OUCH. kaidan’s always been quick on the draw wit sharpened by a life of hardship. he’s never given shepard an inch, even at her most stubborn moments. in the past, her superiors had always lamented her poor attitude, her readiness to fuss and fight. they’d usually recommended pairing her with someone who’d reduce some of those caustic impulses. that someone had been kaidan alenko, it seems. to this day she hates that they weren’t wrong.
she digs through her mental vault for a snappy comeback, something slick to say that’d earn a snort from vega. but he’s very pointedly looking anywhere but at either of them and her search is coming up dry. damn it. shepard sighs, leans back into her seat eyes forward and focused on the pneumatic door in front of her. a bit of atmospheric turbulence jostles her legs, accustomed to solid ground during her six months of incarceration. she should be happy to be back in action, but any joy she might get from flying is SUCKED out of the moment like air from a punctured bulkhead.
“ good idea. not much oxygen where we’re going. ”
the rest of their ride is uncomfortable at best. the tension is different from their last time flying together, not treading the line of treason nor directly life-threatening. for the moment, whilst the reapers laid waste to human civilization, their friends, their families, they were safe within the confines of the shuttle. the quiet gives kaidan several moments for reflection as their interactions, past and present, replay in his mind: his response was emotional, juvenile, he knows that. technically, as her superior in the chain of alliance command, as james’ superior, he’s ought to show a bit more tact. there’s a moment where he thinks to apologize, but logic dictates that he’s in the right. if anything, he won’t antagonize the situation any further.
when the shuttle doors open, claire leading the trio out onto the crimson surface of mars, it’s almost as if they’ve traveled back to three years ago. she takes point, without missing a beat, and he’s right behind her. this nostalgia doesn’t feel all that good, especially upon encountering cerberus troops. with multiple vehicles, they’ve absolutely arrived in force.
there’s no way she would’ve known, kaidan sure the alliance brass was especially secure with handling claire. yet, there’s the inkling feeling that there was more going on than any of them realized, and he hated being left in the dark. “ cerberus is here while earth is burning, seems pretty backwards of a pro-human org. ” kaidan states rather dejectedly, shooting a glance over to his commander. “ i half-expected these troops to at least greet us, not shoot us outright. did you piss off their boss when you quit ? ”
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