Chapter 38

Timeline: Fifteen years since the Crucible

Shepard

Once a year survivors and family got together to the best of their ability. People came to Cipritine to visit, bringing family and friends. All surviving species that had access to Mass Effect relays and knew the story now had a holiday for remembrance around the time of the Crucible firing, and those involved were often able to get away.

They had lost people, and they would be honored. The Sanctuary had new candles each year. Three years ago Hackett had died, in a hospital, the cause being old age. He was surrounded by his family. Two years ago they had lost Zaeed. He had died in bed with two women of undisclosed species, his blood alcohol level undisclosed to not speak ill of the dead. The sole Salarian Shepard had passed away from old age, leaving behind a dazzling array of anthropological monographs.

Miranda was by before the party, she often came by to check on Daytha, to check on the other children she'd provided to Madlis couples. She had provided multi-colored and dazzling children that had steep but joyous learning curves for their parents. Miranda was now highly sought by every mixed-species couple who had heard of her miracles. Daytha was no doubt her favorite. Considering she had been handcrafted by Miranda and so had Daytha, they owed her a great deal, but Miranda had learned not to try to run too many tests on him because biting became a factor. At least now he usually warned someone first, having learned overly effective threat behavior. With lowering of his brow, baring of his teeth and his un-Earthly and un-Palavanly growl, people learned quickly.

Oriana had moved wherever Miranda did, developing an interest in Miranda's research and in being close to her sister. This was not the first visit they'd made together, and they'd be staying for the week-long celebration held at the Madlis each year, guests welcome to come and go for whatever time slot they could manage.

Oriana looked around, her eyebrows drawing together. She said tentatively "Did…has anybody seen my Datapad? I was just taking notes and…"

Morim smiled sympathetically and said "Yeah, it's gone. Daytha happened to it. We used to be able to figure out how to locate them by tracking and clear out his haul, but he figured that out and started disabling tracking…somehow. We still don't know how. We've threatened retaliation in the form of a tracker on him, but he laughed. He'd dig it out or disable it and we're not willing to escalate. His retaliation is to be feared. The Madlis is huge and that dragon has his hoard somewhere. I'll get you a replacement. It's easier." Morim walked to a cabinet, took out a blank Datapad and gave it to Oriana "He won't take anything else from you again for about three months, and then he'll return what he took previously. Everyone loses something. He makes his rounds. Some people swear that he hasn't taken anything from them, but I think they just don't know what's missing. He's very thorough. The blank Datapads are perfectly safe because they have no known owners yet for him to tweak, categorize or stalk."

Miranda looked thrilled and not so secretly, so was Morim. So was Garrus. She was so used to Daytha being impossible and incredible to live with that it was just funny to see the look on Oriana's face. Morim said "You've been using a local Extranet provider here at the Madlis. We do shadow caches of all work and wipe it after 7 days. Most everyone knows to report theft before then. You should be able to download anything you've done and a backup of your settings, encrypted to your login information. We don't want the information, we just don't want people to kill our son. I'm sorry I didn't warn you, I figured you'd had something filched before. Welcome to the family. He probably won't take anything else, but he's getting taller, able to reach new things through subterfuge or acrobatics, and he likes to take things apart, so on your next visit, just be aware."

Garrus had taken to leaving carefully disabled electronics and mechanics around as bait and education. They would disappear and then sometimes return, fixed.

Oriana nodded, a little stunned, and recovered her notes.

Daytha, her little Bakan, rounded the corner through the door as though he hadn't been lurking about, having just stolen and hidden something. They could probably rig a camera system, but if they cleared out his hoard again he would not be pleased. Best to let the détente stand. He was five years old and some change, sturdy and with the now-familiar blend of Turian and human characteristics. More muscled than a Turian, less plated than a Turian, tall for a child his age of either species. Potentially smarter than anybody in a room with him. He may not be smarter than his parents necessarily, but he was able to negotiate, took hostages and was willing to execute them. He figured out how to do what he wanted and they figured out they weren't going to kill him despite the urge. They'd settled on an acceptable amount of mayhem in a day and held that status quo, hoping to push it back as he aged. They had hope. He was growing up, joining in, puffed up with the status of who he was, who his family was, and what he could do with that. He could afford to be magnanimous occasionally with the lesser mortals.

