Kaidan stood in the observatory looking out into a white abyss of swirling snow. As a soldier in the Alliance he had come to take the darkness of space for granted. The many nights he had spent looking out this window thinking about Earth, or the war now seemed very long ago just because of the difference of scenery. The cold silent movement of Lesuss from the window disturbed him in a way the snow of the Canadian Rockies never had. It was ominous and foreboding.
Liara had gotten ahold of Miranda (Alenko didn't ask questions) and various other crew members were hard at work preparing for the inevitable hasty exit they were going to have to make. Somehow Alenko, the acting Captain had needed a break and wound up down here gathering up some personal effects he had forgotten when he unofficially moved into the loft, when something caught his eye.
A holo taken on Nos Astra of he and Shepard. The only one he had, a crappy one from a tourist trap vendor who had caught them by surprise on their way to dinner one night. It hadn't been with him on the SR-1 for obvious reasons and that was the only reason it still existed. How many times after the crash had he thought about deleting it and something had always stopped him. He had looked it over before his assignment to Horizon and locked it away in an affects locker on the Citadel where it had sat for the better part of a year until he had been released from Huerta.
A crappy holo but it still made him smile. They could have been any couple at a bar and not two soldiers recovering from saving the Interglatic council from certain death. Shepard was in a tank top with her arm slug affectionately around his waist and they both had a beer in their hand. The door behind him opened and part of him almost expected to hear Shepard's voice. Wishful thinking he knew but she had done it after every successful mission. Why couldn't this be another one of Shepard's infamous against all odds come from behind wins?
Not today Kaidan thought grimly.
He looked up as Plava walked silently into the room. Momentarily concerned that he had missed his comm going off he realizes that the room has been completely silent since he had gotten down here. Plava stands beside him at ease, her eyes scanning the swirling vortex outside the window.
"Icarus, The boy who flew to close to the sun and fell into the ocean for his pride." Her green eyes still studying the mountains as if she wanted to memorize every crest and ridge. Kaidan noticed the bridge of her nose had freckles not unlike Liara but smaller. He wondered idly if they were equitant to age spots on the Asari like his grandmother had from too many years out in the sun.
But he knew that look in her face. From her and from others developed over years of being a soldier about to give bad news. The look of "just wait there's more."
"What's on your mind?" He asked even if he really didn't want to hear.
"The transmission. It is hours old."
Kaidan nodded slowly. Tali and Shar had been working with EDI to try to get any useful intel off that transmission. But he had already known that deep in his gut. The sound of Shepard's voice hadn't filled Kaiden with hope it had filled him with dread. Somehow he had known it was not a fresh copy. There had been a hard line of fear in her voice that he had picked up on instantly. His chest felt like solid lead but he had still ordered the others to work while he had hidden here in the dark.
"But there is good news Kaidan." Plava turns away from the window and toward him. Her expression taunt but in control. She waits for him to nod before continuing.
" Shar managed to get some scans of local chatter of Cerebrus before we …left Omega. She thinks she can crack their Kodaks cypher to get a fix on the ones still in pursuit and then piggy back it to Shepard from their own ship." She paused uncertainly.
"But you need something to convince Shep it is authentic and not a trick from Cerebrus or the Reapers." He caught on, not daring to put his hopes in this hot tempered Asari. But then he looked at Plava, the would-be Justicar, the moral compass to Aria T'loak and he saw she believed the kid could do it. He nodded turning back toward the snowy scene outside. His hand activated his omni and he held it up, trying to put more confidence into his voice than he actually felt.
"It's alright Shep. I'm right where I need to be. Now bring her home." It clicks off.
"Samara and I have everyone on standby. I will get this to Tali and we will work on the plan. As soon as we hear ani.."
He cuts her off with a quick shake of his head. He had been down here feeling sorry for himself too long. If there was even a hope that something they could do on this end could help he owed it to Shepard, and himself to be involved.
A/N OM G I'm alive! Update coming. I am not a huge fan of these chapters and could really use some feedback or a beta to get me moving on this again. Sorry to all my lovely readers for keeping you waiting so long!