A/N: Thank you Jules Hawk, jediserenity82, ela11 and Vorcha Girl for your reviews on the last chapter. They made my day! And of course thank you Vorcha Girl for being my wonderful beta. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 26. Capt. Kirrahe

With a sigh Kaidan watched as Nick slammed her weapons down on the weapons bench and began removing her armor in record speed. She didn't ask him to help with the more difficult closures as she usually did. He was certain she was upset with him for what he said on Solcrum.

You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? Idiot.

Kaidan carefully followed suit and began changing into his uniform, unclipping the separate parts of his hardsuit slowly, almost thoughtfully. Maybe he should apologize? No. He had been right, he was certain about that. Using the Mako would have been the safer choice. Though, perhaps he shouldn't have called her arrogant.

Nick got up after pulling on her uniform and left wordlessly. She didn't even glance at him.

Great. Just great.

Ashley came over and sat down next to him as he watched Nick get into the elevator. He held his boot in his hand absently.

"Okay, LT, what happened? Trouble in paradise?" Ashley asked quietly.

"We're on duty, Ash. Just leave it." Kaidan replied wearily. He didn't feel like talking about it now and he hoped Ashley would catch on, but considering how his luck with women was going today he doubted it.

Ashley didn't respond. She sat next to him silently and stared at him.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" he offered.

She still didn't move.

"All right," he sighed and ran the back of his hand over his forehead. "I criticized a decision she made and said it was arrogant. That's it."

Ashley's jawed dropped and she blinked at him, dumbfounded. "You told Shepard her decision was arrogant? Are you out of your mind? That's not something to tell your crush, LT, much less your CO."

"Yeah," he muttered as he got up. "As if I didn't know that myself."

It was clear by the next day that Shepard's mood hadn't improved, nor the day after that. The only thing she said to him, apart from strictly professional conversations, was to ask him to pass the hot sauce at mealtimes. She didn't even look at him and addressed him by his rank instead of his name.

Kaidan groaned inwardly. This wasn't what he had hoped for and he wondered how long she would give him the cold shoulder; he wasn't keen on having her upset at him. What if he had messed things up before they really had a chance to get anything started? He hoped not, though he couldn't quite suppress this cold feeling in his gut as he thought about it. But obviously he would have to make the first move if he wanted her to speak to him again.

If she wanted him to apologize, then he would do that.

After dinner he went to his workstation on the crew deck. It had been faulty again during the day and now he had the time to pry it apart once more. This was ridiculous. It would work fine for several days or until they jumped a mass relay and then he had to recalibrate it. He was setting the final parameters when he heard Shepard's voice.

This is your chance.

"Shepard?" Kaidan called out as she walked past his workstation. "Do you have a minute?"

She stopped, but didn't turn to face him. "Is it related to the mission, Lieutenant?" Her voice was … controlled, almost emotionless.

His heart sank a bit both at the tone of her voice as well as the use of his rank. She usually called him by his name, often even his first name. Straightening his shoulders he took a step closer to her and spoke in a low voice. "No, not exactly, but - "

"If it isn't strictly related to the mission, then I don't have time for it," she cut him off. Without sparing him a glance she continued to her cabin, the bulkhead closing behind her with a swoosh. He was sure if had been a real door it would've banged shut.

Kaidan swallowed the lump that seemed to be building in his throat. He knew she had a temper, but this wasn't going as he had hoped.

Not at all.

It took three more days to reach the Hoc system in the Sentry Omega cluster, just on the border between the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Systems. Three more days of Shepard snubbing him. After three days of silence Kaidan's mood had reached the lowest point on the cruise so far.

To make matters worse, everybody seemed tense, as though the thought of investigating why a STG unit couldn't set up proper communication relays made the crew nervous. In the best case it was due to atmospheric conditions, in the worst case it could mean a large number of enemy forces.

Kaidan had buried himself in work the past few days to take his mind off the fact that Shepard was still giving him the cold shoulder. For some reason he couldn't put his finger on, he had a bad feeling about this mission. He didn't know what it was, but something about it turned his insides into an icy mass.

Or, more likely, it was the unresolved argument between Shepard and himself.

