Author's Note:
I've often wondered how it was that Kaidan Alenko went from spitting mad at my FemShep on Horizon in ME 2, to a semi-hopeful exchange on Earth in the opening of ME3 (not that I'm complaining, 'cause I am a HUGE fan of that moment). Still, it got my imagination cooking and here's what I came up with. It's a stand-alone story, but this is the Kate and Kaidan of my story, A Future Earned. If you like this and would like to see what happens after, you can find their story on my profile.
As always a very big thank you to my beta, Lisa, for putting in several hours of work with this one. Nobody likes getting handed a 10,000 word document to beta quite like Lisa does, she is a beta rock star!
Thanks kids! Hope you like it!
Somewhere In Between
Kate Shepard rested her forehead against the cool metal that wrapped around the observation window of the SSV Normandy.
It was over, the Collectors destroyed and the galaxy safe for now.
The motley pack of misfits that Cerberus had handed her had somehow become her crew. It shouldn't have been possible; they should have failed, their vast differences should have sunk the whole thing, but somehow they'd pulled together and become a team. When the crew of the Normandy had entered the Omega 4 relay, they'd done so united and ready to face whatever came their way.
A good thing too, considering what they'd found there.
It would take each of them years to come to terms with their experiences beyond the relay and even longer before any of them would sleep well at night, but they'd destroyed their enemy and here Shepard stood, safe and sound and with every single member of her crew accounted for.
"Boggles the mind," she whispered softly, her eyes studying the expansive docking facilities of Omega beyond the window.
The Normandy and her crew had limped back through the Omega relay, taking shelter at the enormous station only two days ago. The frigate had sustained heavy damage, but she'd held together, and now, Shepard's crew in full accord with her decision, their commander would surrender the ship to the Alliance.
What most of Normandy's crew didn't know was when the Alliance arrived to take custody of the Normandy, they would also be taking custody of its commanding officer.
During her time with Cerberus, she'd done everything in her power to demonstrate her continued loyalty to the Alliance. By secretly maintaining what ties she could, she'd fed the Alliance key intel at every opportunity, even going so far as to take on a critical mission for Admiral Hackett.
Attempting to rescue Dr. Kenson from batarian authority had led to a series of tragic events and the eventual destruction of the mass relay within batarian space. And while Hackett had not doubted Kate's loyalty to the Alliance, the mission he'd personally trusted her with had resulted in the deaths of over three hundred thousand batarians.
All of this meant that Kate was facing some monstrous accusations and now, the Collectors defeated, it was time to show the admiral just how much she trusted him.
The doors of the lounge softly opened and closed, and she saw Garrus's reflection in the window as he approached her.
"Hey, Garrus, all packed up? Won't be too long before they kick us off."
"Sure, though I wasn't able to find a crate big enough for my canon," he quipped as he settled into a plush seat near her. "Think the Alliance will ship it to me?"
She grinned. "I wouldn't count on it."
He sighed, watching her for a moment before his gaze wandered to the view. "You don't have to do this, you know, there's still some time left. Aria would cover your tracks."
Turning, she came to sit next to her friend. "Nah, this is the right way to clear my name, to get the facts of what really happened that day out there. Besides, I gave my word to Hackett."
"And you're sure he'll keep his? You could find yourself in a real mess if he doesn't."
"The batarians are calling it genocide, Garrus. Without Hackett, I'll probably find myself in a body bag."
"Like I said, a real mess."
Shrugging, she sat forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. "I have to surrender, it can't look like I tried to run. I have to demonstrate that I take both the law and the destruction of that relay, the loss of life there, seriously."
"And will the Alliance 'demonstrate' that they're the ones who sent you there in the first place? Or will they simply toss you under the shuttle craft when things get too hot politically?"
"I did what had to be done. Taking out that relay was the only thing I could do to protect the rest of the galaxy. Hackett trusted me to make the call and now I have to trust him. He won't throw me to the wolves, Garrus. This will work itself out."
"It had better, because I have to leave the best gun I've ever had here and busting you out of lock-up will be a real pain in my ass without it," the turian said before he sighed. "Look, Shepard, they owe you, and not just the Alliance, but the whole damn galaxy. You're a hero to many and not without powerful friends and allies. If things go south, I promise you the Alliance will have its hands full, and I'll be leading the charge."
Smiling softly, she hooked her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Garrus. You're a good friend."
"I'm the best damned friend you've ever had and don't you forget it."
"I won't," she replied with a soft laugh. "Garrus?"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure that getting ready for the Reapers doesn't get lost in this mess."
"I wouldn't count on the Alliance paying me any attention, Shepard, but I sure as hell plan to go home to Palaven and rattle as many cages as I can."
"Good. I know Anderson and Hackett believe in the threat, let's just hope that Liara and Tali can get the message across to their leadership. We bought the galaxy a little more time by destroying that relay, but it won't last. The clock's still ticking."
"Commander?"
Kate and Garrus glanced at the console to their right, where EDI's small interface was illuminated. "What's up, EDI?" asked Shepard.
"Lieutenant O'Hara of the Alliance Navy is here with a small team. They're requesting permission to board."
"Understood, EDI. I'll come meet them at the main airlock. Let Miranda know, please."
"Yes, Shepard."
"EDI?" Kate continued as she stood and began to walk to the elevator, leaving the lounge with Garrus at her side. "Remember what we discussed. You and Joker look after each other."
"Jeff and I will do so, Commander, I promise. EDI out."
Garrus stepped onto the elevator with Kate, his back straight, his eyes hard. "Last chance, Shepard. We can stop at the armory before we go to the airlock, shut this whole thing down, go renegade and make a break for it."
Her hand hovered over the deck selection, anxiety gripping her for a moment. "It'll be fine, Garrus," she said, her voice wavering.
"Kate."
"No, this is the only way," she said firmly, making her selection as her resolve returned. "I trust Hackett. I'll be fine."
xXx
Kaidan Alenko stood alone inside the now-empty main lab of the Alliance research station on Horizon.
It was a small facility with less than fifty personnel assigned to it, most of which had consisted of science teams and support staff. His assignment here wasn't a difficult one; he'd been ordered to oversee the closing of the location, the study of the Collectors, of the evidence left by their attack on the colony, which was now complete.
It was an absolutely unimportant assignment, mere busy-work and nothing more. Anderson had sent him here, hoping to distract him, worried that Kaidan was too focused on what could be happening to the Normandy. With a snort, he tried to ignore the cruel irony of the councilor's choice in sending him here, a place that would always remind him of the very woman Anderson wanted him to forget.
