her Omni-tool would have probably been the smart thing to do. Would have saved her a world of trouble.

It was too late now, of course, but knowing that didn't stop the afterthoughts from bombarding her mind. Didn't help much now, did it?

"Who was that, Zha?" Fha asked, eyes narrowing behind the visor. The temperature of the room was dropping fast.

Zha bit her lip. Technically her father had no reason to be angry, right? He didn't know she had done anything wrong, he knew nothing! So there was no reason for the old man to get angry, right? Right. Now all she needed to do was lie through her teeth and make a hasty exit.

"Who was what?" she asked rubbing her neck, thoughts flying at every direction at once. "Oh, that! Well, that was actually… that was a crewmate of mine." Zha's meek attempts at sounding confident served only to make her feel even worse. Her stomach was churning. If Scribble had just kept quiet a few minutes longer, Zha would have made it out with a head held high. Now her confidence had drained down the pipe and she was scrambling for words. "Yeah. That's right, a crewmate. She's waiting for me back at the ship. Didn't mean to stay long here anyway, she's probably just worried about me taking my sweet time here. I actually promised to get back as soon as possible, so – "

"You have a crew?" her father asked incredulously. "Since when?"

"Since I – "

"And why didn't you invite them with you, hm? You weren't even going to mention them to me, were you? Zha'Ora. I expected more from you."

"Well, I – "

"Is it another quarian on her Pilgrimage? If so, make sure she doesn't steal your ideas. She has to work it out herself like everybody else."

"Oh, um… Yes, but that's not actually – "

"Or is it some sort of an alien? Zha, it's not a human, is it?"

"Well, she's…" Crap. She hadn't thought this through, had she? Improvisation wasn't her strongest suit, for sure. She licked her lips nervously, the motion going completely unseen by her father.

"Her voice sounded funny. Is she a turian? Don't tell me she's a damn turian? Zha, I thought I taught you better than that. Or do you have trouble with your communication system?"

"No, not at all – "

"You know, the system was always wonky. I tried to fix it many times. Maybe I should come and take a look at the old beauty. It's been such a long time I've seen it. You know, since you took it with you without a warning. I'd love to see it again."

No. No, things were starting to move too fast, she couldn't get a word between her father's speeding words. Zha curled her fingers into fists, struggling to find the confidence that had driven her forward not three minutes ago.

"You know that ship used to belong to your grandfather," Fha said, walking further into the house and grabbing a waterproof coat. "Parts of it were actually from the same vessel the old man tried to take to the Migrant Fleet. They turned him down, of course."

Yes, Zha knew it. Her father had loved to tell that story to her when she was younger. She also knew that she did not want to take her father to see the old faithful. Her crew would give him a heart attack and if he survived that, he would flail Zha alive with his words. Zha bit her teeth together and moved to stand between Fha and the door, blocking the man like he had blocked her before.

"Dad," she said sternly. "You're not coming with me. I'm leaving now and you're going to stay here."

The look her father gave her burned through her suit, igniting long lost shame for raising her voice to him.

"Don't be daft, Zha," he said calmly. "You need a ride to the Rust Town and I have a boat. Let's go."

"No dad, really!" Zha said loudly, but Fha just walked past her and out of the house like she wasn't there at all. The old quarian was making his way down the side of the building and to the small dock near their house and Zha was forced to jog after him.

"I'm not going with you," Zha panted as she finally caught Fha readying the old family boat. Her lungs were burning and Zha was forced to lean on her legs and steady her breath. "I'll just ask someone to give me a ride there – "

"Nonsense," Fha scoffed. "You are coming on my boat, I will give you a ride and on our way you can tell me all about your Pilgrimage."

There was nothing she could do. The man wasn't listening to her and once again the most logical solution to the problem came kicking her in the butt. This was the easiest way to get back, but not the least painful. And nothing she said would make things any better. All Zha could do was watch with horror as everything was slowly coming crashing down around her.

Scribble was going to be sorry. If Zha was alive to seek justice later, that was.

"Come on, we're leaving," Fha called irritably from the boat.

What else could she do? Zha's feet were carrying her there before she could even process it fully. She could see her life flashing before her eyes, all the things she had done and would never be able to do again. She got in, sat down on the damp seat and let the old man take her away.

The way back to the boat town felt longer than what it had felt like coming in. It was over an hour's ride. Over an hour's journey in awkward silence with her father. Oh joy. The old man expected her to start sharing about her adventures in the Galaxy no doubt, but Zha just sat uncomfortably on her seat, hands tucked under her butt, fearing the moment they would reach the boat town. The moment they would reach her ship.

She tried contacting Scribble through her Omni-tool. She needed to know what had been so darn important that the main VI needed to ruin Zha's exit. She tried to send a message through without her father noticing, but every time Zha moved her free hand towards the Omni-tool inconspicuously, Fha turned to look at her, no doubt questioning her actions.

