Author's Note: My niece turned 10 this past week, so my time was completely invested in her party which took place yesterday. Thankfully, it's over and I can get back into the things I want to do. That being said, thank you to Vorcha Girl and Jules Hawk for the comments on the last chapter. Enjoy! - TLC
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kaidan wasn't as surprised as everyone else when he'd received the message from Shepard early one afternoon asking them to assemble in the comm room. It had been two days since her injury, and he had been in to see her earlier, before day cycle had started. She was doing much better. It would take at least another day before her lung was fully healed. Thank god for modern medicine. Dr. Chakwas said she would release her to limited duty, and Shepard had balked at the limitations. "If you don't like it, I don't have to release you," Chakwas reminded her and Shepard let her head fall back against the pillow with an exaggerated frown. She glared when Kaidan had chuckled at her.
"I'm glad you're doing better, Commander," He offered from his spot at the foot of her bed and gently placed a hand on her shin before turning for the door. Dr. Chakwas raised an eyebrow at him and he wished her a pleasant day as he left the med-bay. Her restrictions weren't terrible. She simply couldn't go groundside for the next two days but at this point, there was no knowing when they would have another lead. If Kaidan, Liara, and Tali couldn't find anything in the data from Virmire, it might be too late. Saren's head start was getting larger by the day, and Kaidan had a feeling that's where Shepard's true frustrations lie.
When Shepard entered the comm room, she was walking stiffly and Garrus stood to offer her his seat and she waved him off with a shake of her head and a laugh. She moved to her usual spot, and leaned against the control console. She thanked everyone for their teamwork over the few days she was out of commission that allowed everything to continue running smoothly. Garrus had started to apologize for the incident on the Moon and she waved him off. "There is no need for that, Garrus, I'm just glad we all made it out alive."
"Shepard? Excuse me for interrupting, but I have an idea. I think the beacon you found in Saren's base was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime. It may have filled in the missing pieces of your vision. I might be able to help you put all those pieces together," Liara suggested shifting nervously in her seat. Kaidan's eyes moved to Shepard who seemed uneasy at the suggestion.
"You want to join our minds again, don't you?" Shepard asked, wincing at the thought and Kaidan chewed the inside of his cheek to stop himself from speaking out of turn. The idea made him very nervous.
"It might provide us with the information we need," Liara offered as she moved to sit at the edge of her seat.
"Okay, go ahead," Shepard said as she moved slowly into the center of the room. Liara stood and met her there.
Kaidan looked to Garrus, whose face showed as much concern as he felt, "Uh, Commander?" Garrus spoke up before Liara could start the meld and Shepard leaned around Liara to look at the Turian. "I don't know much about human physiology, but maybe we should check with Dr. Chakwas?" He asked, his two-toned voice apprehensive. He wasn't really questioning an order. Though, Kaidan was glad Garrus had spoken up first. Shepard narrowed her eyes at the Turian for a moment before turning her attention back to Liara.
"He does have a point," Shepard admitted, quietly. "The last time we did this, it had quite a negative affect on me. Maybe it's not such a good idea," She chewed her lip as she considered her options.
Liara sighed softly, "Shepard, I think the problem is … you have these mental barriers that are built up around you… your mind and your emotions," Shepard flushed, only slightly, and kept her eyes on the Asari as her brow creased. Kaidan chuckled internally; he was quite familiar with her barriers. "Did the beacon on Virmire have the same affect on you as the one on Eden Prime?" Liara asked and Shepard admitted it didn't.
"Because you knew what to expect," Kaidan offered, and Shepard looked to him as Liara nodded.
"Exactly, you weren't trying to keep it out. If you could relax with me, and allow me to enter, I don't think it will have the same negative outcome," Liara suggested and Shepard stared at the Asari as she weighed the risk against the need for information.
"Most dream of melding with an Asari," Wrex added with his sarcastic rumbling chuckle. It was no secret the Asari were well admired, the plethora of Asari porn on the extranet was just one example. Liara turned a pleasant shade of purple, and the room had a moment of levity. Kaidan shifted in his seat, not sharing in the laugh.
