Dangerously So
Things on the Normandy had gotten pretty quiet. Their first scheduled flight had been pushed back when maintenance had discovered a new issue with the oversized drive core. They now were going to leave the station in three days instead of thirteen hours.
Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was wide awake, staring at the dark silver ceiling above his head. A terrible headache had kept him from falling asleep like the rest of the crew, and now that it was on its last legs, Kaidan found himself in a trance, waiting for sleep, but only able to lose himself in his memories.
Rhana. She was torturing him again; though, in life, she was way too kind to do anything of the sort. He could still see her muddy brown hair, hear her laugh still ringing in his ears, feel the warmth of her beautiful smile, and get lost in her big, clear eyes even though she wasn't here. Kaidan missed her, missed what they used to be; close. Events had caused her to change her view of him. Events that he replayed over and over in his head along with his memories of Rhana to try and make sense of what happened and what he could've done differently to keep things from falling apart like they did.
Sighing loudly, Kaidan swung his legs over the edge of his bunk and dropped to the floor with a soft thud. There was no chance of falling asleep by concentrating on the act of sleeping or by reliving the past like he had been doing. Instead, he decided to take a walk around the Normandy. Either he would become tired from the slight exertion, or he would at least pass the time.
Everything was surprisingly quiet on the ship. You could usually hear the hum of the engines everywhere throughout frigates, but the Normandy didn't even purr like a kitten unless Joker put her through her paces. Or, at least the paces that didn't involve him from leaving the dock, that is. It was all deathly silent, and the darkness that drifted everywhere didn't help the atmosphere retain much of a cheery feeling at all.
Lights flickered and flashed at Kaidan as he passed by quietly, heading for the mess, his footfall's just barely making noise on the cold, metal floors. His headache was more or less gone now, and it hadn't even lasted as long as the others that usually escalated into a migraine. He had the medication Dr. Chakwas gave to him to thank for that, no doubt.
As he got nearer and nearer to the mess, he could see a faint orange glow illuminating the area. When he got closer, Kaidan could see that someone was working on their omni-tool along with a large data pad. Only, it wasn't just someone. It was Commander Shepard. Working on her omni-tool. In the middle of the night. With her golden hair cascading chaotically down her back. Sitting cross-legged in a chair. With no other source of light other than the orange haze of the data pad and the omni-tool.
Kaidan found this both curious and funny.
Since her reassignment to the Normandy, Shepard hadn't spoken to him that much. Sure there was the occasional nod in acknowledgment when they passed one another, but the fact of the matter was, that she hadn't spoken to that many people other than Dr. Chakwas, Captain Anderson, and Joker; and the only reason that she actually even talked with Joker was because it was the only way to get him to shut up. Also, even when she did talk to the other crew members, she either spoke in a commanding tone, dry sarcasm, or with swift, critical cynicism depending on the situation. She made it clear, though, that she preferred to not talk at all.
How Kaidan found this situation funny, was that he had Shepard pegged as a straight up "shoot everything that moves," type of soldier. Her critical views, harsh language, and cynicism backed that impression of her up. The very fact that she even owned an omni-tool proved otherwise.
The deathly silence continued to swallow up almost any noise, and Kaidan's footsteps remained unheard as he stepped closer toward the Commander to see what she was up to. The fast moving text streaming across the orange panels of both her omni-tool and data pad told him that she was downloading or uploading something to or from her omni-tool. Her fingers flashed across certain keys almost as quickly as the text that zoomed out of sight before you could barely tell that it had been there.
As he watched her, the unmistakable feeling that he was doing something wrong clouded his thoughts and made him fell like he was spying on Shepard. He was actually enjoying watching Shepard type furiously on both pieces of equipment doing whatever it was she was doing with such great interest and focus that she couldn't possibly notice anything else. Still, the feeling of snooping on his commanding officer made him clear his throat loudly to let her know that he was behind her.
Shepard hadn't known that Kaidan was standing behind her, watching her while she worked; and she jumped at the sound of him clearing his throat. It was like a surge of adrenaline, hearing a noise that shouldn't be made when all else was quiet; so on instinct, Shepard tensed and spun around to face whatever was behind her, a fierce scowl on her face accented by her eyes made of blue ice.
Kaidan threw up his hands in defense to ward off the Commander's attacking glare. Her long, blonde bangs fell across her face in some parts, but it only added to the intenseness of her glare. Kaidan was shocked by how she appeared to him now. She looked ferocious and wild, untamed but controlled. He never thought a woman with beauty like hers could look so threatening, intimidating, and...well, scary in a single instant. Then again, he hadn't been on the receiving end of a woman's wrath before.
Shepard's expression softened when she recognized that it was Kaidan standing behind her and not an enemy of some sort. She flashed him a small smile, dimples showing just a little and her eyes lighting up more than any star ever could. "Oh! Lieutenant," she said quietly, her voice barely breaking out of a whisper, "I didn't see you there."
"That's alright, ma'am," Kaidan replied, his words feeling as though they were stuck in his throat. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"If you startled me," she said, motioning for him to take a seat next to her, "it was my own fault. I was too focused, too drawn into what I was doing."
Shepard turned back to the omni-tool and data pad, and Kaidan pulled up a chair next to her. The deathly silence covered the Normandy once more as Kaidan studied what Shepard was doing. He could definitely tell that she was uploading something to her omni-tool and was making a great many modifications to it as the process continued. If it weren't for the strange feeling he got on his gut as he watched Shepard working, Kaidan would have probably been able to see what specifically she was doing; however, the way the orange light shown on Shepard's face, illuminating her hair and eyes, caught his interest and distracted him from paying attention to anything else. If Kaidan cleared his mind and focused only on her, he could very well have believed it if someone told him that she was an angel.
"If I didn't know any better, ma'am," Kaidan smirked, a teasing tone edging his voice, "I'd say that you are again."
Everything stopped. The uploading, the streaming words, the typing, all of it. Kaidan was afraid that he had said something wrong, but Shepard turned to look at him and her small smile from when she had seen him had grown, eliminating whatever ridiculous fear that Kaidan had dreamed up.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," She teased back, winking at him in the dim light. "I don't mean to be rude by ignoring you."
"I've dealt with plenty of assholes from the places I've been stationed at, human and alien alike, ma'am," Kaidan said, returning her smile with one of his own. "And you are nowhere near the definition of rude."