She needed to warn Scribble. Needed to get a word out. But she couldn't do a thing without her father suspecting something.

Zha was trapped. Trapped on this cursed little boat on the worst planet in the whole wide Galaxy. She couldn't do anything.

Oh no, that wasn't completely true. There was something she could do. Zha could panic and sweat profusely. She could cry a river under her visor. It wasn't going to help her much, though.

"So, tell me Zha, why did you decide not to go through with your Pilgrimage?" Fha asked nearly halfway to the boat town.

Zha slunk deeper onto her seat, hoping the sea would just wash her away and let her drown. She shrugged noncommittally.

"You just gave up, then," Fha said.

"What? No!" Zha cried out, hurt. "I told you, I already had something to take there."

Fha hummed quietly, the sound nearly drowning under the sounds of the boat's engine and the waves hitting against the vessel. By the looks of it, he didn't believe her and would no doubt let her know that soon enough.

"I had some… uh… I found this functioning geth equipment and – "

Her father spluttered loudly and turned to look at her. Zha couldn't see his expression but the stance of his body told her that he was not pleased.

"Are you out of you mind?" he asked. "They would have thrown you out faster than you'd had time to ask what was wrong!"

Zha stared at the old man incredulously. Why was he getting so angry all of the sudden? She gnawed at her lip, uncertain if she should even ask.

"Active geth equipment is strictly prohibited on the Migrant Fleet. I thought I taught you better than that," Fha fumed.

"It wasn't active!" Zha said. Technically she wasn't lying, since the geth platform had been offline when she had brought it on board. "And it's not like it matters anymore, I'm not taking anything to the Migrant Fleet, I'm not going back there. I'm never going to be a part of the Flotilla!"

"So you did just give up."

"No, dad, I made a choice!"

Her father didn't seem to have anything to say to that, but Zha could see him fuming. The way he was holding onto the rudder, his hold so tight that the gloves of his suit were straining told her that he was furious. Why he wasn't shouting at her yet was a mystery. But he'd have time to do that later, Zha reckoned.

As the awkward boat ride finally came to a close, Fha asked where she had left the ship. A dozen or so lies flew through Zha's mind, trying to coax her to speak them out loud, but in the end the truth bludgeoned its way past her lips and her father started leading them to the port. Zha followed few paces behind him, muttering her last prayers under her breath.

They climbed up the rusty stairs to where the ship was resting like a whale carcass on dry shore.

"Ah," Fha said in recognition, a rare warm tone coloring his voice. Zha stared at the ship wordlessly, expecting it to blow up before their eyes any second now or something. She was surprised not to see her crew wailing around outside the ship, drawing as much attention as possible. She hoped against hope they were still in the cargo hold.

"The old faithful hasn't really changed that much, has she?" Fha said, hands coming to rest on his hips in his own self-assured way. "Have you thought about naming it? A good ship needs a name, not some boring code."

No, she hadn't thought about it. It wasn't like she'd had much time to think about it lately. What, with all the attacks on the ship, fever and VIs acting against her will. She hadn't really had time to think about naming her damn ship.

Zha tried to swallow her tongue, hoping that maybe she would just suffocate and all of this could be over. It wasn't working yet.

Her father started approaching the ship again, getting way too close. Zha drew in a sharp breath and ran past him to stand between the ship and the man. It was now or never, if she didn't stand up now, it might be too late.

She should have stood up back on the island. Should have said something, told the man to back down. Things wouldn't have gotten this far. But she hadn't. All Zha had been able to spout out were feeble pleas.

Maybe deep down she actually wanted Fha to find out. Maybe she wanted him to see her mechs, wanted the old man to see what she had been up to. To shake the old quarian a bit and see how he would react. The thought tasted vile in Zha's mind, like poison seeping in and she didn't like it. She was a grown up quarian, she had nothing to prove, least of all to her own father.

Zha stood steadily between the ship and Fha, squaring her shoulders in an attempt to look unmovable. Her shaking hands ruined the image somewhat, but what can you do?

"Dad," she said, words trembling just a little. "I appreciate that you gave me a ride back here. I… I really do, but I'm going to leave now. I don't want you on my ship."

Fha seemed frozen on his spot, staring at her wordlessly. The silence that hung over them felt heavy and sickly. Zha was sweating under her suit, the cloth sticking to her skin, increasing the discomfort. Rain was beating down around them, water pooling at their feet. Zha licked her lips nervously. Were they engaged in a staring contest? She wasn't exactly sure, she couldn't see her father's eyes behind his visor, but she could feel his heavy glare.

But she held her pose. Held it until Fha seemed to sag down.

"Zha," he said slowly, as if he wasn't sure what to say. The old man sounded tired, a tone Zha wasn't familiar with. "I understand. Trust me, I really do. The last time we parted, things did not end well. And I… I have wanted to apologize about the things that were said."