Glancing around the lab, he was drawn to the large bay of windows at the far side of the space and crossed to it. Bracing his elbow over his head, he leaned against the glass, studying the waning sun in the distance.
Political and media pressure had prodded the Alliance to begin investigating the abductions of whole human colonies, but it was Cerberus's intervention on Horizon that had finally forced the Alliance to acknowledge the threat of the Collectors. Hundreds of hours of research later, the teams assigned to the task had little new intelligence on the terrifying aliens. Kaidan's own encounter with them had been horrible, and only his training and biotics had kept him from becoming a victim of their gruesome harvest.
That and Shepard.
"Shepard," he muttered, recalling that day.
During the initial attack on Horizon, he'd managed to stay hidden, his biotic barrier keeping him from being brought down and paralyzed by the seeker swarms. Despite being able to fight, though, he'd been alone, just one against several dozen heavily armed Collectors. If it hadn't been for Shepard's arrival that day he'd very likely be dead now. There was little doubt in his mind that Kate had saved his life.
Again.
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, bracing himself against the hurt and regret that always gripped him when he thought of seeing her here, of his harsh and bitter words.
The simple truth was, there'd always been rumors that she'd somehow survived the demise of the SR-1, but he'd never considered their validity: he knew she would never have walked away from the Alliance or her duty to the Council. He'd trusted her and he'd trusted the depth of their feelings for one another.
If she'd been alive, she'd have found a way to let him know. He'd never doubted.
And then she'd been where she couldn't have been: standing right in front of him, alive and whole. He'd seen the joy and relief in her eyes as she'd thrown herself into his arms, the destruction and loss around them no longer his greatest shock. And in that single moment, everything he'd endured since her 'death' boiled into an uncontainable anger.
He'd tried to explain to her later. He'd sent an email, trying to apologize, trying to tell her that he regretted how he'd handled things. He'd done his best to tell her of his struggle at losing her, his confusion at her choices, and that he still cared, but there'd been no reply.
Not that he had the right to expect one or that any of that mattered now.
She'd gone through the Omega 4 relay, the Collectors in her crosshairs and, judging by the synopsis of her intended mission she'd sent to Hackett, well, the chances of her surviving it were slim to none.
"Sir?"
Startled out of his dark thoughts, he turned to see the ensign who'd been assigned to aid him in the closure of the labs. "Yes? How are we doing?"
"The last shuttle is loaded, sir, we're ready to lock this place down. Here's the rest of the details."
Kaidan crossed the empty room and took the data pad out of the ensign's extended hand. "Thanks," he replied, reading through the information. "Okay, this looks good. All personnel accounted for?"
"Yes, sir, it's just us and Sergeant Gregson left, the others have already departed. The facility's empty."
Nodding, Kaidan forced a smile. "Alright, good work, Ensign. The SSV Oakland is scheduled to rendezvous with the SSV Hong Kong in nineteen hours," he continued, referring to the ship that had been supporting their efforts and would take them from Horizon. "The bulk of the equipment will be offloaded to the Hong Kong before it proceeds to Earth."
"Understood, sir. Should I let Councilor Anderson's staff know we're en route and on schedule?"
"Yes, and send both Anderson and Hackett copies of my last report," he added as he and the ensign walked out of the lab and down to the shuttle pad.
Sergeant Gregson was waiting by the shuttle, snapping a quick salute to both officers as they arrived. "Gregson, if you're ready, let's depart for the Oakland."
"Yes, sir," replied the older soldier, proceeding them into the shuttle and taking his seat at the helm. Kaidan and the ensign settled into their seats and the shuttle door dropped closed.
Watching the view screen, the lush and beautiful landscape of the colony below them, Kaidan couldn't help but remember that the last time he'd left this place, it had been under vastly different circumstances.
His heart, though, was just as heavy.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes and forced himself not to wonder where she was.
xXx
Kate studied the control panel of her new, Alliance-issued, complete piece of crap omni-tool. It made sense for the Alliance to choose a model which was basically a first generation unit, making it completely pointless to attempt to modify it because anything one used to do so would easily outpace the tool one wanted to improve.
It made sense, yes, but she still found it completely annoying that she couldn't do more than check her already Alliance-screened emails. With a roll of her eyes, she tossed the mostly useless omni-tool onto her small bed and turned to the single case of personal belongings she'd been allowed to bring with her.
The quarters she'd been confined to were nicer than she'd anticipated, considering she was now under arrest. Assigned to a modest junior officer's quarters, her four escorts, to include Lieutenant O'Hara, were occupying the rooms adjacent and directly across from hers. Their small vessel had departed Omega nearly an hour ago, but they were still awaiting clearance to enter the local relay.
Tomorrow at 0700 hours, she would be transferred from this ship to the SSV Hong Kong, bound for Earth and what she assumed would eventually be a court martial.
A gentle ping sounded in the room, and she turned to the cabin door. "It's open!"
The door opened and Lieutenant O'Hara stepped through. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I've got Admiral Hackett on the comm," he explained, holding out his omni-tool. "I'm good with you using mine, Commander, if you'd prefer."
"Are you sure? I'd appreciate it, I'm fairly certain that thing," she continued, gesturing to the discarded omni-tool on her bed, "would barely be able to display the admiral's face, let alone provide audio."
"I'm fine with it, ma'am, or I wouldn't be offering. Admiral Hackett has made it clear to everyone escorting you that you've given your word to cooperate. And frankly, ma'am, if I can't trust your word, then I'm not sure whose I could trust."
She smiled softly. "Your mother's?"
He chuckled. "Ah, clearly ma'am, you haven't met my mother." He grinned. "Here, I've blocked your ability to access any of the other tools. It'll only accept the current incoming transmission, so that way if anyone asks, we can tell them there was no way you could use mine to your advantage. I'll just wait in the corridor until you're finished."
"Thanks, Lieutenant. I appreciate your consideration."
"Yes ma'am, well, I appreciate you saving the galaxy from Saren, so there you go," he finished before quietly stepping outside of the cabin.
Attaching the tool to her wrist, she activated it, Admiral Hackett's face immediately appearing on the communications screen.
"Commander."
"Admiral."
He studied her for a moment before he nodded. "It's good to see you're in one piece. How'd the mission go?"
"Well, sir, we located the Collector base and stopped them."
"What condition is that base in?"
"None, I ensured it was destroyed," she replied crisply. "I couldn't risk the Collectors recovering it or The Illusive Man holding it."
