"There's the admiral!" Liara shouted as the hatch doors to the shuttle bay opened.
"Relax, I've got this." Kacey said as she began to fire on the geth from the turret.
They all provided cover fire as Admiral Koris moved from one piece of cover to the next, being mindful to not aim their shots too close to the quarian admiral. While Kaidan was not as skilled as his turian squadmate at using a sniper rifle, he was still a pretty good shot, and he managed to destroy a large chunk of the geth forces before Admiral Koris reached the cliff edge.
"Admiral! Come on!" Kacey shouted.
Admiral Koris quickly jumped on board; a bit shaken up but no serious injuries as far as Kaidan could see.
"Shepard…my crew." The admiral said worried as he approached the shuttle's comms, "Perhaps there's still time. Hello? This is Zaal'Koris. Does anyone copy? Hello!"
It was heartbreaking; and it was the new reality of the war they found themselves in.
When only the silence answered Admiral Koris, Kaidan saw his Commander's expression turn grim, "We've got to go." She said in a firm tone.
"I pray they found comfort in the homeworld's skies."
…
He was silently eating in the Mess Hall, avoiding the gazes of the privates and corporals that were sneaking looks at him. The Commander had been talking to him a lot these days; not really surprising all things considered, after all the pair had know each other for around six years now.
He kept to himself until Ashley arrived with her own tray and sild into the chair opposite him, a smirk on her face. He didn't know why she was looking at him like that.
"So." She said between mouthfuls of food.
"So?" Kaidan questioned confused.
"So, what's going on between you and the Commander?" Ashley asked, "You two seem awfully close for a Commander and Lieutenant."
"I've known her for a long time."
"How long?"
"Six years." Kaidan replied, "We just know each other well because of it."
"Really?" Ashley said slyly, "Funny, because she seems to talk to you a lot."
"She talks to everyone a lot, it's what she does."
"Not as much as you." Ashley replied, "You're the first person she talks to and you two talk for hours."
"What are you driving at, Williams?"
"You and I both know you are clearly into the Commander." Ashley said, "Don't pretend that I didn't hear what you said on the Citadel."
"Even if I did, I don't think she feels that way." Kaidan mused, "She's too professional for that."
"Really? Are we talking about the same Commander Shepard?" Ashley replied, "This is the same woman who breaks Alliance protocol on the regular, and you think that she's too professional to have a crush on you?"
"What's your point?"
"You know there's a rumour flying around that Liara is into Shepard, right?" Ashley explained, "You might wanna talk to Shepard before Liara jumps in there. You don't want to miss your chance, LT."
"I'll think about it." Kaidan replied.
"Well, think quickly." Ashley said.
…
"Still daydreaming Kaidan?" Kacey said as she sat down across from Kaidan.
"A little." Kaidan replied, pushing his food around with his fork, "So, how did the call with Admiral Koris go?"
"Straight to business I see." Kacey laughed, "He's offered his complete and full support for the war. Anything we need, we'll get from him."
"That's good. At least we're making progress on that front."
"Yeah, but now, we might have a bigger problem."
"How so?"
"Well," Kacey said between mouthfuls of food, "Basically the Reaper base that's giving the geth their new upgrades, has a jamming tower that stops orbital targeting."
"Meaning we have to go in on foot?"
"Yep. But that's not the problem."
"What is?"
"The Reaper upgrades basically turned the geth into fully evolved AIs, like EDI." Kacey explained, "By shutting it down, we're killing them as Legion put it."
"And I get the sense that you don't want to." Kaidan mused.
"It's complicated I guess." Kacey mused.
"Maybe if there was a way for the geth to keep the upgrades, but they would no longer be under Reaper control, maybe the choice would've been easier?"
"Oh, definitely." Kacey replied, "But nothing's ever that simple."
"Speaking of," Kaidan mused, "What's been going on between you and Copeland? It sounds like you've fought before."
"We have." Kacey sighed, "He's been at my throat since we dropped you off at the hospital. He doesn't trust me, thinks I tried to kill you and I'm this close to throwing him out the airlock."
"He thought you tried to kill me?"
"I know it sounds ridiculous but that's actually what he thought." Kacey said, "I told him to take it up with Hackett, but my guess is that he already knows where that'll go."
"Fair." Kaidan added, "So, what's the next mission?"
"Legion wants us to remove some geth from a server so the quarian fleet doesn't get annihilated." Kacey said, "After that, we can strike the Reaper base."
"Sounds like a plan." Kaidan said, finishing up his food.
"Yeah, hopefully everything will go okay." Kacey said, "Anyway, I can go over the next part of the story with you now if you want."