Shepard chuckled, "That's kind of you to say Lieutenant, but please, please, please, please, please, pretty please stop calling me ma'am. I can handle Shepard, Alice, XO, and Commander, but being called ma'am all the time eats away at my nerves." The way Shepard said those sentences sounded so childlike, and every time she said "ma'am," she would drop her voice down into the most obnoxiously bland voice in the entire galaxy. Kaidan could only contain his amusement for so long before he was laughing like a fool as she talked.
"Sorry, ma'am—Commander," he said, correcting himself with such punctuality that he nearly yelled out "Commander" after he said the wrong word. He really had meant to call her Commander or even by her last name.
Shepard couldn't help but laugh. The fact that he had accidentally called her by the name she had just told him she didn't like was too genuine to get mad at. "It's quite alright, Lieutenant."
"So, Commander," Kaidan said, using her rank to play it on the safe side, "if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing up so late?"
"Insomnia's a bitch sometimes," she answered quickly, turning back to her omni-tool and data pad. Whether he knew it or not, Kaidan had asked a question that could delve into personal things. Personal things were not something that Shepard enjoyed having people she didn't really know ask her about. Her solution: cut off everything with the vaguest answers until the other person got the hint. It was a solution that worked 99.99% except for a couple of fresh recruits who she was forced straight up tell them that it was none of their fucking business. "How about you?"
"Headache kept me from falling asleep. Now that it's gone, I'm not really tired," Kaidan said with an answer similar to Shepard's in the vagueness factor. "Not that I can complain. I've certainly got it good compared to other L2's. I only suffer migraines."
Again, everything stopped. Shepard turned to look at him, her eyes opened a bit wider with shock. "You're an L2?"
"Yeah," Kaidan answered, confused by the question. He usually got asked what that had to do with anything. "Didn't you read that in my file?"
"I make it a point not to read up on people unless it's absolutely necessary."
"May I ask why?"
"If people have something they feel I should know, then they should tell me," She responded, her eyes not focused on anything as she spoke. "I shouldn't have to read about them to get to know them. People forget that we are more than just files sometimes," Shepard looked into Kaidan's eyes to drive her next words home. "If we rely on what others say about someone to form our own opinions about them, then how do we even know we are getting it right? It takes away the human part of learning about someone when we only look at the written words of one another."
Kaidan was forced to look away from Shepard. The amount of raw emotion he could see in her blue eyes was just too much, and what she was saying didn't help him hold her gaze. She made him feel...less human because of the realization that her words were perfectly true. Kaidan didn't say anything in case he made things worse. If I apologize, he reasoned, then Shepard learns that I read up on her, and she comes to hate me...I don't think I could stand to have her hate me. It would, uh...hurt the crew and make any missions with her difficult.
"Well...this is awkward..." Shepard said quietly, breaking the silence that had drifted between them. "Sorry about that," she turned back to her work. "I forgot that I get a little preachy sometimes."
Kaidan just nodded and continued watching Shepard. He felt extremely guilty. As soon as he had heard that Shepard would be joining them on the Normandy, Kaidan had looked up all the files he could on her. Many of them were classified (the perks of being an N7), limiting what he could read. Now Shepard was telling him that she felt that people who read files to learn about one another were less human. He felt ashamed of himself and also questioning himself. Why is she making me feel guilty? If it were any other solider, I wouldn't care too much. What makes Shepard any different?
Shepard paused just a moment and looked back over at Kaidan, her eyes softened and eyebrows raised. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I didn't mean to give you the impression that I hate or think less of people who read up on others. Hell, I even expect it, especially in my case. It's human nature. It's curiosity, and I'm an unknown, a variable in system that was established before I was reassigned."
"It's fine, Commander," he finally said drawing himself from the unending questions plaguing his mind. "What are you working on?"
Shepard was grateful for the change in topic, and when she opened her mouth to answer a beep come from her omni-tool. Her eyes flicked over to it for a brief moment before they fixed their attention on Kaidan again. "Well, I was working on a program I made and had integrated into my omni-tool. The program itself is supposed to allow me to hack into things quicker, like doors and whatnot." Shepard had a strange gleam in her eyes, a gleam of passion that Kaidan just barely picked up on. She loved talking tech. "However, it felt like it's running sluggishly, so I decided to go in and upgrade it by trimming up some of the vectors and rewriting some old code that hasn't been doing its job properly. Doing so was a bit complicated and long, and seeing as I'm not exactly sleeping right now, it seemed like tonight was the perfect night to do it. Since the upgrading process is done now," she continued, pointing over her shoulder to the general direction of her improvised work space, "All I have to do is reboot it and test it out to see if it works faster and properly."
Kaidan stared at her with big eyes. He had never heard another human, other than an engineer of some sort, speak so fluently about technology. Shepard was full of surprises. She was beautiful but almost dangerously so. She was quiet and rarely talked to anyone other than when she was issuing orders, but here she was having a long, friendly conversation with him. And she looked like someone who would shoot first, and figure out a plan a plan later; yet here she was talking about programs she had created for her omni-tool on her own so that she could hack into things instead of blasting away at them until they became itty bitty pieces. There was no figuring this woman out.
Shepard frowned at Kaidan, and that's how he realized that he was staring. Say something, stupid! he scolded himself. No words came.
"Is something wrong?" Shepard said when he didn't say anything. She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. It was a move of self-consciousness that she preformed because she thought that something was wrong with her, rather than what she said. Her hair wasn't the perfect soldier like her, though, and it fell across her face once more. The frown on her face deepened as Shepard locked her eyes on a set of particularly long strands of hair that drooped across her nose.
She now looked more silly than serious and Kaidan laughed. That was a big mistake on his end, though. Shepard thought he was laughing at her, and she started panicking, thinking she was doing something wrong or embarrassing. On the outside she looked normal, clam, save for her frown; but she was tense on the inside, preparing for the insult that usually followed in situations like these.
"Commander," Kaidan said, regaining his composure, and gaining the sense that Shepard wasn't feeling all that great about herself because she didn't know what he had laughed about, "I meant no disrespect by laughing, but the way you glared at your hair would have scared the tentacle things off an asari," he teased. "And I've never heard a woman speak so fluently in tech before. No offense, but sometimes you women are much more violent than us men." This time words didn't fail him.
