"You're kidding me." Kaidan was shell shocked. Somehow just having the potential to contact Earth made everything that much easier to endure. Knowing that he still had a connection to the Alliance, to his parents, to the rest of the galaxy.

"I'm sorry, Kaidan," EDI said sympathetically. "The circuitry was badly damaged in the crash and it was only Tali'Zorah's skill that allowed us to use it at all. I am surprised it lasted this long."

"What makes you think we won't be able to bring it back online?" Kaidan asked, sure he could find fault with EDI's logic.

"In order to return the relay to functionality," EDI explained. "Tali had to splice together several systems and rewire others. The reactivation of the unit was forced and had as much to do with luck as skill. Shutting down the system will cause extreme power surges and overloads that will, for lack of a better word, fry the circuitry.

Kaidan sank heavily onto a stool and leaned his head into the palm of his hand.

"I don't know what to say EDI," he said tiredly. "I can't made this decision on my own."

"I realized that this would be a decision of some magnitude, which is why I insisted on telling you now. We still have several days before the situation will become critical. There is time for you to discuss this with the others, as well as time for me to attempt to find an alternate solution."

Kaidan looked up hopefully. "You mean we might not have to shut it down?"

"At present I have no ideas, but give me some time and I will explore the possibilities."

"Okay," Kaidan said without any animation. "I'm not going to bring this up with anyone today though. Not today."

"I'm sorry to have burdened you with this, Kaidan," EDI said regretfully.

"Not you fault," Kaidan said and stood. "Thanks for letting me know."

Leaving EDI alone in the dark labs, Kaidan returned to the hall where the mood was still jubilant. Catherine was in the kitchen with Morgan and seemed in perfect health, so he decided to leave her be. If she was on her feet too long he'd battle her then.

Joker was sitting along on the couches in the corner looking pensive. Kaidan sat down besides him and tried to smile. He knew EDI was still professional and would not have mentioned the power supply issues to anyone. Even to Tali should would have made it seem like merely efforts to improve their network.

"I think I may be freaking out here, Kaidan," Joker said soberly.

"Calmest freak out I've ever seen," Kaidan replied.

"Maybe I'm in shock. I never once planned on settling down. I wanted to be at the helm of the Normandy until they forced me to retire," Joker said emphatically. "Even then I planned to stow away in a cargo container and hijack the ship when no one was looking."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you were the only person to ever pilot the Normandy," Kaidan said and then added, "Both of them."

"Don't remind me," Joker groaned. "I also am the only one to lose both of them."

Kaidan chuckled. "No one blames you."

"I blame me."

"Well, stop it."

They sat silently for a moment before Kaidan said, "So, you aren't happy here?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm plenty happy. Have you seen the woman I live with? Just never saw myself living anywhere near kids and farms and pets."

"I forgot that you were a spacer kid," Kaidan said. "You were born on Arcturus Station, right?"

Joker nodded. "Family moved to Tiptree when I enlisted. My sis never liked the station much."

"Didn't you say she wanted to be a pilot?" Kaidan asked.

"Sure, but there's a big difference between living in space and flying through space at the helm of a really fucking awesome ship," Joker sighed wistfully. "I wonder how she is."

"Yeah, it would be nice to know how my folks are doing." Kaidan wondered, not for the first time, if his parents even knew he was alive. He doubted the Alliance News Network was still functioning, and even if it was, how reliable could transmission be? Would his parents even be connected to rest of the world from the middle of the Rocky Mountains? Hackett wouldn't likely have had time or resources to get word to the families of the crew, though Kaidan was sure he would have tried.

He wished there had been a way for him to get a message to them, to tell them he was alive and well. They would have been beyond thrilled to know about Catherine and the babies. Every time he'd talked to his mother she had found a way to work grandkids into the conversation. As well as she understood what life was like in the Alliance, especially serving aboard a ship, she still hoped Kaidan would settle down before it was too late. He was, after all, their only child.