"Was it as bad as you'd feared?"
"Worse, sir. I found out what they were really doing with our people," she explained. "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."
"And just what were they up to, Shepard?"
She cleared her throat, uncertain if what she was about to share would be believed. "They were harvesting humans to create a massive Reaper. A human one, sir. There were quite literally several hundred thousand pods that were available to them, the kind of pods that were observed on Horizon. I think their processing capacity would have been beyond comprehension."
Hackett's lips drew into a firm, thin line. "You're certain of that? There hasn't been anything to truly point to the Collectors' connection to the Reapers yet, Shepard. Is it possible they were working on their own?"
"No sir, I have no doubt in my mind that they're the tools of the Reapers."
"There's proof? I believe you, Shepard, don't misunderstand me, but with everything that's happened, I'm going to need more than your word to convince the committee the Reaper threat is real."
"Yes sir, there is. Miranda Lawson, Garrus Vakarian and Tali' Zorah vas Normandy all have copies of the data we took from the base. Each will make every effort to get it to you."
"And what of Cerberus?"
"I believe you have custody of the Normandy, sir, if that answers your question."
"It does and we do, Shepard, and I thank you for it. Joker insisted he remain on the ship, though I'd guess you knew that already," Hackett explained. "The rest of the crew - save your personal team, all of which have already disappeared – will be allowed to depart without impediment once we've finished interviewing them."
"Thank you, sir, I'm grateful to you. They're a good group."
Hackett nodded. "If they weren't before, they were after you got a hold of them. But let's not get sidetracked, we need to discuss your situation, Shepard. First, let me clarify that you're not truly under arrest. You weren't under the jurisdiction of the Alliance while you were in batarian space, nor were you an active member of the navy at the time, nullifying any possibility of military charges. That's all a bunch of legalese, Commander, but for now, we'll be using the jurisdiction confusion to our advantage."
"Alright."
"The decision has been made to place you in custody, but this is mainly for your own protection. We've continued to investigate the events surrounding Dr. Kenson and her actions, and we'll announce your detainment, but the batarians didn't waste any time in labeling your actions as deliberate and with intent. It's all we can do to not have what remains of their government declare outright war on the Alliance."
"I'm sorry, sir, but you and I both know that if I hadn't destroyed that relay we'd – "
"All be ass deep in Reapers by now, I know. Don't worry, Shepard, I believe you, as does David."
"Anderson? I've… that's good to hear, sir, I've not spoken with him in some time," she replied softly.
"Of course you haven't, though he disliked having to distance himself," explained Hackett. "As a matter of fact, he's been downright irritable when it comes to you, Commander. He's eager to do all he can to protect you from the fallout of this, as am I. You won't be facing this alone, Shepard, that much I can guarantee."
"Thank you, sir."
"You'll be confined to the detainment wing of HQ in Vancouver while the Alliance finishes its investigation and the diplomats cool things down with the batarians. We want you to look like you're being treated as a prisoner, and in doing so, we hope that this whole thing can start to calm down."
"Will I face a trial, sir?"
"Not if I have anything to say about it, Commander. We both know why and how you came to be in batarian space and neither I, nor those who have investigated events up to this point, doubt your account of events," he explained. "It's not in the Alliance's best interests to have the parameters of the science team's espionage revealed and it sure as hell won't help the situation with the batarians. No, for now, we're bringing you in and we're hunkering down. We'll see what the batarians do from there."
"Understood, sir."
"Any questions?"
"Will I see you once I'm back?"
"You will, and Anderson, too. He's relinquishing his position as councilor to Udina, and has chosen to be reinstated within the Alliance."
"Captain Anderson to the rescue?"
"Admiral, actually, and yes, it's about damned time, too," Hackett corrected. "Anything else?"
She hesitated, her inquiry of Kaidan's whereabouts on the tip of her tongue, but she shook her head, knowing that, for now, it was likely best not to ask after the Staff Commander. "No, sir. Thank you."
"Alright then, I'll see you in Vancouver, we'll talk more then. In the meantime, safe journey. Hackett out."
The omni-tool screen closed and she slowly removed it from her arm. With a sigh, she knocked on her cabin door, O'Hara promptly opening it.
"Thanks, Lieutenant, we're all done."
"Sure thing, ma'am. If you need anything, I'll be in my room, filling about a thousand reports. One of us will bring you a dinner tray later on."
Nodding, she forced a smile. "Got it. Thanks again."
As the door shut and secured itself, Kate turned back to the small footlocker that held her belongings. For a moment, she fingered the cord of a sweatshirt inside of the crate, her mind on her conversation with Hackett and its close. She dug further into the crate, finally finding what she'd been after.
Pulling the small frame from beneath its protective wrapping of clothes, she touched the screen, smiling softly as its image illuminated. Kaidan's soft eyes met hers as she traced his chin. Sighing, she sank onto the bed, wishing not for the first time that she could talk with him, if only to hear his voice.
It was over between them, she knew it, circumstances alone had seen to that. She'd had some small hope of fixing things in the beginning - his emailed apology after Horizon had heavily implied his feelings for her were still there, but she'd never found the courage to reply, unsure of what she wanted to say. Once she'd realized it needed only to contain her own feelings, it had been far too late, and too much time had passed for her pride to allow her to send an answer.
"Pride makes a cold companion," she muttered to herself as she stood and replaced the picture, laying it on top of her belongings. Picking up a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, she sighed, determined not to wonder where Kaidan was, or what he would say to her now.
She would take a shower and go to bed.
xXx
Kaidan sighed, sitting back from his laptop and stretching. It'd been a long day of paperwork and reports after their shuttle had met with the SSV Oakland and he'd finally sent the last of the necessary documents to Alliance HQ.
He was beat and he was starving.
Looking at his omni-tool, he saw the time and realized why: he'd missed dinner by nearly two hours. Standing, he stretched again, grabbing a data pad that contained the holo-novel he was reading and stepped out of his cabin, making his way to the crew deck and the Mess.
Arriving in the large cafeteria, he spotted the ensign he'd worked with that morning chatting with some peers, and approached her. "Ensign? I've gotten everything sent off to HQ. Have you heard how our timeline is? Are we still on time to meet the Hong Kong?"
"Yes sir." She nodded as she got to her feet. "ETA is ten hours."
"Great, good, okay, thanks," he answered, gesturing for her to sit back down. "Sorry to interrupt, Ensign, I'll let you get back to it. Thanks."
