Events of the chapter: Kaidan meets with James aboard the Normandy; with Miranda's help, they review plans to take down a mercenary group operating in the Asgard System. Miranda and Kaidan steal away for some much needed time together.

Author's notes: This chapter sets us up for Vega & crew's story. His story continues in the companion story, Semper Vivum.

PART II
Chapter 6: Inosculating*

1 year, 7 mo. after the end of the Reaper War
Asgard System, Exodus Cluster
SSV Shanghai

Kaidan stared himself down in the mirror, taking note of the dark circles that had taken up residence under his eyes. He turned his head to inspect the rest of his face. Running his hand over the side of his jaw, the stubble of his long five o'clock shadow scraped under the pads of his rough fingers. Five? Eight o'clock shadow's more like it. Better shave. He reached for his shaver and tilted his chin up, but was interrupted by a voice hissing over the ship's intercom.

"Pardon the intrustion, sir, but the party from the Normandy will arrive shortly."

"Yes, thank you Specialist Chen. Um, if you could, I'd like to request to meet aboard the Normandy when they dock."

"Yes, sir."

No time for gettin' pretty. Kaidan set his shaver down, then grabbed his uniform jacket and hastily did up the buttons.

The door hissed behind him as he stepped onto the deck of the ship. The air aboard the Normandy was unmistakable, distinct from the Shanghai—a clean, pristine smell, as if it didn't exist at all—and its peculiar array of spotlights painted the deck with a stark drama, not unlike the lighting found in many galleries. Only instead of accenting artistic masterpieces, the lights showcased monitoring stations and communications terminals. But the atmosphere didn't strike Kaidan as unusual. It was part of a well-worn rubric, like the uniform he put on everyday, or the route he walked to headquarters. He expected to hear Joker call out from the cockpit and make a smart-ass remark, or for Shepard to step down from the bridge and tease him for being late to his own meeting. A strange feeling washed over as he strode past the CIC and toward the conference room: he was now boarding the Normandy as a senior commanding officer and not one of its crew.

Two young privates saluted as he crossed through the doors to the conference room. James, still dressed in his requisite N7 armor, was there to greet him.

"Alenko! Or should I say General?" He saluted his superior. "Long time no see, glad you're here." James extended his hand; his grip was as strong as ever.

Kaidan studied the red and white stripe that ran the length of James' arm. A strangled pang of wistfulness bubbled up, and Shepard's hard-edged battle mask appeared and disappeared. "How's N7 life, Vega?"

"You know how it is—it's tough. Not just here, all the assignments we've had so far. Haven't caught a break since the war ended."

"I may not be in the field, but I have eyes on everything happening. You're right, it's not pretty." Kaidan circled the table to stand on the side opposite James. "Would you believe—since I got promoted, my life's been mostly meetings and paperwork? Some days I wish I was still a grunt. Tossing bad guys with biotics beats an inbox full of messages and forms."

James snorted. "Be thankful you aren't seeing it up close. We've run into some horrific stuff. Only the enemies aren't Reapers anymore, just other people. That makes it worse in some ways."

Kaidan leaned against the conference table and slid a hand across the slick surface. "How's the old girl?"

"The Normandy? Still in top shape. Best ship left in the fleet if you ask me. But it's a little weird without EDI here. Or Joker in the cockpit."

"Hey—have you heard from him at all? Joker?"

"Last I heard he was headed to Tiptree, said he wanted to find out what happened to his family."

"Yeah, that's what I heard too."

Both men avoided each other's eyes, the mood now somber. Kaidan rapped his knuckles on the table to break the ice. "I suppose we should discuss the matter at hand."

"I'll be straightforward with you, General." James stroked his bristled chin. "The mercenaries on Terra Nova are pretty entrenched. They've been here since the war, and the colony was cut off for an entire year. That gave them plenty of time to scare the shit out of any survivors. Now, we've been trying our best to take them out, but their network's only grown since we reopened the relays in Alliance space."

"That would be why I'm here," said Kaidan. "Vega—what would do you think of outside help?"

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, if we were to get someone, on the inside."

"You think you can do that? All intelligence agents are engaged in other missions as far as I know. I submitted a request a about a month ago—brass shot me down."

"I think I have someone that can get the job done. Scratch that—I know can get the job done."

"I'm all ears, General."

Laying on his back, Kaidan held a datapad out above his face and scrutinized the layout of the mercenaries' base. He squinted at the screen as he traced the perimeter of the building and struggled to keep the lines in focus. A wave of fatigue battered his body. He yawned, then set the datapad down on the bed and rubbed his eyes before shutting them briefly. If only he could catch a nap. But there was a lot of intel to review before the next meeting.

