There were a lot of bad memories here. Shepard and Kaidan in particular were on edge.
Jenkins. Nilhus. Saren. Ash.
The Prothean Beacon. Javik.
This was where it all began, almost a decade ago now. It was also where it ended, once, for a dead civilization. The Normandy's crew had been back since the Geth attack, but they were clearly still uneasy. Kaya carried their discomfort with her, out of place against such a beautiful backdrop.
"Kaya, what the hell are you doing down there?"
Joker's voice rang in her head. Would this ever get less disorienting? Kaya supposed it would be nice for music, if she could figure that out. For now, though, she preferred the voices in her head to be her own. Not that she was having much luck with that before.
"Apparently I'm now a Lieutenant in the Alliance Navy. So that's fun."
"The lieutenant was holding out on us," Shepard said. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to sound light about it. "Indigo was a military operation."
"Oh man, the Commander's pissed. She could have been ordering you around all this time," Joker laughed.
"Joker," Shepard warned over the comm.
"Joint military-civilian," Kaya corrected. "The CIA took the lead. The military stuff was mostly for security clearance. And because the politicians on the Defense Committee couldn't figure out who the hell should have jurisdiction over me. It was a mess.
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier. I just figured I was officially dead. And I didn't realize that the U.S. military had pretty much been folded into the Alliance."
"So, if you're on the ground, can I assume you have sexy secret agent training?" Joker asked. "Also, we're on your private channel now."
Kaya knew the shock registered on her face from the way Kaidan raised an eyebrow at her. He assumed, correctly, that Joker had said something privately. However, Kaidan never would have guessed that Joker was flirting.
"I know where you sleep, Joker. I also know four ways to kill you with a ballpoint pen."
Shepard shot Kaya a bemused glance, clearly wondering what the hell Joker had just said.
"I don't think we have any of those on the Normandy, Lieutenant."
"Fine, but there are a lot of weapons just lying around."
"Kaya, are you threatening my pilot? You already took him out of commission once. I kind of need him ready for duty," Shepard said as they turned a corner.
"Yeah, Kaya. Stop threatening the most important person on the ship," Joker said. "Still on your private channel, by the way. I'll just be here, imagining you doing backflips in a skin-tight suit, taking down some rogue black ops agent with your bare hands."
"Commander, how do I turn this thing off?"
"You can block him from your private channel with the Omni-tool."
"Thanks."
Joker started to protest as Kaya found the setting.
"What was he saying?" Kaidan said with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
Kaya felt a pang of guilt. They were happy. Joker hadn't flirted with anyone in years, but something in Kaya's tone must have given him away. And then Kaya had just shut him down.
He was flirting, right?
"Commander, I have a question," Kaya said, deflecting. Shepard nodded, and Kaya continued, looking down at her chest, "Why exactly does official Alliance issue armor have boob holsters? I mean, it just seems unnecessary."
On the other end of the comm, Kaya heard Joker spit out something. Kaidan and Vega were blushing. Garrus looked unfazed, although it was quite hard to read turian facial expressions, given their almost total lack of them. Then he remembered what "boobs" were, and even Garrus had the common decency to feel uncomfortable.
"Lieutenant, please stop trying to embarrass your male comrades to death," Shepard requested.
"It's a serious question, Commander," Kaya insisted. "Also, if your galaxy-saving guys can't handle a simple reference to female anatomy, you have bigger problems on your hands."
"It's actually a sensor issue," Garrus said, quickly regaining his composure. "And it helps with distribution of Medi-gel. The suit needs to be, ahem, form-fitting."
"Okay, I get that," Kaya said, putting her hands on the cups. She smirked a bit at the way Kaidan blushed an even deeper shade of red. "But why not put another, nondescript piece of armor over it? It's just so … tacky."
"Last thing you want to do is weigh down a soldier in light armor. If it bothers you so much, you can get a heavy outfit," Garrus suggested.
Kaya shot a look at Vega, who lit up with a wicked smile. "I believe I asked if this was the only armor you had, Lieutenant Commander."
"I didn't think you'd want the heavy stuff."
"Right," Kaya said slowly, rolling her eyes.
