Sideways Part 4
-------------------------------------
Chapter 24:
The Test~
Fandom: Mass Effect Trilogy, post-war
Pairing: FemShep/Kaidan Alenko
Rating: Mature
Available: AO3 (beginning, new chapter)
Summary:
Shepard, a paragon for galactic peace and devoted family woman, wakes up in another timeline. War-torn, brutal, and hurting toward destruction, it’s a timeline formed by renegade decisions.
To see her family again, she’ll need to do the impossible before time runs out. Powerful enemies and dangerous secrets stand in her way, but the alternative is worse than death.
They were nearing the LZ. The soldier in front of Shepard stopped short. She collided into him.
“The hell, Corporal! Go.” She shoved him stumbling forward, but he still wasn’t moving. “What do you think you’re--Oh.”
Her heart stopped. They’d reached the edge of a clearing in the trees, their LZ. It was too late to not be seen.
“Admiral Shepard,” Kaidan said.
Arms folded and dressed in full armor, he stood in the center of the open space. Four Alliance soldiers flanked him. Their weapons were holstered on their backs, but their helmets weren’t off. Their posture was tense and alert on seeing Shepard.
“Admiral Alenko.” She regained her bearing.
She snapped off her helmet slowly and tucked it under her arm. The glove she ran through her hair left a tangle of mud that oozed down her neck.
Damn, she and her men looked bad. Mud splattered their face shields. Their fronts were crusted bellies of dirt. Pine needle-like foliage and moss junked the joints of their armor. Then there was the horrified look of bewildered on all their faces, like they might break into a run if she gave the sign. She wouldn’t give the sign. The chance for running was over.
She sauntered through the clearing and stopped in front of him. “Got the same tip I did?”
Kaidan put a hand out to the side. One of his soldiers clapped a helmet into his hand. He threw it down at Shepard’s feet. It wasn’t Alliance colored. Scuffed and never once waxed. She edged it over with her boot to see the front. A varren insignia on the forehead confirmed her suspicion.
“Got them first? Congrats. Put your name above mine on the scoreboard.” She put her weight on her back foot and stared him hard in the eye. “This is a little out of your way to just be taking a Sunday drive from Orian.”
“You won’t explain yourself?” Kaidan’s voice was raw and sharp. “You’ll leave me to draw my own conclusions?”