Over two years since the Normandy was destroyed, and she wasn't any closer to finding out any solid information about the Reapers…just some vague information about the Collectors she managed to finagle from a Shadow Broker agent. Shepard was reaching the end of her rope. While she and Anderson had kept in contact, she was still more than a little surprised to get a private message from him on the Council's secure channel.
"…I'm sure you've heard the rumors as much as I have, Shepard. Trust me when I say I'd tell you – as a friend, if nothing else – if I knew their validity. I'm asking you to please go to Horizon as a favor."
Her eyes fluttered shut. She knew exactly which rumors he spoke of. They were plastered all over the extranet.
Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko spotted on the Citadel.
Memorialized Alliance war hero Alenko seen in the company of human terrorist organization, Cerberus.
BETRAYAL IN THE ALLIANCE! (She actually punched al-Jilani when that one was thrown in her face.)
Anderson had never steered her wrong in the past; she believed him when he said he would tell her. Over the past two years, they had grown close. Was Kaidan truly alive? How? Why hadn't he found her yet? She wasn't exactly hiding. A finger tapped against the desk in her small Citadel apartment. No, he couldn't be. If Kaidan were alive, or brought back to life somehow – the very thought made her laugh in disbelief – the first thing he'd do would be to find her, she had no doubt of that. She idly played with the dog tags around her neck as she thought.
Well, it can't hurt to go. It's just setting up some defense cannons, anyway.
Her finger pressed the reply button and she began her response.
"Thank you for coming to me with this, Captain. As a retired Alliance officer, I would be honored to assist you however you need. In regard to the rumors of my former officer's return, I will investigate this as well."
Could be a little less formal, but who cares. He knows you get tense when talking about this.
The console beeped. "Message sent."
Time to sleep; tomorrow, she headed back out as an official Alliance representative again.
l====l
"Don't take it personal; they just don't trust Alliance out here."
Kaelia patted Lilith's shoulder, trying to keep the sigh out of her voice. "Yeah, but I'm not technically Alliance." Both women knew that was false; she'd never be able to fully escape her ties to the military.
"Like it or not, you're still their poster girl. You resigned in good standing, so they'll use your image until the bitter end."
She could only nod with the colonist's assessment. It was true, after all. She probably wouldn't have agreed to come out here at all if it weren't for the possibility of this Kaidan imposter showing up – even if Anderson did ask for a personal favor. Kaelia owed it to her long-dead love to expose whoever was pretending to be him. Kaidan would never join up with Cerberus.
The crackle of a large ship entering atmosphere made her hair stand on edge. Everyone stopped where they were and stared up as a mostly organic-appearing ship descended onto the colony. She immediately recognized the ship. Her blood ran cold. Not again.
Panic was something people rarely heard from Kaelia Shepard; in fact, Joker was the only one who ever had. In the face of the vessel that blew up her ship, killed her soul mate and destroyed her career, panic was one of only two emotions she could process. The other was pure and unadulterated rage.
"Everybody move out, now! RUN!" She didn't follow her own advice, pulling her trusty assault rifle and running toward what looked like its intended landing site.
Before she could make it all the way there, tiny swarms of really ugly bugs began to descend. She shot at them as best she could, leaping over boxes and trying to outrun them. The defense tower was just past this last residential prefab – she could make it. Just as she reached the door to the main calibration area, she felt a small sting at the back of her neck.
Shit.
Her body grew numb quickly, but her mind was entirely intact. Before Kaelia knew it, she was completely frozen in place – like a creepy work of living art.
What is this?
l====l
Being in a sort of stasis was possibly the most boring and frustrating state. The fact that her eyes could move made it all the worse. What are these things, Collectors? What's going on? A thud and dragging grabbed her attention. Her eyes swiveled to see shadows dragging another colonist away. Damn it! Why can't I move? Just as she began to futilely struggle against the effects again, a large explosion reverberated from the defense cannons. The sound of the evil ship's engines firing up deafened her as the bug's bite effect suddenly wore off. Gravity took control of her body again and pulled her to the ground.
Kaelia rubbed her arms and stood up to peer through the nearby window. The ship was taking off, but the defense tower was in fact shooting at it…that made no sense. They hadn't gotten the targeting grid fixed yet! A small group of armed people were shooting at the ship with side arms – like that'd work. She squinted, frowning when she thought she recognized one of them. It can't be… Afraid of what she might find, she took her sweet time picking her way around the various crates while searching for the best vantage point.
He certainly looked like Kaidan…to the point that she had to pause and suppress the urge to run into his arms. No, she watched that very man die. This wasn't him. Someone had stolen his face and was using it for some ill-gotten gain. Desire quickly flamed into rage at the irreverence and she shoved her assault rifle onto her back, instead opting for her favorite pistol. Making sure the safety was off, Shepard jumped into the open and took a few steps toward "Kaidan," pistol leveled straight at his face.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" She held back a wince. Now is not the time to show emotion.
Soft brown eyes startled and immediately searched to find her own. Her heart skipped a beat, but the anger was in too much control; she scowled when their eyes met. One of his companions – she'd look but her eyes weren't allowing themselves to be torn from him – muttered her last name in surprise.
The imposter took a hesitant step toward her. "K-…Shepard."
Kaelia had forgotten what his voice sounded like. Hearing it again shredded her heart – how dare they do such a good job pretending to be him? Her pistol lowered and she shot the ground no more than two feet from him; it re-leveled on his head. "I won't ask again: who are you and why do you look like Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko?"
His body flared into a blue shield, defending him from the near-shot. It disappeared as quickly as it formed when he frowned. "It's me, Lia. Kaidan. I'm…" Kaelia couldn't help a twitch as he used his secret nickname for her. He sighed and stopped trying to walk toward her. "I was clinically dead; they spent two years bringing me back to help fight against the Reapers."
They? They? Who was "they?" Cerberus? No. This was an imposter. Her finger tightened on the trigger. How dare they try to lower her guard with someone enhanced to look like him? She shook her head slowly. "No. You're lying. You're lying. The Kaidan Alenko I knew would never work with terrorists!" She could feel her control slipping away slowly. This man looked, sounded, acted just like him; but it couldn't be. This had to be a horrible dream.
A hand reached up to run through his thick black hair. Before he could respond, she cut him off.
"He wouldn't. The things we saw…your people do, there's no way. Prove…prove it. Prove you're him." The barrel of her pistol wavered, forcing her other hand to help stabilize it. "Tell me something only we'd know."
The two people with him lifted their guns, but he quickly raised his hand to stop them. He took another step toward her, palms outturned to her. "Ilos."
She cringed. That single word brought back a flood of memories, most bittersweet…but no. That wasn't enough; anyone could say a planet's name and bring back a memory. Her head shook violently and she reaffirmed the grip on her pistol. "That's not enough. Anyone could guess that."
He smiled at her. Not the amused smile he often tried to hide or the tight one he gave her when they were both under pressure, but the soft smile she only saw in private. Tears filled her eyes. This imposter is too good.
"You make me feel human." He said the only five words the two of them ever kept private. She had never uttered the words aloud, even when alone – as if they were a precious code. Kaidan said it. This was Kaidan. Her hands stopped working, gun clattering to the ground.
