MASS EFFECT - EPILOGUE
R.A. Crandall
August 2014
The confident metallic clack of quarian boots echoed in the ears of those she passed by on the Presidium walkway. Some turned a curious eye and went on about their business as quickly as they had stopped. Quarians were a less rare sight, eight years after the Purge. Continuing to walk, the prominent memorial statue to commemorate the sacrifice of Commander Jenna Shepard caught her eye, towering above the walkway as it did. It seemed overdone to her. Countless others in the histories of all races had made no less important sacrifices many times over through the ages. Raising one above the others in this way felt...distasteful.
"Excuse me...?!" The quarian snapped her attention away from the statue the moment she collided with the indignant C-Sec officer. She seemed stunned a moment, quickly stepping back, uncomfortable at being so close to him.
"I am very sorry, Sir. This statue was not standing the last time I was here." The C-Sec officer's expression softened at her genuinely apologetic tone.
"Someone honoured here is worthy of awe, quarian. But for now the living need your attention."
"Of course, sir. Again, I am sorry." With a courteous nod the quarian moved on toward the Embassies. The Citadel had been extensively repaired and some sections wholly rebuilt since the last confrontations with the Reapers. Thankfully the bar beside the Embassies had stayed where she'd expected to find it. Barla Von was here to meet her in perfect time. She seated herself across from him, slid her payment discreetly under his hand and set the cinched cloth bag she carried at her feet.
"A drink, quarian?" The quarian detached a small tube from her breather and the drink was sucked up into it in moments.
"I'm curious. You've paid far more for my services than they are worth."
"You once told me, 'the more you know, the more dangerous the game becomes'." Barla Von was puzzled. He'd often said that kind of thing to someone who wanted to know too much.
"I thought I had a memory almost without equal...You have me at a disadvantage, I'm afraid." The quarian smiled, unseen by Barla Von underneath her mask. Von downed the last of his drink. She stood as he moved to the bar to pay his tab and followed him out of the bar.
The volus merchant sealed the doors of his modest storefront behind them.
"May I ask what you are carrying in the bag?"
"A geode and paleo-chisel. They are gifts."
Barla Von shook his head. Such mundane things. He waddled over to a locker panel in the wall and unlocked it. Inside was a black armour case, a small electronic device, a compact assault rifle, a forged and perfectly valid C-Sec Spectre requisition order, a scan-shielded envelope and an antique marker. The quarian approached the locker and began to check over the contents. Everything was as ordered. She took a small keycard out of a hidden pocket, opened the device and fully inserted the card into a slot on the device. The under side hissed open and produced an identical card. Once only an exact physical copy it was now identical in function as well. She wrote on the back of the original card:
WE'RE STILL WATCHING
The quarian opened the shielded envelope and sealed the original card inside.
"There is one more thing I need you to do. It is why you were paid so well." Barla Von shuffled nervously behind his desk.
"Such as?"
"Leave after I am out of sight. Go to the Council Tower and wait outside the Council room. They are in session for the next two hours. If an alarm of any kind goes off, tell the guards these exact words, 'I have been sent by a Spectator. I must address the Council'. Do you understand?" Barla Von's eyes went wide.
"I could lose my station here at the Citadel for this!"
"Exactly. That is not all. If nothing happens, leave the tower. Dispose of the envelope so it can never be found. Then forget everything you ever knew about me and go about your life as usual."
"You're still paying me more than my services are worth. I didn't even buy those weapons and armour. You did." The quarian sighed.
"I have bought from you something I value more than my own life. I think you may just have been swindled, Barla Von." He looked on this strange quarian in awe.
"I think you may be right, quarian. If you succeed I hope we'll meet again."
"We never will." Barla Von was taken aback. It was unfortunate, but also the nature of the business.
"Fare you well, quarian." The quarian nodded respectfully, tucked the C-Sec requisition card into a discreet closed pocket, the keycard into another. She walked out of the storefront, armour and rifles cases in hand and the cinched cloth bag on her shoulder. Her step was remarkably heavier and still, she moved with unaffected grace.
