Consciousness rushed back to Kolyat quickly. It felt like only a moment between his drifting off into a deep sleep before his eyes snapped open, taking in the unfamiliar gray metal of the ceiling above. He was sluggish in registering his surroundings.

The events of yesterday flooded back; he felt excitement bubble up within him as he remembered every moment of a fierce silver-green gaze tracking him like prey. Everything had not been some fantastical dream.

As he adjusted into a seated position, his sore muscles spasmed in protest. The medi-gel had helped tremendously because he was sure that he'd be incapacitated otherwise. He lifted the corner of his borrowed top to investigate the injury Shepard had inflicted with her nails, curious about the damage. His two fused fingers traced the scar tissue that had already partially healed along the fleshy ribbing of his side.

Thank the gods for medi-gel, he thought to himself. He was surprised to find that the freshly forming scars did not hurt, but there would be permanent marks left on his skin. A physical memory of Commander Shepard's first lesson to him as a member of her crew.

Kolyat let the shirt fall back over his torso, before he swung his legs over the edge of his cot. His father's bed was empty, the blankets neatly pressed and folded atop the surface. He idly wondered what time the crew usually awoke, and whether they purposefully allowed him to sleep in. As he stretched, twisting and rolling his joints, he noticed the stiffness in his limbs.

He had always considered himself reasonably athletic, his trim frame and lightly defined muscles had led him to believe that he was suitably fit. After his twenty-minute sparing match with Shepard, he was rethinking his definition of fitness. He was briefly disappointed that he could not imagine himself being much help in a long-drawn-out fight.

He made a vow to himself that he would do whatever Shepard needed of him to get stronger and build his endurance. If he needed to tear apart his body and completely rebuild it, he would do it if it moved him up from support staff onto the actual ground squad. A small, hidden part of him felt like a young boy again, picked last in the schoolyard to participate in games. The scraps, left behind and unwanted.

Before Kolyat could dwell on those memories, the doors to life support swished open.

Kolyat turned as a tall salarian in a white and red lab coat strode into the room. Mordin, his memory supplied. Shepard had told him last night that Dr. Mordin Solus was a former STG operative that had worked on the genophage project, a lab experiment that had rendered most krogan reproductively sterile. However, he knew it had been the turians that had chosen to deploy the sterility plague upon the krogans in retaliation for the brutal conflict between their two species during the Krogan Rebellions.

For the last hundred years, the krogan population had slowly been dying out through a combination of low pregnancy viability and their viciously militaristic culture. It was an amazing feat in his opinion that Shepard had managed to command Grunt to cooperate with Garrus and the salarian doctor.

Astonishingly, it appeared that the three of them got along relatively well.

He noticed immediately that Dr. Solus was missing half of his right horn, and a large X shaped scar dominated the left part of his long face. His salmon colored scales and white highlights showed the telltale signs of aging and healed scars. The man was advanced in age for his people, forty years old Shepard had informed him.

However, his mind was still keen, if a little eccentric. Kolyat could tell Mordin was as sharp and combat ready as anyone else on the ship. Certainly, he was one of the most intelligent of the crew.

Mordin had actually been one of the few crew members who had introduced himself personally to Kolyat during dinner last night. The man's quick speech took Kolyat by surprise, but he remembered he was told that Dr. Solus would be coming to retrieve him for a medical evaluation with Dr. Chakwas, the physician who had treated his bullet wound.

"Ah. Young Mr. Krios," Dr. Solus rushed out in his quick speech. "Glad to see you awake and moving. If you are ready, we can begin our medical evaluation." He blinked at Kolyat expectantly with his overly large eyes, as if wondering why he wasn't currently following him to the medical bay. As if he didn't realize how abrupt his sudden appearance was in Kolyat's space.

Kolyat was so distracted by Mordin's sudden appearance that he had missed the smaller gray-haired human behind him. Dr. Chackwas had a kind, but stern air about her. According to Shepard, Dr. Chackwas had been apart of Shepard's crew since the original Normandy SR1. Kolyat had gotten the impression the doctor was just as loyal to the commander as Tali, Garrus and his father appeared to be.

After seeing how Shepard handled herself, and the respect in which she commanded her crew, he could easily begin to imagine pledging himself to her leadership for the rest of his life. He might have already done so, depending on the outcome of their current mission.

