Shepard walked away after a moment, smiling at Shale and ignoring Aiden's flabbergasted expression entirely.

"Space?" Aiden intoned, eyes glaring holes into the back of her head as he chased after her. "As in the stars?"

Alistair paused in his tent unpacking, watching her reaction closely.

"Yes." She replied calmly. Turning she met Aidens incredulous stare. With a snort she shook her head. "Maybe an explanation is in order."

"I bloody well hope so." He snapped.

Shepard glared at Aiden before clearing her throat. "But first I have a question for you two. What year is it?"

"9:30 Dragon." Alistair told her. He twisted the canvas in his hand nervously as Aiden shifted his fingers back towards his daggers.

She frowned at them. "I'm assuming then this planet doesn't follow any sort of galactic measurement of time?" At their blank stares she sighed, reaching up to rake her fingers through her hair, wincing as her finger caught on the cut on the side of her head.

Immediately Alistair jumped to his feet, dropping the tent in a heap. "Shepard here!" He tugged her until she was sitting on a log, reaching around it he rifled through a pack near his feet. He spoke as he pulled out bottles and bandages. "We should take a look at your head first and then you can explain."

She paused, meeting his eyes briefly before giving him a nod.

Permission given, Alistair gently grabbed his water skin, upending it against the blood clotting her hair. Behind them Aiden paced, an annoyed grimace pulling at the corner of his lips. "Galactic measurement of time? What does "galactic'' even mean?"

"It means an agreed upon date for all species in the galaxy."She told them, flinching at the cool sensation of water trickling into her undersuit. Murmuring a brief apology Alistair quickly grabbed a bright red bottle and opened it, the strong herbal scent causing her nose to wrinkle. "What is that stuff?" she asked. Alarmed at the earthy looking substance.

Aiden cut her off, "Galaxy? What in the Maker's name is a galaxy?"

"Health polituce." Alistair replied gamely. Clearing his throat he gently applied it to her head. He shivered, ignoring the sensation of her breath against his neck as he leaned up to shift her bun out of the way. "Soooo, a galaxy?" He hyper focused on the streaks of red beneath his hands. " Is that a… space… thing?"

"A space thing?" Aiden let out an annoyed grunt. "For a charletton you're shit at lies Shepard."

She sighed, tone flattening. "A galaxy is a collection of stars and planets bound together by gravity." At Aidens open mouth she swiftly cuts him off "Gravity being the force that makes things fall when you drop them." His teeth clenched with an audible clack as he leaned back on his heel, hand gesturing in a "go ahead" motion. Alistair awkwardly began wrapping bandages around her head to fill the silence.

Shepard took a deep breath and began to speak, " There are billions of galaxies in the universe but the one we're in is called the Milky Way." She flinched as he accidentally tugged on her hair, meeting his sheepish apology with a nod. "Truth is, what it's called doesn't matter. The fact is that the galaxy is big and full of life. We needed a way to keep time across all the different planets — hence, the galactic measurement of time." Finished he immediately tied off the bandaged and stepped back.

"Thanks." Straightening she faced them both head on, looking for all intent and purposes as if she was facing down an invading army. "When I said I was from space, I didn't lie." She paused, regarding both their expressions neutrally before continuing. "I live in space, on a ship called the Normandy. It's a military vessel under the jurisdiction of the Alliance, our government, so to speak. I'm her commander. I was in the process of being transported from Normandy to another vessel when the shuttle I was on was attacked by a group of pirates." She smiled wryly at Alistair's soft "aha" at the word shuttle. "They managed to shoot the engines," At their confused expression she clarified "the power source of the ship, and it sent us crashing into this planet, where Alistair and I met." She gestured to him as he stood to her side. "A giant creature kicked my shuttle and then Alistair and I ran here." Finished she bent down and plucked the mangled canvas from the ground, calmly tying it to the tent poles as silence descended across the group.

Aiden flicked a glance at her bent head. "You're crazy." Apparently satisfied with his conclusion he turned to Alistair. "You're brought a crazy woman into our camp."

Alistair scowled "Oh like it would be the first time? Besides! How can you be so sure she's not telling the truth?"

"Are you serious?"

