Perchance to dream

Jak opened his eyes and looked around. The room was clean and well lit, a standard recovery ward. He was alone in the room and he thought back. He remembered the long talk that he and Ryder had concluded. Then Jien Garson had formally invited him into the Initiative along with Lara, Korri, Christi and his allies. They had talked, but then Garson had been late for an appointment, so Ryder had led Jak to a shuttle and then… His memory fuzzed.

Jak? Lara's worried mind voice preceded the door opening. After all the anger she had thrown his way, the desolate look on her face as she stared at him cut him to the quick. Oh, Jak, I am sorry!

You had a right to anger, Lara. I didn't mean to spring that on you. Jak said softly as he sat up completely. Her face lit up and it was as if the sun had come out in the room. She ran to his bed and hugged him tight. She was crying as she held him and he stroked her hair gently. "Garson was going to talk to the techs. Have they managed to get a voice working for you?" Lara's slump in his arms was all the answer he needed and he hugged her. "Well, I can still hear you." Korri? He asked in his mind.

I am back with Illia. We have been taking turns sitting with you. The docs were hopeful but were not sure what they could do after so long. Korri said weakly from wherever she was. Distance seemed to have no effect on the connection the same as a technological QEC communicator. They put on a brave face, but the odds were not good. They said you would live, but not in what condition.

"I do not feel any different." Jak said quietly, looking at himself closely. He wore a blue and white patient gown with an insignia he hadn't seen before on it, a stylized A and I. It took no imagination to know what that signified. He could see monitors and tubes attached so he had been in the bed for a while. "How long has it been?"

Four days Lara said weakly as she hugged him tighter. Four days! She begged. You were so pale, so still. It was like before. She was crying harder now and he held her. I didn't know if you were ever going to wake up.

"Hey. Don't cry, girl." Jak rubbed her hair and Lara calmed a little. "Last I remember, I was in the shuttle with Ryder."

"You fell asleep and when we landed, I couldn't wake you. I brought you to the docs straightaway." Ryder's voice preceded the former N7 into the room. He wore a worried expression that cleared as he saw Jak sitting up. "Lara and Korri met us when we here. They asked us to operate and got all the forms filled out. You were in surgery an hour later."

"You guys are fast." Jak said with a smile that fell. "How bad?"

"Every doc says the same. You were exhausted. Small wonder after what the girls told me about the last few weeks have been like for you." Ryder said with a grunt as he sat. "Sorry, long day herding quarians, turians, and krogan."

"Krogan? Cats might be easier." Jak said with an awed whistle.

"Cats don't generally carry shotguns, no." Ryder said with a tired chuckle. "Anyway, the turians and krogan I can handle. No surprises there. The quarians are being a pain in the ass about your friend Korri."

"Oh no." Jak groaned and Lara gave him another squeeze. "Will they let her go?"

"That is the odd thing." Ryder said with a frown. "The Admirals have all said yes, but others are saying 'No'." Jak's eyes narrowed and Ryder nodded. "Do you know what that is about? Our people are cool with her. She is a trained exo medic and no crazier than any of the rest of us according to our psychologists."

"That is not my story to tell..." Jak started, only to pause as Korri spoke up in his mind.

You can tell him. He seems a good man. The quarian sent a reassurance over the link. I have talked with him a few times since you went into surgery.

You trust him? Lara sent, incredulous.

I… Korri paused and then sighed. I think so. He believes that this is a good plan. That we can go to another galaxy and forge a new life there. Either he is totally crazy and has infected all of us, or he isn't and has given us his dream. Tell him. He can keep a secret if anyone can.

Ryder was looking at Jak and Lara as the Jak focused on the elder man again.

"Korri just said to tell you." Jak said quietly. "Her father wasn't a member of the Migrant Fleet." Ryder stared from Jak to Lara who nodded. "We knew him. We met him after…" He paused and made a face. This place wasn't a secure room and no one could know about the geth yet. Ryder nodded his understanding. "He helped patch up our injuries. He was blind, but it didn't slow him down at all. He was a good man, a good quarian. But he wasn't a member of the Migrant Fleet."

"How is that possible?" Ryder demanded. "I thought all quarians were in the fleet unless they went on pilgrimage?"

"The quarians who became his family left Rannoch before the end of the war with the geth." Jak said heavily. "We think they were asked to leave at gunpoint because they didn't want to exterminate the geth." Ryder's face turned thunderous and Jak held up a hand. "It gets worse."

"If it is anything like some of what I have read in human history..." Ryder sounded sick and Jak could relate. He had read some horrific things as well. Human history had produced a lot of horror and with the advent of modern media, it had been recorded much better. "...then I don't doubt it. What happened to her father?"

