A/N: This will definitely be the last chapter for a while.
I don't think I've left you with TOO much of a cliffy, but it should be enough to keep you marginally interested. :)
I'll see you when I'm at least halfway done my thesis and decide to take a couple days to myself, which will be comprised of Minecraft, SWTOR, and writing.
The Next Human Councilor
Shepard shifted on her feet slightly, one hand hooked in a pocket and the other resting on her stomach. She hadn't "popped" yet, as Chakwas had called it while fawning over her earlier, but anyone paying attention would notice the slight bit of weight she'd put on, especially around her stomach.
This was a call she'd been dreading to make.
With a deep breath, she plugged in the contact details for Admiral Hackett. A few minutes later, the man swum into view. ::Major.::
"Admiral." She hoped dearly that her mother hadn't said anything - she'd asked her to keep it quiet. "I've made a decision to take the Councilor position, if it's still open."
Whatever he thought she'd been calling to tell him, that had apparently not been it. But as always, Hackett was stoic in his surprise.
::What made you change your mind?::
"I . . ." She swallowed, then glanced down. "I'm ten and a half weeks pregnant. Twins."
::. . . Oh.:: He thought for a moment, then nodded. ::Then this is your way of retiring from the Alliance?::
"I'd like to remain on the Normandy for a little while longer," she continued. "Until Kaidan and I can find a place on the Citadel."
::That's good. It'll take that time to start the actual process. I know you weren't present when Anderson joined the Council, so you would be unfamiliar with it. Especially without a sitting Councilor now.
::However, I can let them know that you do intend to take the open seat. I am sure that Sparatus will have quite a lot to say about that.:: Shepard grinned. ::Any idea when you will be ready to take the position?::
"No. I - yes." She sighed. "Maybe in a month. We'll be letting people know in the next few weeks, and after that . . . Well, as soon as we've got a place. We're aiming to soon."
Hackett nodded. ::That can be arranged. You realize that the coverage of this will be quite extensive - you may want to wait-::
"Until I have two young children? I'd rather be settled in the position before that occurs."
::I understand.:: He nodded. ::I'll get the ball rolling, then.::
"Thanks. And . . . don't spread this too around, yet. The reason I'm retiring."
::Don't worry, major. My lips are sealed.:: He paused. ::Though, I suppose I should begin calling you Admiral.::
"Don't, sir. I don't think my ego could take it."
Hackett grinned, and nodded. ::I'll contact you when I have information for you.::
"Thank you, sir." She saluted, and he nodded and disappeared. Shepard leaned on the terminal, drawing a slow breath.
"You let him know?"
She glanced over her shoulder. Kaidan was leaning on the doorway, arms crossed.
"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "I'm officially taking the seat on the Council."
Kaidan stepped up and rested his hands on her hips, kissing her cheek. "Good. I've got some leads on some places on the Citadel. Part of the restoration zone on the Presidium is opening up."
Contractors had taken the option, after having to rebuild a sizable portion of the Citadel's inner ring, to put large, well-finished apartments in that area for the foreseen influx of returning diplomats and aides. At least Tevos had moved her apartment to one of the few open sections, and there were reports that they were remaining exclusive for another few months.
"Will we even be able to afford that?" The amount of credits those places would cost had to be exponential, if just to remain exclusive to diplomats and the like. It'd be quiet, at least.
"Um . . ." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I, um, sort of went ahead and made an inquiry."
She looked back at him, and raised an eyebrow. "And?"
He handed her a datapad, and she looked at it. "It's a two-floor. That's going to cost us."
"I like stairs?" he asked halfheartedly. She glanced up at him. "Keep looking."
"Kaidan . . ." He didn't like that exasperated tone. "What are we going to do with all this . . ." She must have found part of what had caught his eye, and sure enough her eyes lit up. "Kaidan, it has a built-in library?"
"I thought if you were taking the seat you'd need an office," he said. "And I thought we'd need more than two rooms for our families or, you know, the fact that Vega'll probably crash the place every week or so."
"I'm making sure they keep Vega damn busy," she replied with a small smile. "But you're right. With the crew and all . . . But Kaidan, there's no way we can afford this. How much is it?"
"Thirteen-point-one."
"Kaidan." She pushed the datapad at him. "Kaidan, that's way too much. Neither of us have enough to even cover part of that, to begin with. And-"
"I didn't say that's what we'd buy it for." She stopped mid-sentence, mouth open. "I, uh, sort of talked to the building owner. I may have said who was interested in it."