He hesitated for a moment before lifting his chin, glaring at Aiden. "Well… yes! Look at what she's wearing! That's definitely not… normal." He gestured expansively to her outfit. "And when I found her in the woods! She was standing next to some sort of strange structure in a crater. Though truth be told, I didn't really get a clear look at it before it was kicked over my head. That must have been her shuttle!"

Aiden blinked then frowned. "Did you hit your head when you went bumbling through the forest? It's not possible to live in the stars Alistair. There's no such thing as a galaxy!"

"You didn't see the things she can do Aiden! She flew! If magic like that exists, who's to say someone can't reach the stars?"

Aiden stilled glaring holes into Alistair's head. "Or! More likely, she is a blood mage who planted images in your head!" Spinning he ripped his dagger from it's sheath on his back, "release him maleficar."

Shepard quirked a brow calmly before standing. "Someone's really going to have to provide me with a list of what all these words mean."

"Stop Aiden, I'm not her thrall!" Alistair jumped between the two of them "Seriously do you think I wouldn't have noticed? What with me being an ex-Templar and all? Did you just forget?" Annoyed, he pushed down on Aiden's dagger arm. "And she's not a blood mage. Truth be told, I'm not even sure if she is a mage."

"I saw her light up like a fire with my own eyes, Alistair."

Alistair smiled slightly, "Truuueee, but I didn't feel her use any mana." He frowned in confusion regarding Shepard. "In fact, I don't think I ever felt you call on the Fade. How does a mage cast spells without using mana?"

"Mana?" Shepard snorted, "What is this Galaxy of Warcraft?" At the warden's frowns she sighed. "I'm a biotic, not a mage, or maleficar, or apostate." She glared at the two men. "I was exposed to element zero at some point during early development, and it mutated my cells." At their continued blank looks she straightened, then flared, allowing the tendrils of blue to snake around her. "I had some bad stuff around me when I was young and it fused to me." Reaching out she touched the ruined canvas. "See, perfectly safe, none of this, mage stuff."

"Alistair?" Aiden questioned, eyes riveted on Shepard's light display. "What can you feel?"

"Nothing Aiden. She's… not drawing on the Fade at all." He frowned, reaching forward to touch her arm, watching her biotics ripple up over his hand. His brown eyes crinkled at the corners. "It tickles." He grinned at Shepard with enthusiasm.

She smiled back cautiously, allowing her barrier to extend up his arm to his chest. Turning her attention back to Aiden standing a fair distance away she stared at him earnestly. "I promise, I'm not lying to you. If you just let me stay the night I'll make my way back to my shuttle tomorrow and be out of your hair. If it's not in too many pieces I should be able to cobble together a communication array. Alright?"

Aiden swallowed, eyes flicking between Shepard and Alistair, expression conflicted. "And if you can't?"

She let out a soft breath. "Then I'll try and find some other way."

For a moment his icy facade cracked, and sad eyes locked with her own "And if you still can't?"

"Then I'll help here until I can find a way, whatever it takes."

Aiden sighed, watching the rigid structure of her parade rest for a moment. Shaking his head he stiffened, cold mask back in place. "You said you had people to contact right? Star friends? We're heading to the tower of the Circle of Magi next. Someone there should be able to help you get into contact with your "friends from the stars." We will assist you until then, so long as you help us. After that you are on your own. With that he spun away, "For the time being Alistair will see to what you need."

Shepard nodded. "Thank you." She murmured, shifting nervously. Tilting her head she glanced up at Alistair reading his expression in lieu of his friend. She stiffened as she caught his pale face staring at Aiden's retreating back.

He stepped awkwardly from her side, smiling apologetically. "Why don't you finish setting up that tent?" He gestured to the mutilated fabric and poles on the ground. "Best not to waste his timely change of heart don't you think?" With that he turned, racing to catch up with his fellow warden. "Aiden!" He sprinted up alongside his comrade, reaching out and grasping his arm, dragging him to a halt. "When we reach the Circle, what exactly do you intend to do with her?"

Aiden wrenched his arm from Alistair's grasp strolling forward past Bohdan's cart, eyes tracking the trees beyond their little clearing. "She's a crazy dangerous maleficar Alistair, even if you can't currently see it." He halted, turning to stare into Alistair's wide eyes. "I'm returning her to the Templars where she belongs."