Dr. Chackwas' gray eyes surveyed the younger man, assessing his sleep rumbled appearance with a kind smile. "We can give you a moment to collect yourself Kolyat," she offered. "Mordin and I will be waiting in the medical bay whenever you are ready."

Mordin appeared confused, as if he couldn't understand why the younger Mr. Krios could not come with them now. It was an almost endearing quality of the man, Kolyat mused, not fully understanding slower social practices. Regardless, he allowed himself to be led out by his colleague and gave Kolyat some privacy.

Kolyat wandered over to his father's collection of clothes, idly sifting through his assortment of trousers and shirts. He chose a black sleeveless top and workout pants. As he gathered some toiletries, the blue drell thought about the myriad of supplies he would need to shop for soon. He'd only brought a scant number of things with him from home. His time spent living out of the cold, impersonal hotel room on the Citadel felt like eons ago. By now he imagined the surly volus that had owned the place had probably pawned off the rest of his things after he neglected to check out or pay his remaining bill.

As Kolyat made the short walk to the bathrooms across from life support, he shrugged the loss off. He had purposely not brought anything important with him on his travels.

As Kolyat showered and got dressed, he couldn't help but notice the snug fit of his father's trousers. The bottom legs tapered off just above his ankles, leaving a couple inches of awkwardly exposed scaled skin. The blue drell gave a humorless bark of laughter at the reminder that he had out grown his father. Thane easily had more muscle mass on him, but there was something unnerving about the idea of looking down at his father instead of up. His mind had been preoccupied with more pressing matters last night to really dwell on the difference.

Kolyat could remember idolizing Thane once long ago, a distant memory of thinking his father was the strongest person in the world, who could handle anything thrown at him. Someone who was incredibly sure of himself. Briefly, he remembered demanding every moment of Thane's time when he was on leave from his jobs. He would ask him to tell him stories of his galactic travels so often he must have heard the carefully edited tales a dozen different times, his mother in the distance watching them fondly. Kolyat had loved those times when they had felt like a normal family.

The blue drell shook off the cobwebs of a life that was long gone. It was easy to get overwhelmed by the memories of the family he'd lost in that moment. However, he now had to focus on the sense of purpose he had gain.

He still felt resentment toward his father, hurt by his abandonment. However, after yesterday, he could see a fork in the road of his future: the possibility to make amends with the dying man and explore their relationship before it was too late.

Hopefully he had found a more permanent home to start gathering the pieces of his new life.

Kolyat threw his dirty cloths down a laundry chute next to the exit and made his way over to the medical bay where the two doctors awaited him.

The sound of Garrus' complaining rang out across the crew deck. "I can't believe you bit me," he was exclaiming loudly to his chuckling companions as they exited the elevators, "Thane, she bit me. Why would you bite me?"

The few crew members who were present in the mess hall chuckled in amusement at the large turian's outburst. It was not uncommon for Garrus to be sporting a new injury that Shepard had caused during training. Apparently, this time she had bitten him.

Garrus was shirtless as he came around the corner, supporting his left forearm with a clawed hand. Thane and Selene trailed behind him, also dressed in training cloths. Shepard nearly leaned against Thane for support as she pressed her mouth into a hard line and hid her face against his shoulder, attempting to muffle her out-of-control laughter. Tears were gathering in her eyes from the effort. Thane's normally stoic façade held a visible smirk on his lips and a subtle shake to his shoulders as he too fought to contain his own mirth.

"Hey Doc, I need you to look at this. I might have a disease now."

The trio swept into the medical bay, oblivious to the closed shutters on the window, which usually indicated extra privacy was needed for a patient. There was an unspoken rule that the crew should knock before entering when the shutters were drawn.

"Hey pendejo!" Selene exclaimed through her smile."I don't have any diseases. I should be the one being tested, I tasted blood and for all I know I'm going to die now. I need to sterilize my . . . oh."

As the ranting pair finally took notice of the room, Shepard's outburst trailed off and her eyes widened in shock at the very naked drell in front of her.

Wow, he's beautiful, was her initial thought, before quickly shielding her eyes and turning away from him. She had to forcibly stop herself from returning her wondering stare to the navy and teal scales that reached below his hips.

