Gravity Works
The Normandy's bridge was… crowded, Kaidan thought as he made his way down the gangway towards his station to relieve 1st Lieutenant Aiken for Dog Watch. Wrex leaned against the bulkhead like a reptilian wart on the wall and Kaidan had to edge around him. The krogan grunted at him, but otherwise remained still and quiet.
Williams nodded to Kaidan from her post at the gunnery station; Kaidan gave a nod back before turning his attention to the crowd on the bridge.
Garrus stood tall beside the Commander, his mandibles clacking in an unfamiliar beat. Kaidan wondered if Garrus knew he was doing it, or if it was just a nervous habit, like the nail biting he had noticed Williams do every once in a while.
Tali sat at the console to Joker's left, her omni-tool lit. The amber hue reflected against her breather mask casting an eerie glow. Kaidan had a feeling she was mapping systems that were of value to her people, and he wondered what it would be like not have natural resources. One mistake had cost her people their home.
"It's just an ice giant, Commander," Pressly was saying from the navigation station as Kaidan got Aiken's attention. "No Prothean ruins. Heavy xenon deposits though. AGeS might be interested."
Aiken smiled a grateful smile and the short balding Lieutenant stood up to leave the bridge as Kaidan wedged himself between the wall, Garrus and Commander Shepard in order to sit down at the station. He looked at the read out. Fargeluse. His dark eyes took in the view out the porthole. The planet's thick atmosphere was rich with hydrocarbons. The swirls mesmerized him but the orange-brown color reminded him of Edolus's landscape. The direction his mind took from there was not a pleasant one as he remembered the mnemonic Hardy had used on the thresher maw.
Rahna.
The name came unbidden to his mind. Rahna had always gotten nosebleeds from trying to do that mnemonic, but had ultimately succeeded. Kaidan had had to use a different stance in order to get the effect right and even then he could only freeze small objects and for less than ten seconds—he had never been able to master the biotic ability to completely place an object within a stasis cocoon of dark energy. It had been a major contention between Vyrnuus and Kaidan. Vyrnuus always accused Kaidan of being a slacker.
He shook off the thoughts quickly. There was no changing the past, and there was no sense dwelling on it. Instead he focused on being impressed that Hardy could freeze such a large creature. He looked around the bridge in an effort to stop the images of the past from scrolling across his mind's eye.
Shepard had yet to say anything, but met Kaidan's eyes. It bothered him that the Commander's normally bright eyes seemed dull, listless. He blamed the Cipher. She had been looking worse for wear since Feros. It didn't help that they had had the inspection from Hell, and that Shepard had had to face Kahoku alone. Kaidan had pretty much been out of action for nearly twenty-four hours because of those damn meds.
The Lieutenant wondered what was going on inside her head and had wanted to ask her, but had yet to do anything. Since they had gotten back on board she had been avoiding him. This he couldn't blame on the Cipher. After the fight in the Wards, everything was a blur. He didn't even remember getting to Hawksmoor. According to Williams, he had been at the Embassy Lounge and passed out before consuming any alcohol.
Kaidan swallowed the sudden fear that rose up in his throat. He hadn't been in control of his facilities. What if he had inadvertently injured somebody? He felt sick. What if he had and no one told him about it?
"Send a report," Shepard ordered Pressly, drawing her attention away from Kaidan. "Anything else?"
Pressly shook his head from his station. "Nothing within range. Patavig's next, but it's nothing but seas of ammonia. The exit relay is in a highly eccentric orbit around the planet."
"The negotiations between the Hierarchy and the Alliance are going well," Garrus offered interrupting the beat he had been tapping out. It was a nice reprieve before he began again. Kaidan wondered about the beat, if it was a cultural song or one of the other cultures'. It wasn't anything he recognized offhand.
"As far as I'm concerned the volus can have it," Pressly said then nodded to the Commander's unasked question. "We can be within range of Porolan in twenty-seven minutes for a long range scan, forty-two for a short-range. Sharjila is the first planet in orbit around Macedon." The last sentence seemed to be an added thought tacked on to the end.
"I don't think I'm going to like what we find on Sharjila," the Commander remarked, her voice drawn and tight. "Something's not right about this Nassana Dantius." She shook her head. "Politicians rub me the wrong way, I guess."
Pressly snorted. "Politicians rub everyone the wrong way, Commander."
"I hear that," Williams added.
Kaidan found himself enjoying the musical notes of Shepard and Williams' chuckles as he ran systems checks, grateful for the distraction even as he wondered who the Commander and Pressly were talking about.
"Change the heading to Sharjila," Shepard said, crossing her arms across her chest. "I may have a bad feeling, but if there's really a hostage, I don't know if I could live knowing I got her killed. While we're on the surface, scan planets. Maybe we'll get lucky and Benezia's daughter will be on one of them. Keep the channels open in case something goes wrong. We may need a speedy pick up." She looked at the aliens on the bridge, the corners of her mouth tilting upwards. "Tali, Garrus, Wrex, gear up. Level 1 Pressure Hazard. Meet me in the cargo hold in fifteen."
"Humans aren't very good at handling that much pressure, Shepard," Wrex remarked. He made no move to leave the bridge, his red eyes studying the Commander.