The young woman nodded and returned to her seat, and Kaidan proceeded to the chow line, plating the last of the prepped food he could get his hands on. Grabbing an energy bar and a cup of coffee, he balanced everything on his tray and headed back to his quarters, realizing that lingering in the Mess would likely impede the staff there from shutting it down for the night.
Half an hour later, his hunger sated, he found his attention wandering from the holo-novel in his hand. Tapping his omni-tool, he turned on the small vid screen in his room and searched for something to watch. After a few minutes, he landed on an old movie, one he'd watched with Shepard before she'd disappeared.
He hesitated, deciding whether or not to watch the film.
It was a silly movie, not one he'd have chosen for himself, a comedy that was a chronicle of a series of ridiculous situations and errors the protagonist found himself in, something he normally would have found predictable. Still, he couldn't help but smile at it as he recognized the scene. She'd loved the entire idea of the story, and had giggled most of the night.
The memory wrapped its arms around him, and he was again curled up in her bed on the SR-1. The sound of their shared laughter echoed in his mind, her slight frame quaking in his arms as he'd held her, and he settled back into his chair, his sad heart content to remember.
xXx
The shaking of her bed woke her, her senses instantly on high alert. She'd spent almost her entire life aboard Alliance vessels, and they didn't move and quake like this without reason.
There was a violent shudder and she found herself thrown onto the floor, the ship vibrating and almost bucking beneath her. The emergency panels that lined the ceiling hissed as both an oxygen mask and safety harness dropped down. Reaching for the wildly swinging reinforced fabric of the harness, she pulled herself up, only to find herself swinging sideways as the ship banked hard to port.
"What the hell is happening?" she hollered as she tried to pull herself into her harness. "O'Hara! Anybody?"
Their transport ship wasn't very big, and she'd recognized the class when they'd boarded. The crew couldn't consist of more than twenty members or so and she'd only seen a handful of them when she'd been escorted to her cabin. It had been an uneventful trip until now, they'd hit the Sahrabarik relay on schedule and according to O'Hara, were slated to make their rendezvous with the SSV Hong Kong.
Reaching desperately for the omni-tool she'd been given earlier, the small device tumbling past her dangling feet before could she finally snatch it off the floor, she powered it up. After another hard and wild swing backwards, she clipped the thing to her wrist and saw the time.
It would be roughly two hours before they'd meet with the Hong Kong, meaning they were still traveling between clusters.
She heard the familiar groan of engines when pushed to their capacity as she swung forward in her harness, her teeth jarring when the engines suddenly went offline. She panted, an eerie silence filling her cabin as she tentatively lowered herself to the floor, her bare feet tiptoeing across the cool metal as she pressed her ear against her door.
Listening carefully, she heard someone outside her door. Scrambling backwards, she flattened herself against the wall, hoping to see who entered before they saw her.
The door shifted and a small gap appeared, fingers entering the gap and forcing it wider before a shoulder was wedged into the space. "Commander?" rasped a male voice.
"O'Hara?" she replied, moving to help brace the cabin door, allowing him to squeeze in. "What's happening?"
"Commander, are you alright?" breathed the lieutenant. "We've been boarded, but I'm not sure by who yet. I sent the rest of our group to help." A surging hum was heard as the emergency lighting kicked on, bathing them in a sickening orange glow as ship-wide alarms began to blare. "We can see now, that should help."
She nodded, her eyes narrowed as she continued to listen. "It should," she whispered, "except that was a pretty long damn time between loss of power and the back-up systems kicking on."
"What difference does that make?"
"Maybe none, or maybe it means our people no longer hold the bridge and the command systems had to be hacked," she explained in a low voice, gesturing to his sidearm. "You may want to ready that, Lieutenant, you may need it. Do you have that fancy omni-tool of yours?"
He nodded, the tool illuminating on his arm. "Yes ma'am, I do."
"Set it to run a proximity scan, see if you can get any kind of detail on the equipment our 'guests' are carrying, any emission signatures."
"Why?" he asked, though did as he was told.
"It'll help us know what and who we're up against."
"Good idea, Commander," he complimented, his eyes locked intensely on his screen. "I've got something. Do you recognize this?"
She turned her head, reading the details of the scan, and nodded grimly. "I do, they're batarian. How many?"
"Fourteen, ma'am."
Her features hardened as she stood and moved to the door. "Lieutenant? How do you feel about giving me a gun?"
He stared. "Ah, well ma'am, with all due respect, you are a prisoner, and I'd be an idiot not to at least consider that this could all be a really elaborate escape attempt on your part."
She snorted. "Do you really think so?"
"Ah, no ma'am, not really."
"Good, because trust me, these are not the guys I'd want to go with," she said as the sounds of a gunfight echoed down the hall outside of her room. "That fighting is headed our way, O'Hara, we need to move."
The young man looked down at his pistol before passing it to her. "I'm a biotic, ma'am. You take this one and we'll find me another along the way."
xXx
A 'ping' sounded inside his cabin and he rolled over, his mind fuzzy with sleep. Again he heard the sound, and he pushed himself up, glancing at the time. Someone was at his door.
"Staff Commander?" called a muffled voice outside of his cabin followed by a hard knock against the metal. "Sir? Please wake up! It's urgent!"
Groaning, he got to his feet and, rubbing his face, tapped the door lock and it slid open. A specialist he'd never met before was standing on the other side. "Specialist?"
"Sir, I apologize for waking you but you've got an emergency message coming in from Admiral Hackett. If I could come in, I'll patch it through to your private terminal."
"Yeah, it's, ah, it's over there," Kaidan replied, gesturing across his room. "Emergency? What's happened?"
"I couldn't say, sir," replied the specialist as he moved past Kaidan, darting to the darkened laptop on the nightstand.
"Sir? Admiral? Sorry for the delay," he heard the man say. "I've got the staff commander for you," he stated and then stood, gesturing to Kaidan. "Staff Commander Alenko? The admiral is ready for you. I'll see myself out."
The specialist hurried from the room as Kaidan crossed to his console, grabbing a t-shirt off the end of the bed and tugging it over his head as he sat down. His eyes met Hackett's.
"Sir? What's happening?"
"Alenko, I've ordered the Oakland into action. An hour ago we received a distress call from the SSV Horatio, a transport vessel en route to meet the Hong Kong. They've been attacked and boarded by a group of batarian soldiers."
"That's rather brazen, hitting an Alliance ship, even for batarians. Do we know why, sir?"
