Keeping faith, Arc 6 of "Gone with the Sun"

Chapter 67 Crunchy credits

Cocoon

Captain John Shepard's first act on arriving back at the Normandy was to ask to speak to Hackett, with Hannah, about accommodations. Confidentially. Accordingly, the loft was the best place to meet for him, his mother, and Admiral Hackett. The little klatsch sat at table with hot drinks, mulled wine in Hannah's case.

"Where do you need me next, sir?"

The Admiral of the Fleet cocked an appraising eye.

"Are you in such a hurry to quit Earth? I had in mind a fortnight's recuperation and shore leave. You've had a busy month."

"Melbourne's fine. So is Tasmania, so is the Bay of Islands. But I'm trying to anticipate the next long absence. If I can have her with me…"

"Ah," Hackett nodded. "Senior line officers and ship commanders only."

Shepard objected: "Is this such a problem, sir? I stayed with Mom on several ships with no-one saying peep."

"It is. You are presently a Staff Captain, not a line officer, although it would be a brave lieutenant who asserted chain-of-command privileges against you. Heavy cruisers and dreadnoughts have school equipment, rooms that can be configured as crèche facilities, and tutor staff."

"Really?"

"Really. You might not have noticed the childcare facilities. Most men tend not to keep track of such things. The military is rather a cocoon – there are some who have no idea even what funds they have, so long as it's enough."

"…Right. I guess. I noticed a big increase in pay with the Captain thing. Can I give Kelly some?"

"You can. But you'll find Miranda has been generous. Though when you were reinstated your back pay was phenomenal. When did you last spend your own money on anything significant?"

"Not recently… my current account is fairly bloated and there's every so often a cryptic message about a term fund also… there was giving Kelly something to change her look, reimbursing Traynor's toothbrush. I wonder – EDI, what exactly is my bank balance?"

"I require updated authorization to access that data, Shepard. Accessing Citadel Personal Funds and Chattels Registry. Access initialized. Two JP witnesses identified present. Proceed."

Shepard knew the drill here having had to organize similar provisions for many crew-members, including EDI herself at one point.

"I, Shepard, John, Staff Captain, formally grant the AI, EDI, of Alliance SSV Normandy, personal power of attorney over liquid credit assets held by Citadel-accredited commercial credit institutions in my name."

"Witnessed, Hackett, Steven, Admiral of the Fleet."

"Witnessed, Shepard, Hannah, Staff Admiral."

"Accepted. Hannah, be advised that you also now hold both major types of power of attorney, since there is also one granted in your name for John Shepard's medical treatment and disposition of cadaver."

"Thank you EDI. When did John do that?"

"It is dated immediately before the first battle of the Citadel."

"Oh. John, that showed some forethought."

"I didn't die that time."

"Shepard, you wanted your balances."

"Please."

"There are one hundred and eighteen thousand, four hundred and twenty-four credits in your current account. Your revolving three-monthly term account holds another nine hundred and fifty thousand credits."

Shepard almost choked on his tea. "I'm a millionaire?"

"Trust me Shepard, this is small potatoes compared to Massani's retirement fund. Which just keeps getting bigger."

"You managed that?"

"I did at one point … yes, still valid, for his Citadel affairs at least. Oooh."

"Wow. Zaeed must have trusted you a lot. What did you mean, Oooh?"

"I think I'm allowed to say that he has been buying some quite expensive trinkets and paying astronomical courier fees along the Thessia chain. Including a new house in Armali, where he has a local bank account. Accounts."

"Trinkets? Massani? He won't even be IN Armali for another three years, at least."

"There are a lot of new houses in Thessia, Captain, this one is unusual because not rented. I do not say I understand it, but he is, I think, attempting to impress someone not easily impressed."

Hannah laughed. Hackett looked mystified. John looked thoughtful.

"Also I still have privileges on some of Miranda's accounts although she has requested that power of attorney for those pass to Juno next accounting cycle. THEY are many orders of magnitude bigger. Oriana has more money in her trust fund than Massani and all you three put together."

Now it was Admiral Hackett's turn to choke on his coffee. Hannah just nodded.

Teach your parents well

"Anyway, back to spacer children. Your Dad and I started out on early cruisers, almost frigates by today's standards –"

"But he was a senior line officer."

"At least by the end, yes. Besides, the rules were looser back then."

Hackett nodded. "Check the current 'Maritime Rules'–"

"I'm familiar with them sir, but the digital ink for that is five centimetres thick."

"John, our generation was comparatively new to space and making the rules as we went along, so our situation was sort of grandfathered in to every vessel I was transferred to. These days, the upshot is that for frigates and light cruisers you must be Master and Commander to have your partner and children aboard."

"Even then you must have dispensation from the Admiral of the Fleet. Which I won't give, Captain, unless I'm satisfied it's in the interests of the service."

"I see."

"And Kelly's a common-law wife only. She would have to present for examination."

"Seriously?"

"No. Well sort of. She would have to present herself – to a ranking medical officer, and the flotilla commander. Hannah?"

"I'm sure I could organize a five minute chat with Chakwas over a cup of tea. But ask Kelly to marry you."

"I dare not."

"Why not?"

"She'll say no. I guess it was a bad idea, all along. EDI, do I have enough to buy an island in the Bay? Near Russell?"