Kolyat stood before them stark naked as the doctors conducted a full medical survey, with his blue scales and taut muscles on full display. Normally he wasn't shy about his body, and Garrus entering had not caused much concern. However, underneath Selene's unexpected silvery-green gaze, her startled expression burned into his memory forever, he felt his body jerk into action.

Kolyat leapt for his clothes, tripping over himself as he frantically twisted around. He managed to consciously avoid knocking Dr. Chakwas over in his attempt to reach his clothing. Unfortunately, as a result, he fell face first to the ground behind the large medical cart Mordin had set up in the middle of the room. Kolyat had managed to catch himself on his forearms at the last second, saving his nose and jaw from meeting the unforgiving metal floor.

"Oh shit," Selene breathed, as her gaze was pulled in the direction of the loud crashing of medical equipment. He managed to catch a glimpse of a blue body falling to the floor, thankfully covered by the large cart in the center of the room. She halting herself from rushing over to Kolyat's side, imagining that it would only increase his embarrassment.

Garrus had no such qualms, and he erupted into a deep fit of laughter. He bent over with both hands on his knees. Of course, Kolyat's unfortunate situation would be enough to distract the dramatic turian from his arm.

Selene felt Thane jerk beside her, the only thing stopping him from moving further into the room was the strong hand she placed on his chest. She shot Thane a firm glance, subtly shaking her head. After years of being separated from his son, it wouldn't be appreciated at this point if he kept trying to rush to his side. Kolyat had been a capable adult for a long time, gone was the little boy that Thane remembered from Kahje.

Kolyat sighed from the medical bay floor, wondering with exasperation why he kept embarrassing himself in front of Shepard. He wished with his entire being that the floor below would just open up and swallow him. He dreaded having to stand and face the group, especially Selene, his brain supplied.

The Commander shifted closer so she could properly see his face, but not close enough to see his concealed body.

"You okay Kolyat?" she offered a soft, comforting smile. "I am really sorry we interrupted you."

"It's okay," Kolyat cleared his throat, shifting into a kneeling position. Shepard noticed the frills at his neck were significantly brighter, and he kept his large eyes fixed somewhere around her nose as he spoke. "I . . . I was just startled, that's all."

Dr. Chakwas showed mercy on the poor man, and conveniently pressed his clothes into his arms. The group allowed him some privacy to quickly pull his trousers on, leaving his shirt on the table in front of him. As Kolyat rose to his feet, he finally made eye contact with Selene. Her silver-green eyes shone with kindness and regret, that small smile still quirking her lips. Kolyat found himself returning the smile, feeling slightly better at the sight of it.

"Well then, since you three caused such a commotion, Mordin might as well look at Garrus' arm," Dr. Chakwas sighed, continuing to glare at them sternly. Shepard wondered if this is how a disappointed mother would look at her children after watching them do something particularly foolish.

Shepard shifted her feet self-consciously, feeling chastised under the older woman's words.

"It's his fault," she mumbled, moving stealthily behind Garrus and shoving him forward.

"How is you biting me my fault?"

"For one, you deserved it," she arched an accusing brow, crossing her tattooed arms over her chest. "Also, you opened the door."

"See what I deal with, Doc?" Garrus exclaimed, ambling over to Mordin

Despite his silence, an amused smile played at the corner of Dr. Solus' thin mouth as he took Garrus' arm, inspecting the cracked plating and leathery skin underneath.

Selene silently congratulated herself as Dr. Chakwas fondly shook her head, her ire effectively diffused. At twenty-five years old, the commander had experienced and achieved things that soldiers three times her age never would, but it was times like this where the doctor was reminded just how young she really was.

The doctor's eyes softened as she took in the carefree and relaxed side of Selene that was hidden too often. Chakwas' attention sharpened as she turned back to Kolyat. "Okay Mr. Krios, we are almost done here. I just need you to breath deep into this and that should complete the evaluation."

The doctor handed Kolyat a mechanism with a rounded, rubber mouthpiece. The part was connected to a long tube, which was linked to a bulky machine to his right. Dr. Chakwas gave the machine's holo screen a few taps, and it emitted a digital chirp as she woke it up; Kolyat's information was entered next.

Thane recognized the machine—it was the same model that the doctors used to diagnose him with Kepral Syndrome ten years ago. He had been subjected to the breathing exercise again when he had first joined the crew. The device had determined the health of his lungs were stable but had deteriorated to 89% efficiency.

