Hannah yawned as she leaned back in a recliner in the Maddocks' living room. Soon she'd be leaving again, the Einstein back on patrol, but right now, she could enjoy the last moments she had before boarding ship again. Her eyes fell on Jane's fish tank, set aside in a corner of the room. There were some new fish this time that she didn't recognize.
"Are those alien fish?" she asked aloud.
Maddock's wife, Lourdes, answered from the couch. "Oh, yes. Jane saved her own money to buy them. They get along well with the fish from Earth." Lourdes turned back to reading her data pad and Hannah kept her eyes on the new fish. They were beautiful, a subtle shade of lavender with curved dark green tails. Jane did an impeccable job keeping up with her fish tank. It was her number one hobby right now. Hannah understood that keeping the tank in perfect running order was a simple, but meaningful way for Jane to honor her dad.
Hannah subconsciously fingered the necklace she wore. Every day since Daniel's death she'd worn the rocket necklace he gave her for her thirteenth birthday. She even wore it under her uniform onboard ship, which was completely against regulations, but she didn't care. Wearing the necklace made her feel that Daniel was near her, somehow still with her. Hannah could hardly believe two years had passed since Daniel had left them. The sting of grief had lessened over time, but she still suffered through days where it felt like she'd seen his body die just yesterday.
Hannah moved her gaze from the tank back to Lourdes, smiling at the woman hunched over her data pad. Lourdes was a pleasantly plump woman with dark hair just beginning to gray. She had striking green eyes and Hannah always loved to watch her laugh. Though right now Lourdes seemed more troubled, deep in thought over whatever she was reading. Hannah thought Lourdes was a perfect match for Maddock. Maddock was a good man, but very much all military—he ran his home almost like his ship, scheduled and in good order at all times. Lourdes possessed the organizational skills to keep him happy. Actually, Lourdes was Maddock's second wife. His first wife lived on Mars along with his two daughters from his first marriage. Hannah knew he didn't get to see his daughters much. She'd read between the lines and figured out that Maddock's first marriage had collapsed due to his time away in the navy. It was all too common for Alliance Navy personnel to find their spouses drifting away from them as they were kept away for months, maybe even years, at a time.
Hannah said a silent thank you to Daniel, something she did often in her own mind. Daniel had remained loyal to her. Maybe it was because he understood military life having been a soldier himself for a while. Or maybe it was his determination not to put his family through a divorce, knowing what his own parents' divorce cost him. Whatever the reason, Hannah was thankful Daniel had stuck to their marital vows. Coming home to see him had always been the highlight of her returns through the years. Now the highlight of her returns was Jane.
Hannah was glad she'd transferred to the Einstein, not only because it made it possible for them to stay with the Maddocks on Arcturus Station, but because Maddock made sure to come back home more often than other ships. Maddock had been around so long he pulled significant clout in the Alliance. He could wriggle out of Admirals more leave than anyone else. Hannah suspected he returned so much because he wanted his second marriage not to suffer the same fate as his first. This meant that Hannah also was often back on Arcturus and able to spend time with Jane. At the moment, Hannah heard Jane talking away with Jules down the hall in one of the bedrooms.
"Thanks again," Hannah said aloud, "For taking us in."
Lourdes raised her head up from her data pad, her eyes smiling. "When will you stop saying that?"
Hannah shrugged. "I don't know. I just hope we're never an imposition."
"You aren't," Lourdes insisted. "In fact, having you both here has livened up our family quite a bit."
Hannah sighed, listening to Jane's voice down the hall. "Jules has been good for Jane." For months after Daniel's death, Jane's extroverted nature had hid itself, refusing to be drawn out. She floated through life as if in a daze, not saying much. Her grades had dropped, not enough for failure, but enough to worry Hannah. But when they had finally completed the move to Arcturus Station and Jane became close friends with Jules, she came to life again, rising up from the ashes of mourning.
"I suppose that's so," Lourdes admitted, but she laughed. "I've always thought of it the other way around. Jane has been good for Jules. He's so quiet, she's helped him get outside his shell. He actually has friends now."
