"The speed of the Nexus is certainly useful, but I prefer the additional shielding of the Logic Arrest."

"Polaris maintains more of the speed, but doesn't sacrifice as much versatility as the Nexus."

"The Savant model definitely combines the best of all worlds though."

Garrus looked over his shoulder at Kaidan and Tali before shaking his head. "Would you believe they are still talking about omni-tools?"

"I know." Michael sighed. "Nerds."

#

Liara and Kaidan both turned to stare as Wrex walked past. Shepard was slung over one shoulder, and Garrus was slung over the other. "What happened?" Kaidan asked as they followed Wrex to the infirmary.

"They got into a debate about scram rail modifications and tried to settle the matter with a drinking contest." Wrex rather unceremoniously dumped his burdens into the cots as Dr. Chakwas came over. "I'm not telling them which one passed out first until they pay me back for settling the tab."

#

"Head better?" Michael sat across from Kaidan.

"Yeah." Kaidan nodded. "Sorry. A lot of bright lights and noise."

"No worries. We got the smuggler. I didn't even get to shoot anyone." Michael shrugged. "Jenna's already back to work at Flux and Rita's complaining that now she's not getting as good of tips."

Kaidan laughed. "Some days you just can't win." He set his hands in front of him. "So if you're not from New York, where are you from?"

"It's um..." He sighed. "Kind of a long story, and it's been a long day."

"Oh. I see." Kaidan nodded. "I just thought..." He swallowed. "Well, you said you'd tell me the whole story."

"If you visited me in prison." Michael waved a hand. "I'm not in prison." He tilted his head and amended the statement. "Yet."

"It's alright." Kaidan smiled. "I'm probably taking up too much of your time anyway. Maybe there's someone else you'd rather confide in. Sir."

It was still odd realizing how much he'd already confided. The only other person he'd ever mentioned his grandfather to was Hackett. "All right, Alenko. Off the record, permission to speak candidly, cross my heart and hope to die." Michael leaned back in his chair. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Uh, Dr. T'Soni. Sir." Kaidan gave an awkward shrug. "I thought you might want to spend some time with her."

"Liara? Why would I be spending time with Liara?" Michael shook his head. "She asked, but I turned her down. You're free and clear there."

"Why would..." Kaidan blinked. "Sir, I thought you were interested in Liara."

Michael blinked. "Me? Why would you think..." He shook his head. "Kaidan, you're my friend. I'm not going to step on your toes."

"Wait..." Kaidan raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm interested in Liara?"

"You..." Michael tilted his head. "Aren't? But you've been worrying over her..."

"That's um..." Kaidan laughed. "Well, she's a member of the crew and I thought she was my commanding officer and friend's girl."

He opened his mouth. Then he closed it again. Then he opened it again. "Well, this is awkward."

"She made a pass at you, and you turned her down because you thought I was interested in her." Kaidan rubbed his neck. Awkward was definitely one way to put it. "I'm feeling a little bit bad for her right now."

"Alright..." Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Next time we rescue a gorgeous space damsel in distress, let's work on the whole 'communication' thing."

#

Anderson stared at them, and rubbed his forehead. "Any of you want to explain how taking Tali to a bar for her birthday ended up in an AI nearly self-destructing on the Presidium?"

"We..." Michael sighed. "Frankly, sir, we're a little confused about that ourselves."

"Well, the good news is that the Council has apparently changed their minds about having you nearby. They've suggested we find a mission for you that does not involve you being at the Citadel." Anderson shrugged. "There is a missing survey team out in Hades Gamma. And when you're done with that, Hackett said to remind you that you've got shore leave."

#

Kaidan tried to keep a straight face as he watched Hackett and Shepard trash-talking each other in the boxing ring. The two weren't even bothering to pretend it was going to be a fair fight. Hackett actually pushed Michael off the ropes when Michael had started climbing into the ring.

"Twenty seconds, Shepard. You're already doing better than last year." Hackett blocked a punch.