He was happy. He was healthy. He was a miracle.

He adored his sister, loved his parents, socialized and played with a few select thousand or so people he found tolerable and up to his standards. He was ridiculously spoiled, but at this point, so was Morim. Why not share?

Daytha gave Morim his heart-grabbing grin and ran full tilt into her arms. She pulled him up and he nearly choked her to death, as always, hugging too tight and too hard and thinking it was funny. She hugged him back, not as hard, and waited for him to finish, because asking him to stop just got another type of laugh, a determined 'No!' and more air issues.

They were very lucky he loved his parents, occasionally did things he didn't want to do just to make them happy, and had stopped biting. Mostly.

Morim pulled back when he did and said "Daytha, did you take Oriana's Datapad?"

Daytha looked genuinely shocked, hurt, innocent and aggrieved and said with Turian solemnity like his father, human and Turian features questioning her sanity "No, Avah, why would you think such a thing?"

Morim tilted her head and said "Bakan, you are lying to me."

He broke into a cackling laugh that belied his innocent protestations and said "SO much! Lying so much!" He jumped off her lap and ran full tilt again into Miranda, who caught him and spoiled him some more, and didn't get bitten, as this was mostly a social visit. Oriana looked slightly spooked.

That was reasonable. That was what meeting Daytha was like.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Garrus

The parties were always a nightmare of prep, coordinating with security checks on landing so they weren't duplicated, or were absolutely duplicated. So far he'd been lucky and nobody had made it inside the Madlis that was a terrorist in personality, unless they counted their closest friends…and a great deal of their family…and a lot of Vakarians…and many military and diplomatic acquaintances.

The web was too big, the strands too numerous and interactions too volatile for one man, so he'd hired the best security, hacking and support personnel he could, who were also by temperament volatile.

There had been external attacks on the Madlis and they'd had to add air support based on intel regarding an air strike that had been verifiable. Feron had tipped them off, Kasumi had assisted and then General Victus and the Primarch had authorized defensive hardware for private use after scrambling to successfully intercept.

Shepard personnel were not always safe outside the Madlis, but Morim was safe. Their children were safe. He spent long, tedious hours on due diligence of personnel vetting and maintenance of infrastructure and policy, checking work, having people check each other's work anonymously. He did feel safe, but not unthreatened. Too many people, too many ways for things to go wrong. He was determined it would go right and for years this had worked, aided by the fierce loyalty and sharp interest of those who were in or favored Shepard Clan. Over this next week there would be a huge turnover in travel and accommodation, swapping about a thousand people leaving to two thousand arriving at the Madlis to stay with family and friends.

He had had to deny entry to quite a few people, but did offer some of them lodgings in outlying buildings. More security checks. Discreet shadows on them. They would be getting nowhere near Morim or anybody's children.

Morim would have very little time to meet new people, but she always insisted on meeting some of them. She allowed him to choose who out of candidates she brought to him. She left it entirely in his hands and had never insisted on overriding his concerns. Unlike a normal day, a great deal of the Madlis would be blocked off to entry from the outer ring of reception and party and memorial. A few dedicatedly public aspects of the Madlis would be open for tours and visitors, as they were once a year for this week.

Tali had warned him that she would have a bit of an entourage for a visit, but he knew her well enough to know she had security covered. It had still come up, because she was traveling with Legion's body and Geth had never been present on Palaven. Ever. Garrus went the diplomatic route of assuring that Tali's vessel would not be shot out of the sky, arranging for passage and security and special dispensations. It was time consuming, but they'd begun this process about six months ago.

One of his greatest security concerns was Daytha, who was a menace. When asked not to do something, Daytha's instinct was to immediately do it and think it was funny. Daytha painted Shepard marks on his face, though he knew he had no right to them. They had very carefully explained about age and patience and he had ignored them. They had no idea what he used for the pigment and they couldn't get it off, and they had stopped trying. He was now an off-color and smudged fierce faux Shepard.

