It took a couple of minutes for Kacey to reach Kaidan's room, at which point she was hesitant to go in. She was thankful the hall was mostly deserted say for a few nurses running in and out of rooms for whatever reason. Her hesitation was understandable; she couldn't bear to see him like that, much less face it alone. Would he even want her there? The conversations from Mars flashed through her mind; he was giving her some mixed signals she didn't quite understand. She knew he was mad, rightfully so. But she didn't know how to make it better.
Would time make it better? That was the one thing they were running out of. Mix that in with her impatience and sour mood caused by the blasted synthetic, and she felt as though coming here directly was a mistake on her part.
But what was she so afraid of?
She took a deep breath and opened the door; she had to face him sooner or later, conscious, or not. As she entered the hospital room, she could see Kaidan lying there, covered in bruises and cuts, still unconscious as Doctor Michel had said. The door closed behind her; the pair were truly alone.
"Kaidan?" She said softly, "Oh god, it's hard seeing you like this."
She took another deep breath; this was harder than she thought it would've been. She just wanted him to wake and say something. Anything. It didn't matter. She wasn't used to speaking candidly with others; Kaidan being, for the most part, the only exception.
"Don't know if you can hear me, but since you can't tell me to get the hell out either…I'm going to take my chances."
She just needed to put her thoughts into words, that's all. Easier said than done.
"Don't die, Kaidan. You've got to fight. We need you in this. Seeing you in action again…it reminded me you're one hell of a soldier. The Alliance needs you. I need you."
Her words came out clumsily, with that final three words being as honest as she could ever be. She'd never admit that to anyone else; she was perhaps too prideful sometimes for her own good. But right now, here alone, she could easily admit.
"Come on, Kaidan." She spoke again, "Fight."
She turned to leave as doctors began to enter the room. Just as she left, she looked back at the doorway.
"That's an order."
…
While hospitals made Kacey uneasy for personal reasons, the Citadel Embassies was the place where she was at her most agitated. Kacey didn't have neither the time nor patience to deal with the types of diplomats that frequented the embassies. Not to mention the press, who Kacey made her lifelong mission to avoid as much as possible. Nothing against journalists personally. In fact, she very much understood why their work was important. The problem Kacey had with the press was mostly around the questions they asked and how nosey some of its more infamous members can be.
Kacey never did interviews and actively avoided such attention. However, that become almost impossible following the Skyllian Blitz, where she not only got a medal, but suddenly had every single reporter trying to track her down to ask her questions and interview her. And while her N7 training and her reassignment under Anderson's command managed to delay the inevitable, she was still being tracked down by reporters.
Thankfully, she had become much more adept in avoiding reporters over the years. Mostly by trying to blend in, which was easier said than done considering how much she stood out with her bright ruby red hair. Conversely, she also made so that they wouldn't notice her sneaking around them.
It didn't always work though; she remembered how one of the press' more aggravating and annoying members, Khalisah al-Jilani, ambushed her outside the elevator at the C-Sec Academy, which was the only way to leave the Normandy's docking bay at the time. Because of this, Kacey was finally forced to participate in one of those interviews, albeit that she made her lack of willingness to participate known and answered every question as vague and as diplomatic as possible. She thankfully survived said encounter and the Alliance acted accordingly to stop Khalisah from doing that again.
And it seemed her lack of enthusiasm for interviews and dealing with the press was shared with Bailey as Kacey could hear him trying to tell a reporter to leave. Curious, and against her better judgement, Kacey headed into Bailey's office, where that one annoying reporter was standing arguing with Bailey, as expected.
"There's no antihuman conspiracy here, Ms Al-Jilani." Bailey said in a strained voice, "The Council's simply not granting interviews at this time."
"My viewers are going to know that C-Sec and the Council are denying them access." Khalisah snapped.
"Listen lady, you think I like playing gatekeeper between the paparazzi and the politicians?" Bailey asked, "I don't have time to babysit them and I'm not here to hold your hand."
