Anderson's alive? Shepard survived the destroy ending? Mass relays are perfectly fine? *slaps on bandaid* LALALALALA not listening. Still haven't checked out the actual OFFICIAL 'bandaid' yet though.
I remember reading something that suggested Alenko's ranked higher than Shepard. Don't care that it's likely very much not true but for this fic, IT IS. And I thought it was totally awesome that my pining, gay, very-hot-default John Shepard could finally romance Alenko. Thank you Bioware. I do love you forever for that. And dude, the bromance date with Garrus. Thank you Bioware. Love you long time.
Alliance Regs
Shepard stared at the Captain, too taken off guard to feel much of anything. "You're fucking with me, sir. Obviously. Why did you come all this way to fuck with me?"
Anderson crossed his arms but met the Commander's gaze without flinching. "If I had it my way this wouldn't be happening, believe me."
Shepard jerked his head to the holographic images of the Council watching them curiously, the Captain having interrupted Shepard's meeting with them regarding options for Humanity's new post-war Councillor. "They know about this?"
"Not yet," Anderson looked uncomfortable for a moment. "The whole galaxy's going to know about it by tomorrow, Shepard."
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. It seemed ironic to think he might be taken down not by death or war or reapers, but by goddamn Alliance regulation red fucking tape.
"This is ridiculous," Shepard scowled, slanting a sharp glare at his superior's boots. "Where's Kaidan?"
"They've already brought him in. The Major came without a fuss and I recommend following suit. This should be cut 'n dry but I'm anticipating that it has the potential to get…messy."
The Commander stewed silently for a long moment before postponing the Council meeting indefinitely.
"This is ridiculous," he repeated heatedly as he matched the Captain's long stride to a waiting shuttle. "If the brass was going to kick up a stink about it, why wait almost a year after the war?"
Anderson snorted. "Give a chance for your hero status to die down a bit, I'd wager. Rules are rules, Shepard, and you've broken them."
"Pfft," he couldn't hold back his derision. "I broke a shit ton of rules and it saved lives. Doesn't that count for something?"
"Yes, well you know how the Alliance likes to police its more traditional regs with gusto, and these days the media has painted a rather fine target on the back of your head. This will blow over but it's time to tread carefully."
"Yes sir."
-OOO-
The shuttle ride didn't take long and they arrived at Alliance HQ within the hour. It didn't feel like anything more than a minor formality to Shepard.
It was stupid. It was inconvenient. It was pointless.
He imagined a slap on the wrist at worst considering the billions of credits of collateral damage that was likely filling his file to bursting. There were so many other – more severe – breaches of regulation that the brass could pin on him that this seemed utterly ludicrous.
"They didn't want to delay the hearing so we're running late," Anderson explained as they were stopped at security. "I don't like how this is being handled. Be careful and keep your head, Shepard."
Shepard didn't like the sound of that but strode through the door the Captain held open for him with his shoulders set, ready for anything as if he were walking into a warzone.
"I'll catch up with you afterwards."
He nodded at his superior before approaching the judge's bench, offering a sharp salute.
"Lieutenant Commander Shepard," the judge motioned for him to sit. "I understand you came as soon as you were able. Please take a seat and we shall bring you up to speed on the proceedings."
Shepard frowned at the emphasis on his full rank in that it was mentioned at all. He had never been officially promoted all those years ago when he replaced Captain Anderson at the helm of the Normandy, and he didn't like how that seemed important now.
As he sat he caught sight of Kaidan on the other side of the room but the man didn't react, facing forward like a statue. Pale and, Shepard could tell from this angle, troubled with the way his jaw was clenched and lips pressed tight.
Shepard didn't like this. There was something more to it.
"Lieutenant Commander John Shepard," a greying man, a lawyer, in full dress uniform spoke two seats from his left. "The Code of Conduct clearly states that fraternisation between Alliance employees, irrespective of their employed capacity, is strictly prohibited and punishable to the full extent of the law. The court holds irrefutable evidence that you and Major Kaidan Alenko have been in breach of Alliance regulation for-" he glanced down at a datapad "-fifteen months and twelve days. Major Alenko has pleaded guilty. How do you plead?"
Shepard almost wanted to laugh. They hadn't bothered hiding their relationship and for good reason. He had already died once, and then very nearly a second time during the reaper assault. Any time snatched with Kaidan was precious, worth holding on to and certainly worth more than hiding away like a dirty secret, and he didn't giving a flying fuck who knew it. The more the better, the Commander thought.
