It was well over a week before things got back to normal around the settlement and people took up their vigorous work pace once again. It was a dreary, grey day and most people took advantage of the cool weather to get the heavy lifting done.
Stone was being quarried from a rock face nearby using a combination of Javik's particle gun and Liara's biotics, and hauled back using James' brute strength. Using the rail system they'd manufactured, he could move a dozen large stones without breaking a sweat.
Those not involved in the building process were working on other projects; weaving reed mats and curtains for the new homes, converting the solar panels from the ship to function on a smaller scale, repairing clothing and equipment. There was never a shortage of work to do.
Kaidan sat in the hall with EDI and Cortez planning a shuttle trip to the coast. Their stores were significantly depleted after the winter, and until their gardens started producing, things would be tight. The coast offered large amounts of food at any time of year, but their voyages there had to be carefully timed and planned. The fuel remaining on the Normandy would last them for years if they were careful and used it sparingly.
"I have analyzed the weather over the last few weeks and compared it to that of last year, Major," EDI said as she handed a datapad to Kaidan with the readings she's gathered.
"Thanks, EDI. And please, don't call me Major anymore. There's no rank here."
"As you wish, Kaidan," she replied with a slight nod of her head. "If you wish to make a journey to the coast my suggestion is that you do it within the next few days. After that, my analysis shows that easterly winds will rise making travel in that direction more costly. It will also bring heavy rains that will reduce visibility and our ability to gather in the shallows once we arrive."
Kaidan scrolled through the information, skimming over the data and considering their next move. While EDI was right about the timing, he wanted to delay the trip for another week or two if possible to allow them to scout for other food sources.
"How accurate are your predictions, EDI?" Kaidan asked.
"Given that we have not year been on this world a full year, it is difficult for me to make entirely accurate predictions," the AI explained. "However, having experienced a full summer and winter, I can say with 87% certainty that my predictions are correct."
Cortez reached for the datapad and Kaidan handed it to him. He took a quick look and asked, "And you really think these rains are going to be this sudden and violent."
"Yes," she replied with certainty. "Given the average temperature, the geography of the land, and the conditions of the previous two seasons, I believe that the weather will soon be quite inclement."
"Well, I guess that settles it then," Kaidan said resignedly. "We'll leave tomorrow morning at sunrise and hopefully whoever Catherine decides to send with us will be able to identify some fruit trees in the area even though they aren't in full leaf yet. Steve, I'd like to bring at least three other people. If we want to fill the cargo space, is that too much for the shuttle to handle?"
Cortez thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Should be fine. I might have to fly a little higher to avoid having to maneuver too much, but I wouldn't worry about it."
"Kaidan, I have not yet had the opportunity to visit the coast," EDI stated, in her typically factual tone. "I would like to accompany you on this trip."
"I'm sorry, EDI," Kaidan said and reached out to put his hand on hers. She appreciated any gestures that acknowledged her humanity. "I know you really want to go, but I need you and Tali to keep working on the refrigeration units. If they aren't functioning at 100% when we get back, the supplies we bring won't last long."
EDI nodded. "I understand. But if I may, I would like to reserve a place on the next mission."
Kaidan and Steve glanced at each other and shared half repressed smiles. EDI still spoke with such formality sometimes.
"EDI, I give you my word that next time Steve flies to the coast, you can go too." Kaidan winked at her, and he could have sworn he saw colour on her cheeks.
"Thank you, Kaidan. If you don't need anything else from me now I will join Tali and continue our work on the refrigeration."
EDI stood and left the table. Kaidan couldn't help but watch her move. She was graceful and lithe, and her body, though synthetic, would stir any man's desires. When she entered the lab, Kaidan looked back at Cortez who didn't try to hide his smirk.
"Hey, she's hot," Kaidan shrugged. "Besides, I think Joker likes it when we look. Makes him feel proud."
"Oh, I get it, Alenko," Cortex laughed. "I may prefer to look at you, but I can appreciate her beauty."