He sat at the mess table with Garrus waiting for his shift to start when Nick came around the corner. Kaidan watched her surreptitiously as she went to the coffee machine to pour herself a coffee and wrinkle her nose in disgust, aware that Garrus was watching them both.

The turian had told him earlier that she would come around soon. Kaidan hoped so; he also suspected that she happened to have the same tendency to hold grudges as his sister. Erin sometimes hadn't talked to him for a full week when they were kids over things as simple as him eating her favorite cereal.

To his surprise Nick sat down next to him at the table, the hint of a smile on her face when she looked at him.

You're imagining things, Alenko.

"Is something wrong with the coffee, Commander?" he asked, his mouth wandering off on its own again, back to the first time he asked her that question. He half expected her to shut him down as she had every time he had tried talking to her the past five days. Instead, another smile fleeted over her face and she answered.

"The same as usual, Lieutenant."

Unconsciously, he smiled in return as these five words gave him hope again.

"Commander, we're twenty minutes out from Virmire." Joker interrupted them over the intercom.

"Thank you, Joker," she replied before looking at the other two. "You heard the man. Finish up what has to be done and suit up. I want you two with me groundside." She got up and took her half-empty mug away, dumping the remaining liquid into the sink.

Kaidan shifted in his seat, but didn't take his eyes off her. At least she still wanted him on her ground team and she had talked to him again. With this small gleam of hope he went to the cargo bay with Garrus.

"I wonder what Saren could want here," Garrus commented as he filled his pockets with spare rounds. "If a STG unit requests help we should be prepared for trouble."

"I haven't the faintest idea. Maybe there's another prothean relic here?" Kaidan replied as he pulled off his shirt. "And these Salarians, are they really so tough? They look so … ," he paused as he searched for the adequate word. "Frail, flimsy."

Garrus cast a surprised look at him and prepared to answer, but he wasn't the one that spoke.

"They are the best infiltration units you can find; highly efficient, flexible and they will do whatever is necessary to get a job done. Just like any of our elite troops, Lieutenant." Nick's voice sounded behind Kaidan. He hadn't heard the elevator and had been unaware she was approaching. Her voice had a professional, almost cold, tone to it again and he found it hard to believe that that short conversation - if you could call it that - in the mess had ever happened.

"Of course, Commander," he responded as he felt the heat of a blush creeping up from his collar. He glanced at her as she took off her shirt, his eyes following the curve of her neck down to the swell of her breasts under her tank top. He quickly dropped his gaze to the bench as he felt his cheeks burning and swiftly grabbed his underarmor and began to pull it on.

For Christ's sake, Alenko, as if you've never seen a woman change into her armor.

"Have you received any further information on what STG was looking into on Virmire, Shepard?" Garrus inquired.

Nick shook her head as she took off her boots and uniform pants. "No. I haven't had word on the subject from anyone. But, I don't expect this to be easy. It sounds a lot like a rescue mission, even if the Council just told us to investigate. I wish they would've sent me the original message this STG unit sent out though." She quickly put on her underarmor and began strapping on her hardsuit.

Kaidan rolled his shoulders to see if he was restricted in his range of motion. Garrus signaled him to turn around and checked his hardsuit's seams while Shepard pulled on the last parts of her armor. Kaidan thanked him with a nod. He wondered time and again why Garrus and Wrex always wore their hardsuits. Maybe it was a cultural thing? But then most turians on the Citadel wore suits.

Nick turned to him and he found himself staring into her gunmetal blue eyes. "Lieutenant? Could you?" She gestured at her back when he didn't move.

"My pleasure, Shepard," Kaidan returned hoarsely and ignored the snicker from Ashley standing at the weapon's bench as he ran his hands down the seams of Shepard's armor, checking every closure. He could've sworn he felt her shudder as soon as his hands touched her armor. All he knew was his mouth went dry at the thought and he pushed the image of her in her form-fitting tank top out of his thoughts. He let his hands linger just a little longer than necessary before retracting them and was relieved that she didn't pull away. He gave her shoulder a double-pat. "You're good to go, Commander."

"Commander, they have pretty heavy defenses set up." Joker's informed them. "I'll have to drop you in the Mako and then get the hell away from those AA guns."

