Mom, thought I'd let you know I'll be out of contact for a while. I can't let you in on the details of where I'm going and why, but there's a good reason for my silence. It'll make you even more proud, trust me. Jane.

Hannah smiled at the message. It was just like Jane to be out of contact again. In the last five years, she'd heard from Jane infrequently. Her daughter had managed to propel herself nonstop into the heights of the military. She'd become XO of a new ship prototype, selected by David Anderson himself. Hannah gathered Jane had come to know Captain Anderson fairly well. Exactly how, she wasn't sure. Most of Jane's missions seemed covert these days.

Hannah spent her own time carrying out Novikov's orders, supervising crew members and keeping the Kilimanjaro running in perfect working order. She'd gotten quite comfortable with the dreadnought, though she still hoped her efforts would be noticed one day and a ship of her own would be conferred upon her. She had to admit that she was a little jealous of Jane—the girl had shown her up in every way, from marksman shooting to ground tactics to becoming an XO at the young age of twenty-nine. But when envy reared its head, Hannah reminded herself that she was so very proud of her daughter, that Jane was a testament to the character and skills she and Daniel had instilled in her from a young age. If Jane found success, she stood on the shoulders of her parents while achieving it.

Several weeks later, Hannah received another message from Jane, this one short and cryptic: Mom, I don't want to brag (and I'm also incredibly busy), so just watch ANN. Jane.

Hannah immediately turned on the small television in her quarters and only had to wait through three minutes of other news to hear that humanity's first human Spectre had been officially revealed: Jane Shepard. Hannah sucked in a breath, then whistled slowly. No wonder Jane had been ordered to keep her actions under wraps. Spectres were appointed only by the Citadel Council. That had to mean Jane was on Council business these days. Hannah had no idea Jane had risen this high. How she'd managed to get the Council to like her enough to nominate her was anyone's guess.

Hannah marveled, thinking of Jane as the first human Spectre. She could hardly get her mind around the fact. She listened intently to ANN reporting on the varied responses to Jane's appointment. Some were elated, others angry. Humans and aliens came down on both sides. It was strange listening to people speculate about her daughter, voicing their opinions as if they knew her intimately. She found herself quite incensed by most of the comments. They didn't know Jane at all and they presumed to put words in her mouth and thoughts in her mind. Hannah finally shut off the television, her anger getting too rich for comfort.

A chime sounded in her room. Hannah walked to the door and pushed the wall panel. The door slid open to reveal Lucas standing there, smiling broadly.

"Jane's the first human Spectre, huh? How long have you known about this?"

Hannah laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You presume my daughter keeps me in the loop. It was a secret to me until I just watched it on ANN."

"Well, I give her props for being able to keep it to herself. I'd be telling everyone who'd listen if it was me."

Hannah laughed again. "Yes, you would. Thus why you aren't a Spectre."

"So you proud, mom?" Lucas' eyes danced teasingly.

"Of course," Hannah said.

"But…" Lucas sensed Hannah's hesitancy.

"It looks like she just made a whole slew of enemies." Hannah's eyebrows drew together, expressing her anxiety.

"If she's become a Spectre, I don't think you have to worry over her. I bet she can blow the head off an enemy before they ever see her coming."

"Maybe," Hannah assented.

Lucas shook his head. "Always the worried mother hen. Let it go, Red. She's going to be fine."

Hannah nodded. "So, you got that new encryption code finished yet? It's going to 'get you noticed by the Alliance brass' if I recall."

"Still working on it," Lucas said, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth. "And it will make me rise in the ranks."

"Whatever you say, Lieutenant." Hannah smiled at her cocky friend, standing with his chest puffed out like he was king of the universe.

Three weeks later, Hannah was on duty when a call came in for her. She fiddled with her omni-tool, connecting her comm to the frequency of the call.

"Shepard spea…Oh, hi." Hannah had paused momentarily in her greeting when her computer screen popped up the identification of the person on the other end of the call: Commander Shepard of the Normandy. Hannah was surprised. She hadn't expected to hear from Jane in a long while. She was glad, but concerned over the reason her daughter had taken a break from her Spectre operations to make a call to her good, old mother.