She could remember the heat of the argument, the anger that had felt like it was going to either boil her insides or freeze them. She could remember how sick she had felt, knowing her father had no faith in her survival. The words had been half-forgotten now, the name-calling and the angry insults, but the meaning behind them felt as fresh as it had on that night. Her father had never needed to raise his voice to deliver the worst blows. But he had made it very clear he did not believe Zha had the chances of passing her Pilgrimage or even making it on her own out in the Galaxy. And Zha had let him hear what she thought about his opinions and the way he had raised her.

It hadn't been pretty.

"I was angry," Fha said quietly. "I did not mean half the things I said."

Oh? Zha smiled bitterly under her helmet. Well, if she was to take his word for it that meant that the old man had meant the other half. Now all she needed to do was deduce which half he had meant. She bit her teeth together and tried to let out a mocking laugh. It came out gurgled and pathetic, but seemed to hit home all the same. She started backing away from Fha, slowly approaching the ship.

"Zha, don't be like that," her father said. "Stop acting like a child."

It was weak, but it still struck a nerve. Zha nearly bit her tongue off in her rage.

"If acting like a child is going to get me off this planet and away from you, then that's how I'm going to act and you're going to have to learn to live with that!" she ground out.

"No, that's not… I did not mean it to come out like that. Zha," he said.

Was he… was the old man actually choking up? It sounded like it, but Zha had never heard such a sound out of him and she did not want to believe it. She backed away some more until she was at the steps to the ship. She could just turn around and leave now. She didn't have to say a word to him. This was it.

So why the hell was she not moving?

"I… I was so happy to hear that your ship had landed on Gavannah. I thought that maybe… I… I think we should take this time and try to settle things. I want to make things right. I… I want to help you. You need money, yes? Maybe we could work things out and then when you leave, it won't be as jarring."

It sounded nice. They could work things out, her father was even offering her money. He was offering a truce, a chance to finally get things right. Zha should have been ecstatic for the chance to get things just as she wanted, but all she could think was how badly she wanted off this planet and away from this man. He'd always known what to say, twisting his words so they would hurt and cripple. This had to be one some sort of a new way to trick her, right? There was no way Fha actually wanted to help her.

Yeah. He probably just wanted a reason he could ridicule her later.

"I'm sorry," Zha forced the words out stiffly. "Really. I am. But I still won't let you get near my – "

Slowly it was starting to dawn on Zha that the universe had something against her. She wasn't sure what exactly it was, some form of karma no doubt, even if she wasn't sure what she had done wrong to deserve it. Maybe in a previous life she had wronged someone and now the world was getting a kick out of torturing her. Whatever it was, it was something big. The least the world could do for her was to let her finish one sentence, but apparently that was just too much to ask for. A loud metallic screech shot through the ship behind her and she could feel the metallic hull shuddering under some unforeseen force. Zha turned around slowly, expecting to see the old rust bucket torn in half, smoke rising out of it at least while dread made a permanent home in the pit of her stomach.

That had been unmistakably synthetic sound, a robotic screech of anguish. It meant something was wrong with her crew inside and someone was hurting.

The back of Zha's neck was prickling and she became acutely aware of her father's presence. There was no way the old man would not recognize a synthetic sound when he heard one. The universe would not let her get away from this one.

"What was that?" Fha asked loudly. "Did it… did it come from the ship?"

Zha's mouth was as dry as a desert as she tried to come up with a plausible explanation. But her brain was stuck, mouth opening and closing without a peep making it out. Her hands were sweaty inside her gloves and shaking so hard it must have looked like she was having a seizure or something. But her father was not paying attention. He wasn't even looking at her, his eyes fixed on the ship.

The man looked like he was about to make a run for it and force his way to the ship whether Zha wanted him there or not.

"What? Uh… I didn't… hear anything," Zha said, the most unconvincing lie stumbling out of her mouth and falling flat on the ground like a dead fish.

That earned a look from her father, a withering one, but a look all the same.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked. "Your whole ship was shuddering."

"Whaaat?" she asked, voice reaching higher pitches. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" the man barked.

"So weird! I better…. I better check it out. You wait out here while I take a look inside," Zha spoke hurriedly, tapping at her Omni-tool. "Scribble!" she whisper-shouted into it. "Let me in right now!"

The airlock opened with a groan and Zha slipped in before her father could stop her. She could see the man reaching for her and panicked a little.

"Wait out!" she shouted frantically. "I'll check if it's safe. I think I… I think I know what's going on!"

That didn't seem to calm Fha down, but he had no time to complain. Zha closed the space side airlock door, wondering if she'd be able to manually lock it so her father wouldn't try to force his way in. Maybe she should bar the door with something. Maybe with the mangled corpse of whichever mech had decided to start causing ruckus in her absence.