"Save the flirting for Avery," Kaidan pointed a finger at him good naturedly. "He's much more likely to fall for your charms."
"All right. Business it is then. So, who are we taking with us?"
"Other than whoever Catherine send to scout the trees, I was thinking Gabby and Ivan. Gabby's gotten pretty good with that scanner the doctor designed and we'll need to be able to get readings on any new species we find. Ivan will work his but off and we'll need to get this done quick if EDI's right about the weather."
"If there's nothing else I'll go let them know and start getting our gear together."
"Sure thing," Kaidan handed him another datapad with a list of supplies they'd need. "You go take care of that and I'll go talk to Catherine."
Out of habit, Cortez gave Kaidan a salute, and left the building. Kaidan spend a moment sitting at his table in the hall watching the fifteen or so people who were working there today. Several were gathered in the kitchen area across the room from the fish tanks. Preparing a meal for over forty people was a big job and they had to start early. Several more were gather at one table working on the reed curtains for the new homes. These were ingenious people, they really were.
Kaidan tried to get to know all of them, but he was so busy there was little time to socialize. He tried to have a least one meaningful conversation a day and slowly but surely he was learning about these few people he would be spending the rest of his life with.
The hall was the only building where they had bothered to install automatic doors from the ship. They'd pulled the whole works from the hall leading to the cockpit. It was a little piece of the familiar in a new place. Kaidan hated it. Every time they opened he half expected to find a corridor of the Normandy.
He exited the hall and stepped into a grey misty sort of rain. The kind that hung in the air but didn't seem to get a person too wet. It was a pleasant change from the early heat wave they'd had the week before, and it had in no way slackened the work efforts of the people outside.
The small stone houses had been going up in rows leading away from the front of the hall. Twenty had been built so far, two rows of ten facing each other. The frames of three more were going up just behind the first row. The twenty or so tents still in use were scattered behind those. The tents were small with barely enough room inside for beds. They were part of the emergency supplies in the ships escape pods and were warm and dry and durable, but not intended for long periods of use. They'd held a lottery to select who would be the first to move into the houses as they were completed. As their only medical doctor, Karen Chakwas had been exempt from this process. For the health of the whole crew they had to ensure her safety and wellbeing.
According to the lottery Kaidan should have been among the last ten to move into a house, but the crew had insisted that he take the second house to be completed. He's tried to protest, but they brooked no argument. Garrus had taken him aside and told him he was a fool not to accept. That these people were willing and happy to make this gesture was a sign of the quality of the leadership he was providing. He was now grateful that he had accepted.
Expecting to find Catherine busy helping with the construction, Kaidan made his way to end of the rail line leading from the quarry. James had just arrived with the next load of stones and was helping Kenneth Donnelly unload them.
Each cut stone was a meter long, fifteen centimeters on all sides, and weighed nearly fifty kilograms. Any larger than that and they were too much for many of the crew to lift repeatedly. James however had little trouble and his ability always pushed those working with him to greater feats of strength. At first, Kaidan had worried that someone would get hurt, but James' leadership skills had truly blossomed here and he kept a watchful eye on those around him.
Kaidan approached the sled and grasped a stoned by each end and hauled it to his chest.
"Hey guys," he said with a grunt of effort. "Either of you seen Catherine today?"
"Catnip?" asked James. "Yeah, she and some of her guys are working at the cold frame."
"I still don't get why you call her Catnip, Jimmy." Kenneth's Scottish accent was becoming less pronounced, but it was still distinct.
"Same reason I call you Ginger, Ginger."
"That makes no sense. You call me Ginger because I've got orange hair. Does Catherine have hair made of Catnip?"
James showed off by lifting a stone one handed onto his shoulder before he replied. "No, I call you that because it suits you. Catnip suits her. Don't you agree, Kaidan."
Kaidan lifted another stone, this time on to his shoulder, joining in the testosterone display just for the hell of it.