The captain's quarters on the SSV Shanghai were modest by modern standards—the Shanghai had been in service longer than any of the remaining Alliance cruisers—and the amenities spartan compared to the luxury of the SR-2, but it beat anything Kaidan had ever experienced living aboard Alliance ships.

His eyes had begun to close again when the chirp of his omnitool startled him awake. This was the fourth time he'd heard it in the last half hour. Must be something important. Kaidan unlocked his omnitool and opened the latest message.

Hi sunshine,

I know I said I'd be fine without you (and I am, I promise!), but I can't help but worry when you go away for so long. How is space? Is it as bad as they say? Whatever's happening, I just know you're doing a stellar job. You were never want for a work ethic. I hope someday some nice lady or gentleman can appreciate that about you.

By the way, how is your friend, Commander Shepard? I haven't seen her around much lately. You haven't mentioned her. You should have her over for dinner sometime!

I've been keeping busy with the grower's cooperative. We're trying to find people to fill some roles in the Interior, but there aren't a lot of qualified candidates. It seems they've all gone off world to help elsewhere.

Speaking of which…when you've got everything in order, you're going to keep good on your promise of taking me off world, right? :)

Stay safe!

Big hugs,

Mum

Kaidan snorted; his mom had never been one for subtlety. Even when she thought she was being slick it almost never came out that way.

There was no time to reply. There were still details to iron out with Vega before their meeting, and Miranda would be arriving in less than three hours. He pushed himself up from the bed and examined his face in the mirror again, dismayed at the state of his appearance. In just seven days, his eight o'clock shadow had nearly grown into a full-fledged beard. His mother often remarked that the men (and some women) in his dad's family were blessed with the gift of hair, but the good-natured jest felt like more of a curse than a blessing: thick tussocks of whiskers made it look patchier than it actually was, and the edges of his jaw had somehow grown out more than the other parts of his face.

The careworn, hirsute man in the mirror narrowed his eyes at him. "It's not like we're going to have a date on a war-torn colony. Miranda's here on business—get your act together! Be professional." Pep talk over, he tugged a comb through his quasi-beard, then snatched the datapad from the bed and made his way to the war room.

A holographic projection of the mercenaries' base filled the room with an insipid blue glow, casting a pall over James and Kaidan's faces; they were bent over the facsimile, deducing the best way to penetrate the perimeter, which was lined with an impressive array of heavy turrets, rocket launchers, and shield generators.

Kaidan pursed his lips as he frowned at the plan in front of him. "Damn. How did they even get a hold of this kind of artillery? They're better armed than some Alliance outposts."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is some Cerberus level preparation," said James.

A charming voice called out from the entryway. "Did someone say Cerberus?" Miranda sailed down the steps, expertly avoiding the holes that might catch the heels of her boots.

"Ah, Miranda, you're early," said Kaidan as he ushered her into the room.

"I make good time, General."

"Miranda, nice to see you again." James took Miranda's hand, then pressed his other hand atop and shook. "I haven't seen you since Shepard's shindig at Anderson's."

"Commander Vega—as I recall, you were the one who blew a hole in the Citadel Archives, were you not?"

"Heh, you have a good memory ma'am."

Miranda's face soured at his words. "Please, you can call me Miranda. Or Ms. Lawson, if you want to be formal about it."

"This is Lieutenant Palmer and Corporal Kamau, both members of my crew." James gestured toward each of them.

A lithe man with dark hair stood tall with his shoulders squared. He scanned Miranda up and down with his pithy gaze and cracked a smile. "How do you do, miss? Lieutenant Palmer." he said, his voice falling in pitch with each word.

Lips closed, Miranda smiled back.

The petite Corporal Kamau—barely visible behind the console she was manning—raised a hand politely and nodded once.

"Lieutenant Palmer has been head of reconnaissance on this mission, and Corporal Kamau is our resident tech specialist. They make up the backbone of our intelligence," said James.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I look forward to working with both of you." Miranda tugged at the top of her glove to straighten it. "Full disclosure: you should know that I am a former Cerberus officer. I left Cerberus before the war. Since then, I have been working with the Alliance on a contract basis to capture remaining Cerberus operatives and to help where there is need for intelligence or covert operations. If you are uncomfortable with this arrangement, I suggest you speak up now. We don't have time for petty workplace drama or squabbling."

Lieutenant Palmer's smile grew into a full grin. "No, Ms. Lawson. On the contrary, I'm rather impressed that you were able to get away from Cerberus the way you did. I hear they're ruthless about going after ex-operatives."