"We do. The ship's transporting Commander Shepard. She surrendered herself and the Normandy yesterday."
Kaidan felt his world begin to spin. She made it! his mind cried. "Shepard? She did it?" he asked in hopeful disbelief.
"She returned through the Omega 4 relay earlier this week. Her escort to the Hong Kong was only a small guard as we didn't want to draw attention to her being moved. Kaidan, the Horatio isn't a fighting vessel and I don't think I need to explain the danger the commander is in if the batarians get their hands on her."
"They'll kill her," Kaidan breathed, his blood running cold, his stomach clenching as he struggled to remain professional.
"Only if they're merciful, and I don't think we can count on that," Hackett said heavily.
Kaidan's imagination threw up a furious series of images, each of Kate Shepard brutally tortured and bloodied. "We have to get her back. Now."
"I agree that time is of the essence, which is why I'm sending you after them. You're the closest in proximity and assuming that the batarians have taken control of the ship, your Spec Ops expertise will be critical."
"I'll get her back, sir," he vowed, every primal protective instinct roaring to life inside him. "Orders?"
"You're already en route and the Oakland's CO is putting together a short list of marines he feels may be helpful to you. Your ETA is less than one hour, use it to put together a small team and form your plan of assault. You'll have everything you need, Staff Commander, the full resources of the Oakland are yours, so by God, get in there and get Shepard out in one piece."
Kaidan's eyes flashed with determination. "I will, sir. I'll do whatever it takes."
"Whatever it takes, Alenko, make this happen. Hackett out."
xXx
Kaidan heard the quiet chatter between the shuttle's pilot and the Oakland, but he wasn't really listening. In full armor, his breather helmet already sealed, and his weapon at the ready, he waited impatiently inside the Kodiak assigned to take them to the Horatio.
He'd only chosen two others for his boarding party. Each marine offered skills he felt would best compliment his fighting and tactical style, but they also had enough battlefield time under their proverbial belts that he felt confident they would handle the unpredictable scenario they faced. Two further squads of four marines apiece had also been briefed and were ready to follow Kaidan's initial strike team.
His palms were sweating inside of his gloves and he cracked his knuckles, shifting his weight as he tried not to pace the shuttle's interior. His lips were drawn into a tight line, his patience heavily tested as the last few minutes of preparation were finalized.
They needed to get underway, but pre-flight checks and authorizations were still being completed. We need to move, he thought, trying not to bark orders out of his helpless frustration. After what seemed an eternity to him, the shuttle doors finally closed, the soft hiss as the interior pressurized signaling they were ready for flight.
"Status report," he demanded crisply, moving to the cockpit to stand behind the helmsman. "What's the latest from the scans?"
"Another moment please, Staff Commander," the pilot replied, her fingers moving swiftly over her console. "I'll have an update as soon as we clear the hangar," she added as she guided the small craft through the Oakland's force field and they entered open space. "Report's coming in now, sir."
"Let's have it."
"We're eleven minutes out, sir. The Oakland's long range scanners indicate the Horatio's engines are disabled and she's sustained heavy damage to the main drive. Propulsion is completely down, not even thrusters are operational. She's adrift."
"Internal conditions?"
"Scans indicate there is basic power and both environmental controls and gravity generators are online."
"Where's the ship that disabled her?" he asked, his eyes running over the multitude of screens in the cockpit. "There's nothing I can see."
"No sir, you're correct, whoever did this is long gone."
"Or they're on the Horatio," he growled, anger burning in his chest as he surveyed the catalog of damage to the Horatio. "Any distress calls? Any response to the Oakland's hails?"
"Nothing, sir, beyond the initial alert the Horatio sent out when they started taking fire."
With a nod, his eyes narrowed. "Take us in, as fast and quiet as you can."
xXx
The lights were starting to flicker just as Shepard and O'Hara settled in under the small Mess.
They'd been chased throughout the ship, exchanging gunfire with the batarian fighters almost from the moment they'd exited Shepard's room. O'Hara had done his best to protect her, but her lack of armor also meant she had no shields, and she was far from unscathed. The lieutenant, showing signs of real fatigue, found his efforts to keep a barrier around them had pushed his amp to a dangerous level.
Pursued and nearly cornered, they'd taken to the small maintenance tunnels that ran between the three decks of the ship. Shepard had successfully modified O'Hara's omni-tool to deflect their enemy's efforts to locate their vital signs and now, exhausted and holed up under the floor panels, they could only hope the Alliance would arrive soon.
Until then, O'Hara needed to rest and Shepard needed medi-gel. She would have to brave leaving their hidey-hole. Carefully, she lifted the small entrance panel and surveyed the room, the flickering lights casting shadows all around her.
"Commander," O'Hara whispered. "What do you see?"
She lowered the panel, turning to him. "Nothing, there's no one there. Where the hell are they taking everyone? We haven't seen anyone but hostiles."
"Damn, I think my shield unit is trashed," he grunted as he adjusted the chest plate of his armor, pulling off a shoulder guard. "I don't know where they are, ma'am, maybe dead?"
"That's possible, but we haven't seen enough bodies to account for everyone. Maybe they've got the surviving crew corralled somewhere."
"Why are the lights flickering? I thought emergency power was supposed to last for days."
She shook her head, frowning. "It is," she replied softly, lifting the panel again to peek out. "Listen, there's got to be supplies here, at the least something that will help you keep that barrier up if we need it. I'm going to look."
"No way, ma'am!" he argued quietly, grabbing her arm to stop her. "I'm not letting you do that."
"I didn't ask, Lieutenant."
"No, ma'am, but I'm supposed to protect you, those are my orders. You're injured, I'm pretty damn sure your collar bone is broken, and maybe your nose, too, and I'm not sure I could be all that effective right now if we're discovered."
"My nose, yes, but my collar bone –" she shifted her shoulder and hissed in pain. "Okay, yeah, it's broken, but I've had worse."
"We should stay put, Commander, it's not worth the risk. Help has got to be coming!"
"Lieutenant, listen to me, we don't know if the Alliance even knows what's happening here. We've got to be ready to wait this out," she reasoned in a low voice. "There's no chance we're doing that as we are, we need to get what supplies we can while they're not looking."
"It's the Mess, not the med bay, and we shouldn't split up, the omni-tool only masks us when we're together."
"Then I'll move fast, but you've got to have an energy drink, some food, something that could help keep you from burning out that amp," she countered. "We will not get through this if that happens, O'Hara. Look at me, I can't really fight and we're down to half a thermal clip. We're outta options."