Shepard's expression of uncertainty and frowning changed dramatically to a warm smile. "If you think that's interesting, than you'll find the fact that I almost became an artist instead of signing up impossible." Shepard's smile almost disappeared and her eyes grew wide, but she forced herself to act normal, like nothing had gone wrong with what she said. In all actuality, though, she couldn't believe she had just told him that. It had taken four drinks with Rebecca when they were off duty for her to give up that kind of personal information. What the hell am I doing! she frantically asked herself. The nervousness of having done something or said something wrong caused words to slip from her mouth in defense.
"An artist? Really?"
"Had to pass the time on Mindoir somehow," Okay, bring up something painful so that he backs off this topic, "especially since the slavers held off until I was sixteen to kill everyone else off."
Kaidan winced. That was a little harsh. Most people would say that they didn't want to talk about something by just coming out and saying it. He was obviously still figuring it out that Shepard wasn't at all like most people. She had gone out of her way to make a point that she didn't do personal talks all that often by making the other person(s) feel guilty, even if they hadn't brought it up. Kaidan was going to have to remember that.
"Anyways," Shepard continued, "you should probably get some rest while you still can." Kaidan involuntarily yawned at the mention of rest. He had found this tired stuff he was looking for earlier. "I heard Captain Anderson mention something about combat sims. tomorrow." Her voice drifted off and became softer as she talked more to herself than Kaidan, a kind of submissive way of telling him that she was done talking. "Probably so that he can show us off for that turian Spectre, what's-his-face..."
"Nihlus?" Kaidan offered, rising from his chair getting ready to head his bunk.
"Yeah..." Shepard's mind was already elsewhere, an effective way of getting people to want to leave her alone.
"You should probably get some rest as well, Commander," he added turning to head back down the corridors he had come from to get to the mess. But then he stopped and turned back to Shepard. "Actually, would you mind installing that program of yours on to my omni-tool as well?"
"Not at all," she replied with an absent minded tone. "Do you have it with you?"
Kaidan's left forearm lit up with the same orange glow Shepard was bathed in as his own omni-tool flashed to life. It looked like orange plating hovering above his arm, not touching his skin at all, and covering his entire forearm from his elbow to his hand with the exception of his fingers. Kaidan slipped the omni-tool off his arm and placed it on the table in front of Shepard.
Pausing for only a moment from her thoughts, Shepard looked up at Kaidan and smiled. "Rest well, Alenko," she whispered musically before setting to work on his omni-tool, hair covering her eyes as it fell in the way when she looked down at it.
Kaidan simply nodded in return before he actually headed back through the Normandy's dark corridors. The further he went, the colder it seemed to become. It was like Shepard radiated some kind of heat for him, and he was half tempted to stop, turn around, and go back just so he could feel it again.
"Rest well, Alenko."
Shepard's words still flowed through him. The way she said his name was...amazing. There were just no words to describe how she had said it that made it different from anyone else's pronunciation. It just was, and he found himself longing to hear her say his first name. It probably sounded like the voice of an angel, singing to those that needed comfort. And the kindness in her ice blue eyes when she had smiled and looked up at him had the ability to melt anyone. Including the cold and calm Lieutenant that he had become, shaped to be so by his own past.
She was beautiful, almost dangerously so; and he was unfortunate enough to be drawn in.
Shepard worked furiously away at Kaidan's omni-tool, half lost in the work, half lost in her thoughts, and completely oblivious to anything and everything that was going on around her.
Why do I find it so easy to talk to him? I never talk to anyone like I just did, so why him? she asked, berating herself for the foolish way she had behaved when Kaidan was around. Because I think he's handsome, she answered, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she realized that was indeed the reason.
She pounded away more forcefully now, hating this stupid crush she had on her Lieutenant. Her Lieutenant! There were regs against crap like this!
Groaning impossibly loud, Shepard leaned back as far as she could in her chair without tipping backward and crashing onto the floor. Things were not supposed to be this complicated. Right now she was supposed to tanning her pathetically pale skin on the warm beaches of Italy, enjoying the architecture from way back when, and blushing at the bold, romantic remarks of the Italian men that would be trying to seduce her. Instead, she was sitting in the mess of a prototype ship, criticizing herself on a school girl crush she had developed for her lieutenant; not that she didn't mind to whole being reassigned to a prototype ship rather than being on shore leave. Sure she was disappointed that she didn't get to go to Italy and brag about it to Rebecca, but she wasn't completely broken up about it. Being recalled back early from shore leave was part of the marine life. It's what you expected every time you stepped away from wherever the Alliance had you stationed. Not having shore leave at all was part of being part of the Special Forces, the N branch of the Alliance.
Shepard wouldn't have been surprised if the N in her N7 classification meant that she was "never" going to have shore leave. It made sense when she thought about it. Since graduating from the Special Forces Academy she had only had shore leave once, and that was because they feared her mental stability was completely shot out of an airlock after Akuze. Otherwise, she had always been assigned dangerous and impossible missions told only that she had to get it done other than being told to get some R and R in a warm country. The only reason her last assignment had been on a station with a normal unit was because she was brought in to teach some of the fresh biotics how to control their implants and master the dark energy they could command. Thinking back on it now, Shepard had really hated Admiral Hackett for assigning her there. An old friend may have been on the station with her, making it not totally unbearable; but the whole thing had been lacking some things that Shepard craved: action, pressure, stress, challenge, and the near death experiences that were always within reach when Shepard was assigned a real mission.
The flashing text streaming from Kaidan's omni-tool began to slow down before it finally came to a stop. He had made a few changes in the original hacking program that came with it. The changes were impressive, nowhere near her own level of skill, but impressive none the least; however, Kaidan had been trying to make gold out of straw.
Speaking of straw... she thought bitterly as she tried brushing her uncooperative hair out of her face. Still it defied her wishes, though, and fell back into her face. She quit while she was ahead. Most of her bangs hadn't fallen into her eyes and that, sadly, was classified as a win in her books.
Shepard leaned forward in her chair this time, the legs making a loud clank as metal crashed against metal, and started transferring her program onto Kaidan's omni-tool now that the original had been deleted. Kaidan did seem rather impressed that I knew what I was talking about. Everyone else who's heard me talk tech always think that it—I was...weird. The omni-tool let out a soft beep to signal that the upload had begun.
A jet of air escaped Shepard's mouth as she blew upwards to move her bangs just a little before standing up. Grabbing her thermos, she headed over to the kitchen to grab more of her sugar and calorie spiked coffee the chef had made her before he bunked up.
