Chapter 2 – Ignorance is Bliss
The leviathans had returned.
Liara was braced over the central console of her command network, her weariness leaving her as adrenaline coursed through her system, helping her focus.
"Which direction are they heading?"
Feron retracted the screen to a larger view of the galaxy. "On their current trajectory there's nothing. I suppose we could wait and see which beacons go next … And agent Zorran went silent seconds after reporting in."
"Goddess!" As awful as it was that one of her agents had lost his life carrying out the Shadow Broker's request, it was Aurora her thoughts were with – her Little Star. "I will notify Shepard and Kaidan; Admiral Hackett, too. My father can send word to the matriarchs. Would you contact the Council and the other races leaders?"
"Of course." Feron half-bowed his head then turned to his terminal to compose the message.
"We are not ready," Liara murmured to herself, her own problem pushed to one side as she stared at the red circles on the map that indicated where her silent beacons lay. She heard the subtle shift of Javik's armour from a short distance behind her.
"Have faith, Liara. We stopped the Reapers. We can stop the Leviathans, too," he assured.
Faith … Liara thought that a rather amusing comment from the very person who had, with a few untactful words, revealed the truth about her peoples so-called religious deities. She was having difficulty maintaining faith in anything anymore. Shepard and her family should be living their lives together in peace after coming through the Reaper War that had once nearly torn them apart, yet the Reapers had merely been the legacy of another threat.
Wishing she didn't have to deliver this news, she made the first call.
oOo
Kaidan sat at the table on the veranda looking out at his parents' orchards, half the trees mature and ripe with fruit while others were newly growing saplings to replace those destroyed four years earlier. The morning sun was warm on his face, his belly was full from his mother's delicious cooked breakfast served despite his late awakening, and his daughter's joyous face upon waking him this morning, still lingered in his mind.
He was now watching her creeping up behind his father, her favourite soft toy clutched tightly in her hand. Her delightful giggles filled the air as she pinched one of her grandfather's freshly-picked apples from his basket before he noticed her and began running away as grandpa turned into the 'apple monster' and gave chase. She gave him quite a run before tripping in her over-excited haste and rolling onto her back, still chuckling as she was gathered up and tickled. Finally, Kaidan's father draped her over his shoulder so her still-giggling head dangled upside down.
Breathing heavily, Alex Alenko joined his son at the table, dropping Rorie off in Kaidan's lap before flopping into a chair to catch his breath.
"Woo! She's a fast little thing!"
Kaidan affectionately brushed back his daughter's hair from her face as she grinned up at him. "So have you been good for gran and gramps while I've been gone?"
"Uh huh!"
"What!?" exclaimed Alex, in jest. "When you pinch my apples!?" That made Rorie chuckle with glee as she raised her apple in the air to show her daddy.
"Of course she's been good," assured Kaidan's mother, Lena, as she joined them.
"Glad to hear it." Kaidan was certain that they'd still say the same even if Rorie was the devil incarnate.
"Ganpa Hackett says I'm a angel," added Rorie, determined to be part of the conversation, and finishing with a sweet smile, cuddling her beloved toy to her chest.
"Oh. Well, it's official then!"
With a happy nod and a kiss, she jumped off his lap and ran towards the orchard again.
Kaidan relaxed back in the chair and appreciated every single second of this moment. He and his father laughed as Lena gasped and ran after Rorie, who had decided it worth attempting to climb one of the trees. This was a great way to start the day. Only having Terra here would make it perfect, and soon that would be reality, too.
Thoughts of his wife had Kaidan longing for her all over again. His omnitool chimed, bringing him back to Earth, and he smiled as he opened it. "I was just thinking about you…" he trailed off as her pale face registered; the fear evident. He knew instantly what she was about to say, and it frightened him to his core.
oOo
Cortez was propped against the outer edge of Normandy's kitchen counter, looking in at a friend who was clearly elsewhere. "Shepard? Everything okay?"
She blinked, her distant mind returning to her surroundings. "Yeah."
"Okay…" he said, slowly and with no small amount of disbelief. "It's just that I've never seen you add that much sugar to your tea before."
"Oh shit!" Terra cursed, realising she'd been distracted; her last conversation with Kaidan, after she'd insisted to Liara on telling him herself, playing on her mind. It had been awful to watch the light in his eyes darken... She sighed. "How many did I put in there?"
"I'd say roughly ten."
"Damn it! No way can I drink that now." Her shoulders slumped as what little energy she had left, tumbled away.