Korri was crying in Jak's mind. Lara and Jak both tried to soothe her. Lara held up the geth orb and looked a question at Jak who frowned and looked at Ryder.

"Without SAM's specialized scanner, no one else will know what that is." Ryder said after a moment. "Just try not to flash it around any of the other Pathfinders. "Mason wouldn't have a problem, he is all about results. Ishara would find it fascinating and maybe ask to use it to talk to… various groups. Reaka..." He winced. "She would likely want to take it apart to see how it works. The others? Our support teams? Hard to say. So just… keep it quiet if you can. We have enough weird stuff to explain without a long range transmitter that cannot be explained."

Korri? Jak asked gently. Do you want to tell him?

"I don't want to speak this." Korri's voice was sad and worn as she spoke from the orb. "But I must. I know I must face this. Both your docs and others have said I will have to face what happened."

"The shrinks refuse to tell me what you have discussed with them and good for them." Ryder said with firm nod. "But they did say you were brainwashed and emotionally abused for years." Jak tensed, but Ryder shook his head. Anyone else, they might have smiled. Not him. "They also say that you are making a hell of a recovery. They wish all their patients could benefit from whatever you are."

"Maybe someday, Pathfinder Ryder." Korri took a deep breath. "My father… He left a record of… of his life. I don't know for who. He didn't know about me. Maybe just to do it?" She sobbed a little. "His family had built a life for themselves. They had built a home in a frontier outpost on a distant colony. A number of quarian exiles had come together far from quarian space. They heard of the catastrophe that befell the quarian people, but they had little love for their people after their treatment."

"Can't really blame them for that." Jak muttered. He saw Ryder and Lara both nod.

"They just wanted to live their lives, build their families and forget what had happened." Korri said weakly. "Zumin was five years old, but he remembered a ship landing. People in suits similar to his family's but not quite the same. He remembered his father yelling at the newcomers to leave. He remembered his grandmother and his mother coming out of the house with old rifles they had bought to defend their livestock. Then he woke to pain in the dark. In darkness that would never end."

"Shit." Ryder shook his head.

"Zumin's family would not surrender what they had built." Korri said through tears. "So the quarians killed them all." Jak and Lara bowed their heads. Ryder just sat, stunned. "I don't think it was intended. From what some have said, it may have been an accident but in the end? Does it matter? They killed his family, hurt him very badly and took him prisoner. He escaped as soon as he was able. I cannot help but think they knew that they did evil and wanted to cover it up."

"Evil has many, many faces, Korri." Ryder said with a sigh. "I have seen more than my share. I wasn't there. I can't know."

"Neither were we." Korri agreed. "Anyway, my mom… I have been told she was a security guard posted to keep my father in check whole pretending to be a nurse. But part of me believes she fell in love with him. Part of me has to believe that. She died bringing me into the world and I… They were probably afraid I would flee like my father did so they made me crazy. Used that against me. Until recently, I had no idea all of what they had done. Jak and Lara and everyone have helped me so much. But I cannot, will not, go back to the fleet."

"Stranger things have happened that a guard falling for who she was supposed to be guarding, Korri." Ryder shook his head again. "As for going back? Not a chance. They are not keeping you, girl."

"She has a family now." Lara said through the orb. "Us. Anyone who wants to argue that can come talk to me." Ryder looked at her oddly and she made a face. "Okay, okay. Come talk to Jak!"

"It is okay, Lara." Ryder rose from his seat and nodded to the group. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay, Jak. I am not really a people person."

"I wasn't one." Jak replied and then smirked at Lara. "Someone hit me pretty hard with a clue bat though."

"Anything lighter would have just bounced off your hard head." Lara retorted.

"Speaking of hard heads..." Jak said slowly. "We will have to talk to the quarians who are planning to come. Do they have a pathfinder?"

"Eh… not yet." Ryder shook his head. "They absolutely refuse to deal with the AI that makes pathfinders what we are. Not that I can really blame them for being cautious after everything they went through, but still, it makes things a bit more complicated. Since they also have drell, hanar and others on the ship, if we cannot persuade a quarian to do it, we are probably going to go with a drell named Oleem. He is very good but like I said, the quarians are being a pain."

"I will talk to them." Korri said through the orb. "But I am not going back."

"No one will make you. You chose to join us and we stand by our people." Ryder promised. "You are a functioning adult, no matter what some may say. Hell, you are no crazier than myself or Jak."

"That is not saying much, Ryder." Jak quipped and Ryder shook his head, before striding out the door. Jak stared after the human pathfinder. "Me going down must have rattled him hard, didn't think the man was soft at all."

"He is not." Lara said through the orb. "He felt responsible for you since you collapsed in his shuttle. No one can figure out why you wouldn't wake though." She hugged him again. "Korri, no one has approached you, have they?"

