Parental Guidance
-December, 2185
The Orizaba docked with the Everest, like its captain desperately clinging to her mentor before the latter took her child to stand before judge and jury. Captain Shepard entered the Everest alone, unaccompanied by her aide along the umbilical cord that stretched through space between the two dreadnoughts.
It had been some time since she had met her mentor and friend. Emily Hayes and Hannah Shepard had been the David Anderson and Messalina Shepard of the Universe before the latter duo began raging across the Galaxy representing the new generation of human intrepidity. They had been through a lot together, first as a science officer for the small research vessel Hayes had captained, and later being introduced to Alan and John Shepard. Emily had been there for her when she heard that John was killed in action. She had been there for her when she couldn't go to Messalina in the wake of Alan's death. It was Emily who helped transform the disgruntled teenager into an Alliance cadet.
Hannah passed through the curious onlookers, briefly shaking hands with old acquaintances, as she made her way to the Fleet Admiral's offices.
"She's waiting for you... with company." the ship's Captain, Chen, informed her.
Hannah arched her eyebrows in query, but Chen simply opened the door for her before vanishing.
Emily Hayes greeted her friend with a warm hug, leading her to a seat beside a tall strongly built man whom she recognized through enough holonews casts. They shook hands.
"It's an honor to meet you, Admiral Anderson."
"The honor is mine, Captain." They traded formalities.
Hannah cut to the chase.
"Where is she, Em?"
Admiral Hayes sipped her coffee, indicating a need for patience. David Anderson remained silent, following Hayes's lead, looking down at his hands.
"I only got a few fleeting rumors along the grape vine." Hannah urged testily. "Did Messalina blow up... did she blow up a Relay?"
"Crashed an asteroid into it." Anderson supplied, avoiding her look.
Her fears confirmed, Hannah burried her head in her hand, wondering if this was what the proverbial 'call your parents to school' felt like. A twinge of guilt engulfed her, immediately; Messalina never needed Hannah to ever visit her school when she had to live alone on the station, and despite her absence had grown up to a status that few parents could only hope for in their child. But, Hannah hated it. She hated that Messalina seemed to be playing the hero, like John. She hated that she was out on missions that had to be kept secret from her family. She hated having to hear about life and death situations second handed from strangers like Anderson and Hackett. And for some reason, two men whom Messalina had latched onto in Hannah and Emily's absence had engineered her to demolish half the Fifth fleet, have her go missing for two years, only to return after killing hundreds of thousands of Batarians, dragging the Alliance to inevitable war.
Hannah glared at Anderson, who kept avoiding eye contact. She knew men like him, she determined. Men so driven by personal cause that they would send impressionable young officers, imbued with a false sense of loyalty, to commit atrocities in proxy. Men who would stand by, hands behind their back as they watched their scapegoats dangle on the gibbet.
How Messalina must have fallen for them, Hackett and Anderson, strong men who had been absent in her life since Alan's death. Hannah stabbed herself out of insurmountable guilt, the weight of her absence finally crashing down on her in full force. Her proud and beautiful daughter, so strong and bright with her father's dark raven hair and her mother's steely wide eyes, her grandfather's sharp and delicate chin, and how she had grown up to be a fine specimen of humanity, representative of its hopes and dreams for the future. Now her daughter was somewhere in the underbelly of the Everest, entombed like a mythical demon in shackles under a mountain, awaiting trial. She was a war criminal.
Hannah recalled her last transmission with her daughter, only a few weeks ago. Pleading her to desist and return home, talk about it. She should have done more. She should have demanded that Messalina's Asari girl friend, who had contacted her out of the blue, to take her to her daughter. The Asari had been open, kind, reassuring, but warned her that even she couldn't swerve Messalina from her path.
"There are circumstances surrounding Commander Shepard's arrest that you should know." Anderson began, slowly.
Hannah glared at him, venomously. David Anderson, who always appeared before the holovids as an indomitable hurricane, now seemed to tremble, cautious of Hannah's reactions.
"Her status as a reinstated Council Spectre will be able to remit her from most of the charges." Anderson explained.
"Is that even possible? Why would the Council be backing Shepard?" Though slightly relieved, Hannah was surprised that the Council would ignore such extreme levels of attrition to the Batarians. Was the attack a Citadel fueled spear of war to incite the Batarians?
"All I can say," Anderson glanced at Hayes, who seemed to nod as an approval. "is that Shepard's will probably be pardoned on most charges. I've currently petitioned the Council to issue a formal statement approving and vouching for the Commander's actions."
"Did she or didn't she act on the Council's behalf?" Hannah demanded.
"She acted with their leave." Anderson chose his words carefully.
"Sanctioned? Ordered? What is the nature of this whole fiasco, exactly?"
"All we can tell you is that she was 'allowed' to pursue an independent investigation that she deemed necessary." Hayes interrupted, trying to clarify but without success. "We aren't allowed to divulge the details under Citadel and Alliance law."
"And what about her commission?"