It's going to be a long night, she thought to herself, sighing as she poured her coffee, the steam rising up along with the scent of warm vanilla and hazelnut. Thank God for coffee, though.
"Ah, Shepard, there you are," Captain Anderson said as he approached Shepard, who was standing out of the way in a dark corner.
Shit!
She had been trying to avoid everyone at the moment, hoping that if she stayed out of sight then maybe she wouldn't have to take part in the combat simulations that they were rumored to be doing today. "Captain Anderson," she said, greeting the man with a salute.
"I suggest you wrap up anything that needs to be done," he said. "We are going to start running combat sims. at 0900."
Shepard groaned internally, but remained completely controlled and calm on the outside. "Aye, aye, sir," came her stone cold response.
Captain Anderson nodded and made to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shepard take a hesitant step towards him as if to stop him. He turned back to the Commander, "Is there something you need, Shepard?"
Nodding, Shepard collected her thoughts, putting them into words that sounded the least offensive, "With all due respect, sir, can I know the purpose behind the combat sims? Do they even serve a purpose or are they simply just a way of trying to impress the turian Spectre..." she struggled with the name before Kaidan's gruff voice from last night echoed in her ears as a memory, "Nihlus?"
She was a sharp one. Captain Anderson had read all the reports. Shepard was a strong and individual person who had gotten used to working solo on all her missions after she became an N7. She was also flagged for having a "complete disregard for the chain of command." What really happened, the Captain surmised, was that she simply guessed the plan, reason, or purpose of a mission before she was actually told. Anderson liked her. He had never served with her, surprising since he was an N7 himself, but he knew all the official reports on her missions and not the ones released to the public. Her attitude, stance, and behavior reminded him of himself in his early N7 career, albeit she was a lot younger than he was when he joined.
"I respect you, Shepard," he said, getting two quick blinks out of her. It was the only tell tale sign that she was surprised. She was expecting something along the lines of a few words answer or a "none of you goddamn business," response. "So, I won't bull you. The combat sims. are mostly for Nihlus to see what we can do." Anderson held up his hands to hold back Shepard's protest that was about to ensue. Shaking his head he continues, "That doesn't mean it doesn't serve a purpose, though. It provides an opportunity for you to get to know the crew and evaluate how they work. It also works the other way around: the crew gets to know you, the great Commander Shepard, combat wise, your commanding style, and what to expect from you; they might even lose some of that hero worship they have for you."
"I guess that answers my 'do I have to participate' question," She grumbled to herself but not quietly enough.
"I know you must be pretty pissed off about being pulled from leave, Commander, and the last thing a soldier of your caliber would want to do is run combat simulations," Anderson snapped strictly, "but I'm not asking for what you want to do. This is a way for you to get to know everyone, and that is an important part of being an N7 and a commander; so, straighten up and start acting like one." Anderson didn't actually mean that she wasn't being an N7, not by a long shot. But she was asking questions he expected from Joker, not her.
"Aye, aye, sir," Shepard said forcefully, standing up straighter and more rigid. She knew better than to complain, and she mentally kicked herself hard for sounding like she was complaining in the first place.
"Is that all you needed, Commander?" the Captain asked, stressing the word commander to drive the point he made a little further past home.
"Actually, I was wondering if you knew where I could find Lieutenant Alenko," her heart skipped a few beats nervously, worrying that Anderson might guess what her heart knew, but her mind denied. "I have something that I need to give him, and I also need to speak with him about something."
"Last I heard, he was in the med bay," Anderson answered, not giving away any information on what he may or may not know. "Tell him that I would like to speak with him as well when you find him."
"Thank you, sir. I will," Shepard gave him a farewell salute before walking away.
I wonder why he's in the med bay, Shepard thought as she walked down the halls of the Normandy. Her mind instantly replayed Kaidan's voice telling her that he was an L2. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of her own biotic implant and how it had changed her life. She silently hoped that he wasn't with Dr. Chakwas because of the side effects you get from having the L2 configurations. Migraines are terrible, but migraines induced by biotic implants must be a whole lot worse.
The doors to the med bay on the Normandy chimed as they opened, letting Shepard in.
Dr. Chakwas pretty much spoke at the same time as Shepard took her first step into the med bay. "Commander Shepard, what can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for Lieutenant Alenko," Shepard answered, forcing herself to look at Dr. Chakwas and not having her gaze wandering the room. She hadn't been in this part of the ship before, and her curiosity was almost overwhelming to take a brief look around since she would almost certainly be getting intimately familiar with this room in particular due to her nasty little talent of taking hits for those that were in her squad. That was one of the reasons she preferred to do solo missions. Less chance for her to get herself killed while trying to save someone else. "I heard from the Captain that he might be here."
"He is," the Dr. Chakwas said, moving to the side so that Shepard could see behind her.
Kaidan lay on one of the beds. His hands were at his sides and his chest rose and fell as he breathed. He looked peaceful. The only thing that was off and said that he wasn't simply resting normally was the place and the fact that he still had his boots on.
Shepard's heart leapt to her throat when she saw him. Too many times had she seen crewmates, comrades, civilians in the same tranquility. Their tranquility had been caused by a stopped heart, however. Irrational fear gripped her for some stupid reason. She could see that he was breathing; she knew that he was ok. It was simply her past experiences, what she saw that made her act this way.
At least, that's what she told herself.
She really didn't know why she was acting...nervous at seeing Kaidan lying in the med bay. He was a fellow soldier, they were in the safety of the Normandy who was pulled into port for crying out loud, and there was nothing wrong. There was no reason why she should feel anything.
So, she didn't. She shoved it all back. She was very good at it. With all her years of doing it, she considered herself an expert at it.
"He woke up with a terrible migraine, induced by his implant, and the best way we've found for him to get through them is by sleeping," Dr. Chakwas continued.
"Do you know when he'll wake up?" Shepard asked, itching to talk to him again.
"Not for several hours, at least. The medication I gave him lasts a long time and it wasn't too long ago when I administered it. He probably won't be awake in time to run the combat simulations Captain Anderson will have you all running in thirty minutes.
What am I going to do now? Shepard hummed softly to herself.
"Did you need him for something, Commander?"
"I needed to give him something. I had also hoped I would have been able to talk with him," Shepard answered emotionlessly.