"Why don't I have a nickname yet?"
"Haven't had one jump out at me. I'll let you know when one does."
They each put their stones down at the same time and gave each other knowing little grins.
"Right, James. I've gotta find Catherine. Don't hurt your self."
James slapped him on the back as Kaidan turned to leave.
"Haven't even broken a sweat!"
Kaidan made his way across the open area of the settlement to the path down to the plateau. The cold frame was in the garden area, tucked in a sheltered corner where it would get the most sunlight every day and not be covered by too much snow in the winter. Catherine and James had built it in the summer and started saplings of local fruit and nuts trees inside.
The majority of the tiny trees had survived the cold, but they were still quite small. Kaidan wondered what Catherine was up to since he thought the trees were still too fragile to transplant. They were only about thirty centimeters tall so far. Eventually, once they had cleared a little more space, they planned to start an orchard.
Kaidan had to stop his musings and focus on the path. The drizzle had made it slick and slippery. He was getting wetter faster beneath the canopy than he had out in the open as the rain coalesced and dripped from the branches above.
By the time he made it to the gardens he was wishing he's stopped to grab his wet weather gear and glad he'd worn a sweater, gladder still that he had bought some on the Citadel before joining the Normandy. Shaking some of the water out of his hair he walked to the group of five or six people gathered around the knee high cold frame.
He parted the crowd to find Catherine kneeling inside, her hands covered in dirt and curly hair clipped back from her face. She appeared to be pulling up one her saplings and explaining something to her team.
"You sort of have make the bottom look like the top. The feeder roots shouldn't come out further than the longest branch. If we keep the roots trimmed back to the drip line of the canopy we'll use less water keeping them alive through the summer."
"From what EDI says there's going to no shortage of water in the near future."
Catherine looked up when Kaidan spoke and gave him a grin.
"Perfect time for the job," she explained cheerfully. "Less stress on the trees. Especially since they are already in leaf. It's too bad we don't have more glass. The sun here is hot enough that we could keep crops producing all year round."
She gently and efficiently placed the tree back in the ground and packed the soil down around it. Pushing up off her knees she swung a leg over the low side wall and brushed the dirt off her pant legs.
"I'd like to get them all done today so we don't let too much heat escape the soil inside. Work quickly, but don't rush. They're still delicate." She turned away from her team and followed when Kaidan gestured with his head that he wanted to talk private.
"What's up?" she asked.
"We're flying to the coast tomorrow and I was hoping you'd be able to send someone with us," he told her. "I'd like to take a few detours and ID the locations of more fruit groves. I have to keep EDI here so I need someone who can spot the trees from the air."
Catherine glanced back at her team. "I guess I'm coming with you then. I don't think any of them could do it yet."
"I was going to ask, but I didn't think you could spare the time."
Catherine shrugged. "If this rain really is going to start soon then there isn't much we can do. I don't want to start planting only to have our seeds get swamped. And I don't need to oversee the expansion of the gardens. Everyone here knows how to colour inside the lines."
"Great," Kaidan said with a smile. "We leave bright and early tomorrow. Gabby and Ivan are coming too so pack light. It's going to be a full load."
"Since you're here..." She started back towards the cold frame, but to the other side where the roof was not propped open. "I want to show you something."
"What is it?" Kaidan knelt down beside her in the mud, glad he'd chosen to wear his heavy duty pants.
"Look there." She lifted the lid open enough for them to lean inside and pointed at a few green shoots breaking through the dark, loamy soil.
"What am I looking at?"
"I planted apple seeds last year," Catherine said with wonder in her voice. "There was still some fresh fruit on board. Must have come from one of the colonies because they aren't GM. If they were, they wouldn't have grown. They seem to have all come up. If they survive, we could be eating apples in a few years."
Kaidan shook his head in amazement. He was almost speechless.
"Catherine, I... That's just so awesome. I love apples."
Catherine reached down and brushed one of the tiny, bright green leaves with the tip of her finger.
