[Book Four] Chapter 53: Never bitch about the classics

Chapter 53: Never bitch about the classics

The construction of the multiple Mass Relays that were the size of the conduit was progressing smoothly. Two dozen were already in place after a year and more were scheduled to be launched. Twice now, this new Mass Relay system had allowed the discovery of Ketts incursion into systems in the Ares cluster and facilitated the defense preparation of the council’s forces there. In less than two minutes the fleets posted in the cluster had received the information on the attack, and quickly overwhelmed the ketts’ fleet trying to attack them.
More than that, Ketts’ fleets and outposts in systems and clustered unexplored by the council species were discovered and heavily monitored. Bit by bit, a map of Andromeda began to take form and make more sense than what they already have to everyone’s joy.

Meanwhile Rick, one step at a time, was still recovering from his ordeal and while he believed he would always be fed up with life in general, he became more and more open with his family and the people he considered close. It was enough that he was able to take care of Aezzia from time to time and actually enjoy those moments. Even more than that, he could actually spend some time with his two new granddaughters and not completely lose it.

When, two months after the evening and night they had spent together on his return, Sandra declared that she was pregnant at family dinner. That has been joyful news from everyone even for Rick despite seething on the inside. Not because he was going to be a father again but because that new child would grow up without a proper father. He knew how hard it was from first hand experience and prayed that the child would be a girl so she could relate better with her mother. He was also unhappy with Sandra who he knew had tricked him as he had hoped she would reconsider or give up on her idea of him fathering the child.

“I didn’t want to be a mother so soon but since I will not accept a child from any man but you, I had no choice. Your disappearance drove home that…. You won’t always be there. I saw an opportunity and I took it.”

That was her justification and Rick couldn’t be mad at her any longer, his daughter did as she always did; finding something she wanted and doing anything to get it no matter what. Jennifer and Miranda who were on the Cassiopeia for the holidays didn’t hesitate to speak about this to him in private. Miranda was murderous and blamed him, though there wasn’t much heat in her anger. She was more annoyed that she was now a grandmother at the age of seventy four. Jennifer for her part was teasing him mercilessly and fanned her wife's small ire towards their daughters’ father. Seven months later and it’s a blond blue eyed girl that saw the light of day. Considering that Sandra had never discussed a partner in her life, many wonder who the father was as she justified her daughter’s hair color with the convenient excuse of gene therapy. Matthew knew better but said nothing. Adam on the other hand had just taken a look at his favorite sister nursing his new niece for a moment and knew. With the most beautiful smile he ever saw on Sandra’s lips, she simply looked at him, prompting him to let out a long tired sigh of resignation.

“He always was trouble that I couldn’t save you from.” he said as he sat on the side of the bed and reached with a hand his niece’s cheek.
“I never needed to be saved from him to begin with. If anything it’s the other way around.”
“I suspected… ever since he came back but…” he stopped himself from continuing his sentence.
“But?”
“I had hoped I was wrong. But knowing him, knowing you and seeing you happier than I ever saw you… You were the one to take advantage of him.” Adam explained himself, knowing with the grin that Sandra had, he was right. “I guess I can't really be mad at him for failing to tell you no.”
“Not like he could have.”
“True.” he replied with an amused smile. “I suppose the older generation knows?”
“Them and half of our generation.”  she answered and explained further “Nana and Sara have known for a long time, almost for the very beginning. Matthew and Leah, less than a year.”
“How come? I get why you didn’t tell me but why them?”

From there Sandra explained how her relationship with their father began and how the others became aware of it. She had to expand on the Shepard’s family dynamics, something that shocked her brother greatly but he was nothing but accepting about it. After all, if everyone in the family was fine with it, there was no reason to rock the boat.

Erica, as Sandra named her because she was ‘completely nuts about her father’ (said Jennifer), was succeeded a few months later by her younger sister, Hannah.
Seeing that her little sister was pregnant, Arianna’s jealous side showed up once again and decided that she would not wait until the end of the war to go through pregnancy too. And that’s why a few months later she also gave birth. Hannah had been moved to tears that her granddaughter would name her own daughter after her despite the many mistakes she made with her own children.