"Kaidan . . ."
". . . Marra, I had to talk them out of almost giving it to us. He wanted to drop the price by almost ninety percent." He held up the datapad. "We can see it when we dock next. If we want it, we can have it for five."
She mouthed wordlessly, then looked down. "That's still a lot of money."
"The Alliance owes us a lot of overtime." He paused. "And I still have a lot of money from . . . Well, I, uh, worked a lot. After Alchera."
Shepard didn't say anything, merely stepped forward and nestled against him, letting him wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry."
"No," he replied, burying his face in her hair. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about, sweetheart."
"There is," she murmured into his chest. "But it's okay. We're here now, right?"
"And we're together. So, theoretically, it'll all be all right." He tilted her head and kissed her.
"Yeah," she agreed, settling her head back on his chest. "It'll be all right."
#
"We have a report that she's taking the open position on the Council, sir."
He held his hand out for the datapad, and Oxley placed it into his palm. "And the Citadel ambush was successful?"
Oxley shifted on his feet. "Yes, sir."
He made a hemming noise, then set the datapad on his desk. "Casualties?"
Oxley paused for a moment, shifting again. "They went up against Shepard and Alenko, sir."
He huffed, turning on another datapad. "They were merely clones. Are more ready?"
"Um. Yes. Sir. Here are the reports." Oxley shuffled for the right datapad and handed it over. "All of them are in near-perfect condition."
This would be an interesting report for someone in the scientific community to read.
"Thank you." He skimmed it, then set it aside. "Are you satisfied here, Oxley?"
The man blinked a few times, then cleared his throat. "Of course I am, sir."
"You aren't going to be stricken with any sudden bouts of morality? You still believe in what we're doing?"
"Yes, sir. Of course."
He nodded, apparently satisfied by the response. "I have taken the liberty of providing several nets." He handed Oxley a datapad. "While I am in my meeting this afternoon, I expect them set. Our target will fall into one of them."
Oxley nodded, studying the datapad. "I'll send operatives out at once, sir."
"Just remember." He stood, brushing off his suit. "She is to be taken alive, and handled with the utmost care."
"Yes, sir."
#
Shepard frowned, studying the message on her screen.
Shepard.
I heard a rumor about your mission. We may have seen a group with Cerberus ties on Illium. I'll meet you at my office.
-Detective Anaya
"Kai." She waved him over to her terminal, and Kaidan studied the message.
"Is it real?"
"As far as I can tell," Traynor answered, from the other side of the galaxy map. "EDI and I both scanned it."
"The message does not appear to be false," EDI said, from her position next to Traynor. "I will test it again, if you would like."
"No, that's fine, EDI," Kaidan replied, waving her off. "Do you want to meet with her?"
Shepard chewed on her lip. Illium had been nearly left alone during the war. It would have been the perfect spot, perhaps, to set up after Cerberus' destruction and wait for the relays to reopen. "It may be worth a shot, and we're only a day or so from the planet," she replied finally. "None of the bases we're going to are giving us any information, Liara's running out of leads and we're starting to get dead in the water."
"Agreed." He leaned in, resting his hands on her hips. "And I think it might be time to tell the crew. You'll be leaving in a month. They should know."
She nodded. "You get the crew together. I'll send out messages." As she spoke, she opened up a blank message form on her terminal. Kaidan kissed her cheek and headed towards the elevator.
#
Message Log - Major M. Shepard-Alenko - 30 March 2189
Outbox:
To: Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy; Vakarian, Garrus; [Encrypted- T'Soni, Liara]; Lieutenant Commander Vega, James; Lawson, Miranda; Jack; Taylor, Jacob; Urdnot Bakara; Urdnot Wrex; Massani, Zaeed; Javik; Samara
CC: Major Alenko, Kaidan; Lieutenant Cortez, Steve; EDI; Cmdr. Moreau, Jeff; Goto, Kasumi; CMO Chakwas, Karin, Admiral Shepard, Hannah; Alenko, Helena
From: Major Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Voice Message: Announcement
I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be retiring from the Alliance on 28 April as an Admiral, and taking the human seat on the Council on 10 May. Kaidan will take complete control of the Normandy and continue his role as a Spectre.
The reasons for this abrupt career change is that Kaidan and I are now expecting twins, in approximately six months. This change will allow us to be settled in time for their arrival.