"I'm not much of a secretary," Dr. Chakwas chuckled, "but I could pass on a message if you'd like."
"Thank you for the offer, Dr. Chakwas, but that's not necessary."
Dr. Chakwas nodded and moved back to her desk, starting up her holographic interface, her computer.
Shepard contemplated just leaving and catching up with Kaidan later. Then she remembered the combat sims. and how those could very well take up the entire day.
Kaidan's omni-tool flared to life in Shepard's hands as she had an idea. Her lips twitched upwards in a soft smile as she wrote out a message for him, making sure it was the first thing that popped up when he turned the omni-tool back on.
Walking over to where Kaidan lay sleeping, Shepard looked over to Dr. Chakwas, "Would it be alright for me to leave this by him?" she asked, lifting up the Lieutenant's omni-tool so that she could see what she was talking about.
"That would be fine, Commander."
The omni-tool came to rest next to Kaidan's side. It was far enough for him to be unable to knock it off accidentally, but close enough for him to notice it relatively quickly when he wakes up.
Anderson is going to catch hell if anyone tries to use these combat sims. as a way to show off, Shepard thought bitterly, nodding farewell to Dr. Chakwas. The last thing I need is some happy go lucky corporal messing around. The first thing I need is for these combat sims. to somehow be cancelled. Speaking of Anderson...I better let him know that the Lieutenant won't be able to take part in said combat sims...lucky bastard.
Her sour mood at the impending drills of death by boredom lifted for a split second as she thought back to what she had said on the message and smiled. Hopefully he'll get a smile of it, too.
Kaidan groaned softly when he finally woke up from the long, dreamless sleep the meds had put him in. His head still throbbed from the lingering pain of the migraine he woke up with earlier that morning. The lights still burned his eyes just a little, but thankfully the sensitivity to sound was pretty much gone.
Shifting around a little, Kaidan sat up, messaging his temples. His head hung low, trying to get rid of the blurriness that his eyes were registering along with the lights that were made brighter than normal by his own, self-destructive mind. As his eyes focused, the orange, glowing omni-tool caught his attention. When he lifted it up from beside him to examine it, he could definitely tell that it was his; but he remembered that he had left it with Shepard.
"Good, you're awake," Dr. Chakwas' cultured voice said, tearing him away from any thoughts involving how his omni-tool came to be beside him. "How are you doing?"
"Much better."
She nodded before pulling out a data pad. "How bad was this one compared to the others?"
"It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was at least able to make it here on my own unlike other times where the pain was just too intense," his raspy voice answered.
Dr. Chakwas nodded again and began adding things to the file she had started on Kaidan. As she was doing this, Kaidan slipped the omni-tool back on his arm, making it disappear as it retracted itself, and glanced around the med bay.
She kept this place in pristine shape. All the equipment was clean and shiny, the floors didn't have a speck of dirt on them, and all the supplies were organized perfectly despite the fact that some of the soldiers had grabbed some of the supplies when one of the engineers sliced open his arm while performing a routine check down in engineering.
"Oh, Commander Shepard dropped off an omni-tool for you. I assume it's yours." Kaidan nodded and let the tech turn back on to show her that he got it. "She also said that she wanted to talk to you. I don't know what about, but it probably involves your omni-tool," she continued as Kaidan looked thoughtfully at the omni-tool. "She wasn't very forthcoming with information, and I wasn't going to try to get it out of her. She's very good at being silent when she wants to be and at making sure that people leave her alone."
"How long ago was this?" Kaidan asked, standing up and preparing to go and find Shepard. He was just about to shut the omni-tool down again, but he noticed that there was some kind of message on it, so he just flicked it on to "sleep mode."
"It was right before the Captain began putting everyone through combat simulations," Dr. Chakwas looked at the attached to her wrist, "so...that was about seven hours ago. Maybe a little more. I didn't really pay attention to what time she came in," her voice got a little softer, "I'm going to have to start doing that though considering..."
"Considering what?" Kaidan asked, curiosity piqued. Seven hours ago she was looking for me. Whatever reason it was, it's probably not important anymore. But what is Dr. Chakwas talking about? It sounds as though she'll be seeing the Commander often.
Dr. Chakwas looked back up at him sharply, her eyes having gone back to the data pad she held, "Huh? Oh, don't mind me," she said offering a smile in the feign hope that he would forget what she had almost slipped through the doctor-patient-confidentiality persona she always had. "Just talking to myself. You can join in on whatever the Captain's got everyone doing. They're down in the cargo bay area, I think, and from the number of broken noses I've seen this far, I think they must be boxing or something similar."
Kaidan knew when he was being told to get lost when he heard it, even though Dr. Chakwas was too kind hearted to ever say something as harsh as "get lost." However, there was a clear dismissive tone in her voice that kindly told him that she had other things that needed to be done other than talk with a L2 biotic who had just gotten rid of a migraine. His footsteps sounded hollow as the leather soles slapped against the metal floor, and the door chimed softly as he exited the med bay.
It felt as if the Normandy was completely deserted when he left the sterile environment of the med bay. No one was in the mess, and that was something that never happened. You couldn't hear any voices, and the only thing that was reaching Kaidan's ears were the sounds of the various machines running on the Normandy.
At least I don't have to worry about anyone reading over my shoulder, Kaidan thought as he pulled up a chair to the table positioned in the center of the mess. His omni-tool popped back up once more and he tapped open the message that was left for him:
"Subject: Resting Well?
When I told you to rest well, I didn't actually think you'd go as far as to knock yourself out with drugs! I mean, come on! That's cheating! Hmmm...Can't say that I blame you though. I would go to extreme lengths to get out of the damn combat simulations we'll be running as you sleep, too.
Anyway, the upgrade you wanted me to do is finished. I actually used the original program I made instead of its modified version since I'm not 100% that the modification's won't make my omni-tool blow up (I'm serious about that. This is my fourth omni-tool since the other three died in horrific, self-inflicted explosions.). Wouldn't want yours to blow up because of some miscalculations on my end.
If you want to know more about what I actually did, all you have to do is ask. I should warn you though, it's incredibly boring and once you get me talking about ANYTHING that involves technology, it's damn near impossible to get me to shut up (hard to believe, right?). Or, at least, that's what a friend of mine says.
—Shep."
