|| Sunrise Gray ||


4.


"You want to talk about it," Braith looks over her shoulder at him, "…We need to get it taken care of."

"Anderson," she turns from her bed, "…I haven't had something like that happen…ever…It won't happen again."

Anderson stands at the doors, sealed so they can talk after dinner alone, "…Shepard," he presses his lips together, "…I can't go off that. You either come clean about what's happened to you—that whole era," he waves his hand, "…Or I'm going to recommend you be grounded until we're certain you'll not have any episodes like that…I've given you three weeks to go about and pretend like everything's okay," she pinches her nose and sighs at his lecture. "Goddamnit, Shepard!" He crosses the floor, "…This is not something I'm willing to ignore any longer!"

"Anderson," Braith lowers both hands to her sides, "…Give me a day…I'll tell you."

"A day—You tell me everything, you understand?"

"Everything…I understand."

"Blockers…Jesus Christ, I take the Lord's name in vain because of you…" His hard eyes soften. "Is it going to make me want to kill?"


Anderson steps out into the main hold of the Mess. The doors close on Braith. Turning to her bed, she falls forward onto it. Closing her eyes, she sighs. Great…Everything?…How am I going to tell him everything. She rolls onto her back and closes her mind, staring only at the bars across the ceiling. Space…I'm in a cubic room staring at the ceiling when I could be looking out at the space around this ship…Some if not all of the most incredible sights are outside.


"Hey, Commander—Hey, hey, ease off the controls, this is my domain," he spins to stare at her from his seat. She steps back, having unlocked and opened the viewers.

He sees her looking out the glass panes, reinforced with several inches' worth of width and tempering to withstand temperature fluctuations and more, "…My," she breathes out suddenly, her eyes up, "…Look at that universe."

"You, ah," he sees her face turn to him below her, "…having some sort of epiphany, Commander?"

"I need to remember why I'm here, Joker," she grins sadly, "…Helps me clear out."

He turns from her face to the view, millions of stars in the wide darkness, "…Yes…" He smiles at her, "…I think I get that."

"I used to think it was all nothing," she sets her hands on her waist, fingers over her hips, and studies the stars.

Joker lifts and lowers opposite eyebrows, "…It is…What do you see?"

She points to one cluster of stars, "…I see a new beginning. Thanks, Joker," she turns and leaves through the artery towards Navigation.