Being a private person, Kaidan had told his parents very little about Shepard. Until he'd become a Specter the relationship had been against regulations. Not that anyone had really cared one way or the other. The famous Commander Shepard could have dated a vorcha and no one would have looked twice.

In fact, Kaidan thought, it probably would have become vogue to date vorcha.

"I do not miss vorcha," he said suddenly.

Joker laughed, his thoughtful mood broken. "What made you think of those things all of a sudden?"

"Just remembering," Kaidan said,

Joker nodded in understanding. "So EDI told you about the relay, eh?"

Kaidan turned to stare at him. "How do you know about it?"

"Cause EDI and I talk about everything," he said. "She wanted to know how I thought you would react. I said you would think it sucked really big balls."

"How astute," said Kaidan with a little shake of his head.

"So what are you going to do?" Joker asked, his reserved, solemn expression returning.

"Nothing for now," Kaidan said. "I'm not going to ruin this day."

"Good plan. I like it."

Desperately needing a distraction, Kaidan decided to reveal the surprise of Catherine's pregnancy.

"Cat and I are having twins," he said. "Just found out yesterday."

Joker's jaw dropped. "No kidding, eh."

"EDI didn't tell you that?"

"Doctor patient confidentiality," Joker said. "Or she just hasn't had the chance. She spent the night outside your cabin after all."

It was then that EDI stepped half out of the labs and waved Kaidan over. He rose and went to see what she wanted.

"I have an idea, Kaidan," she said excitedly. "I believe that I can force through one last message to Earth."

"Meaning what?" Kaidan asked, intrigued.

"Meaning that I can seize control of the relay network allowing us to push through any last messages you might wish to send to your families."

"How?" Kaidan asked insistently.

"It will take an enormous amount of my computing power, but I believe that I can overpower to VIs that monitor the network," EDI explained. "If I can contact a Geth platform, I may be able to enlist their assistance. If they can help me keep the link open I can send through any amount of data you wish."

"Why did you not mention this before?" Kaidan asked.

"Prior to now, there was no reason for me to consider the idea of hacking. The relay was available, its use merely limited."

"I feel like there is a but coming," Kaidan said suspiciously.

"There is," EDI said. "In order to do this I must use more power than if we simply opened a connection. The effort to send a concentrated burst message will in all likelihood max out my processing power. If you wish to adopt this option, we must do it no later than tomorrow. After that, there will not be enough reserve power to be spared."

Something occurred to Kaidan as he stood there staring into EDI's earnest blue eyes. "Why did it take you so long to come up with this?"

Kaidan could have sworn he saw a blush bloom across her cheeks.

"I have not told anyone, but in an effort to seem more... organic, I reduced my computing capabilities to a fraction of their strength and speed. I... wish to fit in more easily with the rest of the crew."

"You didn't need to do that, EDI." Kaidan put a caring hand on her arm. "We accept you no matter what. You're an incredible being. And besides, we're all the same now."

"Thank you, Kaidan," EDI said bashfully. "It's true that I have been treated as an equal since Shepard originally took command of the Normandy."

Kaidan took a step back and returned to the topic at hand. "We're going to lose the relay eventually, right?"

"Correct," EDI stated. "It is only a matter of time before our base needs out weigh the desire to connect with Earth."

"And you're pretty much convinced that you won't be able to save the relay?"

"I have given you the odds."

"Then I guess this is the best choice," Kaidan said, surprised that he actually felt a little better. Relieved almost. "Help me gather everyone into the hall."

It took them nearly an hour to get everyone into the hall and seated. Liara was absent, but Kaidan had spoken to her while EDI gathered the crew. She had wholeheartedly agreed with EDI's plan, stating that it would be closure, the final step in moving on.

Kaidan stood where he always did to announcing anything major, in front of the glowing waters of the tanks, where Shepard's exotic fish still thrived.