Shepard did, though, and after a moment, she turned her eyes back to Liara, "Alright, I trust you. What can I do to make it easier?" She asked and Liara nodded. The Asari reached out and took Shepard's hands in hers, their fingers zipping together.
"Take a few, slow, deep breaths," Liara suggested and Shepard complied as Liara moved slightly closer to her. Kaidan shifted in his seat, trying not to look as anxious as he felt. Liara and Shepard were gazing into each other's eyes, and it suddenly seemed like Kaidan and the others were imposing on something that should have been private. "Close your eyes," Liara whispered, and Shepard's eyes fluttered closed. Liara's forehead pressed against Shepard's and she coaxed quietly, "Embrace eternity."
Shepard and Liara gasped in unison. Kaidan knew, in his head, there was nothing sexual about this particular exchange. Yet, he couldn't help the heated jealousy that growled low in his chest as his hands clenched in his lap. Their eyes were flickering behind their closed lids, their breathing fast and erratic. Even Tali shifted in her seat and looked anywhere but at the two, while Garrus and Wrex seemed oddly amused. It wasn't sexual. However, no matter how his relationship with Shepard progressed, it was a level of intimacy that he would never be able to share with her. In this moment, he hated Liara.
Liara pulled away first, a dazed smile on her face and Kaidan had to wonder if maybe she did get some sort of pleasure from the interaction. Their hands were still locked, and Shepard's eyes opened slowly. "You okay, Shepard?" Liara asked softly as she searched Shepard's eyes for any sign of distress.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just … intense," She admitted and pulled her hands away from Liara's, maybe a tad roughly, and took a few steps backwards. Liara looked wounded for a moment, and Kaidan's eyes flicked to Shepard when she spoke and broke the awkward silence, "Well?"
"I am always shocked by how vivid the images are. I need just a moment," Liara said as she stepped back and sat. Shepard finally met Kaidan's eyes, and for a moment he could see the tension, but as they looked to each other it seemed to ease from her gaze and was replaced by a comfortable warmth. With that, the angry growling in his core settled and he offered Shepard a soft smile. Their moment was broken when Liara spoke again, "It's a distress call," She paused when all eyes turned to her, but she kept her eyes on Shepard, "A message sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the Reapers, but the warning came too late."
There was a weighty silence on the room, "What about the Conduit?" Shepard prodded after a moment.
"There were other images … locations," She stood and started to pace as she worked through what she had seen and what she remembered from her work. "Places I recognized from my research... Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the Mu Relay! It is the only way to get to Ilos." Shepard looked cautiously optimistic and Kaidan could feel the excitement starting at his toes.
Tali spoke up, her soft trill startling the group, "Why haven't you mentioned Ilos before?"
"The Mu Relay links to dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds. How was I to know Ilos was the one we wanted?" Liara snapped as she turned to look at the Quarian who held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. Liara look slightly abashed as she turned back to Shepard. She hadn't meant to snap. "Without the Cipher, the images in your visions were never clear. Only now do I recognize them as landmarks from Ilos."
"Ilos it is then," Shepard announced.
"Forget it," Tali started again, shaking her head. Her tone portrayed the disappointment no one could see behind her mask. "The Mu Relay's inside the Terminus Systems. Alliance ships are not welcome there," Tali explained, and Shepard crossed her arms over her chest as she thought.
Garrus added, "Neither are Spectres."
All eyes were on Shepard as she leaned on the console. Her eyes bright with the information and the chance to meet Saren at, if not beat him to, Ilos. It took her a few minutes to come to her decision, and her eyes hardened when they did. When she spoke, there was no room for question in her tone, "The Conduit's on Ilos. That is where Saren is heading. I'll be waiting for him when he gets there."
"Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. You will never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the Council," Liara recommended and Shepard look to Kaidan who had nothing to add, he just gave her an encouraging nod. He wanted to say something, that he was amazed by her, that he was proud to serve with her, that he was excited to have the information they had been searching for, but now was not the time.
Shepard called out to Joker who responded over the comm, "Commander, there's a comm buoy nearby. I can get the Council for you in moments, give me the word."
"Set up the link, Joker. The rest of you are dismissed," She ordered and Kaidan stood with the group and left the comm room as the holographic images of the Council appeared before Shepard. The group went back to their stations to prep for the trip to Ilos. Kaidan couldn't help the anticipation he felt. It was the break they had been looking for, and it was here. He paused when he heard Shepard heading down the stairs.
She met him at his station with a grin and he asked what the Council had said. "Ambassador Udina wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and his geth," She announced, still smiling. It was validating for her, it had to be. They were finally listening to her, taking her at her word, and supporting her decisions.
"I told you they wouldn't be able to ignore us much longer," He reminded her, and she laughed that rich, full laugh that sent his heart racing and he smirked in response as he watched her.
"Nice I told you so, Mr. Brightside," She accused and he shrugged with contrived innocence. "It feels good, though. After everything we've been through, after all we've lost, it feels like for the first time we're making progress instead of…" She paused as if the words were escaping her.
"Running like hamsters on a wheel?" He offered and she nodded, confirming her agreement. His eyes locked on hers. It dawned on him then, that he'd never had the opportunity to talk to her about Sovereign and what they had learned from it. "Sovereign was pretty impressive, huh?" He asked as he leaned on his console. She shrugged and asked what he thought about it. He sighed softly as he gathered his thoughts. He knew she had turned the tables on him as a way to teach him, she had done it more than once. It always flustered him a bit to be put on the spot. "Hell, I don't know," He admitted shaking his head. We're fighting giant machines from outside the galaxy. Should I be afraid of them or in awe of them? Anything so old… so intelligent…" He paused, and she held his gaze. "It makes me wonder, we're like ants to them. These tiny beings who are inconsequential. Are ants anymore aware of the giants that walk over their heads than we are?"
"The good thing is we have an entire galaxy of species ready to join us. I don't know if we have a chance but I'm not going to lie back and let them take over. That's not how I work," She explained.
"I think Sovereign heard that loud and clear," He added with a grin and she dropped her eyes to her hands where she was picking at a torn cuticle.
"Talking to it was one of the most intimidating experiences," She admitted quietly, and her eyes lifted to his when he laughed. "What?"
"You had Garrus and me fooled," He admitted and she grinned. "Sounded to us like you were ready to take him on, one on one, right there, in that room."
"Hopefully I fooled Sovereign, too," She responded, her voice soft and her eyes were bright as they locked on his. It was there again, the dare to be the first one to look away. He wouldn't. It still shocked him how she could affect him without even touching him. They way she smelled. The feel of her biotics so close to his. The way her she'd tuck her lip behind her teeth as if determined to bring is attention to them. The blood rushed through his veins, hotter than normal and be buzzed with it.
"Commander," Joker's voice rang out overhead, and they grinned at their interrupted moment as the addition of the pilot's voice released the heat building between them. "I've got Anderson on the comm for you."
"Thanks, Joker," She replied through her smile as she shook her head. The comm cut out. "I should go," She said, and he nodded. She took two steps backwards, and not once did he look away. She shook her head and turned to jog up the comm room to speak with Anderson. He watched her go, smirking, before turning his attention back to the work in front of him.
It was later that afternoon when the Normandy docked at the Citadel. Shepard had dressed in her BDU for the meeting with the council this time. She wanted it clear she was a soldier in this fight and not just a figurehead. Kaidan and Garrus followed her through the Presidium to the elevator that would take them to the Council. Kaidan noticed as she reached forward and pushed the button to call the car, her hand didn't shake.
They met Udina and he turned his mousey gaze towards them and Kaidan cringed internally. "Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren!" Udina's nasally voice complimented her, and Shepard turned her attention to the council instead of responding to the Ambassador.
