**Thank you to all readers. I appreciate your patience! With holidays, some issues with registering for classes, and my toddler being sick things have been slow. I hope this chapter makes up for some of that. I've tried to make it fluffy while still giving some plot progression. There's a bit of stern language in this chapter, because well, recovery hurts. As always, THANK YOU to my readers! Sadly bioware owns all...except my writing.**
Chapter 5
Two weeks. Seanne had been fully conscious for two weeks. Today was the day she would be able to attempt some physical therapy, and stir crazy as she may be, she was a bit apprehensive. Not only was she short and irritable with almost everyone who walked into the room, she had relieved the moments of her father-figure's death in her dreams. Anderson. Damn the reapers for taking him when he'd so much life left to live. A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought back to the previous day when Kahlee Sanders stopped in to visit her. Though the beautiful blonde abstained her from any guilt, Seanne's heart hurt for her. No matter how many times she was told that his death was not on her hands, she couldn't help but feel responsible to some degree. Kahlee had been a welcome sight in a way, but the news she brought was not. There was no sign of Hannah Shepard, even after all this time, and Hackett was officially declaring her, and the entire crew on her ship killed in action. A memorial service would be held as soon as Seanne was able to speak on behalf of her crew.
Seanne was pulled from her thoughts as Garrus entered the room, a weary smile apparent, though he clicked his mandibles in uncertainty. "You ready, Shepard?" He asked, approaching her bed with a talon out for support. Entering behind him was none other than Admiral Hackett and Kaidan. "Garrus, I've been ready" Seanne said, a genuine smile on her face. She was glad that her best friend in the entire galaxy was alive, here supporting her, no matter how much she told him that he needed to be elsewhere living his own life. She knew he wasn't leaving any time soon, and for that she was inwardly grateful.
"Ah, Commander Shepard, I personally can't tell you how relieved I am to see you recovering well." Hackett said as he stepped toward her, motioning for her to drop her attempted salute. "Shepard all of this is informal, no need for that." He gently placed his hands on her shoulders as she prepared herself to stand for the first time in months. "Thank you sir. I'm glad to be back, and I just hope that I can be as good as I was before." Seanne said as a darkness clouded her facial features. Truth be told, she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to walk or use her biotics ever again. As Hackett offered her an arm, with Garrus taking up her other side, she took in a deep breath and put weight on her legs. Though the pain seared through her life fire, she managed to keep her body fully erect. "Well, that hurts like hell" she laughed weakly as she took a labored breath. "Give me just a second to adjust to the pain. " Seanne winced as her forehead beaded with sweat, her hair already sticking to the moisture. "I'm fine" she added, giving Kaidan a stern look as he started toward her.
Taking another breath, Seanne looked at Garrus and nodded as she took a step. She almost faltered at the pain in her legs, but knew fighting through it was a must as she took yet another step, beginning to loosen her grip on both Garrus and the admiral. Though unsure, she dropped her hands to her sides, noticing the two men give her an incredulous look. "I need to do this on my own. My mother deserves to be put to rest." She said sternly, the pain beginning to subside. Either that or she was running on pure will and adrenaline. The latter seemed more factual at the moment. Seanne slowly made her way across the room to Kaidan and collapsed in pain and exhaustion. As he picked her up, those in the room applauded in excitement. "Shepard that was both amazing and stupid" Miranda commented as she walked into the room, having watched from the doorway. "I guess you're prepared to get on with mobility after all." the beauty said, a bit sarcastically.
Hackett smiled a fatherly smile at Seanne as he pulled a chair next to her. "Shepard, I know I have no right to ask anything else of you after all that you've been through, but I have a favor to ask if you'll listen" he said, eyeing her carefully as she sipped a glass of water. Seeing her nod in reply, he continued cautiously. "After you've gathered your bearings and can pass a physical test of sorts, I'd like for you to take command of the Normandy once more. You'd have your crew, including whomever decides to continue on with you that is non-Alliance, with one addition." He cleared his throught as a young woman with caramel colored hair and grey eyes walked into the room. "This is Lieutenant Rae Hackett, a talented young girl in need of someone as headstrong as she is to lead her. She's a biotic so I thought you and Major Alenko fitting instructors. She's also my daughter." He said carefully, judging Seanne's responses.
"Lieutenant, please step forward" Seanne said calmly, noticing the intense professionalism in the young woman. She was a bit younger than Seanne, possibly mid twenties, shorter, yet still commanded a certain presence. Seanne supposed when you have a father like Hackett that it was probably bred into the young woman. "Tell me a bit about yourself, both personally and professionally Lieutenant" Shepard said, smiling warmly and noticing the younger Hackett relax a bit as she did so. She liked this woman, though aside from her name, she hadn't the faintest idea why. "Yes ma'am. My name is Hannah Rae Hackett, twenty-five years old, graduated with N7 honors from Rio two years ago ma'am. Professionally I am an adept biotic, though I am also trained in all firearm capabilities. I previously served on board both the Orizaba for my initial training, under Captain Shepard and until recently I served as the first officer of the Hawking." Hackett paused, partly to catch her breath and partly to see if this was the information Shepard was looking for. She was going to continue, but was stopped by Shepard placing a hand on her arm. "You served with my mother. It explains your professionalism." She said simply. Seanne looked over the girl again, there was an eerie familiarity about her that she couldn't place. She already knew she was going to accept the admiral's request, but was still curious to hear more from the woman in front of her. She stood slowly, much to Miranda's chagrin. "Rae, we get pretty informal on the Normandy. Unless we are in front of brass, formally, just called me Seanne or Shepard. Whichever suits you best." She said to the young woman, who gave her a small smile. Seanne knew that informality was a rare commodity in the Alliance.
