Please note that I changed the name of the shaddy group to Praxidikai. It's mythology made more sense for my story.
Chapter XI
Steve had kept the shuttle in pristine condition. He learned a while back that it was best to be prepared, especially when on duty on the Normandy. His predisposition was what made Steve a great addition to the crew, and he had gained a friend in Kaidan over the last few months. They were almost finished packing when James appeared with his duffle bag in hand.
"You guys going somewhere?"
"Hi James, yeah, we're going to Earth. Need a lift?"
"Huh, where's the Commander? And why are you gearing up?" asked James, confused.
"She's with Liara working on something," replied Kaidan.
"Working!? Dam Kaidan, I thought you and Lola would be going at it like bunnies."
"Something came up," answered Kaidan half amused, half serious.
"You need muscle?"
"Thanks James, but we're good. We're just going to ask people some questions."
"So if it's just a nice conversation you're gonna be having. Why the guns?" inquired James.
"Yeah, right," conceided Kaidan, "but aren't you supposed to spend time with your uncle and get ready for your N7 training?"
"Nah, my uncle can wait, and the N7 program only starts in a couple of weeks, plus I was born ready for it," said James flexing his biceps. "Besides, if Shepard is working on something the day after her Prince Charming comes back, and you and Esteban are getting ready for some action, I want in."
Kaidan hesitated for a second, but accepted James' offer and filled him in on the situation. James had proven time and time again that his meathead appearance was only skin deep and that he could rely on his own wits, and not only his brute force, to get himself out of trouble.
If Cerberus was behind the disappearances, Kaidan wanted to be ready for anything. All three men finished packing the necessary gear in the shuttle. On the route to Earth, Kaidan managed to track down one of his father's teammates and scheduled to meet him at the Marine base in Victoria.
"Major Alenko," saluted the young man in uniform, "I'm Private Martin."
"At ease, Private. I am not here in an official Alliance capacity. I just want to ask you a couple of questions about Chief Lieutenant Christopher Alenko," explained Kaidan. "I'd like for you to give me an account of what happened the last time you saw him."
"Well, Sir, from what I remember, our squad encountered a group of mercenaries on our regular rounds. No altercation, but they were clearly inebriated, saying all sorts of nonsense. Then, the Reapers continued their attack and we retreated to camp, but Alenko stayed back. We never saw him again. We tried to find him, but we just didn't have the manpower to do so. I'm sorry, Major."
"It's ok, Private. What were those mercenaries saying?"
"They were talking about some group named Pracdece and how-"
"Wait, what?" interrupted Kaidan. "Do you mean Praxidikai?"
"Yes, that's it," continued Martin. "And how they were going to take over Cerberus or something. They were drunk, no one thought anything of it. Well, except the Chief, Sir."
"Did my father," Kaidan let slip, "Chief Lieutenant Alenko, say anything to you or anyone else about his intentions?"
"Hmm, he was visibly upset, more than usual I guess," recalled the Private. "Then again, we all were. He did talk to Private Li, briefly, but she never said anything about it. She got dispatched to Vancouver HQ a couple of months ago."
"Thank you, Private, that'll be all," concluded Kaidan.
Kaidan couldn't believe it, the dots were starting to connect. He finally had something to go on: a clue about what happened to his father. Kaidan contacted HQ, and after being given the runaround, he decided to go for the name-dropping tactic. Eventually, he got a hold of Private Li's XO. The Private was assigned to the relief efforts in downtown Vancouver and would be on duty the following day.
He called his mother to tell her that he would be staying the night and that Steve would drop him off soon, but she insisted on having Steve and James over for supper.
"Listen guys, not a word to my mother, ok? I want to tell her when I've got more evidence."
"I hate to break it to you, but she's gonna think something is wrong. I mean, Shepard's not here," said James.
"Shit, I didn't think of that."
"Don't worry, I'll come up with something."
The following day, the three men, having stayed the night, woke up to the smell of breakfast. Kaidan entered the kitchen to find Steve and James setting the table.
"It smells amazing, Mrs. Alenko," said Steve.
"Yes, Mrs. Alenko, you shouldn't spoil us like this," teased James. "We may never want to leave."
"Please boys, call me Lillianne. It's a pleasure to have you here," she replied merrily as she saw her son. "Good morning, sweetie, did you sleep well?"
"Yes, mom," assured Kaidan with a smile, "You need a hand?"
"No, I'm almost done here, thank you," answered Lillianne. "By the way, you never told me why you came a day earlier. I hope everything is alright."
"Esteban here was itching to come to firm land, so the Major changed his plans. I just came along for the ride," responded James before Kaidan even had the chance.
"I hope I didn't ruin your plans by inviting you for supper yesterday."
"No, not at all Mrs. A-I mean Lillianne-last night was perfect," said Steve enthusiastically. "The view here is spectacular and your chicken pot-pie was divine."
"Oh, good! I was a little worried that you were already back on duty since you are all still in your fatigues."
"Not yet, we still have over a week left of time off, and I guess none of us thought about bringing civilian clothes," said Kaidan; Lillianne appeared convinced.
When the three soldiers had finished their breakfast, they thanked their gracious host and promised to visit again before their leave was over. It took them about ten minutes to arrive at the heavily secured grounds where Private Li was stationed. She seemed nervous at the sight of Kaidan and his companions, but she quickly revealed the reason for her distress. It turned out that Christopher had entrusted her to deliver a message only to Kaidan in person. She had attempted to reach Kaidan and sent him several emails requesting a meeting, but after months had passed without any reply, she feared her account had been hacked. By the time she confirmed her suspicions, it was too late; the Normandy had vanished and she didn't know who to trust.
The message was: Shepard's DNA is the key, protect her at all costs. It was alarming enough that Private Li knew it was important. She was relieved that she finally got to give Kaidan his father's last words to her. She was sure that Kaidan would find his father and get to the bottom of what the message meant. Her confidence reminded Kaidan of Shepard's relentless determination, which reassured him.
On the way to drop James off at his uncle's home in California, Kaidan messaged Shepard informing her that they had new information that might shed light on what Praxidikai was up to.