"And you, Corporal? Any objections?"

Corporal Kamau shook her head.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business, shall we? We have a mercenary group to infiltrate."

James began."The group doesn't have an official name that we know of, but ears on the ground say that the colonists call them Pipers. They've been expanding the territory they cover." He pointed to a map on the display. "And they're actively recruiting new blood. Palmer tells me they've crapped the bed on operations logistics—that could be a way in for you."

"I see. Don't worry, Commander, I'll find my way."

"Miranda is exceptionally good at what she does. Almost perfect, in fact. It's kind of annoying…" Kaidan smirked and shot a look at Miranda.

She glared back. Kaidan was sure he'd pissed her off, but then she raised her eyebrows and shrugged.

Without missing a beat, James continued. "I'm sure as the General has informed you, there are some child victims involved, the majority of whom were orphaned or separated from their families during the war. This is going to be very difficult work. You'll see and hear more than any of us, so I want you to have fair warning."

"I'm no stranger to the horrors we can inflict upon one another. But I appreciate the reminder."

Miranda's words brought Mindoir mind. Kaidan remembered Shepard's encounter with Talitha, the young woman on the Citadel dock who had threatened to kill herself. How after years of slavery she had been reduced to a living husk, not believing she was worth saving or even worthy of being called human. The scene had sent chills through his heart; it made him see how fortunate Shepard was to get away like she did, and to go on fighting. The line between living free and living a life of suffering had been dictated by a kitchen cupboard.

"I can see why the colonists call them 'Pipers'," said Miranda.

"Why's that?" asked Kaidan.

"Have you heard the legend of the Pied Piper? It's an old Earth story, dating back to the Middle Ages. A town suffers from a rat infestation, and a man, dressed in a colorful costume, uses his musical pipe to lure the rats away from the town. He leads them into a river where they all drown. When the mayor refuses to pay him for his services, the piper exacts his revenge by returning to the town and luring their children away while everyone is at church. The children are never heard from again."

James shook his head.

"What an absolutely dreadful story," said Lieutenant Palmer. "Is that what passed for entertainment in those days?"

"I suppose it's meant to be a warning," replied Miranda, leaning over the console to pore over the plans. She looked up at Lieutenant Palmer—who had been staring at her the entire time—and locked eyes with him. "So, Lieutenant, tell me me what we're working with."

"The way I see it, our blind spots are here and here." The Lieutenant pointed to two large areas where there was a sudden rise in site elevation. "The main structures are built right up to the base of these escarpments. There's no way they aren't hiding something inside the rock."

James nodded. "We need to know what we're dealing with—how big, what's there, and most of all, who's there and how many of them."

"What else?" asked Miranda

Corporal Kamau's voice squeaked from behind the console. "The mercenaries have at least two high-level tech experts on their payroll. Maybe ex-Cerberus, or former corporate engineers. We know one is ex-batarian military. We don't know the full extent of their capabilities, but they do have access to technology beyond what most groups of their size can typically acquire at this time."

"Those are quite a few unknowns."

"That's why we need you, Miranda," said Kaidan.

Miranda clasped her hands behind her back and began to pace. "If we're going to be successful, then we'll need some back up plans. An exit plan in case the worst comes to pass."

"I've come up with several contingency plans should the operation fail at any point in the process." Lieutenant Palmer brought up several outlines on the display.

Stopping mid-step, Miranda scanned them carefully. She nodded with approval. "Impressive, Lieutenant. You're very thorough. A man after my own heart, I dare say."

Kaidan's gaze shifted to the Lieutenant, whose smarmy mouth had curled at one corner. He was clearly proud of getting on Miranda's good side.

"So those are the basic parameters. If you're ok with it, we'll go ahead and forward the plans to you, Miranda," said James.

"Thank you, Commander Vega."

"You can review them when you have the opportunity. In the meantime, Corporal Kamau and our gunnery chief will complete their ordnance assessment. We'll reconvene after that. That's all for now Lieutenant, Corporal."

"Yes, sir," they replied.

Lieutenant Palmer's silver eyes lingered on Miranda as he shuffled to the exit. Only when the doors opened did he turn his head the other way. Observing the lieutenant's dubious behavior, Corporal Kamau rolled her eyes and sighed, as if she had sat through this charade many times before.

As the doors shut, Kaidan turned to Miranda. He gestured toward the spot where the lieutenant had been standing. "Is it me, or was that guy flirting with you?"

"Who, Lieutenant Palmer?" James raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "He flirts with anything that stands on two legs. Man, woman, alien, doesn't matter."

