Now on her own in a compound that she's never even looked around, Jane clamps down on her reflexive need to pull out her lace work and continue it. Instead, she activates her omnitool and puts her appointment in the map. Belated she remembers she's supposed to use her hands for things like that.
"This is going to be harder than I thought."
With a big blue arrow providing way points on the paths, finding the hospital building is a simple matter. On the way she passes a few people in I5 suits and blue tags. Probably PS-N's that are here for additional training.
Once she arrives at the hospital, the tags lead her round to a small clinic with a single receptionist.
"Good morning Commander, how can I help you?"
Jane looks around as the receptionist talks, eventually she looks back at the receptionist.
The receptionist shrugs, "I could use Lt Colonel if you'd like?"
Jane shakes her head, "No, sorry. I only got my commission less than an hour ago."
They shake their head, "Ah, I understand. How may I help?"
Jane presents her omni-tool, "I've been ordered to have my physical."
The receptionist nods, "I'll let the doctor know, just head on through the door behind me."
Jane smiles and says, "Thank you." Before walking through the door.
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As she walks through the door, she stops in surprise and checks her omni-tool. Five minutes early.
From a small desk to one side of the large room, a man looks up, "Well don't just stand in the doorway, take a seat."
Shaking her head, Jane walks over and takes a seat, "I was expecting to need to wait."
The doctor smiles, "Since they brought in the new orders for all shipboard N series troops to wear I5 suits at all times, the time it takes us to do physicals is now less than five minutes. As all we do is connect to your suit and omni-tool and hey presto, it tells us everything."
Jane blinks as her HUD shows a medical access alert. "Wait, that's it? What happened to using all the equipment around the lab?"
The doctor shakes his head, "We still use that for the S series, as they're not expected to go planetside except for shore leave, so they don't wear suits. Looking good, though your viral load is a little low. Hmm, your filters are showing elevated levels of sub µm particles at the moment, have you been doing strenuous exercise?"
Jane nods, "I decided to spend some time on the course to work out my nerves."
The doctor nods, "That could be it. In future, please refrain from vigorous exercise for 24 hours before your appointment. Other than that, your suit says you're in excellent health. Far better than I'd expect for someone that overdosed on pepper-up just over a year ago."
Jane nods, "I was selected for N8 before the brass changed their minds and demoted me."
The doctor nods again, "I'll make a note on your records that you received magical healing for your heart. Now get out of my office so I can start prepping the equipment for my next appointment."
Jane nods and flees the clinic.
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Almost as soon as Jane walks out of the hospital, she gets an alert from the quartermaster that she is required.
Turning to face the new large blue arrow, Jane sets out in a ground eating run along the waypoints. As she gets closer to the quartermaster, she's pleased to note that it's close to the small spaceport.
Walking into the quartermaster's lobby Jane is confronted by a low wooden counter, with a chain-link wall above it, that stretches the entire length of the room. At one end is a woman wearing overalls and reading a specialist magazine of some description.
Walking over to the woman Jane says, "Captain Shepherd reporting as ordered."
The woman looks up, "I'm pretty sure you're not a captain. Let's see your orders."
Jane ducks her head, "Sorry, Commander Shepherd reporting as requested." Holding out her omni-tool, she brings up the orders.
The quartermaster picks up a wand and a device from the other end of the counter floats over to touch the hologram. Looking down at a datapad, she reads for a minute.
Looking back up the quartermaster shakes her head, "You lucky SOB, I have one personal package for you that arrived while you were in blackout. You also have a new uniform, a first generation slimline watertank, a runic stylus, and a first generation magi-tech omnitool."
Jane's eyes widen as the bits and pieces are summoned off the shelves behind the quartermaster. "Watertank and omnitool?"
The quartermaster nods, "Apparently, a suit tech on Shaanxi developed them 5 months ago, and according to this magazine they're working on integrating the tank into a future line of suits, along with magical isolation runes to guarantee that the internals and emitted magic matches the background levels for Realm:2. If they get it to work, this would be massive, as it would open up careers in high precision electronics to magicals. Maybe even working on eezo tech too, rather than just the end products."
Jane nods, "Sounds fascinating. What about the omni-tool?"