"Here." Cortez took the mug from her hand and came around the counter, nudging her out of the way. "I'll make you another."
"Thanks, Steve." She moved around to where Steve had been, and rested her elbows on the counter. "Where would I be without you?"
"In the grip of a major sugar-rush!" he smiled back at her.
She huffed a laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked, gently.
Terra hesitated, like saying the words out loud would bring it all upon them that second. It had been much the same when she'd spoken to Kaidan. Once she had broken the news, quickly getting through what little was known, they had both promptly skirted around the issue and focused on their impending reunion. She could still clearly remember hearing Rorie's carefree laughter in the background. She finally met Cortez's eyes. "It's-"
"Hey, Lola! You missed my breakfast! What gives?" James joined them, unaware of Cortez's exasperation at his ill-timed arrival.
"Sorry, James. I was talking with Liara. Then Kaidan, and my dad. I'm surprised you let me get away with it."
"Edi wouldn't let me up, that's why!"
"Must have been important calls," added Steve, quietly, passing her the fresh mug of tea.
"Thank you. Yeah," was all she said in response, and from the crease in his forehead she could tell he had figured it out.
Oblivious to Shepard's anxiety, James went into the kitchen area and started pulling out ingredients, while Steve got out of Vega's way, standing next to Shepard with his arm solidly resting against hers in silent support.
"Well, it's never too late for my Vega-licious breakfast speciality!" grinned James.
"What's that exactly?" Terra sipped her tea and tipped her head to brush Steve's shoulder in appreciation for both the tea and for being there.
"Eggs, Lola! Eggs!" James presented them dramatically, then placed them on the counter.
"Do you know how to cook anything that isn't eggs?"
James looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Why would you want to miss out on eggs!? I'm telling you, you can't go wrong with eggs!"
"Oh really?" she picked one up and launched it at his forehead where it smashed against his skull and dribbled down his face.
James stood there, motionless, ignoring Cortez as his friend sniggered. "Oh, Lola," he said, with over-exaggerated sadness. "What have you done?"
"I have no idea," she admitted, a sudden uncontrollable rush of emotions swarming over her. She needed to be alone, to get a hold of herself in order to fight off the irrational panic that threatened to surface. "I think I'm having a breakdown," she said, more honestly than they realised.
"I think, maybe yes. But you're definitely going down!" Grinning, James grabbed up another egg, but by the time he'd looked up to aim at her, she'd vanished. "Really? Cloaking? That's cheating, Lola!"
"Poor loser, James? Or is that just egg on your face?" came her distant voice, followed by a rather strained laugh and the sound of the closing elevator doors.
Knowing he'd been beaten, James looked at Cortez. "One day I'll outsmart that woman."
"In your dreams, Mr Vega." Despite the lighter atmosphere, Steve was worried about Shepard, and a certain little girl they all loved as much as her mother.
oOo
Kaidan was restless, his stomach feeling twisted and heavy. The damned leviathans were back. That axe was falling and he had no clue as to which direction it would be coming at his daughter. They hadn't even really started in their search for the artifacts. All they'd done was deal with those they knew about: the ones on Despoina, those located through the rachni queen's ancestral memory, and those discovered as former thralls from remote places called their home-worlds in fear when they realised they'd no recollection of past years. It amounted to a lot – frighteningly more than he could ever have imagined - but it wasn't enough. They'd barely scratched the surface.
Suddenly all those plans for time with Terra, here at his parents' home, had been ripped apart. Now he was packing Rorie's things into a hold-all that was identical to his own army-issue bag, because she liked to be the same as mommy and daddy.
Kaidan swung the bag onto his shoulder, then collected his own. His father relieved him of one bag and they went down to the kitchen where his mother had given Rorie a snack worthy of a biotic. As ever, she was putting on a brave face and trying to keep things normal. "Hey, you two. Ready to go?"
"Go see mommy now?" questioned Rorie, her face lighting up.
"That's right."
"Yay! Mommy!"
Rorie jumped up and down, excitedly, and Kaidan knew exactly how she felt. With Terra, they were an unbreakable entity borne of love. He caught Rorie up in a tight hug, needing to feel her proximity, wanting her to know that nothing would harm her while he held her close, and as they made their way out to the waiting shuttle, he prayed it wasn't a lie.
oOo
Everything was arranged. The Citadel meeting would commence 0900 tomorrow morning; all the races leaders had been requested to attend. Hackett had already been given full reign of the situation by the Committee and the Parliament, with General Coats as his liaison for the ground troops.