"Guilty."
What was the worst the court would do to them, Shepard thought reasonably. They were saviours of the galaxy, for fuck's sake!
He relaxed in his seat slightly. Maybe a formal dressing down. A public apology. A black mark against his not so pristine record. There wasn't much they could do that worried Shepard.
Until the man kept speaking.
"As the court is aware, Major Alenko is both Lieutenant Commander Shepard's senior and superior."
Shepard stiffened and told himself not to look at Kaidan.
"There is sufficient evidence to indicate that the Major abused his authority and relationship to influence and manipulate the Lieutenant Commander to further his career. We ask that the court takes this case to trial to-"
Shepard didn't hear the rest of whatever the hell was being said. He stood up and could practically hear Captain Anderson shake his head somewhere at the back of the room, but how was he supposed to just let this crap slide?
"What the shit," Shepard interrupted very clearly, "is this bullshit?"
-OOO-
"That was about when it all went downhill," he told Garrus later. "And now I'm spending the night in custody at the precinct and the trial starts tomorrow. I was allowed one call and you're it."
"I'm honoured," Garrus's holographic image flickered as he chuckled. "I hear you may have threatened dismemberment to several officers."
"That's entirely exaggerated. It was only the one."
"Because he looked at the Major wrong?"
Shepard crossed his arms and lifted his chin defiantly. "Well of course it sounds crazy when you say it like that."
Garrus shook his head, his mandibles twitching. "I don't understand. Anyone who knows Alenko knows he's an honourable human. What is the basis of the accusations? What evidence do they have?"
"I don't even know," he shrugged jerkily, agitated. "Whatever they do have is bullshit, obviously. I can deal with the consequences for breaking fraternisation regs, but this is just a fucking farce. I'd like to know who the hell dug up this so-called evidence and introduce them to the business end of my asskicking boot."
"How's the Major holding up through this?"
Shepard deflated with a sigh. "I've been barred from contacting him while the trial is active but he didn't look like he was taking it too well."
"I can imagine."
"Yeah. Look, Garrus," Shepard's gaze slid to the side, his voice low. "Can you keep an eye on Kaidan for me? Get him to and from court and all that. There's going to be media and eyes all over this like flies on shit and…I don't want him doing it by himself. Call it a favour."
"You didn't need to ask, Shepard," Garrus dipped his head to his friend. "I've got his back."
-OOO-
Shepard listened to the list of evidence piled against Kaidan and rhythmically squeezed his fists under his crossed arms in an impressive effort to not make another scene. There were millions of eyes on the trial today and he sure as hell didn't want to make things worse for his lover.
He chanced another brief glance at Kaidan across the room, concern crawling up his throat at how ill he looked.
With the stress, holovid flashes and noise of the crowd outside, Shepard knew he must be suffering one hell of a pounding migraine. A long morning lounging in bed, a massage or a good blowjob usually made a bloody big difference, and Shepard hated that he couldn't do anything to help except sit down and shut up until he was called up to the stand.
It was completely fucked. Every single shred of 'proof' was a situation, email, message or event taken out of context or pulled apart for the sole purpose of putting it back together utterly wrong.
It had Shepard's blood boiling in his veins, and he wouldn't have been at all surprised if the persecutor could feel the impressive glare burning in to his skull as Shepard watched him like a hawk.
He had plenty of time to stew before they finally called him up and swore him in.
Shepard sat at the stand stiffly. He was angry, of course, but he also knew what sort of attention and how much was trained on him at this moment.
He didn't want to fuck it up for Kaidan.
"Lieutenant Commander Shepard," the persecutor began and fuck, Shepard was sick of how his rank was being dragged down to make his lover look bad. "Do you believe these accusations?"
"Absolutely not. They're ridiculous and baseless," he added before he could stop himself.
"That's not what the evidence says," before Shepard could retort, the man continued. "You believe you and Major Alenko share an equal, exclusive and loving relationship?"
"Yes."
Granted they hadn't actually said the L-word yet but that was more to do with not needing to than not feeling it. There were other ways to say it without words, and he was perfectly happy with how things were.
"Is it true that the Major threatened to shoot you if you didn't stand down at the confrontation involving Councillor Udina? That he had his gun aimed at you? Does that seem like the behaviour of a loving partner?"