Lourdes' good mood seemed to descend the moment her eyes met her data pad again.
"Everything alright?" Hannah asked.
Lourdes looked up. "Am I that obvious?"
Hannah nodded.
"Well, it's nothing much. I'm just worried about my cousin's son."
"What's wrong?"
Lourdes sighed. "He's one of the kids who displayed biotic potential. I guess, maybe five, six years ago, he was recruited for some government program to train biotics. Anyway, something went wrong, I have no idea what, and they shut down the program. He sent an e-mail to his parents and then disappeared. They've always thought something bad happened to him, but who knows? They just want to know where he is, especially his dad, my cousin. He's in the Alliance military."
"What's the family name?" Hannah wondered if she'd ever met this cousin.
"Alenko."
Hannah thought, then shook her head. "I've never met a solider with that name."
"I'm not surprised. He's stationed in the Sol system, near Mars."
"I hope he finds his son," Hannah muttered. She fleetingly thought how she would feel if Jane went MIA. She'd be worried sick, probably lose it completely.
Footsteps sounded down the hall and Jane and Jules emerged. Jane was sixteen now, and definitely becoming a beautiful young woman. She wore green pants that emphasized her shapely legs and a loose fitting blue blouse, gathered at the bottom. Her eyes were bright with excitement. Jules stood next to her, shorter than her by virtue of age. He was three years younger, terribly pale with a mop top of deep auburn hair. Hannah found Jane treated Jules like a younger brother, someone in need of guidance. Maybe that was why he was so good for her—he was her own pet project, a person to keep her focused as she healed from Daniel's death.
"Okay, what are you up to?" Hannah asked, recognizing the devious look in Jane's eyes.
"Nothing," Jane said, trying to appear innocent, but Hannah wasn't buying it.
"If you tell me now, you might be able to do what you're going to try to do, or I can just order you to stay here."
Jane breathed out in disappointment. "There's a rumor a turian ambassador is coming to the station in an hour. We just want to see him. He'd be the first turian we've both ever seen."
Hannah glanced at Lourdes who nodded, affirming she'd heard this rumor as well.
"If there is a turian arriving," Hannah said, her attention back on Jane, "then my guess is security is going to be so tight, you won't be able to see him. Besides, you don't even know where to find him. I'm sure that's been kept a secret." Hannah couldn't imagine the reception a turian would receive if he arrived publicly. A majority of humans still hated turians as a result of the First Contact War.
"Well…" Jules uttered in his quiet, timid voice, but Jane stopped him by nudging him with her elbow.
Hannah now stood up, her hands on her hips, staring both of them down. "Jules?"
Jules shifted back and forth on his feet, looking helplessly at Jane.
Lourdes shook her head from the couch. "Jules…I told you not to hack the computers again."
"It's just too easy," Jules defended his actions.
"Jules!" Lourdes cried out, standing up. "Last time station security was here I promised them you'd stop."
"I haven't done it until now, mom, honest! It's just, Jane wanted to know where to find the Ambassador and I knew it would be a cinch to find out, so I kind of just did it."
Lourdes flung her hands in the air, then sat down, shaking her head as if she didn't know what to do with Jules. "When your father finds out…"
"Please don't tell him!" Jules cried out. Hannah knew if Maddock found out Jules had broken his promise, punishment would be meted out. She couldn't help but feel pity for the mousy little boy standing in front of her.
"Alright, look, we won't tell," Hannah eyed Lourdes who nodded conspiratorially. "Where could you see the ambassador?"
"They're going to bring him in the back of the Fullton," Jane informed her, referencing the ritziest hotel on the station.
Hannah debated herself inside her head. Part of her wanted to tell Jane to mind her own business and demand she stay home. But another part knew Jane's motives were pure; she just wanted the chance to see a turian up close. A sudden thought occurred to Hannah, one she knew she shouldn't be having—she wasn't a mischievous teenager, she was a woman of almost forty. Still, it would be fun.