"I know. I remember you saying one day how much you miss them."
Kaidan looked at her. In profile she reminded him of someone. The curve of her cheek and her slightly upturned nose.
"You have a good memory, Catherine. I hope they make it."
Catherine stood and took a few steps back.
"So, I'll finish up here and then get my gear." She looked past him now, not making eye contact. "Are we meeting at the shuttle or the hall?"
Kaidan stood as well, wondering if he had made her uncomfortable somehow to cause her to back away like that.
"We'll meet at the shuttle at dawn. And bring what you need for overnight. We'll be stay at least one night."
Catherine nodded and met his eyes briefly. "I'll be there."
She turned back to her team and Kaidan walked back around the edge of the garden. As he did, he tried to think what he had done to make Catherine react that way. It wasn't the first time it had happened. As the head of their agricultural efforts, Catherine met often with Kaidan and they were always friendly, conversing with an easy companionship, but every now and then, like today, Catherine reacted to his presence as though he had said or done something that suddenly turned her awkward and uncomfortable.
Kaidan didn't like to be at odds with anyone, and the more this happened, the more he wanted to confront her about it. He'd already had it out with one of men from the CIC.
There had been a few people who'd reacted badly to the results of the housing lottery, but only one man had vocalized the frustration. Because Liara and Joker had ended up very near the top of the list, the man had accused Kaidan of playing favourites.
Kaidan had set the man straight without hesitation. It had nearly come to blows, but the man backed down before he'd let his stress get the better of him. A woman had offered to trade positions with his and that had been one of the defining moments for the settlement. The precedent for kindness, compromise and selflessness was set early on.
There had been very few disputes and most things had been easily settled, though it seemed like a week didn't go by where blows weren't exchanged. But there had been nothing worth holding a grudge over and Kaidan chocked it all up to the emotional stress people were under and knew it would go away given time.
Kaidan spent the remainder of the day working on the housing. The construction work was only delayed by how quickly they could cut stone, which unfortunately was not quickly enough for anyone's liking. The tents were serviceable, but not spacious. Some of the taller crew members had trouble standing up straight in them, and Garrus, who was just over six and half feet tall, barely had enough room to lie flat.
They finally had to quit when the rain got too heavy, but by that time it was nearing sundown anyway and everyone was ready for food. The stores were low, but at least they had meat that night. There were some skilled marksmen on the crew and the wildlife was similar to that of Earth so far. Several species of bird they'd encountered so far were easily brought down and tasty to boot. And the synthetics seemed to disintegrate upon death, leaving the carcass entirely edible. Kaidan went to bed with a full stomach and a full mind, going over every detail of the next day's trip.
He didn't sleep for long. He rarely did these days. Only five or six hours at a time, the bare minimum of what his body required to function well. The days here were nearly thirty hours long and that made for long nights no matter what time of year it was.
It was still several hours before dawn when Kaidan awoke. He lay in bed staring at the ceiling. The cabins small window was directly above the head of the bed and the light of the smaller moon shone in through the cracks in the reeds, leaving silver streaks across Kaidan's torso and thighs.
With his hands tucked behind his head, Kaidan stared into the darkness above and let his mind wander. How many nights had he spent lying just like this with Shepard at his side? An arm draped across his chest, one leg thrown over his, her hair tickling his chin.
It had been the only time she'd really slept, after an hour or so of passionate lovemaking. They'd put this bed to good use, but they hadn't done a lot of talking. Not as much as he would have liked. So many of their conversations had been about the mission, and while it had been good for both of then to be able to talk about what they were going through, Kaidan felt like they had never had the change to be intimate rather than close.
Kaidan closed his eyes and imagined the view above the bed on the Normandy. The huge skylight that filled the ceiling. The deep and endless abyss of space stretching out around them. Streamers of gas and debris igniting against the ships kinetic barriers in brilliant pinks, purples and blues. The thought always brought to mind of the first nights he'd spent in that cabin.
