"Eden Prime" He breathed the name as if it were a foreign word.
That was the mission Shepard had wanted him to go on with her and Liara. It really was a full circle to be back here where it all began. Watching the shuttle circle the now vastly more excavated dig site and follow Cerberus's tail. But as usual with their missions it got a whole lot weirder quick.
"Jenkins and that damn Geth recon drone." The first of many friends lost to this war.
"My fault Kaidan not yours. He had told me he was from here. I had him scout out ahead. He wanted to make a name for himself so I let him take point. Hell I might have spent the hour just shooting those gas bags if he hadn't told us they were harmless." She touched his arm lightly. They had been over this before, of course but somehow hearing her blame herself this time made it harder.
"Not a lot of people have had my back from the beginning. It means a lot to have you here." She gives his arm a squeeze but her eyes are already on the horizon scanning the LZ. He does notice with a degree of satisfaction that she leaves her gloved hand on his arm and the barest trace of a smile plays at the corners of her lips when he squeezes it.
That was the beginning of possibly the weirdest mission in the history of weird Shepard does the impossible missions ever.
Finding the pod was easy enough, as was taking out the assorted Cerberus goons that came with. There was certain glee that filled Shepard as she took down the minions of her former employer. Finding the intel for the resistance on the rest of Eden Prime was just a bonus between messages that only Shepard could understand.
Standing over the console before activating the pod Shepard begins to laugh. The two look at their leader as if she had just taken a flying leap off the deep end.
"Shepard?" Liara's voice rising as the Commander just keep laughing, motioning the Asari over.
"Hey Li remember when you came to tour the N2 right after the Shadow Broker mission?" Shepard is trying to take deep breaths still giggling.
"Yes…? I don't see how that is relevant now."
"When you came up to my room and were saying you would be 109 and could see the end of the whole universe?"
"Shepard now is not the best time."
Shepard turns on her heels holding out both her arms toward the unlocking pod hands spread, a triumphant grin on her face.
"TaDa! Happy Birthday!"
Kaidan didn't know which was better the grin that had been missing off Shepard's face or the completely confused look on Liara's
"So Liara did you ever dig up a dinosaur?" Kaidan couldn't help himself. The whole situation was unreal and Shepard was having a ball with it. More centurions arrived while the pod thawed and Shepard was taunting them out of their ships. Standing beside the pod and lofting grenades into Liara's singularities while the other two remained behind cover.
Giving a sigh of disgust at both teammates apparent leave of their senses Laira bends over the pod looking at their newest guest. She gives a very girlish squeal as the Protean's eyes flutter open and the two soldiers laugh all the harder.