"It does way a damn ton," Shepard said.
"Shouldn't you be on my side here?" Kaya quipped.
"Shouldn't you be paying attention to the civilians, looking for Cerberus connections?" Shepard said seriously.
"I am. Nothing yet. Just a whole lot of thoughts about farming. And some bad memories."
"Bad memories?" Garrus asked.
Kaya fell silent, but then she did hear something. Feel something. She stopped walking, falling behind the rest of the squad.
"Hold up," Kaya said. Cerberus. Shepard. Someone knew they were there.
"Is your spidey-sense tingling?" Joker said over the comm.
"I wasn't kidding about that pen thing, you know," Kaya said. "I wasn't bringing a gun onto Mars, so I needed other ways to protect myself. But … yes. Also, a Spiderman reference, really?"
"Are you kidding?" Joker laughed. "It's a classic. They've remade those movies every twenty years for – what? – the past two centuries?"
"What is it, Kaya?" Shepard said, sounding a little bit annoyed with the both of them.
"They know we're here. Definitely Cerberus. But I'm not a goddamn radar. I don't actually know where they are."
Suddenly she felt strange, like a large gust of wind had just slammed into her back.
"Take cover!" Shepard shouted. Vega pulled Kaya behind one of the prefab houses they had been walking between.
"What the hell was that?" Kaya yelled.
"Stay down!" James yelled back.
Kaya looked over at Shepard, Garrus, and Kaidan where they had taken cover on the other side of the street.
"Holy shit. What just happened?" Joker called over the comm.
"They took out her shields," Shepard said. "Kaya, stay down and out of sight."
"Does someone maybe want to give me a gun now?"
"Vega, give her your sidearm. But you will stay down," Shepard growled. "No shooting unless they get past us. Hackett will kill me if you get shot on a routine mission."
Bullets were being exchanged. Kaya tried to focus, to count how many there were on the other side. But people were running, screaming. Kaya felt searing pain as a man running through the streets got shot in the shoulder. He fell to the ground, alive but burning.
She took a deep breath. Then another.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
"There's six of them," Kaya called over the comm. She tried, unsuccessfully, to keep her voice calm. "But they have backup coming."
"Then let's take them out," Garrus said.
When the firefight was over – Kaya was shocked at how quickly it went by – James pulled Kaya by the arm into one of the houses along the street. There was an older couple inside who looked startled but battle-hardened.
They had been on Eden Prime for years. This was not the first gunfight either had witnessed.
Kaya was still clutching her pistol, entire body tensed up. A datapad flew off the table and smashed into the refrigerator across the room, glowing with blue light.
"Hey, Blue, relax," James said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Take a breath."
Kaya placed her gun in its holster with shaking hands.
"Do you know where the rest of them are?" Shepard asked. Kaya shook her head. "Damn."
"Hey, Joker, can you get word to some medics or something?" Kaya said over the comm. "There was a civilian who got shot."
"Yeah, ground forces are on their way. I'll make sure they're bringing in medical support," Joker said.
"Thanks," Kaya said. Shepard gave her an approving nod.
She knew what they thought before. She looked so young. More fifteen than twenty five. And they had seen her at her most vulnerable, tortured and broken, on more than one occasion.
Up until now, she had been a scared little kid, traversing heavily unfamiliar territory. They had been trying to protect her. And they still were. But, now, there was some respect. She kept a level head. Remembered her training. To a bunch of soldiers, that meant something.
"What the hell were they thinking, attacking us when they were evenly matched?" Kaidan wondered out loud. "They can't have known who we are."
"They did. They recognized Shepard," Kaya said.
"So, cannon fodder, then," Garrus said. "Shepard, I don't like this. It seems like a diversion."
"Agreed," Shepard said. "Joker, watch your six. And send a shuttle to pick up Kaya."
"Wait, what? No way," Kaya protested.
"Your job was to figure out if Cerberus was here or not. We know the answer to that now. Get back on the ship."
"But-"
"That's an order, Lieutenant," Shepard said.
Kaya narrowed her eyes, but she knew the Commander's resolve was set. "Yes, ma'am."