Chapter 2: Getting to Know Each Other
Two days later, Kaidan and Anna were packing hiking bags to explore the nearby mountain. It was a low mountain that hadn't been touched by the erosion yet, and most locals knew the low height made it perfect for day hikes. Kaidan's mother had packed a picnic lunch for the two of them, and the weather looked alright for the moment. The weather forecast said that heavy storms were due tomorrow, but there was a possibility of them arriving early. Regardless, the two happily walked out of the house and onto the well-worn path.
Two hours later, and Kaidan was pleasantly surprised. He had expected someone born and raised in space to lack the typical endurance needed for something like this, but Anna had done very well. They settled against a nearby tree and pulled out water and food, setting up their picnic.
"That was a lot of fun. I just hope I don't fall down the mountain when we go back," Anna confessed as she wiped her brow and took a long drink.
"I doubt it. You made it up here. Getting down is always easier. So I'm guessing you find some way to get exercise out those ships," Kaidan prompted, glad that she was a good hiking companion. She had frequently stopped along the trail, looking at things Kaidan had often seen before. It brought new life to one of his old haunts. They were also lucky that the mountain was free of others today. It had allowed them to explore and take their time without feeling rushed or crowded.
"Yes, the ships have gyms where we can go and run around. It keeps us from running through the rest of the ship, and it lets the adults get their exercise trying to chase us." She smiled, seeming to remember something. "Although there were always troublemakers who would run around outside the gym. There was also a small band of kids like me who tried to keep order for the adults. It's often comprised of the kids of all the officers on board. Our parents would spend time together, so we did too. Mom is a Captain, so I was often the one in charge of keeping the kids in line. We were young like them, so we could approach them with gentle warnings. And the youngest ones looked up to us. We were like a young Alliance." She stood and walked out from their tree to get a better view of the ocean and the surrounding area. It occurred to him that at young age, she had been asked to be the adult amongst her peers, that they had looked to her for leadership. Those things often aged a person, sped them through the emotions of growing up. And in that moment, he saw a leader in her, though perhaps it wasn't a leader that she recognized.
"Sounds like you did well by the others. Your father hasn't told any tales of you getting caught or any other kids under your wing. It's something to be proud of." She turned to him, surprised by the compliment before she smiled at him, that 'Mona Lisa' smile that flipped his stomach. He smiled back, feeling a little awkward before he noticed the sky. It was getting dark faster than it should, and he didn't like the look of the incoming clouds. "I'm not quite sure about that sky being so friendly. Let me look up the weather. Sure enough, there was a system heading straight for them, and not too far away. He doubted that they could make it back home in time, but they could at least get off of the mountain. At that time, his mother called him.
"Kaidan, there's a storm headed your way. I want you to head home with Anna right now." There was a little concern in voice, but not enough to come out and get them herself. The storm wasn't too bad, mostly rain and low thunder.
"We just saw the sky. We're packing up now." Anna quickly moved back to the tree and gathered up the few things they'd brought with them. "I don't think we can make home before the storm hits, but we should be able to reach the orchard. I'll let you know when we're there." His mother nodded.
"Alright. It isn't too bad, so take your time under the trees if it starts to pour. If it gets worse, we'll let you know and come to get you." He hung up as Anna put her pack back on.
"Let's get a move on. This storm already has the jump on us, but we should be able to get down the mountain mostly dry." He took the lead on the path down, and heard Anna follow close behind.
"Umm. This might be a bad time to make a confession, but I thought you might want to know." He slowed, letting her speak. "I've only seen one or two storms before this. And they were pretty scary." At that, Kaidan slowed to a stop.
"It's ok to admit that you're scared," he said. "And I'll keep us safe. This one will have mostly rain. There won't be a lot of thunder and lightning. If it was bad, my parents would have come in the hovercar. It'll be ok, I promise. Not every storm is one for the records." Her lips had been drawn in a thin line, a poor cover for her wide eyes. But as he spoke, she seemed to relax, if only marginally.
"Let's just get down to the base. I'll feel better there." With that, they resumed their trek to the base. As they went on, the sky darkened around them, and Kaidan could feel the moisture in the air, ready to fall with the storm.
They continued down for another hour before they started to feel rain.
A flash of lightening lit the sky and a loud clap of thunder resounded. Anna shrieked, and Kaidan seemed to turn in slow motion, watching Anna jump and loose her footing. She reached out towards him, fear in her eyes, but he couldn't reach far enough. So he reacted and summoned his biotics to lighten her and slow her momentum. By the time he reached out, he could grab her leg, and used that to pull her back onto solid ground. She slid out of the pocket of lowered gravity and stammered to her feet.
"Thanks. You never mentioned you were a biotic." Kaidan was stunned by her calm reaction. The few who saw his biotics were always shocked and fearful of him, spare Champ. But that was different. He shook his head and continued down the mountain, holding her hand to keep that from happening again. By the time they reached the orchard, it was falling heavily.
"Do you want to try to reach the house, or do you want to hunker down here? The trees should provide shelter from the worst of it, but we can make a break for it if you want to." Anna shook her head in response and Kaidan fired up his omni-tool, sending a quick message.
"Can we wait for it to let up?" Kaidan nodded, raising his voice above the increasing downpour.
"This will get a little worse, but we're about in the worst of it now. They know we're at the edge of the orchard." Kaidan paused. "Why didn't you freak out over my biotics?"
