Chapter 13: Goodbye

Nolta finished applying the tech sealant to the crack on his mask and sighed in relief as the hairline fracture in the glass seemed to disappear. He stared down at the young woman on the airlock floor. As much as he wanted to show her his face, he knew she was right. Once he'd earned enough credits, he'd be returning to the fleet and they'd part ways. Kala smiled and reached up to grab his shoulder. Her grip wasn't particularly strong, but it was firm enough to alleviate much of Nolta's anxiety.

"Can you carry me to my cot?"

The quarian nodded somberly. "Aye. I thenk I can de one better, I'll get y' t' th' infermary."

With that, he keyed his omni-tool and slid his arms under her legs and back. Kala's eyes closed as Nolta felt the weight of her head settle on his shoulder. For a brief moment, He considered not returning to the fleet. He had a good thing going here. Kincaid had been nothing but positive about his work ethic, Kala was here, everyone back at the fleet knew he was different and he was only just learning about why…

The pilgrim stood, Kala now fitfully asleep in his arms, and re-entered Mining Station Endeavor. Kincaid and Barric were helping a groggy Matak to his feet as Nolta passed through the room. At the sight of the young couple, the security officer nodded to his boss to indicate he could handle the job. Solomon peeled away from the task, glad to have a reason to stop lifting the colossal digger.

"Nolta, I, I just want you to know I, uh, I'm sorry for what happened to Kala, to you."

The quarian kept walking, knowing that, strong as he was, he wouldn't be able to hold his charge indefinitely. He gave a small shake of his head to acknowledge that he'd heard the businessman's comment even as he replied. "Ne, et was my fault fer letten' 'er come weth me."

The elder man struggled to keep pace. "All the same, I feel I owe you. I, uh… wasn't entirely honest when I agreed to hire the two of you."

Nolta gave the man a sideways look. "That so?"

Thane exhaled as he finished wrapping his torso with a specialized medical tape. For a few moments, he remained totally motionless, his eyes closed in the tiny infirmary as he waited for the painkillers to deaden the searing ache in his ribs. Rikka watched as the drell resumed his task, administering tiny doses of potent healing compounds through a hypodermic injector.

"I don't suppose you have any family?" She posited, trying to liven the atmosphere.

"I told you I was hunting my wife's murderers. Beyond that, I do not wish to explain." Thane removed the needle from the cybernetic injection port at the base of his spine before fishing through his vest. Rikka shook her head as she realized that he had put even that item in an exact position relative to the medical equipment in the room. Everything he did was meticulous, planned, and utterly thorough.

The drell slipped his arms into the black vest. "And you? What of your family?"

Rikka stared at the ground, uncertain. "I uh, like every other quarian I guess."

"That tells me little." Thane responded, "Though I suppose that is fair, given what I've told you." He lifted himself from the medical bed and finished buttoning his jacket. The smooth black fabric gave him a smooth appearance, not unlike some of the more well-to- do humans she'd seen in vids. Even injured, he bore a singular grace, a bearing that further enhanced the air of aristocracy. It wasn't the type of feeling she would have expected to get from an assassin.

"I do have a family, a son. His name is Kolyat. He is currently under the watchful eyes of my brothers and sisters." Thane's expression went blank for a moment, his eyes seemingly lost in the dim lighting of the corridor. Rikka thought she could see traces of tears along his scaled face. A quick brush of his arm across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose confirmed the suspicion.

She looked away, then glanced back at him. "My… father serves aboard a liveship as a guard, used to be in the migrant fleet marines. My mother is a, was a field medic, now she… helps run sanitation."

"A thankless profession, but perhaps one that deserves the most."

The next question spilled from her lips before she had a chance to sop it. "What are you going to do with me?"

Krios gave her a sideways stare, as if perplexed by her query. "I had originally planned to extract my information from my target, administer an amnesiac to him, and continue on my way. Your presence and his true identity caused me to… adjust my plans."

He noted her hand move closer to her pistol. "I have no need to cause you harm. As I understand it, this ship belonged to a volus without any next of kin. That means it is legally a free-salvage vessel by Citadel law. I have no need of it, and I would guess you have a ways to go…" He let his words hang in the air.

Rikka tried not to hyperventilate. The ship could be her pilgrimage gift! Any Captain would be eager to accept such a significant presentation. "I, uh, thanks! That's… wow!"

The drell almost seemed to smile. "Good luck Rikka'Nall nar Tugara. May you find what you seek." With that, the alien walked a few meters into the darkened hallway, then vanished.

Rikka gave her head a vigorous shake after the meaning of his parting words dawned on her. She had never told him her birth ship's name. Had he known about her all along?

"In all honesty, I have no idea who this 'Shadow Broker' is." Kincaid finished pouring a cup of coffee and offered it to Nolta. The quarian raised his hands to decline.

"Dextro-amino."

Kincaid offered a grunt. "Of course." He proceeded to add a few packs of sweetener to the drink before taking a sip. Nolta found his eyes trailing across the room. He'd only been in the boss's office twice before, and neither occasion had been particularly lengthy. This time he got the feeling that the conversation might become protracted.

"I have little information other than what that man said in the foyer. He mentioned something about you in particular I think."

