Chapter 5
Horizon
The illusive man had informed Shepard that a human colony named horizon had been attacked by collectors.
Shepard and her crew were to head there immediately and try to save the colonists.
He'd also informed her of Kaidan Alenko being stationed there to oversee the building of security towers.
Shepard chose Aki and Garrus as her ground squad hoping that seeing them along side her would put kaidan at ease.
"We need to move fast- stop these bastards from loading any more colonists" Shepard grunted as she ran.
"On it" Garrus shouted in response
They fought their way through the collector's horde, heading for the centre of the colony, "there's so many of them" Aki frowned changing her thermal clip again, fucking hell they brought a battalion.
After a brief meeting with a surviving colonist named Delan they headed for the towers.
It was sickening, so many of the colonists already gone and the remainder frozen in place…
"So, we just need to get these things online?" Garrus pressed as they bypassed the security protocols, Edi warned them of the oncoming waves of enemies… not just collectors but husks and scions.
They fought their way through the enemies and quickly got the towers operational, the downfall being that of the endless warming up timer.
"For god's sake! How long?!" Aki grunted taking down two to her left, she hurled a biotic fist into an oncoming husk and whipped away another that headed for Jane.
"Too long" Garrus frowned blowing holes in heads.
"Keep fighting- we can do this!" Jane roared over the gunfire, she tossed a frag at a scion and ducked down as it exploded with a deafening roar.
The swarms kept coming until eventually the lasers started attacking the collector ship, forcing it to retreat to wherever the hell it came from.
"Jane- they managed to take a lot of people" Aki frowned "fuck!" she grunted watching as the ship ascended.
Delan came running out from where he had been hiding, "no! Stop them!"
Jane looked to the man and sighed heavily "there's nothing we can do- they're gone"
"Half the colony is in there- do something" he pleaded
"Listen if she could- she would" Aki snapped "do you have a plan to get that thing back on the ground? because trust me it's harder than it fucking seems"
"You did what you could Shepard" Garrus added to his friends saddened face, she was too good for this, a real hero, she wanted desperately to save as many as she could and Garrus could see the despair on her features.
Delan shook his head furiously, "Shepard- sure I remember that name, you're some big alliance hero"
Jane frowned "I-"
"Commander Shepard" a voice interrupted emerging from behind them, "Captain of the Normandy. The first human spectre, the saviour of the citadel." They looked upon Kaidan as he looked to Delan "you're in the presence of a legend" he glanced to Shepard "and a ghost"
Shit he looks mad...
"Screw this- I'm done with you alliance types" Delan stormed off Aki watched after him, this colony will never be the same.
Kaidan Shepard swallowed hard as he approached her, reaching out to hold her in a tight embrace, she'd missed him, his strong arms, his smell, the way he breathed into her hair, "i thought you were dead Shepard, we all did"
The embrace was long and lingering, too many unsaid feelings.
Aki looked away turning on her heel to give them some privacy, Garrus following suite as they walked a few steps away, "they haven't spoken huh?" Garrus asked quietly
"Nope" Aki replied "I don't think this will go well" it was no secret that Kaidan despised Cerberus.
"Hmm" Garrus murmured before nodding once she's right
"You don't sound happy to see me, something bothering you?" Shepard frowned,
"Yeah, something's bothering me! I spent two years believing you were dead. I thought we had something Jane. Something real. I loved you" he was so mad and upset the words were too painful to hear, "thinking you were dead tore me apart. How could you put me through that? Why didn't you try to contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"
Shepard swallowed hard, if I could have, I would have done so, "Kaidan-" she stopped herself and sighed heavily, "I've spent the last two years in some kind of coma whilst Cerberus rebuilt me- I was clinically dead"
Aki cringed visibly; this is when it'll all go to shit
Aki turned her head slowly to see Kaidan stepping away, "you're with Cerberus now, Garrus too, hell even Aki- I can't believe the reports are right" he shook his head "you got the whole of the old crew in on this?"
Garrus turned and threw him a questioning look, "reports? You already knew?"
