Chapter 8 – Chasing Starlight – Citadel
A/N: Sorry it took me a little longer to get this chapter out! Easter and traveling happened.
Disclaimer: some dialogue (if it ain't broke, don't fix it) was taken directly from Mass Effect, which is owned by Bioware.
Ashley and Kaidan looked as excited as little kids on Christmas morning as they stood in the cockpit while Joker approached the citadel.
"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley exclaimed, pointing at the Destiny Ascension.
"The Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel Fleet," Kaidan announced, leaning closely to the window.
"Well, size isn't everything," Joker quipped.
"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley leered.
"Just saying, you need firepower, too."
Shepard shook her head. She wasn't sure which they were joking about in comparison to the Ascension: the Normandy, or Joker's manhood. Shepard figured she really didn't need the answer to that question, and laughed to herself, wondering if she was the only one in the room that came to that conclusion.
"Look at that monster!" Ashley rebutted, gesturing out the window. "It's main gun could rip through the barriers on any ship in the Alliance fleet."
"Good thing it's on our side, then," Kaidan noted. He looked over at Shepard, the only person in the cockpit who hadn't made a comment during their approach. He noticed the corners of her pink lips were turned up ever so slightly, but that her silver eyes didn't match the rest of her expression; they seemed melancholy. "Ever been to the Citadel before, ma'am?" he inquired.
"It's been a long time," she said softly, gazing out the window. The color of eyes appeared lilac from shades of the nebula. Kaidan then noticed that they looked glossy, as if watering just a little. He longed to know more about her, of why she seemed so crestfallen upon arriving to such a magnificent place.
The conversation in the cockpit ended abruptly as Joker requested permission to land from Citadel control. Seconds later, Captain Anderson appeared on the bridge. "Everyone ready to head ashore?"
"Aye, aye, Captain!" The three said simultaneously, saluting their commanding officer.
David Anderson led them out through the airlock once the ship was secured and had finished moving. Kaidan and Ashley had to make a serious effort not to gawk at the amazing surroundings of the Citadel as they headed to the embassy, whereas Anderson and Shepard were not the least bit distracted by the scenery on the station, and focused strictly on the task at hand. Kaidan and Ashley walked behind Shepard and Anderson, who were recapping what they would each be telling Ambassador Donnell Udina and the council. When they finally reached Udina's office, the ambassador was just getting off a video call with the council, and was clearly frustrated. Donnell then took his anger out on Captain Anderson and Shepard, which rather bothered Kaidan. Although part of him wanted to speak up, he shook it off, knowing that politicians could be under a lot of stress and that it wouldn't do any good for him to complain about how they were being treated, and that it could also reflect poorly on his commanding officers. Ashley, on the other hand, grumbled about hating politicians as soon as Udina left, with Anderson in tow. Shepard has clearly chosen not to acknowledge Ashley's comment. "Let's start heading towards the Citadel Tower," she said plainly. "Follow me." Evelyn took point, and Kaidan, being the gentleman that he was, motioned to let Ashley go ahead of him. Shepard led her squadmates at a slightly more leisurely pace than Anderson had earlier, and allowed them to stop and take in some of the views of the presidium on their way. Ashley pointed out numerous features, but Shepard walked in silence, not acknowledging Williams at all. That's so odd, Kaidan thought. She's usually so warm and kind. I wonder what's going on with her. Kaidan, not wanting Ashley to feel out of place, responded to her observations in Shepard's verbal absence. He had a feeling Shepard didn't like being on the Citadel, though he didn't really know why. Maybe I'm mistaken, he thought. Maybe she's just tired. Or maybe she's been here enough that it doesn't faze her anymore.
When they finally reached the tower, there were two turians arguing just outside the elevator. "Stall them!" One of them ordered.
"Stall the council? I don't think so, officer. Your investigation is over." The other replied, clearly putting the first turian in his place for using an improper tone with his superior.
"But, sir, I'm so close to finding something," he continued.
"You're out of time." The other said regretfully. "I'm sorry, Garrus." He turned and left the other turian, who must have been named Garrus, behind.
"Damn it!" Garrus muttered. He noticed the three humans staring at him. "Can I help you?" his tone forcibly friendly.
"We're here to see the council," Shepard stated amicably.