Hannah glanced around the bridge. She really wasn't supposed to take personal calls up here. She paced over to a quiet corner while she responded. "I don't have time for a personal call right now. I'm on duty." She hoped Jane heard the apology in her tone. She would have loved spending some time just chatting, but it wasn't possible at the moment.

Jane's voice sounded in her ear, sympathizing with her mother's unspoken feelings. "I know what that's like. Do you remember Lieutenant Zabaleta from the Einstein?"

Hannah's heart jumped. Ernesto had disappeared after his dismissal from the service and she'd worried over him for years, wondering where he was and if he was even still alive. "Ernesto? Have you heard from him? He was one of the marines who guarded the CIC. We shared a watch. I lost track of him after…there was an incident."

"I've seen him here on the Citadel," Jane explained. "Looks like he's had some hard times."

Hannah nodded her head while she answered Jane. "I don't doubt it." She recalled her last talk with Ernesto when she'd tried to get him to open up, to share his experiences and throw off the pain he'd burdened himself with. "You remember the batarian raid on Mindoir, in 2170? You were in high school. The Einstein's task group responded to the mayday. The batarians were still pulling out when the marines hit groundside." Hannah took a breath. "Zabaleta was one of the first down. He…he was never quite the same after."

"What happened down there?" Jane asked.

Hannah thought back to the slaver attack on Mindoir. She'd never told Jane exactly what happened there, not wanting to go into the gory details with her teenaged daughter. Even the memory of what had happened caused her to feel sad and angry all over again. "About every abomination that a sentient being can do to another." Hannah knew Jane was certainly old enough to handle the details now. "To a slaver," she mused, "a person is just another animal. And humans aren't always liked out here." A quick memory of Balak passed through Hannah's mind. "We heard about corralling. Culling. They'd shoot those they couldn't use. Implant control devices in the skulls of those they could. Without anesthetic."

Jane anticipated where Hannah was going. "He has post-traumatic stress because of what he saw?" Hannah heard compassion in her daughter's voice.

"He tried to keep working, but it rode him. He showed up drunk on duty more and more. We couldn't always cover for him. The Alliance discharged him. Everyone knew he drank because of what he'd seen down there. Even if he never talked about it." Hannah again remembered her conversation with Ernesto and his declaration that he wasn't going to talk to her about what he'd seen on Mindoir. "Especially because he never talked about it."

Jane's voice came back soft and understanding. "For it to have affected him that deeply, he must have been a very sensitive man."

Hannah smiled. Ernesto had been a man of great laughter and deep emotion. A good man with a good future until Mindoir destroyed it. "He was. Always in laughter and tears." Hannah paused. How could she help Ernesto now? It pained her to discover that after all these years he was still consumed by Mindoir. Then she recalled there was a Veteran's Affairs Office on the Citadel. They could help him. She even knew that some of her old comrades from the Einstein were stationed on the Citadel. They'd understand him and extend to him the empathy he needed. "If you see him, tell him we still worry about him. Tell him to go to the Veteran's Affairs Office."

Hannah looked up, hearing the elevator swoosh open. Admiral Novikov was stepping off, his hands behind his back, running a critical eye over the bridge.

"I have to go," Hannah informed Jane reluctantly. "But take care of yourself. You're making us proud. Kilimanjaro out."

Hannah marched over to Novikov, giving him a report on the goings on of the last hour. He nodded to her and proceeded to speak to the helmsman. Hannah found herself lost in memory after her conversation with Jane. Poor Ernesto. She hoped he'd find some kind of solace for his broken mind.

Less than a day later, Hannah received another message from Jane.

Mom, I tracked down Lieutenant Zabaleta again. I did what you asked, told him to go to the VAO. He wasn't really happy about it. Called you naïve. But he went anyway. I think he trusts you. He mentioned that if you come to the Citadel, he'd like you to look him up. Jane.

