*Quick note: I may continue to edit these chapters for grammar and phrasing like I am with the previous ones, so don't be surprised if lines or phrases change in the next few days.

Life is complicated. I've killed stories…edited stories…sold stories (in my dreams). Perhaps now, things will be different…

Enough of this rambling! I'm back and I have not one, not two, but THREE complete chapters to make up for my absence. Thank you so much to the fans who have continued following my story and to DinoJake for his feedback and his putting up with my obsessive compulsive proofreading (this went through no fewer than four drafts ending up as a final forty-two page document).

A few plugs first before we start. Along with my currently on hold Walking Dead fanfic A Life of Service, I have started writing a new story centered on Telltale's The Wolf Among Us game that I feel has some of my best writing to date. Or at least I am just very proud of how it has been shaping so far. Check out The Heart Made of Clay in the games section under The Wolf Among Us and let me know what you think.

I've also started a new blog called Gut Reaction Reviews where, along with posting my own thoughts on all things media, I am doing a podcast with several friends about everything we have watched recently. Check out the blog here:

Or, skip straight to my Soundcloud account for the podcast here: /justin-zarian

Lastly, go check out DinoJake's The Last Spartan if you haven't yet!

And with that, let's return to our story. When we last left Kyle and the squad, they had successfully done A Hostile Takeover and are returning to the Citadel with ONI's Danielle Ackerson. This chapter is a much more leisurely in comparison, but be prepared for what is the first official crossover with multiple characters from this story and The Last Spartan! Essentially, it's the stuff certain members of Chief's squad did in TLS while he was fighting Doctor Heart and the Flood, but with my guys involved. Enjoy…

...

1115 Hours, March 1st 2683

Office of Naval Intelligence Headquarters

Citadel

Widow System, Serpent Nebula

...

Kyle always assumed the Office of Naval Intelligence had a Citadel Headquarters, but, like everything ONI, he also knew that its location was confidential. Not that anyone would assume this small outlet building in the lower wards was a headquarters from the outside, what with how rundown and unassuming it looked. To be fair, with the kind of friends and enemies ONI made, he couldn't blame them for discretion.

And now he was sitting in its main lobby, waiting for what was supposed to be an 11:00 AM meeting with Major Ackerson. The flashing 11:15 AM on his omni-tool's clock meant it was going to be a long day. Whatever 'pressing concerns' she was dealing were cutting into his own plans. Maybe he didn't have to rush himself over here after all.

He continued to wait somewhat patient while observing the area. The lobby was awfully quiet and empty, with the only audible noises coming from the nicely groomed lady receptionist answering calls on her console. The fact she appeared to be doing that and seven different things simultaneously on her data pad was quite the achievement.

On the opposite side of the lobby, several ONI officers discussed private matter out of his hearing range. Another group of officers, flanked by ONI marines, exited a hallway to his left without even acknowledging his presence. It felt like no one wanted him here. The feeling was mutual.

He had to be here though. Before the Tokyo docked at the Citadel, Ackerson requested his immediate presence for a…how did she put it? 'An unscheduled formal evaluation.' Which was strange since the ODST branch conducted their own evaluations personally. On the positive side, that meant his next branch evaluation would be pushed back until much later. On the negative side, he had to wonder why the Major even cared. They weren't her responsibility and he was damn sure there was no need for an internal investigation of his squad. At least, there was no need to the extent of his knowledge.

He exhaled loudly and rested his head on the wall behind him. Apparently, ONI's trademark punctuality wasn't a concern if it involved one of their own buildings. He figured he could take a catnap while he waited.

"Lieutenant Nolan?" The receptionist called from her desk,

Kyle hesitated at first since she hadn't even looked up from her data pad to call him. After waiting to see if he had misheard her, he walked over to the front of her desk. She still didn't look up as he decided to speak first.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Major Ackerson apologizes for the delay," the receptionist said her eyes glued to her screen and her fingers moving data rapidly. "Something urgent came to her attention. It'll only be another ten minutes."

"…so, is there something else I should do before then or was that all?"

"That was all. Have a seat in the lobby and I'll let you know when she's ready."

I was just doing that, he thought to himself annoyed. He held back his tongue though. Last thing he needed right now was for ONI to judge him for mouthing off.

"Alright," he groaned walking back to his chair. The receptionist then took a call on her console and went on like the conversation never happened.