The longer he chose to wear his body down physically, or expose himself to humid environments, the faster the disease would eat away at his ability to process oxygen. Eventually, it would spread to his other organs, shutting them down one by one.

"Pardon me, Dr. Chakwas," Thane shifted forward, raising his voice above a murmur. "Would it be permissible for me to stay for Kolyat's results?"

There was a massive part of Thane that worried Kolyat had inherited the gene that made most drell susceptible to the disease. There was a small chance that Kolyat, being part of a younger generation of drell, was far enough removed from their arid dwelling ancestors that he might not carry the gene. There was a possibility that his body had adapted to the humid environment of Kahje enough to not be at such a risk. It was always the hope of older drell that the younger generations would soon naturally evolve to become more resistant towards the disease.

Thane was shocked over how wracked his psyche felt with the return of his son in his life. He had made peace with his inevitable death long ago, but he couldn't help but wish for more time to reintroduce himself to Kolyat's life.

"If Kolyat says it is okay, I do not mind if you stay."

Chakwas gave the machine one last tap before turning back to Kolyat, awaiting his answer before proceeding.

The blue drell's eyes shifted over to his father, and he gave a nondescript nod. Thane's impassive mask melted into a look of gratefulness, and Kolyat's heart clenched painfully.

Though he was not ready to say the words, Kolyat could feel a warmth blooming in his chest at the prospect of caring for his father again. Of having the chance to know him, to hear his real stories, and to begin trusting him perhaps. The ticking time clock that was his father's life made the grudge he'd held for so long slowly unclench; the cruelty of a universe destined to force them apart pushed him to peer beyond the pain of his abandonment.

Selene noticed the exchange and sent a silent prayer of thanks for the younger drell's capability to forgive. She had underestimated him in more ways than one.

Kolyat's range of maturity appeared more complex than she'd initially believed.

"I'll just be in the mess hall when you are all done," Shepard hooked her thumb over her shoulder toward the door. She had only made it half a step before Mordin called out to her.

"Not so fast Shepard. Broke through Garrus' skin. Lazarus Project caused all sorts of enhancements. Should run tests on your new capabilities at later time. Perhaps assess how deeply you could tear into skin with teeth and nails."

Whether he realized that he hadn't given her a single formed thought, Shepard didn't know. The salarian finished bandaging Garrus' arm and informed her that he should make sure that she had not ingested any blood before she left.

Shepard gave a low groan of protest but shuffled over to the doctor regardless.

"Alright, young Mr. Krios. Let us see how those lungs of yours are doing," Dr. Chakwas chimed. "When you hear the beep, please blow as much air as you can into the mouthpiece and continue until I indicate you should stop. We will do this three times."

The machine gave out a helpful chirp, signaling he should begin.

As Kolyat completed his breathing exercise, Shepard soldiered through Mordin's torturous examination. The tall salarian stuck a metal monitor in her mouth, while poking and prodding her with needles. He took samples of blood and injected her with an immunity booster as a precaution. All the while, Garrus sat to her right, giving her a smug look as she clenched her teeth and growled in the back of her throat.

Selene glared at him, promising that she would make him pay.

"I fail to see how this is my fault when you were the one who bit me," Garrus taunted.

Selene arched an indifferent brow and raised her middle finger at him.

"Alright, Commander, that should be good enough," Mordin broke through their playful teasing's. "Results show antibodies destroying any foreign substance that might be causing a negative reaction remarkably quickly. Really should run more tests to gain full understanding of your new body's capabilities."

He hurried to continue at the sharp look she shot toward him at hearing more tests, "Not right now of course. Will always be available if you change your mind. Have theory your body's ability to flush out toxins faster is linked with your previous . . ." Mordin coughed into his hand as he looked between Garrus and Shepard before continuing. "Encounters with one another."

By this time, Kolyat and Dr. Chakwas had finished with his exam. The woman assured his father that Kolyat was perfectly healthy, with no trace of Kepral Syndrome. The doctor added that Kolyat could live a long healthy life if the commander did not kill him in training before that. Chakwas ignored the fact that they all might very well die on the mission they were currently undertaking, wishing to instead focus on the positive.