He sighed, shaking his head before he shifted onto his knees, moving past her to the panel. "Fine, but I'll be the one to go, Commander, since I'm the only one in armor," he stated, pressing her back as he lifted the panel. "Stay hidden, Commander, I'll be right back."
Unable to argue without raising her voice, she watched him as he carefully crept across the room. He reached the supply stores and quickly opened the top crate, tucking two MREs under his arm as he rummaged further down.
"What have we here?" called out a low voice from the Mess entrance. O'Hara froze as a large batarian stepped inside the room, an assault rifle trained on the lieutenant. "The personnel data said we were missing a male, I'm guessing that would be you? You're a male, right? Never can tell you humans apart, you all look the same to me."
O'Hara kept his gaze steadily on the other man but made no reply.
The batarian tapped his wrist, his omni-tool illuminating. "Teage, it's Bant," he said. "I've got our missing male, head to the Mess."
"On my way. Did you find Shepard?"
"Negative, not yet."
"How'd you find him?"
"Scans showed human vital signs, I tracked them here," Bant explained.
"Ask him where Shepard is. I'm nearly at your location."
Nodding, Bant turned back to O'Hara. "Where's the commander, human?"
O'Hara met the batarian's eyes. "What commander?"
"Shepard, Commander Shepard. You know who I mean, don't you? Works for Cerberus, likes to blow up shit? Oh, maybe this will help. She's personally responsible for the deaths of over three hundred thousand batarians. That Commander."
"No clue who you're talking about."
Bant's eyes narrowed and he leaned in close, his lips drawn back in a snarl. "I think you're lying, human."
"Yeah, well, I think you're ugly."
Bant drew back and slammed his rifle's butt into O'Hara's belly.
"Bant!" called out Teage as he entered the Mess. "Who have we here?" he said, reaching his colleague's side as O'Hara drew up again. "I know you, you're the shit biotic that took out three of my men in the housing area. You owe me."
"I don't owe you a thing. You and your men shouldn't be here," O'Hara stated, his hand on his middle. "The Alliance – "
"Doesn't know shit about our little party here," Teage interrupted. "You were with Shepard. I saw you together before you killed my guys. Where is that bitch now?"
O'Hara looked down at his boots, not answering.
Teage began to move slowly around the room, his eyes searching every corner and angle of the round-riddled room. "She's gotta be close. You're her escort, right? You and a few others? That's what I heard, anyway," he said slowly, still moving around the room. "Shepard!" he bellowed. "You come out here! I've got your bodyguard, I'd hate to have to hurt him!"
Kate watched intently from beneath the floor panel, her heart pounding as she studied the situation and the two batarians. They were healthy and well-armed, both in full armor and with a secondary firearm. The Mess wasn't large and she had little hope of leaving her hiding place without drawing their immediate attention.
The batarians wanted her but she needed to buy the Alliance as much time as she could to liberate the vessel. She realized the only hope she had of helping O'Hara or any of the surviving crew was to remain hidden for as long as she could.
She narrowed her eyes as she made her decision. She couldn't help O'Hara if she showed herself now, no matter how sick it made her to slink back up the maintenance tunnel.
There were no other options.
"Shepard!" roared Teage as he pointed his pistol at O'Hara's head. "I know you're here! I know you're close! I'm going to count to three!"
"Shit," she whispered, pausing on her hands and knees.
"One!"
Closing her eyes, she grimaced.
"Two!"
Shaking her head, she whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Three!"
A single shot echoed through the tunnel and she heard something heavy fall.
"Damn it," she breathed, bile filling her throat as something caught her eye. Swallowing hard, she saw the light on O'Hara's omni-tool, which he'd left with her, was softly glowing with a new alert.
"Shepard! I'm not here to negotiate! Hiding only adds to the body count today! But it will not change the outcome! You're a killer, a murderer of hundreds of thousands of my people and you will pay for your crimes!" Teage shouted. She listened as his footsteps fell on the metal grate above her head. "Come out now, coward! Show yourself! Or I will finish this man off!"
Breathing a short sigh of relief, she realized that the batarian leader must have only wounded O'Hara.
"You've got ten minutes, Commander, give or take, since that's about how long your friend here has before he bleeds out. How many deaths are you willing to carry against your soul? Justice will be served today, Shepard! The question is, how many of your own will you let die before you meet it?"
She tapped the omni-tool, and a general alert transmitted across the small screen. It was a return message to the secondary distress call that O'Hara had sent earlier. Help was coming.
"None, you son of a bitch," she breathed, working her way slowly back up the maintenance tunnel. "None."
xXx
The hatch to the Kodiak opened slowly, the shielding surrounding the cockpit glowing brightly, protecting their pilot from the depressurization. Kaidan paused at the lip of the shuttle, judging the telemetry of his descent before he double-checked his weapons and stepped into space.
Hovering for a moment, he gently pushed away from the Kodiak and drifted the three meters to the hull of the Horatio, where the attraction of his mag-boots to the steel of the larger vessel's hull drew him in the last few feet. Once he was firmly attached to the Horatio, he gave the all clear and watched silently as his two subordinates found their footing near him.
Once ready, they proceeded to the rear of the Hanover, where the escape pods were hidden beneath a series of panels. A secondary emergency access hatch was in the middle of the modest bank of pods and it was here that they began their efforts to board.
"Sir?" began the pilot of their shuttle, her voice in Kaidan's earpiece. "I've got something here. A single ping back from our reply to that secondary distress call."
"What's it say?" he asked as he continued his efforts to disable the security on the emergency hatch, his omni-tool running through the opening commands the Alliance had provided.
"I'm not really sure what this is, actually, it's a code, I think."
"Send it."
A second later, a smaller screen opened over his wrist and he read the short sequence of numbers, readily recognizing it. He entered the final order into the door's keypad, "We're in," he muttered to the others as the door released with a hiss. "Pilot, the code is Commander Shepard's service number. Was there anything else?"
"Nothing I'm seeing, sir."
"Check again. And make sure there's nothing piggybacking it, we won't risk a response otherwise."
"Copy all. Standby."
The hatch to the Hanover was now fully opened and Kaidan and his team entered the ship. Once inside, they waited as the tiny room pressurized before he began to hack the interior door.
"Staff Commander? I don't see anything else within the signal, but it is very weak, low bandwidth. It's steady though, so it's probably being broadcast within the surrounding few hundred meters or so."
"Anyone on it?"