“Grandma, it’s been so long ago. You’ve been an excellent grandmother and a good mother for the past forty years, it’s twice as much time you made mistakes. Besides, I like your name, I like what it means.” was her explanation as she held her redheaded green eyed daughter.

She went with her mother’s and grandmother’s coloring at Sara’s insistence who simply said ‘it’s tradition’, something that only her father had understood and agreed with.

All in all, despite the tiring two new additions to his life, Rick’s recovery was rather steady. He was still isolating himself for a rather long period of time when he needed it but was present both physically and more importantly mentally with his loved ones. Helping Jane make escape rooms helped greatly and he cherished every single one of those moments with her. With the bit of free time he had left and with the Ragnarok armor finished, Rick started a new project to acclimate better soldiers to combat situations, emotionally and psychologically. He intended, via nanobots, to connect the mind to a virtual world. He, of course, got help from EDI who saw it as the reverse of what she went through with Dorothea. With her memory, she recreated most missions the crew of the Normandy went through while Rick busied himself designing in depth their enemies’ capabilities with of course the opportunity to modify any of their parameters to make it easier or harder. The more data they had and added the more real the virtual world and the experience it provided were real and effective. When they showed it to Hackett the man immediately tried it to everyone’s shock.

“It felt good to finally be back on the field and to have my body move like it was in its prime.” was the first thing he said as he came out of the simulation which was quickly followed by an offer of buying the thing for the army. Of course the old Admiral was rebuffed but Rick promised that it would be available for everyone as he intended to make video games with it which included flight and fight simulators. Victus was also intrigued with the new technology and after trying it for himself simply said that Rick would be an even richer man should he commercialize this.

The more or less peaceful life Rick was having was broken one day at noon as he was talking with Hackett and Victus on the bridge about the development on an hidden outpost on an hospitable planet from a new cluster being explored.

“Dad?”
“Yes, pumpkin?” the man replied as he looked up from the holo-table displaying blueprints of the underground buildings for the new outpost.
“Did you already feed Erica and put her in her crib?” inquired the brunette.
“No, I didn’t, why?”
“Because it’s time…”
“... Okayyy. Why are you telling me?”
“Because she’s with you?” she replied with her brows lowering showing a bit of displeasure.
“She isn’t.”
“One of the caretakers at the nursery said you picked her up two hours ago, so where is she?”
“Miss Andersson, your father has been here all morning with us, working and debating on the building of the new outpost for Hora.” Victus said as Rick put aside the blueprints and pulled up a video recording of the nursery dated two hours ago.

With fear gripping her heart, Sandra looked at the video as Rick asked EDI to follow someone definitely human, wearing his usual clothes and his helmet that he put on from time to time leaving the nursery with a blond baby in their arms.

“EDI, where did that bastard go?”
“... He left the station on an EVA.”  she replied, showing the impostor joining a black and white colored ship which left the Cassiopeia immediately.
“What?!” exclaimed the young mother.
“What does security know about the ship and its crew?” asked Rick.
“They arrived a week ago among the many ships coming in for the holidays. They left at the same time as the others.”
“Auntie, where is my daughter?! Where did those bastards take her?!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know Sandra.”

The somehow sorry and deflated tone of EDI’s synth voice through then com and the words themselves made Sandra begin to hyperventilate in panic.

“Sandra, calm down! Breathe!” shouted Rick as he took his daughter by her shoulders. “We’re going to get her back, alright?! But I need you to focus, can you do that for her?”

His second daughter whose eyes were already seeing beyond, got their focus back and she began taking deep breaths into the bag that Hackett had provided for her. A remnant of the take away breakfast he had in the morning and hadn’t got around to dispose of.

“EDI, I want the whole family here on the bridge, check for everyone. Stop any departure or arrival from the ship, just in case there are more of them and it wasn’t a single group.”
“Dad…”
“We’re getting her back, don’t worry.” he tried to reassure her.