The quartermaster picks up the new omni-tool, "Technically, I'm not supposed to give these out without watching you blood it. Rune Master Beth and Engineer Granger developed the magitech chip at the heart of this 8 months ago. It's taken the eggheads 7 months to integrate it into a standard omni-tool. With this you'll have access to the aethernet as well as the extranet. It also provides a secure storage and communications module. Hela appeared in the Assembly a little over 2 weeks ago and commanded that all warrant officers are supplied with these omni-tools rather than the normal ones. The rest of us are stuck with the old omni-tools, and we can't even buy these new ones. I'm surprised you haven't asked about the stylus though."
Jane shakes her head, "I've been training with the prototypes for the last 8 months. I was selected for the N8, and the Assembly decided that I was more useful as an N7 for political reasons. I still got trained by the N8 team, as Sandhurst didn't have facilities for training a PS-N sufferer."
The quartermaster whispers, "Lucky bitch." Before more loudly saying, "That must have been galling, having that in front of you before being snatched away."
Jane nods, "I'm just unlucky I was still on medical leave at the time, so they started with the theory work. Including runes, I swear I've been dreaming in runes."
The quartermaster laughs, "I know what you mean, I took runes as an elective, and the teachers are so strict about the size, shape, and placement of runes. We weren't even allowed to create an array until our OWL year. I heard that Beauxbatons found a savant a few decades ago, and arch-magi Beth taught there personally until they graduated."
Jane's omni-tool pings to inform her of her berth for the return journey to Shaanxi. As it does, Jane starts to quickly stow her new equipment.
Putting her hand on the personal package, the quartermaster says, "This came with a note saying it must be opened by the recipient before it leaves my custody."
Jane groans, and picks up the package, that's wrapped in a pink ribbon, and unwraps it. Inside is a shrunken cabinet and a new wrist-holster.
The quartermaster nods, "I see why they had the note now. You can't put these into your bag, as the holster has a small expanded space for storing whatever. Be sure to blood everything as soon as you can, and good luck sir."
Jane nods, "Thank you, and it was nice talking to you."
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"Attention. All hands return to your stations, ship will be returning to Realm:3 in 15 minutes."
Jane looks up from her seat in the small quarantine room on the SADS Flamingo, where the captain requested she stay for the journey. On the plus side it allowed her to blood everything except the cabinet.
15 minutes later, the magical intelligence of the Flamingo calls out, "Beginning descent. Commander Shepherd, please report to the airlock to disembark in Realm:2 before we dock in Realm:3."
Jane smiles as she puts her texture pack of snacks away and fits her faceplate in place. It seems like some good things have come out of the push to have shipboard N-corps in I5 suits.
As the ship appears above Shaanxi:2 and starts to descend into the atmosphere, Petunia sends, 'Remember to be surprised'.
Jane blinks as she tries to remember what she's supposed to be surprised about. Before she remembers, the airlock in front of her hisses open to reveal the spaceport of Shaanxi:2 and a set of stairs leading to the ground.
As she steps out, the airlock hisses closed behind her and the ship takes off smoothly. At the bottom of the stairs is a delegation consisting of the base commander and mayor, a trio of a turian, sidhe, and someone wearing an I5 suit. Surrounding them is a crowd of civilians and reporters.
As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, the person in the I5 suit clears their facemask and Jane's eyes widen in happy surprise, "Mum!"
Quickly she walks across the tarmac only to break into a run as her mother reaches up to take off her faceplate, "Mum! No!"
Jane staggers to a halt as her mother finishes removing the faceplate and says, "Surprise."
"What?"
Hannah closes the gap between them to pull her daughter into a hug, "They've given me permission to join a sidhe clan, and Adrien and Siúsan are my new parents."
Jane leans back as something tickles her memory from the meeting when she was told she would be an N7. Before she can say anything else, a fuzzy microphone is placed between them.
"Jonas Jonson from SR2 News, Commander Shepherd how does it feel to see your mother able to walk around without a suit?"
Jane steps back in surprise as a couple of guards run forward to pulls the man back, "What the?"
With the moment ruined, the base commander and mayor walk over, "Commander Shepherd, welcome home. I'm sorry that your reunion with your mother was ruined, the Press were told not to approach until the welcome was concluded."
Jane turns to face the commander and snaps a salute, "Pleasure to be home Colonel."
"At ease Lt Colonel. We both had some pretty speeches lined up, but at the moment you should go home with your mother for some well deserved R & R. You can watch the speeches on the news later, as long as you don't watch SR2 News that is."
Hannah links her arm around Jane's arm, "Don't worry, I can jump us home."
Jane just nods, "Just be careful, I've let some asari use the house."
Hannah smiles, "I know, I met them, they're doing a run to Illium to buy more tea and they should be back next week. You could have messaged me to let me know before I returned to Shaanxi."