He sat in the chair, leaned back and let out another audible groan just to annoy anyone who may have heard him. Anything the rest of his squad was doing right now had to be better than this…

Engelbrektsson rubbed the back of her neck and smiled feeling the warmth of her newly replaced biotic amp. Being cooped in the ODST office's biotics bay made for an excruciatingly long morning. Most people would simply buy a regular amp from a corner store, but she was a special case. She was an L2 biotic using L3 implants and there was always a risk that the wrong amp could malfunction or leave lasting neural damage. So since it was ODST technicians who did the transition, it would have to be the same who fixed any damages. At least she could trust them not to mess it up!

Whatever the case, she was happy to be back at full strength. She developed a huge case of cabin fever while everyone else took down the syndicate. The fact that she couldn't help drove her crazy with feelings of uselessness. She knew those feelings weren't real, but not having a single casualty in the squad without her presence didn't help.

All of that worry, plus a slight dizziness from the amp repair, prompted her to steal away Resolme for some company. He claimed he had nothing urgent to do on the Citadel anyway and it was a convenient excuse to socialize with the greenhorn. There was almost never a bad time to build camaraderie.

They had been quiet for most of their walk to Chora's Den, however, so she figured she should start now.

"So, everything went smoothly during the raid?" She asked.

"Kind of," he replied. "The Captain took me off turret duty before we entered the base."

"She took you off turret duty?" She asked amused as they passed the Krogan bouncer in front of the Den. "What is this? Middle school?"

"I had some trouble shooting a Ghost, but I did hit it in the end. It was weird."

"Oh I'm not disagreeing. I'm just surprised she did that is all. I mean hell, it's not like shooting a Scorpion tank."

"Exactly," Resolme said clearly relieved someone else had sympathy for him. "Where should we sit?"

The two of them scanned the area for good spots. The colorful flashing lights and pulsing music sent shivers down Engelbrektsson's spine as her new amp adjusted to the sensory input. If that wasn't more of an excuse for a stiff drink than she had already…

"How about there?" She said pointing to some empty chairs on the opposite side of the circular bar in the center.

"Why are we drinking so early?" Resolme asked as they walked over and sat down.

"One," Engelbrektsson replied. "Nothing builds camaraderie like a good drink. Two, my brain is tweaked on biotic energy so it helps me settle down. And three, because why the hell not? We're not fighting or training today. We might as well enjoy a drink. Screw the time of day." She decided to shift subjects. "So you said your brother and sister are serving too, right?"

"Oh yeah. Tomasi's on the Shanghai and Lavania was transferred to the Kilimanjaro."

Engelbrektsson whistled lightly. "They must be pretty good to get those postings."

"Hell yeah. Both of them graduated in the top percentile of their tech classes. The Kilimanjaro's XO personally requested Lavania after hearing about her work on the Agincourt."

"What did she do that made her so special?"

"I don't know. She was too excited about the promotion to explain why she got it."

They chuckled as a human waitress came to take their order.

"Hi there," the waitress said cheerfully. "Welcome to Chora's Den. What would you like?"

"Well, uh…" Engelbrektsson replied looking at her nametag. "…Jenna, what's good and strong today?"

"Good is relative," Jenna teased back. "I'd stay away from the whiskey though. We've had some complaints about the last batch."

"It's not my poison of choice anyway. Any good vodka drinks?"

"Our drink of the day is the Atomic Blue. It's a mix of vodka, tonic, Tupari, a hint of rum and a blueberry juice base."

"Go light on the Tupari, but make mine a double."

"Alright," Jenna said turning to Resolme. "And for you, sir?"

"What's your beer selection?" He asked.

"Heineken and Shayzor."

"The Asari beer? Never tried that before. What do you think?" He asked Engelbrektsson.

"Never tried it either," she said shrugging. "Go ahead and roll the dice."

"Alright. I'll take that."

"I'll bring those right out," Jenna said before walking to the other side of the bar.

"Just beer?" Engelbrektsson asked.

"I'm not in the mood to get hammered," Resolme replied.

"Well …Shayzor's not exactly a light beer."

"You said you never tried it."

"Yeah, but you can know about something you've never tried."

"Then I'll drink lightly," he said as he observed the club. "How come we didn't go to Flux?"