"Just follow the stairs up." He paused, "You here for Saren's trial?" He asked, his mandible flapping. Shepard nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, good luck. The executor just cut my investigation short. I was so close to having something against him… I'm sorry."
"There's no need to apologize," Shepard understandingly replied. "They obviously didn't give you much time, and finding dirt on Spectres has got to be harder than investigating a typical citizen."
The turian blinked, amazed at the human's insight and patience. "That's right."
"We better be on our way," Kaidan noted. He hated to interrupt, but knew that if they stayed and talked with this c-sec officer for much longer, they could miss the trial. "We don't want to be late."
"Of course," Shepard said, nodding to the turian. "Good day," she smiled kindly, almost apologetically at him. Kaidan followed suit, and acknowledged the turian amicably as they walked by, but noticed that Ashley wouldn't even make eye contact with him. He got the feeling she wasn't fond of aliens, or at least, turians. He made a mental note to ask her about that later.
"Well, that was helpful," Ashley's sarcastic tone penetrated the council chambers, seconds after the three councilors had left.
Udina turned to Anderson, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared. "Bringing you here was a mistake, Anderson. Your history with Saren is complicating things."
History with Saren? Evelyn thought.
"There must be something we can do." Kaidan's velvety voice changed up the harsh tone of the conversation. While the others were thinking aloud of what to do next, Shepard just listened, taking in all their ideas, formulating a plan. It was something she had always been good at; gathering and analyzing data. Once they were all finished venting and brainstorming, she spoke, matter-of-factly, her plan already fully ready to present.
"We'll start with Barla Von. We're already in the Presidium; it's logical to start there before heading down to the wards." She briefly paused before continuing. "If he doesn't have information on Garrus, we'll head to Chora's Den and get it out of Harkin." Anderson, Kaidan, and Ashley all nodded, acknowledging that Shepard's plan made sense. Udina sighed heavily before responding.
"Just try not to get into any trouble when you're in the wards, Shepard." The ambassador chided, "I'll be the one stuck cleaning up the mess if you do."
Ugh, Shepard thought, itching to roll her eyes at the politician. She had always been an incredibly patient person, but it had gotten to the point where Udina was draining her reserves. She responded as diplomatically as she could muster, given her current discontent for the politician standing in front of her. "I don't go looking for trouble, Ambassador. It tends to find me." Evelyn forced a smile. "Trust me, I would rather not make a mess in the first place." Ashley couldn't help but laugh at Evelyn's response, and Kaidan and Anderson both coughed in surprise. It had been the most strident thing any of them had ever heard her say. After these comments, it was Udina with the urge to roll his eyes, and he didn't bother to control it. He did, however, sigh and thank Shepard for acknowledging that she didn't intend to make his day worse. With that, Udina asked Anderson to follow him to his office, leaving Kaidan, Ashley, and Shepard alone in the council chambers.
Things had barely gotten quiet when a loud growl echoed among them, its origin given away by the embarrassed look on the handsome biotic officer's face. Shepard turned to her comrades and smiled. "We'll grab some lunch once we get down to the wards. The presidium is an expensive place to eat."
Kaidan's face turned slightly red, growing more embarrassed now that he was sure she had heard the sound and that she chose to acknowledge it. "I guess you, uh, heard that, then," he stuttered out. Shepard nodded, grinning warmly and understandingly, as if to say "it's no big deal." The redness dissipated from the lieutenant's face and was replaced with a grateful smile.
Kaidan admired the way Shepard moved with such confidence. Her head held high, perfect posture, the slight, sexy sway in her hips. It took all he could muster to not stare at them as she walked ahead of him. Evelyn approached the information broker Barla Von with such confidence, but not even a hint of arrogance. When volus greeted her by name before she had the chance to introduce herself, it didn't appear to surprise her. Kaidan was mesmerized by the way she spoke so diplomatically, and listened intently to learn from her.
Warm breath on his ear made his concentration slip. "Is it just me, or does this volus sound like the nerdy kid from junior high with too much head gear and allergies?" Ashley teased. Kaidan had been trying to listen and focus on their conversation, and also wasn't fond of Ashley's xenophobic comments. All volus sounded that way because of their environmental suits and breathers. Kaidan simply held one finger over his lips, looking at her sideways, and she nodded. Ashley had to learn when it was and when it wasn't ok to make sarcastic comments.