One of the hardest parts of being a parent was not laughing or hugging him, having to keep a straight, disapproving face. Often he and Morim had to leave the room quickly before sending each other into repeated spasms of laughter. Daytha gave Garrus every cathartic opportunity to sympathize with his rebellious and creative son, nurture him and be rewarded with the fiercest hugs and Daytha's deep pride in his family. Morim adored him and they had worked out a balance of love and guidance, and parenthood was the most expansive and inclusive experience of his life, in a life that had consisted of smaller and progressively more hostile spaces.

Hopefully Daytha would not hijack or disassemble Legion or EDI. Most people in the Madlis had accepted Daytha's harassment in stride and there were enough Shepards that adored him for Daytha to know he was loved if not encouraged. He brought more mischief than harm with his parents following him around compensating for him, replacing or reversing his systematic theft.

As long as Daytha did not decide to leave the Madlis himself, which had been a constant fear until Garrus had planted a subdermal tracker on the sleeping boy and proximity alert on his biometrics and an alert if he was even approaching exit routes, they should be fine.

Should be.

Right.

He should probably put another tracker on him. He still didn't know how Daytha disabled things.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Shepard

From the moment the Normandy arrived, the party began to pick up into full raucous swing. The Madlis was a disciplined if ebullient place, and the chaotic atmosphere brought out the daring and the excitement in even normally reticent people. Shepard Clan took fierce and increasingly demonstrative pride in personalizing this event, everyone grabbing some glory through the light cast by the Normandy crew and meeting family that did not wear marks.

Memorials were held, children greeted, new family met. They hadn't met Tali and Kal's new baby girl Bahar yet, but they'd seen her grow up this past year.

Music in the central domed chamber of the Madlis began with a formal opening dance, with Morim asking Garrus, and then other female Turians asking their mates to join, until everyone who wished was on the floor. All races, all genders, beginning with a single formality and custom and traveling through a free-for-all of anybody dancing with anybody they chose.

Morim would ask Garrus to dance several times through the night, as she always did.

The crew of the Normandy had arrived, Vega still in command. Maybe someday he would retire, but for now he was thoroughly enjoying eyeing Admiral Hackett's vacant position. He looked well, new scars, same swagger. The Normandy had been to Palaven so often and the crew had spent so much time at the Madlis that the crew, old and new, were treated as family returning home. Honorary Clan. He specialized in lifting excited children over his head and precipitously pretending to drop them to shrieks and hops and demands of more, Daytha often at the front of the line.

Cortez and Alenko had two adopted human children, a boy and a girl, who had been orphaned by the war and were the older of the children present, adults now. Had they been Turian they would have begun service already. They had been here every year since the celebration became official. Kaidan's mother had passed away three years ago and had a candle in the Madlis sanctuary. She had visited for this celebration twice.

Miranda and Oriana spent their time happily fending off come-ons from every possible race hitting on them, falling into shop talk with interested audiences in the moments between.

Traynor and a brilliant Asari engineer by the name Vashell could ask each other to dance all night, so that's how they spent most of their time.

EDI and Jeff danced a great deal. EDI had upgraded her dancing programming. They looked happy, relaxed, years of successful campaign behind them and promising future ahead. EDI had never regained her prior personality, but she had been able to adjust her own programming, becoming more expert in medical function, replacing Dr. Chakwas's efforts in Jeff's care and integrating herself into who she chose to be, not who she had been. She was a charming, eloquent woman who had begun to contribute her own analysis, finally becoming a source of sound advice regarding the crew of the Normandy. She was now a counselor to the crew, and invaluable at that position. Vega had never had the patience or interest in Morim's command style, and he had learned to lean heavily on EDI's observations.

Crime had reorganized, as it always had. Although there was no war between the sentient races for the first time, there was always someone being an asshole to smite. The Normandy kept busy policing Alliance interests and protecting or avenging further-flung communities and trade routes.

Dr. Chakwas and Dr. Alcinder lived on Palaven, had dedicated quarters in the Madlis as well as at the hospital. They often came over for meals during the week. They had primary access to Clan Shepard, a diverse collection of species and maladies and social evolution. They turned out research papers at an accelerated rate and turned down outrageous compensation offers, choosing to care for their adopted-by family instead.