He and Shepard had speculated about other galaxies in the universe, wondered if they faced their own versions of the Reapers. With hundreds of billions of galaxies out there it was a hard concept to wrap the mind around. Normally, trying to imagine the infinite scope of the galaxy made Kaidan feel small and insignificant, but that night… That night it had given them hope. Someone somewhere was safe from the Reapers. Had never even heard of them, and probably never would.
That night was the last time he had slept longer than six hours. Somehow, they'd managed to go a full eight hours without a an urgent message or anything critical that called for Shepard's immediate attention, and they had slept through the entire night cycle. They even had time for some quick sex before Shepard's sense of obligation reasserted itself and they went back to their duties. As if anyone begrudged her a good night's sleep and some of the R and R she was always insisting her crew take.
Unable to lie in bed any longer thinking about the past, Kaidan threw back the blankets and sat up. The cool air sent goose bumps in a wave across his naked body. Though the houses each had high efficiency solar panels providing the power for the radiant heat in the floors, they hadn't been able to adjust the power output for the nearly fifteen hour nights. Winter mornings had been tough.
Kaidan strapped his omnitool to his wrist and checked the time. There was still nearly three hours to sun up and he wracked his mind for something to fill the time with. He didn't want to disturb anyone's sleep so construction was out of the question. He'd already made it a standard rule that no one was to leave the camp alone during the night. At least not until they'd established what the main predators here were and how to deal with them.
Finally, he sat down at his desk and turned his computer console on. Though EDI kept the official and unbiased log for the settlement, Kaidan kept his own personal journal.
The holographic keypad sprang to life in front of him and he brought up a new file, but inspiration failed him and he had no idea how to start, even though all the information was all right there.
It was just too silent in his little house. He'd grown so used to the noises of ship life, the constant hum of the engines, the click and hiss of the air exchangers, the constant movement of other people. The quiet of the nights now seemed oppressive.
Hoping music would do the trick, he navigated through his audio files and turned on some of his favourite. The music was well over a hundred years old, but had lost none of its beauty or poignancy. From the age of long hair, marijuana and sexual freedom came the unique voice of Canada's most well remembered musicians; Neil Young.
He opened Decade, his favourite album, and let the dulcet, almost mournful harmonica carry him back to Earth. Back to his uncle's place in the interior of British Columbia.
Kaidan had spent a lot of time there as a young teen before he'd been shipped off to BAaT. In and out of trouble at home in Vancouver, his parents had encouraged the frequent trips. The old log home had sat on a hill looking out over acres of apple trees, and Kaidan's had spent many summer evenings on the rustic back porch with his feet up on the railing sipping cool lagers and listening to Canadian classics with his uncle.
Now Kaidan leaned back in his chair and let this music bring him back to that place. Long ago, back on Earth, a girl he'd met in that valley had told him that the song Heart of Gold had been written just for him. The first girl he'd ever kissed. She snuck up to the house the evening after they'd met at the lake and they'd spent the night on the roof of his uncle's cabin, looking up at the blanket of stars through the softly soughing branches of pine trees. She'd sung along to Harvest Moon and when it ended he kissed her. A sloppy, virginal first kiss, but one he'd never forgotten.
Kaidan had left the next day to return to Vancouver for the start of the school year, and only days after that had been taken out to the Conatix Industries run Gagarin Station for Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training. He'd never seen the girl again and now he struggled to remember her name. That kiss had kept him going through the first few months of Brain Camp. Tough, painful months where their turian instructor, Commander Vymnus, had bullied and beaten Kaidan and his fellow trainees.
Years later, after BAaT had been shut down and before Kaidan had joined the Alliance, he'd gone back to that cabin in the woods with his dad. The place had been different, but no less relaxing. Working hard in his uncle's orchards, Kaidan had come to terms with everything that had happened to him as a new member of the galactic community. It had taken a lot of soul searching to banish the hatred he felt for turians.
