"Hello, this is Urdnot Grunt. We are looking for survivors. Will do work for food and fuel." With a click empty dead space plays. After thirty seconds the message repeats aloud.

"It won't change." Orrin's usually high-pitched voice sounds lower than normal, next to Shepard. Nodding, the commander plays the message again. "We might as well send it out." She pipes in passing a cup of water over to Shepard. She accepts the drink and takes a sip. Ugh, room temperature.

Orrin scoots her chair closer. Her left arm nearly bumps against Shepard's right elbow. "Are you still feeling uneasy about using Grunt's voice?"

"It's not just his voice. It's his name too. Anyone who has heard about my crew might know him."

"Which is why he was the smart choice."

"Which is why we may receive unwanted attention."

"We'll need more food and fuel to keep up on your search. Better to test the waters now than when we're desperate."

"You're right." She sends the message out, on a loop. She takes another sip. It barely hides her lips nervous twitching.

Their message was now being relayed on a radio signal that hopefully any radio within four parsecs. The pair sit comfortably in silence. If she messes with it a bit, maybe she could increase the range. Hmm, maybe people will hear their message but be unable to send something back. Could she possibly increase the receiving abilities of this ship's old communications system? It's old krogan technology though. She might not have everything needed to upgrade it.

Lost in her thoughts, Shepard absentmindedly taps against the communication array's counters. With a jolt Shepard snaps out of her thoughts. Here she is lost in her thoughts when Orrin was probably looking to talk. Glancing over, she notices Orrin still sitting in the chair next to her. An unexpressive look on her face.

With a laugh she asks, "So who are you?"

"Excuse me Co- ah, Shepard?"

"I'm asking about you Orrin."

"Asking such as who Orrin is?"

Quite the sassy salarian. Shepard bites her tongue, to keep from laughing. "What's your life been like?"

"Finally tired of your son prying into your history, that you now have to pry into the histories of others, Shepard?" Shepard pushes a finger to her own lips. "Why?

"Krogan have a different kind of family dynamic from humans." Shepard runs a hand through her hair. "While their mothers are important to them, it's a different kind of respect than humans feel for theirs. I don't know where they stand on adoptive mothers, if they even have a term for them. It may not matter in their culture. They do have battle masters who are important cultural figures to them, but it feels too much like a general to me. Not quite, right."

"So?"

"I love Grunt. I've told him that myself, and I'll always see him as my kid, but I don't know where he wants us to stand."

"You're worried that he'll push you away."

"There's always a line you shouldn't cross. I'm just not sure where Grunt wants that line to be."

Orrin laughs. It's short as she's quick to cut herself off. Was it due to how quickly salarians move through emotions, or because she didn't want to insult anyone? At this point Shepard would flip a coin and go with whatever answer it landed on. Voice now hollow, Orrin points out, "You could always ask him."

"I know, but with that fight we just had," her voice drifts off, and Shepard crosses her arms. "If all we do is have serious talks that puts it's own kind of strain on a relationship."

"I understand." Orrin taps the communications board pensively. "Still I think you are letting your fears get the better of you."

"What do you mean?"

"Grunt clearly sees you as someone important to him. He wouldn't have pushed so hard to learn something about you if he didn't."

"I don't know about that. He's hard headed. If there's a fight going on he always pushes to be right."

"Commander where is Grunt currently?"

Shepard raises her eyes, and pushes back on her chair. It barely budges with a strained squeak. She pushes her thumb into the back of the chair. "Back there."

"Exactly he's sleeping on the floor, leaning against the back of your chair." She raises her eyes as if to ask 'so?'. "I know that you have woken up and spied him sleeping at the head of your bed."

With a healthy chuckle, Shepard throws back her head. "Oh so that's why I woke up with a bruise on my forehead."

"You must have bumped against his back due to your constant rolling."

"How did you know about that?"

"I don't sleep as much as you." She holds her cup closer to her chest. "The rest of this ship is far too quiet. I, at least, expected some eery creaking during our traverse on this old bucket."

"We worked hard to get it that quiet."

"Congrats you succeeded in unsettling you're doctor."

"Ah," Shepard snorts. "it was bound to happen eventually." Orrin smiles to herself. Shepard rubs at her own shoulders. "So about your life."