"And Kala."

"Yes, he called her 'curves'." Solomon took another sip of his coffee. "Kinda makes you think they had a history…"

"Kala was nervous around Roddy, now I know why. He looked exactly like Tarret."

An eyebrow emerged above the rim of Kincaid's glasses. "So she did know him?"

"Aye. She mentioned somethen' about a holo-shoot, beyond that, she 'asn't said much." Nolta's voice seemed subdued.

Kincaid started to say something but stopped. He set his coffee down and took a seat behind the desk, lacing his fingers together. In the brief time he had known the quarian, the young man had shown himself to be an aggressive problem solver, searching for answers or solutions with an initiative that set him apart from his coworkers. When it came to personal issues, however, he was reserved, allowing others to take their time and answer. The real meat of the conversation, would never get reached if it wasn't presented directly.

"Nolta, when you and Kala first landed here, I was set on turning you down. I didn't have the funds to cover any liabilities the two of you could have incurred. I hired you because…" he took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "I- when I came back here, to my office, there was a krogan waiting for me. He grabbed me by the shirt and held me against the wall, threatened to kill me if I didn't hire you."

The quarian's eyes narrowed to slits. "Why?"

Kincaid shrugged. "Never asked him... I'm… pretty sure he's the one who installed that, whatever it was in the circuit breaker."

"D' y' thenk he's th' Shadow Broker?"

"I don't know, Nolta, I don't think so… it wouldn't make any sense for him to come here and not grab you if he were. At least, not if Tarret's story was legitimate."

It took a few moments before Nolta replied. "Unless he dedn't want a direct connection t' my abduction."

"Maybe, but he doesn't sound like he cares about appearances, at least, not by his nickname." The businessman stroked his chin, taking a small comfort in the familiar scratch of his stubble.

The office remained silent for several seconds. Kincaid finally spoke. "I'd like to make it up to you. Fix it all as best I can."

The quarian tilted his head. "How d' y' mean?"

"Our… quarterly shipment goes out this Tuesday, that's four days from now. I know you have to return to your fleet soon. I think you also said something about wanting your payment in element zero?"

Nolta nodded.

"I'm ready to have our freighter alter course to rendezvous with the quarian fleet. They could drop off both you and the cargo."

The pilgrim was dumbstruck. "That's… three months' eezo…" He shook his head. "No ser, I can't accept that. I haven't earned that. Iv'e only werked here fer te weeks."

"You've done an exemplary job, son. The station hasn't been in better repair since the day it was built, and you've gone out of your way to address tasks that you could have put off. 'Sides, I said I wanted to make it up to you, set things right, I meant that."

Nolta shook his head again. "I can't… You've got a crew to pay…"

Solomon snorted and leaned forward on his desk. "I've got more than enough in reserve to cover my teams' salaries."

"At least… give Kala half of m' earnings. Ne, better make et two therds."

"I'll look after Kala. If she wants to keep working here, she's welcome to, If she wants to leave, I'll give her some funds, get 'er back on 'er feet."

Lae remained totally still, contemplating the offer.

"Nolta?"

"Aye. Thank y' ser. I should… probably check on 'er…" He tentatively turned to go. "I'll find a way te repay y' ser. Ef I can, I well."

"You already have, son. You already have."

Kala slept peacefully on the mattress in the mining station's infirmary. Nolta watched as her slight frame betrayed her gentle breathing, calm and consistent. He hated that he would have to wake her. She looked so beautiful just laying there. The small, delicate features of her face bathed in a soft blue light made the whole scene so tranquil and serene.

The quarian sighed deeply and took a seat at the foot of the bed, careful to set down gently enough to avoid disturbing her. The station's medic, Jinnic, had administered a strong painkiller and reapplied a medigel plug to the wound. Tarret's bullet hadn't passed through the bone, but rather cut into the young woman's muscle tissue, resulting in her having a very difficult time standing at all, let alone without pain.

Lae sat at the foot of the bed for almost a half hour contemplating his decision to leave. He didn't technically have to return to the fleet, he could always stay here and work… Then there was the fact that he seemed to be regarded as 'special' among the fleet. On the flipside, he was a rare gift to the quarian people… one that they would not abandon lightly. Kala stirred.

The quarian stood, momentarily forgetting to do so gently. By the time he realized it, Kala had woken enough to realize she wasn't alone in the room.

"Nolta?"

He knelt at the head of the mattress, bringing his mask to her eye level. "Aye? I'm here Kala. What d' y' need?"

"Nolta, I'm scared…"

There's nothen t' be scared of Kala. Ye'r goin' t' be fine."

"Not me, Nolta, for you. Tarret… whoever helped him find me… he was after you…"

Nolta's eyes closed for a moment as he shook his head. "I'll be fine, Kala. Tha's what I wanted t' tell y'. Kincaid offered me a ride back t' th' fleet. I leave en four days."

Kala offered a somber nod. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you te."

Author's Note:

I had very strongly considered killing Kala. It would have allowed for an incredibly emotional scene in which Nolta would have removed his mask, and later named his daughter after her, but that is history. Now, our young quarian's adventure will make its way to the confines of the migrant fleet.