One Year Later

The corvette Sperare settled to onto the landing pad of rough concrete with a jolt that shuddered through its core all the way to the cockpit.

"Easy," Susan Rizzi-Wu said. "You're going to scare the passengers."

Elijah Wu released the controls and sat back with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, got a little carried away again."

Susan laughed gently as she tapped at the deployment ramp controls. "Just because we can do planetary dives doesn't mean we should, especially with a hold full of kids. If they made a mess in there, you're cleaning it up."

"I suspect I'll be doing a lot of that in the future," he said, unbuckling his restraints.

"It's a joint venture." Susan's hand went to her abdomen, a habit she'd developed recently.

"Yeah." Elijah reached over, took her hand, and squeezed gently.

Susan returned the squeeze for a moment before undoing her own harness straps. "Come on, let's let them out."

"Good idea."

They left the little control center and walked down to the converted passenger bay. Here the noise level was a constant racket with a dozen children strapped in to crash couches, all talking and shouting over each other. The mixed group of war orphans came from different species and backgrounds – human, batarian, turian, asari. The range of ages ran from an asari barely older than a toddler to a quiet batarian preteen. She and Elijah had broken up more than one argument during the five day journey from the Caleston Rift.

It was a miracle they'd gotten to the sanctuary facility in time. Large parts of the relay network were still down, despite the combined efforts of the galaxy's races. Connections between homeworlds had been reestablished first, but many swaths of the galaxy could now only be reached via the comparative crawl of traditional FTL. Fortunately for the shelter on Sinmara, the Caleston relay was intermittently operational. Susan and Elijah had raced through, delivering supplies and getting some of the children out as slower ships moved in for a larger evacuation.

Right now those children were clamoring for one thing: getting off the ship they'd been cooped up in for the better part of a week.

Susan moved over to the door controls as Elijah helped the youngest ones with the safety straps and tried to get the kids to settle down. The inner double doors opened with a quiet whirr and the chilly early evening air of London swept in. She strode down the ramp, grateful for her long coat, and nodded to the man and woman standing at the bottom.

"Are you with the Shepards orphanage?"

"That's us," the man said. He held a data pad out to Susan. "You'll need to fill out some forms."

The woman waved to the children as Elijah brought them down the ramp. She introduced herself before leading them to a nearby bus with 'SHEPARDS' emblazoned on the side and curiously, an N7 logo. Susan smiled to herself as she did the paperwork; Elijah carried the little asari girl through the air with both hands so that she shrieked and giggled. The blond haired man kept looking at her curiously as she finished the forms and handed the pad back.

He flicked through them quickly, then straightened and looked back at her. "Aha! I knew it! It's you!"

Susan blinked. "What?"

"The 'Furious Graal!' Oh!" He beamed at her. "You're the one who saved Shepard!"

"No, we just found him." Susan mentally sighed at the picture one of the operatives had taken of her by the critically wounded Shepard. She'd tried to avoid the public eye after that. "Doctor Michel is the one who performed the emergency surgery-"

"The galaxy owes you a debt of eternal gratitude!" He continued like she hadn't said anything, and seized her hand with both of his, shaking it enthusiastically. "I am so honored to-"

"Conrad!" The woman walked over, a look of fond exasperation on her face.

"Sorry, sorry!" He released Susan's hand. "Jenna, this is-"

"Susan Rizzi, I heard. Sorry about this," she said. "Conrad can get a little batty about all things Commander Shepard."

"She's-"

"I know. Go meet the children, Conrad."

"Oh, right! Of course!" Conrad rushed off towards the bus, leaving Susan with Jenna.

"I'm sorry," Jenna said again. "He's got a good heart, really. He's just-"

"It's okay," Susan said. She forced a smile. "I'm flattered."

"Sure." Jenna looked at her with quiet insight. "You want to say bye to the kids?"

"Yeah." She nodded and followed Jenna towards the bus, trying to shake off the memories of those times she jolted awake in the middle of the night covered in cold sweat in the weeks and months following the war's end.

The orphanage bus was receding in the distance by the time Susan got a good look at their surroundings. Their ship – their home – sat on one slot of a wide concrete pad. A half-dozen other small ships and shuttles rested in other spots around a squat central bunker. Stretching out past them lay the bulk of the city. London still bore the marks of the Reapers; demolished and holed buildings stood mixed with the shining spars of fresh construction.

She looked over at one particular edifice going up in the distance; wide and circular at the base, the skeleton of an immense tower rose up from one end with a platform of some kind jutting out near the base. When finished it would dwarf the surrounding structures. Elijah came up and hugged her gently from behind.

"Think it'll ever be the same again?" he said.

"I'd hope not, after everything that's happened. We'll have to see, won't we?"

"Yes, we will."