"Last year you used a stun grenade." Shepard ducked the return blow and sent an elbow at Hackett's side.

"That was just my right hook." Hackett demonstrated with a right hook that Shepard only barely managed to deflect.

"Please, I've seen volus with better right hooks than that." Shepard retaliated with an attempt at a leg sweep that almost knocked Hackett down. Shepard shook his head. "You're getting slow, old man."

Hackett caught Shepard's next swing and sent Shepard flying over his shoulder. "Old age and treachery will always overcome youth and an attitude problem."

Shepard rolled out of the way of the follow up attack and regained his feet. "At least you've learned to come to terms with your geezerhood. I thought that yo-" Shepard started twitching, and then fell to the ground.

Casually, Hackett tossed the stunner up in the air, caught it, and put it back into its hidden holster. "I warned you about the g-word, son." He shrugged. "And I win again."

#

He watched Shepard head up to the bar to get their drinks, the apparent penalty for losing. "You two do this every year?"

"Tradition." Hackett nodded to Kaidan. "He tell you how we met?"

"He said he stole your wallet."

"No. I got my wallet back. He stole my security pass and used it to steal a quarter million in goods from a secure Alliance special ops warehouse he shouldn't have even known existed." Hackett shrugged. "Then when I caught sight of him again, he had the option of running for it and getting away clear." He glanced towards the bar. "Instead he risked his life to pull kids out of a burning car. Used himself as a shield to protect the last one."

"He..." Kaidan blinked. "Left some parts out."

Hackett stared at him for a moment. "How much has he told you about the rest of it?"

"I um..." Kaidan shifted awkwardly. "He told me he robbed a bank. And that he did some time for robbing a jewelry store when he was fourteen." He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Twelve years we've been doing this." Hackett rested his arms on the table. "This is the first time he's brought anyone along."

"Oh." Kaidan looked up at Shepard as he brought their drinks back. He couldn't help but chuckle at the gaudy umbrella and fruit sculpture that Shepard had apparently taken upon himself to add to Hackett's.

The Admiral took the drink and stared at it a moment. Then he looked up at Kaidan. "Did you know he has a middle name?"

"No." Shepard frantically shook his head. "No I do not."

#

Michael stared at the door Udina had just exited. "Geth."

"To be fair..." Tali shrugged. "We are really good at killing geth."

He sighed, and picked up Udina's desk chair before turning towards Wrex. "Five credits says you can't get this into the water."

Wrex smirked.

#

"You alright?"

Kaidan glanced up at Michael. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

Michael looked around. "You're slumped in the dark." He walked over and sat down next to Kaidan. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm just..." Kaidan sighed. "Trying to figure something out."

"Anything in particular?"

"You."

"Fair enough." Michael shrugged. "Been trying to figure that out for a while myself."

"What's that mean?" Kaidan shifted a little to turn towards him.

"I don't know." He was silent for a while, and then shrugged. "Montana."

"What?"

"I'm from Montana. Small town. Farm. Kind of place that never made it into the twentieth century, let alone the twenty second. Even still had one of those pumps you have to work by hand to get the water out. Horses. Arabian, with blood lines going back a few hundred years."

"How did you end up robbing banks in New York?" Kaidan gave him a confused look.

"My grandfather died when I was nine. With him gone, there..." He sighed. "Well, after he was gone my father didn't have to worry about someone countering the story he told the cops, cause my mother and grandmother sure as hell never did. After he put me through a wall, I took off. Hitched a ride with a guy who happened to be going to New York." He twitched a shoulder. "He invited me to stay with him. Turns out his intentions weren't..." Michael leaned back against the wall. "As noble as he made out. I managed to hack the lock on the room he'd given me, and got lost on the streets. Did bits and pieces of time here and there. Joined the Reds just after I turned sixteen. And then Hackett found me."

"I..." Kaidan stared at him. "Wow. Shit. I, uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Wow."

