Hannah skimmed through the calendar on her data pad. Two dates blinked red: April 11th and May 2nd. In little over a month, Jane would turn eighteen and then a mere three weeks after that, graduate from high school. Hannah felt both pride and fear at what was coming. She was proud of Jane who had earned the honor of being her class' salutatorian. She'd been working on her speech for two months, wanting to impart the right words of wisdom to her classmates. Hannah's fear came from the fact that Jane would soon be stepping into real life on her own. When Hannah had graduated, she'd faced a big world out there—now it was a big galaxy. Jane's opportunities were too numerous to count, but her potential for pain and distress had doubled, too.

The last two years hadn't been easy for humanity. The animosity between the humans and batarians had increased exponentially since the Citadel Council refused to limit human expansion into the Skyllian Verge. The result of this refusal was the self-imposed removal of the batarian embassy from the Citadel and a drawing back of all batarians to their home and colonial worlds. After this pilgrimage back to batarian space, the batarians had gone silent. Hannah thought of the batarians as a species biding its time, waiting for the right moment for its indignation to burst forth again into the galaxy. That day would be violent, she had no doubt.

Then there were the problems on Earth. Terra Firma had gained more seats in the Parliament and its paranoid voice was finding more of a hearing as humanity witnessed the dangers of a wider galaxy. Voices that cried out against aliens became more persistent and louder by the day. Even scarier than Terra Firma was Cerberus, a terrorist organization that used any means at its disposal to elevate humanity and lower alien races. As someone who disagreed with both Terra Firma's and Cerberus' goals, Jane would face at the least ideological enemies as she moved into adulthood.

But Jane was tough, Hannah reminded herself. Jane may have been academic in many ways, but she was also physically impressive. She'd chosen combat art as her elective sport in high school and had become quite proficient at it, earning several medals. She'd also bested competition in marksman shooting, which Hannah understandably bragged about to anyone who would listen. Hannah knew Jane would be able to take care of herself out there—but her mother's heart still feared letting her baby go.

Look, Hannah spoke to herself, trying to instill comfort in her mind, Jane's not even going out into the galaxy yet. She's just going to college in the Sol System. Jane had received at least four scholarships: three from Earth colleges and one from a college on Mars. One of the Earth scholarships was a full ride. Hannah hoped Jane would choose that particular school, at least partially to relieve the financial burden on their family of two. But whatever school she chose, Hannah knew Jane would excel. The study of alien languages was perfect for her daughter. What exactly she would do with the degree, Jane was still contemplating.

Hannah set her data pad down on her desk. She gazed out the window at the stars far in the distance. She was still Staff Commander on the Einstein. She had thought by now she would have her own ship, but things hadn't worked out that way. She'd put her own dreams on the backburner so she could be the mother Jane needed. She hoped she'd done a good job, instilling in Jane the capability to face the real world. She wanted to see Jane successful and yet, she wasn't ready to be alone. At the end of the coming summer, Jane would leave for college and she'd face utter loneliness. Maddock said she could still live with his family, but Hannah had declined. She'd taken advantage of their hospitality long enough. She'd find a small apartment of her own on Arcturus Station. She didn't need much as she spent most of her time on the Einstein anyway.

Hannah glanced back down at her data pad. Time for her shift to start. She stood up and walked to the door. As she marched to the CIC, she traced the passage of time in her head. Maddock had guaranteed her two months leave to cover Jane's birthday and graduation and a vacation for both the Shepard women. Hannah wanted to spend some time alone with Jane before sending her off into a treacherous galaxy.

A week before Jane's birthday, Hannah arrived back on Arcturus Station. She couldn't wait to see her little girl, now not so little. When she and Maddock reached his apartment and the door slid open, Jane was waiting. She leaped up from the couch and gave Hannah a long hug, much longer than Hannah could ever remember her giving before. As Jane pulled back, Hannah noted reluctance in her manner and perceived trepidation in her eyes, which seemed to be trying to cover some inner hidden thought. She wanted to ask Jane what she was thinking, but she had learned over time that the best way to get information out of Jane was to let her tell you in her own time. So she pushed her curiosity to the back of her mind while she chatted with Jane about the goings on—how school was ending, what the plans were for graduation and Jane's desires for her birthday.

"I don't want to do anything big," Jane advanced. "Well, by that I mean I don't want lots of people involved. I kind of want to go to The Observatory." She raised her eyes at Hannah hopefully. Hannah joined Jane on the couch, pondering the pricey rotating restaurant.

