Prologue: Breaking News
Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani of the Westerlund News was setting up another interview for the Shepard project. The reporter got a lead a few weeks ago that the infamous Jane Shepard of the Systems Alliance was being freed from all charges that landed her in a maximum security space prison. Since then, Khalisah had been working her butt off getting interviews from all of Shepard's past associates. This project was a follow up piece to the main interview with Shepard herself. Ms. Al-Jilani had her eyes on the coveted Purningali Award, the sacred grail of galactic journalism.
So far, all the extra leg work was paying off; she was able to get an interview with Ashley Williams, Alliance Marine and ex-squad partner of Shepard before the Akuze mission. Up until the point where Khalisah had come in person to Eden Prime, the prickly gunnery chief had been avoiding her calls. Just yesterday Khalisah had met up with Shepard's advocate, Liara T'Soni, to ask questions about Shepard's settlement. She even had a quickie interview with the doctor of the space prison where Shepard reportedly had spent a lot of her time. Presently, Khalisah's latest search had landed her a big catch, the man who had known Jane Shepard better than anyone else at the time of her trial: her ex-fiancé.
The reporter smiled at the nervous Alliance Marine. She was finally able to corner the man during his shore leave on the Citadel. Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko of the cruiser Cairo stood shifting his weight from foot to foot as Khalisah set up her extranet bot to record. The bot's white light put Kaidan in the center of the machine's lens. He stopped fidgeting once the light turned on, but the nervous hunch in his shoulders was still present as Khalisah began the interview. Khalisah knew she had to start slow and easy—just like with all the others—before getting to the hot questions. Positioned next to the bot—conveniently off screen—she started asking Alenko questions.
"Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, Alliance Sentinel, and past fiancé to Jane Shepard. Some would say that the latter has earned you more limelight than the former."
Kaidan tried to keep his voice level as he said, "I didn't join the Alliance for fame ma'am."
"But it was through the Alliance Marines that you were able to form your relationship with Jane Shepard, correct?" Khalisah tried to keep her smile open and pleasant. She found that people she interviewed got nervous when she allowed one of her grins on her face; something about showing off too much teeth.
"Yes, Shepard and I met each other on shore leave. Since we were stationed in different areas of the galaxy fraternization wasn't so much of a problem." Kaidan paused, allowing a small smile as his gaze settled slightly to the left of the camera's center.
"When we got engaged my CO congratulated me."
"Were you engaged with Shepard when she was on trial for the murder of her squad on Akuze?"
Kaidan's eyes snapped to focus and his smile disappeared.
"Yes."
"Is it true that you waited two years after Shepard was pronounced guilty and sent to prison, to break off your engagement with her?"
The Staff Lieutenant's body went rigid in reaction to the blunt and personal question. Internally Khalisah crowed with success as Alenko's bedroom eyes widened in shock. Her audience would eat up the emotional conflict displayed on the soldier's face. Kaidan swallowed before answering, his voice slightly rougher than it was a moment before.
"Yes."
"You thought Shepard, your fiancé of over a year, was capable of murder of her whole squad?"
"I wasn't the only one," Kaidan said, raising his voice slightly, "We all thought she was guilty, there was all that proof. I mean, the jury was only out for an hour."
Khalisah let loose the grin she had been keeping in check; she was off camera and no one but Alenko could see it. She asked the question she knew would cut through Alenko's verbal palisade.
"Did Jane tell you she didn't do it?"
There, a crack in Alenko's confidence. Ms. Al-Jilani could hear the pieces of the man's defense falling down as he shifted back and forth.
"Yes."
"And how did you feel when you found out she was being exonerated?" Subtly Khalisah moved her index finger over the datapad in her hand to have the bot's camera zoom in on Alenko's face.
"That she was innocent?"
For several heart beats Kaidan didn't move. The color of his face bled out to a ghastly pallor, and under the unfiltered light of the bot his skin seemed pasty. He swallowed again and blinked for a few moments. Finally he gathered himself together to answer.
"I don't want to do this anymore."
Before Khalisah could say another word Kaidan walked away from the reporter and the bot. She watched as the Marine ran away, steadily striding towards the transport shuttle area. Ms. Al-Jilani tapped her datapad with her index finger again, stopping the recording. She didn't need to chase after Alenko. She had what she needed.