"Bring us in low, Joker. We'll take care of the Anti-aircraft defenses," Shepard replied as she grabbed her weapons and climbed into the Mako.

Kaidan followed, trying to shake the unease he felt as he sat down in front of the life support and radar consoles.

The Mako shuddered as Shepard started its engines and the familiar hum filled the air. The soft vibrations of the vehicle were jostled as the Normandy broke into atmo and passed through some turbulence. Kaidan threw a glance at Nick, but she had her eyes glued on the virtual windows and he knew the moment the ramp was open far enough for the Mako she would accelerate to full speed; she was already revving up the engine.

They landed in a shallow watercourse with a splash, the virtual windows showing images that reminded Kaidan strongly of pictures he had seen of a vacation paradise back on Earth. He glanced at the external temperature indicator; it showed 29.8° Celsius. This was the most hospitable climate they had been in in ages.

Garrus' mind was obviously on the same track his as the turian commented, "If the temperature is as pleasant as it looks then this is the nicest planet we've been on in a long while."

Shepard snorted non-committally. She had just given instructions to Joker to keep the Normandy safe and now she looked at Kaidan, waiting for him to tell her which way to follow the channel they were in. Once he had she sped off. They hadn't driven very far when the radar in front of Kaidan lit up with a number of red dots.

"Hostiles between twelve o'clock and two o'clock about four hundred meters ahead!" he let them know.

Nick slowed the Mako to a halt and turned around in her seat. "Between twelve o'clock and two o'clock? Can you give a more precise estimate, Lieutenant?"

"At least ten tangos scattered in that range. That's all I can say so far, Commander," he responded.

Nick drove the Mako to the next bend in the watercourse, no hostiles appearing outside until they saw a rocket drone zoom closer, followed shortly afterward by another. She back up the Mako and ordered them to disembark. Kaidan cursed under his breath, feeling useless. The drones were too far away for his pistol and even for his biotics if he wanted to use them precisely. That meant he could only use his omni-tool.

Kaidan threw a glance at Shepard and Garrus who had both pulled their sniper rifles and engaged in their usual competion, busy talking shop. He readied his omni-tool and assessed the distance of the drones. Too far to throw the primed grenade normally, but with a biotic Throw he could make the grenade fly much further before detonating it.

Swallowing the feeling of being relatively useless at the moment he tossed the tech grenade as hard as he could, catching it in a Throw and making it sail over one hundred meters further than he could have achieved without biotics before detonating it over one of the geth.

No use moping; now there was a fight at hand.

They reached the salarian camp and saw the Normandy sitting in the shallow water nearby. Shepard halted the Mako and they disembarked.

"Lieutenant, go and see what the Chief is talking to that Salarian about. It had better have to do with why we're grounded." Shepard turned away from him and walked over to some of the crew standing off to the side.

Kaidan looked after her for a moment before joining Ashley and the salarian.

"What's the situation, Chief?" he asked when he reached them.

"Seems like there's a shitload of AA guns pointing our way, LT," Ashley replied. She turned towards the salarian again. "So what are we supposed to do now?"

"Stay put until we can come up with a plan," the salarian captain answered.

Kaidan opened his mouth to inquire if the salarian had any ideas when he heard the sloshing sound of somebody treading through water approaching from behind. He turned and saw Shepard walking briskly towards them and swallowed his question.

"What the hell is going on? Are you in charge here?" she demanded, passing between Kaidan and Ashley and planting herself in front of the salarian.

The salarian inclined his head. "I'm Captain Kirrahe, Third Infiltration Regiment STG. You and your crew just landed in the middle of a hotzone. Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence."

"You've got to be kidding me." She stared at Kirrahe who shook his head. "That's just fucking great."

Kaidan watched silently as Shepard put her head back to gaze up at the sky before taking a deep breath and looking back at the captain.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

"We wait until the Council sends the reinforcements we requested," the salarian returned. His expression became puzzled when Shepard started laughing. "I don't understand - " he began.

Kaidan shifted his stance, dropping his arms to his side.

"We are the reinforcements," he clarified.

The salarian stared at them in confusion. "What? You're all they sent? That can't be! I asked the Council to send a fleet!"

Shepard stopped laughing. "The transmission was unclear, so the Council sent us to investigate."

