[Eden Prime- West Constant] Expect the Unexpected

The trip was a last minute plan. Something of just a few days, let the boy see what a planet other than Earth looks like. Sarah had been to Eden Prime exactly twice in her life, and both moments were fleeting at the very best. Arriving at the military base, the woman gave her military ID and was guided through the transport with her travel bag of belongings.

A local hotel room was booked. It was just for a day at least and three days at most. Sarah eventually was given the information she requested by personnel, and found herself in due time in front of the King residence. A fist knocked against the front door, sliding a gold and grey bracelet down a bare wrist. Sarah glanced over to her side and whispered to the baby in the carriage.

"Hey, be cool, she's a friend of mine."

It was the good doctor who answered the door, still dressed in work clothes with a name badge of 'Doctor Kaseka Hayeus-King' on her collar. A quizzical caste on her face, she looked Sarah over, lingering on the baby and asked, "Hi, can I help you?"

For at that moment in time Nat was lying on her back in her loungeroom with her daughter perched on her torso. It would be hell to get up, but she didn't mind.

"Daddy!" Shiori said very seriously, poking her in the collarbone. The two year old was getting heavy, but her fingers were still very blue and very pudgy.

"Yep, that's me."

"Ice cweem," The little year old decided. It was hard, trying to raise her bilingually. Kaseka and Nat did their best to speak in Calabsan Serrican around her, but Hope only spoke English and Nat's pronunciation

wasn't great.

"Kiddo, I don't think your mother would like that."

The kid pouted. Kaseka valiantly resisted to toss over her shoulder, oh yeah, make me the mean parent.

"Doctor Hayeus-King, I'm Sarah- A friend of Natalie's. I was in the sector of the galaxy and thought I'd pop in. Don't worry, I'm a creep from the extranet. I'm sorry to pop in uninvited." She clasped her hands together. "I came to see you guys, I thought it would be a surprise, I'm not sure if Natalie ever mentioned me." She held her hands neatly over her stomach, fingers interlocked.

She gauged the a Asari for a response and adjusted the strap of her tank top, her golden hair frazzled by the day's travel. The three-month old baby in the nearby carriage was alert and eyes-wide, swinging his hands wildly in recognition of 'blue person'.

Kaseka blinked a few times, eyes softening when they touched on the baby boy, "I believe she has. Please, come in. You're lucky enough to catch her when she's not working." A fond look of disapproval as the asari stepped aside, "Nat! A friend of yours is here." To Sarah, "A pleasure to meet you." She gestured for her to come inside.

The house was small but homely. Aside from Nat lying on the ground with Shiori in the loungeroom, Hope King was perched on the couch, tapping on her omnitool. She briefly looked up, said 'Hi.' And went back to playing.

"What was that? Oh. Hi Sarah, whatcha doing here?"

It was extraordinarily difficult to look dignified on the ground with a two year old sitting triumphantly on your stomach, organic hand and cybernetic one knotted behind a mess of red hair, but Nat did her best.

"Surprise." Sarah stated flatly, throwing her arms up into the air and wiggling her fingers before looking over the woman and the triumphant asari toddler. "I'd never visited, and I remembered relay travel was more or less instantaneous. I wanted to introduce my boy to friendly faces, so, here I am." She stepped over to the nearby carriage, removed a harness and slipped it on, and strapped her son in, so that he was facing away from her chest, all the better to see the King household.

"Doctor King, I've heard quite a bit about you but I'd never had the pleasure." She took the woman's hand and gave it a gentle shake. "This little fart is Albert, my son and future galactic conqueror."