Sitting in a private office on Arcturus, Hackett's fingers drummed on the surface of the desk he leaned on. He stared at the screen where his daughter's face had been just moments earlier, their conversation still running through his head. One look had told him she was struggling to deal with this. He'd tried to reassure her - and if he was honest, himself, too – but she'd voiced the very thing his own subconscious was fighting with.
"But it's Rorie, dad."
That stressed response from his courageous daughter felt like someone had raked claws across his heart. Hackett understood her fear completely; was living it himself. This was a personal attack against her little girl, his grand-daughter, for no other reason than she had been born with something unique inside her.
"I can't fail her."
He thought the same thing of himself, but had simply told her it was up to all of them, the onus not solely on her. They were in this together, right from the start.
A response came back from one of his captains. They'd have ten ships ready to escort the Normandy to the Citadel once it left Earth.
"Okay."
Hackett had expected her to argue over him sending ships to accompany them. Her easy acceptance told Hackett everything he needed to know about the extent of Terra's fear for Rorie's safety.
He cursed his own delay in getting to the Citadel. Another meeting with the Parliament was scheduled for late afternoon. Both he and Coats needed to be there. It was the last thing he needed right now, but it was important. No matter that four years had passed since the end of the Reapers, there was still a lot of rebuilding to do, and the Parliament wanted to know what resources could be gathered by his fleets and what could be done to boost recruitment. It was this frantic rush to get things back to normal for civilians, and to replenish their diminished military, that had hampered the search for the artifacts and the manpower required for research, and it was a situation repeated throughout the galaxy's races. It was impossible to justify ignoring those who were still struggling to survive, and the large apartment blocks which had been hurriedly put in place to house as many of the homeless at one time as was possible, were only ever meant to be temporary while their towns and cities were cleared and rebuilt. After four years, those still housed in them were frustrated, leading to burgeoning sites of discontent, and they needed to be dealt with quickly.
"Take care, dad."
It was heartfelt as always, though there was a dullness to her eyes in stark contrast to their usual sparkle which had been ever-present since she and her family had made it through the chaos. His ever-capable daughter – Admiral Terra Shepard, 'Saviour of the Galaxy' - was floundering, and he had to admit he felt much the same.
The Leviathans were back, and they hadn't had time to do enough.
oOo
Young eyes peering down at her from his perch amongst the branches of the tree. Michael. He lived in the apartment building across from the Alliance Headquarters where she'd spent so many hours of so many days staring out the window, unable to leave, and he loved toy ships and climbing trees.
"You said you protect people. You lied."
His last words to her as he cowered in that shaft, haunted her once more... Then the memory was replaced by that of the shuttle disintegrating as it was hit by the Reaper's beam, and taking the life of a little boy she'd failed to save.
Shepard looked at the frame on her desk that automatically flicked through pictures of Rorie, from birth to present. She'd lost herself in the comforting scenes so often during the past weeks, but looking now at that beautiful little face she adored, a deep fear accompanied her unconditional love. Would she fail again? The thought of it filled her with horror. Losing her daughter….
"Approaching Earth, Admiral. Touchdown in thirty minutes."
Shepard dropped the datapad in her hand to the desk in relief. She'd been trying to get beyond the first page for the last hour but nothing she read had registered. "Thank God. Joker, thank you."
"I know I have the supernatural skills and good looks of a God, but Shepard, it's important not to get confused - I'm not the imaginary Big Guy."
"I'll try to remember that, along with your apparent atheism. Appreciate your humility, though."
"You can always count on me for that. Been a long one, huh?"
"Way too long."
"You'll be back with them in no time. I'll try not to be offended that we're not enough for you."
"It's absence that makes the heart grow fonder, Joker," she said, a small smile on her face.
"Hey, no one can have too much Joker! Right, Edi?"
"I think it best if I do not comment on that."
"What!?"
Terra huffed a laugh at Edi's dry response, then left them to their comm banter as she prepared to announce the change to the crew's shore-leave, before landing. Everything else was locked away tight inside her. Rorie needed normality, and Terra refused to let anything slip through to frighten her daughter.
oOo
oOo
The Leviathans descended to their new haven. As they settled, they were relieved for the chance to rest. The time away had been gruelling; no sustenance to be found in dark space. Now they could replenish, and rejuvenate. The Intelligence - removed from existence, crushed beyond recovery - was already forgotten. Their focus was solely on the child.
