Mass Effect 1. Chapter 2

Abigail Shepard rechecked herself for the fifth time. Armour on; shields up; kinetic barriers up; pistol loaded and ready; extra clips: 5. She took a deep breath; somehow unable to get enough, spreading her feet wide as she leaned her elbows on her knees and pressed her head into her hands. There was a throbbing pulse inside her head that threatened to sicken her yet. She closed her eyes and swallowed against the blackness.

Kaidan was in danger. That thought, singular, resonating like a sun gone supernova, railroaded its way around and around her head like a speeding train gone off the tracks. All these months since she had talked with Anderson she had tried to put Kaidan aside, after all it wasn t like she had nothing to do, and who knew what two years had done to the lieutenant.

Commander.

Anderson had been reluctant to tell her anything; a fact that had stung like a festering wound when she had gone to see him, hoping to be greeted by that familiar fatherly figure she had relied on before, instead there was a changeling in his skin: A distant politician unwilling or unable to share what was to her the most important information because she was working with the enemy. Working with the enemy. She was no idiot; she knew Cerberus were bad people, knew they would never change but dammit, people were disappearing and there was no way she could get the resources with the Alliance that she already had with the Illusive Man behind her. So long as he stayed behind her she could control this situation; she could make sure nothing bad happened with it.

It seemed only a few weeks ago she had saved the Citadel; it was dizzying to think it was actually two years ago. That fact, somehow, she couldn t grasp. She could remember with perfect clarity receiving her commendations for saving the Citadel Council; for saving the whole galaxy, Kaidan by her side; those dark eyes watching her every move, that secret little half smile on his lips that he saved just for her. They had been given two weeks leave for rest and recovery following the fight with Saren and his geth, and boy hadn t they rested and recovered? That whole two weeks Shepard was sure neither of them saw daylight except through the window of Kaidan s apartment on the Citadel Presidium. If she closed her eyes she was there in the predawn light of his bedroom. She could almost feel the soft cotton of the sheets, his hands always so warm and softer than she had thought they would be, his lips grazing her shoulders leaving them reddened by the roughness of his unshaven face.

But that wasn t a few weeks ago; that was two years ago, she reminded herself. Just because she still felt that aching void in her chest didn t mean that Kaidan felt the same; or even remembered. Two years was a long time, he would have moved on of course he would have, she had been dead after all. She wasn t sure what terrified her more: finding out he hadn t moved on and had spent the last two years in purgatory, or finding out he had moved on. Maybe got married. Maybe had kids. She swallowed, crushing her face into her hands further to stop her eyes welling with tears. That wasn t fair. If it were true she had to accept it. Two years was a long time.

Shepard? The voice was Garrus and she lifted her eyes to look at him, giving him a reassuring ghost of a smile. His small grey eyes watched her unwavering, his hand held his rifle, the butt of the gun resting on the shuttle as it jounced into the atmosphere of Horizon.

Abigail would never get used to seeing a Turian up close she figured; even back in school when they were given their first pictures of Turians she had thought they were one of the strangest looking species out there. Not that the Volus or Elcor looked normal; but Turians had a dangerous undertone to their every look, every gesture.

On average they were about the same height as human men, some stretching to seven feet, and they were built roughly the same; standing on two legs with two arms, but they were much wirier. Their skin was tough and reflective and looked scaly to touch, but she knew it was soft like human skin, just grey in colour. Their eyes were small, like a birds, resting in a head that looked like it belonged somewhere between bird and reptile, folds of hardened cartilage creating almost a crown tapering to the back of their heads. She could remember her lecturer back on Mindoir, Dr Craig, teaching them about the Turian home-world Palaven. The planet had a core that was poor in metal which meant that the protection from the sun s radiation was weaker than on other planets; as a consequence almost everything alive on Palaven had developed some kind of reflective protection against radiation; for Turians this was in the structure of their skin.

Perhaps the dangerous undertone was nothing to do with the way Turians looked but more to do with the history they had with humans. After all, it was the Turians that had first contact with humans and started a war that lasted little more than a month before the Citadel Council intervened, offering a tentative welcome to the human race. For all the hostility

however the relationship had come far since then. Turian s had great respect for the human sacrifices made while saving the Citadel; their fleet had become the pride of the galaxy and if there was one thing Turians knew it was good military.

You look pale, Shepard. He commented, surprisingly observant for Garrus, normally such human traits passed him by without much notice. I m fine. She said, and she was. Perhaps saying it enough would make her believe it. Did the Illusive Man tell you anything else about this colony other than it was under attack? He asked, and there was a hint of suspicion there, but she thought it would be best keeping the fact that Kaidan was supposed to be there to herself. Less distracting that way. She shook her head. No, we re going in to find out what the Collector s are up to. She swept a strand of hair behind her ear before lifting her helmet and securing it on her head. No shit. Jack muttered from where she sat, peering out the shuttle window.

She was a collage of tattoos and not much clothing, but her biotics made up for the scarcity of her armour. She looked to Garrus, she had a fiercely beautiful face the angles of her cheekbones and chin made sharper by her shaved head. She watched Shepard with the same guarded demeanour she held for everyone; but she was glad she brought Jack along. It felt like they were the only two she could trust; Garrus had no ties to Cerberus except her and she could trust him, he had helped her before. Jack had every reason to despise Cerberus, and she did, which made her a perfect ally. Just stay sharp. Shepard said firmly Whatever the Collectors are up to; I want to know.

