Galvus was working on his homework when Garrus and Aster joined the rest of the family in the living room.
Aster put the plate of snacks next to him.
"Why don't you make yourself at home?" Aster said, looking at the Vakarian family. "I'm going to shower and get dinner started."
"Don't worry, Auntie," Galvus spoke up. "I'll work on my homework and be on my best behavior."
Aster nodded and went to her bedroom to grab her shower bag.
'Don't worry,' SAM interjected. 'I'll keep an eye out for them. I'm sure they are happy to see you.'
'I'm not worried about them,' Aster countered. 'I'm more worried about Camelea trying to take Galvus off planet when they leave.'
'That may not be impossible,' SAM stated. 'I don't think his mother would miss him.'
'How can you say that?!' Aster gasped. 'Of course she would miss him.'
'Well, she's leaving Omega,' SAM informed her. 'She's got a bag packed and is boarding a passenger transport.'
'WHAT?!' Aster exclaimed. 'What ship is she on?'
'The class 1 passenger ship.'
Aster hurried out of the bedroom.
"Aster-"
Aster heard Garrus, but she didn't stop. As soon as she was out the door, she was sprinting. The clean streets blurred past until she grabbed a transport to the docks.
She dodged a charging vorcha, sidestepped a sputtering exhaust pipe, her mind a whirlwind of frantic thoughts. Why would Galvus' mother leave him?
Aster burst onto the main cargo bay, the air thick with the smell of ozone and exhaust. A small, battered freighter, one of the smaller, faster models, was preparing for launch. A familiar streak of azure armor was just disappearing up the ramp.
"Vilia!" Aster bellowed, his voice raw. "VILIA, WAIT!"
The figure paused, and for a split second, Aster saw her. Her shoulders slumped, a fleeting moment of hesitation. Then, the ramp began to retract, slowly, inexorably.
Aster scrambled, shoving past a baffled krogan, his hand outstretched. "VILIA! HE'S TEN! YOU CAN'T—"
But the ramp closed with a definitive hiss, sealing away the last glimpse of the turian. The freighter's engines flared, a deafening roar that vibrated through Aster's bones, and then, with a lurch, it ascended, a speck against the perpetually smoggy sky of Omega, leaving Aster alone on the dock, her hand still outstretched.
'SAM, I need you to track her,' Aster stated, catching her breath. 'I need to know where she is headed.'
"Aster," a voice called out behind her.
Aster turned and saw Garrus running toward her.
"Are you ok?" he asked, stopping in front of her. "What happened?"
"Galvus's mother left Omega," Aster explained. "She left him behind."
"What?!" Garrus asked, shocked at the news.
'SAM! Where is she headed?!' Aster exclaimed.
'She's taken an unmarked ship. There are no flight records. The pilot didn't log their destination,' SAM stated. 'I won't be able to track it for long. Once it reaches the relay, the ship will be out of range.'
'SAM, find out whathappened,' Aster said.
"Come on," Garrus said, taking her hand. "Let's head back. I'll see if Omega Police can help us out."
Aster reluctantly agreed.
When Aster and Garrus returned, Camelea and Castis didn't ask what had happened. Seeing Aster rush out the door had alerted them that something must have happened.
"Auntie?" Gavlus asked, seeing her walk in.
Aster almost shed a few tears. How was she going to tell him he had been abandoned?
"I'm going to hop in the shower," Aster said in a low voice. "I'll get dinner started in a bit."
After her quick shower, Aster was in the kitchen cooking a type of turian soup. She didn't know what it was called or what had gone in it. Her mind was busy thinking of ways to let Galvus know that his mother had left him.
She stirred the broth, the ladle scraping against the pot's bottom with a repetitive, almost aggressive rhythm.
'How could she?'
Aster's hand paused.
'Just leaving like that? A Turian mother?
The very idea felt ridiculous. From what she knew about Turians, they were structured, duty-bound. Family, particularly a mother's role in raising the next generation of soldiers and citizens, was the most important. Abandonment was a societal blasphemy.
"Aster, dear, do you need help?" Camelea asked, walking into the kitchen.
Aster blinked, finally noticing the faint burn of the broth clinging to the pot.
"It's ok, I got it," she said, a little too loud.
She stirred the pot again.
'SAM, has there been any news?' Aster asked.
'I'm still searching,' SAM replied. 'Garrus is speaking to Omega Police. He's filed a report.'
By the time Garrus was getting back, Aster had everything finished for dinner.
"Dinner is ready," Aster called out.
For once, Aster was grateful that Camelea had decided to run with the idea that Galvus was her grandchild. She wasn't ready to tell Gavlus what had happened.
"Auntie," Galvus said, drinking his soup enthusiastically. "This is the best soup I've ever had!"
"There's plenty if you want more," Aster replied, smiling.
Gavlus continued eating, completely oblivious to what was happening with his mother.
**
Aster sat on the sofa with Garrus and his parents after putting Galvus to sleep.
"I can't believe she left," Camelea was saying. "What did the Police say?"
"That they would look into it," Garrus answered, shaking his head. "I stopped by the apartment, but I didn't find any clues."
"This is unheard of," Castis commented deep in thought.
"What are you going to do?" Camelea asked, looking at Aster. "Do you know if he has other family around?"
"I'm not sure," Aster admitted. "I never expected anything like this to happen."
"Why don't we head to Palaven?" Castis asked. "We can search the Heiarchy archives for any relatives."
"Am I allowed on Palaven?" Aster questioned. "I didn't think humans would be granted permission-"
"We need to register your marriage under the Vakarian records," Castis replied. "We can take this time to add you to the records and look for any relatives for Galvus."
Aster was speechless. She would never have thought Castis would be ok with registering a human under his family records.
"We can leave tomorrow morning," Garrus said. "There's a transport heading to Palaven."
"Ok," Aster said, thankful there was a way to help Galvus.