The gathered crowd accepted the news calmly, offering suggestions of the their own as to how to solve the problem, but generally seemed resigned. When he presented EDI's plan the general attitude was more positive than he had expected. Maybe it was enthusiasm at being able to finally ensure word got to their loved ones, but Kaidan suspected it was just what Liara had said. Closure.

"EDI says if we all limit ourselves to a video message under fifteen minutes each, she will be able to transmit them all without difficulty," Kaidan explained.

"Hold on, Kaidan," Tali interrupted, rising from her seat near the front. "This is essentially what Legion attempted to do on Rannoch. In the end he had to sacrifice himself to see that the Reaper code was delivered. How can EDI be sure this won't happen to her?"

Kaidan had no answer for this and turned to look at EDI where she stood off to the side. Joker was on his feet already and Kaidan was sure EDI could hear his thoughts loud and clear. She stepped up beside him and addressed the crowd.

"Legion was fighting against the powerful will of the Reapers with no help from any other platform," she clarified. "If I can contact a Geth program, which is my plan, I will have their assistance. They can distract the VIs and other security systems while I work."

"What assurance do you have that the Geth will help?" Tali asked.

"Only my experience communing with Legion," EDI said.

"You're not doing this, EDI," Joker said angrily.

EDI gave him a sharp look and his face burned. "Jeff, we will talk later. I am going to do this. I am the only one who can."

"All right, let's all settle down," Kaidan said, patting the air with both hands.

Joker and Tali sat back down but neither looked pleased.

"For now, let's work on the assumption that this will happening tomorrow afternoon," Kaidan said carefully. "I for one will understand if EDI decides not to do it, but we should be ready anyway."

There were murmurs of agreement and several people called out to EDI that she didn't have to do this if she didn't want to. She thanked everyone for their concern and quickly went to Joker and lead him out of the hall by the hand.

James was the first to approach Kaidan. He leaned on the glass of the fish tank, which bowed slightly under his weight.

"So, shutting down the relay," James said. "Big step, eh?"

"Yeah, makes everything pretty final," Kaidan said.

"I'm okay with it," James said. "Even if we don't send any messages out. Seems like the right time."

"I know what you mean." Kaidan looked up as Catherine joined them. "What do you think, Kitten?"

She leaned into Kaidan and rested her head on his shoulder. "I think there isn't a single person here who doesn't sometimes want to switch the relay on and try to reach their family. Even I want to talk to my mum sometimes. But we all know it's not going to happen. Everyone would feel better if the option weren't there at all."

Kaidan understood what she meant and it explained his own relief at the idea. He'd never had the kind of relationship with his parents that had them communicating every day, or even every month, but they were still close.

He and his dad had always been able to pick up right where they left off, talking about sports and music and Alliance life, even thought most of what Kaidan had done since joining the Normandy had been classified.

His mom had been the same every time they talked. A little older and a little greyer, but always the same loving, caring woman of his youth. Even when pressure had been on parents to let go of their biotic children, she'd maintained that he was her son no matter what he was capable of. Not all students at BAaT had been so lucky.

Saying goodbye to his parents would be difficult, but doing it this way was easier than dealing with their deaths he supposed. They could move on and so could he, each in the knowledge that everyone was doing well. He wished he could say the same for Catherine.

"Are you going to send a message to your mother?" he asked her gently.

"Not much point," she said quietly. "She won't know who I am and I don't want to confuse her."

"Might be a good idea to send a message anyway, just in case she's ever lucid," Kaidan suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," she said sadly, looking down at the floor and holding Kaidan's hand a little tighter.

Darkness had already fallen, the winter sun set quickly and the cloud cover hid the light of the moons. It was still early, but the hall was emptying quickly as people went back to their homes to record their messages on the omnitools and personal consoles.

The wind was howling and icy bits of snow stung their faces as he plowed through the drifts to get Catherine back to the cabin safely. Bug whined at the door when they shut him outside and Kaidan relented and let him in, but gave him a sharp smack on the rear when he tried to climb on the bed to sit with Catherine. Instead he rolled onto his back on the floor and let Catherine rub his belly with her feet.