A wave of murmurs washed through the room, not loud enough for the judge to act but enough to unsettle Shepard. He was too wrong-footed by the sudden change of pace to the questioning to react appropriately and was dismayed to find himself feeling rattled, not thinking properly.
"That's not-" he started, before his indignation quickly resurfaced and he leaned forward, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Your statement has been taken completely out of context, not to mention it concerns classified information that shouldn't be shared so freely in a public court. Suffice to say, Major Alenko was operating in accordance with his orders, as was I, and anyone in his position would have acted as he had."
A woman in full Alliance colours stood swiftly. "Your Honour, the defense takes the stance that this line of questioning is irrelevant. Additionally, the defense wishes to add that according to the timeframe of their relationship, of which an exact date can be confirmed due to email correspondence, Major Alenko and Commander Shepard were not romantically involved at the time of the incident in question."
"That may be the case," the persecutor addressed the judge as well, "however the Crown can prove that this incident is pivotal in Major Alenko's machinations in exploiting the Lieutenant Commander for his own gain."
Shepard watched with no small amount of incredulity as the judge gestured the universal sign for the persecution to 'hurry the hell up and get to the point then'. This was a fucking circus show, he thought, and he had a front row seat.
"The Freedom of Information Act 2087 does limit the details we can publicly reveal about the incident," the Crown persecutor spoke to the audience before facing Shepard once more, "though we can disclose that it was you, Lieutenant Commander, whom fatally shot Humanity's Councillor Udina. For the court record, can you please confirm this?"
"Yes," he grit his teeth and wondered how this was going to bite him in the ass, "that is correct."
"And it is no secret that since the reaper victory, you have been meeting periodically with the Council to determine a replacement Councillor to represent Humanity. Correct?"
"Yes," Shepard answered, his tone deceptively even.
He had an inkling, now, of where the Crown was heading.
Which was unfortunate because that meant that the biggest piece of dirt they had on Kaidan was entirely Shepard's fault.
The persecutor approached the judge's bench and handed over a datapad. "The Council, at the government's request, has released the list of potential candidates discussed at these meetings. In actual fact, this list contains only one candidate, as suggested by Lieutenant Commander Shepard. Major Kaidan Alenko. "
Shepard hadn't actually told Kaidan about this, and darted a quick glance at his lover's shocked expression. Uh…surprise..?
The resulting rumble of chatter that erupted across the room at this new information had the judge calling for order and banging his gavel like it was going out of fashion. It took longer than it ought for the room to fall quiet once more, but then all eyes were on the persecutor as he paced the floor in front of the stand.
"Major Alenko has climbed the ranks within the Alliance abnormally swiftly, even considering his achievements, since meeting you Lieutenant Commander. That hardly seems like a coincidence."
Shepard glowered, eyes narrowed and sharp. "The Major is deserving of every accolade he has been decorated with, and running this smear campaign to drag his good name through the mud when it was me who recommended him for the Councillor position, without his knowledge I would like to add-"
"And this is the elegance of the Major's plan," the Crown persecutor interrupted, flourishing his open hand at Shepard as though placing him on display. "To have the Commander trust and believe in him so completely that he would forward his name for such a position without a second thought."
Shepard's mouth was hanging open. He knew it. A few holovid flashes had him snapping his jaw up with an audible click, but there would be proof enough of his likely dumbfounded expression floating around on the extranet within minutes.
The persecutor was speaking still, Kaidan was avoiding looking at anyone and Shepard caught sight of Captain Anderson and Garrus sitting at the back of the room looking distinctly concerned.
He stood up so fast his chair clattered behind him.
"What the shit," Shepard heard himself say loudly and angrily all over again, "is this bullshit?"
"Commander Shepard," the judge began sternly, "I suggest you-"
He whirled to face him, fists planted firmly on the stand. "You know what? I suggest you listen, sir. I suggest you listen to reason for a moment, Your Honour, because I sure as hell haven't heard any of that while I've been sitting here listening to this court insult one of the most loyal and capable soldiers the Alliance can boast having."
Shepard was quite sure he was committing career suicide but hell, he couldn't stand sitting there quietly, doing nothing while they pulled apart Kaidan's dignity right in front of him.