The crunch of footsteps sounded behind them. The couple turned to see Lisa Marx and Maiena K'Thane approaching them, kitbags slung over shoulders. "Looks like our ride's here," Lisa said, and wrapped Susan in a bear hug. She'd barely let go before Maiena did the same.

"You look good," Susan said, "both of you."

Lisa grinned as she straightened her uniform, showing off the N7 patch above her right breast. "Same goes for you two. You've been out of touch for a while."

"Comm buoys in our region of space were down." Elijah said.

"Ah. A lot of them are still down, huh?"

"Yup. We actually spent a few weeks running parts out to repair them. Congratulations on finishing the N7 program, by the way."

"Thanks." Lisa shrugged. "Honestly, I think a lot of it was mostly formality. Everyone was a vet of the Reapers. There's not much they can challenge us with past that."

"I suppose that's true. Still, you earned it."

"And you, Maiena?" Susan asked. "How've have you been?"

"Quite well." The asari smoothed her long gown. "I've been serving as a biotics instructor with the N7 program. I'm a little surprised they didn't offer you such a post."

"Who says they didn't?" Susan's smile faded a little. "We… we needed a change after the war."

"I track that," Lisa said. "This trip out to Rannoch must be hard for you then – the geth memorial opening and all?"

"They deserve it," Susan said. "I just wonder if those other androids will get the attention they deserve."

"I'm sure they will. I heard one of the quarian admirals was in pretty tight with one."

"Vael as well," Maiena said. "She has been splitting her time between the memorial on Rannoch and working on the Citadel here. I'm certain Naomi and her kin will be appropriately honored."

"It'll be good to see them again," Susan said. "Maletha and Felix. It's been too long."

"Speaking of Rannoch," Lisa said, "are we going in that?" She nodded towards their ship, an appreciative gleam in her eye. "She's a beauty… when you said you'd gotten a ship, I thought you meant some old tramp freighter."

"It's a joint salarian and asari design," Elijah said. "A new covert corvette intended for deep infiltration and independent operations. They were just rolling them out when the war ended."

"How'd you even get your hands on something like this?"

Susan chuckled. "One of the asari we evacuated off Thessia – Irila's aunt – worked on the design. She hooked us up."

"Very nice," Lisa said. "Flying around the galaxy, huh?"

"It's nice to get back sometimes," Susan admitted. "To the people, especially. And to see how the rebuilding is coming along. Like that, for instance." She nodded towards the massive building in the distance. "Whatever it is."

"We've only been in the city a few days so we haven't had a chance to visit yet, but… well, you'll see in a bit once it gets darker," she said, glancing at the fading light. "I hear they're working on ramping it up, maybe to the point of keeping it always on someday."

"The what?" Elijah said.

"It should be any moment now," Maiena said as the last of the light slipped towards the horizon and the shadows deepened. Lights in the buildings around them blinked on.

Then came the brightest light.

An incandescent blue glow erupted from the base of the stadium-like structure. The light pulsed and flared once before directing itself upwards in an endless beam, passing through the extended platform. It lanced up into the sky as far as the eye could see.

Susan's jaw dropped. "Is that… the transit beam?"

"Still goes to the Citadel," Lisa said, "a memorial of our own. They kept the ground leading up to the beam the same. I understand it was pretty brutal."

"I'm sure," Susan said, thinking back to Shepard's horrendous wounds. She stared out at the beam in the distance; it lit the surrounding city with a gentle blue glow. "It feels so different from before."

"That is good," Maiena said. "Hopefully this means you will stay in the accessible regions of space more often now?"

"We…" Elijah smiled. "There's a good chance of that in the near future. Come on; let's get your stuff stashed."

Susan waited outside, looking around and breathing in the chilling air as he led Lisa and Maiena up the ramp into their ship. This was her first time on Earth in… months, she realized. The transit beam drew her eye like a beacon from the heavens. Bathed in the light the city looked remarkably peaceful, even the still-ruined buildings.

She bent down, stroked her fingertips over the rough concrete. "We'll be back later."

Elijah was in the middle of showing the others around when she reentered the Sperare and headed through the forward bay. Their bags were in the little bunkroom opposite the one she and Elijah had converted into their bedroom. The people themselves were just leaving the armory and heading up to the cockpit.

"Nice," Lisa said as they entered the ship's nervous center. "Leather seats come standard?"

"Asari design," Maiena said.

"Right, you like your leather." Lisa ran a hand over the weapons console. "This baby's armed?"

"Enough to take on a frigate," Elijah said. "No Thanix systems, but we do have launch racks for torpedoes and a point defense system."

"Sweet…"

"And no," Susan said, entering the cockpit, "we're not starting your pirate band."

"What a shame…"

"I'll start the pre-flight checks," Elijah said. "We'll be on Rannoch in no time."

"Oh, that reminds me." Lisa ran out of the cockpit.