"Their alcohol selection's not as good," she replied. "And that Volus owner keeps bugging me to play Quasar. Give me actual Blackjack any day. Why do you ask?"

"This isn't really a safe club," he said noting some of the surly looking people sitting at nearby tables. "Playing Liar's Dice with the lieutenant was one thing, but it feels like people want to shoot me in the back."

"Come back after you've visited Noveria," she teased. "Then we can talk about shady shit. And hey, if they give you a nasty look, throw one right back. No one's messing with an ODST at this hour."

As she finished that sentence, someone sat in the open seat to her right. It was definitely a human, but she didn't bother to see whom. She figured it was just some regular.

"Jow much did it suck not being able to fight?" Resolme asked her.

She sighed leaning onto the bar counter. "A lot…at least you guys had fun."

"Not really," he confessed. "No one died, but it sucks not having your biotic shield for extra protection."

She was happy someone missed her presence, but she wasn't going to turn soft that quickly. "Well stop putting your ass in the line of fire and you wouldn't need that shield all the time," she joked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm going to get you killed some day."

"Oh, don't be hard on yourself. Beckett's still alive because of you, so I'm sure you'll save my ass someday too."

"Yeah…"

Jenna then arrived with their drinks. "There we go. Let me know if I can bring anything else."

"Thanks," Engelbrektsson said looking at the turquoise colored drink curiously. An Atomic Blue, huh? She would have to judge how 'atomic' it really was.

"Hi," Jenna then said to the person next to her. "Sorry, I'll be with you in a sec."

"I'll wait right here," a raspy but soft-spoken male voice replied.

Engelbrektsson's ears perked up hearing the voice. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place where. She sipped her drink while continuing to eavesdrop. Thankfully, the drink was strong enough that she could take her time.

"…why do I get the feeling you're not here to order drinks?" Jenna said to the man curiously.

"Sorry," the man said. "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I need to talk about your work with C-Sec?"

"C-Sec?" Resolme said voicing both his and Engelbrektsson's surprise.

"I don't know what you people are talking about," Jenna said feigning ignorance unconvincingly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my other customers."

"This isn't a game, Jenna," the man said more seriously. "These people are dangerous."

"Now you sound like my sister! Why is everyone so concerned about me? I can take care of myself. I need to go. I'm not a stripper. I don't get paid to stand around a look pretty."

"Wait—" the man said trying to stop her before she stormed off to the other side of the bar. "…great..."

Engelbrektsson figured it was time to pretend to be eavesdropping and see who this person was. She turned to him and went wide-eyed. Even after all these years, she knew exactly who that face and gelled hair belonged to.

"Kaidan?"

The man turned to her with equal surprise. "Julianne?"

Sure enough, that guy was Kaidan Alenko. She was surprised he remembered her. Everyone at BAaT knew who he was after he killed that Turian trainer Vyrnnus, but she rarely talked to him personally outside of a few chitchats. She never forgot his face though, even after all these years. It was nice to see he was still good looking as an adult too.

"You guys know each other?" Resolme asked confused.

"Yeah," Engelbrektsson replied. "Kaidan and I were in the 'Grunt Hole' together."

Memories then flashed in the back of her mind. The times spent with all of the kids after lights out. All the tests the Turian teachers pushed them through. Her friend Desirae and her playing tricks on some of the boys. It had been so long since she had pushed those aside, but here they were flooding to her mind. She did her best to hold them back as Kaidan nodded to her armor.

"You with the Citadel's ODST detachment?" He said noting her insignia.

"Nope," she replied. "Shore leave. We just busted a system spanning red sand syndicate and took on a Covenant Storm battalion."

"Always knew you'd go the wild route."

"And I see you went for the straight marine route," she said also noting his Alliance marine insignia. "What ship are you on? Jakarta? Cairo?"

"…actually," he said not wanting to say it out loud. "The Normandy."

She was impressed. That was the last ship she expected him to be a part of.

"You mean…like, the Normandy with…"

"Yup," Kaidan said finishing her thought.

"Holy shit," Resolme said impressed. "What are you doing here?"

"It's…don't worry about it," Kaidan replied. "You don't need to get involved."

"You throw around a word like 'C-Sec' and expect me not think it's a big deal?" Engelbrektsson said. "Give me more credit than that!"

"Alright," Kaidan said with a sigh continuing to whisper. "That bartender is a C-Sec undercover agent."