"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right," Hannah declared.
"We?" Jane asked.
"You two follow me," Hannah said, heading towards the front door. Jane shouted "Yes!" in delight and Jules grinned from ear to ear. As the door slid open, Hannah looked back to Lourdes. "Don't tell the Captain I did this."
Lourdes grinned. "My lips are sealed."
Hannah led Jane and Jules to a stairwell, which they proceeded to climb for a good while. Jules, who wasn't so physically fit, ended up grasping his chest and breathing rapidly. Jane asked him if he wanted to stop, but he shook his head, determined to keep up. Hannah reached a door that was bolted. Part of her chastised herself for going through with this. What they were doing was possibly illegal. Still, she turned on her omni-tool and messed with the locking mechanism for a few minutes. The door slid open. Hannah tried to justify her actions to herself: They just want to see the ambassador. There's no harm in that. And there isn't even any warning on the door not to enter. And really, it's just part of the station. It's for maintenance, not even privately owned.
She strode down a narrow hallway with the teenagers following her until she found what she was looking for. Pointing, she got down on her hands and knees and crawled underneath a short overhang. The sound of rustling behind her indicated Jane and Jules were keeping up with her. After they had crawled several feet, Hannah pulled herself out from under the overhang, standing up on what appeared to be a small balcony, but was actually an extension off a catwalk for maintenance engineers.
Jane and Jules appeared next to her. Jane drew in a breath. "It's the back of the Fullton!" Peering down below, they had a clear view of the hallway behind the Fullton. They were positioned directly across from the back entrance.
"When is he coming?" Hannah asked. It was Jules who answered.
"1530 hours they get to the hotel."
Hannah shook her head, slightly disturbed that Jules displayed computer prowess far beyond most adults at such a young age. She could only guess what he'd be able to do the older he grew. She glanced down at her omni-tool. "We have a fifteen minute wait, then." She sat down on the walk. Jane and Jules followed.
"Mom, how do you know about this place?" Jane inquired.
Hannah smiled. "Maps have always come easy to me. I always memorize a place when I get to it. Habit." Hannah realized her map skills reflected one reason she excelled in the military: she possessed an ability to comprehend the overall picture quickly.
"You're cool," Jules said quietly, staring at Hannah in awe.
Hannah chuckled. At least a thirteen year old approved of her. The wait felt like an eternity, but finally, they heard steps coming down the hall below. They all stood, intently focused on the view below. Hannah wished she'd brought a pair of binoculars for Jane to use. An entourage appeared, moving towards the Fullton. Three turians stood shoulder to shoulder, though the one in the middle was obviously the ambassador—he alone marched with an air of authority. He was largely built, impressive with a solemn silver face decorated with black tattoos. Several humans surrounded the turians, some political figures Hannah recognized and others undoubtedly security.
As the group drew close to the back of the Fullton, Hannah noticed movement in her peripheral vision. She turned her head and saw a man a few yards away on the catwalk wearing a maintenance uniform. He was carrying a long hard case that Hannah assumed contained tools. He started to open the case, but Jules suddenly coughed and the man's head jerked around, his face startled.
Hannah was sure they were in for it now, caught in an area they had no business being in. "Uh," she said, pointing at Jane and Jules, "They just wanted to see the turian ambassador. We didn't mean any harm."
The man stared at her, seemingly unsure what do now that he had seen them. He finally reached down and locked the case again. "No problem."
Hannah narrowed her eyes, sensing for some reason that this man was untrustworthy. His grey eyes darted back and forth under thick dark eyebrows. "Just, don't get these kids in trouble, okay?" she asked, pleading.
"Look, lady, it's okay. No problem. I won't tell anyone." He picked up his case and proceeded down the catwalk to the other end, disappearing. By the time Hannah turned back, the turian was out of sight, having entered the Fullton.
"Turians are amazing," Jane proclaimed. "I can't believe dad fought them. It's weird to think of him doing that."