"Am I supposed to?" She asked cheekily. "One of the kids on Mom's ships was a biotic. He was gone a while for training and surgery, but he came back. He's a good person, and biotics don't have to be scary. Dad has worked with one, and he said he saved Dad's life. It's like anything else: it's all in how you use it." Her words were sincere, and for one of the first times since he arrived back home, he didn't feel like a freak who had to hide his biotics. The storm continued to pour down around them, and he heard Anna sigh.
"Is it always this rainy?"
"A lot of the time. It isn't always raining, but it's common. Do you want to make a break for it?" They could sprint from tree to tree, avoiding most of the rain, but at the pace the rain was falling, they would be soaked by the time they reached the inner edge of the orchard. But as they contemplated returning home, Kaidan noticed something. The lightning was less frequent, and the thunder had calmed to a dull reverberation.
"Is it just me, or is it the rain finally calming down?" Anna finally put his musing into words, and he nodded quietly.
"You can tell by the pause between lightning and thunder." Anna stood quietly for a minute, observing what he had said before making a small noise of amusement.
"That sure was a tough storm, though." She remarked. "I'm surprised it just didn't keep getting stronger."
"Makes you think of Dragons of a Fallen Sun, doesn't it?" He mused, and she smiled.
"Just wish I could be the one to walk out of the storm," she quietly confessed.
"You kinda look like her," Kaidan nudged her good-naturedly.
"Oh, if I didn't have you out here, I wouldn't know what I was doing. I'm no Mina. I'm just a Navy brat who doesn't get much planet-side time." She shrugged softly.
"Hey," Kaidan nudged her again, and she looked at him. "If those novels taught me anything, it's that the most ordinary people can go on extraordinary adventures. Who knows? You may lead your own army for the One God. Besides, she didn't know what she was doing. Galdur taught her to fight the night before her first battle." She smiled at him, that soft Mona Lisa smile, and he had never been so glad to speak his mind. "I've even got my electronic copy if you care to look at the source material." He rattled his arm for good measure, and she gave a soft laugh.
"Alright then, go ahead." Anna slid down to the ground, and he joined her as he opened the book.
"Stars, glittering cold and deadly as spear points, appeared in the west. The ragged edges of the storm's rear echelon seemed to uncover the stars as they passed. The single moon had risen in defiance of the thunder. The figure was no more than twenty feet away now, and by the moon's argent light Galdar could see the person clearly."
"Hey! You skipped like ten pages!" Kaidan chuckled at her near outrage as she leaned in, craning her head awkwardly to better view his omni-tool.
"Pardon me, but our surroundings fit the mood perfectly. Besides, you said you like Mina, and this is where she shows up." Anna shuffled in her spot, moving to a less awkward position, though it firmly placed her in his personal space. Then again, Kaidan mused, it also placed him in her personal space.
"I know, but you still skipped it." Kaidan was about to turn the page back in exasperated defeat when she interrupted his hand. "Go on; you're obviously bent on showing something." He smiled and turned back to the book, leaning in a little to ensure that his body covered hers from the worst of the rain.
"Human, a youth, to judge by the slender, well-knit body and the smooth skin of the face. Dark hair had been shaved close to the skull, leaving only a red stubble. The absence of hair accentuated of the face and thrust into prominence the high cheekbones, the sharp chin, the mouth in its bow curve. The youth wore the shirt and tunic of a common foot knight and leather boots, carried no sword upon his hip nor any sort of weapon that Galdar could see." Kaidan continued to read for some time, reading through Mina's dramatic entrance and that of her steed. But he was stopped by a ping from their parents. Apparently another wave of storms was headed their way and now was the best time to sprint through the orchard.
"Perhaps we can continue reading tomorrow?" Anna asked as they moved deeper into the orchard, heading home again.
"You want to read more snippets of Mina?" He countered, knowing that Anna had enjoyed hearing it. She blushed but nodded her head. "I don't see any reason to say no." He casually shrugged as she grinned. When they finally reached the porch, they were all but drenched. Anna looked particularly unhappy as she wrung her hair out on the porch. "Go ahead and leave your pack here. It can dry out here, and we can get it in the morning." She promptly let the bag thunk onto the wood and Kaidan shook his head, arranging it so it would dry better before walking in. His mother was there with towels for both of them, and Kennan smiled at them.
"So, how was the hike? Did you enjoy it, Anna?" He asked a clearly grumpy Anna.
"I'm wet. But the hike up was nice."
"Lisa, that's what happens in the rain. It's like a shower with your clothes on. Besides, if you want to join the Alliance, you have to get used to ground missions where you're hot or wet or hungry." He clapped her on the back, and small water droplets came off her clothes.
"This isn't a mission, Dad. I was hiking. Now I feel like I need a shower."
"You can always head back outside," Kaidan quipped, but partially regretted it when Anna flung her thin jacket, now heavy with rain water, into his face. In reaction, he deflected it with biotics, but a decent portion of the water splashed his face. For a moment, he thought they would look at him in fear or disgust, thinking him a biotic freak. But everyone began laughing, and Kaidan relaxed, realizing he must look ridiculous.
"Dry off with the towels, change if you want to, and Cedric has hot chocolate for you in the living room."
That night, Anna's dreams were different. She was no longer bound to the awkward body of a teenager, but that of a warrior. She dreamt of a storm that could not touch her, of armor that molded to her body. She dreamt of the wind in her hair, of the flash of weapons, of fear in her enemies' eyes. She dreamt of scarred lips meeting hers, of firm hands gripping her, and a smell she couldn't quite place. The next morning, she awoke refreshed and eager for the day.
AN: Italicized snippets are from page 18 of the paperback copy of Dragons of a Fallen Sun, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Part of the story is about a female warrior named Mina who leads a small army in the name of The One God.