Rae wasn't sure what she was supposed to expect from the most famous person in the glalaxy, but it wasn't this. Somehow Shepard was different, so much more human than she'd thought. She was kind, but still commanded respect in nature. Rae thought that just maybe, this would be the place to finally fit in. "I'll call you Shepard if that's alright. Personally Shepard, I've grown up on starships. I've had opportunities to see a lot of things that most others never could. When I was young, my biotics caused some issues, but thanks to the Ascension Program I had one hell of a chance at a bright future. I graduated from Grissom Academy and enlisted. My name might have gotten me into Rio, but my skills saw me to the end ma'am. I was taught many useful things during my time at the academy, and since I never knew my mother, Sanders took me under her wing and actually was the one that furthered my knowledge of close combat. I was just out of training when Saren attacked the Citadel, and was mostly support at the time. Afterward, I helped rebuild and then was stationed on the Orizaba afterward. The rest is pretty self-explanatory." Rae said, intentionally leaving out the last few months, as honestly they weren't important.
Shepard took everything into consideration, and knew for sure now she'd be taking on the younger woman. "Well Admiral, I'll say that's one impressive technician you're handing me. If I didn't know better I'd say she's supposed to babysit me instead of the other way around." Seanne smirked, humor returning to her voice. Admiral Hackett smiled and excused himself with Rae on his heels. Seanne was relived that she would be given her ship back, but still on edge about bing on active duty soon. Sitting down, she sipped her water some more. She knew today was an incredible progression on her road to recovery, and while it hurt, standing for the last half of her conversation with Rae had eased the pain even more. Still, she hadn't even attempted the use of her biotics, which were her strongest ally in combat. As if sensing her reason for apprehension Kaidan picked up her glass and set on the table a few feet away. "Lift the cup Seanne." Kaidan said simply, stepping away from the table and eyeing her. Seanne pushed all doubt from her mind as she started at the glass, a faint blue glow surrounding her. The pain in her head was excruciating as she made the glass tremble slightly. She bit back the tears forming in her eyes from the pain as the glow around her darkened slightly, glass raising a few inches before clattering to the floor. "Fuck. I did it?" She whimpered as she gripped her head. Kaidan motioned for Miranda to bring over some medication as he carried her into bed smiling. "Sure did. Better than I did when I got hurt for damn sure." Kaidan smiled as he kissed her forehead, the medication settling into her bloodstream. "Get some rest. You've more than earned it."
Knowing she was more than safe, Kaidan had begun making his way back to the Normandy. Joker would want to know the days events, and as promised Kaidan was keeping him up to date. This new Lieutenant looked to be a good fit for the crew, at least to Kaidan. "Hey Joker, got some updates on Seanne." Kaidan hollered as the airlock hissed. As necessary as the scans might be for security sake, they were possibly the most annoying thing in existence on a ship. As he stepped through the airlock onto the bridge Joker turned quickly in anticipation. "Well, she walked, probably more than she should have. Also used her biotics a bit." Kaidan said smiling as Joker practically jumped out of his chair. "Wait, I have more news. We have a new crew member. She's a Staff Lieutenant. Biotic. Smart as hell." Kaidan paused, seeing how Joker would react to yet another new crew member. He'd been weary of anyone new since the start of hell on Earth, literally." Joker seemed to accept the fact, but pondered for a moment, conflicting emotions in his head. He decided on humor versus more serious questions. "Is she hot Alenko?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a joking manner. Kaidan laughed as he placed a hand on Joker's shoulder. "Man, way out of your league, but I wouldn't even entertain the thought. She's Hackett's daughter." He said, an almos daring look on his face. "Yeah thanks Alenko, but I'm not trying to get killed by my boss's boss. Don't care how hot this chick might be." Joker said flippantly, waving his hand as he turned back around to fiddle with the consoles. Kaidan shook his head in amusement as he made his way to the captain's cabin. Truth be told, he was exhausted after the events of today. He didn't know how Seanne had managed to do what she did, but what he loved about her was how remarkable of a woman she was.
As Kaidan sat down at the desk in the room he would soon be sharing with Seanne, he checked the terminal, noting the admiral had sent Lieutenant Hackett's dossier over. As he studied it, he quickly understood why she'd been placed on the Normandy. While she was highly skilled, both in combat and knowledge, she was a bit reckless. He watched her training videos, noting how cold and calculating she was, while still retaining the upmost professionalism. Admiral Hackett sent her here to be taught how to control herself and still put her skills to the best use possible. Kaidan knew they'd have challenges with her, but there was no denying she would be one hell of an asset to their team. As he turned the terminal off and made his way to the bed he looked over to the couch, his mind wandering to places inappropriate for Seanne's current state of recovery. A shiver trickled down his spine as he remembered every curve, every scent, every way her body moved with his. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander farther to their last night together before Chronos Station. Drinks turned into romance rather quickly that night, and before he'd been fully aware, he'd been removing Seanne's fatigues, exposing her delicate body. He'd never forget how beautiful she always looked, especially the look in her eyes as she moaned his name. Kaidan's eyes snapped opened as he quickly decided he needed a cool shower before bed. This woman really would be the death of him, he was certain.