"The Ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel, as you believe, we will be ready for him," Tevos spoke, the Asari's tone gentle but authoritative.
Sparatus picked up, his two-toned voice condescending as he spoke, "Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems."
Kaidan felt the anger roll over her as her biotics tingled, though, there was no outward indication of her emotion. She spoke calmly, "You think a blockade's going to stop him? He's on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now. What are you doing about that?" She asked, without raising her voice. They had all been expecting more of a response to the information they had.
Valern spoke next, the Salarian's nasally tone echoed awkwardly off the walls, "Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander. If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war." Kaidan couldn't see her face, but he could tell in the way her body tensed that she had come to the same conclusion he had. They weren't going to go after him.
Udina looked to Shepard and she turned just her head to look at him, she allowed herself to flare, just slightly and Kaidan bit back a chuckle at the slight stutter when the Ambassador started, "Now is the time for discretion, Commander. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat," He paused as Shepard's glare hardened, "This is over." Shepard held her angry stare on the Ambassador for another second. Kaidan watched him as his eyes moved around the room, everywhere but Shepard.
She turned back to the Councilors, her voice like a sharpened blade when she spoke, "One ship going into the Terminus Systems won't start a war. I can be discreet."
Sparatus pointed a finger and snapped at her, "You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn't call that discreet!" If she could have Thrown him across the room, she would have. Kaidan didn't have to read her mind to know that. Her hand twitched with the motion to trigger the attack though it wasn't completed, so the Turian Councilor got to keep standing and glaring at her.
"Your … style served you well in the Traverse, Commander. We recognize that, but Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control," Tevos spoke, her tone dismissive and arrogant.
"Like your 'infiltration unit' had things under control on Virmire? Remember whose nuke that was. If it wasn't for my 'style' Virmire would have failed and on top of Saren and the Conduit and the geth, we'd have a Krogan army at our doorsteps!" Shepard snapped back. "Secrecy isn't his greatest weapon, the Conduit is!" Shepard was insistent as she shouted back to the Council.
Valern may not have been able to roll his Salarian eyes, but his tone did that for him, "Saren is a master manipulator. The Conduit is just a distraction from his real plan… to attack the Citadel." Shepard's breathing was heavy when she reminded them of the Reapers. She was throwing everything at them in an attempt to let her go after him.
Tevos replied with a sigh, like she was speaking to an unruly child, "Only you have seen the Reapers, and then only in visions. We won't invade the Terminus Systems because of a dream."
She was nearly vibrating with pent up rage as she glared at the Councilors. She glanced towards Udina hoping, against all odds, he would back her up, "If Saren finds the Conduit we're all fucked. We have to go to Ilos." She was speaking through clenched teeth, nearly snarling the words.
Sparatus turned to Udina, annoyance thick in his tone, "Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go."
"There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you, but now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth," Udina snapped pointing a finger at her.
"You bastard!" Kaidan erupted, unable to keep it in anymore. He could almost, almost understand where the Council was coming from. Like Shepard had said before, ignorance is bliss, but Udina? He was willing to back the Council instead of his first Human Spectre because it made him look good, "You're selling us out!"
Udina didn't even respond to Kaidan's outburst, "It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. We've locked out all the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded."
"Are you insane?" She was yelling now, as her attention moved from Udina to the Council, nearly frantic. "After everything I've done, you still don't believe me?"
"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this… with my help of course," Udina ordered, turning his back on her.
"You son of a bitch…" She muttered and he didn't even turn back to her, "I'll remember this Udina. I'll remember this when the Reapers are knocking on your fuckin door…" The anger was dripping from her voice as she spoke, and Udina didn't respond but his spine stiffened at the threat. Kaidan placed a hand on her shoulder, and she knocked it away. She pushed passed Kaidan and Garrus and stormed from the area. Kaidan sighed, and turned to Garrus who shook his head. They followed in her wake, back to the Normandy, to gather their personal belongings for their sudden, unexpected leave.