Liara and Javik had a four-year-old little girl, Yali, that was entranced by Gwena. She spent most of the time with their hands clasped. Gwena gently and gracefully as always wove through crowds, delivering her to those who wished to meet her or give her new greetings, and even dancing with her, little Yali's feet on her own to learn the steps. Liara and Javik had been surveying and revealing Prothean locations for years, published together and had enough governmental pull on every settled planet enough to have full and exclusive access as Javik was the only source of recovered information on the subject. When they had finished with a dig they would turn the site over to local governmental control, moving on to the next. They had years of work ahead of them and sites beginning to be set up as others were winding down.

Kasumi had been lured here on the very solid basis of Garrus telling her that he needed help with the security perimeter and if she could physically examine what they had set up he would be in her debt. Again. Morim had gotten in an actual hug before she had been off again, upgrading in a way that she assumed was vaguely smug and she would never technically understand.

Wrex and Bakara had not brought their children because that would require a Madlis of their own. Hundreds of children. Hundreds of children that were also cared for in a clan system that allowed for off-planet travel. They did however have hours of video and Wrex spent a great deal of time showing it to Daytha, telling him that someday he might be fierce enough to be considered Krogan kin. Daytha repeatedly head butting Wrex had been the answer, Bakara's voice calmly urging Daytha on technique because in her opinion Wrex was too thick skinned to notice even damaging attacks.

Grunt was commander of his own ship, scouting new colony locations for Urdnot and with at least a hundred of his own children, claiming this week in the year was the only break he got from breeding requests with his slow laugh.

Jacob and his wife came with their son, another old hand at these gatherings, knowing which kitchens were always open and had the best food for humans. They gravitated to Miranda and Oriana, talking shop and catching up.

Samara was unable to make the trip this year. Likely no year in the future, though she sent her greetings. She and Falere had established a monastery far from the old location, memories and grief left behind. Samara had decided that if her daughter could not leave, neither would she. That was her new code, to guard that spot where she was most needed, most wanted, and wished most to be.

Garrus had excused himself and she hadn't seen him in about half an hour, which wasn't unusual but was unfortunate. It was time to ask him to dance again. When she felt his hand on her arm she put her hand on his and then turned to look at him, then she saw Tali close behind with Kal'Reegar carrying their daughter in a tiny lavender suit.

Her eyes traveling further, she saw the Geth behind Tali and was surprised…and then shocked. She recognized Legion, her armor still on his shoulder. Garrus's hand tightened on hers. Tali looked back at Legion, who was looking around the room, unable to see Morim, but when he did, the familiar motion of his plates were so distinct she was mesmerized. He said calmly in greeting "Shepard Commander."

Morim's eyes went huge and she didn't move. She stared. Tali rushed to fill in the silence and said "I got the idea from helping EDI. Legion was shut down during the Crucible burst, but he was still…he was still in there. EDI helped and…and we found him. Do you remember when you told me what he had last said to you after the Collector ship?"

Morim couldn't tear her eyes off him but she said slowly, by rote "There are 1183 Geth programs present, and one that I have created that is based on the choices I have seen you make. I would like to see more choices."

Tali nodded and she only saw the peripheral movement. Tali said "Morim, he was not Reaper tech. He had reprogrammed himself. He was still in there. A full AI, even though he was unable to restart himself. He burned out his power source to boost transmission. I was able to find him because you remembered what he'd said. He called himself 'I' and he…"

Morim shot out of her seat and pulled Tali into a glancing sideways hug, moving further to drag her toward Legion, and creating a three-person hug, Tali engaging happily and Legion's hands and arms remaining, startled, to the side.

Garrus said "Don't worry Legion, you'll get the hang of it. I knew she'd hug you. She threatened to pull your cables out once, but…"

Morim said "Shut up, Garrus, I was grieving."

Daytha arrived to head butt Legion in the knee just in case this monster was upsetting his mother. When he got a little dizzy and Legion did not budge, Daytha looked up at Morim, who smiled and reinforced the 'hug' aspect of her action. Daytha considered, eyes narrowed for a few moments, looked at Garrus, who nodded, and then Daytha hugged Legion's leg, respect earned by being someone who hurt his head.