Just before enlisting with the Alliance he'd used the reparations Conatix had paid out to students of BAaT to purchase land on the Sunshine Coast. On a hill over looking Ruby Lake on the Sechelt Peninsula north of Vancouver he'd found the piece of heaven he'd dreamed of retiring to. Every spare credit he'd earned had gone into a savings fund to be used to build a house there, surrounded by old growth forest, bald eagles and black bears.
Kaidan had never talked much about his life back on Earth, or the hopes he'd had for his future there. Somehow he'd always known he was likely never going to retire to that piece of land so losing the possibility had never hurt him as much as it should have. All of it now just felt like good memories of the past to be reminisced about in times of trouble.
When Kaidan opened his eyes again, the sky outside was beginning to lighten. Here, the morning twilight lasted nearly an hour as the sky changed gradually from black to grey to shimmering yellow and orange. Very few people would be up so early and Kaidan shut his computer down and gathered his gear, hoping to make it to the hall for breakfast before the other early birds.
He met Cortez along the way and they ate a quick meal of dried fruits and indulged in a small cup of coffee from the Normandy's seemingly endless supply before heading to the shuttle. A landing area had been cleared to the west of the camp, near the quarry, where the ground was most rock. They'd used the remains of the second shuttle to build a shelter for the surviving one. It was bulky and awkward and took Kaidan and Cortez a little over forty minutes to remove the necessary parts to access the transport underneath.
Ivan appeared not long after, and just as the sun was breaking over the horizon, Gabby and Catherine emerged from out of the woods with the packs over their shoulders and chatting amiably. Kaidan and Cortez sat in the cockpit while Ivan pulled up his hood, crossed his arms, stretched out his legs and went back to sleep.
Catherine and Gabby sat across from each other and continued to gossip about the camps activities while Cortez started the shuttle up for their journey of several hours. At top speed, the shuttle could make the entire trip in a little under an hour, but that burned a huge amount of fuel, so he took them just above the trees tops at slightly under half speed.
The trip there would be made even longer by the circles they planned to make to allowed Catherine to look for food sources. They'd already scouted much of the nearby terrain so the search wouldn't begin in earnest until they were further east along the valley.
"So Gabby," Catherine said with a sly grin. "Rumor has it that a Scotsman has been seen leaving your tent in early hours of the morning."
Cortez and Kaidan exchanged a look as Gabby laughed and made little effort to deny the fact.
"We spend most of our time together already. It only seemed natural," Gabby explained. "Besides, the guy's always had a little bit of a crush on me."
"Well, I'm happy for you," Catherine replied. "Ken's a good man. He's got a house though. Why stick to the tent?"
Kaidan could almost hear Gabby's blush and he turned in his seat to look at her against the back wall.
"You don't have to answer that," he laughed. "Mind your own business, Cat."
"Oh, now I have to know!" Catherine exclaimed.
Gabby wasn't typically a coy woman, but Kaidan had had some late nights sitting up drinking with Kenneth and had heard more than he wanted too about the man's interests.
"I'll tell you, but you can't let on to him that you know." She leaned conspiratorially across to Catherine and whispered. "He is totally caught up in the idea of having sex outside, but I'm playing with him a little bit. The closest I will let him get is sex with the flap open."
Catherine and Cortez laughed loudly, and Ivan chuckled under his hood, obviously not asleep.
"Gabby, you tease." Catherine said with a giggle. "Be honest; have you ever done the deed out in the wilderness?"
"Oh, lots," Gabby said without a hint of shame in her voice. "But don't tell him that. This game is fun."
Kaidan leaned over to Cortez and muttered, "So, do you tell him, or do I?"
"I'm staying out of this one, Kaidan. Gabby scares me."
"I can hear you!" Gabby said from the back, and they all laughed.
They were a fair distance from the settlement now and Cortez changed course, moving further down the mountainside and Catherine took this as her cue. Still chatting with Gabby she stood and lifted the seat of the bench and pulled out a harness. She stepped into the straps and pulled it up over her shoulders, clipping it securely around her chest.