Hannah had only been back to the Citadel once since her encounter with Balak all those years ago and then she'd mainly stayed onboard ship, having no real reason to disembark. She'd gone to lunch with a group of officers, purchased a few amenities from the shops and then returned to her room on the Kilimanjaro. She didn't know if she'd be back there anytime soon.

As if on cue, her comm beeped in her ear and she answered quickly. "Yes?"

"This is Novikov," she heard the Admiral's voice announce. "We've just received new orders. We're to escort a ship of Parliament big wigs to the Citadel in five days time. I want this crew prepared, not only for eventualities, but ready to handle their shore leave with honor. Put the fear of God in them, Commander."

"Yes, sir," Hannah replied.

"Novikov out."

Hannah raised her eyebrows in surprise. She guessed she'd get to visit Ernesto after all.

Even more surprising than her sudden ability to see Ernesto was an anonymous message that showed up in her e-mail in-box later that evening. The subject line read "Got What He Deserved." Hannah narrowed her eyes as she read through the message, trying to puzzle out its meaning.

I know you'll be on the Citadel in a few days. I need to meet with you in private. Don't look for me; I'll find you. It's vital you meet with me. At least one life is at stake if you don't, maybe more. Also, don't tell anyone about this message. If you do, I can't promise someone won't be dead within minutes.

Hannah stared at the message, flummoxed. Who in the world had contacted her? And what did it mean that someone would die if she didn't meet up with the anonymous sender? Hannah debated inside. Should she inform the Admiral? But the message made it clear someone's life would be in danger if she did. Or maybe this was just some stupid hoax e-mail sent out to make her look like a fool? Eventually, after much turmoil of thought, Hannah thumbed on her omni-tool, connecting her comm to Lucas.

"Lieutenant Cox?"

"Yes?" she heard Lucas answer in her ear.

"It's Commander Shepard."

"Yeah, I recognized your voice." It sounded like Lucas was laughing at her, though not too loudly for anyone to hear.

"All right, Lucas, cut it out." The laughter died away.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" he next asked, his voice respectful.

"Have you heard we're going to the Citadel?"

"Really? Great! I can hang with the Asari dancers again!"

Hannah sighed. Lucas and his girls. She'd seen enough of his crowing like a rooster among the hens to last a lifetime. "When we get there and we get shore leave, I'd like you to come onto the station with me."

There was a pause. "Like..this is a date?"

Hannah blew out a breath in frustration. "No, it's definitely not. But will you come with me anyway?"

"Can I see some dancing girls?"

"Alright, fine," Hannah huffed out.

"Then I'll go with you."

"Good. Shepard out." Hannah ended the call abruptly, already uncomfortable having asked Lucas to go with her somewhere. She didn't want him getting any wrong impressions. But she wanted someone to be with her on the station. The message hadn't said to come alone. If the e-mail was for real, and someone did track her down on the Citadel, she wanted Lucas there to have her back if that someone turned out to be dangerous.

The Kilimanjaro settled outside the Citadel, coming to a stop several kilometers away. Hannah had assigned an officer to coordinate shore leave, determining when each crew member would be allowed to leave the ship and how many shuttles went over at a time. Hannah made sure she and Lucas were in the first bunch. She met Lucas at the hangar and they boarded a shuttle, Lucas already chatting away how he was going to Flux the moment they landed. Hannah reeled him in, reminding him that his duty to her came first. He agreed, albeit reluctantly.

As the shuttle coasted into the Citadel, Hannah thought of Jane. If the Kilimanjaro had arrived a few days earlier, she would have been able to connect with her daughter, take her out for a meal on the town in celebration of her Spectre status. But she knew Jane had already left the Citadel, having received another short message from her yesterday, still secretive, but letting Hannah know she was alright. Despite Jane's insistence that she couldn't say much concerning what she was up to, Hannah could read between the lines, sensing Jane's missions lately must be taking her into more dangerous and deeper waters. Hannah figured it was a good thing she didn't know exactly what Jane was up to. If she did know, her job on board ship would most likely suffer as she worried too much over her daughter.

"Great to get off ship. Wish we did it more often."