Morim said quietly "Welcome home."

Grunt came over carrying a bottle and shouting "Ryncol shots! Battlemaster, you too. You can't back out now."

Morim pulled back with a smile and looked at Legion and said "Nope, can't back out now. Ryncol shots." She picked up Daytha and said "Not for you, love."

Wrex said "Oh come on, he can take it. I'd bet a ship on it."

Garrus said "Let's not make the whole gathering about the boy…again." He smiled and winked at Daytha.

Daytha said "About me!"

Knowing Daytha well enough and that he'd go after Ryncol after being denied it, she allowed him to dip his finger in to taste it and the face he made was proof he wouldn't be going after it again for a while, if ever.

They needed more bottles and more shot glasses, and they gathered a huge crowd of people wishing to toast to Legion's return, those who had not met him had heard the stories, knew his space in the sanctuary, saw Morim often at his candle. The crew of the Normandy gathered in a tight ring around him, complaints of the choice of Ryncol, Joker saying "Well, we were all worried he was going to kill us all at one point, but now his evil plan will finally actually work whether he wanted to or not."

Nobody declined to toast or drink.

Legion stood solemnly through a toast he couldn't participate in, taking in faces and congratulations with stillness.

Gwena quietly asked Legion to dance, and when he nodded slowly she took his hand, guided him out onto the floor, and those two souls who had seemed so much alike to Morim moved with solemn grace to Turian percussion. Poetry.

Tali moved to Morim's side and said "He can stay here, if you'd like. Having had enough time and power, he was able to propagate back into the Geth collective, and they're rewriting themselves. He's always there, but now he can be…in this platform. He wanted to see you."

Morim said "Whatever he wants. He will always have a home here."

Daytha reached out a finger to touch Tali's mask and said "Can I keep him?"

Morim laughed, and said "Bakan, do not take Legion apart. He would let you and that would be mean. Same with EDI. You know the rules. No disassembling family."

Daytha pouted and then considered sadly "No disassembling family." He brightened. "Ride family!" He struggled down and waited impatiently until Gwena let go of his hand at the end of the music, then demanded a shoulder ride, which he got, ordering Legion to walk through the crowd at his direction.

Tali said, somewhat concerned "I have some backups if…"

Morim laughed and said "Yeah. If. Thank you. Now let me hold your daughter."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Garrus

She had left to take a congratulations alert on her Omni Tool and she hadn't come back in 20 minutes. All right, 19 minutes, 47 seconds.

He found her in the Sanctuary, standing in front of Thane's candle.

He put his arms around her waist and she leaned back against him. She said "Kolyat called to say hello, he asked me to pass along greetings and congratulations. His children are beautiful. Mirlan is going to have a baby girl next year. Thane's grandchildren are so beautiful."

She…they…spent a great deal of time here. With thousands upon thousands of candles of loved ones, she always knew where each one was. Sometimes especially someone she had not known, that was perhaps an aunt to someone in Clan Shepard. Morim knew their stories, their names, she was the living memory of the symbols in this room.

Garrus knew everything that was knowable about a person before they entered the Madlis, the facts and the statistics. Once they stepped inside, she knew what could not be found, only told. She knew the relationships, the stories. Her talent, her gift for knowing people had not gone to waste, and she was the beacon of hope to everyone here that she had always been to him.

He could no longer presume to speak for Thane, though he missed him and grieved in his own way. Morim would know everything about his son, everything about his grandchildren, everything that Kolyat and Mirlan would be willing to tell her, and as it often was, they treasured her questions, her presence, her remembrances of dates and events, across cultures, with so many people.

Morim said "Now I can't…do I leave Legion's candle or do I take it out or…?"

He chuckled and said "Leave it. It would be disrespectful to pretend the light we lit here never existed. You do know you had a memorial, right? I was there. It would be…disrespectful to metaphorically dig you up."

She laughed and said "Ewww…yeah, with everything happening I never did visit my own grave."