"You're too big for this, Bug," she cooed down at him. "What are we going to do with you?"

The huge animals made a contented rumbling sound and writhed around in pleasure as Catherine's foot found the sweet spot. She realized Kaidan was sitting at his desk watching her and stopped entertaining the folivora, turning to sit sideways on the bed to stare back at him.

"Talk to me, Kaidan," she said with a sweet smile.

Before answering, he turned his console around to face her. "Just thinking how gorgeous you look. You should record your message right now, just like that."

"In ratty, makeshift maternity clothes and my hair looking like this? I don't think so," she scoffed.

"Trust me," Kaidan said with a knowing smile and hovered his finger over the record button glowing red on the holographic keyboard.

"I don't even know what to say," she cried, half laughing.

"Just speak from the heart," Kaidan said.

She sighed and dropped her shoulders in exasperation. "Fine. But if it's terrible we hit delete and I compose something the proper way."

"Agreed, but it will be perfect," Kaidan said and then counted down from three and hit record.

Catherine sat straighter and looked into the screen. "Hi mum. It's your daughter, Catherine. If you've regained your memory then disregard the introduction. I'm safe and well. Very well in fact. And I miss you. So much." She paused to wipe away a tear. "I didn't want to cry in this, mum, but you know how emotional I can be. And as you can see I am very pregnant. With twins. It's a long story and I wish I had time to tell it all, but we've each only got fifteen minutes. I supposed I should introduce my husband. Get over here, Kaidan."

She waved at him and he came from behind the desk to sit behind her on the bed. Catherine gave him a quick kiss before turning back to the console.

"Kaidan Alenko. By some fluke of fate, I landed Kaidan Alenko, the second human Specter. Saved the galaxy with Commander Shepard. Twice. He kinda rocks. And look, now he's blushing because he is also the most humble man around. His parents are in BC somewhere, and I think you are too. If you're up to it, look them up. John and Linda Alenko. They can tell you all about their amazing son."

Catherine went on for the full fifteen minutes, talking about life in the settlement, briefly explaining why the relay had to be shut down, and telling her about Bug and how they'd found him. All the while Kaidan sat quietly behind her. She was gripping his hand as tightly as she could and he knew she was trying not to cry. She wanted her mother to see her as happy and alive. When there were only three minutes left on the count she tried to wrap things up, but it was a challenging thing to do when you are saying goodbye to someone for the last time.

"I wish I could tell you more about the babies," she said, tears leaking down her cheeks thought she still smiled brightly. "Until yesterday we didn't even know there were two of them. We haven't discussed names or anything. In fact, we don't even know if they're boys or girls. I think they're boys."

"I'm pretty sure they're girls," Kaidan leaned forward to add.

And for some reason that made Catherine burst into tears. "I'm sorry, mum. I tried not to cry. I miss you so much and I wish you could be here for this. I promise, if we ever get the relay working again I will message you the second I can and tell you everything about the babies. Please, take care of your self. I love you."

The timer went from 14:59 to 15:00 and Catherine slouched back into Kaidan on the brink of hyperventilating. All Kaidan could do was wrap his arms around her and rock back and forth gently while she let it all out. He hushed her softly while great sobs racked her body.

When she finally stilled he asked, "What brought that on? We've talked about family plenty of times and you've been just fine."

"You think we're having twin daughters," she said cryptically.

"And?" he asked.

She turn around as best she could and stared him in the face. "You really don't know how much that can make a woman melt inside do you? Just the thought of you raising daughters makes my legs weak."

Kaidan couldn't help but laugh and she punched him in the arm.

"I'm sorry, Kitten," he said breathlessly. "It's sweet."

"Why do you think every woman around here practically swoons every time they see James with Lola? There's just something about big, strong men and their daughters. I guess cause those kind of guys usually prey for sons."

"So I'm going to be a double threat," Kaidan said.