Barla Von let her footsteps disappear and locked the storefront behind him before making for the Council Tower as directly as he could.
v
The quarian traversed the crosswalk, headed down to the C-Sec offices and straight to the elevator, down to the Level SD1 Alliance moors where the SSV Normandy SR-2 was docked. Guards posted outside the Normandy's hatch stopped her. She produced the C-Sec requisition card for the guards. The one on the left scanned and accepted it.
"We'll get those to the Major for you."
"These are for the Major's hands only."
"All right. Go on in." The quarian picked up the cases she'd set down and stepped onto the Normandy. Her heart was racing. Time she had spent here seemed to have happened another lifetime ago.
v
"Hey, Joker, look at that quarian. I'm not usually the interspecies type but, damn...mnn nnh. They must be a lot more prosperous than they used to be if they're filling out that nicely." Joker laughed and turned in his seat to see what Communications Officer Garon was talking about. Something about her held his attention. He didn't realize just how much so, until Officer Garon had to turn his attention to an incoming transmission that had been holding for minutes now.
v
The door of the Captain's cabin sounded an electronic triplet of notes to tell him a visitor stood outside.
"Come in." He looked up, the sight of a quarian on the other side of the door taking him by surprise. She walked over to the desk, and noticeably waited until the doors had shut behind her to put down what she was carrying. She straight out dropped the cloth sack onto his desk with a resounding thud. He felt his defenses going up.
"What are these things?"
The quarian hurriedly set to revealing its contents: an unremarkable rock and paleo-chisel. The quarian put the cases on the desk and opened them facing toward the Major. With unsettling swiftness she picked up the paleo-chisel and released the pressure propelled needle into the lump of rock so violently the Major leapt back from his desk. He drew the pistol on his hip keeping it steadily trained on the quarian. She'd dropped the tool the moment it had done its job. She stood calmly before him, empty palms toward him. She slowly moved to finger through the debris, producing a modestly sized gold nugget. She lobbed it across the desk to the Major.
Pounding sounded at the door.
"Major! Are you all right?" The message came through the comlink. Major Alenko hesitated a few moments.
"Stand down!"
"Aye, sir." The quarian detached her breathing tubes and removed her mask. The mask had been off only moments before she was in his arms. She barely had time to open her eyes before they closed again at his kiss.
"This feels frighteningly familiar."
"Don't worry," he replied, under his breath, the words followed by a short laugh. She had dearly missed that sound. Jenna kissed him again.
"Why not?"
"Because the first time you're told you're crazy you do everything humanly possible to fix it. The second time, you learn to live and let be." It took some moments to understand what he meant and when she did she smiled and laughed. Any reservation in Kaidan's expression evaporated.
"I've never seen you smile like that." It felt like seeing the sun rise after 8 years of moonless, unending night. Despite knowing she couldn't stay much longer.
"You know, maybe I shouldn't, but I really need to say this; if we're going to do this, NEVER give me a reason to think you're dead again. Ever." She smiled and hesitated before she answered, taking hold of the hand still tightly gripping the gold piece.
"It's an archaic tradition, but...Kaidan, I'm not planning to." Her tone set his heart beating faster. Gold...for a ring.
"Are you...asking me to marry you?"
Jenna held his gaze unwaveringly and nodded.
"I don't think two Spectres have ever..."
"Probably not."
"The Council won't approve of this."
"I agree. They won't." Kaidan's eyes narrowed as he focused on Jenna intently.
"Have you told the Council..." Jenna took in breath and hesitantly exhaled.
"No, Kaidan."
"Then, what are you thinking?" Jenna let go of him and quickly collected the largest bits of debris from the desk, leaving only pebbles and dust behind. She rounded the desk and took a small wrist-worn device out of the armour case.
"My ship, the Scion, is a retro-fitted IS-class vessel. It's docked at Bay 12 on Level SD2. This is a map of the docking area. It'll lead you directly there. 14 minutes after I start this timer the cargo hatch will close. If you're not on board when...well, either way, at least this time both of us will have closure." said Jenna, as she strapped the device on his wrist. She kissed his cheek then started putting her mask back on. The moment she finished she took hold of his wrist and brought hers up beside it. She initiated the synchronized countdown. The cloth bag in hand, she exited the office without another word.
13:42...
13:17...
13:02...
12:54...
12:38...
12:20...
11:50...
11:31...
11:12...
11:04...
The docking hatch sealed shut.
"Where do you think Major Alenko is going in that kind of hurry?"