Kaidan's laughter echoed throughout the mess. Shepard was a whole 'nother person when anything with tech was involved. He could practically hear the sarcasm and teasing that would have been in her voice if she had been standing in front of him, saying all of that instead of it really just being read. That was also a little odd. Kaidan hadn't heard Shepard talk as freely and teasingly as the message sounded, yet he was still able to picture her saying and acting as it sounded.
She is a mystery.
The omni-tool flicked back off and Kaidan sat in silence for a little while. The doc said something about the cargo bay. I guess that's where I should start.
The elevator hissed as it closed behind him, and began its decent. One thing that Kaidan understand about the Normandy was that if it was such a highly advanced ship, then why was the damn elevator so slow. He wasn't one to get annoyed easily, but the slowness of the elevator made him anxious.
Flexing his fingers, biotic static danced between them and Kaidan quickly concentrated on the dark energy, pushing it back into the recesses of his body. His implant helped him do this. Static may seem like a trivial thing, but this was biotic static caused by the dark energy he was able to use thanks to element zero. And if you didn't stay in complete control of the dark energy, accidents could happen, people could get killed, and that wasn't what Kaidan wanted. Killing someone with his biotics was last on his list of things he would do again.
When the doors of the elevator slid down to let him out, Kaidan was smacked with cheers, roaring laughter, and loud, exuberant talking. It was completely out of character for the Alliance. Everyone was out of character, too. People were laughing, smiling, and talking to one another as if they'd met at a bar and weren't actually still on an Alliance ship.
The crew was spread out among one or two areas. It looked as though most of the crew was up in the catwalks where Kaidan was now, and as he neared the railing, he could see where the other part of the crew was. They were down in the cargo bay which was looking a little different now. Everything down there was shoved up against the walls out of the way to create a large, open space in the center, and the crew were the walls of a circle.
The camaraderie you were hearing almost didn't betray the fact that, even though they were carrying on their own conversations, they were all paying attention to what was happening in the open area of the cargo bay. Two corporals were going at one another. There was punching, blocking, insults, the whole nine yards. It looked brutal, but Kaidan noticed that they weren't trying to kill one another. It was just like any other fighting sport.
I guess this is why Dr. Chakwas has been seeing so many broken noses, Kaidan chuckled. Looking around with a critical eye, Kaidan surveyed the entire area, keeping in mind that Shepard had originally wanted to talk to him, even though the message she left warned him against it.
Nihlus was in the cleared out space where the two corporals were fighting. He seemed to be acting as a referee of some sort. Captain Anders on was standing off to the left, talking with a few of the crew. Their eye met for a second and Kaidan saw the searching looking in his eyes that were like a mirror of his own. The two men nodded at one another in acknowledgment.
Still looking around the large room, Kaidan saw who he was searching for.
Her hair was brushed and smoothed down so well that it looked like individual threads of pure gold hung past her shoulders, rippling in the light with every movement she made. The paleness of her skin made it look as if she glowed softly in her blue ACU's, the dark blue fatigues hugging her curves tightly. Icy and fierce eyes were trained on someone else, sparkling with enjoyment as her sharp face was turned towards Joker. Her soft pink lips were quirked into the makings of a smile as she talked to the pilot. Pride radiated from her as she stood tall with her shoulders back and head held up confidently. Shepard was striking. Maybe terrifying in certain situations, but striking none the less.
"You really don't want to know, Commander," Joker teased, talking in his "this-is-going-to-set-me-up-for-an-I-told-you-so-moment" voice as he looked up at her from his wheelchair.
Kaidan approached and stood behind Joker. Shepard caught his eyes with her own for a moment before responding. "I'm sure how 'Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau' was shortened to 'Joker' is an interesting story."
Joker smirked at her, "I'm telling you, it's not, but if you want to hear it, that's fine by me." Shepard turned her head to one side slightly so that Joker didn't notice her rolling her eyes that much. Kaidan was close to doing a similar reaction to Joker's dramatics.
Clearing his throat, Joker told a lackluster story, "Hey, I didn't actually pick the name. I was given it because I love to make little children laugh."
Shepard smiled crookedly at the pilot, "Oh, I guess that explains the sudden urge I had to sit on your lap and ask you for a pony for Christmas when I first met you." She said with a teasing tone. Mind you, it was the superior officer teasing the subordinate tone, but it was still a form of teasing.
"Ha-ha!" Joker laughed mockingly, "you are so funny, Commander," every word was stressed and spaced out to show how much he was mocking the Commander, "you should have joined some kind of comedy club instead of the Alliance."
"Mocking the Commander so openly probably isn't the greatest idea, Joker," Kaidan said, finally speaking after watching silently and startling Joker. "She could easily break every bone in your body by just glaring at you."
"Jesus, Kaidan!" Joker exclaimed, "Don't you know you're not supposed to sneak up on people."
"It's not his fault you were completely oblivious to everything around you," Shepard snickered, defending Kaidan.
"Well, excuse me, Commander," Joker bristled, "we can't all have the random shit's about to happen radar like you do. I mean that's probably the only reason you've survived that whole ordeal with Akuze."
Shepard winced at his words a little. Kaidan could see something in her eyes, but he couldn't read it. More guilt maybe. Remorse?
Joker shuffled a little, "Shit...don't mind me Commander. I didn't mean anything by it."
Shepard shook her head, rolling her eyes and dismissing his comment easily with a wall of feigned apathy. Her eyes were closed for half a second longer than they needed to when she blinked. She then fixed her gaze on Kaidan, her clear eyes becoming emotionless once more. "Glad to see you're up, Lieutenant. I was afraid you'd miss out on all the fun," she said, motioning to what was happening around them.
Joker mumbled something to himself that was inaudible to Kaidan and Shepard before he wheeled away, leaving the Commander and Lieutenant.
Kaidan watched Joker leave, wondering what his problem was. "Yeah, my migraine certainly picked a bad time to spring up."
"Or good time, if you wanted to skip out on the combat sims. like I did."
"I guess," Kaidan hummed. "You told Dr. Chakwas you wanted to speak with me?"
"I did," she said, smiling a little, "but I thought better of it when I realized how boring it must be to listen to someone drone on and on about tech."
"I wouldn't mind if it were you, Commander." It slipped out before he could stop it, and by the time he realized it, there was nothing he could do to fix it. "I, uh..."
"Save it, Lieutenant." Shepard's cheeks were a little redder than usual. Was she embarrassed? Is she actually blushing? "Just..." she smirked, "don't let the Captain catch you saying things like that."