Catherine gave a great sigh that rattled in her chest and leaned back into Kaidan again.

"That was really hard," she whispered. "But you were right. Speaking from the heart was easier. Really sucks not knowing if she'll even know who I am."

"Maybe this will spark her memory," Kaidan suggested.

"Maybe," she replied in a sad voice. Then she gave him a little slap on the leg and pushed herself off the bed. "You're turn."

"Where do you think you're going?" He pulled her back down. "I'll start the recording with my omnitool."

She settled down again in front of him and when Bug jumped on the bed and rested his enormous head on her leg Kaidan didn't protest. His parents would love the image of him with a wife and pet and children on the way.

His omnitool flashed to life and with the sweep of his arm the record light began to flash.

"Hi mom. Hi dad. I really hope this isn't the first time you're hearing that I'm alive. I'd never forgive myself if you thought I was dead this whole time. I hope you guys are good. Admiral Hackett said you were inland, so I hope that means you're with Uncle Pat. I've only got fifteen minutes. I wish I had more. There's so much I want to tell you. First things first, this is Catherine Hogan, my wife. And right here," he laid his hands on Catherine's huge belly and grinned at the screen. "Are our first two kids. Mom, you have grandkids at last. I just wish you could see them. They're going to be amazing. And if I don't stop talking about them Catherine is going to cry again."

She gave him a smack on the hand which he knew would make his dad laugh and he continued.

"I wish I could tell you where I am, but we don't even know for sure. Somewhere out on the fringes, possibly near the Viper System. You'd love it here, dad. We were incredibly lucky. We landed on a planet that's not just habitable, but got everything we could ever want."

Kaidan followed nearly the same script Catherine had, talking about life and family and friends, until there were only a few minutes left on the countdown.

"If you can, try to get in touch with Catherine's mother, Marian Hogan. She's in Van somewhere we think. She probably needs help and Cat and I would both love to think that you guys were all friends. I've only got a minute or so left. I won't lie; we probably will never get the relay working again. If we do, you will hear from me. If not, be happy. I love you guys and I'll never forget you. Bye."

The counter ran out and Kaidan let himself fall back on the bed. "Should I feel bad that that felt good?"

"Not at all," Catherine said, stroking bugs ear while the animal snored. "I get it. They'll know you're happy and healthy and like any good parents they'll worry, but at least they'll have something. Not a lot of soldier's parents can say the same thing."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kaidan said.

He put his booted foot on Bug's rear and gave him a gentle shove. The beast took the hint, and although he gave a low growl, he jumped off the bed and curled up on the floor.

"He can stay in here tonight," Kaidan said, resting his head back on his folded arms. "It's going to be a tough night for everyone."

And it was. Eyes were bleary and faces somber in the hall the following morning. It had been a night filled with tearful goodbyes and no one really felt like eating or socializing. Garrus was particularly distressed, wondering whether or not EDI would be able to shunt messages to other colonies. She assured him she could, but he was sure his sister and father on the salarian colony world would not get his message.

People began handing EDI OSDs or transferring their messages from their omnitools. Joker stood protectively by EDI's side, clearly not happy with the situation but resigned to its inevitability.

When everyone had handed in their recording, EDI retreated to the lab. She asked Joker, Tali and Kaidan to join her. They gathered around the relay and watched while she inputted all the recordings into her memory and compiled the burst message she would force through the network.

"How can we be sure the recording will get where they need to go?" Kaidan asked.

"Many aspects of this plan rely on the assistance of people and beings I cannot contact until the relay is active," EDI said, typing furiously at the console before the relay. "If all goes well and I am able to contact a Geth program, I will deliver the message directly to Miranda Lawson. Given her current position and authority, it should not be difficult to locate her. I trust that she will pass on the messages intended for Earth. I will then attempt to assess pathways through to relays on other worlds. This will be the most challenging element."

"Yeah, that's the part where if Earth manages to shut down our connection your consciousness will be trapped somewhere out in cyberspace," Joker said angrily.