"I suppose that makes me feel a little better," said Kaidan. "Although…he was interested in Miranda but not me?" Teasing, he feigned a frown.

"What are you on about?" asked Miranda."He checked your ass out at least three times that I saw. And that was just during the meeting. I imagine that number is a lot higher when you consider how long you've been here."

Kaidan instinctively rubbed the back of his neck, which had gone warm to the touch. "You're joking. Right?"

"You don't believe me?" Miranda's impish eyes glinted. "Too bad, now I'll never tell."

Laughing, James winked at him. Kaidan still didn't know whether they were joking or not.

"Well my day's done. I need to get out of this gear, I'm sweatin' like a pig under here. You guys up for some poker tonight?" asked James.

"Poker? With you?" Kaidan rubbed his cheek. "I don't know, the last time I played you, you cleaned me out of house and home. No way, man, I'm broke enough as it is!"

"Suit yourself. Miranda?"

"I think I'm going to to turn in early tonight, I've got some things to catch up. Rain check for tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. See you tomorrow, then?"

"See ya around, James," Kaidan replied.

"G'night guys."

Despite the pep talk he had given himself several hours earlier, Kaidan found himself standing in the airlock of Miranda's personal corvette, bottle of wine in hand. He had lied to James about being too broke to play poker—though he hadn't lied about getting his ass handed to him—and Miranda had lied about needing to "catch up on a few things". Though really, when Kaidan thought about it, they did have some things to catch up on. They just weren't work things.

He held his hands behind his back and let out a quick huff. When the air lock finally opened, Miranda was there to greet him.

"Hey," said Kaidan. "I brought something." He swung the bottle from behind his back and held the label out for Miranda to see. "Don't tell anyone—this was hard to get."

"My god, a bottle of wine? I bet it bloody was." Miranda took the bottle and glanced at the label. "I don't have the right glassware….but who the hell keeps wine glasses aboard a corvette anyway? Follow me."

Miranda led him down the main corridor and toward the cramped living space at the rear of the ship. Every last inch of space had been meticulously organized, with tidy shelving and compartments lining each wall. The only visible personal items sat on a narrow counter: a crisply folded towel and a brand new toothbrush resting in cup.

"As you can see, I'm a bit limited on what items I can bring aboard. Have a seat." She gestured toward a built-in love seat with no arms.

Kaidan sat down and swiveled his head. "And from the looks of it, the only seat in the house. It's like a cozy studio apartment—very chic."

"You joke, but this little ship set me back a fortune. Unfortunately, the Alliance doesn't provide much for services rendered. Most of my savings is tied up right here." Miranda rummaged through a high cupboard above the counter and pulled out two glasses. "Hand me the bottle?"

Miranda took the bottle and held it in one hand. Fingers set aglow, she began working the cork out with expert precision; a satisfying pop filled the cabin and she floated the cork down to the counter.

"Miranda, that's incredible! I don't think I can do that with anything smaller than a canister."

She winked. "Just a little party trick I picked up in my younger days."

"You must have had all kinds of adventures."

"Adventures? I suppose if you call being on the run from my controlling, narcissistic father an adventure. I joined Cerberus very soon after—then it was pretty much all work all the time. Though when we did celebrate something, we celebrated it with gusto." She filled each cup halfway, ending the pour with a gentle twist so as not to spill a drop."You're very lucky to have both a father and mother who loved you so well."

"I am. I've always felt blessed to have grown up with parents who cared. Though sometimes I feel guilty that I had that. Is that weird?"

Miranda handed Kaidan a cup and sat next to him."No weirder than being bitter about your existence as an Übermensch vanity project." Sticking her nose into the cup, Miranda took a big whiff, then swirled the wine and did it again. She took a tentative sip. "Mmm…this has quite the bouquet. It's gorgeous. How did you even get your hands on it?"

"My family. Our orchard is in BC's wine country. A friend of my mom's gave her a few bottles for helping out at her property." Kaidan took a sip of wine, then smacked his lips. "Listen, I'm sorry we had to meet here like this. It would have been a little too obvious if I tried to sneak you into the captain's quarters. Our ship runs a little tighter than the Normandy…"

Miranda swirled her cup as she leaned back into the seat. "If the Normandy had run any looser it would have caught an STD."

Kaidan chortled. "You say that with such a straight face."

"I actually have a delightful sense of humor, thank you." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Just because I don't advertise doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"You know, I love that underneath that serious demeanor of yours, you've got all these…surprises. Like little buried treasures."

"The first time I met you, I thought you were boring."