"I'm not sure..." Joker replied, distracted. Garon frowned.
"Something on your mind, Joker?" He watched as Joker's hands went up to cover his mouth and his expression turned into one you'd expect to see at a eureka! moment. Before long he was laughing like a lunatic and he didn't look like he wanted to stop.
"Okay, look, man, I hate to tell you this; for a joke to be funny, you have to tell it first." Joker only laughed harder. The XO walked up behind them.
"Something you'd like to share with the crew, Flight Officer?" Joker didn't answer. Garon looked worried. XO Lewis stepped up to the com panel and put out a ship-wide call.
"Doctor Chakwas to the helm. Now." Joker was shaking from trying not to laugh. XO Lewis turned to the nearest navigational officer.
"Arakawa, take the helm."
"Yes, sir."
9:39...
"Get him up, Officer." Garon helped Joker out of his seat and Lieutenant Arakawa settled in.
By now Joker had the attention of half the crew. Adams, Donnelly and Traynor were there before the doctor ran up two minutes later.
"What happened?" the Doctor demanded. Garon shrugged.
"I don't know. He won't say anything. He just started laughing." Joker started to ease himself down. The prospect of being declared unfit for duty sobered him up fairly quickly. While the doctor continued asking the others questions he stepped over to the cockpit window and found himself looking down on the SD2 docks.
v
Major Alenko walked out of the elevator at a determined pace. The C-Sec officers posted beside where the hallway opened up into the docking area saluted as he approached with his helmet under his arm.
"Major."
"At ease." He saluted in return without slowing in pace. The two C-Sec officers looked at each other. Something about him seemed a little out of the ordinary. How do you tell that to a Spectre, though? Kaidan glanced at the countdown on his wrist. The Phantom was 814 metres away. He had just over two and a half minutes left. He couldn't walk all the way. He put on his helmet. When he ran, the game would be up.
v
"Go." Garon heard Joker and turned his attention to the window. Joker pointed to the moving figure in black armour walking fast across the floor of the SD2 docking bays. It only took Garon a moment to figure out what he was pointing at. Joker's eyes darted back and forth between the Major and the guards. One put a hand to his ear, and after a moment silently signaled his partner.
"Go...go..." Joker whispered. His heart was pounding and blood had flushed his face and ears. The guards began to jog after Major Alenko. It took all the self-control he could summon to keep from pounding the window with his clenched fists. Joker's shout silenced the Normandy.
"Dammit, Major! MOVE!"
Everyone who could rushed to the window. They watched as the armoured man broke into an all out sprint. The guards opened fire. The engines of a nearby vessel roared to life. The Major was running a beeline for it. A deafening alarm sounded.
"Warning. Unauthorized drive start."
Seconds later Major Alenko proved a man didn't need wings to fly. Running like his feet hardly touched ground, he didn't slow in the slightest as he disappeared into the small vessel's cargo hold. The hatch went up the moment his second footfall hit.
0:00...
30 seconds passed, the hatch sealed and the vessel lifted off, burning toward the docking bay gate. Moments later, an energy burst from the vessel overcharged and disabled the force field that sealed the docking bay. The Normandy's light's went red. An alarm sounded throughout the entire station.
"Warning. Hull breach."
As the announcement sounded the small vessel accelerated to flight speed and exited the station. The bay's secondary force fields fizzled on. Joker cheered.
"YEAH!"
"Secondary containment: active."
"What the hell just happened?" XO Lewis demanded. Joker turned to him. There was an expression of sheer joy on his face.
"They did it. They're gone."
"How do you know that was Major Alenko?"
"It was. I saw him leave." Garon said, unnerved by what had just happened. He put a hand on Joker's shoulder to get his attention.
"What are you so happy about?" Joker turned and seized Garon's shoulders.
"That wasn't a quarian."
"What are...yo..."
"She wasn't quarian!" The moment the lights went on you could see it on his face. It looked exactly as Joker's had when he started laughing.
"That was Sh...!" Joker clamped a hand over Garon's mouth. But there was a beaming grin on his face. Garon let out a wholly joyous cheer. It only took the others moments to figure it out. The cockpit erupted into celebration. Smiles and laughter rippled through the ship as the others whispered along what had happened.
v
Shepard accelerated recklessly away from the station. They were beyond its defensive range in seconds. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Alenko curled up fetally behind the cockpit chairs. She wasn't sure he was conscious. She couldn't verify that now. She needed to be sure there was no one in pursuit first.
v
Commander Therus rapped orders out furiously at his com panel.