He said solemnly "I did. I can't recommend it as an experience."

She sighed and said "Where was it? I never…I didn't ask. I don't know where I'm not buried. It seemed appropriate at the time to not ask…torn between thinking I'd be tempting fate to ask, and also thinking I'd die beyond the relay and there wouldn't be a body then either. Plus I was obsessed with a Turian and I got distracted."

Garrus said "There was a memorial plaza on the Presidium. Very heroic. When I think of it I remember imagining other people there dead in your place. Me, mostly. So when I think of it the main impression I have is from that day or in my dreams. I would have killed everyone there, I wanted to. So it's an image of thousands of dead people and you, alive. A reversal of the scene. I'd see you alive and mine would be the last death, some magic formula finished, but you would be alive and I would be glad."

She said softly "Now I'm really glad I didn't ask. I'd say that sounds pretty grim there, Venri, but I've met you. You tend to be opinionated."

He laughed and said "So now we have the reversal, and that is often what I can see when I see you alone, in here, amid all of these candles and remembrances. The one person most deserving of knowing the stories, of still drawing breath."

She said "And you didn't have to die. And I get to be here with you. Funny that we faced our deaths so many times and we've never talked about this. I don't want to be buried. Seemed like we're so far past what we should have known about each other's wishes…I think I'd like a Turian ceremony."

Garrus said "Really? Why?"

She answered "I like the simplicity. You can't be surprised that Turian things have grown on me, can you? Maybe have Miranda bring me back if you're still alive, but only then. Otherwise, I want nothing left but a candle in this Madlis, next to yours."

He said "Great. It's a deal. Now all we have to do is manage to die simultaneously, painlessly and instantly and we're all set."

She said "I promise if you promise."

He laughed and said "I believe Miranda can keep you alive forever, and me with you, so we won't die."

She said "Really? That's your plan?"

He nodded and said "Yup. Immortality. Count on it."

She said "Isn't that a little greedy?"

He shook his head and said "Absolutely not. It's the future, Venri. We'll laugh about this in about four hundred years when we keep this room as it is and no more candles are added. Mark my words, you're going to feel silly then."

She said "Well, I feel silly now, discussing it, but if it comes to that, and I feel silly for not seeing the future, what do I owe you for being wrong?"

He said "Everything. You're stuck with me now. You thought maybe a year, maybe a hundred years, now you're bonded, you can't take it back and immortality looms. That's immortality and uncounted years of you trying to kiss me and having my visor poke something vital on your face."

She said "You'll get a new model, won't you? I mean, hundreds of years, upgrade!"

He replied "No. I'm stubborn. Forever with stubborn."

She raised a brow and said "Well, I'd better get used to the idea." She turned in his arms and tilting her head very carefully away from his visor. She said "I'm about to say something terrible about poking something vital. Make me shut up before I go there."

He laughed and kissed her, closing his arms around her, bending her back, feeling the soft laughter through his his hands on her skin.

She said "I think I could get used to forever."

He said against her mouth "Even with the stubborn part?"

She said "Especially with the stubborn part."

He said "Good, because I should mention, you have a bit of that yourself."

She agreed "A bit."

He realized he was about to ravage his wife in the Sanctuary in front of Thane's candle and he'd better stop before he decided he really didn't give a damn, which would be soon if she kept on…well, if she kept on breathing. His hands on her skin would do it. He kissed her, his hands on her back. Long minutes of her lips, her soft moans and caught breath.

Not here. Not now. There were friends and family and…

He really, really wanted to, but even he had an ounce of shame remaining. The familiar burn of having to let go of her when he wanted to drag her away grew. He could. He knew he could pick her up and carry her anywhere and she would go with him. How spoiled he'd become in these last years, everything he needed at his fingertips, everything he wanted in her eyes.

He'd have a discussion with Miranda and start trying to fund immortality tomorrow because he would never have enough time with her.

Before he pulled her to the ground he chose to pull back instead and say "Ask me to dance, Venri."

She smiled and said "Does it count as traditional if you asked me to ask you?"

He said "Fuck tradition."

She laughed and said "Dance with me, Garrus Shepard."