Once Shepard had completed her conversation with the information broker, she turned to Kaidan and Ashley and quietly informed them, "He gave us a promising new lead to some evidence through a krogan bounty hunter, but to find Garrus, we'll still have to deal with Harkin." Shepard walked past them as she spoke, motioning for the pair to follow her. She stopped once they were all out of the office, turned her head back to look deliberately at Kaidan, and smirked. "After lunch, that is."
They took a cab down to the wards, getting out by some awful looking dive bar. This can't possibly be where we're going for lunch, Kaidan thought. The sign on the front, indicating the name of the place was "The Pit," hung crooked and half the nights were burnt out. Dingy, thick curtains covered the windows on either side of the entry, which was a faded wooden door. As Evelyn approached the door with confidence, Ashley and Kaidan's jaws nearly dropped. This certainly wasn't the type of place they pegged Shepard to pick for lunch. "It might not look like much, but they have the best American food on the Citadel. This place is seriously a diamond in the rough." She confidently stated. She shifted her gaze to Kaidan, eyeing him. "Their specialty is a Philadelphia Cheese-steak Sandwich."
"Oh, man! I am SO in!" Suddenly, Kaidan wasn't the least bit apprehensive about her choice of lunch venues. Shepard and Ashley laughed at the abrupt shift in the lieutenant's demeanor. Evelyn had chosen this place on purpose, and not just because she liked it. She thought she recalled that Kaidan loved steak sandwiches, something he had mentioned years ago in Vancouver. She smiled widely, pleased she had remembered correctly and glad to make him happy. "Lunch is on me," Shepard insisted. "After Eden Prime, we all deserve a good meal."
"Wow, Shepard, thanks," Kaidan smiled at his CO, his amber eyes glowing and excited, making her blush just a little. "It's nothing, really," she stuttered out.
The three enjoyed light conversation over lunch. Well, rather, mostly Ashley and Shepard did. Kaidan barely spoke at all, as he was too busy devouring the largest size cheese-steak they had on the menu. His sandwich had easily been twice as large as the burgers Shepard and Ashley had ordered, and he only had a few bites of it left by the time the other two had finished about half of their meals. The girls stared at his nearly clean plate, then up at him, and giggled. Kaidan swallowed. "What?" he managed to blurt out between bites. "I just never thought you would be such a big eater," Williams leering at him almost accusingly.
Kaidan held up a finger while he chewed his last bite, indicating he wanted to respond, but not while delicious food was in his mouth.
"It's a biotic thing," Shepard answered for him, Kaidan nodding at them both to acknowledge Shepard was right on the money. "I've worked with a few, and they've all had impressive appetites," she continued, giggling a little more.
When Kaidan was finished, he excused himself from the table, leaving Ashley and Shepard alone for a few minutes. "I never thought I would see the LT get so excited," Ashley remarked. "He just seems like such a laid back, straight-laced, guy." Shepard smiled and let out a simple "yeah" in agreement. Ashley waited a few seconds before stating her observation. "You didn't seemed surprised at all by his reaction, ma'am."
Evelyn finished another bite before responding, taking that moment to formulate her response as she chewed. "You're good at reading people, aren't you, Williams?" She retorted, dodging addressing what Ashley may have been insinuating about her and Kaidan.
"Women, anyway. Sisters," the last word offered as a simple answer to explain all.
"Ah. Only child," Shepard responded, indicating that she couldn't relate in that way.
"Sucks," Ashley said between bites.
When Kaidan returned, Ashley teased him about being gone so long, only to make him nervously scratch the back of his neck. Shepard hated to see him embarrassed by her, and switched the business mentality back on. "Alright, let's head out."
As they waited for the elevator to arrive, Evelyn looked over at Kaidan. The tables were turned now from when the two had first met. A decade ago in Vancouver, it had been her first time to Earth and him who was used to the landscape. Now, it was just the opposite. She smiled at Kaidan and Ashley as they enjoyed the views of the citadel, something with which she was quite familiar. The elevator arrived fairly quickly, but the ride was a bit long. They waited in silence, all of them in a bit of a food-coma from their big, indulgent lunch.
