Of course she was Commander Shepard, Kaidan Alenko thought bitterly to himself. Maybe the great big scar across her face would have given me the hint, but apparently not.
The lieutenant had only realized who the woman he'd been talking to was when they'd both parted company, after one of the marines had mentioned Shepard's scar. It was far too late to rectify his mistake by then, as the Commander had gone to set her armour in the cargo hold.
His duty as head of the marine detail had then reared its head and from then he'd been consumed in keeping tabs on the marines under his wing, and so he hadn't crossed paths with the Commander since.
Well, until now, that is. It was the day before the Normandy's maiden voyage, and everyone had finally assembled onboard to get to know one another, starting to practise the drills they hopefully wouldn't need and getting to know the new ship well.
Introductions were in order first, though, and Kaidan had done his best to get his detail up to snuff for the Captain, though the reputation of Anderson and Shepard had preceded them and done most of his work for him. No-one wanted to get dressed down not only by the renowned Captain Anderson, but the Sole Survivor of Akuze as well. There had been excited whispering about her which Kaidan had to quell, trying not to entertain those same thoughts about her.
The Akuze incident was only six years ago, and he, like everybody else, were aware of the circumstances. Contact with the pioneers lost, a squad sent in to investigate, and then the attack of the thresher maws, slaughtering everyone. Everyone except Shepard, who came limping home, covered in blood, acid and tears. The news had of course had a field day, but the Alliance had wisely kept Shepard out of the limelight, who was probably in no shape to be in the media's eye. Kaidan could sympathize.
He was stirred from his thoughts by the appearance of the said Commander into his vision.
She was slightly shorter than him, about five foot eleven, with a skin colour of terracotta, short brown hair ending just under her chin which took on a golden sheen under the lights, and small eyebrows of a similar colour. Her eyes were a light green, framed by large, dark eyelashes and a glimpse of eyeliner that made them rather arresting to his gaze. However, her long scar also demanded attention, thick and plump with scar and replaced tissue, her nose slightly misaligned because of it (the medic in Kaidan wondered if the cartilage had been broken by the strike that caused the scar). And if he looked closer, he could see a scattering of faint freckles across her face, just noticeable against her dusky skin.
Her eyes held a look of amusement within them.
"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, I presume?" She said, a smile tugging on her lips, which sparked one of his own.
"Yes, ma'am." He replied.
"I'm not always as flaky with names, honest." A half-chuckle slipped from her lips. "Anyway Lieutenant, I'm looking forward to working with you." She offered a hand.
"Me too, Commander." He nodded, taking the proffered hand in one of his.
In the split second their skin met, the static from Kaidan's implant that had been building up leapt eagerly into Shepard, making her yelp with surprise, jerking her hand back.
Kaidan blinked, taking a moment to understand what just happened.
"Oh, sorry ma'am, I-I should have grounded myself first, I forgot-" He began, but Shepard cut him with the shake of her head, chuckling.
"No, no it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it." She looked at him again, appraising him. "You're a biotic, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am." He replied, watching her carefully. This was always the part where his commanders pulled up his L2 implant. It was in his dossier, clear as day, along with many, many psych evals. He was ready for the look they would give him, like he was a time bomb, ready to go off when their back was turned. It was an inevitability of being the biotic he was.
"I thought so; only biotics have a bite in their handshakes." Shepard said, eyes shining. "What's your specialization?"
Hang on, what? Kaidan ended up thinking, thrown off balance by the lack of judgment and prejudice, and found himself grasping for an answer. It must have shown in his face, because the soldier elaborated;
"I've worked with biotics before, though not enough that I'm completely used to seeing what you guys can do." She tilted her head slightly, still expecting an answer.
"I'm uh, I specialized as a sentinel, ma'am." Kaidan answered. "I also did some medical training as well." Her brows rose with interest.
"So you're a combat medic too?"
"In a way, ma'am."
She smiled.
"That's great." She glanced to Anderson, who was nearby, watching them. "I should go. I'll see you around, Lieutenant."
"Aye aye, ma'am." Kaidan replied with a nod, watching her walk over to the Captain, who seemed to be hiding a smile. He said something to the Commander, but before he could see her reaction, he was distracted by someone saying;
"Wow, I can't believe that's Commander Shepard."
Kaidan turned to see Corporal Jenkins at his side, looking after the woman with his eyes almost sparkling. Bemused, Kaidan gave a quiet snort of derision.
"Why do you say that, Corporal?" He asked, making the young man jump, and looking at the Lieutenant as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Oh sir! I um, I mean- I don't mean any disrespect, I-" Jenkins stumbled wildly before he was halted by a wave of the biotic's hand.
"I know you didn't." He said. "I was just curious as to why you thought that."
Jenkins blinked at him.
"It's Commander Shepard. You know, the woman who was the only one off Akuze?"
"I know who she is, Corporal, I do keep up with the times."