"Alliance Intel thought that Cerberus might be behind the missing colonists. I got a tip that this one might be the next to get hit, Anderson stonewalled me but there were rumours that you weren't dead, that you were working with the enemy"
Aki scowled "at least this time they're kind of on the right path"
"Cerberus and I want the same thing- to save our colonies that doesn't mean I answer to them" Shepard assured him, her heart wrenching painfully... please Kaidan, don't make things harder
"Do you really believe that or is it just what Cerberus wants you to think? I wanted to believe the rumours that you were alive, but I never expected anything like this" he glared at the woman in front of him, the woman he had loved with every inch of his being, "you turned your back on everything we believe in, you betrayed the alliance... you betrayed me"
"For Christ sake Kaidan, you know Me- you know I'd only do this for the right reason, you saw it yourself, the collectors are targeting human colony's and they're working with the reapers!"
"I want to believe you Shepard, but I don't trust Cerberus, they could be using the threat of the reapers to manipulate you. What if they're behind it? what if they're working with the collectors?"
"Kaidan- come on, it's attitudes like yours that blinds people to the real threat" Garrus stated coldly. How could he say those awful things about Jane! And yet say that he loves her?!
"You're letting your feelings get in the way Kaidan" Jane sighed running a hand through her tousled curls, her dark eyebrows pulling together with a worried frown.
"Maybe- or maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus for bringing you back. Maybe you're the one who's not thinking straight. You've changed Shepard but I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an alliance solider always will be, I've got to report back to the citadel, they can decide if they believe your story or not"
Shepard wasn't giving up, if she could make him see, if only he would look beyond Cerberus and notice what was right in front of his face, "I could use someone like you on my crew Kaidan, it'll be just like old times"
"No. it won't- I will never work for Cerberus" he looked away, "goodbye Shepard and be careful"
Shepard inhaled sharply watching as he disappeared from her line of sight, Kaidan why can't you see it from my point of view
Jane pressed a finger to her earpiece "Joker send a shuffle to pick us up- I've had enough of this colony"
Aki placed her tray onto the table in the mess and took a seat, the food was good thanks to supplies previously gathered by Shepard- it was now more of a meal than a pan full of all for one slop.
She grabbed a spoon and started to dig in, the mess was busy, filled with chatter and laughter as usual around meal times.
The chair in front of her was pulled out with a violent scrape, a tray hit the table with enough force that gravy from the stew splattered against Aki's arm, she quickly wiped it off before leaning back "bad conference?" she asked not looking up.
Shepard dropped onto her seat with a grunt quickly picking up her fork and shovelling a few mouthfuls in, very bad call huh?
"So" Shepard grunted
"So?"
"I'm furious"
"I can tell" she half smiled to her elder sibling who glared at her food, her green eyes filled with malice, her dark hair was strapped back for a change, she was in her training gear showing off her muscular physique.
"He lured them to horizon" Shepard ground her teeth
"Well, that's slightly sadistic" Aki frowned "but I sort of under-"
"aki- don't-" she started with a disgusted look
"hey, it got us more info on the situation" aki cut her off.
"aki-"
"I'm not saying it's not crazy and wrong just that I get why"
"you're… something else" jane shook her head "but I get where you're coming from and that's the worst thing" Jane sighed "He promised no other colonies would be sacrificed"
"Good to know- but I'm not sure that'll be great for the relatives of the taken colonists to know" she shrugged
Jane nodded "yeah- those poor people" she ground her teeth "We also know where the bastards are"
"Now that's my kind of news" Aki frowned "I'm sensing a but"
"but it's through the omega 4 relay- apparently no ship has ever gone through and returned"
"Suicide mission" Aki stated nodding as she ate.
"Did I hear suicide mission?" They both turned to look at the tattooed woman who now perched beside them, "sounds fucking fun"
"Certain death? Unknown perils- there's an adventure to be had" Aki laughed taking another mouthful of food "good job I'm willing to give up my life for such a worthy cause huh"
"Giving up lives for a worthy cause?" Garrus laughed sitting down beside the trio "who's dying and for what?"
Shepard quickly got them up to speed about the Illusive man and the plan to travel through the omega 4 relay.
"what's first?"
"I have three more dossiers to complete then we'll review the strategy- the illusive man may have something by then"
"Okay- sounds good"