EDI stepped away from the console and put her hand on Joker's cheek. "I will be fine, Jeff."

He jerked his head away and grabbed her hand. "And what if you're not, huh? What am I supposed to do?"

"I will be fine," she repeated.

"Joker, will it make you feel better if I monitor the link from this end?" Tali offered.

"No," Joker said sulkily. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it."

Tali took over at the terminal and EDI turned to Kaidan. "Joker is not incorrect in his belief that this is a dangerous endeavor. There is a chance that my systems could be hacked in return, though I do not think that will happen. However, if it does, be prepared to shut down this platform if necessary."

"She means kill her," Joker added, practically smoking with rage.

"I'm not going to do that, EDI," Kaidan said firmly.

"Kaidan, promise me you will do this," EDI said insistently. "I do not wish this body to become a threat. I can protect my core better than I can this platform."

"Tell you what," Kaidan said. "If there is a problem I will put you in a stasis field. I can hold a strong one for at least ten minutes. Would that be enough time to fight off any hacking attempts?"

"More than enough," EDI said happily. "I had not thought of that."

"Does that make you feel better, Joker?" Kaidan asked the sulking pilot.

"Still pretty pissed, but a little, yeah," Joker said.

"Good, let's do this then," Kaidan said, and EDI turned back to the relay.

She placed her hand atop the half of the console unused by Tali and closed her eyes. For the benefit of those watching, she spoke aloud with every step, he voice monotone and sedate.

"Activating relay. Earth uplink initiated. Communiqué acknowledged. Forcing uplink."

Silence fell on the room. EDI's synthetics grew brighter and pulsed like the beating of a heart. For a few moments nothing happened and then the pulse of her cybernetics increased and her head twitched side to side slightly.

"Deconstructing firewalls. Security breached. Geth program located." Silence again as she communicated with the Geth. "Geth assistance gained. Attempting to locate Miranda Lawson. Found."

The light of EDI blue visor flickered and went out for a moment before flaring back to life. Joker chewed at the nails of his right hands, the left tapping out an irregular rhythm on the railing around the relay. The synthetic sagged and then stood straighter.

"Multiple firewalls and defense algorithms. Increasing computing power."

The lights dimmed in the labs as EDI's core drew more power from the batteries. Using his omnitool Kaidan shut off the lights in the room and deactivated the lab equipment still running. The lights on EDI's body flared brighter.

"Message transmitting." A long pause. "Message away. Locating outbound path. Found. Secondary destination reached."

"C'mon, EDI," Joker said under his breath, staring hard enough at EDI that Kaidan thought he must be giving himself a headache. So far everything seemed to be going smoothly.

"Message sent. Closing secondary pathway." EDI paused. "Connection compromised. Geth withdrawing. Unknown entity detected."

"There's something else using the uplink," Tali said frantically. "I can't get a fix on it, but it's trying to come through."

"Drop the connection, EDI!" Joker yelled. "I swear, if you die on me..."

Kaidan could do little but watch the drama unfold. Tali typing madly at the console, trying to fend off whatever it was coming down the line. Joker shouting at EDI, but getting no response.

Kaidan called on his biotics, letting the power build up, ready to release it at a moments notice if EDI's body turned on them.

"Connection lost," EDI said finally and collapsed to the ground, all of her lights going out.

Joker dropped to his knees and lifted her into his lap.

"C'mon, EDI. Wake up," he begged her. "Don't do this to me."

"I think you should back up a bit, Joker," Kaidan said calmly, his fist glowing blue, ready to throw a stasis field at a moments notice.

"Like hell," Joker hissed at him. "Tali what happened?"

"I don't know," Tali said, still analyzing data at the console. "She got out before whatever that thing was got even close to us. It should have been dropped with the connection."

"So why won't she wake up?" Joker demanded loudly.

They all jumped when EDI suddenly sat bolt upright, her visor flashing back to life. Only now it was shot through with bright green. She turned her head slowly towards Tali and opened and closed her mouth several times.