As they approached Chora's Den, Kaidan sensed that something didn't feel right. He put his hand on Shepard's shoulder, stepping in front of her and silently drawing his gun. She took the cue from his instincts, and Ashley did the same. Kaidan inched ahead, and saw a red laser sight out of his peripheral vision – it was aimed past him and straight at Shepard. Not able to see the assassin itself, Kaidan threw a biotic lift in the direction of the red glow's origin, flinging the sniper into the air. "It's Shepard – get her!" the man flailing in the air called out. Two other assailants popped up with their assault rifles, and Shepard hurled a drone in their direction. Kaidan and Ashley simultaneously took out the sniper while he was suspended in the air, and then turned their attention to the other two men, who had been weakened by the drone and Shepard's marksman skills. Once all three gunmen were down and they made sure the area was secure, Shepard holstered her weapon, Kaidan and Ashley doing so after her. "Good instincts, Lieutenant. Even better eye," she said both thanking and complimenting him. "Thanks, Commander." He grinned proudly.
As they walked into the club, Ashley was the first to address the scenery. "Classy," she said facetiously. Shepard walked ahead of the two, completely ignoring the half-naked dancers all around them, but instead choosing to focus her attention on looking for Harkin and listening to her squadmates' conversation behind her. "It's amazing to me that here we are, light years away from Earth, and people here are still watching half naked women shaking their asses." Kaidan laughed at Ashley's assertion and commented that he wasn't sure it if was sad or comforting. "Comforting?" Williams asked, shocked. "Well, uh, yeah, because it means humans aren't the only ones into that sort of thing," the lieutenant nervously responded. "Uh huh." Shepard, allowing herself a quick smirk, could sense the gunnery chief rolling her eyes at Kaidan.
Shepard walked up to the bar and asked the cute, redheaded human female bartender where Harkin was. She shifted her eyes to his table, not far behind them, in clear view, and nodded slightly, instantly shifting her eyes back to the crowd in front of her. "I don't want him to think I'm flirting with him," she whispered to Shepard, her tone matching her hands, which nervously twisted around each other. Shepard tilted her head in acknowledgement to the attractive bartender and approached the obviously drunk middle-aged, balding man, dressed in c-sec uniform, though clearly not on duty.
"You looking for me, baby?" he cat-called Shepard. "You look pretty sexy in that soldier get-up, honey. How about you come sit on Harkin's lap and have a drink?" he hiccupped. What a bastard, Kaidan thought. He couldn't stand the way the man was talking to Shepard. Am I…jealous? Feeling protective? Don't be ridiculous, Kaidan. She's tough. She can handle this on her own.
Shepard stopped in front of Harkin, folded her arms and stared at him, her eyes dark, serious, and not the least bit amused. The suspended c-sec officer was too drunk to tell she wasn't interested by her body language, and clumsily ran his hand over her upper-arm. Kaidan's biotics lightly flared, but he kept them under wraps. He was impressed when Shepard's body didn't react at all to Harkin's disgusting touch, but that her visage and tone were perfectly capable of rejecting him all on their own.
"I'm Commander Shepard, Harkin, not some call-girl. And this "get-up" is real armor." She said, glaring at him with stone-cold eyes.
Harkin sloppily dropped his hand and entire arm down, disappointed. His face changed from happy- sleazy-drunk to pissed-off in a nanosecond. "Why the fuck are you here, then? What the hell do you want?"
"Where's Garrus?" She asked, no bullshit.
"Who says I know? And just why should I tell you, anyway, Alliance bitch?"
Shepard narrowed her eyes. "You do, and you're going to."
Harkin's expression sobered up a bit as he realized who exactly Evelyn was. "Wait a second - Commander Shepard, you said?" he chuckled to himself, "Anderson's little protégé. Here to catch the big bad turian Spectre, are you? Trying to become a Spectre yourself? If your mentor couldn't do it, why should you?" He took another log swig of his drink. "How fitting that you're after the guy who ruined it for him." Harkin's words were accusing, however his tone indicated that they were based on facts, not gossip. Shepard ignored what he was saying and simply repeated her question again. Harkin, in turn, disregarded her question, and instead bated her. "Aw, c'mon. Don't you wanna hear about how your Captain fucked up being a Spectre himself?"
"If I want to know something about Captain Anderson, I'll ask him myself," she declared. "Now tell me where I can find Garrus. I'm not going to leave you alone until you do." She confidently leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "And none of the waitresses want to come over here with us talking to you, so if you want another…"
"FINE." Harkin sighed and banged his fists on the table, causing some of his drink to spill over. "Go over the med clinic one level up. He's sticking his nose into someone's business there."
