Training pt.2
Summary: Kal, Ashley and Anderson are on their first Alliance mission, though it was supposed to be a simple check up on a colony it’s going to be far more dangerous.
Part Two of training. Part one
Character POV: Ashley
“Hey Kal,” Anders said over the intercom, “Try not to die, this seems like a piece of cake.” His laughter was muffled by him pulling himself away from the speaker.
I smiled towards the ceiling at my idiot brother and looked over to see Kal pulling his helmet over his head; the air lock doors closed behind us and we looked forward waiting to be sent out into space.
“Don't worry Anders, I’ll try to make it out alive just so we can cuddle later. We’re still on for our 8:00 session right?” Kal said to Anders over the comm link.
“Oh baby, you know it.” Anders replied.
Before I had the chance to make a two-cent comment the air lock doors slip open and space greeted us. Good thing these suits kept the pressure to a minimum and we were lucky enough to have the newest suits where we had tiny jets on the bottoms of our boots and inside the palms of our hands.
I looked over at Kal and noticed his lack of focus, he was staring off into one of the galaxies in the distance. I reached out my hand to grab his, but I can't. Instead I reached out and touched his shoulder,
“Kal, we need to stay focused. Come on.” I said into the comm link.
He gave me a nod and we used our jets to get closer to the abandoned spacecraft. We were supposed to be going to one of the colonies that have finally accepted the Alliances help for reconstruction purposes. After my mom had destroyed the reapers, there was a lot to be done. Citadel was the first to see the reconstruction process as well as the mass relays. That took about ten years and afterwards the colonies finally asked for help and the Alliance answered. Now another ten years later the colonies aren't really receiving the help they desperately need and after many protests and angry meetings from my parents, the Alliance is now sending groups of new spectres and N7 recruits to see the colonies monthly. That's what Kal and I were on our way to do but then we received a call that there was a spacecraft a little too close to orbit.
We finally reached the doors and with a closer look I saw a faint Cerberus logo beside the doors. I raised my hand to my ear and opened the comm link.
“Anders, it's an old Cerberus ship. Keep an eye out and make sure to scan however much of the ship you can, if you can, for life.”
I heard Anderson fumble to run back to his control panel,
“You would think mom and dad would've put ninety percent of them in a junkyard by now.” He responded back to me.
“Well if that were true then here's your other ten percent.” Kal stated.
I noticed that as I was talking to Anders, Kal was prying open the doors,
“Wait Kal-!”
The doors open and we were sucked inside, the air dragging us in before we could even hold on to something to stop it. We fumbled over each other in the air and hit the wall across from the doors, which shut as quick as they had opened.
I felt a stab of pain at the back of my head and instinctively raised my hand to feel it and was reminded I still had my helmet on. The room was spinning a little, I had to squint to see clearly as I looked around. There was a control panel and of course the place was covered in white, yellow, and black. We weren't in the cockpit like I had hoped but near the rear end of the ship since I mostly saw shuttle ships surrounding us. I made a mental note to check and see if any were in working order in case we ran into trouble. It seemed unlikely since Cerberus had been disbanded the past twenty years, though there were still rogue groups who weirdly still believed in the Cerberus purpose.
‘Wait.. Where's Kal?’ I thought to myself.
“Kal!” I whispered in the lowly lit pit. I tried to steady my breathing so I could listen for him.
“Uhh- I'm over here.” I heard him whisper back.
I let out a sigh of relief and tried to stand up, but the pain near the back of my head was making it difficult. I gritted my teeth and stood up on my own two feet to make my way over to Kal. He must've been flung past the wall and had hit one of the shuttle cars with his back.
“Well it looks like you won't be cuddling anyone tonight with your back like that.” I stated. Kal gave a grunt but I could tell he was smiling behind his helmet. I reached my hand out and he took it, I pulled him up halfway but Kal must have lost his footing and fell, taking me down with him. Next thing I knew I was laying on top of this idiot and he was laughing, his hands resting on my lower back. He really knows how to piss me off.
“You did that on purpose didn't you?” I said through gritted teeth. He couldn't see my death glare, but I hope he could feel it in the tone of my voice.
I felt his chest rumble in laughter and I jolted back up on my feet and gave him a swift kick in the ribs which didn't stop his laughter. After a few minutes of arguing silently we finally started walking through the shuttle bay. It wasn't a very long stretch, we both noticed a room on the upper level that overlooked the lower level.