"No sir, it's clean. I expect the reduced bandwidth is deliberate, it'd let whoever's sending it stay hidden. The only reason I can see it is because it's a direct reply to our original response, and I embedded a tracer in our message."
Sighing, Kaidan ignored the image of a scared or injured Kate that flashed through his mind and focused on opening the interior door. "Good job," he breathed. The illuminated lock on the door changed from red to green. "We're through the second door's security and are ready to enter. Monitor that signal and pinpoint it ASAP."
"Got it, sir. Did you wish me to send a reply?"
He paused, wanting nothing more than to send Shepard some reassurance, to let her know he'd be there to help, but concern for her discovery outweighed his worried desire to communicate with her. "No. Just let me know if you get any kind of direction off of it. We're boarding. Monitor the situation and provide feedback to the Oakland only if we're compromised. Alenko out."
xXx
Kate crawled around a bend in the maintenance shaft only to find herself at a dead end. "Shit!" she muttered, breathing hard, pain stabbing through her chest and shoulder, and she tried to turn back. "I don't have time for this!"
She turned on her haunches, trying to maintain her balance as she did, doing everything she could to avoid putting weight on her side or arm. Once she was stable, she glanced at the timer she'd set up on O'Hara's omni-tool.
It'd been three minutes since O'Hara had been shot.
She'd hoped that coming down this length of tunnel – previously uncovered by her and the young lieutenant's earlier exploration – she'd find some kind of resource she could use. Now, as O'Hara's life was rapidly slipping away, she was growing frustrated and desperate.
Going back the way she came, she spotted a panel she'd missed a few moments ago. Moving to it, she realized it hit an access tunnel, though to where she couldn't be certain. Using her fingers, she dug at the base of one of the small screws holding the panel in place until it loosened; by the time she'd unscrewed them all, her fingers were leaving streaks of blood, her fingertips shredded and raw.
Once the panel was set aside, she let out a tiny laugh of relief, for just inside the new tunnel was an emergency kit, unopened and bolted to the wall.
Grinning widely, she opened it and pulled out the two thermal clips within and tapped O'Hara's omni-tool against the medi-gel dispenser, drawing from the single use stored there. Resting a moment, she then shifted and loaded her pistol, tucking the spare clip into the front of her bra, grimacing in agony at the pain in her chest and shoulder.
Pushing her hair back from her face, the caked blood from her broken nose mixing with the fresh dripping blood from her fingers, she moved back into the main tunnel and began to crawl toward the Mess.
"I gotcha O'Hara, hang on."
xXx
Kaidan and his team had cleared the first two rooms they'd found, finding nothing but several dead Alliance crew and batarian fighters. They soon reached the main corridor of the ship, the lights flickering, casting odd shadows all around them as they slowly advanced its length. Checking the schematics of the vessel, he led his squad to the first junction of the hall, where two small branches off either side of it let out at the officers' quarters.
"Alright. There should be a total of six rooms, three on the left and three on the right. I'll take point as we clear them," Kaidan told the two marines with him. "Be ready for anything. The rooms are tight but each has its own small restroom, so someone could he hiding inside."
Moving swiftly but quietly, they moved through the rooms off of the left branch. Two of the rooms appeared undisturbed; the third, however, contained an overturned desk chair and a small amount of blood on the floor, indicating a fight.
They crossed the main hall and moved to the other three rooms, finally sweeping into the last. The room was practically bare, but there was a single crate open by the foot of the rumpled bed, and Kaidan paused by it briefly as the marines checked the restroom.
"It's all clear, Staff Commander."
Kaidan stared down into the open crate, his eyes locked on a small frame that had revealed its picture.
"Let's get moving," he replied, his voice hollow in his own ears. He reached out and touched the frame, staring down at the picture of himself before he tucked it under an N7 t-shirt.
Turning, he strode from the room and moved back into the main corridor, hate for their as-yet-unseen enemies boiling inside his veins. "Lieutenant!" he began, speaking sharply to their shuttle pilot. "I need that signal's direction. What's the hold-up?"
"Sir, I'm still working on it, sorry. It's just tricky."
"Lieutenant, 'sorry' doesn't help these people. Get it done," he said crisply as he and his squad neared the last few yards of the corridor just outside the Mess. Holding up a hand, he signaled to the others to stop and all three dropped to their haunches in a defensive posture.
Inching forward, he peered around the edge of the junction and immediately spotted a group of batarians, four in all. On the floor on the opposite side of the room was a wounded Alliance soldier, the man's eyes open but glassy, a small pool of blood underneath him.
Kaidan crept back to the marines behind him. "Four enemies ahead, two standing, two seated. There's three standard tables and benches, with the food service machine in the center of the room. The two standing are to the left of the machines when we enter, the two seated are just beyond the machines but to the left as well. One of ours is wounded in there – "
His words were cut off by a sudden burst of yelling and gunfire inside the Mess. They took a defensive position but moved as close to the Mess as they could, needing to understand what was happening inside.
"Shoot her!" bellowed one of the batarians and the entire area filled with the thundering noise of a full scale fight erupting inside the Mess.
Kaidan didn't hesitate, he knew instinctively just who the 'her' was and that the batarians meant to kill her.
Rushing forward and into the fight, he opened fire on the first hostile he spotted, catching the man off guard as he aimed across the room. Kaidan's squad flanked him and they immediately drew the batarians' fire away from their intended target.
As quickly as the fight began, it ended, and all four batarians were down, the element of surprise giving Kaidan and his group a significant advantage during the brief engagement.
The air in the small room was hazy with smoke, the sparks arcing off of the now bullet-riddled food service machine only adding to Kaidan's inability to clearly see the rest of the room.
A single shot whizzed past him as he began to approach the wounded soldier he'd seen earlier.
"Identify yourselves!" rasped a familiar female voice.
"Shep – " Kaidan began to reply, only to be cut off by the sharp command of the marine next to him.
"Lower your weapon! Now!"
"Hell no!" snapped Kate, who Kaidan, the haze of the battle clearing from his vision, could see was on her knees next to the wounded soldier.
She held her pistol toward them, her arm drooping as she appeared to lean protectively over the soldier on the floor. She was barefoot and covered in gashes and blood, wearing only a pair of running shorts and a fitted t-shirt.
"Stand down, Marines!" Kaidan barked to his squad as he approached Kate with his hands up. "Shepard! It's me!"
He reached her and dropped to his knees in front of her as he took off his breather helmet.