"Thanks," Evelyn said, lifting Harkin's unfinished drink off the table. "And sober up." She said as she walked away, putting the glass on the bar and sliding it over to the tender. Kaidan heard Harkin cursing her, which further agitated him. He ignored the desire to punch Harkin's lights out, as the last thing he needed was to get into a bar brawl with a drunk, suspended cop over something that was said to his commanding officer. That would be bad on so many levels.
On the way from Chora's Den to the clinic was an astonishing viewing deck. Shepard leaned against the railing and motioned for Kaidan and Ashley to join her. The three looked out at the amazing landscape. The arms of the other wards stretched far out into the nebula, framing their view of the Citadel and its "sky." Shades of blue, purple, and pink clouds hovered above and around the tall buildings of the arm they were currently on. Shepard had seen views like this before, but knew it would be a treat for Ashley and Kaidan. She smiled, content to take in the view in silence, which was soon ended up a low, husky voice.
"Big place," Kaidan so eloquently stated.
"Is that your professional opinion, sir?" Ashley quipped.
"Actually, Williams, he's right." Evelyn rebutted, looking out at the city before them. She smiled, shook her head slightly, and thought out loud, "I've been here countless times and haven't even come close to seeing it all."
Kaidan already knew that Evelyn had been to the Citadel before, but hearing her describe it as "countless times," amazed and intrigued him. He wanted to know more, but they were on duty, so he decided to keep his curiosity to himself. She'll tell you more when the time is right, he thought.A long silence indicating that she wasn't going to elaborate, so Kaidan moved the conversation into a different direction. "There must be millions here. It can't be possible to keep track of everyone coming and going."
"This place makes Jump Zero look like a port-a-john, and it's the largest deep space station the Alliance has." Ashley observed.
"Jump Zero is big, but this is a whole 'nother scale." Kaidan noted, and pointed out, "Look at the ward arms! How do they keep all that mass from flying apart?"
Knowing none of them could possibly answer that question, Shepard moved the conversation back to the subject Kaidan had originally brought up. "The council represents so many different races. It's no wonder they're careful with newcomers."
"They probably just want to keep everything running. It has to be hard keeping all the cultures working together," Kaidan added.
"Or maybe they just don't like humans," Ashley uttered, glaring slightly.
"What's not to like?" Shepard responded amicably. "We've got oceans, beautiful women, this emotion called love. According to the old vids, we have everything they want." She plainly stated, as if citing evidence, her gorgeous silver eyes gazing out at the view.
"When you put it that way, there's no reason they wouldn't like you," Kaidan replied, quickly tripping over his tongue. "I mean, us. Humans, ma'am." He scratched the back of his neck and looked away, which Evelyn had figured out was a tell for when he felt embarrassed. Before she could respond, Ashley leered at him, raising one eyebrow. "You don't take much shore leave, do you, LT?"
Unlike earlier in the day, Evelyn felt relieved that Ashley had made fun of Kaidan's foot-in-mouth moment. It made it easier for her to respond, and kept her from blushing while she thought of what to say. "All right, laugh it up, Chief," she said, patting Ashley's shoulder. She then turned her gaze to Kaidan, her eyes reflecting shades of violet light from the Citadel. Evelyn made a conscious effort to not smile when responding to him. "I appreciate the thought, Alenko, but we're on duty here." Against her own will, her eyes scaled the length of his body, admiring his toned, muscular form for half a second. She hardly even noticed she did it herself, Ashley completely missed it, but Kaidan noticed the look, along with her body language and favorable, approving tone. He swallowed his embarrassment, realizing that she actually had liked what he said, but only that it wasn't the right time to say it, and chose to acknowledge her vocal response. "Um, aye aye, ma'am."
Ashley declared that she would walk drag, implying that she would keep an eye on Kaidan. He thought it was unnecessary, but also realized that it meant he had to be extra careful not to check out his commander as they continued on. He kept his head high, smiled, and focused on the mission.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next up, a smidgen of angst, and some fluff. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated – and they don't have to be anything elaborate!
Still waiting on those commissions for cover art – should be done soon, hopefully!