Chapter 14

"Consider it, Miranda," Kaidan said into the comm in his ear as he stepped out of a city skycar.

"I am thinking about it, Kaidan, and I'm leaving tonight."

Kaidan crossed the landing platform. Sunset reflecting up off the puddles as he crossed to the apartment building's sliding silver and glass doors. It was locked with a keypad set into the marble along the door frame.

"Miranda." Kaidan sighed.

"Kaidan." She echoed back testily.

The sliding doors as opened as a human couple tripping over their formal wear and embroiled in a whispered conversation bustled through the door sparing him a nod as they passed. Tenets no doubt. Kaidan slipped inside with his boots leaving a trail of watermark across the polished floor. He'd only been here once. True, it had been recent, but the memory wasn't the sharpest.

"Kaidan, I have things I need to do."

"What's going to get you there faster – a cargo freighter or an Alliance warship? Twenty-four hours won't make a difference."

Miranda didn't say anything. Maybe she'd ended the call. His Omni-Tool said the comm line was still active.

"Miranda?"

"What?"

"Which is safer?" he asked.

This hallway with the evenly spaced potted roses looked right. The door he was looking for hadn't been on the ground floor. At least, he was pretty sure it hadn't been.

"The Blue Suns will find a merchant freighter a lot more interesting than an Alliance warship," Kaidan said.

"Tell that to the Raven or the Silver Star or the Turien's Rathis II."

"Can you name the freighters they've taken down?"

Kaidan saw the elevator. He'd definitely taken an elevator. That, he remembered now. Miranda wasn't answering. The question had been mostly rhetorical though.

"You don't remember, I don't remember, because it's too common," Kaidan answered anyway. "Come on, Miranda."

"I don't need any Alliance favors," Miranda blurted out.

There it was then, the real reason. The reflective platinum doors parted, and Kaidan stepped into the elevator. He moved to the panel of pearly button and gaped at the options. Maybe he just needed to call for directions. Wait, that looked right. He punched one at the top.

"Councilor Mason added your name to the passenger. He's not Alliance," Kaidan said.

"Close enough."

"Not really."

"It's an Alliance ship, correct? Somewhere in there, Kaidan, believe it or not, is an Alliance favor."

"Miranda …" Kaidan's eyes rolled up with a long sigh. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

The floor chimed and the door whooshed open. It was a short hallway with only three doors. This was all looking familiar now. The door at the end to right seemed correct.

"Have a safe trip then," he said finally.

"I'll think about it, Kaidan."

"What times does the freighter leave?"

"Late tonight. A few more hours."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Kaidan lingered by the door. He touched the comm in his ear.

"Really though, Miranda, be careful. I'd find out what freight your friend is transporting. The Blue Sun's activity has stepped up in the Sol outskirts."

Miranda sighed. "I know, Kaidan."

"All right," Kaidan said finally. "Just … take care."

"Okay."

Miranda ended the call. Kaidan took the comm out of his ear and snapped it back into his Omni-Tool. The apartment door slid open. Kaidan tripped back a space. He hadn't rang yet.

"Kaidan."

Liara's silhouette stood in the doorway. Glass walls and a balcony beyond it burned with the sunset. It cast the apartment behind her a bright red-orange.

"Oh. Hey."

"I saw you were outside the door," Liara explained. "Come in."

Kaidan took a step forward and passed by her into the apartment - all platinum and glass. The apartment's living area was larger than most of the ship commander center's he'd served on. His HQ barrack was probably smaller than the balcony beyond the main room's glass walls. Being the Shadow Broker had perks apparently.

Liara's assistant sat stiffly at a marble topped desk in the corner of the apartment's main room. As Liara led Kaidan into the main room, the assistant glanced up and gave Kaidan a nod before turning back to a multiscreened terminal glowing with bits of text and paused videos.

"How are you feeling?" Kaidan asked.

Liara came around him with eyes lowered. "Quite well now. I was very sick earlier, but that has passed."

Kaidan leaned in closer. "Liara, I'm really sorry about—"

"Please," Liara said. "I feel well enough."

Her eyes strayed to the corner. Her assistant leaned forward fixed on one of the screens. Maybe too fixed to be natural. Liara's eyes flicked back to Kaidan, and she indicated the glass push doors out to the balcony. The air stung with a chill and the fresh tinge of rain and ocean current. They were deep in Vancouver, but they were so high up. He might be able to see the ocean.

"Earth is very beautiful," Liara said beside him as they crossed over the wet marbled tile to the glass railing. "At first, I didn't think it compared to the solar glows and hanging moons of Thessia's sky. But now, I actually find is quite beautiful."

Kaidan leaned his arms on the railing and looked out across the city dimming in the setting sun. Only a few other buildings this tall stood between them and the horizon. The ocean glistened in the distance where. Just a few years ago, other skyscrapers would have hidden it.

"Kaidan." Liara touched his hand. He looked over. "I'm sorry. I heard about what the Alliance decided."