"Well, he didn't sign up for it," Hannah replied. "They told him to."
"Yeah," Jane said. "I remember that when I interviewed him for that report in third grade."
"I think they're ugly," Jules put in his two cents.
"What?!" Jane spoke loudly.
"They always look mad and they're so skinny. And I bet if you met one in person they'd try to kill you."
"Well that turian wasn't killing the humans with him," Jane defended the alien race.
"He can't kill them here because he'd get in trouble. Too many humans to fight back." Jules had crossed his arms over his chest, evidently convinced turians were evil at heart.
Jane looked exasperatedly at Hannah. "Tell him, mom. You saw turians on the Citadel."
Hannah tried to defuse the argument. "Calm down," she commanded. "Jules, I did see them. None of them tried to kill me."
Jules shrugged, seemingly unconvinced that his opinion was false. Jane sighed, but catching a warning eye from her mother, dropped the conversation.
"You've seen your turian," Hannah stated, "So let's go. The Einstein leaves in an hour. I need to be on board."
Hannah quickly packed her bag when she returned to the Maddocks' apartment. She said goodbye to Jane, the worst part of leaving. She still loved her military career, but she often wished she could give it all up for the sake of Jane and stay with her at all times. However, they needed to live and the only job Hannah had the skills for lay with the Alliance Navy. With her promotions, she was making good money now and quitting would have been counterintuitive.
Jane hugged her tightly. "I hate it when you leave."
Hannah returned the hug just as tightly. "I hate leaving."
"I always ask dad to keep you safe," Jane disclosed as she pulled away from Hannah. Jane's eyes were wet with the beginnings of tears.
"I'll be back soon. You know Maddock. He'll get us back here as soon as he's able."
"I know," Jane said, her voice still expressing her sadness at Hannah's departure.
"Be patient with Jules. He's a teen. He sees the world in black and white only." Hannah winked at Jane.
"Are you implying I'm like Jules?" Jane demanded, her hands on her hips.
"Sometimes," Hannah said.
"Like when we argue?"
"Yeah, like then."
Jane suddenly laughed. "Adults. Think they know everything."
Hannah patted her on the back. "Oh, you're so very humble."
"I'm so humble, everyone knows I'm the greatest," Jane said, smiling wickedly. This wasn't the first time they had joked at Jane's tendency to decide she knew what was best.
Hannah slung her bag over her shoulder and headed towards the front door, Jane following. "I'll call you," Hannah assured her.
"Okay," Jane said. Hannah walked through the door, hearing it slide shut behind her and wishing she could have taken Jane with her.
Four days out in the Skyllian Verge and all was alarmingly quiet. Usually two to three reports of batarian activity near human colonies would have crossed Hannah's terminal by now, but so far, it seemed the batarians had taken a vacation. The silence worried her. She didn't trust the batarian raiders to keep quiet for long. She knew first hand the ruthlessness of human hating batarians, thanks to Balak eight years ago.
Currently she was assigned to the Combat Information Center of the Einstein. At the moment, she didn't have much to do as no ships had been reported in the area. Still, she kept an eye on the map, and her computer, ready to catch any movement.
"You bored, Commander?"
Hannah turned, knowing Ernesto was guarding the CIC today. "Completely," she answered the stocky man standing near the door to the rest of the ship.
"I could turn on some music. Salsa? Then you could give me that dance you promised me." Ernesto grinned widely.
Hannah laughed. "I've told you. If you see me dance, I'll lose your respect forever."
"For me?" Ernesto begged, a pout on his face.
"No. And don't ask me again. That's an order, Lieutenant."
"Oh man. You finally ordered me to stop joking?"
Hannah nodded. "That I did."
Ernesto hadn't moved from his post at the door, but his eyes twinkled at her. She loved it when he guarded the CIC. He always brought his humor and his bravado with him and made the hours she was on duty pass by quickly. He alone could get her to lower her authoritarian manner.
"Anything I can help with?" Ernesto asked.
Hannah sighed. "Nope. Nothing to help with. It's all quiet at the front of the Verge."