"Oh we're moving back to that conversation topic?" The salarian throws her one of her grey arms over the other, leaning in her chair a little bit closer to Shepard. "And here I thought all soldiers were blunt and direct with their intentions."

"Only some." Shepard rolls her eyes. "Seriously though you've been taking care of me for months Orrin. The things I know about you I can list on one hang." She holds out her right hand, raising a finger for every fact. "Your name is Orrin, you have grey skin, black eyes, and you've been my doctor through the entire of my coma. Not to mention you somehow earned Wrex's begruding respect."

"My family is hardly of interest, commander. What about yours?"

"My family?"

"Yes. I'm inferring that you count Grunt and the rest of your crew on the Normandy as your family."

"For a long time I didn't have any. Even after the first handful of missions on the Normandy I still felt like I was just barely starting to make friends. I definitely didn't consider them to be family yet, and I was fine with that."

"I wonder if your crew felt the same?"

"Sometimes I still wonder what they think of it?"

"Of you?"

"No, of the ship. Their time on it really. I know many of them consider me to be a good friend, but during this last year I really worried about how close some of them were." Shepard sighs as she throws her head back against the chair. "Does that make sense?"

"You were jealous?"

"What? No. I was worried about what would happen to them all when I'm gone. If I wasn't around would they still take care of each other?" Guilt digs into the center of her heart. It swings an axe against the hard outer shell, forcing her to feel a pang deep within. Were they taking care of each other now?

Did Joker manage to land the ship safely, or had he chosen to keep it floating in space instead of risking his life? Was anyone making sure Tali drank enough water? She could get so distracted by her work she forgets to acknowledge her suit's warnings. Has Liara found a way to reconnect with the rest of the galaxy yet? If not, who was helping her work throuhg her fears, and paranoia? Did anyone know to what signs to look out for when Kaidan's migraines grow worse, or when Traynor is on the edge of panicking? Was Garrus mourning her like Grunt had been? What should see expect when she finds them all? Would anybody be happy to see her come back from the dead, twice? It's been months since the blast. Sooner rather then later a year may even pass without her reuniting with the crew. If that happens, would it be better for her to simply stay away?

Was that better for everybody else?

"Ah." With a nod of her head Orrin smiles. "You're incredibly selfless Shepard."

"Don't start." Her fingers dig into her temples. "I don't need more useless compliments."

"I mean it." Shepard rolls her eyes. "I think I understand why everyone who has served under you speaks so highly of you Shepard." Orrin scratches at the front of her neck "Even the great krogan uniter was visibly shaken by your state."

"Wrex has always been a softie."

"If he learns that you said that to me, I fear he would rip off my head so I could never spread your words to another soul."

"He'd have to go through me first."

"I shall hope he fails to make it through."

Shepard lets out a laugh. "You're hilarious Orrin."

"Perhaps I should have been an entertainer instead of a doctor."

"Why did you go into medicine?"

"There was plenty for me to learn."

"That was enough for you?"

"Plenty to learn, and dozens of ways to leave home. Does anyone really need any other reason?"

"No I suppose they don't." Shepard smiles up at the ceiling above them. "My reasons were much the same." Her voice grows soft. For a moment she imagines Alex's face. A smile on their face. Would they have been proud of her? "Is there anyone you miss?"

"My big brother."

"What's his name?"

"Aelorm. Erinle, Romuluan, Quince, Hallo, Raerale, Aelorm Haraji"

"If I remember correctly a salarian name includes their homeworld, nation, city, and then a clan name, and their given name."

"You forgot the name of the district they were born in. It goes right in between the city name and clan name. Otherwise, you are correct. You even listed them in the correct order. Most humans tend to fumble far more over our names."

"I try my best to remember important information."

"That is wise."

"Isn't it uncommon for a salarian to have two given names?"

"Yes. One was given to him at birth and the other by himself during his life."

"I see. I thought your clan name was Fanmora?"

"It is."

"So do you only share one of your parents?"

"Indeed. We share a father, leaving us separated into two separate clans. That did not stop him from visiting us."

"Why?"

"He was searching for our father. Wanted to go into the special task forces like him. My mother was the person he had traceably visited. When he arrived on our doorstep, my uncle nearly sent him away. He was persistent. Aelorm was determined to join the forces, and believed that the only way he'd receive an edge was to train directly under a current STG agent."