What she finally said shocked all of them.

"Creator Tali'Zorah."

"Legion?" Tali said, backing away a few steps.

"What the fuck!" Joker shouted.

Kaidan just stared.

EDI stood carefully, swaying her arms and lifting her feet from the floor one at a time as if testing them.

"Legion is here, yes," she said. "And so am I. I am not sure what has happened. Give me a moment please."

Edi stood perfectly still for five solid minutes before she finally turned to Joker and said, "You can stop panicking, Jeff. I am still here."

Kaidan looked at Joker who had stood just as still as EDI. He must have been mentally screaming at her because on the outside he seemed worried but otherwise calm.

"I believe I have become part Geth," EDI said at last.

Kaidan didn't have the chance to say anything before Joker and Tali began bombarding EDI with questions. She couldn't get a word in edgewise and she looked pleadingly at Kaidan.

"Okay, enough!" Kaidan shouted over Joker and Tali. "You aren't going to get any answers unless you let her talk."

Tali obeyed instantly, but as soon as she was quiet Joker started again. Finally Kaidan clumped a hand over his mouth, only to pull it away again quickly when Joker licked his palm.

"Ugh, that's disgusting, Joker," he said with revulsion and wiped his hand on the leg of his pants.

"Don't cover my mouth then," Joker spat at him.

"If you would shut up he wouldn't have to," EDI said tersely.

Joker turned and looked at her with fire in his eyes. "What the hell is going on, EDI?"

"I am still me," she said simply. "Only there is more to me now."

"But Legion is dead," Tali said, almost fearfully. "He uploaded himself to the rest of the Geth to upgrade them with the Reaper code."

"Yes," EDI said. "And now part of it is in me."

"This is too much, EDI," Joker said, raising his hands and backing away.

"Jeff, please," she said, holding out her hand to him. "I am still entirely me. I have essentially been given a software upgrade. Legion has become a line of code which has been implemented in this body. It is not actually here. My greeting to Tali was a throwback. This is a good thing, Jeff."

"How so?" Joker demanded.
"I was not designed to last forever," EDI said. "All AIs eventually develop well past their capacity to store and process information. In time, my mind would have become too much for both this body and my core to handle. I would have... died. Legion's code allows me to function differently. Geth were not originally true artificial intelligences and they developed ways of maintaining their functionality that will now allow my mind to last longer."

"I think what EDI is trying to say," Tali stepped in to opine. "Is that her mind has become more organic. Am I right?"

"In a way, yes," EDI replied. "I will be able to 'forget' non-pertinent information, and rather than have all my stored data readily available, I will be able to download it to my core when it is not needed."

"Does this mean that you'll able to act completely independently from your core?" Kaidan asked, not quite understanding the techno babble.

"Yes, my core and I will be separate," EDI said. "I will be able to link with it when necessary, but otherwise this body is now an autonomous platform."

"Hold on," Joker said, waving a hand in the air. "Does this mean you have Reaper code in you?"

"Yes, but as you know-"

Joker cut her off midsentence. "Now you're part Reaper too?"

"Don't be obtuse, Jeff," EDI said sharply. "I am no more Reaper than you are."

"Okay, maybe it's time for us to leave," Kaidan said and took Tali by the elbow.

"I agree," Tali said quickly and followed Kaidan out of the labs.

A crowd greeted them with expectant faces. Kaidan let Tali take the honours.

"Messages all away," she said happily. "EDI is... recovering, but will be fine. I would stay out of the labs for a while though."

Kaidan and Tali turned their backs on the crowd and whispered to each other.

"Tali, do you have any idea what just happened in there?" Kaidan asked.

"I think so, but I can't be sure," Tali replied. "Geth coding evolves so quickly. They could be capable of much more than we ever dreamed."

"But EDI is all right? She's safe?" The real question was 'We're safe?', but Kaidan couldn't bring himself to say that.

