"Relearning, huh?" Shepard murmured, regarding her soldier with a heavy gaze, "How long will this take?"

"A few years...at least." Erin chuckled softly, her eyes filled with sadness, "They managed to grow a new arm but the stem cells aren't the same. The motor skills just aren't transferrable."

"So, what are you going to do?" Shepard asked, almost fearful.

"Well, even though it's regrown...I don't have any of my strengths or muscle memory from my special operations' days. I...I'm afraid I won't be as much use to you." Erin looked down, tears weighing heavily in her eyes, "I can't...I won't be joining you. Possibly ever...though hopefully just not for a very long time."

"You think I'll still be aboard the Normandy years after today?" Shepard asked, quirking a brow in amusement.

"Yeah. Of course. You're like...Wrex. The fight never ends for him. Where one fight ends, another lies waiting somewhere else. And he usually finds it. You're the same way. You aren't someone who settles. You are going to die...but you'll be firing incendiary rounds while you're at it." Erin grinned, offering a tear-streaked, tooth-filled beam.

"What about you?" Shepard pressed, though her argument was weak. "Am I leaving you in capable hands?"

"Well...yeah, Cactrit's got a more permanent place now. We'll be living together...and his brother, uh...Jell'Reme, he lives just down the hall. We call him Remmy...or Remington." Erin offered a quirky little smile. "But yeah, I'm all set for a good few years. Relearning will be a bitch, but there's nothing else I can do."

"Just...call when you can. I don't...I want to know how things go." Shepard asked.

"Heh, yes, mom."

"Erin-."

"Alright, alright. Fine. Jeeze." Erin stood up and hugged the woman awkwardly. "See you in a few years, you crazed adventurer."

"You can bet your ass you will."