No, and that worries me. Korri replied silently. I don't know spy stuff at all, but I do have a sense that whatever they want me for cannot be good.

"We have to talk to them." Jak said quietly. "The human ark won't have the facilities or the food for you and I refuse to simply drop you in stasis to stay that way until Andromeda."

I… Korri gulped. I don't want to. She said weakly. Other quarians scare me.

"After what you went through, girl-" Jak froze as the door hissed open and a strange quarian stepped in only to pause on seeing Jak and Lara. He wore blue and white on his envirosuit like patient gown Jak wore. "Who the hell are you?" Jak demanded, sitting up straight. "This is a private room."

Lara palmed the orb before the quarian could see it and spun to glare at the offender as well.

"I am looking for Korri'Lamant nar Rayya." The quarian said stiffly.

"And?" Jak demanded, getting angrier.

"She is in grave danger. I need to talk to her." The quarian did not move, wise as keyed up as Jak was.

"And you are?" Jak demanded. He was not surprised when Lara laid a hand on his and something blocky slid into it. He didn't need to see it to know it was a Predator pistol. Knowing her? It was likely loaded and ready. He gripped it and relaxed as he realized the safety was on. She wasn't stupid, Lara.

"I am someone who wants to help her." The quarian said slowly. "I was told she was here. Where is she?"

"She is not here. You need to leave my private room before I call a nurse and have them call whatever passes for security around here." Jak said flatly. "When I am from, we tend to introduce ourselves first, and then ask for stuff."

"Her life is in danger." The quarians said quickly even as he took a step back.

"And you really expect me to believe that any quarians care about that?" Jak demanded. At that, the stranger stiffened. "The bomb and poison were clues enough. Get out. Now."

"What?" The other sounded shocked but Jak couldn't tell if he was acting or not. Then he wilted a little and raised his hands. "Damn, she was right. We did it. We hurt her. Can I start again? My name is Perrin'Shiya vas Orenli nar Rayya." He spoke slowly and carefully. "My sister's name is Elana'Shiya and she is in the ICU on the Rayya as we speak. She was attacked and badly beaten."

What? That came from both Lara and Korri.

I will send a message asking for confirmation. Korri said quickly, horror in her mental voice. It will take time. Jak send a wordless thank you.

"Is she all right?" Jak did not move, did not relax.

"She will recover." The quarian who called himself Perrin'Shiya said weakly. "It will take some time but she is tough, my sister. The thing is, when she woke in medical care, she identified her attacker. He was quarian and he demanded to know where Korri'Lamant went. She refused to tell him and he hurt her. He left the fleet before they could apprehend him and we believe he is pursuing Korri'Lamant."

"I really wish I could say I was surprised." Jak said quietly. The other quarian stared at him and Jak made a face. "Long story. Very long story and I don't have authorization to to tell you. We will have to corroborate what you told us. Until then? She is safe."

"You do not understand." The quarian said weakly "The one who hurt my sister is a member of..." He paused and shook his head. "Never mind, their designation would mean nothing to you. I believe the human words are 'Military Intelligence'?"

"That is a contradiction in terms." Jak said with a grin that was totally lost on the quarian. "She is safe and I am not going to produce her on anyone's say-so."

"Look..." Perrin'Shiya said with a half snarl. "This quarian will not stop until he finds Korri'Lamant. He is very dangerous." He was apparently not expecting Jak to laugh. "What?"

"I am not going to say where she is or with who." Jak replied. "But I will say this. On the trip here, I asked Commander Shepherd if she would be willing to assault the ship that Korri is currently residing on. She replied 'HELL NO!'." The quarian's eyes were obviously huge under his faceplate. "Korri is safe." Jak said calmly.

"For now." Perrin'Shiya slumped a bit. "But the one who hurt my sister is trained in a number of ways. He has to have contacts among the Initiative personnel. They are blocking her admission into the Initiative, saying she is too young." Jak glared at the quarian and Perrin'Shiya raised his hands further. "Hey! My sister vouches for her and I personally do not know her. I was never one for gossip anyway."

That is refreshing. Korri sent to Jak who fought to keep his face straight.

"Why would they do that?" Jak demanded. "She is not a child."

Technically, I am. Korri said weakly, but Jak shook his head.

"She never took a Pilgrimage." The other quarian said weakly.

"Rite of passage or no, she is not a child." Jak snapped. "I refuse to let anyone abuse her again. She is my responsibility and my more importantly? She is my friend." A feeling of consternation mixed with thanks came from Korri's mind. The quarian stared at Jak and then slowly relaxed.

"Then you may be her only chance at becoming an adult in the eyes of the quarian people."