"Oh, that's a good idea," Lourdes gushed from the love seat. "Maddy and I went there for our 25th wedding anniversary. Beautiful view."

Hannah smiled imperceptibly at the term of endearment Lourdes used for Maddock. It sounded so informal and strange to her ears every time she heard it.

Maddock snorted from down the hall as he headed towards his bedroom to change. "But it costs a pretty penny!" Hannah heard the bedroom door open and close.

Lourdes grinned. "He can grouse, but he did like it. Talked about the food for weeks afterwards."

"I want to go!" Jules announced from the floor where he lay on his stomach, drawing on his data pad. Jules was now an incorrigible fifteen year old. He'd thrown his introverted self to the wind, becoming an opinionated and stubborn teenager. Jane's friendship with him still remained, though it had cooled over time. Their views on most things political differed and Jane had matured to the point where adult concerns had begun to dominate her mind. They had little in common that drew them to each other any longer.

"Of course you'll go…Julie," Jane spoke condescendingly, her tone clearly meant to tease.

Jules glared at her. He hated being called Julie, a nickname his mother used every now and then that echoed Maddock's. Jane, of course, knew this and at times took advantage of her knowledge to torture him with it.

"I won't go if you call me that," Jules declared, drawing a finger over his data pad, creating a landscape painting.

"Alright. Sorry. But of course you and your mom and dad will be there. Maybe a couple friends."

Hannah cocked her head. "And how expensive is The Observatory?"

Jane's face fell, knowing that the price of the dinners were most likely far out of their range. "Well…I'm not sure."

"We'll pay for our family," Lourdes proclaimed, smiling at Jane. "You deserve a good birthday, Jane."

Hannah nodded thankfully to Lourdes. If the Maddocks paid for their meals, then that left only Jane, herself and a couple friends to pay for. She could manage that. "That settles it, then. We'll go to The Observatory."

Jane beamed. "Thanks, mom!"

"Now, how about dinner?" Lourdes interjected. "I made my famous corn soufflé and Texas style ribs."

"Sounds great!" Hannah spoke enthusiastically. Food on the Einstein always paled in comparison to Lourdes' culinary skill.

After a satisfying dinner, Hannah retreated back to the living room, relaxing on the couch. The Maddocks' apartment had become home to her and the comfort she felt whenever she returned always lulled her into a state of lethargy. She often wondered what she would have done if Maddock hadn't offered living space to herself and Jane after Daniel died. Luckily, she'd never had to find out.

Jane entered slowly from the dining room and leaned against the back of the couch, tapping her foot on the ground. Hannah looked over, once again sensing Jane was troubled over something. Hannah found herself observing her daughter, now so close to being a woman. In the last two years, maturity had raced forward, pushing aside the teen years to blossom into adulthood. She mused over what it was going to be like relating to Jane as an adult.

"Mom?" Jane spoke quietly, turning her head to look at her mother.

"Yes?"

"Can we go on a walk?"

"Okay," Hannah nodded, recognizing that Jane wanted to be alone with her, presumably to reveal what was weighing heavily on her mind.

The door slid open as mother and daughter exited side by side. As they paced down the hall, Hannah compared their heights. Jane was only a little shorter than her, probably only by half an inch. They now looked at each other eye to eye. We're more like peers now, Hannah thought to herself. She's just so grown up.

They walked to a park not far from the apartment. Arcturus Station was peppered with parks, places provided for inhabitants to get away from stuffy apartment life. They gave the impression of being outdoor parks, complete with swings and slides and flourishing greenery. The illusion was broken, however, by the metal sky above and the green carpeted floor below. Jane sauntered over to a bench and sat down, staring at some children playing several meters away.

"What's on your mind?" Hannah asked as she sat, opening the door for Jane to express her inner thoughts.

Jane directed nervous eyes towards her mother. "I have to tell you something."

Hannah narrowed her eyes. "You're not engaged?"

"What? No!" Jane clarified, waving her hands in the air to emphasize her reply.

Hannah began to laugh.

Jane shook her head, realizing her mother had just been razzing her. Jane hadn't dated any guys the past two years, having sworn off boys for the rest of her high school years after Terry. At least the tension had been broken, Hannah thought, as Jane chuckled softly.

"I'm not engaged," Jane said with a smile that quickly faded. "But…I have made a life changing decision." Jane took a deep breath. "I'm not going to study alien languages at college. I want to do something else."