"Hackett drove me to Camp Murphy. On the way there, I said I was thinking of changing my name. Told him I didn't want to carry anything of my father with me. Hackett just looked at me and said, 'it's as much yours as it was his. Steal it back.'" He smiled. "Geezer had my measure from day one." He met Kaidan's eyes. "Why do you care?"

"I, uh..." Kaidan shrugged. "It's just that..." He twisted so he could face Michael. "I like being around you. But I-" He shifted awkwardly. "I probably shouldn't take up so much of your personal time."

"Kaidan, if I objected, I wouldn't..." Michael twitched a shoulder. "I've never talked about most of this with anybody before, so if..." He looked down.

"The thing I've been sitting here trying to figure out..." Kaidan looked away a moment before turning back towards him. "Would you like to go get coffee?" He blurted the words out. "I mean when we get back to the Citadel or wherever, not the machine in the mess or..." He trailed off.

Michael stared at him for several heartbeats. "Yes."

Kaidan smiled.

#

"Disengaging FTL drives." Joker hit the console. "Emission sinks active. Board is green..." He glanced at the readout. "We are running silent."

"We're wasting our time." Pressly shook his head. "Four days searching up and down this sector, and we haven't found any sign of geth activity."

"Three ships went missing here in the past month. Something happened to them."

"My money's on slavers. The Terminus System is crawling with them."

"Picking up something on the long-range scanners." An ensign spoke up. "Unidentified vessel. Looks like a cruiser."

Joker checked the readout. "Doesn't match any known signatures."

"Cruiser is changing course. Now on intercept trajectory."

Pressly went to the screen. "Can't be. Stealth systems are engaged. There's no way a geth ship could -"

"It's not the geth." Joker shifted in his chair as his hands flew over the controls. "Brace for evasive maneuvers."

#

He grabbed his helmet and rushed to where he knew the commander would be. Shepard was securing his own helmet when Kaidan found him. "Shepard."

"Distress beacon is ready for launch." Shepard's voice was calm.

"Will the Alliance get here in time?" Another shudder of the ship nearly knocked him off his feet. "Ungh."

Shepard helped him back up before grabbing a fire extinguisher. "I'm not doing this just so they can find our frozen corpses. Get everyone onto the escape shuttles."

He caught the fire extinguisher Shepard tossed him. "Joker's still in the cockpit. He won't abandon ship." Kaidan shook his head. "I'm not leaving, either."

"I need you to get the crew onto the evac shuttles. I'll take care of Joker." Shepard gave him a shove towards the shuttles.

"Michael..."

"Kaidan. Go." Shepard turned to look at him. "Now."

Kaidan felt a chill go down his spine. "Aye, aye." He headed into the ship to help the crew.

#

The ship was breaking up around him. Michael headed up the stairs and towards the helm. A look up showed him the planet they were soon going to crash into. Under other circumstances, he might have found the view beautiful.

Joker was still alive. Small miracles. "Come on, Joker. We have to get out of here."

"No. I won't abandon the Normandy. I can still save her."

"The Normandy's dead -" Michael put a hand on his shoulder. "Just like us if we don't get the hell out of here."

"No. We just have to -" Joker stared at a readout. "Oh no." He shook his head. "They're coming around for another attack."

Michael turned to see the ship being all but sheered in half by one of the enemy vessel's weapons. He grabbed Joker's arm, and cursed to himself when he felt the bone snap. Joker yelped. "Ah. Watch the arm."

Unfortunately, they didn't really have time for him to be careful. He'd have to apologize later. He hauled Joker out of the chair and dragged him towards the escape pod. He'd only just managed to get Joker secured when another volley hit the ship. The Normandy shuddered, and Michael was thrown back against the bulkhead.

Another volley, and the blast was between him and the escape pod. He saw Joker shaking his head desperately. "Commander." The ship shuddered again, and he just barely managed to keep himself from being thrown into the void. "Shepard."

Michael met Joker's eyes, and then hit the button that launched the pod. And then a shudder sent him flying. Something hit the back of his suit. Shit. He was losing air. He tried desperately to fix the leak, and then he was gasping.

The universe went dark.