"You sound like that's bad. Shouldn't that be a good thing?"
Hannah smiled at him again. "It's a good thing. Doesn't mean it isn't boring though."
"Gotcha."
"How's your family?" Hannah asked, flipping through charts on her data pad.
"Good. My little brother's gonna graduate soon. Says he wants to be an entomologist."
Hannah chuckled, but kept her eyes on the data pad. "Wouldn't have expected that out of your family."
"Well, he always was the odd ball. My older brother's getting married in three months."
Hannah looked up for a moment. "Congratulations."
"Guess who he's marrying?" Ernesto was smiling playfully.
"Uh…no idea."
"An asari."
"Really?" Now Ernesto had her full attention. She had heard about humans hooking up with asari, but this was the first she'd known someone personally connected with the practice.
"He met her on the Citadel. They fell in love at first sight. Whirlwind courtship and now they want to get hitched."
"What do your parents think of that?"
"They're not that excited. They hadn't exactly planned for their child to marry an alien."
Hannah let out a slow breath. "No one would have thought about that until thirteen years ago."
"I think she'll grow on them. She's nice, really sweet."
Hannah grinned at Ernesto. "So you like asari?"
"Me?" Ernesto asked. "Naw, I go for elcor."
Hannah cocked her head, surprised, then saw through Ernesto's poker face. "Right."
Ernesto broke into howls of laughter. He got the attention of the other officers in the room, but they didn't mind. They all smiled at their own stations. Everyone liked Ernesto.
Hannah finished inspecting the duty roster charts, making sure everything was in order. She decided to pause a moment and check her own personal e-mail. There was a message from Jane time stamped several hours ago.
Hey, mom. Thanks for letting me know you're still safe out there. Things are good here. I got a good report card, all A's. We had to do dissection in science lab. The worm was cool. Frog was neat, too. But I couldn't stand the fetal pig. It wasn't the dissecting part, just I kept feeling sorry for it. My partner named it George. That made it worse. When it had a name, it started to look like a pet.
I'm trying to remember what you said about being patient with Jules. I think he hates most aliens. I don't know why. His mom doesn't or his dad. He's just so ridiculously opinionated! (I know I am, too, so don't rub it in. At least my opinions are right). Anyway, I'm trying not to bug him too much. Write when you can. Love, Jane.
P.S. For English I have to write a report on who I would consider my hero. I hope you don't mind, but I chose dad.
Hannah's eyes grew moist at Jane's postscript. She didn't mind at all. She was glad Jane kept remembering Daniel and finding ways to honor him. Hannah also had her own way of honoring him, besides wearing her rocket necklace everywhere she went. Daniel had given her a strong foundation to build on. He'd poured into Jane courage and strength and wisdom and most of all, love. Hannah was determined to honor his work, committing to bring to maturity the qualities Daniel had instilled in their daughter. Hannah replied to Jane, commiserating with her over the fetal pig, encouraging her toleration of Jules and letting her know she thought choosing Daniel as her hero an excellent idea.
When she finished, Hannah tabbed over to the news. She read a couple articles on the elections for Parliament this year, then she flipped over to real time news, wanting to see what updates had been posted. Her mouth fell open at the lead title that met her eyes. However, before she could tap the article to read it, her comm link beeped in her ear.
"Yes?" she stammered, still struck by the article title.
"It's Captain Maddock. I've just been informed the Alliance picked up a distress call from Mindoir. Batarian slave raid most likely. We're heading that direction immediately. Begin coordinating the marines for deployment and get everyone on stations ASAP."
"Yes, sir!" Hannah spoke out aloud. She turned her attention back to the map, lighting up the planet called Mindoir. Then she started issuing orders, moving from station to station. Her heart beat quickly. Batarian slavers were in and out so quickly on planets, she hoped they would make it in time.
In the hustle and bustle, she completely forgot the article title from the news that had shocked her: Attempted Assassination of Turian Ambassador on Arcturus Station.