"For real?" Resolme said too loud before quieting himself. "She fooled me."

"Why is that a problem?" Engelbrektsson asked.

"I went to Flux earlier today and met her sister. Poor woman's been tearing her hair out over Jenna's safety. Can't blame her," he said noticing some creepy looking people catcalling at Jenna. "She wanted me to convince Jenna to leave, but she didn't mention it would be this…tricky."

Engelbrektsson glanced over to see Jenna serving some other customers. She seemed to be pretty good at her job if she was a C-Sec agent, but the club was certainly not safe for a young woman. The catcalling alone would've driven Engelbrektsson crazy.

"How do we convince her to leave?" She asked Kaidan.

"I said you don't need to get involved," He reiterated.

"And I say this isn't a coincidence we met like this. Besides, three heads are better than one. You in, Resolme?"

Resolme hesitated at first before taking another drink of his beer, gagging slightly at the Shayzor's after taste, but he nodded in agreement.

"There we go," Engelbrektsson said eagerly. "It'll be like old times."

"Persistent as always," Kaidan said resigned. "Alright, but let me take charge here. I don't want to cause problems for anyone"

"Good, because I'm a problem magnet," Engelbrektsson said before chugging her own drink. The vodka burned her throat and she had a slight buzz from the alcohol, but her head did feel a lot better now.

"Don't I know it," Kaiden joked as they paid for their drinks and left.

So, it looked like they were going to do some investigating. That sounded a lot better than what she had planned for the day and it'd be a good excuse to catch up with Kaidan. Though they still had no leads on how to convince Jenna.

Right as they were about to leave, some Turian jackass bumped right into Kaidan and her. Rather than apologize though, the Turian leaned in between them.

"If you've got questions about Jenna, meet me at C-Sec academy," he whispered sternly.

"What'd you say?" Resolme asked trying to get in on the conversation.

Instead of repeating himself, the Turian pushed Kaiden and Engelbrektsson out of the way.

"Push off!" He said putting on a very fake drunk accent. "I never did nothing to you guys. Damn newcomers. Think they can run the place." He then stumbled with a fake drunk walk to the bar, though not before giving Resolme a discreet stink eye on the way.

"The hell was that about?" Resolme asked.

"I guess we should find out," Kaidan said leading them out of the bar...

"Come in, lieutenant."

Kyle stepped inside to see Major Ackerson sitting behind a very nice silver and white desk. Her office was very ornate compared to the staleness everywhere else in the building, though it wasn't much bigger than Ralston's on the Tokyo. There were several paintings on the wall, some silver themed furniture, a large console on the left wall and other assorted things to make it look livable. A music player accompanied all this by softly playing modern orchestral music in the background, which Kyle noted from the information screen was Brian Ferneyhough's La Terre est un Homme. There was also some bust next to the door, but Kyle didn't recognize who it was other than the base reading 'James Ackerson' on it.

"Nice place," he said sitting in his chair as she minimized several screens on her desk's terminal.

"It suits my needs," she said with that same neutral voice as always. "It's nice having a place to call 'home,' even if it's a glorified broom closet. What's your home like?"

"Don't really have one. I'm in space too often to have a permanent residence."

"Where do you stay during your time off?"

"I stay with my family when I'm on Earth. The headquarters here has a place for soldiers too."

"Hm…I wouldn't take a man of your rank or age to be a couch surfer."

He held his tongue should he say anything he regretted.

"My apologies," she said noticing his reaction. "I meant no disrespect. I just assumed a 'lifer' like yourself would have a stable residence."

"Nope," he said holding his annoyance back.

The Major leaned forward onto the desk. "It's unfortunate starting off on the wrong foot, isn't it? My behavior yesterday was no better. All of that was…uncommon for me."

"I thought casual murder was standard here," he quipped before he could stop himself. He had gotten too comfortable mouthing off to Ralston and Anderson.

"Thankfully not, but sometimes we have to play the roles to the hilt to accomplish our goals," she said leaning back in her chair. "You of all people should know that. ODST play all kinds of roles out in the field. Soldier, good cop, bad cop, negotiator...interrogator," she said pointedly.

"Sometimes," he replied crossing his arms.

"Finding someone who can interrogate without resorting to physical violence is actually quite rare. Your work with Dalamar was a fine example. Helena thought she could lead us on a wild goose chase, but I'm glad people like you proved her wrong."