"Kaidan? Oh, thank God," she whispered, slumping back against the wounded soldier, dropping her pistol unceremoniously to the floor and clutching her chest. "O'Hara's shot… gave him medi-gel… " she panted before her eyes rolled in her head and she pitched forward, unconscious, into Kaidan's arms.
xXx
Kaidan sat near the foot of the bed, his eyes fixed on Kate. There was no medic on the Horatio, and the crew's only trained tech had been killed by the batarians.
After she'd fainted into his arms, the soldier she'd been attempting to save awoke. Once Kaidan confirmed the young lieutenant was stable and could monitor Shepard's vitals, Kaidan and his squad had pushed forward to the bridge of the Horatio, eliminating the remaining batarians without a great deal of difficulty.
Once the threat to the crew had been removed, Kaidan had returned to the Mess. Shepard's head had been resting on Lieutenant O'Hara's thigh, the bodyguard holding a weak biotic field around them.
"She's still out, sir," O'Hara had announced, dropping his barrier. "She's coughed up some blood."
Kaidan had knelt next to her, brushing her hair from her face before he'd begun medical scans. Within moments he knew the extent of her injuries: the broken nose, collar bone and three ribs, one of which had perforated her left lung, hence the blood she'd begun to cough up.
"She's had worse," Kaidan had said softly, administering the necessary medi-gel and following it with a large dose of antibiotics.
O'Hara had watched him intently, finally clearing his throat. "Actually, that's what she said. Guess you must know the commander, sir?"
Kaidan hadn't answered, instead, he'd carefully lifted her into his arms. "Thanks for watching out for her, O'Hara," he'd said softly before he'd carried her back to her quarters.
xXx
The ship had since been flooded with Alliance, and four other shuttles had arrived from the Oakland. Care for the injured was being coordinated as engineers began the necessary repairs to the Horatio. The Hong Kong had altered its course and would soon be a quick shuttle ride away.
Sitting close, Kaidan realized Kate would be safely onboard the massive cruiser, tucked into the Med Bay and en route to Earth before she'd even have a chance to wake. He held back a groan of frustration.
Everything between them was just so wrong. Not even five hours ago, he'd been watching a movie, missing her more than he could ever have explained and then…
She had a picture of him in her footlocker.
"Ah, Kate," he sighed, shaking his head, his emotions in turmoil. It'd be easier to think she'd simply decided to move on from him, that his mistakes on Horizon had been a fatal blow to whatever it was that had been left of their relationship. It was easier to think that the sense of loss he felt, the heartache that never really left him, was one-sided.
But clearly, it wasn't.
So now, watching her sleep, dirty and bruised, he found himself asking his heart a sadly familiar question: where did they go from here?
Because no matter what he felt for her, no matter how much he wished he could see her smile, to share their lives again, he could never deny that everything had changed. He didn't trust her, he didn't believe the story of her resurrection or of how she came to be connected with Cerberus, but God above, he still loved her.
And maybe she still loved him.
There was a knock on the door and a yeoman entered, saluting him. "Sir?" she began, "Sorry to disturb, but the Hong Kong is here and is ready for the commander to be transported to their medical bay. The ambulance shuttle's ETA is four minutes."
Standing, he nodded. "Thanks, Yeoman. Will Lieutenant O'Hara be moved with her? He was pretty banged up, too."
"That's my understanding, yes, sir."
"Okay, make sure he's ready to be moved as well. I'll be out in just a moment."
Smiling tightly, the woman quickly left, the cabin door sliding shut.
Slowly, he turned back to Kate, moving to the head of the bed and, unable to resist doing so, gently touched her cheek.
"I'm glad you're okay, glad you're safe," he said quietly. "No matter what goes on around us, or between us, you being okay is still really damned important to me," he admitted with a forced laugh. "I guess that's because you're still really important to me."
He sighed, half hoping she'd wake and answer him but her breathing remained steady and her features soft. It was time for him to go.
xXx
Kate stared out of the window of the medical bay, watching the crew bustle up and down the massive hallway outside of the facility. She'd awoken a few minutes after their arrival, happy to see that Lieutenant O'Hara was sleeping peacefully in the bed near hers, but disappointed to know that Kaidan wasn't escorting them.
She'd spoken with Admirals Hackett and Anderson as soon as she was able, both pleased to see her recovering quickly and each reassuring her that every effort would be made to keep her protected from any further reprisals. She'd meet her team of bodyguards, now assigned to her full-time and led by a lieutenant named Vega, once she'd been in-processed in Vancouver.
Now, everything settled and her journey back to Earth truly underway, she turned to O'Hara, who was eating from a tray over his bed.
"Hey, Lieutenant? Could I borrow your omni-tool one more time?"
Nodding, he swallowed a bite of his meal and tossed her the device. "Ordering a pizza? If so, get a large – this food sucks."
She grinned, chuckling softly, her side aching as she did. "No, I wanted to send an email to a friend, if that's okay?"
O'Hara looked troubled. "Uh, Commander, look, I don't mean to be a tool, especially after everything that's happened today, but you're really not supposed to be – "
"It'll take two seconds and it's to a fellow Alliance officer, nobody in Cerberus or anything. I just really need to send a reply to something."
He met her gaze and finally nodded. "Alright, ma'am. But that's the last rule we're bending, I already gave you a gun today."
She smiled. "Thanks, O'Hara. I'm grateful, really."
xXx
Kaidan was finally settled into his quarters a few hours later, his eyes burning from fatigue but his mission reports filed. He stood and stretched, tugging off his sweaty under armor, his armor casually discarded in the room's corner.
He promised himself he'd stow it in the morning and grabbed fresh clothes, heading to the showers. He soaked under the hot spray of the water for a long time, working out the kinks of stress from his shoulders all while trying and failing to not think of Kate.
Exhausted and needing the escape sleep promised, he returned to his quarters and dimmed the lights, climbing into the bed and settling down to rest. Shifting to punch a pillow into shape, he noticed his omni-tool blinking, indicating he had a new email.
"Tomorrow," he said to himself, lying back in the bedding and closing his eyes. A few moments later, he huffed, his curiosity getting the better of him as he sat up and snatched the tool off of his desk. "What?" he grumped, before he froze, reading the header of the email.
TO: Alenko, Kaidan StCDR
FROM: Shepard, Katherine E. CDR/Spectre
RE: About Horizon
"Oh," he breathed, sitting slowly back against the pillows. His heart hammering inside his chest, he opened the message. "Kate. Talk to me, Kate."
The End