Her joke at Selene's expense was just as much a warning as a jest; the boy obviously still had time to reconsider his position.

Kolyat ignored the subtle warning as he pulled his shirt over his head, his attention wandering over to where Garrus and Shepard sat, his ears perking at Mordin saying something about "encounters" between the two. What kind of encounters was the salarian hinting at? Kolyat wondered. Were the two a couple?

He had originally perceived them to be only close friends, his initial suspicions were more raised over his father and Selene's involvement. After yesterday's events, he had pretty much dismissed that possibility. However, he realized with a slight panic, Kolyat had not considered the possibility of Commander Shepard being involved with someone else on the ship.

As Kolyat watched the two grin at one another with a knowing look, he felt his stomach plummet. He was alarmed at the disappointment that flooded him, and the tightening of his chest. His mind was filled with it and he couldn't find his inner logic to question why he was feeling so miserable at the possibility of a woman he barely knew in a relationship.

Meanwhile, Garrus threw a large plated arm around the Commander's small shoulders, smiling broadly, "She just can't keep her hands off me, Doc."

"Ew," Shepard's face morphed into mock disgust as she shoved Garrus' arm away. "Don't flatter yourself, Garrus."

The disappointment rapidly shifted to confusion; a blossom of hope made his heartbeat stutter. The realization that he was more than peripherally attracted to the Commander hit him full force. The suddenness of his revelation caused his head to spin, and he mentally checked himself, try to shove the knowledge away to the back of his mind.

Well shit, Kolyat thought to himself. This could be one hell of a distraction.

As he took in the small human, playfully punching Garrus' arm, Kolyat felt a small smile lift the conner of his lips. He remembered clearly the look of fierceness she'd displayed when he'd first met her, she'd looked untouchable then. Now, he was witnessing the flickers of openness beneath her heavily guarded walls. It had been a while since he'd had feelings for someone, but the warmth he felt when he thought of his new boss wasn't unfamiliar.

These thoughts would need to be addressed later when he didn't have so many new experiences occurring every moment.

Maybe when Selene wasn't around, being . . . distracting.

"Okay, that is enough," Dr. Chakwas broke through his musings, her voice sharp with no heat behind it. "Everyone out of my medbay before I call for Samara's help to remove you."

Shepard chuckled as she complied, naturally the two drell and the turian fell into step behind her with a polite goodbye to the doctors.

As the group maneuvered the short hallway leading away from the medbay, Shepard turned around and leaned against the wall that separated the mess hall from the elevator.

"Mordin should have just amputated the damn thing and been done with it."

"You say the kindest things Commander," Garrus' subharmonics caused his words to come out more like a purr as he leaned against the same wall, peering down at her from his towering height. "Would you have really wanted to risk losing your best sniper?"

Kolyat felt the same pangs of jealousy rise again, but he tampered them down, hoping to not draw the wrong conclusion and overwhelm his thoughts again.

"Eventually, Garrus, you will be forced to actually prove your wild claims to be true or not," Thane cut in smoothly. "Rather than continue to spread deceit."

There was a thinly veiled declaration of a challenge, which the turian picked up on with glee.

"Just set the date and time, my misguided friend," Garrus chuckled.

"So, Kolyat," Shepard shifted her gaze to the quiet drell behind his father, effectively shutting up the age-old argument between Garrus and Thane. "Are you ready to test out some weapons today?"

"Yes, Commander," Kolyat answered with a sharp nod.

"Follow me, then. Thane, why don't you join us? Garrus, go make yourself useful somewhere else." Shepard waved her dismissal as she sharply turned on her heel.

"You know," Garrus called to her retreating back. "If you keep treating me like this, you're going to lose me Shepard."

Selene responded by raising her hand over her shoulder, her middle figure proudly displayed once more. The woman did not break her stride towards the elevator.

Garrus barked out a laugh as he retreated toward his room, ignoring the pointed looks the few crew members gave one another as they ate their lunch. He could practically feel the new rumors circulating quietly as they used this new interaction to expand their speculations of his and Shepard's relationship.

Down in the cargo hold Shepard sat atop several crates as she gestured to the selection of various weapons in front of her new recruit.

"Alright, Kolyat, pick a weapon. After that, I want you to try and hit every target as quickly as you can. Simple enough?"