Maiena settled down into one of the acceleration couches. "This is a lovely home."

"Thanks," Elijah said. "You know you're both welcome at any time."

Lisa reentered the cockpit with a bottle and a quartet of thimble glasses in hand. "So one of the guys in my N7 group managed to get his hands on a stash of Eden Prime brandy. Last of the pre-war vintages. I know we'll be doing this again soon on Rannoch, but I figured we could have a toast before first to lost friends."

"I like that thought," Susan said, "but no drink for me, please."

"What?" Lisa quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well," Susan pointed to her belly. "Actually…"

"No."

"Yes."

"Really?" Lisa looked back and forth between Susan and Elijah, who were both smiling. "Wow! You don't look- How long?"

"Nearly seven weeks," Elijah said. "We found out about two weeks ago during a medical screening after getting back from a rescue job to a lost colony. Scared both of us. And honestly, I'm not quite sure it's entirely sunk in yet."

Lisa laughed, set the bottle and glasses aside, and hugged Susan again. "That's great!"

"Thanks," Susan said with a laugh of her own. "But just you wait until we get Aunty Lisa to babysit."

"'Aunty Lisa?' Ha! You know I'm going to be a terrible influence on the kid, right?"

"I know. Just… no demolitions lessons before five, okay?"

"No guarantees." She released Susan and grabbed the bottle again. "So, a toast to lost friends and new families then."

Maiena moved in and embraced Susan as well. "So, not sterile after all," she said quietly.

"I guess not," Susan said.

"I am glad for you. And I would be glad to help watch the child whenever you need." She glanced at Lisa for a quick second. "It may be good practice for one day."

"Thanks, Maiena."

"Don't give her any ideas," Lisa said, handing glasses of the fine spirit to everyone who wasn't pregnant. "Not just yet, anyways."

"We'll see," Elijah said as he activated the engines. They came on with a gentle, almost musical hum.

"Oh, that's a beautiful noise."

"It gets better." The hum rose to a throaty purr as the Sperare lifted off into the dark sky.

"What comes next for you after Rannoch?" Maiena asked. "Back to relief work among the colonies?"

"Not right away," Susan said. "Admiral Hackett is putting together a task force: some kind of joint exploration mission. They're looking for volunteers."

"One of the relay repair teams just successfully connected to the Mu Relay," Elijah said, working the controls. "They sent a scout through and discovered a connection to another relay somewhere out there."

"A new one?" Maiena said.

Susan nodded. "From what they can tell, yes. Rumor is the Normandy will be leading the group. We go out and survey a bit, try to locate some more resources for the reconstruction."

"An exploration mission?" Lisa said.

"Yeah. With so many relays down and regions lost-"

"And the turmoil from the Reapers," Elijah added.

"-and that," Susan said. "It's a new frontier out there. It's filled with wonders, too. The stellar nurseries of the Silean Nebula. The ice ring of Sesmose."

"The light rings on Chasca."

"Yes! Oh, those were amazing! And flying through Illapa's upper atmosphere."

"Sounds like you've seen some amazing things out there," Lisa said.

"And there's still so much more." Susan looked at her husband, at her friends, and smiled widely. "But what makes it all the better is sharing it with the people you love."

Her gaze drifted outwards to the sweeping bank of viewports, out to the ruined city drifting away beneath them still in the process of rebuilding. The bright beam lancing upwards towards the Citadel grabbed her attention. She imagined she could almost see the station from here, remembered the horrors and the sacrifices of the last hours.

Susan let her mind drift back over the war again, thinking of everyone and everything she'd lost. Of the new bonds forged through the crucible of the apocalyptic war: love and friendships, family and home.

She took the copilot's seat, still smiling, and took Elijah's hand. She glanced back to see Lisa drop into the gunnery chair. "Try not to shoot anything," she said as the Infiltrator practically rubbed her hands together in glee.

"I'll resist the urge. Maybe."

Susan laughed. "It's good to be home."

Her hand slipped to her belly and she thought of the new life growing within her, like the seeds of rebirth just beginning to sprout throughout the galaxy. She turned her gaze upwards, past the beacon of light. The Sperare soared up, following the course of the bright blue beam as they powered out towards space.

Her gaze and her thoughts slipped past the beam, out to the black.

To the wonders among the stars.

To the promises of the future.

Author's Note:

And that's all, folks. Wow...

This entire story and its process has been a labor of love and learning - an incredibly satisfying one at that. It's been absolutely fascinating to me how characters take on lives and personalities on their own and run off in my head and do their own things.

A great big heartfelt thank you to those who've reviewed, offered comments, support, and suggestions. I can only hope the experience of reading this has been as enjoyable for you as writing it has been for me.

And for all the readers out there, I sincerely hope this story has captured a fraction of the magic the Mass Effect series offered.