"The suspension?"

"Yes."

Kaidan turned his gaze back to the city. "It wasn't a surprise. I mean, a surprise if you asked me two weeks when I was debriefing in Prague, but not a surprise after getting the hearing invitation."

"Was it really a hearing?"

"No, I guess not. More a disciplinary meeting than a hearing."

"Regardless," Liara said. "I'm sorry."

Kaidan shrugged. Sunsets after a storm really were some of the most spectacular.

"Are you okay?" Liara asked.

"Yeah." Kaidan snapped his head back to her. "I'm good."

Liara nodded holding his eyes.

"How's it going with the files from Wilson's terminal?"

"Like you thought, the maintenance reports on the distress beacon were superseded and altered."

"Then …"

"It wasn't altered by the admiral though. The documents were corrupted on the Alliance mainframe with a temporary user profile. It may not even be someone from within the Alliance."

Kaidan shifted against the railing. "You can tell that?"

"There's a reason you gave it to me, isn't there?"

Skycar lights streamed through the city. Kaidan thought for a moment then turned to Liara.

"When was it altered? Can you tell?"

"Yes."

"Was it before or after the Normandy's distress call was reported? Before Wilson sent that information on to the Admiral Board?"

"It was after the transmission was received and after Wilson had messaged the admirals. It was probably altered before the Flight Admirals actually consulted the documents. Here." Liara brought up a glowing screen on her Omni-Tool, and leaned over for Kaidan to read it. He fingered down the holographic screen then sighed.

"Not what you wanted to read?"

"No, I …" Kaidan pulled back. "I don't know."

Liara frowned, turned off the Omni-Tool, and waited. Kaidan looked off.

"I know it's … unbecoming," Kaidan glanced sideways with a lopsided grin, "but I'm a little disappointed that didn't implicate the admiral."

"Admiral Wilson?"

Kaidan nodded. "Yeah."

"I've gone through most of the files, Kaidan. Nothing so far implicates him."

"Good. Don't get me wrong, I want the truth. Just kind of hoped that would be the truth."

"An Alliance admiral, a Terra Firma mole? That would be very serious."

"I know. Unbecoming. I admit it."

Liara gave a small smile. "That sort of information would fetch a lot on the shadow market."

Kaidan looked over and narrowed his eyes. "You're just trying to push my buttons now."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Kaidan raised his eyebrows and hunched over the railing to rest his chin on a fist. "I don't think it's 'perhaps.'"

The corners of Liara's lips turned up. "That must be unbecoming of me now."

Kaidan grinned broadly. "You didn't want me to be lonely in the category?"

"I thought you may like some company."

"Thoughtful." Kaidan was still smiling. "You bring migraine meds for me."

Liara shrugged, eyes drifting to the sunset. The bright red was fading to a pink twilight.

"I'll send you what I have so far," she said.

"Thanks."

They stared out over the darkening city for a moment before Liara looked over at him again.

"I got your message about the ship to Gagarin. It leaves tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Have you decided?"

Kaidan pushed back from the railing. "I don't know yet."

"You think they're trying to entrap you?"

"No," Kaidan shook his head. "Not that. Not exactly. I think the Councilors really just want more information, but the Alliance … there are deeper politics and power struggles happening behind closed doors."

"And some of it involved you?"

Kaidan paused thinking. "Partly because I'm a Spectre. Human Spectres are new. Up until now, there's only been turmoil and upheaval to really define it. Now there's confusion, boundary staking, power pushbacks, fear between the Alliance and Council. The Citadel orbits Earth. One day, the Council will be here, above Earth, back to full strength, relays restored. The Alliance needs to carve out its authority, set a precedence with its power. I don't know. I think … there's a lot going on."

"You regret becoming a Spectre?"

"No," Kaidan said. "Not really. That's not what I'm saying."

"But you think of yourself more as an Alliance soldier than a Council Spectre?"

"Of course." He shrugged. "How could I not?"

Liara tilted her head back and looked up in the sky. Kaidan felt it. A drop. It was visible if he focused on the spaces between the building.

"I'm going. I'm glad you had my name added," Liara said.

Kaidan nodded and moved under the overhang of the roof. Liara rested her back against the railing and blinked through the misty sprinkle at him.

"Thank you for bringing me back last night."

"Your assistant let me in."

Liara bit her lower lip and glanced away. "I feel embarrassed. I … I don't remember anything."

"Don't be," Kaidan said.

"It's just …" Liara's mouth twisted. "I'm worried about Shepard."

Kaidan took a step back out into the drizzle. "Me too."

Liara raised her eyes, a shiny glint to them.

"Kaidan …"

"Yeah?" He stepped up to her.

Liara pushed forward from the railing and reached for him. He tensed. Her arms wrapped his chest, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. He swallowed. The rigidness in his back loosened, and he hesitated. Then he put his arms around her and rested his chin atop her head. She twisted her face and buried it into his chest. The rain sprinkled as the sun slipped from the sky.