“You wanna check it out, maybe we can turn the power on? Get some oxygen and light in here.” Kal suggested. I nodded and we both climbed up a ladder leading to a platform on the second floor. Once we got up there we entered the room, that we could now see was the central control room for this part of the ship, a little too easily.
Kal walked over to the controls and within just a few minutes of me keeping watch, he had the oxygen and lights back on. We both removed our helmets and I took a deep breath of air. I was ready to give him a small thumbs up until the control panel started flashing red lights over an over. The look of worry on Kal’s face made me put back on my helmet as quickly as I had taken it off and he did the same. I ran over to the control panel to see what was causing the warning lights to flash but I had my answer as soon as I heard a bullet whiz past my face.
“Take cover!” I yelled at Kal. Kal ducked behind the wall near the door and I made it just in time behind the control panel as a shower of bullets over came us. My breathing was getting heavy, my chest was in knots as I looked over in Kal with what I felt was fear in my eyes. The great Commander Shepard wouldn't be scared but here I was, unable to move, training prepared me for this but I couldn't pull my eyes away from Kal’s. Even through his visor I could see he was afraid too.
“Ashley!” I jumped as i heard someone yell my name through the comm link.
“A-Anderson?” I yelled over the sound of guns blazing.
“Ashley get out of there now! There's Raiders on every inch of the spacecraft, Alliance and Citadel have both ordered me to blow it up as soon as it gets far away enough from orbit.” He was practically yelling in my ear, out of shock or fear I had no idea.
“Raiders… of course! They've been taking over abandoned Alliance ships as well.” I pulled up my omni-tool and dove into recent reports of the raider situation labeled “Pest Control“. I’d have to tell that to Kal later he may find it funny but under the circumstances I can't bring myself to laugh.
“It says there's usually 20-40 Raiders on each of the ships they've found… Anders? How many are there on your scanner?” I asked.
“Ash there's at least 50, duck and dodge as much as possible and if you can bring up a biotic shield. I know you've been struggling with it lately but I know you can.. You have to if you want to get out alive were not prepared for a mission like this and there's no time to call for backup.” For once Anders sounded serious and that's what scared me the most. He knows what I can do; he knows what Kal can do. If he's doubting our survival rate we need to get out of here. Now.
I looked over at Kal and then over the panel, so far there were only ten or fifteen in the bay right now and the rest were probably on the way or out. This could be our only chance.
“Kal,” I said into the comm, still looking somewhat over the panel at the raiders, “Were going to bolt out of here, I want you to shoot while I try to get a barrier going. We’re not too far into the hanger, we can make it. Just.. if anything happens, I-” I stopped and took a deep breath to old back whatever pain wanted to come out.
What was I supposed to tell him, ‘don't leave me behind?’ it's so selfish.. but that's what I want to say.
“Just, never mind. Let's go-”
“Ash wait.” Kal finally spoke up.
I locked eyes with him from across the room, my breath hitched until he spoke again.
“If we get through this, will you go on a date with me?” He asked.
I blinked a little and felt a flare of embarrassment and anger rush to my face, turning it as red a my hair.
“We have a huge possibility of dying if we don't leave right this second and you're asking me out?! Now of all times?!” I was yelling so loudly he probably didn't need the comm link to hear me and from some of the raiders halting their bullets they must've heard it too. That still didn't stop them, bullets came flying by again just as quickly as they had stopped. My eyes were still angrily fixated on Kal.
“Yes,” replied the turian.
“Fine, if we leave right this second.” I replied. I could tell Kal wanted to jump for joy but even he knew no is not the time. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on whatever biotic abilities my dad passed down to me. I felt a flicker of something and reached out for it, like Thane and my dad had taught me to do,
“Sweetheart, when you feel the light just reach out for it. It wants you to use, it wants to be powerful. So just, reach.” My father's voice echoed in the back of my mind and I did. I reached.All of the sudden a barrier cascaded around Kal and I, ricocheting the bullets back towards the raiders and from the grunts of pain, yelling, and screaming i'd say it hit a few of them. THe only problem was, my barrier wasn't strong enough to cover us entirely. Right now it was only a single wall.