"Pursue and destroy that vessel!"
His office door slid open. Councilwoman Dacii approached calmly.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. We have an emergency."
"I know. Call them off, Commander."
"You don't have the authority to..."
"Major Alenko is aboard that ship. Call your attack vessels back."
"So is a quarian responsible for purchasing illegal weapons and a serious breach of security."
"You mean this, I presume?" The councilwoman offered the security keycard in her hand to Commander Therus.
"How did you get this?" the Commander demanded. The councilwoman handed him an envelope.
"I need this analyzed. Findings are Council restricted. Understood?" Commander Therus hesitated but clearly nodded in assent. Anything council restricted pertained to a Spectre.
"Yes."
"Thank you, Commander." The Councilwoman bowed respectfully and promptly left the office.
v
Shepard watched with great relief as the enemy contacts on her radar slowed and arced back. It was a day to the nearest relay, but they were safe. She hurriedly engaged the auto-pilot and climbed out of her chair over Kaidan's prone body. She laid him on his side and propped him up with his knee. Keeping his neck as unmoving as possible she took his helmet off. She couldn't feel any dangerous heat or swelling happening anywhere along the back of his neck. She looked around the cockpit for a way to prop his head up while she found something to wake him. Her heart jumped in surprise as she felt a hand take hold of her forearm. She looked back and grinned.
"Hey. Are you hurt?"
"Nothing bad."
"Good." It may have been a little awkward but she leaned in and kissed him, lingering.
"I love you, you know." he said. She nodded slowly. She closed her eyes and laid her cheek against his.
"I love you, too." They helped each other up and climbed back into the cockpit seats.
"What's our plan?"
"There's a destination, not a plan. Plans make you predictable. We have anything we could need. I've spent a few years heavily retrofitting this ship. Pirates and mercenaries won't be a concern. Our stealth capabilities are almost as good as the Normandy's."
"You couldn't get that done on your own."
"No. I had help. Help we can trust." Kaidan saw something and climbed out of his seat to get it, betraying an injured leg as he did. A panel hissed open...then closed and he came back to his seat. When he opened his hand there were two gold pieces there. He handed her one.
"Hold on to it. For me."
"Always." Each tucked theirs away in a safe place in their suits.
"How did you get here?"
"As soon as the first mass relays were working again I started looking. I've had so many close calls, missing you by a month or a few days. It just happened in the last few months that non-essential vessels could reach the Citadel as quickly as I needed to. The rest is details."
"Where did you find the gold?"
"Do you remember Eletania? Those rediculous purple monkeys and the probe's black box?" Kaidan smiled and laughed.
"Seriously?" Jenna nodded and smirked.
"Yeah. I was in the system and some of the above ground deposits were in tact, marked by one of our beacons." Kaidan shook his head in amazement, inhaled deeply and leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes. He held out a hand, looking for hers. She slid her fingers between his and set her forearm on her armrest, holding up and holding on to his hand.
"Sit back, relax and enjoy our flight." Kaidan let out a slight chuckle, smiled and drifted off into sleep.
v
He woke a few hours later finding his hand held still. He gave hers a small stroke with his thumb. She turned and smiled before looking back out the window, her thoughts far away.
"What's on your mind?"
"Something Ashley said. She asked me, how a person can look at something as beautiful as all this and not believe in God."
"It doesn't bother me that you're not a spiritual person, strictly speaking."
"Most of my life that was true, but..." Kaidan looked at her closely, sure it wasn't the right time to cut in.