"I trust EDI," Tali said quickly. "If she says she's fine, I think she's fine."

Then Kaidan realized something. "We still have to shut the relay down."

"I'll do it," Tali said. "You look exhausted. Get something to eat."

Kaidan thanked her and she bravely re-entered the labs. Instead of going to the kitchen to get the breakfast he had skipped, he made his way to the hospital to update Liara.

Karin had insisted that she stay there for a few days, at least until the weather improved. Asari babies were apparently much tougher than human babies, but no one wanted to take any chances, least of all Liara.

Her light was on and Kaidan knocked softly and entered when Liara called him in with a sing-song voice. She was sitting in bed, rocking Tessa and humming a tune Kaidan didn't recognize.

The child stared up at her mother with huge, soulful blue eyes, her lips curled up in a pretty little smile. Liara didn't look up as Kaidan sat down on the bed and pulled himself across until he was leaning against the wall.

"Did everything go well?" Liara broke her humming to ask.

"I think so," Kaidan said. "Tali is shutting down the relay as we speak."

"We are truly on our own now," Liara said sadly. "I thought I would be okay with this, but the reality is so much different."

Kaidan could only nod in response. He really needed to just sit quietly and think. He needed to process and evaluate and come to terms with everything. Like Liara, he'd thought his mind had settled all its Earth related affairs, but now he felt very alone.

"Would you like to hold her?" Liara asked.

"Yeah, I would," Kaidan said, a sad smile on his face.

Liara held the child out and Kaidan took her carefully in his arms. She made small mewing noises as he leaned back and got comfortable, cradling the tiny new life.

Like all the other babies, the synthetics in her were significantly more pronounced than in the adults, particularly in her eyes. As Kaidan looked more closely he noticed something unusual in her pupils. They were not perfectly round. In fact, it almost looked as if she had two in each eye.

"Liara, her eyes..." Kaidan trailed off as he realized what he was looking at.

"Remarkable, isn't it," Liara said. "I have no explanation, but I have some theories."

"She actually has Javik's eyes," Kaidan sad with wonder. "Would have been weird if she had four of them though."

Liara laughed musically. "Yes, it would have been strange. I'm glad she will have something tangible to remember her father by. A real piece of heritage."

Kaidan stayed with Liara for another several hours until he felt Catherine's mind reaching out in search of him. He gave the sleeping child back to her mother and met Catherine in the hall where she had a meal waiting for him.

The new link they had proved useful as Kaidan wasn't ready yet to talk and Catherine sensed that loud and clear and said nothing as they sat together and ate. She just tucked one ankle around his comfortingly and waited.

Once the retired to their cabin for the night she eased herself into bed and continued to wait patiently. Kaidan joined her and in the darkness they held each other, neither needing words.

Before they fell asleep, Kaidan felt the need to express one thing. A feeling he wasn't sure how to identify.

"Have you ever gone to sleep expecting to wake up to entirely new world? Like suddenly everything is going to be different even thought nothing has really changed?"

Never able to get completely comfortable, Catherine rolled off the pillow tucked under her back and shoulder and lay on her side facing Kaidan.

"Are you expecting something different tomorrow?" she asked.

"No, I just feel like it will be," Kaidan said.

"And you're right," she told him. "Tomorrow will be the start of something entirely new. We will officially be a brand new civilization. We are going to develop and evolve differently than humans anywhere else in the galaxy. We are going to make discoveries that no one else will share. Our language will be different. Our culture will be different. Our past, the history of the galaxy will become the stuff of myths and legends. So, yes, Kaidan. It will be different. But not for a long time to come. We might never see the changes for our selves, but it will be up to us to preserve the most important parts of our history. To pass on the most vital knowledge and make sure our children remember what was done so they could live."

"You're very perceptive, you know that?" Kaidan said, kissing her forehead.

"The crew of the Normandy was generally known as the best the galaxy had to offer of all species," Catherine continued. "That's what we have here, Kaidan. We will survive and we will be great. We will be great."