Jane shakes her head, "Let's go home, I'd rather not talk about it here." She points her chin at the journalists.
Hannah bends her knees and jumps to the house.
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Once they arrive, Jane staggers over to a chair and sits down with her head in her hands, "Goddess mother, that was awful."
As Adrien and Siúsan appear in the house Hannah puts her hands on her hips, "I'm sorry, I only arrived at the village two weeks ago."
Siúsan nods, "She did, and she's got the scars to prove it too. It will be many years before they heal enough that she can attempt to go further if she wants to."
Jane looks up, "I've got a new cabinet that I need to blood, would one of you mind unshrinking it for me?"
Adrien nods, the human gesture looking odd with how naturally the turian does it, "I can do that."
Jane stands up and moves a couple of pictures so she can place the cabinet against a wall. A moment later she opens the door and walks into a library that's easily the same size as the house she just left.
"Is this someone's idea of a joke?" In the back of her head Petunia laughter can be felt as she withdraws from Jane's senses.
From behind her, Siúsan says, "This is a hansom gift worthy of a scholar."
Behind them Adrien closes the door after Hannah as walked in. As it does, Jane turns around, "Does mum know?"
Siúsan smiles, "It depends on what you're talking about. If you mean does she know the real reason why she's been accepted into my clan, then yes she does."
Jane gives a sigh of relief, and summons a ball of light over her hand, "Go and find the fireplace."
Behind them, Hannah gasps, "Jane, what was that? I thought you were an N7."
Jane looks at Siúsan accusingly, "I thought you…" she cuts off as Hannah starts to laugh.
"You should have seen your face. I got the message once I was in sanctuary. I had no idea that once you're an N8 that's it, you're an N8."
Jane nods, "It's not quite that simple, but yes, that's it in a nutshell."
Taking her face plate off, she puts it in her bag as her lacemaking comes out, "Oh that feels good. Sorry, I've just had people breathing down my neck any time I don't have a project out and on the go. Let's go find the fireplace."
Hannah shakes her head, "First of all, you're going to tell me why this is a joke."
Jane whines, "Really mum?" When Hannah nods, Jane sighs, "I'm a soldier not a scholar, and some of my trainers took that a little personally. When Selene was talking about giving me a new chest, she joked about including a proper library. I just wasn't expecting to have to walk through the library to get anywhere in here."
"Now, what's the deal with the asari? I mean I don't mind bunking with Aeuna, but it was a bit of a surprise to come home and find them here."
Jane sighs, and Siúsan chuckles as Adrien says, "I'm sorry, we are still trying to teach the young one patience."
Jane nods, "In that case, how are you able to be here mum?"
Hannah at Jane in confusion, and Siúsan answers, "We've given her an isolation necklace, the sort the mayor uses to visit every month. It will prevent her discomfort from travelling to Shaanxi:2 even once she knows how to travel the realms on her own."
Jane nods thoughtfully, "Well, maybe you could get her a desk job here so that she doesn't forget how to act on human time scales, like they did with The Triplets. I rather think that Command would like to have someone they can send to any quarantine situation without worrying about infection. I've been having to learn how to relax like you do, so it evens out in the end. Anyway, the story about the asari starts with arranging to visit Juvetana, my nest mother…"
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A couple of days later, Jane and her mother are both reading in her library, with the door open. Jane is very happy with the library and small kitchen downstairs, with a modest garden out the back. Up a spiral staircase in the kitchen is the bathroom and two bedrooms. Absolutely perfect for her needs, as long as she ignores the blood locked door in the kitchen that's only visible to people who's names are in the ward book. Jane shakes her head as she tries to not think about the lavash mansion on 10 acres of land, or the extra turian garden with a cave for growing turian food plants in, connected to a kitchen stocked with dextro supplies.
"Is everything alright Jane?"
Jane looks up at her mother, "Yes mum, I was just trying not to think about the rest of the cabinet."
Hannah laughs, "And failing at that by your expression. What's your book about?"
Jane groans, "Runes, I found my 'homework' in the workshop. Beth wants me to have made a pensive by the time she next sees me."
Hannah shakes her head, "Jane, you're supposed to be relaxing."
Jane shakes her head, "Not in the deep desert I'm not."
"Deep desert?"
Jane screws her eyes shut, "I've been spending too much time around old people and sidhe. It's what they used to call realm:2-4 before the scientists got involved, the desert is realms 5-9 and the sidhe don't really have a name for the realms after that until you reach the shore of the sea of magic."