Hannah looked to Lucas, who was smiling in excitement. "If we did it more often, you'd have more children."

Lucas laughed at Hannah's dry comment. "Maybe. I'm more careful nowadays."

Hannah shook her head. Lucas lived large. He was like a frat boy trapped in a man's body. Still, he was loyal to her, one of the reasons she willingly kept him around.

"Just cool it until I've done what I need to," Hannah warned her friend.

"Yeah, about that. You haven't explained anything to me yet. What's up?"

"I can't exactly tell you. You'll just have to trust me."

Lucas' eyebrows raised. "Red, this isn't like you, to keep so quiet. Is something wrong?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Hannah said, "but I'll explain everything as soon as I can. Trust me, Lucas."

"Alright," Lucas assented, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in his seat. "Whatever you say."

The shuttle slowed down, then pulled into a hangar bay, allowing the Kilimanjaro's crew to disembark. Hannah directed Lucas to the elevator which they entered and she pushed the panel, sending it skyward up towards a level off the Presidium. When they exited the elevator, she turned to the right, heading towards the Alliance Veterans Affairs Office. She walked up to a desk with an official looking woman sitting behind it.

"May I help you?" the woman asked politely.

"Yes, I'm looking for Lieutenant Ernesto Zabaleta."

"Oh, him," the woman said, her voice sad. "He's gone through a lot. Struggles quite a bit with depression. I think he's under a doctor's care. Let's see." The woman fiddled with her computer for a few seconds. "Ah yes. We got him a small apartment in the wards. Number 2065 G."

"Thank you," Hannah said, then turned to find a taxi. Lucas fell into step next to her.

"Who's this Zabaleta?" Lucas asked.

"An old friend," Hannah answered.

"So…I'm coming along why? You want me to be your bodyguard if he gets fresh or something?"

Hannah chuckled. "I'm fifty-two, Lucas. I don't think men are going to 'get fresh' with me anymore."

"Speak for yourself," Lucas returned. "Girls come on to me all the time."

Hannah rolled her eyes at his bragging. "Well, Zabaleta won't. He's not why I asked you to come with me."

"This just gets more confusing by the minute," Lucas complained under his breath.

"Hang in there," Hannah encouraged. She hailed a taxi and they climbed in, Hannah giving the apartment number to the driver. In a few minutes they were ferried to the right level of the Citadel. Hannah walked into a conglomeration of apartments. The area looked nice, comfortable middle class. There were a lot of humans milling about. Apparently, in the last twenty years, humanity had made its presence a permanent fixture on the Citadel.

Hannah finally found 2065 G. She pushed the panel on the door. "Hope he's here," she muttered. She looked at Lucas. "You can come in with me, or, if you want, wait outside. It's up to you."

"I did see a hot chick back there," Lucas said, glancing down the hall at the lounge area.

Hannah sighed. "Go. But be watching for me."

"Gotcha." Lucas wandered back down the hall.

Hannah heard the door swish open. She turned to see Ernesto standing in the doorway, his eyes wide. "Commander. I didn't really think your daughter'd send you here."

Hannah smiled gently. "Hello, Lieutenant. I wanted to see how you were doing these days."

Ernesto actually smiled. "Better. Come on in."

Hannah walked into the apartment. It was small, only one room, but nicely furnished. She sat down on a couch and Ernesto sat beside her, leaning back against one of the couch's armrests. He looked run down. The lower part of his face was gray with the growth of stubble, cuts obvious in several places, as if he had trouble shaving. His eyes were heavy, dark circles under them. He was also much older, of course, but Hannah thought he appeared even older than he should. This was better? She would have hated to have seen "worse."

"So…" she intoned.

"So," Ernesto echoed, running his hands through his hair. "I guess I should thank you."

"Me?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah, for supporting me, telling your daughter about me. Sending me to the VAO. I thought it wouldn't help, but it has."

"I'm glad," Hannah said. "I assume you're finally talking about it."

Ernesto nodded solemnly. "Yeah. It's not easy, forcing memories I've hidden for years into the light. I'd kept them deep inside for so long, it's like pulling off a nasty scab to bring them back up."

