Beyond the Horizon.

Cerberus & The Alliance.

"So where have you been for two years, Kaidan?" Garrus asks as the shuttle takes off from the ground of Horizon. Kaidan sat in the far corner away from them all, he knew this wasn't right, but Anderson counted on him and needed to know what happened to the Commander Shepard who was once devoted to the Alliance. 

"You already know, Garrus. I kept in contact with everyone yet you fell off the face of the Earth. Where did you go?" Garrus' mandibles go tight against his cheeks, he didn't appreciate Kaidan's obvious attitude. 

Shepard watched the tension between them grow, he cleared his throat to get their attention. "Kaidan, I need you to know about my ship," he begins. Kaidan sits back, lazily hanging his hands on his knees. Shepard stood up, hanging onto the shuttle bars for stability. "It's called the Normandy SR2, Cerberus built the near exact same as the previous, but she's twice in size." 

Kaidan raised a brow, "How in the hell did Cerberus get secret plans for the most advanced ship in the Alliance..." Shepard shrugged his shoulders.

"Hell if I know," he mutters. Kaidan was surprised Shepard didn't know every secret of Cerberus since he worked for them. "Look, I know this isn't what you expected but I have my reasons for this." 

Kaidan snickered, shaking his head as he spoke, "big talk for a guy who turned his back on everything we fought for. You work for the enemy now." Garrus could be heard grumbling in the background. Shepard waved at him to keep quiet before turning back towards Kaidan, a hard look on his face. 

"You don't have to believe me, but don't insult me. If you don't think I wouldn't be doing this for the right reasons, then you never knew me like I thought," he snaps. Kaidan sits up straight, feeling very called out. He keeps quiet, turning to look out the window. The view of the Normandy was coming into view, it was a beautiful ship. It would be almost perfect if the Cerberus colours weren't painted across it. 

He clears his throat, looking at Garrus. "I'm going to take a wild guess that since you're on the ship, Joker and Chakwas are both aboard?" Garrus looked at Shepard in surprise. 

"How did you know?" Garrus asks. 

Kaidan smirks, waving his arm with his omni-tool. "When neither of them contacts me and Shepard returns from the dead, it's not hard to put two and two together." Shepard doesn't speak on It, he opens a comm to connect to the ship.

"Joker, once we're aboard can you set a course to the Citadel. I think it's time we went to see Anderson and the council." Kaidan looked at him, wondering if he was also going there to take him back and throw him back at Anderson. Shepard feels Kaidan's burning eyes in him, but he keeps his head high and doesn't turn in his direction. 

There's some static before Joker's familiar voice comes through, "Uhh... yes, Commander. The Illusive Man wants to see you as well, he has some concerns about the Horizon mission." Shepard swore under his breath, he forgot the Illusive Man had tabs on the shuttle and could literally see Kaidan sitting there, in full Alliance armor. 

"Great," he mutters. The shuttle lines itself up with the docking clamps and sets down as the doors open. Shepard nearly runs straight into Miranda, a face of thunder accompanying her. 

"Are you crazy?!" she yells. Shepard barges past her, heading to his locker. Garrus motioned for Kaidan to follow close, he watched the dark-haired woman closely. She wore the tightest pantsuit he'd ever seen, the Cerberus logo of course splattered on it. 

"It's nothing to do with you, Miranda," Shepard snaps at her. Miranda stood close by, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "He's going to help us," he adds.

"He's Alliance," she shouts. Kaidan watched the exchange, this Miranda seemed to be close to Shepard, second in command maybe. He didn't like her already. "The Illusive Man won't approve." 

Shepard slammed his helmet down, turning to look at her. "Good thing it's not his fucking ship and decision then. It's mine, back off." He chucked his helmet to the side, the heavy metal hitting the paneled wall and turned towards the lift. Garrus pulled Kaidan along, they were going with him, Kaidan looked at Miranda, she was scowling deathly at him. 

---

"Shepard, you're causing me quite the headache," the Illusive Man begins as Shepard comes through the holographic floor. Kaidan couldn't see what Shepard could, it just looked like he was staring and talking directly towards the wall. "Why have you allowed an Alliance soldier on this ship?" he heard the mysterious man ask. 

Shepard crosses his arms over his chest, leaning on his hip. "Kaidan has been by my side since the beginning, I want his help defeating the Collectors." 

"Collectors," Kaidan whispers. He thought they were just a scary story told to stop humans from living out in the Terminus system. Garrus was standing next to him, and another man in a tight suit stood across the table, he also glared at Kaidan. "I'm really not liked," he comments to Garrus. 

Garrus looks over at Jacob, shaking his head, "Jacob doesn't like anyone, it's not personal," he whispers back. Kaidan chuckled, Jacob heard it and glared even harder, it didn't faze Kaidan in the slightest. 

"Shepard, the Alliance will not allow this. He cannot be on this ship, he could jeopardize this entire mission." The Illusive Man taps the falling ash from his cigarette, looking almost bored with the conversation. 

"Kaidan works directly with Anderson, we are going there to see the council. He stays, end of," Shepard says waving his arm in annoyance, "if not. I'll leave and not return." The Illusive Man looked up at his threat, thinking for a moment. 

"Very well, you've been warned," he says before ending the call. Shepard walks off the hologram table and stands at the head of the table, leaning into it. Jacob takes that moment as a good idea to throw his opinion in. 

"Can we trust him, Shepard? He is Alliance after all?" Kaidan saw John snap, he'd seen that look of rage many times before. Shepard looks at Jacob, eyes twitching in anger.

"Is everyone on MY ship trying to question me? Last time I checked," he shouted pointing at Jacob. "You were Alliance. Should I not trust you as well?" Kaidan and Garrus looked at each other, feeling the room become too hot to even stand in with the immense tension. 

Jacob goes stiff, standing straight and saluting Shepard. "No, Commander. I apologize, won't happen again," he says before rushing out the door. Shepard shakes his head, dropping his shoulders before turning to Garrus. 

"Can you get Kaidan settled, put him in the starboard observation room," he says before turning to Kaidan. "Come see me when you're sorted, I'll tell you everything," he adds with a small smile. He nods towards them both before leaving the room. 

"Come on," Garrus calls as he leads the way. "You have a lot to be shown and people to get to know." 

Kaidan snorted behind him, "think that's a good idea. I'll probably get my throat slit in my sleep." 

"Don't worry, you're sleeping in the bunk next to me. They have to get past me first," Garrus says euphemistically. Kaidan didn't feel filled with hope at his words, he could only hope he'd made the right choice coming along.