Bakara, Wrex, pass this on. Grunt deleted his account again. Probably on accident. You know how he is.
#
Inbox:
From: LtCmdr Vega, J. Rio de Janeiro, Earth.
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
Damn, Lola! Congrats! You tell Esteban his pretty ass better be taking good care of you, all right? Lemmee know the next time you're on Earth, I'll see if I can get leave. Can't take you out for drinks but I can still show you'n Sparkles a good time.
#
From: Vakarian, Garrus, Palaven.
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
That's a good thing, right? I'm going to assume so. So, um, congrats? It's good to hear you're still doing well. Well-ish?
I should be on the Citadel soon if you want to meet up. You'll never guess what Victus and Sparatus bullied me into.
Also, you, in politics? I may have to find another galaxy to move to. No offense.
#
From: [Encrypted - T'Soni, Liara, Thessia]
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
Please, Shepard. As if you thought I didn't already know. Humans tend to theme their nurseries, don't they? Let me know as soon as you know what you want. I can source some absolutely adorable asari toys for you.
#
From: Massani, Zaeed, unknown
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
Guess this means you ain't comin' to my planet for a visit, are you? Good. Can drink in peace then. Call me if you need to bash in some heads.
#
From: Lawson, Miranda, Gagarin Station.
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
CC: CMO Chakwas, Karin, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Att:
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
This is excellent news, Shepard. Congratulations. I did my best to ensure that this option would be open to you, if desired, but I hadn't been sure of my success. How is your health? Is the pregnancy going all right? Are you concerned about the effect your tech will have? I've been going through the most recent papers and I believe the attached may be able to help - if you are interested in looking at it, Doctor.
#
From: Jack, Elysium
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
Fuck. You ain't gonna want my help, are you? I don't do babies. Babies are freaky little fuckers.
#
From: Urdnot Bakara, Urdnot Wrex, Tuchanka
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
Sincerest congratulations, Major. Or, rather, soon-to-be Admiral. You have the proper instincts to be a wonderful mother, you just must remember that.
SHEPARD! IT'S ABOUT TIME. WE'VE GOT ABOUT TEN OVER HERE.
*sigh* Wrex . . .
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BRING THEM OVER.
Wrex, humans are too soft to play with krogan children, and you know it.
*grumble*
Ignore him, Shepard. Message me if you require my assistance.
ALSO, YOU TELL THOSE IDIOTS ON THE COUNCIL THAT IT'S BEEN A COUPLE YEARS, WE SHOULD BE SEEING A KROGAN EMBASSY.
I'm sure she'll do her best, Wrex. I'm hanging up now.
AND-
#
From: Taylor, Jacob, Vancouver Resettlement Zone, Earth.
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
Congrats, Shepard, on both. We have some things from when Bryn was pregnant, if you want me to pass them on. It'll save you some money, at least. I'll let her know, too. I'm sure she's got some advice for you too.
#
From: Javik, unknown
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
I suppose this would be the natural recourse from the consistent mating your and your subordinate did.
#
From: Samara
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
I believe motherhood will suit you well, Shepard. And I would not be concerned about the Council. There is no shame in leaving the military after your efforts.
I will send you some things I am sure you will find useful. Asari mothers swear by them.
#
From: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Rannoch
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
[the first minute of the message is a high-pitched squealing noise]
Shepard! That's - I - I'm going to visit you, okay? You tell me and I'll get a shuttle off Rannoch. Oh, keelah, I'm so excited for you. You aren't going to need bubbles, are you? No, that's just a quarian thing. Er. I can. Um. I'll find something for you. Oh! I know what I can do! Oh keelah, this is exciting!
#
From: Admiral Shepard, Hannah, Citadel.
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
Congrats on the Council position, sweetheart. And you could have told me you were having twins. Don't you ever tell your poor mother anything?
#
From: Alenko, Helena
To: Mjr. Shepard-Alenko, M, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]; Mjr Alenko, Kaidan, SSV Normandy SR-2 [Encrypted]
Sub: Re: Voice Message: Announcement
You'll make a great councilor, dear. Far better than the last one, at least. Have you found an apartment yet? Do you need me to send you anything? There's furniture in the attic we aren't using if you want it. I love you two very much and I'll come up as soon as you need me, all right? With twins you'll want the extra hands. You'll thank me later, Marra.
A/N: And unfortunately, now ... temporary hiatus.