They reached out to the fragments, looking through the eyes of those they controlled with barely a thought. Plans that had been put in motion before they left were progressing well, and here they would remain safe. No one would know of their location. They had passed more beacons but had left them alone. Their purpose in destroying the first beacons had been only to ensure that Shepard knew of their return. They would have her know that her progeny's time was soon coming to an end.
oOo
oOo
Joker brought the Normandy into the Vancouver spaceport. It still amazed him just how pristine the place looked. There was barely any difference from before the Reapers hit. At least as far as the eye could see. He knew that beyond the Alliance buildings it was a different story; huge swathes of cleared land still awaited construction. It was an area of contention with many civilian survivors who had lost their homes that the Alliance had seen fit to prioritise their headquarters. He could understand that viewpoint, but what most didn't realise was that without the training facility producing more soldiers, and the shipyards creating more ships, and the manufacturing sites that created more weaponry and technology, there would be no resources at all to build them new homes. Earth was stripped bare even before the Reapers came. Every useable material and fuel was imported from other worlds, and pirates were prevalent in a galaxy where they were all in need. Those ships were paramount, as were the personnel to fill them and protect them.
Switching off the engines, Joker lifted his cap and ran his free hand over his head to scratch the itch, replacing it before turning to Edi. "What do you think this meeting on the Citadel is about?"
"Shepard did not specify in her announcement to the crew," she answered simply.
"I know that. That's why I'm asking you. You can't tell me you don't know; you're everywhere. I mean this has gotta be important to cancel our shore-leave for, right?"
"I am sure that Shepard will give more details when necessary, Jeff."
"Is that you telling me that you do know but are not going to spill the beans?"
"'Spill the beans'..." She quickly processed the phrase for a definition. "Ah. I see. Correct."
Joker spluttered at the abrupt response. "That's it!? No little hint? Just 'correct'?"
"Correct," she replied, on purpose.
"Where's the loyalty, Edi?"
"Where it should be, as a part of Shepard's crew."
Joker grumbled something unintelligible, and was then distracted by familiar faces in the distance. The Alenko family had come to the spaceport to greet the Normandy's arrival, or rather the important person it carried. Joker watched through the window as they got stopped at the checkpoint, everything a little crazy as people ran around, no doubt fulfilling Hackett's orders to ensure they were escorted. Another weird occurrence, and Joker didn't like it. Then he saw Rorie sneak through the security without being seen, a soft toy clutched in her hand, leaving Kaidan and his parents to deal with the over-enthusiastic security guard. She soon appeared on his external camera at the outer airlock and began bouncing up and down in front of it, impatient for him to open it for her.
"You need to say the magic word," teased Joker over the comm.
"Please," Rorie answered.
"What!?" Joker blurted back, rearing back like she'd said a dirty word. "That's not the magic word for opening doors! What have your parents been teaching you?"
"Aba…cadaba!" responded the excited little voice.
"That's abracadrabra, and it's still wrong. With all those stories you like so much, no one ever read you Ali Baba?"
"Open!" demanded Rorie, and Joker quietly chuckled to himself as he watched her frown and stamp her foot.
"Half right."
"Open now, Commanner Moreau!" Rorie commanded, petulantly, her hands now on her hips.
"Uh, good try, but you don't have the rank to order me around, Pip-squeak." The airlock opened regardless, and Joker swung to pout at Edi. "She didn't say it."
"As a responsible being, I consider your deliberate teasing of Aurora to be verging on sadistic, Jeff. Your fun has gone far enough."
He shook his head at Edi in disappointment and clicked on the internal comm. "This is an emergency broadcast. We are about to experience an internal tornado by the name of Rorie. She's small but potentially very destructive. Secure your stations and be prepared to be swept away by cuteness."
"Nice, Joker," grinned Shepard, entering the cockpit accompanied by a wave of laughter from the crew in the CIC, just as Rorie came out of decontamination at full speed.
"Mommy!"
Terra caught her baby girl in mid-jump and cuddled her close. This tiny creature she had once not dared to hope would survive, had fought back all the odds to be here. Their adorable, precious little girl had been created during that first wonderful reunion when Kaidan had re-joined her crew and Terra had, for the first time since she'd woke in that Cerberus lab, felt whole again, even as the galaxy was being ripped to shreds. Her little piece of Kaidan. "Ooh, I've missed you, sweetie!"
"Missed you, too, mommy," smiled back Rorie, kissing Terra's cheek before resting hers against it in a cuddle, squeezing Terra tightly with little arms that circled her neck.
