Chapter VI

It had been 108 days since they started their journey back to Earth. Flying solely on FTL gave the crew a lot of downtime. The lounge, which was practically deserted during the war, was now the busiest spot on the ship. Card games and lively conversations were a frequent occurrence. The supply of booze was dwindling, but thanks to Joker and Engineer Adams, they had a good stash of homemade moonshine. It was strong and just the smell of it was intoxicating. It made for a potent beverage which generally made its way into people's glasses by the end of every night.

The next most popular area of the ship was the shuttle bay, where sparring tournaments took place regularly. Garrus and James were currently tied for first place. Steve and Kaidan followed closely.

The vid comm room was also popular. As soon as the networks had been fully restored, Alliance ships on route back to Earth had been given priority access to the extranet. All those on board had their assigned time slots in which they could privately contact their loved ones through the holographic communication.

Kaidan did not use the vid comm room. He preferred to interact with people back on Earth strictly through the audio comm on his omni-tool interface. He couldn't bring himself to look into his mother's eyes due to the guilt of not having been able to search for his father.

His mom, Lillianne, had returned to Vancouver to start fixing up the Alenko family home. She hoped to find clues of her husband's whereabouts. She was a strong woman, independent and self-reliant, but Kaidan wished he could do more to comfort her. So far, he had determined that his father had joined the 61st battalion stationed in Victoria, but not much else. Every trail of evidence he followed was inconclusive. The only possible lead he had was one of his father's squadmates, but the matter had to be discussed in person. Kaidan wanted to make sure he got all the information he could.

As his frustration started getting the better of him, he received an email from Shepard.

Hey Kaidan,

So I'm back in the realm of the living, again, and they just gave me a spanking new omni-tool. The first day out of my coma was tough-I could barely stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. I finally finished writing my report on what happened leading up to when I shot up the Crucible. I'm better now. I can stay up for a whole four hours without yawning. All kidding aside, I started my physio today and it's going great. I should be up and about in no time. Hackett has already alluded to me being the new human representative on the Council.

I'm assuming you read my report. It was the hardest decision of my life, but that thing, the Catalyst, whatever it was, didn't give me much choice. All I could think about was you. Thinking that I wouldn't make it out alive broke my heart, but the alternatives were more unbearable. When I woke up, though, I felt anew, like I knew that everything was as it should be and that we would find each other again. I can't explain it, but I just knew you were alright and that we would soon be together again. I miss you so much. This hospital room sucks! At least Miranda is letting me get visitors tomorrow. I can't wait to get out of this bed for good. It's starting to mold to my body. It's scary.

Shepard

Kaidan's heart swelled. He reread the email at least ten times. Every time, his grin grew wider and wider. Shepard always made him feel like anything was possible and so maybe he would, in time, find the truth behind his father's disappearance. He took a deep breath to collect himself and started writing his reply.

Hey you,

You have no idea how happy I am to get your email. Has anyone ever told you what impeccable timing you have? I'm glad you're getting physio and feeling chipper. Yeah, I read your report. The whole thing is startling. No one person should ever have to make a decision like that. Let's just say that I'm grateful for the way things turned out, because it could have been much worse. I can't wait to talk to you, to hold you and kiss you.

Don't start any wars without me.

Love, Kaidan