Professor Alexander Sanpamon

"This isn't a good idea," Panith told him.

"Why not?" he asked his wife as he threw more clothing into the bag. The others had gone out to help the marines clear the area around the Normandy so they can set up the prefabs, two small buildings that could provide basic shelter until rescue or more permanent lodgings could be constructed.

"Your brother wants us to stay here,"

"And if my brother got what he wanted you and Garn would be corpses in the ground. I'd rather take my chances out there,"

"Do you honestly think that we would be treated better by these people than your brother?"

"He's Cerberus. His girl is Cerberus. He let a colony of your people burn, he let the quarians die," he told her, "He's always bought into that Humanity First bullshit,"

"And so did you," she told him, "Remember your first few months at the university?"

"Yeah yeah, I was hanging with Torvik and his guys. But I never went farther than fliers and protests. And you managed to get me out of that toxic way of thinking."

"So isn't it worth a try to help your brother?" she asked him. Alexander laughed, "Good one,"

"I'm serious,"

He stopped packing. "You remember what he did to me when I brought you home to meet my mom? I was in the emergency room for two days. And all that happened to him was a demerit on his record. Or what he said to you right before he caved in my trachea and broke my ribs?"

"Alex…"

"He called you a four-eyed whore. He called the love of my life a whore,"

The batarian closed the gap between them.

"And it's been ten years. People have changed in less time," she told him.

"Not him," Alexander told her, pushing her away, "Now, get packing,"

"I'm not going to," she said.

"Didn't you hear me?" Alexander asked.

"I know you think you're looking out for me, but we'd be no safer out there than we are here. We have nothing of value to these people and they'd be more likely to burn us at a stake than talk if they're anything like Earth's primitive cultures,"

Alexander sighed and put the bag down. "No promises, but I'll try." She kissed him, her lips dry and coarse like sandpaper, "That's all I want,"