As Cortez raised the shuttle a little higher over the tree tops, Catherine popped the side hatch open and slide it back. The cool morning air rushed inside along with the tangy, almost citrusy smell of the forest. With the safety line clipped securely to the handhold above the door, Catherine leaned out and let the harness take her weight. Kaidan felt a surge of worry as she let out a whoop of joy. He could hardly blame her for the lack of restraint. They were all used to flying, and the adrenaline rush it brought on. Some missed it more than others.
After a few minutes he called her back to her task.
"All right, back to business, Catherine. What do you see out there?"
She pulled herself back inside and shaded her eyes with her hand, scanning for familiar trees in the myriad of plants below.
"Nothing yet. Lots of single trees, but no substantial clusters of any kind. Steve, fly a little further down the valley side. There is some flatter land down there. We'll be more likely to find something."
Steve banked the shuttle to the left knowing Catherine would like the challenge, and she kept her footing like a champ, still not holding on to anything. A flock of brilliant blue birds, startled by the engines, took to wing and scattered in all directions. Kaidan followed them with his eyes and that's when he spotted it.
"Catherine, what's that over there. To the south east of us about two clicks ahead."
She leaned out the door again and peered into the distance.
"Looks like our first stop. Remember those amazing nuts I found last fall? Bluey green and tasted kinda like peanuts? Looks like we've just found the mother load."
As they drew closer, Kaidan could see the spindly, tan coloured trees towering over the rest. They were still leafy and green and Kaidan asked Catherine about this.
"They're broadleaf evergreens. Haven't seen any of the needled variety yet. Might be all we get."
"Like an arbutus, right?" Kaidan asked.
"Exactly. Steve, looks like their might be room to set down there. Can we?"
Cortez eyed the space amid the trees critically then nodded. "Should be all right. Why are we landing though?"
Catherine slide the door shut and started climbing out of the harness.
"The shells on those nuts were really tough. There might still be some on the ground that we can gather up. We could use them in our diets. Lots of protein, antioxidants and fatty acids."
Cortez landed the shuttle in a clearing with little room to spare. They exited the shuttle together, Ivan rubbing his eyes, still trying to shake off sleep.
"Late night, buddy?" Gabby elbowed him in the ribs. "Allers been keeping you up?"
Ivan stretched and yawned. The synthetics barely showed beneath his dark skin, but it was easy to see on pink of his tongue.
"That woman can go like there's no tomorrow," he shared.
"I guess sex is the topic of the day," Kaidan mumbled.
"Don't worry. You're not the only one not getting any," said Catherine as she walked to the nearest tree. She knelt down and picked something up from the grassy floor of the woods, turning it over in her hand. "Looks like we're in luck. There seems to be a lot of good fruit still on the ground."
Kaidan slid the shuttle door shut and lifted the cargo hatch open. The hydraulics protested slightly, but it opened easily enough. He withdrew five over the shoulder pouches someone had sewn together for just this purpose and handed them out.
"Let's gather as much as we can, but don't go too far from the shuttle. An hour should be enough."
He swung the pack over his head and settled it on his hip, flap open, and headed towards another tree. Sure enough, there were nuts everywhere. Before he knew it, his pouch was almost full and he finally stood up straight and stretched out his back and neck.
He'd wandered a lot further from the shuttle than he'd meant to, but he could still see the others a hundred or so meters away. It was unusually quiet here. He'd grown accustomed to almost constant bird song, but the trees here were silent. Looking up the long, skinny trunks and into the sparse foliage above, he could see patches of blue sky. There were also shapes moving amid the branches above.
A closer look revealed a strange monkey like creature that blended in almost perfectly with the surroundings. he squinted at them, trying to get a better look and that's when he heard the screams.