Thane and Grunt stood on either side of her dangling legs as they watched Kolyat peruse the guns in front of him. Grunt watched disapprovingly, wondering for the hundredth time what his battle master saw in the young whelp.

Kolyat reached for a pistol first, a simple unmodified Carnifex, moderately weighted with a good amount of power behind it. He turned towards the makeshift shooting range that Selene had installed on the ship. She took pride in the makeshift shooting range, and she'd had it preprogramed to respond to her omini tool, allowing her to change the movement of the targets or activate surprise distractions if she wanted.

Shepard pressed a few buttons on the holo device on her arm, activating several stationary targets which sprang up in front of Kolyat. They appeared several feet away from each other, a test of his basic accuracy.

"Ready?" Selene asked.

Kolyat gave a firm nod, raising the pistol up in a steady grip. Selene noted that he was holding the firearm with correct form, and he had switched off the safety before aiming.

"Begin," Shepard called down, pressing a button that started a timer above the shooting gallery.

Kolyat was a relatively good shot with several of the weapons. The pistol, and the assault rifle, were guarantees. Shepard had been impressed by his ability to find his target, both while they were moving and while his vision was obscured by the light and smoke of several mock explosions. Selene began the assault rifle test with the M-96 Mattock, but when Kolyat had excelled with the gun and appeared unfazed by its power, the Commander had instructed Grunt to get her the M-76 Revenant.

Grunt had chuckled darkly as he returned with the weapon, before pushing it roughly into Kolyat's hands with clear contempt. Kolyat had ignored the krogan's attitude as he lined up his shots once more, his sharp eyes focused on the task ahead. He had been unprepared by the massive increase in kick back as he pulled the trigger, missing his first two marks as a result. Regardless, he recovered quickly and finished-off the rest of the targets cleanly, and with decent precision.

Selene leapt from the crates as the drell finished with his last target. With a few taps on her omini tool the targets disappeared, flying towards a metal crate in front of the table Kolyat had been shooting from. A magnetic pulse carried them carefully to their home, to be repaired and ready for their next use.

"Nice job," Selene offered with her arms crossed over her chest. "Looks like you are a natural with the pistol and assault rifle. That Revenant should have knock you on your ass."

A large smile bloomed on her face, her eyes alight with approval, "You handled yourself well."

Kolyat felt warmth bubble in his chest from the Commander's praise, relieved to see that he was beginning to handle things better. Thane, at her side, gave his own approving smile. Grunt, on her other side, gave another indignant sniff, before barreling past him to return to where Jack had been throwing her biotics against some training dummies. He seemed completely uninterested in Kolyat's results.

Selene ignored the krogan and continued, "Your use of the sniper needs some work. I think between your father, Garrus, Zaeed, Legion, and myself, we might be able to get you up to proficiency fairly quickly." Shepard paused to think, calculating how she was going to make necessary changes to the training schedule. "Tali and Kasumi will supervisor your further training with the pistol, while Samara, Zaeed and I will monitor your progression with the assault rifle. Thane, Garrus and I will teach you how to use the sniper. Zaeed and Legion can trade off on days that we are unavailable. You will work with everyone when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. That is where you need the most work, along with a steady exercise regimen to build up your endurance and strength. I think Jacob can oversee that. Now, you mentioned some biotic moves you were familiar with, but how comfortable are you with them in a fight?"

"I have never had to use my powers in a fight before," Kolyat answered honestly.

"Ok, you will be working with Miranda, Jack, Samara, and Thane on your biotics. Occasionally, I can stand in for them if I need to. I usually have all my biotic experts work together and teach each other how to master different moves and styles. Jacob, I am excluding from this training because you will be working with him every day on endurance and strength training, but he is available if you wish to question him. You are going to want to pay close attention to everyone's unique talents: Jack can't be matched for raw power, Samara is the most knowledgeable and experienced, Thane the most innovative, and Miranda is the most controlled. Learn from all of them the same way they learn from each other."

Shepard finished and gave Kolyat a meaningful stare, conveying the seriousness of her instructions.

Selene was clearly very proud of her team and believed they were the best at what they did for a reason. Kolyat could not argue with the obvious truth of her feelings, even without having seen any of them in action.

Kolyat felt himself stand a little straighter, determined to make a place for himself here.

"When do we get started?"