"Aye, aye, ma'am."
Shepard snorted with amusement before turning her attention to what was happening below them. There was an empty spot along the railing with just enough space for the two of them, so they quickly occupied it before any of the vulturous crew could swoop down on it. Swooping is bad.
"I take it that's the fun you mentioned?"
"Yep."
"Reminds me a little of boxing," Kaidan added, trying to get the conversation going.
"It's full contact sparring...so, yeah. It's basically boxing, only a little more fun," she explained. The two corporals that had been fighting had cleared out. It looked like they were waiting for two new opponents. "Nihlus brought it up. Apparently it's what the turian military would use as a method of alleviating stress before high risk missions. He suggested it as a way for us to kill some time after we finished the combat sims. Although, he used bigger words for something as simple as 'kill time.'"
"You don't sound as if you believe that, Commander."
Shepard turned to look directly at him, her eyes and emotions still firmly locked behind of solid wall of light blue ice and apathy. She held his gaze for a moment before she looked back across the cargo bay, leaning forward against the railing, one arm bracing herself on it while the other ran through her hair, brushing it out of the way. Several of the crew were talking amongst themselves while Nihlus stood off a bit watching them. "I don't. Turians don't suggest things without a reason, and Spectres don't suggest things without having some sort of personal gain because of it for themselves or the mission they're on. Since I don't know him as a person or what he's actually doing here, I'll assume it's both until I have see proof that it's one or the other or none." Again she turned back to Kaidan, "Something's not right here, and I now the Captain's in on it, but at least we don't have to worry about any malicious intent on his end." Shepard shook her head and snorted, shutting off her icy blue wall as she closed her eyes. She pushed off the railing with frustration, taking a couple of half steps back. "I'm probably just thinking into it too much."
"Maybe," Kaidan agreed quickly. He hoped that she wouldn't ask his opinion on the matter. He liked thinking that everything was as it was said, that Nihlus was here just to keep an eye on the Council's investment. Part of him found himself agreeing with Shepard's assessment of the situation, though. "It's better to think too much into things than not enough, though."
"Until it becomes an obsession and blinds you to what's really happening."
"Can't win them all."
"Ain't that the truth," Shepard laughed.
"Don't worry, Commander," Kaidan reassured her, mischief guiding his words, "if I notice that you are obsessing about something by thinking too far into it, I'll let you know."
"Good to know I've got someone looking out for me," she smiled.
"Hmm...I take it there are rules for this full contact sparing," he said, changing subjects.
"Yeah," she supplied dryly. "No low blows, no outside help, no cheap shots, nothing dangerous or stupid, no clawing, biting, and no killing or seriously injuring your opponent."
"Whoa...the turians run it tight."
"Kinda," Shepard agreed, leaning back against the railing before deciding to sit on it. She was now fully facing Kaidan so that he could see her eyes were on the ceiling and her eyebrows were raised in annoyance. "I may have missed a few of the rules though," he eyes drop back down to Kaidan. "That's why Nihlus is the silent ref. None of us could remember all of the rules that he listed off. It didn't help that he spoke quietly, but I got the gist of what he said."
"Turians are a bit hard to understand with that..." for lack of a better word, "accent of theirs."
Shepard read his hesitation and understood what it was directed at. Laughing she said, "I'm not sure what you'd call it either."
Kaidan and Shepard stood there silent for a moment. The next challenger made his way to the center of the cargo bay.
"It looks like Jenkins is up next," Kaidan mentioned to her. Jenkins and him had served together one time before this, and they had become friends of a sort.
"Oh, God!" Shepard groaned, sliding off the railing to get a better look at what was happening beneath them, and then rolling her eyes when she saw that Kaidan was right.
"You have a problem with the corporal, Commander?" Kaidan asked, ready to jump to the defense of his friend.
"My patience was worn down to about zero after running combat sims. with him," Shepard replied blankly. "Does he ever shut up?"
Kaidan chuckled, realizing the source of her annoyance and her remarks. "Can't handle a bit of hero worship, ma'am?"
"I'm no hero. Never was." Shepard's eyes drifted to the side as if she were remembering something. The ice glistened with sadness as she spoke almost guiltily. It was a touchy subject that she let pass with a slight pause before she continued. "And I can handle the whole hero worship and awe crap...most of the time. Jenkins goes way beyond that, though. He's borderline obsessive!"
"Give it some time," Kaidan reassured her teasingly. "He'll lose most of it in roughly a week."
Shepard sighed loudly, dramatically, while wearing a fake smile. "Lovely!"
Looking at the Commander, Kaidan let out a snort of amusement. "So, have you tried out this sparring yet?"
"No, not yet," Shepard answered mildly, her smile fading like an old memory: slowly. "They're running it from lowest rank on up. It gives the crew a chance to settle grudges, prove a point, or..." Shepard trailed off and made it obvious she was looking at a group of female crewmembers clustered together up on the catwalks with them, "or to impress and grab attention." Kaidan couldn't help but smile and shake his head at that. Shepard smirked. "The person next in line to fight gets to choose who they go up against, no matter what rank are; or they can pass up their turn and they just continue down the list. Most of the women have passed up their turn—the wimps. Also, if the person who was challenged to a fight wins, they can continue to be challenged by other crewmembers who watched until they are beaten or step aside and let the next person in line go."
"I thought you said you didn't know all the rules," Kaidan joked.
She shrugged, "That's just what I want to remember at the moment." Messaging the bridge of her nose she added, "I guess if someone really wanted me to, I could recite what he had told us almost verbatim."
"That's impressive."
Another shrug, "Maybe. I'm just good at remembering things I've seen or been told."
"I see. So, what does it take to win one of these fights?"
"That depends on what the two opponents decide on," Shepard explained. "They can go 'til someone yields, first landed blow—that one's a little boring—first blood—a little more interesting—and there's also first broken bone—usually the nose—and knockout. Dr. Chakwas has already expressed her extreme displeasure at the last two, but they're still options."
"And no one's challenged the 'Great Commander Shepard' yet?"
"No, no one's challenged me. My reputation must be worse than I thought," she replied with a fake frown. "I hope something happens soon, though. Joker was the only thing keeping me from being extremely bored and now you are." Shepard narrowed her eyes, and then looked over at Kaidan. "That was rude. I didn't mean for that to sound as if I was using you and Joker for entertainment."