Oops

Admiral Hannah Shepard's second act on arriving back at the Normandy, after conferring with her son and Hackett, was to ask to speak to Jana. Confidentially. Accordingly, the med bay security bubble was in effect when she asked Jana to DNA-sequence the sample from the river house.

"… Doctor, I don't understand the problem. I can always bring Kelly down to provide a sample. But don't you have Kelly's DNA genome on file?"

"Not me personally, but EDI retains a copy of the genome from Kelly's tenure as comms yeoman when this was still a Cerberus vessel, yes."

"Excellent, that should work."

"I would rather keep all details of any such analysis private, Admiral. Please bring Kelly here. I can generate a new scan without involving EDI."

"… You think EDI can't be trusted. That she's not the same EDI."

"On the contrary, I am quite positive that she IS the same EDI."

"But that is – wait… you think you know something we don't about EDI. Or Kelly."

"Admiral, it is what I don't know that I fear. Is Liara available? I have tried to make an appointment but now the need is desperate."

Lucky guy, lucky girl

It took two days before Hannah could assemble a cozy little group in the apartment. Sports night followed by a goals and aims conference was the excuse; Shepard suspected his mom of sneaking in a "common-law wife" exam, but shrugged it off.

There were other developments. Oriana was able to resume concierge duties. In particular,she had the library set up with an AI relay for Glyph, at Liara's request – EDI would be present in the person of her mobile, but Perseus did not yet have one.

Miranda had also put Oriana in charge of Kelly's exercise program. New mom was visibly wilting after a long yoga session in Normandy's loft, so at Hannah's instigation Kelly went shopping with Ori and EDI ("You're shopping on the arcade? Take Kelly.")

They completed retail therapy at 1600 hours, escorting Kelly and Felicia back in a stroller (a fairly frequent sight in Bachjret and Tayseri Wards, but, like fat people, rarely seen on the Presidium). EDI had bought some sort of engineering kit on wheels and deposited it by the door. When asked she simply said it was for John.

Liara, unusually, started teasing Oriana a little for breaking up with Jason Prangley on hearing the Gossimah family had survived on Illium. Poor girl was flushing pink at some of the Shadow Broker's insinuations, but hiding any real embarrassment well.

Shepard noticed the biotic kids were tactfully finding other things to do – there was some sort of story there: Sanders muttering darkly about bloody Lawson heart-breakers, Jack not unhappy because one Rodriguez was very happy. She'd cried the first night Prangley stayed over.

"So. We're all here?" – asked Hackett. EDI, Hannah and John Shepard, Liara (with Glyph on the piano), Kelly, and Oriana were relaxing in front of the vidscreen.

"Evening sir. Jana's finishing up but she's on the way. She's bringing Chloe."

"Can't start before they're here. I'll get us a drink, Hannah."

They had been watching the news, which carried an update on the Palaven chain progress, but switched over to biotiball after the home front headlines. Even Liara was wistfully following the play, till Hackett called them to order.

"Sorry about the sports on the TV, the news was a bit… dire. "

"It's not good in Africa or Asia, no."

Hackett took a seat to one side of the sofa. "And it's damn patchy everywhere else."

"It did say agriculture is picking up now the dust winter is diminished. Especially down under. Australia is the biggest source of CHON base stocks in the southern hemisphere now, more than Chile. It could be years before the Argentine recovers."

The harvests in the winter following the Reapers had been bad, mostly from lack of farmers and mechs, partly from low insolation – impact dust reducing solar energy striking the fields.

Hannah, with toddy, came up alongside where Shepard sat; "Oz has always been…"

Shepard was still weary from his last gym session under Oriana's auspices, but finished the thought: "A lucky country?"

"Till now."

"Well yes, but there's still some civilization there." remarked Hannah. "Oriana, did Overlord get away on time?" (Miranda was now on the way to the Nest fleet.)

She nodded. "Randa says, see you in a year."

"Catch you later, Ori."

Oriana gave Shepard a gentle smile and retreated. She was supposed to be heading out in five months herself, after completing her Westerlund internship. Poor girl would be embedding on Overlord for the last two N-chain relay installs.

Too bad: he enjoyed her company. Now he and Kelly would have to exercise with Jack and Sanders, unless they visited Overlord themselves.

"Can't call Australia lucky, Hannah," said Hackett. "Ninety percent fatalities."

She winced, and sighed: "Yes, I know. Even worse in EnZed, with essentially no armed forces, no air force at all, and only the countryside had guns. Vermin rifles mostly, some pig guns. To survive you had to go bush."

"Oh boy. Well then, sir, how did the Aussies preserve their army and fleet in being?"

"The interior red desert sheltered the ground and tac air forces in old mines re-purposed as bunkers, especially around Coober Pedy. So the first reaper landings there failed big time – they got nuked in the desert, after Adelaide."

"Missiles?"– asked Shepard. "We had trouble getting guidance to work."

"The Russians showed the way. Pop-up nuclear mines. Hang a fake armored formation out as bait…"

"… and wait for the Reapers walk towards them. I see."

"We'll make a general of you yet, Shepard."

Next chapter: #68, "Arm'd with more than complete steel"

Tuesday, August 4, 2015