Lips pursed tight, it took all of Kaidan's will to keep the liquid in his mouth and not choke. "Gee…wow, what a statement! Hah!"

"Well there's no point in lying now, is there?" She smirked, seeming ready to laugh at herself.

"I guess not!"

"Yes, I admit it. I thought you were proper boring. You were certainly handsome, but not someone I'd normally be interested in. Too serious, too straight-laced…too reserved. At best I thought we'd come to loggerheads—just look at what happened with Shepard on Horizon."

Kaidan had perked up at the word 'handsome'. "And now?"

"Still serious, still straight-laced. Still boring…but in good way."

"How is is that good, exactly?"

"You're grounded, Kaidan. You try to see the good in people. And you're warm, like a comfortable blanket." Miranda pulled her legs up onto the love seat, tucking them to the side. "As an added perk, you have a surprisingly dry sense of humor."

"I see. But…what about that other thing you mentioned?"

"Which? Reserved?"

Kaidan leaned closer. "No…the thing you said about handsome. Tell me more about that."

Miranda laughed. "How about after you refresh my drink?" She dangled the cup from her hand and held it in front of him.

Kaidan rolled his eyes playfully and did as he was told. Standing at the counter, he could feel the burn of Miranda's eyes on his back. He looked over his shoulder to find her staring. "Uhh, what are you doing?"

"Performing what I will now call the 'Palmer'. It's very simple, really." She raised her eyebrows and leered again, this time making her action much more obvious by fixing her eyes on the object of her admiration.

"Are…are you…checking out my ass?"

"I think the Lieutenant was onto something. It's a pretty good one."

Kaidan set the bottle down and turned around, curling his upper lip in protest. "Just pretty good, huh?"

"Mmm….I'll have to go beyond a visual inspection to answer that I'm afraid."

Miranda rose from the love seat. Cupping her hands along the tops of his hips, she slid them down and around, then smoothed her hands over his cheeks and squeezed lightly. "C'est exquis!"

Kaidan smiled as he caressed her shoulders with a light touch. "I do believe that's the first time a woman has ever had her hands on my backside before we kissed."

"I'm not shy when it comes to things I like." Miranda's hands skimmed up his back as she pulled him closer.

Speaking softly into her ear, he asked, "What else do you like, Miranda?"

Her icy eyes shone through her thick lashes as she gazed up at him. Normally intense and knifelike, they softened as she searched his eyes for the answer to a question neither of them had asked. Kaidan replied by running the backs of his fingers along the hair that framed her face, his fingertips grazing her cheek as he moved the hair aside. The warmth of her skin brushed his knuckles. It sent goosebumps up his arms, and he wanted nothing more than to feel her heat mingle with his.

In a fit of longing, he swept his hand up the back of her neck. He tangled his fingers gently in her hair, his other hand coming up to cradle her cheek. She leaned her face into his hand and shut her eyes, a breathy purr starting at the bottom of her throat, almost inaudible to both their ears. Kaidan drew his face closer to hers. He held steady as he waited for her to open her eyes again.

Taking heaving breaths through her nose, Miranda let her head relax into his hands. The taut thread between them grew shorter and tighter as they wound themselves toward each other, neither giving an inch. Kaidan's parted his lips in anticipation. When Miranda's eyes finally fluttered opened, the thread snapped—he pressed his mouth to hers in an urgent plea. Her soft lips tugged at his as she kissed him back, her tongue slipping into his mouth as he continued to cradle her face and bury his fingers further into her hair. She exhaled and he inhaled deeper still. Her breath sent a fiery ache through his chest as he yearned to fill his lungs with her scent.

The familiar pulse of biotics still tingled on their lips as they pulled away from the kiss.

"I do like that. Very much," Miranda said, her voice uncharacteristically timid. She brought her hand up to stroke his cheek, and he reciprocated by putting his hand over hers. A soft smile crossed her face as she scratched at his new beard.

"I tried to shave, but I didn't have time. Is it bothering you?"

"Not at all. It suits you."

"Shall we…?"

The words spilled from her mouth. "I've waited long enough. I don't want to waste another minute." Taking him by the hand, she led him to the bed and turned down the lights.

*Inosculation - a phenomenon that occurs when two individual trees growing close together become joined. When branches of different trees are in prolonged intimate contact, they often abrade each other, exposing their inner tissues. The trees respond by producing callus tissue that grows outward, thereby increasing the pressure between the two trees. They can eventually fuse.

Song: "Once More to See You" - Mitski
I saw the setting sun on your neck / And felt the taste of you bubble up inside me / But with everybody watching us / Our every move / We do have reputations / Will you keep it secret