I do not own Mass Effect or any of the associated contact. Jagher Shepard is my Shepard and Fayelle Shepard is my friend's Shepard. This is a collection of moments set throughout the games. They're rated for language and violence mostly.

Mass Effect: Moments.
A Moment Where it's Cold.

Shepard stepped onto the tram and dropped into the nearest seat, the guns attached to the back of her armour digging in uncomfortably. As Kaidan and Garrus—the turian C-Sec agent she's met during the trial about Saren, an alien she already quite liked—climbed aboard the train car, she shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position to sit in. They'd be running around Noveria chasing Benezia, and Jagher knew they were nowhere near done, so she wanted to take the moments they had to rest. Apparently, that was going to be impossible since she wasn't going to remove all her weapons, so she groaned and pushed herself to her feet again and stalked to the end of the tram to look out the window.

"Everything all right Commander?" Garrus asked as he flipped the switch to start the tram moving.

"Yeah, just uncomfortable." Jagher turned and leaned back against the window, arms taking most of her weight braced on a railing at about hip level. She felt a small frown pull at her lips and she didn't stop it; she trusted Kaidan and Garrus, they were her friends. "I wanted to sit down."

Her companions laughed, perhaps a little more enthusiastically than the situation called for. It was a good way to ease the tension. After having to fight geth troops and mercenaries to save Liara from the Prothean trap she managed to get herself stuck in, things hadn't really slowed down at all. Like rest, joviality was hard to come by.

Kaidan perched on the edge of one of the seats, elbows braced on his knees, and Garrus leaned against the wall by the power switch. For a few moments they sat in companionable silence as they enjoyed the brief moments of peace. It was beyond likely they would find more of the multi-legged monsters at Rift Station when they reached it. There was also a possibility they would find mounds of slaughtered humans. No one in the main settlement had had any contact with Rift Station since before the storm had started, and that showed no signs of slowing down.

Jagher turned her green eyes to the left, where she could look out the tram windows and the station windows beyond. The storm was raging, the snow a shifting white curtain beyond the durable and clear material.

"What do you think Benezia is up to?" Garrus asked.

She heard Kaidan shift, but she didn't turn her attention back to the conversation, even as the Staff Lieutenant answered, "Any number of things, but something tells me those things are probably involved. I know it's impossible, but they looked a lot like rachni."

"It's not impossible Alenko, just highly unlikely." There was a slight edge of humour in Garrus' voice and Jagher smiled.

"I want to know why she would work for Saren," the young commander said.

"The asari aren't known for their rebellious ways. Benezia's actions are definitely bizarre." Kaidan's eyes narrowed very slightly, but he reigned in his expression before he asked, "Did Liara have any idea what her mother was up to?"

Shepard shrugged. "Not really. She didn't seem very keen on talking about her mother though."

True to his C-Sec training, Garrus picked up on the suspicious question. "Do you think she's hiding something?"

Jagher shrugged again and licked her lips. "It's possible, but I don't think so."

The three soldiers lapsed into silence again, but it was no longer completely comfortable or friendly. A fraction of it had been replaced with the tension that Shepard had noticed appeared whenever the topic of Liara was broached around Kaidan. Shepard's gaze slid to the handsome face of her Staff Lieutenant and when he met her gaze, she offered the warmest smile she could muster and was rewarded with one in return. Garrus picked up on the exchange, but said nothing. However, Shepard heard the soft and dry noise of his mandibles moving.

"What will we do if those things are the rachni?" the turian asked, bringing the conversation back to the situation at hand.

"I have no idea. This wasn't something I've even considered—not that I considered any of this. Who expects to run into an extinct race?" Jagher settled against the bar and crossed her arms under her chest, the hard material of her armour clacking loudly in the relative silence of the tram. "I guess we'll contact the Council if we have the time or opportunity and see what they think should be done." Kaidan and Garrus nodded in consent. "But let's not worry about that until we have to. It might not even become an issue."

There was another nod that was cut short by a sudden and rather violent shiver from Kaidan. When the other two turned towards him, curious looks on their faces, he said, "The cold. It's bad enough to get through my armour."

Shepard nodded, a barely contained grin on her lips. It was that cold, but something in Kaidan's face, his voice, made the admission funny. Again, it could be the release of tension, but whatever the reason, Jagher was more than happy to let the laughter spill over her lips, echoed by Garrus. Kaidan joined them a second later. As the display of emotion passed, the commander pushed herself off the wall and dropped into the seat beside Kaidan, perching on the edge like he was, to keep her guns from pressing into her back.

"Do you think there will be any survivors?" she asked.

"Hopefully," Garrus and Kaidan answered simultaneously.

After another moment of silence, the tram slowed and pulled into Rift Station, a dull clunk announcing their complete stop. Garrus opened the doors and stepped out onto the platform, followed closely by Kaidan. Jagher drew her assault rifle, unsure of what they would find and then stepped out after her companions.

She didn't follow them, however.

"What is it?" Kaidan asked.

She scrunched up her face. "It's cold."

Author's Note.

This is another random moment inspired by one of Kaidan's background lines. I don't think it matters where you are on Noveria, but if you talk to him, sometimes he'll say something about how cold it was. I first heard it when I was getting on the tram, which is why this takes place where it does.

Kaidan and Garrus will feature as the second and third team members in the rest of the Mass Effect 1 moments, as they are my favourite team. This also explains why Shep is a little more laid back around them. In my mind, Shep is close friends with Garrus and Kaidan and thus, isn't afraid to show a little of her more personal side. I think it makes sense, so I hope you do to.

Next Moment: A Moment With Family Ties.