"Sounds like you respect him."

"I do. Typically salarian females are cloistered on our worlds out of tradition and respect. We go into politics, and make decisions for the entirety of our families, including what jobs they go into. Aelorm made a change within my family. That gave me a chance."

It's quite rare to hear a salarian from outside a clan, making a big change within it. "What did he do?"

"I like how you fear having too many significant conversations with our companion, but I believe you and I have touched on several deeply important topics during this short time."

"If you don't want to share, you don't have too."

"It's not that. You just confuse me."

"What do you mean?"

"You get along with the krogan fairly easily. I thought maybe it was due to your personality, but you don't seem that different from most other humans. In fact, you seem rather normal compared to them. Putting your traumatic past, and your deadly skills aside."

"Why don't you just shove me aside at that rate?" She was joking, but Orrin seemed to take the comment serious, frowning deeply.

"You're more then your history and skills Shepard."

"Man you took that way more seriously then I expected." Shepard stretches her neck out, and looks across the ship towards the window. "I know. I do."

"You're very different from the rumors and legends about you."

"Isn't everyone?"

"I suppose they are." Orrin sets her cup down on her knee. "Shepard what do you want?"

The soldier smiles to herself as she pulls her eyes away from the window. She speaks softly, as if to protect her words. "I want to find a peaceful place to live with my family."

"I doubt you'll ever not be hunted down."

"Then I suppose I'll just live on a ship. Forever moving with them."

"And what if they don't want to go with you?"

"Then they can leave."

"Can you really let them go? Even while you're doing so much to find them?"

"Of course. Everyone's allowed to make their own choices. My family won't always want the same things as me, and that's alright. I'll always support them, and all I can hope for is the same." She may never have her dream life. A time where her and Garrus live happily with the child they had spoken about before the final strike. The children her comatose brain had conjured will never be a part of her life either, but she hopes for them. Even if they don't live on a planet, but in a ship that constantly moves she'd like to live with her family. Kids or no kids, she'd still have Garrus. Tali, Joker, Kaidan, Liara, Javik, and the others could all stay too. One big happy family on a ship of their own. Kaidan would most likely return to Earth, and work. Liara has her own place where she's needed, and Javik may want to live alone. She knows this, but still she hopes for their visits. A life where they all still stay in touch at least.

"That's a remarkably open mind for, someone trained as you are."

"Not all soldiers walk away taking the same lessons from boot camp, Orrin."

"Yes. I think I've started to realize that."

As if sensing the lull, the communication hub comes to life. "Hell-" Static eats away the rest of the word. Their heads turn in sync to watch the machine. The chairs creak as their weights lean forward.

"Did you just hear that?" Orrin's voice is tinged with excitement. Shepard digs her nails into the chair's armrests.

Silence returns, with a new tension to it. Out of habit Shepard mentally counts the seconds. They tick away, each one meaning nothing. When she was a child the counting would let them know how far away a storm was. Every second after lightning strikes, and before the thunder could be heard, was another mile between her and worse of it. Now she's counting, waiting for lightning to strike twice.

Forty seconds pass. The static dies down. Fifty seconds in and it's gone. Sixty, nothing. Eighty. Silence still reigns. One hundred and twenty seconds in the static returns. Two hundred and sixteen seconds the voice returns.

"Are you there?" The static rises in volume. "Please, we're a small colony, but we have food. We need some help. Farmers, scientists, engineers, anything. Our numbers were halved by-" and the words disappear again.

Orrin's head turns so fast Shepard was scared of her neck snapping. Of course the N7 trained soldier meets her gaze. The pair share a smile before jumping onto their tasks. Orrin leans forward quickly, nearly falling out of her chair. Shepard twists around in her own, arms outstretched as she leans over the arm and looks at Grunt. He snores loudly, arms folded across his chest, as he leans his head and back against her chair. With a fond smile, Shepard gently shakes his shoulder. He wakes with a snort, his eyes going find as his hand snaps up and grabs her. She holds it steady as he squeezes, stopping just short of snapping her bones. It would bruise later. As his senses return, Grunt lets her go and frowns at her hand. "Time to get to work, buddy."

The next chapter will be posted Thursday or Friday. It will be a Liara chapter.