“Ok, I can put the wall at our backs but i'll need you to make sure nothing hits us from the front, ok?” I told Kal. The turian nodded and gave me a nod.
“Let's go!” Before I could even move the barrier to cover us Kal had taken out three of the raiders, two were injured from their own bullets, leaving only five left with more on the way. We ran, quicker than we've ever ran during training, not even my mother could get me to run this fast. But when your life is on the line, you tend to surprise yourself. Ive dealt with muggers, bullies, but when it came to guns I always felt myself freeze over and not know what to do. Ever since the accident with Thane all those years ago, it’s been hard. That's why I threw myself into the spectres and not N7 because I want to save everyone including myself. I wanted to get over this fear so I could help the galaxy. I wanted to make my mom proud.
We slid down the ladder as quick as possible so I could get the barrier to shield us. We ran towards the docking bay doors while the last few gunman kept shooting at us, but before we were even halfway close, more had come. Now there were at least twenty raiders shooting at us from behind and I felt my barrier cracking. I spoke too soon.
A piece of my barrier had chipped off and all of the sudden Kal was on the ground and clutching his shoulder in pain. I felt my feet stop and my eyes go wide but I couldn't let fear set in. Not yet. Without hesitation I ran over to him while keeping the barrier up and propped him against the side of my body, Kal clutched my opposite shoulder and I kept him propped up while still withholding this barrier. I felt my sweat start to drip down my forehead but we were only ten steps away from the doors. I can do this. For us I can make it.
“Just stay with me Kal we’re almost there..” I grunted.
I heard him give me a muffled “Ok” and watched as he raised up his gun with what was left of his strength and start to shoot at the raiders. Not as well as he could have if he wasn't so badly injured.
“Anders!” I yelled into the comm link. “Open those doors now!”
“Way ahead of you sis.”
As soon as he said it, the bay doors swung wide open, propelling Kal and I back into the Normandy's direction. I watched as the raiders that had been on our asses the whole time get sucked into outer space and well.. Lose their heads. It was a gruesome sight and I turned my head away from it. I used the jets in my boots to bring us closer and closer to the bay doors, while looking out at space. How can something so beautiful hold so many dangers? I'll never know. I looked down to see Kal was more slumped over than he had been before..
“Kal?” no response.
I started to shake him, hoping that he was just sleeping until I noticed the small hole in his armor.
“No!” I made a small barrier to cover the whole and felt a wetness on my cheeks beneath my helmet. At first I thought it was sweat but when I felt my nose start to run I knew it wasn't sweat. They were tears.
“Kal, please… please be ok. You promised me that date; we were finally going to go out. Kal you can't leave me now think about Legion!” I was whispering into our headset, I could only hear silence on Kals end of the link and on the other end I could hear Anderson quietly praying. He was far from religious .. I haven't heard him pray in years.
I heard the doors of the Normandy rush open and throw us into the hall. We didn't wait for decontamination, I overrided the locks to the main hall in the Normandy and dragged Kal out of there before pulling the giant turian into my arms and running for the med bay. As I ran I could hear Anderson's footsteps running from behind me, we both made it to the med bay with Kal in my arms. The medbay still looked as it did twenty years ago, everything crisp and clear though it wasn't ran by Chakwas anymore. Even after all her protests of staying on the ship, the Alliance thought it best she stay employed at Huerta. Now it was ran by one of her apprentices whose name i've already forgotten. Hopefully they were just as good as grandma Chakwas.
“He needs this armor off and medical attention stat!” I told the apprentice, I turned to Anders “Get us the hell out of this orbit before whats left of the raiders get an idea to hijack this ship too.”
Reluctantly Anderson gave me a nod and ran back upstairs.
I sat outside and waited for the medic to tell me what Kals status was. I waited and waited having to overhear Anderson inform his family. Listening to Legion yell at the medic, to let him inside and then my brother fro agreeing with the medic. Watching poor, shy Legion inform his parents of what had happened. After awhile I didn't know how long I was sitting there until I heard Anderson release all of our missiles on the the Cerberus spacecraft. For it to be out of orbit already hours must have gone by. Anderson informed both Garrus and our mother that we destroyed the spacecraft before telling Citadel, which was a violation of code but under the circumstances we didnt care. Garrus was happy to hear that all raiders were dead. My mother knew the hardship of making that decision to kill so many and she was on the comm with my brother for another few hours. I listened to him cry to her from the med bay, I couldn't bring myself to go up there and talk to them. If my barrier had been a little stronger… maybe we wouldnt be in this position.