"Well, I'm camping out until I'm granted an audience."
"Fine. I hope you brought a sleeping bag."
She stormed off past Kacey, who had the biggest smirk on her face, before turning around once she was in the hall, realising who she had walked right past.
"Commander Shepard?" She said, trying to act professional, "Commander, humanity has questions!"
"I didn't know I had questions." Kacey quipped as she closed the door, "News to me."
"Damn press." Bailey grumbled.
"See you're keeping the peace." Kacey mused.
"Yeah, I feel like a glorified doorman." Bailey replied sarcastic.
"Most people would see it as a move up."
"Wedged in here with all the stuffed shirts? I'd rather be back down on the streets. I appreciate the higher pay grade, but I'm not a political creature."
"Well, don't lose your edge. You might need it."
"Wouldn't mind an excuse to get my fingers dirty." Bailey replied, "It's killing me about Earth."
"You and me both."
"I haven't been back in years." Bailey mused, "Now I may never. If this ain't the end of days, it's pretty damn close."
"Yeah, well I'm here to make sure that isn't the case." Kacey sighed.
"No pressure then." Bailey replied.
Kacey then said her goodbyes before heading towards Udina's office. She had put off the task long enough and now, she just has to face it. And hope that she could control that sharp tongue of hers. As she entered, she was greeted by who she assumed was Udina's assistant.
"Commander. Councillor Udina said you'd be coming."
"Did he now?" she said, less than enthusiastic.
"If you'll follow me, the Council is already in session."
…
Being right never felt like much of a victory. Especially when it came to the Reapers. Sometimes it felt like Kacey and her crew were the only ones prepped for this war, mostly through luck, timing and experience. Many of her squad-mates would've argued it was her leadership that made it possible, and while Kacey admitted that it certainly played a part in their victories, it was the squad themselves that made it possible. All of them working together, made it all possible.
Liara was already standing at the end of the catwalk in front of the Council by the time Kacey arrived. And the scarlet-haired commander wasn't interested in the arguments the politicians were engaged in as she approached.
"We've got our own problems, Councillor." Sparatus said firmly, "Earth is not in this alone."
"But Earth was the first Council world to be hit." Udina snapped back, "By all reports, it faces the brunt of the attack."
"By your reports…" Valren said sarcastic.
Kacey rolled her eyes as she approached Liara, who had her head in her hand and was shaking it furiously.
"The reports are accurate, Earth was attacked, by the Reapers." Kacey said firmly.
She had clearly caught their attention now, "And it's just the beginning. We need your help. Everything you can spare."
"Each of us faces a similar situation." Tevos replied, "Even now, the Reapers are pressing on our own borders. If we lend you our strength to help Earth, our own worlds will fall."
"They are going to fall regardless, if we don't work together." Kacey said, starting to lose her patience.
"Commander Shepard is right!" Udina said, "We must fight this enemy together!"
"And so we should just follow you to Earth?" Valren questioned.
"Even if we were to unite our fleets, do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?" Sparatus asked.
"I don't expect you to follow me without a plan." Kacey said.
Liara cleared her throat, "Councillors…we have that plan. A blueprint. Created by the Protheans during their war with the Reapers."
"A blueprint for what?" Sparatus asked.
"We're still piecing it together." Liara said, "But it appears to be a weapon of some sort."
"Capable of destroying the Reapers?" Valren inquired further.
"So it would seem."
"The scale is…it would be a colossal undertaking."
"No. I forwarded the plans to Admiral Hackett." Kacey explained, "The remnants of the Alliance are already gathering resources to begin construction.
"Our initial calculations suggest it is very feasible to build." Liara added.
"If we work together." Kacey also added.
"Have you considered that the Reapers destroyed the Protheans?" Tevos said in a condescending tone that pissed Kacey off, "What good did this weapon do?"
"It was incomplete." Liara answered, "There was a missing component. Here. Something referred to only as the Catalyst. But they ran out of time before they could finish building it."