Inhaling the lovely scent of her daughter, Terra then ran the back of her fingers over Rorie's soft cheek as her daughter pulled back. "What have you been up to since I last talked to you?"
"Ganpa Lenko was a apple monster and I took his apple!"
"You did!?" Terra exclaimed with exaggeration, enjoying her daughter's excited face.
"Uh huh! Then we went on the shuttle, and the driver-"
"Pilot," interrupted Joker.
"And the piot let me sit in the front!" carried on Rorie, without a pause.
"Bet it wasn't long before he regretted that decision," snorted Joker.
Shepard deliberately ignored Joker, concentrating on the rapid stream of words that fell out of her delightfully exuberant daughter.
"And we got here, and we went up high in the tower, and we watched ships fly down, and I dropped Puppy over the rail and it fell in a bag-ish carry-"
"Hold up," Joker frowned. "What the-?"
"Baggage carrier," headed off Shepard.
"And what the heck is Puppy?" he added.
"Her toy varren."
"Antie Jack gave me him," informed Rorie, waving her cuddly toy at him, then carrying on as Joker shook his head in bewilderment. "And daddy went to get Puppy but a mean man said 'no', and daddy got cross and made the mean man cry. It was funny."
Terra struggled not to laugh at that image. "Wow, that's quite a lot of excitement in just a few hours!"
Rorie nodded seriously, then spun her little head to look sternly at Joker. "Joker was naughty and didn't let me in."
"Hey, not my fault you don't know the fundamental basics," disputed Joker.
Terra raised her brow at him. "And just what knowledge is she lacking, in your opinion, Joker?"
"She doesn't know the magic words to open doors! You should be ashamed!"
"Fundamental basic? Next you'll be expecting her to know her abc's backwards."
"She does," cut in, Edi.
Terra stared back at her. "She does?" She focused on Rorie. "You do?"
"Uh huh," Rorie smiled, triumphantly.
"I taught her," added Edi, proudly.
Rorie happily started to showcase her knowledge, tracing her finger over the stripes on Terra's left shoulder as she did so.
"Well, that's great," drawled Joker. "Never know when she might need to recite her alphabet in reverse during her adult life. I know it's been a big handicap in my life," he said, sarcastically, as he rolled his eyes.
"As opposed to learning the words for opening magic doors?" countered Edi.
"Touché," Joker grumbled.
"Where is Daddy?" Terra asked Rorie, anxious to have the man responsible for everything right in her life, within reach again, to complete their trio.
Rorie pointed to the airlock. "Outside."
"He and your in-laws got held up at security. Looks like your husband has a gushing fan," supplied Joker. "This one slipped through," he gestured to Rorie, who was now snuggling into her mother's embrace. "Someone ought to warn the powers-that-be that if we ever get attacked by pygmy aliens, we're totally screwed."
"Pygmy aliens?" Shepard questioned, sceptically.
"Oh, wait! We've already got the volus! Better watch out - as soon as they realise they're impervious to Earth's security points…" He left the rest unsaid.
"Thank you for your concern, Joker," she said, dryly. Terra ran her hand lovingly over her daughter's hair as she spoke to her. "Uncle James will be leaving soon so you might want to go find him."
"Yay! Uncle James!"
Terra smiled, knowing how much Rorie adored Vega, and placing her back on her feet. Rorie then rushed over to Edi, pulling on her synthetic hand. "Antie Edi come with me? You can open doors with magic!"
"I would love to accompany you, Aurora," Edi stated with a softness that belied her artificial construction, and they started towards the CIC.
"That's not magic!" spluttered Joker, watching them leave.
"Is too!" Rorie said, walking backwards. "Antie Edi can open doors before I get to them, and turn things off-"
"Not magic, Pip-squeak. Look, I can do the same thing by pressing this button." Joker pressed it but nothing happened and he spun with an accusing stare at Edi. "Low, Edi. Very low."
"See? Edi's magic," Rorie stated, resuming her journey.
"No she's not!" Joker called out. "And it's 'Open Sesame'!" He then raised his hands, palms up, in a 'what?' gesture as Shepard gave him a look.
"You had to get the last word in, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"You're still doing it."
"Just answering your question, Shepard," he said, innocently.
"It was rhetorical."
"Not anymore," he grinned.
Shepard sighed, then left her immature but still beloved pilot, quickly moving to the opening airlock, and the wonderful sight of Kaidan.
oOo