Ernesto still had a way with words, Hannah thought. "But it's helping," she assured him.

"It is…but slowly." Ernesto rubbed his eyes. "My counselor tells me lots of soldiers go through this. I think I always thought I was the only one. I even met another solider who was on Mindoir. He saw worse than I did. In some ways, I think I'm lucky."

Hannah put her lips together in a grim smile. "You're a brave man, Ernesto."

Ernesto shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'd rather have been brave without Mindoir."

Hannah nodded, understanding his sentiment. The room fell silent, neither sure what to say after all the years and with the subject of conversation so depressing. Hannah finally thought of something that might encourage Ernesto.

"Batarians are pretty much taken care of," she said. "With the Alliance attack on Torfan and the destruction of pirate bases in the region, they aren't much to worry about anymore."

"Batarians," Ernesto growled out. "I never want to see another one in my life. I wish their whole planet would just blow up."

Hannah was a little taken aback by Ernesto's vehement tone, but she granted him some slack. If he was pulling up memories of Mindoir again, his fury was completely understandable.

Ernesto's sudden anger faded and he breathed out slowly. "You want something to drink?"

Hannah eyed him suspiciously. "Like…"

Ernesto now laughed. "They made me swear not to drink any alcohol for several months. I've kept my end of the bargain, but it ain't easy."

"Alright, then," Hannah said.

Ernesto strolled into the small kitchenette, retrieving a bottle of dark brown liquid, pouring it into two glasses, then returning and handing one to Hannah.

Hannah took a sip, pleasantly surprised by the taste in her mouth. "Root beer!"

Ernesto nodded, smiling. "Imported direct to the Citadel from Earth. At least I can drink something with beer in the title." Ernesto began to snicker and soon he and Hannah were sharing a hearty laugh together. The melancholy atmosphere had been broken and they spent the next thirty minutes reminiscing about the good times on the Einstein and sharing what they knew regarding what had happened over the years to old friends.

At last, Hannah stood up, saying she had other business to attend to before she returned to the Kilimanjaro. Ernesto walked her to the door. Before she exited, Hannah reached out and shook Ernesto's hand.

"I can't express how glad I am to see you getting better. Keep at it, Ernesto. Don't give up."

Ernesto shook her hand firmly. "I won't, Commander. I'll make you proud of me. I promise."

When the door slid shut and Hannah found herself walking back down the hall, she sighed deeply. Time had its ups and downs and some people seemed to suffer more of the downs than others. It was encouraging to see Ernesto resolutely taking his past on, staring it straight in the face so he could come out better on the other side.

When Hannah reached the large lounge at the end of the hall, she found Lucas sitting alone on a couch. "No girl?" she inquired.

"Struck out. Didn't want to disturb you." Lucas stood up. "Where are we off to next?"

Hannah peered around the lounge. The message's author had said he or she would find Hannah, not the other way around. Hannah didn't know where to go. "I'm not sure."

"Look. Just tell me what's going on. Seriously, I'm getting a bit freaked out."

Hannah observed Lucas' face, evidently disturbed by the outing he'd been forced to go on. "Let's just go to Flux for now."

"Now you're talkin'!" Lucas exclaimed. They hailed another taxi that ferried them over to the Upper Wards. As they were approaching Flux, a man with a thin goatee and an overly excited voice accosted them.

"I can't believe it! I can't believe it! You're Shepard's mother!"

Hannah took a step back, overwhelmed by the eager man staring at her like she was an object of rare magnificence. Was this the author of the message? It seemed unlikely with the way he was shouting out concerning her identity.

"Uh…Who are you?"

"I'm a really good friend of your daughter's," he exclaimed, grabbing Hannah's hand and almost shaking it to death. "Conrad Verner."

"O-kay…Nice to meet you, Conrad," Hannah said uncertainly. Jane had never mentioned this man to her, but then again, Hannah didn't know a lot about Jane's life these days.