As he began to watch in reverse the security video recording to find out where the hell those guys came from, the whole family present on the station-ship came into the bridge. They found Sandra, Hackett and Victus coordinating the security forces of the company and of the military, not waiting for Rick to find clues.

“Any news?” Jane asked.
“She’s not in Andromeda or at least not in any cluster with a Mass Relay.” her brother replied not looking away from the holo display.
“How do you know that?” asked Matthew.
“Because I had no hit of her transponder from any of them.”
“What transponder?” Adam picked up.
“The one I put on her.”
“You put a transponder on my daughter?!”
“Just like I put one on every single one of you. What? Did you think I wouldn't take precaution in case of something like that ever happening?”
“Wait! Us too? Where?” Arianna exclaimed.
“Of course you too. As for its location it’s all over your body thanks to the nanobots, though the first version was under your epidermis on your left arm.”
“I can’t believe you really did it.” said Jane dumbfounded.
“I can’t believe you ever thought I didn’t.”
“How wrong that is aside, how does that help? You didn’t give Erica any nanobots as far as I know and even if you did, it’s so well known now that they might have checked her for them.” Adam replied, stirring the conversation back to the right topic.
“You’re right, I didn’t but I put on her a special tracer, just like I did each of your guys’ children. Jane, remember on what the data on the Gaea was?”
“Yes, that… It can be used for something more than storing data?!”
“What are you both talking about?” said Tali who had been silent until now.
“Almost fifteen years ago I created a new way to store data hardware wise. Thing is, the potential for abuse was so big that I never shared with anyone its existence. I did go on working on it though and found that I could do more than just storing data, like making it a tracer. To make it simple, it’s like a second skin that can’t be found on any scanner except the most advanced ones since it’s part organic. It’s so thin and so natural that people don’t realize they have one on their own skin.”
“Wow, that’s…” began Leeha but was interrupted by Sandra.
“Not important right now! My daughter is still missing.”
“Not for long. Look.” said Rick as he pointed at the holo display and saw the kidnapper talking familiarly with someone while not having the helmet on.
“That’s… Hmm… I know that person but I can’t…”

“Albert Nigh. Joined the company in 2209. Part of the science department, working mainly on research on element zero and its effects biologically.” EDI helped, pulling up the man’s profile. “Former member of the Andromeda initiative.”
“How come a man who’s been working for us for nearly fifteen years suddenly kidnaps a baby with a whole crew?” inquired Arianna out loud.
“Because you were all too old.” her father answered, still sporting a frown.
“Too old?”
“I don’t get it either”. Added Sara to her brother- in-law's question.
“It’s not ransom or we would already have been contacted which leaves only one option…Erica is a biotic.” clarified Sandra but it was not enough for the others to understand. Hackett on the other hand got curious.
“How do you know that?”

Everyone turned to the old man and after a moment of hesitation, Rick explained why.