"Do you really believe this can stop the Reapers?" Sparatus asked.
"I believe in trying." Kacey replied, standing her ground, "And while I haven't always agreed with Udina, he's right about this…we need to stand together. Now more than ever. The Reapers won't stop at Earth. They'll destroy every organic being in the galaxy if we don't find a way to stop them."
"The cruel and unfortunate truth is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup." Tevos said.
"Prepare and regroup? If only someone had warned you three years ago that this very scenario was going to happen so you could prepare." Kacey scoffed, "Oh wait. I did."
Udina facepalmed as Kacey said that. Tevos simply looked at Kacey, shocked by the audacity of what she had just said.
"We are convening a summit amongst our species." Valren explained, "If we can manage to secure our borders, we may once again consider aiding you."
"Consider? You honestly think the Reapers give a damn about borders?"
"I'm sorry, Commander. That is the best we can do." Tevos interjected.
"Yeah? Well your best isn't good enough." Kacey snapped, walking off.
"Now Commander that's not—where are you going?" Tevos said, "This meeting isn't finished!"
"Sorry but the best I can do is listen to you for ten minutes." Kacey replied sarcastic, walking backwards as Liara followed, "If you, god forbid, actually need my assistance, I'll be in Udina's office for five minutes before actually doing something about this 'galactic genocide' we're facing. It's very time-consuming, you know, trying to save people from genocidal machines. I understand how that can be very inconvenient for you."
Kacey jumped down the steps, a smirk on her face. She didn't give a damn anymore. She was going to be in a lot of trouble for speaking to the Council like that, but she didn't care. That was cathartic and long overdue.
…
Kacey was sitting on top of Udina's desk by the time Udina arrived. She had quite the big smirk on her face as the politician looked at her furious.
Unlike Hackett and Anderson, Udina did not put up with Kacey's nonsense. In fact, while Hackett mostly let it slide, and Anderson only reprimanded her for more egregious actions, Udina would not tolerate it nor let any of it slide. For whatever reason, Udina seemed much more aggravated and angry in the cases where Kacey mouthed off or did something stupid, like running a tank through a small Mass Relay or shooting assassins in the wards. A feeling that was mutual as Kacey did not like the politician one bit.
She didn't trust Udina; like how she didn't trust most people. She swore that every time he looked at her, he was evaluating her. And she didn't like it. The man was a career politician; she didn't trust a damn thing that came out of his mouth. But, as sadistic as it may sound, she did enjoy winding him up, just a little bit.
"Do you have any idea what the words 'political shitstorm' means, Commander?" Udina asked, angry.
"I don't know, should I?" Kacey smirked.
"Your remarks may have cost us the war!"
"They weren't going to help us anyway." Kacey replied, remaining calm, "I told Anderson and Hackett that already. And hell, even you should know by now that they weren't going to help."
Udina pondered Kacey's statement before replying, "They're a bunch of self-concerned jackasses, Shepard."
"See? Don't you feel just a little bit better now?" Kacey said sarcastically as she folded one leg over the other, still sitting on the desk.
Udina grumbled, "We may have a spot on the Council, but humanity will always be considered second rate."
"I know." Kacey sighed, "How can they be so blind?"
"They're scared." Udina sighed, "And they're looking out for themselves."
"Our people are scared; we're looking out for them the best we know how." Sparatus said as he entered the room. Kacey rolled her eyes.
"Councillor." Udina greeted Sparatus bluntly.
"You do know I was being sarcastic when I said that you could come here to get my help right?" Kacey scoffed. Udina shot her a nasty glare.
"I am aware of that, Commander." Sparatus replied sharply, "But I, unlike Tevos and Valren, understand where you are coming from and why you said what you said. I…also acknowledge that I am partly to blame for that outburst due to my…past statements."
"You were one third of blame so fair." Kacey replied as Udina glared at her again.
"And I do apologise for that ignorance." Sparatus replied.