"That is still pending the tribunal's decree." Anderson resumed. "Currently she has been officially disavowed and dishonorably discharged for acts of treason against the Systems Alliance. Her custody aboard the Everest has been ordered by Justice, to detain and present her on Earth."
Hannah felt hot tears welling up.
"Hannah..." Hayes tried to calm her.
"No!" Hannah shouted, suddenly. "You do not get to 'Hannah' me, Em! I spent my life with you under your command! I gave up my family for you! You do not get to tell me my daughter, John's girl, Alan's granddaughter is now a War criminal charged with treason and tell me to calm down about it."
"Captain Shepard..." Anderson tried his turn. "Please, we'll try to work it out-"
"And you!" Hannah poked a finger in his chest. "You've crippled my daughter! Before she met you she was a Hero of the Alliance. Look how she's fallen. A criminal. Destined for who know's where?What is she now, dammit?"
But to her surprise Anderson's face hardened.
"She's still a Hero, Captain Shepard." he barked. Hannah, taken aback by his sudden forcefulness, stumbled back in her seat. "She's the greatest Hero I've ever had the honor of meeting. I'd die happily knowing that Commander Shepard protects this Galaxy. She may be in a difficult position right now, but she's been in worse. I don't claim to know everything she's been through. I can't even claim to even imagine the difficulties she's had to endure. But one thing I'm certain: Me, you, Hayes, and every human and living soul in the Galaxy wouldn't be alive now if it wasn't for her."
He caught himself, surprised at himself at his own fury. He settled down, relenting.
"I've spoken to much." He added quietly. "I've never had children of my own. Never had time for a family. None of us had. If I were you, I'd be proud. I would be proud beyond any parent. Your daughter is a gift of humanity."
His voice betrayed utter sincerity, dripping with true envy and respect to her and her daughter. Hannah felt confuse, yet profoundly moved by his words.
Hayes and Anderson left Hannah to walk by herself towards her daughter's cell. It was the only brig active, yet oddly open. There were frequent chuckles and voices emanated, one which she recognized as Messalina's. The jailer, a hulking beast of a man, balanced his chair back on two legs, which rested on the wall as he served out a deck of cards. Messalina, dressed in her N7 hoodie, was lying casually on the small bunk with a frustrated look at the deck she was served.
Hannah spied on them for a moment in the shadows.
"I win, Commander." the jailer whooped. "Que está en quiebra, chica."
Messalina tossed the deck aside and caught Hannah's presence.
"Mom." Messalina's voice seemed bright, inviting, cheerful.
Hannah smiled cautiously as the jailer excused himself, and to her surprise left them completely by themselves. Hannah settled down into the chair as Messalina got up, straightening her clothes. Hannah wanted to hug her daughter, she had imagined doing so all the way down to the brig. But somehow, the two of them ended up sitting face to face, calmly, as if they were having dinner.
"How have you been?" Hannah offered cautiously.
"Fine," Messalina shrugged. She wasn't offering up. Hannah felt a twinge of jealousy to the jailer who had conversed so happily with her daughter.
"You haven't been eating well." Hannah noted that her daughter seemed skinnier than her usual skin and bones.
"Everest wasn't exactly renown for its culinary tastes, Mom." Messalina reminded her mother of their time together aboard the vessel.
"You weren't always choosy over your food."
Messalina didn't reply, instead asked about Hannah.
"You know I always manage." Hannah replied. "My term Captaining the Orizaba is almost over. I'm thinking of settling down."
Messalina arched her eyebrows, incredulously. "Prospect Creek, Alaska?"
"No, silly." Hannah scowled. "I thought maybe the somewhere pleasant and warm. Eden Prime, maybe-"
"No." Messalina stated firmly.
"Horizon-"
"No. Not Horizon." Messalina shook her head firmly.
"Why not? We don't have a lot of money, Messalina." her mother reminded her. "They say this new place on Horizon, Sanctuary, is wonderful."
"I have a bad vibe about Horizon." Messalina persisted firmly. "You're not retiring yet, are you?"
"I've been drifting too long, Messalina." Hannah sighed. "I want to prepare a home for us to retire to."
Messalina shook her head. "I can't retire, Mom."
"But they say you'll probably be discharged."
"I can't, Mom." Messalina seemed to plead for her mother not to ask about it, not to go through the whole argument again.
Hannah conceded, having been spent already with Hayes and Anderson.
"Alright, Mess." she sighed. "I won't ask what you were up to. I promised myself that."
"When this is all over, Mom," Messalina replied brightly, grateful at her mother's change in attitude. "Maybe we can go live on the Citadel."
"Citadel's expensive, honey." Hannah laughed. "I keep telling you that! Ever since you were little, you wanted to live on the Citadel."
"You can come live with me and Liara." Messalina ventured.
"Are you sure you want to live with that ... with Liara?"
Messalina let that slide. "I'm sure, Mom. She' great. She's my better half."
"You're good through and through, honey."
Embarrassed, but pleased, Messalina grinned. "We'll figure it out, Mom. We can still sail among the stars, calling it our home. I could never call a piece of dirt, home. I don't think you'll bear it either."
"I'll think about it." she promised.