"…thanks?" He said still trying to get a read on her intentions.

"It's a genuine compliment," she said countering his concern. "And on that note, I should apologize for yesterday too."

"Hm?"

"When I ordered you to execute Parker and 'Seva. It was an abuse of my authority."

He sighed thinking about that. It had been on the back of his mind for the last day, largely because it could lead to a prison sentence.

"I've been playing my role in that operation for too long," she continued. "Dealing with scum like Helena makes your forget how much you can force someone's hand."

"How would you go about not getting me court marshaled?" He asked.

"To the point. I like that. Well, you acted under my authority in a now highly classified operation. Everyone in your squad will go unnamed in the report and the deaths were noted an hour before the execution. Any other loose ends that might implicate you in a negative light have been dealt with too. Simply put, you can't even be threatened with court martial because you were never there."

"So…I got away with murder."

"Getting away with murder is part of the job, lieutenant. No, you followed orders. Besides, how many other men did you kill to reach those guys?"

"…twenty, maybe twenty-two. Hard to tell when you destroy vehicles."

"Exactly," she said as she tapped on her desk terminal. "Everyone's hands are dirty when they work for the armed forces. As long as they look clean, no one really cares."

"Interesting philosophy."

"It's useful."

He sunk into his chair as he eyed her terminal. "Is this all part of the evaluation?"

"Yes," she said matter of fact. "Believe it or not, productive and open communication is a valuable trait for any soldier, especially ODST. It divides the grunts from leaders like you."

Ok…so he kind of got a compliment there. "So…why did you want to evaluate me?"

"I should be concerned with the well-being of all our military branches," she said as she stopped typing. "But more seriously, it's because you're not an average soldier, lieutenant."

"How so, ma'am?"

"Even compared to other 'lifers,' the ways you choose to lead and fight are uncommon. Especially given your…condition," she said pointing to his prosthetic hand, which prompted his expected discomforted reaction. "Most soldiers would clone missing limbs rather than stick with a prosthetic. Not you though. There's something different driving you. So I figured I should take this time to…get to know you. Where it goes from there is to be seen."

"…and where would one of those possible destinations lead to?"

"As I said, it's to be seen."

Great, surprises. What every soldier loves to hear. He figured it could range anywhere between being promoted and being stranded on some remote planet. Guess all he could do was go along with it.

"Are we understood on this?" She asked him.

"I have to do it anyway, so yes ma'am."

"Good," she said as she maximized her previously closed screens. Most of them were dossiers…more specifically, his team's dossiers. Everyone's photos popped up on the corners as their individual service records and details were uploaded beneath them.

"I'll ask about your service record later," she continued. "…which has been a very interesting read by the way. Right now, I'd like you to account for your current squad."

"Account?"

"Yes. Every soldier should feel directly responsible for those under their command. Captain Falana's report spoke highly of your team, though she expressed some…concerns about your discipline."

Kyle wasn't happy with having Falana criticize his leadership, but he kept himself in check. "I can assure you they've been trained to be the best team possible."

"I'm sure of it, and that's why I want you to prove her wrong," she said as she expanded the nearest dossier. "Now, let's start with Operations Chief Beckett…"

Beckett strolled through the Presidium by herself, soaking in the sights and sounds around her. She didn't know how the rest of her squad felt, but she loved visiting the Citadel. She could only dream of being here before joining the corps. Now she regularly visited several times a year. Maybe if she saved enough money, she could move her parents here. It was a fool's dream, but everyone should have at least one.

She rarely had time to admire the specifics of the Presidium, so she figured she should start with the tour guide terminal. She found one nearby and waited until a group of Salarians ahead were done with their business. She then stepped forward, drawing the attention of the purple and pink Asari hologram's freaky soulless eyes.

"Welcome to Presidium Tourism Terminal Two," the V.I. greeted her. "I am Avina and I will be your guide through this section of the Presidium." The V.I. motioned to the huge elevator behind Beckett. "You are standing near the base of the Citadel Tower, one of the Presidium's most recognizable and important structures."

It then motioned to a large statue behind it. "Behind me is the spectacular Relay monument, a scale model representation of a Prothean mass relay."

It then pointed to its right. "To your left is one of the Keepers, the enigmatic caretakers of the Citadel, working on a control panel."