"Yeah that would be great." Kaidan said as the pair but their dishes away, "So, it's Miranda next right?"
"Yep." Kacey said as they walked to the elevator, "But before we could leave, Garrus and Thane wanted to talk…"
…
"Why is it that Chambers had to tell me that you're not okay!?" Kacey said as she barged into the Main Battery.
"I didn't tell her that I wasn't okay." Garrus mused, clearly confused, "She sat me down for another psych eval but I didn't—oh."
"Oh." Kacey mimicked, "Anyway, by the look on your face, you've got something to say."
"Do I?"
"You're pulling the exact face Kaidan makes when he's trying to hide something, and you can be damn sure that I won't fall for your 'I'm fine' lies."
"Okay, okay." Garrus relented, "You remember Sidonis? The one who betrayed my team? I've found a lead on him. There's a specialist on the Citadel; name's Fade. He's an expert at helping people disappear. Sidonis was seen with him."
"Okay, how exactly did this bastard betray your team?"
"He tipped off the mercs. Told them where our base was." Garrus explained with a bitter tone, "He drew me out with a false job, then let the mercs hit my team. My men weren't prepared. They tried to hold them off…*sigh* By the time I got back, there were only two survivors. They didn't last long. All ten of them, dead. Because of him."
"What are you going to do when you find him?" Kacey asked hesitantly.
"And that was when Garrus confirmed my suspicions. And when I grew more concerned about him."
"You humans have a saying: 'an eye for an eye'. A life for a life." Garrus said determined, "He owes me ten lives, and I plan to collect."
"You sure that's how you want to play it?"
"I'm sure. I don't need you to agree with me, but I'd like your help."
"I'll help, if only to keep an eye on you." Kacey said, "So, were do we find Fade?"
"I've arranged a meeting." Garrus explained, "We'll meet him in a warehouse near the Neon Markets, down on Zakera Ward. Thanks Kacey, I appreciate you taking the time to help me."
"That's what friends are for Garrus."
…
"Shepard." Thane greeted the scarlet haired commander in a curt voice.
"Is there something wrong?" Kacey asked.
"Yes." Thane confirmed, "Now that you are here though—It seems more difficult to talk about."
"Are you feeling sick?" Kacey asked, "I could get the doctor."
"No, no." Thane declined, "Though I suppose that is a part of it. My mortality has me…dwelling on things. I had a family, once. I still have a son. His name is Kolyat. I haven't seen him for a very long time."
"How long has it been since you two last talked?"
"Ten years." Thane said sombrely, "He showed me some of his schoolwork and asked if we could dance crazy. We did that when he was younger."
"What sort of dance is that?"
"It's—I'll check my extranet contacts." Thane replied, "I expect an update on my next target. The console plays music. Old. Unfashionable. Kolyat jumps into the room. 'Hi, father.' Runs around in circles. I scoop him up and toss him into air. He shrieks, laughs. 'Spin me!' The console beeps. I put him down. Click the message. 'Father' he pleads. Tugs my sleeve. 'I need to read this' I say. I don't look at him."
"You 'had' a family?"
"I abandoned them." Thane mused, "Oh, not all at once. Nothing dramatic. No sneaking out in the middle of the night. No final argument or slammed door. I just…did my job. I hunted and killed across the galaxy. 'Away on business', my wife would tell people. I was always away on business."
"You never mentioned any of this before." Kacey said, "Why now?"
"When my wife departed from her body, I—attended to that issue. I left Kolyat in the care of his aunts and uncles. I have not seen him or talked to him since."
"That's not the choice I expected. Why didn't you raise him yourself?"
"My body is blessed with the skills to take life. The hanar honed them in me. I have few others. I didn't want that life for Kolyat. I hoped he would find his own way. If he hated me, so be it. He would not have shared the path of sin." Thane mused, "I used my contacts to trace Kolyat. He has become—disconnected. He does what his body wills."
"You'll have to explain that one to me." Kacey said confused.
"Disconnected. The body is not our true self. The soul is. Body and soul work as one in a Whole Person. When the soul is weakened by despair or fear—when the body is ill or injured, the individual is disconnected. No longer Whole."
"So why is Kolyat disconnected?"
"Something happened that should not have. He knows where I've been and what I've done." Thane said, "I don't know his reasons, but he has gone to the Citadel. He has taken a job as a hitman. I would like your help to stop him. He is—this is not the path he should walk."
"We'll go to the Citadel as soon as possible." Kacey confirmed.
"Thank you, Shepard." Thane said gratefully, "I'll be meditating until you need me."