Now, Hannah's stomach churned in wary anticipation. The way Jane stated she wanted to do something else, Hannah expected her to divulge she wanted to do something impractical with little financial security, like be an opera singer or dolphin trainer. What Jane said next wasn't so surprising, and yet, unexpected.

"I'm going to join the military."

Hannah creased her eyebrows. Jane had never given any indication she wanted to follow in her father and mother's footsteps. Sudden anxiety gripped Hannah's chest.

"Why?"

Jane leaned over on the bench, her elbows on her knees, resting her chin on her clasped hands. "I've given this a lot of thought while you've been gone. The only job that really makes sense if I study alien languages is translating alien works for humans to read or maybe helping politicians or merchants understand the subtleties of alien contractual agreements." Jane paused a moment. "But I want to do more than that. I want to help people, like you." Jane sat up, fixing her gaze on Hannah. "I want to actually make a difference between aliens and humans and the best way to accomplish that now is in the military."

"Or be a politician yourself," Hannah put forward, not that she wanted Jane to choose that kind of career either, but it was at least better than the military.

"I couldn't stand the red tape," Jane muttered. Hannah knew she'd had her fill of it living in the capital of the Systems Alliance. "Or the kowtowing to keep being elected."

Hannah took a deep breath. "Being in the military isn't an easy life."

"I know that," Jane insisted. "I've watched you enough."

"Then you know it takes you away from your family all the time. And you'll have to face possibly hazardous situations, be willing to place yourself in danger." Hannah pleaded inwardly with Jane: Please listen to me! Don't do something that could take you away from me!

"That's why I want to be the best. I want to go to basic training, become an officer and pursue N7 training."

Hannah gazed at her daughter, stunned. N7? The Interplanetary Combatives Training program had been developed several years after Hannah had completed her own marine training. It was an aggressive program, known for pushing soldiers to the breaking point. Only the toughest and the best held the N7 rank. Hannah stared at Jane. She knew her daughter was strong and skilled, but N7 strong?

"Jane, that program is intense, difficult. Few make it through."

"But I will," Jane spoke determinedly. "I've thought this through, mom. This is what I want to do."

Hannah's thoughts were jumbled inside. This was such an extreme shift for her to make, from thinking her daughter would find a relatively safe job through her study of alien languages to knowing the dangerous life Jane would face if she became an Alliance soldier. Who knew what challenges awaited the Alliance military in the coming years?

"What brought on this change of mind?" Hannah asked, wanting not just an answer to her question, but time to think about what Jane had told her.

Jane turned her attention back to the children playing. "Well, I've been thinking about it for a while. I like to study and learn, but what I really want to do more than anything is act. I want to get out there and make a difference in the galaxy, not sit around with my nose in a book all the time."

Hannah could appreciate Jane's sentiments, as they echoed her own at Jane's age. It was a bit disconcerting listening to Jane and hearing herself.

"So I decided just to check it out and went by the marine recruiting station a couple months ago. I was waiting to ask some questions, and this guy and a couple others were in line ahead of me. I haven't seen him around school, but he's probably just not in our district. Anyway, I think he's a year younger than me since the officer on duty told him he couldn't sign up for at least a year, until he was eighteen." Jane paused, her eyes intent, reflecting her focused thoughts.

"And…" Hannah prompted.

"The thing was," Jane said, turning to look at Hannah again, "he obviously had some illness of some kind. He was pale and he had braces on his legs and walked with crutches. The officer commented how he wasn't marine material, what with his disease and all. But then the guy said he wanted to try for flight school and just wanted to know where to go to sign up. He told the officer he was going to be in the military, that he was going to do humanity proud out there.

"When he left, I thought that if some guy with broken legs and a debilitating disease wanted to help humanity through the military, then I could, too. That if people are willing to sign up even in his condition, there has to be something about the Alliance military that pushes humanity to greatness."

Hannah stared at Jane as if seeing her for the first time. It was like in the last two months she'd become an old woman with years of experience. Jane had assessed humanity's situation accurately. The true frontier for humanity rested on the edge of the galaxy and the military had its fingers in every part of it. Yes, explorers and scientists had their own part to play, but it was the military that moved the parts and made humanity function in the larger universe. If Jane wanted to truly be where the action was, she was making the right choice.