"But you're only doing it because you need something." Kacey said, catching the two politicians off-guard, "But I'll accept the apology anyway, so Udina doesn't bite my head off."
"I appreciate that, Commander." Sparatus replied courteous, "I can't give you what you need, but I can tell you how to get it."
"I'm listening."
"Primarch Fedorian called the war summit, but…we lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven."
"The Reapers are on Palaven?" Kacey asked, concerned.
"Yes. They hit not long after Earth was hit." Sparatus explained, "Those meetings won't proceed with the Primarch, and your ship, the Normandy, is one of the few ships that can extract Primarch Fedorian undetected."
Kacey scoffed, "So far you've only explained how I can help you."
"It might seem that way."
"Seem? Pretty much is."
"The leaders of this summit will be the ones deciding our future." Sparatus explained, "The fate of our fleets, where they fight and with whom. A grateful Primarch would be a tremendous ally in your bid to unite us."
"Back up, we're at war and you want me to play politician?" Kacey replied.
"If it gets you what you need, what does it matter?"
"Because we are on a pretty tight time limit to end this war before they wipe us out." Kacey shot back, "Plus, and this goes without saying, but I'm a soldier, not a politician."
"Yes, and I need the best soldier in the human fleet to rescue the Primarch." Sparatus retorted.
"Tch."
"Our latest intelligence says that the Primarch was moved to a base on Palaven's largest moon. I've done all I can to help. The rest is up to you, Commander."
Sparatus headed towards the door, but stopped before leaving, adding, "There is one other thing. The Council wanted me to tell you…we've chosen to uphold your Spectre status. And various resources will be made available to you. Good day, Commander."
Once Sparatus had left, Kacey sighed. She knew she couldn't complain too much; he at the very least, offered her a solution rather than flat out refusing to help, but it wasn't enough. But it did give her an idea.
"Well, that went well." Kacey said in a snarky tone.
"It's a start." Udina grumbled, "I'll talk to the others in the meantime. See if we can support this summit. Move things along. And hopefully your comments won't have sullied our relations with them."
"Would now be a bad time to admit that I don't regret a damn thing I said?" Kacey quipped.
"You're lucky you're the Alliance's best soldier, Shepard." Udina grumbled, "Otherwise, I would've had you either court-martialled or killed for all the reckless stuff you've done."
…
Kacey managed to reach the Normandy's docking bay with little issue. Despite reporters looking for her, either because she was off Earth or because her conversation with the Council had leaked. She didn't know nor did she care. Right now, she was more focused on getting back onto the ship and heading off towards Palaven, where a close friend of hers would more likely than not be fighting right now.
She caught up with James as she arrived in the docking bay; the marine reassured her that he had in fact stayed out of trouble which was good to hear. As they walked towards the Normandy's docking tube, Kacey could overhear a reporter asking questions. She looked down at the seating area and saw one of her crew, being harassed by the reporter.
"Ma'am, I can't say when we're deploying or where, or why."
"Who's that being hassled by the reporter?" Kacey asked James.
"Ensign Copeland." James replied, "He's a bit of an ass."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Maybe when you're in a better mood." James replied, "Put it this way; he's not too happy you're on the Normandy."
"Well, he better learn to like it." Kacey replied, "Last I checked, I was the captain of that ship before he even step foot on it."
"But you're on the Normandy, right?" The reporter asked, "I saw it dock. It was last seen on Earth… did Commander Shepard escape?"
Kacey then stepped behind James; she didn't want to deal with any reporters right now.
"Hide me." Kacey said.
"Why?" James asked.
"She did, didn't she? So why would she be here, unless she's seeing the Council?" The reporter said.
"Ma'am I can't talk about that." Copeland replied.
Kacey then decided in that moment to make a break for it and bolted towards the Normandy. She did not want to be backed into a corner by a reporter with so much going on at that moment. Once James was aboard, alongside Copeland and the last of the Normandy's crew, Kacey told Joker to head towards Palaven.
And she just hoped her best friend was still alive.