"But that's a repetition of our task!" Kirrahe spluttered. "I lost half my men investigating this place"

Kaidan's uneasiness increased again; an icy sensation spreading in his gut. He tried to keep he voice neutral. "What have you found?"

"Saren's base of operations," Kirrahe replied, looking at him. "He's set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with geth and very well fortified."

"Saren? Is he here?" Shepard inquired.

"No, he isn't. But his geth are everywhere and we've intercepted comms referring to Saren," the salarian explained.

"I don't like this," Nick muttered. "What kind of research are we talking about?"

"He's using the facility to breed an army of krogan," came the simple answer.

Kaidan blinked, certain he had misunderstood the salarian. An army of krogan? How?

"How is that possible?" Wrex rumbled, appearing at their side.

The salarian glanced at the krogan and swallowed. "Apparently Saren found a cure for the Genophage."

"Genophage? Didn't that have to do with the krogan problem?" Shepard looked back and forth between the krogan and the salarian, holding her hand up palm outward towards Wrex. Her gaze settled on Kirrahe and she waited for him to explain.

The captain shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at Wrex. "We used the genophage after the krogan uprising to quell their numbers. Without it they would overrun the galaxy. And these krogan follow Saren."

Shepard sighed audibly. "The geth are bad enough. With a krogan army he'd be almost unstoppable."

Kirrahe nodded. "Yes, exactly. This facility has to be destroyed."

"What?" Wrex bristled. "Destroyed? I don't think so, salarian. My people are dying and this cure could save them!"

"The krogan will become unstoppable if the cure leaves this planet. We can't make that mistake again," the salarian retorted.

Wrex took a menacing step towards Kirrahe. "We are not a mistake!" he growled, bringing his face close to the salarian's. He snarled once more and stomped off, clearly in a bad mood. Kaidan couldn't say he blamed him, but he was worried. This was a dire situation.

The salarian looked after Wrex and then turned back to Shepard. "Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry krogan to deal with."

Shepard didn't answer right away. She was watching the krogan tromp away through narrowed eyes. After a moment she turned to face Kirrahe and shook her head. "He won't be your problem, Captain. Don't worry, I'll talk to him. He'll listen to me."

The salarian blinked once. "I do worry, that's why I'm still alive. I hope you're right concerning the krogan, Commander. My men and I need some time now to come up with a new attack strategy." He turned away and left them.

"Looks like things are a bit of a mess," Kaidan ventured carefully. Nick gave him a look he interpreted as No kidding and thought it may be best not to say anything else. He wasn't sure if she was just annoyed with the situation or if she was still upset with him.

"Wrex looks like he going to blow a gasket," Ashley threw in. "That's the thing I'd worry about right now."

Nick huffed. "Yeah. I guess I should go talk to him. It can't hurt."

Ashley shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure about that, Skipper. It might, actually. Just do it carefully."

Kaidan nodded as Nick glanced at him.

"I'm not afraid of Wrex," she stated firmly. "But you're still right. I'm just going to have to watch my mouth."

"If you say so, Skipper. I'm still going to keep my eye on him," Ashley retorted.

Shepard nodded. "Be ready, just in case." With that she turned and followed the krogan.

Kaidan watched her walk away and tried to ignore the chill running down his spine as she approached Wrex. He was aware of Ashley moving to a different position in order to have a clear shot should Wrex do anything unexpected and his own biotics were bubbling close to the surface. It afforded all his will to keep them down.

Shepard and Wrex were too far away for Kaidan to understand what was spoken, but he could see the krogan's expression. Nick gestured at the facility, shaking her head, but whatever she had said clearly didn't sit well with Wrex; his expression became murderous. Kaidan watched with dread as the krogan took one step back and pulled his shotgun, aiming it at Shepard's head.

If he hurts her I'm going to kill him … if Ash doesn't get him first.

Shepard didn't flinch.

Even with a shotgun pointed at her face by an angry krogan her stance was … relaxed. Kaidan couldn't think of a better word. How could she be so unfazed? His own senses were tense as he strained to discern what was going to happen next. His biotics trickled down his arm and he clenched his fist as he pulled the energy back in instead of releasing it.