"It's fine, Commander. I knew what you meant."
"Hah! I'm not used to that. Most people take offense, ignore, or are confused by what I say." Shepard cocked her head to the side. "Then again, I usually only every talk when I absolutely need to, like to those above me in rank or whoever I have to debrief on a mission I completed. I don't typically socialize with people."
"And when you do, it's usually a complete mess?"
"Usually." Shepard smirked at him. "That obvious, huh?"
"You do make it pretty obvious that you prefer to be alone...and that you don't like talking about personal matters or anything about your past," Kaidan answered quietly.
Something flashed in Shepard's eyes before she looked at Kaidan sincerely, sadly. "Listen, Alenko, I don't mean to—"
"Shepard!" came a metallic, echoed voice.
Groaning, Shepard turned her attention to Nihlus, the Spectre gone referee. "You need something, Nihlus?" she asked with mock enthusiasm.
"Corporal Richard L. Jenkins has challenged you to a match. Do you accept?"
"Of course he has." Shepard looked over at Kaidan, chuckling at how serious the turian was about this whole thing. She peered back over the edge of the catwalks down at the Spectre. "Why the hell not? I'll do it."
As she started for the elevator she stopped momentarily next to Kaidan, "I've changed my mind," she whispered. "I think I would rather stay up here and be bored." Then she passed him with a crooked smile.
Kaidan watched her leave, his eyes drifting to her hips slowly when they were originally on the back of her head. Did she just...? Was she about to open up to me and share something personal? Kaidan silently damned that turian for interrupting before he could have found out. Now he was never going to find out. He didn't even hear Joker come up behind him he was so engrossed with cursing Nihlus.
"Enjoying the view, Lieutenant?" Joker taunted.
Kaidan kept himself from jumping. He wasn't going to react the same way Joker had when their positions had been switched. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, turning around now that Shepard had disappeared in the elevator, their doors sealing her away from view.
"Uh-huh, sure," Joker rolled his eyes.
Kaidan's eyes narrowed a little at what Joker was insinuating. "Is there something you want to say, Joker?"
"Yeah, actually," he replied copying Kaidan and narrowing his eyes at the Lieutenant as he continued to poke and prod at what he found out to be a touchy subject. "How long have you had the hots for the Commander?"
"What on earth are you talking about?" Kaidan said, making sure his voice wasn't loud enough to attract some else's attention. "I don't have—!"
"Don't lie to me, Kaidan. We're too good of friends for you to get away with that."
It was Kaidan's turn to roll his eyes. "I wasn't aware we were friends," he said, getting a grunt from Joker. "And I was just being friendly, like you were when I got here. Most of the crew still seem to intimidated to talk to her—"
"That and she pretty much scares away anyone who tries," Joker interrupted. "Only those with serious balls can handle talking to her."
Kaidan narrowed his eyes again, "and I figured she could use someone to talk to."
Joker scoffed at what he said. He clearly wasn't going to get Kaidan to confess what he already knew, so he tried a different angle. "You don't know why I was talking with her," he said slyly, "maybe I've got a thing for her."
"Yeah right," Kaidan replied. "You'd break your jaw if you even so much as tried to kiss her, and you know it."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, pal."
Kaidan shook his head. There was no way Joker would try anything. He was too in love with the Normandy to look at anything that had a heart.
"You gotta admit that she is pretty good looking, though."
"She's also deadly," Kaidan said, not realizing that he fell or Joker's trap.
"Ah-ha!" Joker exclaimed in triumph. "I knew it!"
"Knew what?"
"Oh, nothing," Joker answered too quickly. "Anyway, I can agree with the whole deadly thing. I'm surprised she didn't' kill me over the stupid Akuze comment I made."
"I am too." Kaidan's annoyance bubbled up. "Why did you say that, by the way? Are you that selfish and detached?"
"Come one, Kaidan. You know I didn't mean to," Joker sighed. "I just have difficulty with not saying everything that comes to my mind."
"Is there any particular reason that, that was on your mind in the first place?"
"Is there any particular reason why you're getting so pissy over something I said to the Commander?" Joker snapped.
"Yeah," Kaidan said, his voice getting dangerously close to a growl, "even someone who spends all his time in a cockpit, getting to know more machines more than people, should know that you don't open old wounds. Everyone knows her story. Her entire unit, all fifty of them, were completely wiped out by thresher maws. If that isn't an old wound, then I don't know what is."
"Well, she seemed to respond to what I said just fine."
"That's because she responded as—" as a Commander should and not as a real person, as Alice Shepard, would. Kaidan shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Just don't try to talk about anything personal with her or bring up anything about her past. She's made it obvious that she doesn't do or like that kind of thing."
Joker scoffed. "Kinda like you."
"I guess."
The two men were silent, watching what was happening around them, unmoving. Kaidan had said his part, and Joker had learned all he needed to, to make fun of the Lieutenant latter.
"Huh, at least I learned something from this little talk of ours," Joker finally piped up after he got bored of watching everyone else having fun conversations.
"And might that be?"
"You like her," he answered with raised eyebrows and a wink.
"It's not like that."
"Oh, is that so? You go out of your way to protect everyone else from old wounds then?"
"No, but—"
"Don't bullshit me, Alenko. I know what you deny."
Kaidan narrowed his eyes. He wasn't going to win. "Spread it around and I'll kill you in the most painful way possible."
"Don't worry. I'll keep your secret."
"Oh...joy."
"Maybe not from Shepard, though."
"So much as hint to it in front of her, and I'll have you begging for that 'most painful' death."
"I'm just teasing you, man. No need to get all homicidal on me."
"Sure."
"...You were kidding about that, right?"
"Maybe."
"...Come on, man. Don't be like that."
"Be like what?"
"You know damn well what! Did you seriously mean the whole 'kill you in the most painful way possible' thing?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Kaidan replied, continuing to be vague in his answers. "And there's one obvious way to make sure that even if I wasn't kidding that you would continue to live."
"Aw...shit."
Holy mother of god this one's long. The worse part is, is that there was more planned for this, but I decided to break it off and put it in the next chapter. That means that either in the end of next chapter or in the one after it, we'll finally start Eden Prime (about damn time, I know).
So if you see anything that's wrong (grammar, spelling, sentence phrasing, etc...) please inform me so that I might fix it. :) thanks for reading.