"The galaxy is wondrously beautiful, but it's all...systematic. There's a quantifiable reason for everything to be as it is. If we don't know something, it's because we haven't found an answer yet. We might not even know the question...It's...of the infinite number of places you could be in this galaxy right now, you're alive, sitting in a seat beside me, holding my hand. Luck brought everything I needed to succeed into place today. I saw things align and I acted. That's it. An emergency Council session was called, letting me know exactly where the Council members would be when it I needed to get something to them. I could dock close enough to the Normandy that you could get to it in time. The C-Sec officer I lifted a keycard from didn't notice it was gone just long enough to avoid detection. Not a single one of those things was a guarantee, but they all happened perfectly. Without the time I spent as a Cerberus mercenary I wouldn't have been able to lift the keycard off of the C-Sec Commander. Without the years you spent coming into your own as an officer and Spectre, the Normandy, a vessel I'm intimately familiar with, wouldn't have been yours. I won't try to define it, and I don't need to. Something greater than us made sure we arrived here. I can't shake the feeling that is a piece of truth." Kaidan leaned over.
"Come here." It was a breathtaking kiss. Kaidan laughed as he settled back into his seat.
"I don't know about a God, but that was a piece of Heaven." Jenna laughed.
"I'm wondering, where did you get the Quarian armour?"
"Tali. She and her some of her colony members helped me with this vessel." Kaidan was shocked. It was unquestionably help that could be trusted.
"It would be nice to see her again."
"We will, as soon as we can get there. We have to spend some time throwing any ability to track us down into the solar winds, but that's where we're going. At least at first. Tali and her family said we could spend the rest of our lives there if we so chose. She's convinced she could never do enough to repay us a debt every race owes." Jenna rolled her eyes. "I can't live like that. Told her I needed her as an anchor until I found you. Then we'd make our own way."
"Home is where your love lives." Jenna smiled gently and held onto his hand just a little tighter, putting her other hand over his wrist. The look in her eyes was softer, less focused than it had been before.
"Is there a bunk in here?" Kaidan asked. She nodded. "Yeah."
"Get some sleep, Shepard."
"'Kay."
Jenna climbed out of her seat and out of her armour. A suspension cot slid out of the wall and two legs folded out to anchor it to the floor. It was spacious for one person and left little room to get past it to the back of the hold. The attached sleeping bag kept the occupant safely but comfortably in place. Ablutions were possible and she quickly washed herself down. Climbing into the cot she laid flat on her back and felt a tension she hadn't noticed before, release.
"Night, Kaidan."
"Sleep deep, Shepard."
v
She woke to a gentle touch on her shoulder. Sleep still had her eyelids heavy when she noticed Kaidan was very lightly clothed. Sleep didn't hold on to her much longer. She came out from under the covers only to find herself laid gently down again. The two left time and space behind, descending as one heart into the sweetest surrender.
v
"Kaidan, wake up. Please." There was urgency to her voice and Kaidan forced himself awake as fast as possible. She handed him a shirt and pants.
"What's going on?" Jenna jumped back into the cockpit seat and spoke quickly as he dressed.
"I'd call yesterday's events our first leap of faith. And we're standing on the edge of the second."
"Jenna, what are you talking about?"
"I didn't expect this. It wasn't scheduled to happen for a few days..." she said as Kaidan got into the seat beside her as quickly as he could. Almost the moment he sat down, a green indicator flashed up on the control panel.
"Stop talking riddles, and tell me..." he said, over the last part of her sentence.
"There's someone with the Migrant Fleet I'd like for you to meet." Kaidan didn't know how to respond to that. Her expression was vibrant and warm. It was obvious the thought brought her joy. She hit the green indicator and the vid link went live. There was a broad smile on her face the moment she saw the black haired, blue-eyed young boy who answered. She moved to take hold of his hand and he let her have it.
"Mom!"
"Kai! How are you?" she said. Jenna felt Kaidan go rigid. He turned to her.
"What?" he whispered.
"Kai, there's someone here...I want you to meet." Kaidan looked back to the screen. The boy's face lit up like a star cluster.
"Really!?" Jenna nodded deliberately and turned to Kaidan. She'd never seen him wearing this combination of excitement and fear before.
"You ready?"
"No."
"Can I turn on the vid link?" Kaidan grinned.
"Definitely."
"Dad! Hi!"
"Hey, Kai." He had no idea what to say. Jenna didn't miss a beat.
"How did the X734 drive repairs go?"
"It's running great now, mom. Tali even let me help a little. If I was strong enough to do it."
"I'm sorry I have to ask, Kai, but Tali is there with you right now?"
"Yes, mom. Tali! Hurry!" Kai sounded exasperated. Tali settled into the picture, putting Kai on her lap.