A turned and ran through the maze of trunks and stopped short when he found several of the creatures on the ground between him and the woman. Upon a much closer look that Kaidan would rather have avoided, he could see that the similarity to a monkey stopped at their shape. They were about a meter tall. Their skin was mottled green and leathery. Their limbs appeared to be double joined and incredibly long compared to their bodies. They had tails with a long line of spikes atop, not unlike a crocodile, while their heads were topped with dangerous looking horns that Kaidan doubted were just for display.
As he skidded to a stop, they turned and bared their teeth, small canines dripping with venomous looking saliva. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the shuttle off to his left. Ivan was already there and Kaidan hoped he we as good a shot with a rifle as he claimed to be, just in case this turned ugly.
He had no idea where Steve was and hoped he was okay. About twenty meters away Gabby was on the ground and Catherine stood over her wielding a huge stick. She turned in circles trying to keep an eye on the creatures moving in from all sides.
Kaidan gave a sharp whistle and she flicked her head in his direction, relief flooding her face.
"Are you okay?" He said in a low voice, keeping his eyes on the four animals in from of him.
"I'm fine, but one of them threw a rock at Gabby. It hit her in the head. She's awake, but dizzy, so I told her to stay down."
Kaidan could hear the fear in her voice though it was steady and even.
"Okay. Cat, get Gabby on her feet and start moving towards the shuttle. Slowly, and keep your eyes on them," he instructed. If they were lucky, the creatures just wanted them gone.
"Where's Steve?" Kaidan asked, glancing at the shuttle.
"He was heading back with Ivan. He should be there already." Gabby was standing now, leaning heavily on Catherine.
Another look at the shuttle fifty meters away found Cortez and Ivan standing at the open hatch with rifles raised to their shoulders at the ready.
"Let's start moving, Cat. Just a few steps at a time." Kaidan moved sideways slowly, not taking his eyes off the women, watching the weird lizard monkeys with his peripheries. There were more of them now, but only a few between them and the safety of the shuttle. Kaidan tried to angle his path to meet up with the women and the creatures followed, still keeping their distance, but hissing and snapping their jaws the whole time. Their beady little eyes watched Kaidan's every move.
They were within ten meters of the shuttle when a particularly large monkey, very obviously a male, moved ahead of the pack towards the women. Catherine raised her stick and yelled at it, trying to be the bigger, scarier thing in the woods. The animals paused, but then raised itself up on its legs and howled right back at Catherine.
In the blink of an eye it and at least a dozen others were charging. Without thinking Kaidan threw his hands out in front of himself and let lose a biotic shockwave that could crush bones. Creatures went flying back into the rest of the pack, which scattered into the trees, chittering and hissing their rage.
"Run," Kaidan yelled at the women, and all three of them took off for the shuttle.
There were several sharp pops and a metallic smell filled the air. Ivan and Cortex were looking down the rifle scopes, taking careful aim and picking off the ones that got too close.
Kaidan barreled past them, close on the heels of the women, and leapt into the shuttle. The other two men backed in slowly, not firing another shot as the creatures seemed to be keeping their distance now.
Ivan hauled the door shut and they all sighed with relief. Though Kaidan could already feel a headache coming on, he turned his attention to Gabby right away. There was a nasty bump on her forehead, but no blood.
"Let's have a look at that." He crouched down in front of her where she sat on the back bench. She sucked sir through her teeth as he gingerly touched the lump. It was bruising already.
"Doesn't look too bad," he said with relief. "How're you feeling?"
"I'm okay. Little freaked out, but okay. What were those things?"
"Something new," Catherine replied from the opposite bench. "Clearly they would prefer we keep our hand off their nuts."
Gabby giggled and Ivan smirked.
"Get your minds out of the gutter," Kaidan said with a wry smile as he took off his pouch and set it on the floor. Despite the encounter it looked as though they'd made off with a good haul.
"I'm still fit for duty," Gabby stated with a definitive nod. "Don't even think of taking me back.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
The shuttle lurched and they were airborne again. Kaidan settled back in his seat and they were on their way.