Wherever You Go, There You Are

[Kinsey Calhoun]

“Could the Ryder family tree get anymore complicated?” Kiera inquired with a shake of her head. “Jason’s cousin just became his father in law.”

[Ezekiel Ryder]

"Any more weird than us?" Ezekiel chuckled nervously. "I do hope you're still planning on some college. You're going to regret it if you don't do it. Besides, it'd be cool to see you at that first graduating class of Xenex University. Not like you're paying for tuition... like we had to on Terra Alpha. Never did get the ceremony because the Imperium bombed the shit out of the arena. Knew we should have gone where Ethan went. But I am not a Husky..." he put his hand on her's. "You're going to be a great mom... but seriously... tell Jack. And your mom... and well grandmother I think... that message was kinda hard to understand, course Jack is always hard to understand when he's excited. Known him my entire life and I still can't translate 'Jack-speak' all the time. You do a better job honestly."

[Kinsey Calhoun]

“I suppose my own family tree is complicated.” Kiera said with a chuckle. “My sister is my mom and I don’t know. I never really thought of Kinsey as anything other then my sister. Xenexian laws are old and I’m glad that’s one we got rid of.”

[Ezekiel Ryder]

"Yeah, things needed to change... and hey first time in a looong time we've actually a civilization that people WANT to work with again." He replied and glanced at the console. "Let's see if this new shuttle engine mod works, because that'll help us even more... these damn sandstorms won't cut off our visitors and supplies." he tapped a few controls and special shutters deployed over the engine manifolds and around the windows, blocking them and then replacing the view with a holographically projection of the outside. "So far so good... we're going right through the storm and we're not losing power. RCS thrusters are working like a dream... guess they finally figured it out!" he tapped the comm panel. "This is Shuttle Gor'ath... we're about five minutes from your cave... and wow... your shuttle's already half buried in the sand. I hope you closed all the hatches."

"Of course, I don't feel like diggin' it out again like the last time." Jack replied.

"We'll tow it out when we leave. Look for us, we'll park the aft as close to the cave edge as we can." Ezekiel said and cleared his throat. "Oh and the Pit energies are dying down so we're in no danger of being sucked back in."

"That is very good news." Jack said with a smile. "So is my Kiera with you?"

"Indeed she is... and she's got a few things to discuss with you and Aunt Kinsey." he cleared his throat. "Don't you Kiera?"

[Kinsey Calhoun]

“Of course.” Kiera said cheerfully as she glared at Zeke.

“It looks like we’re having a family meeting then.” Kinsey said with a glance at her mother. “We have something’s to talk about as well. Zeke make sure your Keira is there too.”

[Ezekiel Ryder]

"Yeah sounds like we've all got things to talk about." Ezekiel said and gave Kiera a wink. "I'd get back in the cave a little, might dust up a bit when we land."

-- Later

Zeke helped Tali'Zorha and Kinsey into the shuttle and managed to lock a tractor beam onto Jack's shuttle. "Huh... guess the lips are genetic after all." he mused when he looked at Kinsey's mother. "I remember some of the old Byron crew thinking you had them injected. Kept telling them 'she's not that vain'."

"It's from my father's side of the family. My mother hated her thin lips. Always looked stern when she didn't mean to be." Tali'Zorha said with a smile and cocked her head slightly. "So are you just old for your age, because she looks way too young for you."

"My version of her is back at the HQ." Zeke chuckled lightly. "Trust me, I don't touch this version of my wife."

"No one would blame you if you did... we used to have arranged marriages as young as twelve.' Tali shrugged her shoulders. "But they never worked out so the practice wasn't super effective. Unless you were marrying into a ruling class then well... all bets were off." she looked at Kiera and Kinsey. "So... you're 'sister's huh?"

[Kinsey Calhoun]

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Kiera inquired with a raised eyebrow. “We share the same mother.”

“About that...” Kinsey said looking over at her mother.

“About what?” Kiera said sounding annoyed. She hated it when Kinsey wouldn’t just come out and say something. She always dragged it out. “Just say it.”

“We don’t share the same mother.” Kinsey said looming over at Tali. “Tali’Zorha is my mother.”

Kiera looked at them dumbfounded glancing back and forth between them. She could see the resemblance but her mother has always told her about her sister K’n’zy and never anything good.

“You’re lying.” Keira replied quietly as she took a step back from them.

[Tali’Zorha]

"I'm not." Tali said softly and gestured to a small pile of sand that they had tracked in and made a little tornado with it. "I gave birth to K'n'zy... and... her father's family wanted him to be with your mother. Took her away from me. Course, she always had a thing for Ker'ken... it was a messy situation, K'n'zy was only a baby when they forced me into the desert and then well... I got sucked into the pit and bounced around numerous realities until I finally managed to get back here." she looked at Kiera. "From what Jack has told me about you... you seem like a much better head of the Condacin clan than your father was. Condacins were always a bit... " she bit her lower lip. "Not the greatest of us."

[Kinsey Calhoun]

Kinsey took a step closer, “You’re still my sister and you’re still part of this family. It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s by blood or not and there isn’t anything you can say or do that will change that.”

“I’m pregnant.” Kiera informed them as she took a step towards Zeke.

[Tali’Zorha]

"Not with his I hope?" Tali raised an eyebrow at the older, bearded man.

"Oh hell no... younger me is the father." Zeke said.

"So what happened to waiting until next year?" Jack cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "Oh whatever... I'm amazed you two held off as long as you did! Get over here and give me a hug! I'm still proud of you, that'll never change."

Tali whispered to Kinsey. "I can see why you chose him as your mate. He doesn't get mad... "