"Yeah, but she's an N7! An N7, like, the best of the best and she's on the same crew as us! A famous N7!" Jenkins continued, half sugar-high and half increasingly bewildered by Kaidan's lack of excitement.
"She didn't become an N7 without any work." He cautioned the young man. "She deserves respect and for you not to be fawning over her."
"Oh, I totally understand, sir." Jenkins nodded vigorously. "I mean, she's like, way out of my league-", Kaidan shot him a look, "n-not that I had any intentions at all!"
"I should hope not. Need I remind you about the fraternization regs?" The lieutenant spoke coolly.
"No sir. Although I would be more worried about the Commander than the regs."
Against Kaidan's will, a smile pulled at his lips.
"Yes, I wouldn't want to mess with an N7 either." He glanced at the subject in question, who was now deep in conversation with Anderson over a datapad.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what's your opinion on her, sir?" Jenkins asked.
Kaidan's brows furrowed.
"I can't just make an on the spot judgement. I barely know her." He said.
"I know, but what does your gut say about her?" Jenkins pushed. "You've at gotta have a little bit of a feeling about her. Even like a small opinion."
"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Corporal?" Kaidan said, his brow raising.
"Come on, sir. I'm just curious."
"And I'm curious to know why."
"I'm just…interested." Jenkins appeared to wither under Kaidan's gaze. "Forget it, sir. Sorry." The marine moved off, tail between his legs.
Kaidan watched him go, privately glad he'd gotten the exuberant soldier to leave, as he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself.
He hadn't been completely truthful with Jenkins; it was very difficult not to form an opinion on Commander Shepard, what with the stories about her, but he'd been careful not to let them colour his first impression of her.
However, he did hold more than a little respect for the woman; who wouldn't, after what she had survived? Aside from the scar, there didn't seem to be any other outward impacts of her experience. She carried herself with confidence, without a drop of arrogance, and somehow she managed to both blend in to her surroundings and demand respect at the same time.
He hadn't recognized her when he met her on the lower deck, but Kaidan found himself liking her. She hadn't known him, but had been as warm as if they had, and that hadn't changed when they'd properly introduced themselves to one another.
And what really intrigued him was her reaction to him being a biotic. He was so used to the wary stares and hushed whispers that her even-keeled response to learning of his mutated nerves had caught him completely off guard. Instead of demanding details about his implant, she'd asked his specialization as if it was just a normal day on duty.
Against his will, he felt himself wanting to know more about the soldier, even as he chided himself for it. She's my superior officer, she's completely off limits. Not that she'd be interested in me anyway.
Kaidan shook his head, dismissing such thoughts. He couldn't entertain them, not for a moment. Deciding he should probably find something to do to keep his mind from thinking about Shepard, he turned to go.
"Lieutenant." Anderson's voice stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to see the Captain approaching him, the Commander having vanished in the interim.
"Sir?" The older man gave him a look the biotic couldn't identify.
"You seem to have your head in the nebulae. Is there anything I should know?"
Kaidan swallowed, cursing the sensation of heat rising in his face.
"Nothing, sir. I was, uh, thinking of preparations we need to do tomorrow before Normandy leaves dock."
"The Commander and I can handle that, Lieutenant." Anderson replied.
"I didn't mean to presume anything, Captain." Kaidan said, scratching the back of his neck. "I just wanted to consider my role within those preparations."
"Of course. Do they involve the Commander, by chance?" Kaidan could have sworn Anderson's eyes were gleaming with amusement.
"No, not, not unless she wishes to involve herself within them." The biotic shifted uncomfortably.
"You should consider it, Alenko. The Commander is a very hands-on woman, and she likes to get to know her crew and the things that they do." Anderson said. "She's not your typical XO."
"No, she doesn't seem to be, sir." Anderson raised an eyebrow, prompting Kaidan to add hurriedly; "I mean, I've never encountered an officer with a record like hers."
"She is a unique woman." The Captain mused. "I have high hopes for her." His eyes bored into the younger man. "And for you too, Alenko."
"I understand, sir. I won't let you down." Kaidan nodded.
"Good. Carry on, Lieutenant." Anderson responded, walking away, leaving Kaidan more than a little concerned.
That was…oddly specific. He thought. Shit, what if he thinks I have a crush on the Commander? He rubbed his forehead. I can't screw this up. Anderson chose me because he trusted me to be the best at the job.
Kaidan pinched his nose, feeling a migraine start to chew on him, the slight fuzz of distortion beginning in the corner of his vision. Just what I needed. Look, Commander Shepard is not interested in you, or anyone else on this crew. Quit it. Do your job and let her do hers. Anderson didn't choose me just to screw up because of a gorgeous woman.
I mean pretty. I mean- oh hell.
Kaidan promptly decided to shut that line of thought down immediately, and go to that doctor (Chakwas, was it?) for something to shut his migraine down before it sunk more of its teeth into him.
He didn't notice passing Akeelah Shepard on his way down to the med bay, and that her gaze followed him until he was out of sight.