Hannah shrugs, "I guess I've still got a lot to learn."
"I heard you got a ping earlier."
Hannah scowls at Jane, "It seems that command jumped at your suggestion, and I'm now a port liaison officer for Shaanxi until I take my adult oaths."
At that moment Jane's own omni-tool pings, and she stares at it hoping the ping will go away. With a sigh she looks at the message before putting her lace away, and floating the book back to the shelf.
"That's the quartermaster, they want my old omni-tool back."
"Have a good walk."
Jane scowls playfully as she puts her facemask on, "You could always come with me and make the journey quicker."
Hannah lifts up Pride and Prejudice, "Sorry, I'm enjoying my 19th century literature too much."
Jane shakes her head as she sets out to jog to the N compound.
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Once she's finished handing over her old kit, Jane uses her new secure omni-tool to access the base schedule to test its capabilities.
With a smile she notices that she doesn't have anything scheduled in the near future. Idly she looks up the Dogs, only to see they're on base for shore leave.
Turning towards the barracks she gets around 10 paces into her jog when her omni-tool pings. Coming to a stop, she checks the message, then checks her schedule once more.
"You've got to be kidding me, I just checked that. I'm supposed to have another five days R & R."
With a growl, Jane turns around and runs back to her house.
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Coming to a stop inside her cabinet, Jane looks at her mother apologetically, "Sorry mum, I've just got my marching orders. Dock 4 in less than an hour."
Hannah shrugs philosophically, "That's life I'm afraid, but don't tell me you don't have time to say goodbye to your dear old mum."
Jane laughs, "Old? I'm older than you are mum. Now put a bookmark in the book and I'll make sure it's available next time I'm around."
"Can't I just take it with me?"
Jane nods, "They're spelled to remain in the cabinet, as there's some books they don't want leaving Alliance hands."
Hannah chuckles in amusement as she follows her daughter around the house while she loads up her pouch. "Jane, slow down, you've got plenty of time."
Jane looks at her mother with a calculating expression, "Are you volunteering to jump me to the docks?"
Hannah backpedals, "No, not at all, just pointing out that a ground car will get you to the docks in a couple of minutes."
Jane steps forward, "How about I step us there and you can practice your jumping on the way back."
Hannah shakes her head, "I'd need to get into my uniform, and you know how long that takes."
Deliberately, Jane lifts up her hand and slowly snaps her fingers. As she does, Hannah's current clothes switch with the uniform hanging on the back of her door.
Hannah looks at her daughter, "We can do that? I haven't seen anyone at the clan do that."
Jane nods, "You should apply for the Dark Walkers then. It's something they're drilled on, amongst other things."
Hannah shakes her head, "I'm far too old for a career change now."
Jane pinches the bridge of her nose, "Mum, you're effectively a child in an adults body as far as your new clan is concerned. You've got thousands of years ahead of you. If you want to learn something you've got time."
"My ID says otherwise."
Jane folds her arms, "Mum, you were supposed to get that sorted out before you started your journey. Please promise me you'll get it sorted before you return to the clan."
"I…"
Jane stares at her mother, "Mum, I'm older than you, so I know what I'm talking about."
Hannah folds at that. Laughing she says, "Ok, ok, I'll do it. I bet there aren't many mothers that have their children pull the age card on them."
Jane nods, "Ready?"
Hannah checks herself over, "Whenever you are."
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A few seconds later the two of them step out of thin air on the tarmac of the military part of the docks.
Hannah shakes her head, "That was amazing, how did you do it so smoothly?"
Jane smiles, "Join the Dark Walkers, Magi, or the N8 and you'll find out."
Hannah huffs as the two of them start to walk towards the docking bay Jane's been assigned to.
A minute later they slow as they catch sight of a long sleek ship that has hints of the old concord with a slightly more avian appearance to it.
Jane whistles, "Have you ever seen a ship like that?"
Hannah shakes her head, "Never. It must be new."
As they get closer Jane realises that the comparison with an avian is apt, as the side panels stretch back towards the rear of the ship, finally connecting against the wings of the ship at the rear.
As the two of them reach the boarding stairs, Jane can see people working under the middle of the ship, probably loading up supplies.
Turning around, she gives her mother a hug, "I'm sorry we didn't have more time to catch up."
Hannah kisses Jane on the cheek, "It's ok, I am military too remember. Have a safe trip commander."
Jane steps back and salutes, "Yes Captain. See you on the other side."