Beckett gave the briefest of glances to the Keeper as she tuned out Avina's boring details. If those things weren't interested in interacting with anyone, she wasn't interested in learning about them.

"Enough Keeper talk," Asha interrupted pointing to the Relay monument. "Tell me about that."

"…please specify your desired subject," Avina asked after processing the request.

Beckett rolled her eyes. She forgot that non-military V.I.'s couldn't understand contextual clues. "Sorry, please tell me about the Relay monument."

"Discovered by the Asari, who first arrived to the Citadel, the Relay Monument is one of the station's most interesting and controversial features. What is the meaning behind this striking piece of art? Is it a tribute to Prothean vanity, a reminder of their conquest of the galaxy through mass relay technology? Or perhaps it is a symbol of unity, a Prothean acknowledgment that the relays would eventually lead other species here to the Citadel. No one can say for sure, making the Relay Monument a favorite topic of discussion among academics and scholars."

That was more of an art lesson than she needed, but it was intriguing information. So the people who built this were the original trolls of the galaxy, trying to preemptively stump her generation's eggheads over something that probably meant nothing. She had to hand it to the Protheans; they may not be as powerful as the Forerunners, but they had a better sense of humor.

"May I be of further assistance?" Avina asked routinely.

"That's all for now," Beckett replied as she left the terminal.

"Thank you for using Avina. Have a pleasant day," the V.I. said moving into her default 'waiting' position.

Beckett approached the monument's base to admire the craft up close. The statue loomed over the Presidium with an authoritative presence, with its not recently polished metal blocking out the Presidium's artificial sunlight. Part of her wondered if it wasn't an art piece at all. Maybe it was an actual mass relay and no one knew about it. Whatever the case, she wanted to get a holo next to it.

She noticed a pair of Unggoy walking past her jabbering about something excitedly. She pulled out a small portable camera from her armor's back pocket and waved to them.

"Excuse me, sirs," she said.

The Unggoys abruptly about faced. They were diminutive little guys without any combat armor on. They could almost pass for Volus from a certain angle.

"What pretty soldier lady want?" One of them asked.

She admired the compliment, but continued as she pointed to the monument. "Could one of you take a holo with me in front of this?"

"Oh oh!" The other said excitedly waving his hand. "Mu'gee want to take it."

"Back off, numb nuts," the other Unggoy said. "Hordo got better arty eye than you."

Beckett giggled seeing them bicker in a way only Unggoy could. "Maybe we should compromise. Mu'gee can stand next to me and you can take the holo, Hordo."

"Yippie!" Mu'gee squealed waddling next to her.

"Gah!" Hordo exclaimed taking the camera from her.

"Hey, Hordo got better arty eye," Mu'gee teased. "Hordo get what he ask for."

Hordo grumbled as he pointed the camera at them.

"Here," Beckett said positioning Mu'gee next to her. "Get the monument in between us while we're waving."

"This awesome!" Mu'gee exclaimed as he waved.

Hordo adjusted the camera before giving a hand up to signal he was ready. "Okie dokie! Say 'Nub Nub!'"

"Nub nub!" Beckett and Mu'gee said as Hordo took the holo. She hoped whatever he asked them to say wasn't stupid.

"Super pretty holo for pretty soldier lady," Hordo said giving the camera back to Beckett.

The guy wasn't kidding! The monument loomed majestically behind her and Mu'gee as the artificial sun shone right in between the relay's forked prongs. It was really cool.

"You really have an 'arty eye,'" she said to Hordo as she tapped onto her omni-tool. "Here, you can have a copy. Thanks a bunch."

Hordo whooped as his omni-tool received the transferred photo. "Hordo having happy thoughts tonight!"

"Me want to see," Mu'gee said trying to look over his shoulder.

"Mu'gee get his own," Hordo said running away.

Beckett held back a laugh as they ran off to who knows where. She probably stirred more trouble than she intended, but she at least got a holo to send home. Her dad always appreciated the holos whenever he got them. It was her way to make his last memories of her be ones of her living the soldier's dream. Maybe it helped ease the pain a little…

She pocketed her camera and walked down the path leading away from the monument. She didn't have much scheduled for the shore leave since it was so sudden. She already planned to meet Kyle later to get food and discuss what the Major told him. Otherwise, it may just be another boring day for her…

…if some argument nearby hadn't caught her attention.