"Hello, Major."
"I don't carry that title anymore, Tali."
"I know, Major. It simply doesn't feel natural to address you any other way." Kaidan shook his head and smiled. With time that would change.
"Hello, Tali. It's good to see you. You're teaching Kai to work on..." He looked to Jenna for a hint.
"Drive cores."
"Yup! It's true, dad! I helped out with one earlier."
"When did you learn to work on interstellar drives?" Kaidan asked. The boy shrugged.
"Don't know. Always."
"That's amazing, Kai."
"We finished the X734 three weeks ago, Jenna. You know, you have an amazingly intelligent son, Major." Tali said.
"He has the best teachers." His son looked quizzically at him across the vid link.
"How d'you know?"
"Because I did, too."
"Mom was your teacher, too?"
"She is." Kaidan said, realizing he needed to correct himself. Tali laughed.
"You know, Kaidan, you weren't scheduled to call your mother now."
"We're fine, Tali. It's all right."
"You're certain?"
"Yeah."
"Then I will be right here putting a data relay back together so you can have some time. It will be nice to have you back on the flotilla, Major. There will finally be a face here to go with a name I hear every day."
"Thanks, Tali..."
"She sounded a little off." Kaidan whispered, as Tali and Kai rearranged themselves on the other end of the call.
"It's not easy having to talk to a child who asks you every day if their father will ever be coming home." Shepard explained, keeping her voice low. Kaidan nodded, seeing Kai settle back into his seat.
"How far away are you, mom?"
"We'll be three months or so before we get back. Twelve days from now you won't be able to reach us. I don't want you to think I'm angry, Kai. We can't communicate with anyone. If we do it will set us back." He looked so down on the other end of the call, Kaidan wanted to reach through the screen and hold him.
"We're coming as fast as we can, Kai. I promise." Kaidan said. The boy looked up and putting a kiss to his fingers he touched the video receiver.
"I love you, too, Kai." Jenna said. Kai looked apprehensively at them across the line.
"I love you, Dad." Trying the words on for size, he grinned, finding they fit perfectly. Kaidan laughed and put a kiss to his fingers then up to the receiver.
"I love you."
"It's time, sweetheart." Jenna said. Her tone was regretful. It wasn't hard to guess the call was coming to an end. She was shaking, she wanted so badly to keep talking.
"We'll see you soon." Kaidan added. Kai put his best effort into it and smiled at them across the vid link as the transmission ended. The boy was that strong already. The vid link closed and Kaidan sat back in his seat and put a hand over his face. It was shaking. Jenna put both hands on his.
"I'm sorry, Kaidan." He dropped his hand almost immediately, revealing tears and a bittersweet smile.
"For what?" A tear slipped down her cheek and she averted her eyes. In moments others followed it.
"Listen, nothing you've done needs an apology."
"It doesn't feel that way." She had very much wanted him to know before he saw his son for the first time. That she had asked him to abandon a life he'd spent 40 years building gnawed at her.
"Listen, from this moment on, it's a clean slate. Well, not clean. There are three things on it. The only ones that matter." He reached across the seats and pulled her into as much of an embrace as he could.
"Actually, one more thing before that. If there's anything else you need to hit me with, lay it on me. Please. No more surprises, no more secrets. Ever." Thoughts of mischief changed her expression.
"I might not know where to find a goldsmith." The triviality of it had both of them laughing.
"That's all. I swear it. If you don't know, neither do I." Jenna told him, wiping some extra water from her eyes. Kaidan wasn't sure he'd ever been more relieved in his life.
"Thank you." A firm and certain kiss sealed the deal.
Wash to White...
Message in a Bottle
"If you're out there listening, if you feel anything that's been said has affected your life, or changed how you look at the stars for the better, then this story belongs to you as much as it does to me. Jenna Shepard…"
"…With Kaidan Alenko…"
"…logging out." Jenna smiled at Kaidan. A message in a bottle.
Kaidan took her by the hand and Jenna shouldered her pack as they abandoned the deep space communications module. The sun was setting, but still well over the horizon, blindingly bright to the eye. Kaidan reached for the panel to close the door. The door hissed shut, leaving the interior a perfect black.
Looking for the Words…
"There is no time, no space, no way, that we don't end up together." - Jack Carter