Kaidan thinks he's reasonably forgiving regarding Shepard's driving. Unlike most of the squad - Williams is an exception, of course - he's been at the wheel of an M35 and knows how it handles. At times he even makes a point of mentioning the ridiculous suspension to Tali, Liara and Wrex when they let out exasperated sighs when the whole rover tips to the side for a rock the size of a fist, or when something as simple as the curve of the ground causes all three of them to bang their heads against the ceiling because the automatic compensation is off the charts.

He's even rather forgiving when she uses the thrusters to push off a hill, if only because they usually land right side up and, as she says, if they do it the easy way they can get back to the ship sooner (and it has nothing to do with her voice or the way her eyes sparkle with mischief, of course not, why would that thought even occur?).

He is slightly less forgiving when it comes to driving into Colossi at full speed, but he can't argue with the results - the giant geth are disoriented long enough for the team to jump out of the rover (Shepard claims that fighting it on foot takes more skill, so that is what they do) and do some real damage before it has time to respond to the attack, and even then it barely gets through their shields before they're en route to the Normandy again.

Right now, though, Kaidan isn't sure if Shepard is stubborn or just out to get under his skin. She does that, frequently, and when he finally gives up the strict demeanor she's never late with a grin of approval, but this...

They're stuck in a hole. The planet they're on is nothing but steep cliffs and deep valleys. The scanners had indicated that the way to their goal was relatively level and he'd hoped that just this once his commander would drive there, finish their business and turn back.

But then the damn scanner had picked up an anomaly in the landscape and Shepard had proceeded with driving the damn Mako up a mountain and now they sit here in this hole, every side devoid of anything that can give the wheels enough grip to climb up and Shepard stilltries despite the fact that they've been stuck for two hours and Kaidan just doesn't know if she's trying to make him crack just a little or if she actually is this stubborn. He's inclined to think the latter, though, because she's been mostly silent the whole time and there is a part of Kaidan that actually feels sorry for Saren. If Shepard is this determined to get an APC out of a hole there's no way the turian Spectre is going to live for much longer.

"Shepard, maybe we should-" Garrus begins, but Shepard cuts him off.

"I can do it."

"But wouldn't it be easier to just-"

"I told you, I can do it. Shut up and let me drive."

"You call this driving? We haven't moved more than a few inches in the past hour and a half!"

Kaidan can't help but smile at that, and maybe there's the faintest hint of a chuckle as he clears his throat because Shepard, with an eerily calm voice, tells them both to shut up or they can both walk to a place where the Normandy can touch ground so that they can get back on board and so they sit there, listening to the wheels spin for another forty minutes and then, just like that, after another inch up the hill the Mako suddenly gets a grip and they're out of the hole in moments and Shepard turns around with that grin of hers; the one that makes people follow her into Hell.

"Told you I could do it."

Garrus just mumbles "I'll be damned" and shakes his head, earning himself a raised eyebrow. As the vehicle keeps crawling across the terrain, Kaidan quietly tells the galaxy to just give in and shape itself after Shepard's will, if only to make things easier for the universe in general.