“I’m a natural biotic.”
“You’re what?!”
“A natural biotic. Like the asari. Any child I father will be a biotic too. That’s why I don’t have any implant anymore and why we imposed for Adam and Matthew to have their implants handled by the family because they don’t have one either. None of my children do.”
“And you all kept quiet about this…”
“To avoid the current situation we’re in. While I trust you as you’re pretty much part of the family now, I don’t trust the rest of the army or any scientist or politician with a pro humanity agenda.”
“But how could he have known?” asked Hannah who spoke for the first time.
“I’m the leading expert in everything concerning biotics. I think that he was put here as a mole. We rescued the Initiative people in 2208 yet he joined a year later, unlike most of the members. From there, simple observation of me and our family would have ticked him off.”
“The first thing that comes to mind is that he went back to his superiors or got roped in in shady things. The kidnapping has been meticulous. They acted at the right time in a very organized way. Even passing himself as dad, something that we never ever considered because with his reputation nobody with a brain wants to mess with him like that.” Sandra thought aloud.
“Yes and despite that he did it anyway. That means he was sure it would work. It was well thought, more than that it was meticulous as Sandra said. He waited years for the opportunity to present itself. He couldn’t get to Adam’s or the twins’ girls because they live on Celeste and the security is tighter than currently on Cassiopeia since she’s divided in two parts. The military side and the company side.”
“Since we, your children, were already too old for a kidnapping, he waited for either Nanna or I to have children because we’re working and living on the Cassiopeia, despite Nanna’s many outings to explore worlds. Hannah is always with someone of the family, either her mothers, grandmother or great grandmother. Erica on the other hand…” the ravenette explained further but stopped her explanation when the subject reached her daughter.
“Don’t worry pumpkin we’ll get…”
“I found something.” interrupted the AI as she pulled a screenshot of some code. “I hacked the personal terminal of Albert Nigh and I found some encrypted files.”
“Did you get something out of it?” asked Jane.
“Cerberus.” replied her brother in a barely contained enraged growl.
“How do you know that?” asked Hackett.
“Every coder has their own way to code, their own schtick and bad habit. This here? I’ve only ever seen something like that once. Both brilliant and disgusting to look at.”
“Where?” asked Jane.
“Me.”
“You?”
“It seems that the person who created me is involved and since I was given life by Cerberus…”
“But I thought you dealt with Cerberus, like decades ago?” Matthew intervened.
“Most of it. We knew we wouldn’t get all of them, they’re a black ops terrorist organization after all but without any leading figure or funds, we didn’t think they would ever make a come back, not when humanity became the leading species of the galaxy with the company’s work even though it’s an indirect consequence.” his father explained.

Right at that moment a ping was heard and Rick quickly pushed aside EDI’s information on the holo display to pull up a map of the Milky Way. A red dot beeping prominently on a cluster at the border of Alliance’s space and the traverse.

“EDI, check every person on this ship for anything suspicious. To hell with privacy. If you can do the same for Celeste, do it. I’m pretty sure there are moles there too.”
“Impossible, I’ll have to upload myself on the Celeste for that.”
“Good thing we’re visiting the academy then.”
“Why?” asked Sandra who wanted to go get her daughter now and not make a detour.
“You really think both your mothers will forgive me for not taking them with us to deal with Cerberus when they kidnapped their granddaughter to study her natural biotics? Especially Jen?” was his simple answer as he walked away from the holo table and exited the command room followed by his sons.
“Oh boy. They’re so fucked.” whispered Jane with a barely concealed smile and followed too.

Hackett said nothing but didn’t think any less. If Cerberus didn’t disgust him so much he would pray for their souls. Dealing with one Shepard was borderline suicide, two was actually suicide but the whole family? The thought terrified him and for a moment debated if dealing with the Reapers again was not the saner option before deciding that, yes. Yes it was.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

“We’re inside and in position. I’m currently scanning the entire complex. I sent you the map.”

The voice of EDI was heard through Rick’s helmet and he signaled the other in his team to be ready. In less than an hour they were on the Celeste, picking up Miranda and Jennifer who were both livid knowing that their granddaughter had been kidnapped and by Cerberus at that. As expected. Three hours later they arrived on a deserted planet, actually not far from the one where Rick had his bunker, the one Bahlak had taken over before being put down, him and his men. The plan was simple. Team A which included, EDI, Miranda, Tali, Matthew, Adam and Arianna, was to infiltrate the complex first and be ready to get back Erica while Cerberus was busy dealing with the frontal assault (which was a diversion) from team B which was made up of Rick, Jennifer, Dorothea, Jane, Hannah and Sandra. Leeah was on standby on the Normandy with Garrus and Anderson who were ready to cover both teams’ retreat if it was necessary.

“Roger that. We’re moving.” he answered through the coms and turned to Jen. “The honors are…” he didn’t finish his sentence as Sandra punched the heavy, very thick and very reinforced door with her biotic and made a big hole into it. Not waiting for the rest of the team she immediately went inside leaving them with an unhinged jaw. After all, Sandra was a sneaky one, just like her mother and rarely went with the explosive and noticeable way.

“...I’m so proud of our girl.”
“The part of you inside her is showing.” replied Jennifer as both went through the hole.
“That’s the Shepard gene.” corrected Hannah.
“I didn’t know that she was so powerful.” commented Jane, still in awe at her niece’s display and wondered if after all those years of training she could do something like that too as she had never tried.

