Lazarus Project: Mass Effect 2 (Shenko)

Chapter 47

Milky Way/Serpent Nebula/Widow System/Citadel

Earth year: 2185 CE --- August

The return trip to the Citadel was quiet. No one wanted to talk about what had happened on Horizon. Kaidan had no problem with that. He still hadn't come to grips with his disastrous meeting with Shepard. His heart grew cold whenever the thought that it might really be her and by reacting the way he had, she would never forgive him for what he'd said.

"Sir?" A knock at his door interrupted his pacing.

"What is it Lieutenant?" Kaidan asked, meeting Tanner at the door.

"We're almost at the Citadel Commander." She said, her voice quiet. "We should clear docking procedures in under an hour. I thought you'd want to know."

"I appreciate it Dlaney. Anything else?"

Tanner glanced away. "Not really sir. I just uh.. I just wanted to say that it's been an honour serving with you. For both myself and Zima."

"That sounds an awful lot like a goodbye Dlaney. Is there something I should know? Has Zima been hacking emails again?"

Tanner flushed. "No! I mean, no sir, I just wanted you to know that we, that I, respect and admire you as our commanding officer."

"If you're worried that I'm planning to leave the Alliance, you can stop. I have no plans to quit Dlaney. Regardless of what we've learned about the Alliance and the Collectors, I'm still a soldier. As a biotic with military training, I have few options outside the Alliance that I'd want to pursue."

Tanner flushed again, the tension in her shoulders visibly dissolving. "Right. Of course sir. Good to know. Anyway, I should get back to the bridge. See you topside."

Kaidan stepped back inside his cabin, his eyes falling to his desk where a holo of Shepard lay forgotten. Damn. Had Dlaney seen it? Picking it up, he stared at Callie's image, his heart thudding in his chest. It had been a long time since he'd looked it. He'd taken it on impulse when they'd visited the Citadel together over two years ago, but after Horizon, he'd felt compelled to look at it again.

He still couldn't believe what had happened on Horizon. It felt like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. That the entire colony hadn't been lost and that his team had survived... it was a miracle. No, his mind corrected, not a miracle. Shepard.

Clenching his jaw at the unwanted train of thought, he returned the holo to its' place inside his duffle and headed for the bridge. It was time to find out what Anderson was up to.

Milky Way/Crescent Nebula/Tasale/Illium

Callie watched Thane as they made their way through the market district on Illium. For reasons she couldn't explain, she had yet to figure him out. He was quiet, unexpectedly thoughtful, introspective and at times unguarded. He paused halfway across the market district to gaze out at the horizon.

"You know I spent the past two years here on Illium and I never once paused to take in the view." He said softly. "It is... breathtaking."

Callie said nothing as she allowed him his moment of reflection. He was a puzzle for sure and the thought made her tense. Puzzles were a challenge that she couldn't help but pick apart. Trouble was that more often than not her picking apart usually led to trouble.

Catching Thane watching her with undisguised interest, she turned away and headed for the transport corridor in search of Samara. Thane and Jack fell in behind her, neither inclined to speak.

Finding Samara turned out to be easy. She was at a local crime scene where a volus had been murdered. She was searching for a target she was pursuing.  Unfortunately, she wasn't willing to abandon her investigation to join Shepard's crew.