"I'm telling you, this isn't what Jake would want," a man said.

"Who are you to tell me what my husband would want" A woman shouted back.

"Please!" A filtered female voice said to the others. "There's no need to shout."

Beckett turned to see two humans and a female Quarian gathered in a bench area nearby. The humans glared daggers at each other while the Quarian tried calming them down. Beckett shouldn't get involved, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. It may have been the fact that a Quarian was actually at the Presidium. She rarely saw one outside of the Lower Wards.

"I'm the only person making sense right now," the man pleaded to the woman. "You're endangering your baby!"

"This baby is the only thing I have left of Jake," the woman snapped back.

"Michael's just trying to help," the Quarian interjected. "I know he has your best interests in mind, Rebekah, but—"

"How would you know about my best interests?" Rebekah snapped at her. "I don't care what Michael thinks. It's my decision."

"I know you're hurting, Rebekah," Michael said. "But don't let your grief hurt your baby, too! I know the Quarian agrees with me."

"But I—"

"She doesn't even have the same physiology as us," Rebekah said cutting the Quarian off again. "What would she understand about gene therapy?"

That caught Beckett's attention too much for her to ignore. She knew it was a bad idea, but she decided to intervene.

"What seems to be the problem?" She asked as she walked to them.

"We don't need any more strangers helping out," Rebekah said. "The Quarian's—"

"Rebekah, please!" Michael pleaded before turning back to Beckett. "You're human too. Maybe you can talk some sense into her."

"Why wouldn't her opinion be valid?" Beckett said pointing to the Quarian.

"She's a Quarian," Rebekah said crossing her arms.

"'She' also happens to be well versed in medical situations," the Quarian rebuffed annoyed at the implications.

"Everyone's trying to 'talk sense' to me, but I don't want to discuss anything. I'm not undergoing any treatments."

"Look," Michael said to Beckett. "Please excuse my sister-in-law's behavior. She's pregnant and she's refused to let the baby undergo gene therapy in utero. I asked the Quarian's opinion, but maybe having you both here would be better. Kind of a balancing act."

"More like bullying," Rebekah said snidely.

Beckett looked to the Quarian, who was clearly flustered over this whole thing. She assumed they had been going in circles like this for a while, so they should get back to the basics.

"Well," Beckett said to the couple. "She might have a good reason for her opinion. I'd like to hear both sides."

"Thank you," Rebekah sighed with relief. "My husband, Jacob, died from a rare heart condition several months ago."

"I'm sorry."

"There's a chance that baby could develop the same heart condition," Michael added. "But routine gene therapy can eliminate it."

"A very small chance," Rebekah added. "And extranet reports say the therapy could harm the child!"

"It's less dangerous than the genetic enhancements people like her get," Michael said noting Beckett's ODST logo.

"I'm not planning on having my child become an ODST junkie," Rebekah said before looking to Beckett. "No offense."

Beckett discreetly rolled her eyes at the remark. The couple continued to argue as the Quarian looked to Beckett.

"See what I've been dealing with," the Quarian said sarcastically.

"You're a lot more patient than me," Beckett whispered back before deciding to get more direct. "Ok, shut up! Both of you!"

The two of them turned surprised to her.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Ok, what are the actual chances that your child will develop the heart condition?"

"According to the doctors," Rebekah said, "There's a one-in-fifty chance. And if my baby develops the condition, medical treatments are available."

"Which is nowhere near as effective as simply getting the therapy," Michael interjected.

"What are the chances gene therapy could hurt the baby?" Beckett directed back at him.

"One-in-three hundred at most," Michael said.

"But extranet articles say there could still be long-term complications we don't know about," Rebekah interjected to him. "Don't you understand? If my baby is that one-in-three hundred, I'll always wonder if…if I killed my baby for nothing!"

Beckett sighed taking in these facts. She sensed the personal motivations behind each of their sides. She had similar arguments with her mother over treatments for her father. Maybe bringing that up could help though.

"If I could add something," Beckett said collecting her thoughts. "I don't know much about utero science or whatever the hell that stuff is, but…my dad has gone through several gene therapy treatments over the last few years."

"What does he have?" Michael asked.