"Devlon, Wrex," was all Shepard replied as she left the bridge. "Devlon."
Wrex only snorted before stomping off after her. The bridge was suddenly bereft of so many bodies. The temperature cooled almost immediately.
"Glad to see you're among the living again, Alenko," Joker remarked idly after Pressly had left the bridge nav for CIC. He looked over at Kaidan with a knowing grin. Kaidan decided he didn't want to know.
"Somebody's gotta keep you out of trouble," he responded with an impersonal nod as he searched the comms for enemy chatter before moving mechanically on to his next task.
"I'm the epitome of 'non-trouble'," Joker stated.
Kaidan sent a look to his friend that conveyed what he felt about that statement. "And I'm the tooth fairy," he added, just in case his incredulous expression was anything but clear.
The pilot cracked a wicked smile in return, and Kaidan immediately regretted saying anything. "Been wondering about that tutu in your locker." Leave it to Joker to one-up him—again.
"Just for special occasions," he said with a shrug and a small grin.
"Yeah, that image?" Williams spoke up. She through her hands up in disgust. "Did not want." Kaidan chuckled. Yeah, that was not something he wanted in his head either. He mentally shuddered.
"Aw, now, Doll," Joker drawled, leaning back in his seat, "if we're really good, Alenko might reenact the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."
"Please don't," the Chief protested.
"I second that motion," Pressly added firmly over the comm.
"All in favor?" Joker asked.
"Nay," the bridge and CIC crews rumbled. Kaidan was laughing so hard tears were forming. Joker looked less than pleased.
Three hours later, Ash was regretting voting against watching Alenko prance around in a tutu. Anything was better than just sitting there on her ass scanning planets for Prothean ruins while the Commander and the aliens went through hostage negotiations on Sharjila. Though that didn't sound fun either. But still! It had to be better than this!
"Well, this is exciting," she remarked drily. She stared out the porthole at the swirling of the thick atmosphere of Porolan. It was a massive terrestrial world. Not as big as Amateratsu, but pretty damn close. The gray clouds were tinted a greenish-yellow. She wondered if the atmosphere was breathable.
Joker looked over his shoulder at the Gunnery Chief, an eyebrow raised, a grin splitting his face. "Isn't it?"
Ash rolled her eyes and made a face at the man when he turned back to his control panel.
"Your face is gonna get stuck that way," he said casually.
Alenko laughed. Ash was mortified. She spluttered incoherently. Joker cast a knowing glance at her as he leaned back in the chair again, waiting for her next move. She could only sit there and scowl before getting exasperated enough to turn attention back to her duties.
"What did I miss?" Hendricks greeted as she took her station to Joker's left. Ash glared daggers at the back of Joker's head.
"Utter boredom, Beautiful," Joker drawled, looking up at the new arrival, quite openly studying her. The Chief didn't know what surprised her more: the fact that he was admitting to being bored or the fact that he called Hendricks 'beautiful' and was oggling the female Lieutenant. So she was a doll and Hendricks was beautiful? That… that prick. She blinked. Wait. Where the hell did that come from?
Hendricks rolled her eyes. "Keep it up, Moreau, and I'll break your legs."
Joker only blew his copilot a kiss. Ash glared holes into her duty station. He didn't do that with her.
God. Why did it bother her so much? The man was a pain in the ass! It shouldn't. It doesn't.
"Well, you're certainly in rare form today," Hendricks observed as she looked down at her station, a frown furrowing her brow. "Strange signal from the other side of the planet, sir."
The bridge crew went on alert. CIC was immediately at their stations.
"Define 'strange signal'." Joker's voice was no longer flirtatious; his fingers flitted across the keys to get the bearings.
"'Not normal,'" Hendricks responded, coyly. "Tracking." She shook her head. "Con, anything?"
"It's an old beacon of some sort," Pressly's voice sounded over the comm. "Asari dialect." He was quiet a tense moment before speaking again. "Joker, change heading, oh-niner-seven. Run intercept."
Joker crossed his arms. "Great." His green eyes cut to Kaidan's as he obeyed his orders. "Any life signs?" He cracked his knuckles before laying in the new course heading.
"Negative."
"Well, that's better than—" Whatever was emitting the signal was suddenly bouncing off the shields. Joker scowled. "Hey, watch the paint!"
Hendricks, used to his antics, gave a sigh. "The shields didn't even flux, sir."
"Yeah, well, it's the principal of the matter, Hendricks," he grumbled. "Pressly, what the hell was that?"
"The beacon," their XO told them. He sounded somewhere in between exasperated and trying to keep from laughing. "Hardy, Fredericks, Guo: gear up for a space walk. Williams?"
"Yes, sir," Ash jumped up from her seat. "Please tell me, I'm going, sir."
"Gear up with the others. Ten minutes."
Ash all but ran off the bridge.
Twenty-five minutes later, after the Normandy had been tethered to the strangely-shaped beacon, Ash swore loudly though not as creatively as she could have when her own tether dislodged, and she was suddenly falling towards Porolan's atmosphere at terminal velocity. She wanted excitement, but she didn't want to burn up in the atmosphere of the damn planet. She gave a frustrated scream that sounded startling… girly.