"I know everything about Shepard!" the man claimed. "I've watched all the vids about her and read all the articles on the extranet. There's a picture of you on one of them, so I recognized you. Wow. I can't believe I'm meeting the woman who created my hero."

Hannah tilted her head, disturbed. There was a picture of her on the extranet? Great. Just what she wanted. She also felt suddenly wary of this Conrad. His hero? She was starting to get the impression this guy didn't know Jane at all, or at least, wasn't good friends with her. She didn't think a close friend would be so into hero worship. Close friends would be too well aware of your flaws to worship the ground you walked on.

"Can I get your signature on my data pad? For my collection?"

Hannah just wanted this man, whoever he was, to leave her alone as he obviously wasn't the person she was looking for. If signing his data pad got him out of her hair, so be it. "Okay. Then I've got to go."

"No problem," Conrad said, grinning from ear to ear.

She took the stylus Conrad handed her and quickly signed his data pad. He then shook her hand again and waved good-bye when she and Lucas moved on.

"What a nut!" Lucas commented, staring over his shoulder at the man that had accosted them.

Hannah laughed. "Jane may have made some enemies, but at least she has one diehard fan."

They were nearing Flux, Lucas' smile broadening with every step, his eyes wandering the stairway that led to the club, obviously trying to scope out some pretty girls. They were a few yards away from the stairs when a deep voice sounded behind them.

"Don't turn around. Keep walking past the stairs and keep going until I tell you to stop." Hannah felt a round point of pressure in her back and assumed a gun had been pressed into her skin.

Lucas made to turn, but the voice caused him to halt. "You try anything, lover boy, and your woman's dead. I've got a pistol on her that will burn her from the inside out the minute I shoot."

Lucas kept his eyes forward, but looked at Hannah in his peripheral vision. Hannah nodded her head at him, confirming the fact that she did have a pistol pointed at her. They followed the voice's instructions, passing Flux and continuing down the hall. Hannah was assaulted by the memory of when she'd been set upon by Balak and his cronies. She didn't want a repeat of that situation. At least she wasn't alone this time.

"There's a door coming up on your left. Enter it," the voice commanded.

Hannah and Lucas did as the voice demanded. The door opened into a narrow hallway, probably only used by maintenance workers as it was dimly lit with a red glowing light. Hannah heard the door shut behind her and the eerie similarity to her encounter with Balak caused her heart to start beating rapidly. When the door slid shut, the voice spoke.

"Now, walk down the hall. And if you see anyone, don't say a word."

Hannah began to move down the hall, but winked at Lucas with the corner of her eye, holding her right hand into her chest to count down from five to one. When her last finger curled into her palm, they both turned, their combat training going into automatic. The owner of the voice was thrown backwards, kicked by Lucas and pushed by Hannah into a wall. Lucas snapped up the pistol that had fallen out of the voice's hands.

Hannah stared angrily at the figure pinned with its back against the wall in front of them. It wore a long brown cape with the hood drawn over its head so far that its face wasn't visible.

"Who are you?" Hannah demanded.

The figure pulled back its hood, but its head was covered in a mask, only two widely set black eyes showing. "I'm not going to hurt you. We need to get out of here where anyone can see us, now!"

Hannah realized who she was dealing with. "You're the one who sent me the message."

"Yes. I'm sorry for the dramatics, but I couldn't come to you out in the open. No one can know I'm meeting with you, that I'm even on the station. Will you follow me?"

Lucas shook his head at Hannah, obviously not wanting to trust the figure in front of them an inch. But Hannah wanted to see this through.

"We'll follow. But remember we've got the gun now."

"I said I'm not going to hurt you," the masked figure reiterated. "Let's go."

Hannah and Lucas followed the figure down the hallway, Lucas shaking his head at Hannah, arguing with her silently. Hannah ignored him, keeping her focus on the figure in front of them. She had to know what was going on, despite Lucas' misgivings.

Author's Note: The dialogue between Hannah and Jane concerning Ernesto comes straight from the game. Since it's not my writing at that point, I wanted to give credit where credit is due: the Mass Effect writers.