"No one knows. We've had every doctor we could afford check it out. One guy said it was an unknown cancer strain caused by element zero. One said it was a side effect to plasma exposure. Everyone else said something completely different. Among them were three gene therapists who each tried a series of treatments on him. Some of them helped relieve the symptoms—"

"See!" Michael said to Rebekah.

"But they haven't had any lasting effect," Beckett continued. "I know that's different than testing on a fetus, but these are treatments that have been considered for utero testing."

"Well…how far along was your father when he got the treatment?" Michael asked clearly trying to find a silver lining.

"When it was first identified, when it became malignant and when we ran out of options. So far, all we've been able to do is slow the disease's progress." Michael seemed disappointed by her answer, so Beckett tried to add some comfort. "I'm not saying it won't work for her child, but the risk is very real."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you too," the Quarian jumped in. "My people have been experimenting with utero gene therapy for centuries to re-adapt our immune system deficiencies. We've made a lot of progress, but we're no closer to getting out of our suits than when we started.

She looked over to Rebekah before continuing. "No matter the case though, it should always be the parents who should make the choice. It's her child and we should honor her decision."

"Damn it, she's not choosing!" Michael said. "Look, I'm sorry for both of your cases, but she's acting blindly out of grief."

"Aren't you?" Beckett retorted.

"I'm trying to keep a level head here," Michael angrily pleaded. "I'm the closest thing to a father this baby is going to have!"

"Then support the baby's mother," the Quarian said. "Any race would tell you that a father should stand by the mother when she makes the tough decisions."

Michael mood finally sunk. "This…this baby is the only thing my brother…it's all I have left of him. I need to know that the baby's safe."

"It's all I have left too, Michael," Rebekah said with more sympathy than before.

"I want Jacob's child to be safe. I want to give him that much."

"We will. I promise."

They paused to let the moment sink in. Beckett was surprised things got resolved as nicely as they did. She expected something more explosive. Maybe she was a better peacemaker than she thought.

"Thank you for your help," Rebekah said to Beckett and the Quarian. "I appreciate it. And I hope the best for both of you."

The two of them then left to most likely discuss the final details in a quieter setting.

"Keelah...and I thought Quarians were hard to reason with," the Quarian said to Beckett with a sigh.

"You still are, but we're a close second," Beckett joked. "Sorry for butting in by the way."

"They would've throttled each other if you hadn't. Guess a Quarian's opinion isn't worth much above the Lower Wards."

"Their loss. If anyone knows about health problems, it would be you guys. No offense."

"None taken. The name's Tali, by the way," the Quarian said offering her three-fingered hand for a shake. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayaa."

"Asha Rajapakse Beckett," Beckett said returning the shake.

"You humans and your names," Tali chuckled.

"Speak for yourself. What brings you to the Presidium?"

"Tourism, shopping, arming for a fight against impossible odds."

"I'm very sure that's true," Beckett chuckled.

"Honest to Keelah. I wanted to check the Alliance weaponry up here. Any useful tips you can give?"

"I've got time. I can just tag along."

"Are you sure hanging out with a Quarian wouldn't be too weird?"

"Only if you're ok being with a big, scary ODST soldier."

"Trust me," Tali chuckled. "The people I hang with are much scarier than you."

They left for a nearby store as Beckett smiled to herself. At least she had some company while she waited for Kyle to be done…

Codex Entry (Human History): James Ackerson

Colonel James Ackerson was a distinguished officer in the UNSC and ONI branches during the Human-Covenant War. On top of superior performance as a field officer, Ackerson served as part of several leadership organizations, including the UNSC's Security Committee and HIGHCOM's Special Weapons Development program, that have helped influence Alliance research for decades.

During the war with the Covenant, Ackerson was given an emergency reassignment to the Mare Erythraeum region on Mars. It was here that he led the region's army detachment against a Jiralhane led Covenant Loyalist Army. Though his forces fought bravely to slow their progress, Ackerson was captured and interrogated for information on Earth's defenses.

Rather than give in to the torture, Ackerson fed the Covenant false information that stalled the Earth campaign. Though he paid for this deception with his life, his efforts ensured the safe evacuation for thousands of civilian refugees and brought about the death of the Covenant's Minister of Inquisition. Ackerson was given full military honors at his funeral following the end of the war.

Additional information on Ackerson's career have been classified by the Office of Naval Intelligence or withheld at the request of his descendants.

End of Part One! Continue on for another perspective and some more paths being crossed!