The soft click of Ashley releasing the safety catch on her rifle reached his ear and he knew she was getting ready to shoot when Wrex suddenly lowered his weapon and holstered it. Kaidan let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. The krogan said something and Shepard turned around, strolling back to them as if it had been a simple chat.

"Let's go and see if Kirrahe and his men have come up with anything," Nick called, beckoning them to follow her as she turned towards the tent where Captain Kirrahe had set up his command post.

The salarian looked up from a data pad as they drew near. "Thank you for dealing with the krogan. The assault on Saren's base will be difficult enough as it is."

"So, that means you've come up with a plan?" Shepard ventured.

Kirrahe wagged his head from one side to the other. "Of sorts. We can convert our ship's drive system into a twenty-kiloton ordnance. Crude, but effective.

"Nice!" Ashley commented and everybody looked at her. "Drop that nuke from orbit and Saren can kiss his turian ass good-bye."

"No," Kirrahe countered, shaking his head. He looked at Ashley briefly before returning his gaze back to Shepard. "The facility is too well fortified for that. The bomb will have to be placed at a precise location."

"That could prove difficult." Nick sounded skeptical. "Where do we have to take the nuke? And more importantly, how do we get there? Is the designated bomb site close by or do we have to take it to the far side?"

"The bomb must be taken to the far side," the salarian answered. He quickly continued. "Your ship can drop the bomb off, but we must infiltrate the base, take out the AA guns and pacify any enemy forces before we can bring it in."

This was suicide, Kaidan was certain of that and he felt his skin crawl with anticipation.

"You want us to go in on foot?" he asked incredulously, his voice cracking slightly. Kaidan shook his head in disbelief. "We don't have enough men."

Nick glanced him over her shoulder, eyebrows raised. He snapped his mouth shut and she turned back towards Kirrahe. "It sounds risky. What's the plan?"

"Your lieutenant is right," Kirrahe said, nodding his head toward Kaidan. "We don't have the numbers to meet them head on. But I think we can work around that. I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the facility from the front. While we have their attention you can sneak your 'shadow' team in the back."

Shepard looked past the salarian, clearly considering the odds. After a short moment she slowly nodded. "It might work. Or, you might all get slaughtered."

"We're tougher than we look, Commander," the salarian replied with a hint of haughtiness. "But, it's true. I don't expect many of us to survive." He hesitated. "And that makes what I'm going to ask even more difficult." Kirrahe drew a breath. "I need one of your men to accompany one of my teams. To help coordinate teams."

"You expect me to put one of my team under your command? That's a bold request, Captain." The displeasure in her voice was evident.

"We're all soldiers by trade," Kirrahe remarked. "If your people are not prepared to face such a risk, would you really want them by your side?"

"He's right, Commander," Kaidan threw in quietly. He hated admitting it, but the salarian had a point. And though he wasn't keen on dying as a soldier you always had to be willing to put the success of a mission before your own chance of survival. "We can only pull this off with teams at their best. I volunteer."

Nick's head snapped around to look at him and their eyes met. For a fraction of a second he thought he'd seen fear in her gaze, but that was ridiculous. She knew the risks of being a soldier as well as anyone on the team, maybe even better. And why should she be afraid if he volunteered to go with the salarians?

Because she likes you just as much as you like her, dumbass.

Ashley interrupted his contemplations, drawing their attention to her. "Not so fast, LT. The Commander will need you to arm the nuke. I'll go with the salarians."

They argued back and forth until Shepard snapped at them. "Shut it, marines!" She fell silent and walked a few steps to the side, rubbing her temples.

Kaidan watched her as she turned around, facing Ashley, the salarian and him, her gaze fleeting from one to the other and he could see resolve hardening her features. She briefly closed her eyes and then returned.

"Have you decided, Commander?" Kirrahe asked.

"Yes, but I suggest a minor change," Shepard nodded and turned to face Kaidan and Ashley. "Lieutenant, the Chief is right. I need you to arm the bomb. I'm sure Ash knows the basics we all learned, but your proficiency is higher when it comes to tech. Ash, that means you go with the salarians. And now let's call the team together. I want them all to hear this."

A/N: I apologize for the huge amount of in-game dialogue, but I found it too important to skip. And now, onward to infiltrate Saren's base and place a bomb!