He locked eyes with his lover for a moment before returning to glaring at everyone else. "Anyone who has worked with Major Alenko knows he's honest and moral to almost a goddamn fault. Ask the hundreds of soldiers he has served with. The Normandy crew. The millions of people he helped save the lives of. I can't even comprehend how anyone got it into their head that Kaidan would or could use anyone to further his own designs. He may outrank me, but the Major has always followed my command to the letter. Our personal involvement has never affected our professional capacity to work together, and my recommendation to the Council was exactly that: a suggestion based on Major Alenko's professional accomplishments, experience and real understanding of what Humanity needs and stands for."
Shepard had never been one for speeches, and was surprised time after time at how people hung on his every word when he did step up. Now was no exception, but he began to feel self-aware once more, the adrenaline from his anger fading to leave his stomach swooping at the realisation that he had disrespected a judge.
Well, fuck.
And that was about when security escorted him out. Again.
-OOO-
Shepard was slumped on the one chair in his little 'guest room', using it in entirely the wrong way as he sat on it backwards, arms flung in front of him as he stared at the wall.
What a mess.
Likely the Crown had pounced on Shepard's practically gift-wrapped outburst, citing Stockholm's or something equally ridiculous to run with the theme of the whole trial.
He looked up when the door buzzed and Captain Anderson cocked a rather amused brow at him.
"It's a good thing the government's too scared of the public backlash that'd smack them in the face if they court-marshalled you for that performance."
Shepard grimaced and shook his head. "Please tell me someone cleaned the shit off the fan for me."
Anderson chuckled and motioned for the Commander to get up. "Come on. You've sat in the naughty corner long enough."
Shepard shot his superior a half-hearted glare as he climbed to his feet. "Seriously, no one's told me anything. What happened after my timely removal?"
"Your speech worked wonders," the Captain grinned widely and slapped his protégé on the back. "It's fine, Shepard. I'll drop you back home and Alenko can tell you about it."
-OOO-
When he stepped in to their shared apartment Shepard knew he and Kaidan wouldn't be discussing anything of real note. The light in the kitchen was on, likely only for his benefit in navigating the otherwise darkened living space.
He found his lover splayed across their bed, fully clothed still down to his boots.
"Hey," he said quietly as he moved closer, the bed dipping as he sat by Kaidan's hip. "How're you feeling?"
Kaidan's eyes cracked open. "Great. Peachy. Fantastic. Best I've ever been."
Shepard chuckled softly as he reached out, smoothing a hand over his lover's face to make him close his eyes again.
He leaned forward and whispered against Kaidan's temple. "You're an awful liar."
"Not a bad thing," the Major smiled slightly.
"I suppose not."
"Come on, shove over," Shepard added, kicking off his own boots, "…my scheming senior superior."
Kaidan's eyes flew open and he glared.
The Commander stared back, his eyes glinting innocently. "What, too soon?"
"Idiot."
Shepard followed his lover when he rolled over, arms and body curling around apologetically. He still wasn't all that great with this but, as he smoothed his fingers under Kaidan's uniform as though soothing ruffled feathers, he was learning.
He breathed a kiss against his lover's neck, knowing he was forgiven when a hand covered his and squeezed.
"Thanks. For what you said in there," Kaidan said after a long moment.
"Any time, Major. Well, maybe not any time. I doubt even the reputation of The Shepherd could survive that unscathed."
Kaidan chuckled quietly at how Shepard stressed the name that seemed to have stuck. "Still can't quite come to grips with saving the entire universe and life as we know it huh?"
"It's not like I did it by myself. I'd be dead a thousand times over if it weren't for-"
Shepard cut himself off abruptly when his lover tensed. It was hard to remember that he actually had died, that his friends and crew and Kaidan had grieved. He tightened his grip around Kaidan, the memory of him lying there, helmet caved in and utterly motionless, still fresh enough to make his heart stutter.
"It's the parties worst of all though."
"Parties?"
"Yeah. And the discounts. And people always wanting to shout me drinks or say thanks or take pictures or give me free stuff or -"
"Oh yes," Kaidan interrupted, his deadpan tone unable to hide the smile Shepard couldn't see. "Sounds absolutely awful, John. I don't know how you put up with it."
Shepard couldn't stop his echoing smile and turned his hand in Kaidan's to tangle their fingers together.
It wasn't all fine and stress-free, but he knew what made every day easier and tough memories softer.
Or, rather, who.