"Jane," Hannah spoke slowly, seriously. "Are you sure? I'm not trying to force you not to follow me, but you've got to be certain. This decision will change your life forever. You won't be your own person the minute you sign up. You'll belong to the Systems Alliance and they'll tell you where to go and what to do. And sometimes that will require you to do things you don't want to, like going down to Mindoir when commanded to do so and realizing if something goes wrong and you don't make it, people who depend on you will be devastated."

Jane's eyes widened. "So you did go down there."

Hannah nodded. "Yeah. And I almost died. I could have left you alone."

"But it would have been for a good reason, mom," Jane insisted. "I would have hated to lose you, but you had to do it, to save the marines, to save the colonists. This is what I mean. Dad fought to help people and you fought to help people. I want to help people, too, and even more than that. I want to be part of helping the galaxy get along. I know there's got to be a way to do that, and I don't see it happening behind a politician's desk."

Jane paused and Hannah took a deep breath, her mind in a whirlwind. She had a feeling no matter what she said, Jane was going to pursue this change in career path.

"Do you remember Grant and Lee at Appomattox?" Jane suddenly asked.

Hannah cocked her head. She remembered her Earth military history well. "Yes."

"I think Abraham Lincoln was a good man," Jane spoke, "But he didn't really end the Civil War. When it came down to it, peace was made through two great military leaders, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. They recognized the truth, they saw what needed to happen and they made the peace. And they didn't even hate each other when they did it. I just can't help but wonder if it's going to take war to bring unity to the galaxy and if that's true, then that's where I want to be."

Once again, Hannah was flabbergasted. Jane had thought this out all the way through. How could she not support what Jane was saying? She had no choice.

Hannah put a hand on Jane's leg. "Then do it. I know you'll make your dad and me proud."

Jane smiled confidently. "I will. I promise."

A month later, Hannah sat in an auditorium on Arcturus with Maddock, Lourdes and Jules right beside her. Jane sat on stage, beaming at her graduation ceremony. As the program progressed, Hannah didn't follow it much. She was lost in her own thoughts. Her hand nervously tapped the graduation program against her knee. Jane had enlisted the day she turned eighteen. They'd celebrated that night at The Observatory, Arcturus' fancy restaurant that circled 360 degrees every two hours and provided its patrons with a constant view of the stars from all directions. Jane had tasted her first wine that night, a ceremonious rite of passage into her adult years. There, in the midst of celebration, Hannah had begun to grieve what she was losing: the child she loved. Her child was becoming a grown up woman.

Now, Jane would graduate. At least Hannah could console herself by the fact that she would have two weeks with Jane on vacation before she left for basic training. Tomorrow they would travel to Earth to spend their vacation with Hannah's parents. Hannah had told Jane she could go anywhere she wanted, but Jane had asked specifically asked to go back to Earth. She wanted to spend her last free moments where she and Hannah and Daniel had experienced such wonderful family times, to see Michigan once more before her life of duty began.

Hannah's mind was pulled back to the ceremony when Jane approached the podium to deliver her salutatorian address. Hannah knew the speech—she'd been Jane's editor. Still, she listened carefully to every word.

"My fellow students," Jane began, "the time has come to say goodbye. We say goodbye to our teachers. We say goodbye to our families. We say goodbye to each other. There may be tears and regret. We face the task of grieving while celebrating because although we are saying goodbye, we are also saying hello. We are saying hello to our futures. We live at a time of great opportunity. The future holds unlimited possibility. It is our generation that must greet the future with stout hearts and strong wills. We have a galaxy to encounter, many species to get to know. We can prove to the galaxy that humanity is a strong species, a good species, a species to trust and depend upon. You can do this. Let us not dwell in goodbyes, but let us embrace all the hellos of the future. Let us walk towards the bright sun on the horizon that will dawn a new and glorious day for humanity through us. Let us determine to make the galaxy a better place because we are in it." Jane paused, then confidently spoke the final lines of her speech. "When we are old and have reached the end of our time, we will want to look back on our accomplishments with pride. We will want to say we made a difference in the galaxy, a difference that brought peace and conciliation. So let us go forth from this place, examples of what true humanity is capable of. Thank you."

As Jane went back to her seat, the auditorium filled with cheers and clapping, though Hannah noticed some people didn't join in the adulation. Terra Firma had its hold, even here. But it didn't matter. Hannah's eyes had moistened, proud of the daughter she and Daniel had raised. She'd never felt more honored to be the mother of Jane Shepard.