It was a slaughter, pure and simple. Father and daughter were mauling down everyone and everything in their way, from the simple grunts to the latest model of atlas. Jane, Hannah and Jennifer had very little to do beside taking care off of any straggler left alive, to the latest dismay as she wanted to fuck them up too. Along the way EDI warned them that they had found Erica and had barricaded herself with her, Miranda and Arianna for security while Adam, Tali and Matthew were holding the line waiting for team B to join them. That shouldn’t have taken long with how fast Sandra and Rick were moving forward until EDI informed them that they should check a specific lab in the innermost part of the complex. Inside they found terrified scientists that had taken refuge and a gigantic glowing holo-head.

“Shepard.” the voice said.

“Holy shit, is that…”

Jane left the rest of her sentence hand in the air as she looked dumbfounded at the face of the illusive man.

“Commander. It’s been a long time.”

“How the hell are you still alive?!”
“Oh, I’m not. I’m just a copy of the mind of the one you knew as the illusive man. I was created just before he underwent his reaper augmentation at the end of the war.”
“I guess he wasn’t so sure of himself if he made you.”
“While I was a contingency and nothing more it proved…”

The TIM AI or whatever it was, stopped on the spot when he heard a very familiar song he hated almost as much as the man playing it.

“I am the very model of a scientist Salarian~…”
“No…”
“I've studied species Turian Asari and Batarian~…”
“No, no, no, no….”
“I'm quite good at genetics as a subset of biology~...”
“ENOUGH! STOP!”
“Because I am an expert which I know is a tautology~...”

On and on the song went as Rick was working on the terminal in front of the holo display. Jane couldn’t help but laugh while Jennifer and Hannah, who were holding the scientists at gunpoint, were smirking evilly. Sandra was just confused.

“Don’t! Stop it! You don’t know what you’re doing, Wald! Only I can bring humanity to the top! Only I can give it its rightful place among…”
“You should have thought of that before kidnapping my granddaughter.”

Finishing typing on the terminal, the hologram flickered erratically before disappearing. Turning toward the scientists, Rick gave them a choice.

“You’re going to die today. Have no doubt about that. The question is if it will be quick and painless or after hours of torture. I’m telling you outright, I’m about to go all medieval on each one of you in the later case.”

The dark and heavy tone he delivered his words terrified them, prompting one of them to piss himself.

____________________________________________________________

Sandra was cooing at her daughter in her arms under the watchful eyes of the rest of the family as the Normandy went back to the Celeste.
The entire Cerberus complex had been destroyed, the data of any project or research backed up and no one was left alive. Not even EDI’s ‘father’ who begged her for his life to be spared. Unfortunately for him EDI was quite beside herself in anger for both coding her like a pig and for being the one who shackled her. Among the data, they found the name of every Cerberus agent undercover in a strategic position. There weren’t many and would be easy to deal with, so were the hidden sympathizers and backers in positions of power. As for bases, the one they destroyed was the very last one active as Cerberus was only able to build this one since its public fall years ago. All in all, the xenophobic terrorist organization was dead for good though no one was a fool believing that. Cockroaches were very resilient after all. Getting back on the Cassiopeia it was decided that Erica would always be with her little sister, always being watched over by someone from the family. Sandra, having finally relented that she needed help and setting her pride aside, asked for it.

That little excursion had a not insignificant impact on Rick. To both Hackett’s joy and regret, Rick was back actively in the war. His granddaughter’s kidnapping had fanned his rage that had all been gone, replaced by tiredness after his return. Lamenting the fact that he was losing the best assistant he ever had and winning back perhaps the best soldier he ever got, the old Admiral ordered Jane to reformed the Normandy crew however she saw fit and to once more be a spearhead in war. The redhead somehow rejoiced about it, not liking being benched on the Cassiopeia for so long and just taking care of her brother. She loved it, sure but she needed action and more than just scouting like she did before.

The war took a turn for the worse for the Ketts, they just didn’t know it yet.