“Uh- Ms. Ashley?” a voice came from the med bay
I looked up to see the medic in the doorway looking down at me, quickly I wiped away any tears left on my face and stood up a little bit too quickly and almost lost my balance.
“Uh-yes?” I replied.
“Kal is stable now, he wants to see you. It wasn’t anything major, the shot in his shoulder was workable it was just the fact he had a hole in his armor while being out in space. It quickly drained him of whatever air he needed to breath and knocked him out. He should be fine as long as he stays off his feet for the next few days.It’s a good thing you put a barrier around the hole. If you hadn't he would have for sure been dead”
A cryptic realistic way of putting it but at least Kal was ok now.
”I- thank you.” I replied.
I jumbled my sweat cover red hair into a ponytail and made my way into the med bay. Kal was laying on one of the beds in the far back with more tubes in him then when he was caught in the fire a few months back. So many bags of medication and liquids were connected to him, it made me sick to my stomach to see this. But I still walked towards him.
I reached the end of his bed to see he was still asleep and let out a sigh of relief when I saw his eyes were still closed. I didn’t want to see him, not yet, the guilt was eating away at me. They’ll all tell me it wasn’t my fault but for me that’s not true. Im his partner, I’m supposed to be looking out for him as much as he’s looking out for me. I failed, he got shot and almost died.. I failed.
I jumped as I felt someone's hand grab a hold of mine and looked down to see Kal had woken up. He had bruises around his eyes and throat from the immediate lack of oxygen once we went into space, he was shirtless and I could see where his wound had been bandaged over… It was so close to his heart.
I hastily grabbed a chair and brought it near his bedside so we could be eye to eye. Kal had a look of worry in his eyes and I flinched a little when he drew his hand across my cheek. I was waiting for him to pull his hand away but he never did, instead he cupped my cheek in his hand and rubbed his thumb just under my eye.
“Why are you crying?” the turian asked.
I didn’t know what to say, that thinking he was dead made me feel like I’d lost a part of me I could never replace? Or that for the first time in years my brother prayed, to whom I don’t know or the fact his father was overjoyed at the fact we killed all those raiders. Even though they were the enemy they were still living beings and we killed them. Having to watch his brother, who never raises his voice, yell and scream at Anderson to let him see his brother. Anderson insisted he go cool off in the engine room and come back later. I didn’t know what to say to him. Instead I leaned in to his caress and closed my eyes. Hoping that when I opened them back up again, everything would be back to before this damn mission.
“Ash, this job we chose. This career, were going to get hurt. You’ve seen your parents, how everytime they go on a mission they don’t know if they’re going to come home or not. If this.. If this isn’t what you want. If you want someone safer, you’re not going to find it here. I’m just as hell bent as you to live my days being a spectre, I care about you so much and yeah I don’t want to lose but I’m not going to put out your fire for the sake of your being safe. That fire inside of you is one of the things I love about you, Ash..”
My eyes jolted open and I looked at him with those words hung in the air.. “One of the things I love about you.” I knew he liked me, that he cared. But I never thought love. Never did I think he would say that to me. I-I don’t know if I love him. I’ve never felt that kind of love before.
“Remember how you felt when you thought he was dead?” A voice in the back of my mind rang out. “ You were willing to sacrifice yourself to get him out of there even though if the tables were turned you would have begged him not to leave you. Instead when the moment arose, you didn’t leave him and he didn’t have to ask.”
The feelings I’ve repressed for so long came flooding over me, I rested my cheek in his hand and with mine I clutched the sheets surrounding Kal. This is that feeling, the one I see whenever my parents look at each other. Whenever Legion sees Thane from across the room.. This is what my father had felt when he thought my mother had died. This is the feeling he felt when he found her alive in the rubble.
I couldn't stop the tears at this point and I didn't want to wipe them, when im with Kal I don't feel the urge to hide my face when I get emotional.
“I need time.” I finally croaked out.
I looked up to meet his eyes and his smile gave me the answer before his mouth could.
“I know. I'll be here waiting, always.” Kal replied.
He leaned forward and rested his lips against my forehead and for once, I didn’t slap him away.