Lilith Baker paused on the threshold of her cabin, readjusting the fuel cells in her arms before they toppled down the steps in front of her. Satisfied they were balanced once more she descended the steps onto the grass with quick strides; the fuel cells were not light after all and she was in a rush. It was then April appeared, blonde hair shining under the sunlight as she came marched toward her, her blue eyes looked furious and she flicked her hair over her shoulder falling into step beside her. Where are you headed? She asked, her tone clipped and sharp. The Control Room. Lilith said shortly, she was in no mood for dealing with April s drama moments. Since she had arrived at the colony she had gone out her way to make trouble simply to have something to talk about, and now was not the time for that. That Alliance rep is looking for you. April said He s furious that we ve taken our engineers off the guns to work on the Comm dish. Lilith gave her a sideways glance; it was hard to tell the direction of April s anger.

She was certainly not mad at the Alliance rep; since this Commander Alenko had arrived April had been tripping over herself to talk with him. For his part the Commander had remained distant from the colony; they had even given him one of the nicer cabins, a private one to boot. It wasn t that he didn t appear thankful for their hospitality but he sure did prefer his own company. Even after hours while they drank at the makeshift bar he spent most of his time in his cabin. All he had requisitioned was a bottle of Noverian whiskey and parts for these damned defence guns the alliance had gifted them. Not that she wasn t grateful; lord knows the colony needed better defences this far out in the Terminus Systems, but in her experience gifts from the Alliance usually came with a subtle string attached. So she could never be sure if April was angry with the Commander, or angry that the hiccup with communications had meant she didn t have an excuse to hang off his arm. Well, Lilith said, rounding a cluster of cabins onto what stood for the main street of their colony, a direct walk to the Control Room from here We need our Comms up April. Without them we re blind. The Commander is military, he ll know that. She paused Or he should.

It was then she spotted the Commander, dressed in his armour he looked ready to battle let alone tinker with some defence guns; but then she had always wondered why he needed an arsenal to set up defences. She handed the fuel cells to April without breaking stride, gesturing for her to continue on as she paused in front of the Commander, waiting to feel the wrath of this fury. It never came.

He was a handsome man, she could give him that at least, dark hair slicked back with a strong, angular face and deep, dark eyes that had many of the women here swooning. Not her though, Commander Alenko was all too quiet for her. She liked her men rowdy. Even now, when she expected him to offload a temper, he was simply looking at her; a picture of serenity and calm. Lilith, He said in way of greeting We have a problem. He began walking and she had to half jog to keep up with him;

she wasn t military, not even close. Still trying to calibrate the targeting matrix? She asked.

It wasn t as much a guess as she made it sound, the Commander had been trying to get it done for the last few days; but life in a border colony was nothing if unpredictable. Power shortages, water supply problems, burnt out fuel cells, late shipments of supplies, hell early shipment of supplies she could knock them all out in a standard week on Horizon, and each and every one could cause unparalleled chaos.

Those defence towers are useless without it. He said, his tone was deep but it wasn t angry and not for the first time she wondered what April had been talking about. The Commander was alright in her books. I know. She said by way of apology But Comms take priority Commander, with them down Okay. He said, stopping and turning to look at her I m just surprised they ve not tried to blame that one on me too. For the first time since he had arrived she thought she could detect a little bit of emotion from him, it knocked her off her guard a little as she looked carefully at him. A lot of people don t trust the Alliance out here. She tried It s nothing personal. And that was true, it really wasn t anything against the guy; there would be plenty a happy lady if he should choose to integrate a bit more with the colony.

But his attention was somewhere else already, his dark eyes turned skyward. She followed his gaze. Above them the air was shifting; the clouds that normally crawled by silently were moving, turning, twisting as a great metallic monstrosity was birthed from their depths high above in the sky. Lilith couldn t believe her eyes; she had never seen a ship so large even the transporter that had brought them here would have been dwarfed beside it. What is that? she asked, she had no idea what else to say. The Commander s brow furrowed as he lifted the rifle at his side to get a better look, without lowering the gun he glanced to her; dark eyes meeting hers Get everyone to the LPR. He ordered and she hesitated, wondering if he was being serious. But then she caught the dark look on his face and knew this was no drill. There was a sudden crack of gunfire, one that made her jump in the air literally, and god that was going to be embarrassing when this was all over and then she was running, the Commander a little behind her, lunging backwards, his gun pointed skyward, bullets pumping the air. Only it wasn t just air, there was something like a black cloud, that moved and shifted, parted for the bullets, came back together. She was too busy trying to keep her feet moving to look and then she tripped; her hands sliding into grass that was still slick and cool with dew from the morning. The Commander gripped her arm, pulling her to her feet, and giving her the gentlest of pushes but it didn t lack urgency. Then he cried out, his hand reaching the back of his neck and dislodging some kind of insect that was there. He growled, moved back to fire again, but no gunfire ever came. The Commander simply stopped, mid step, his finger an inch or two from the trigger. It was as though someone had blew dry ice over him and frozen him solid.

Her heart began to skip as she turned and fled, too scared to look back. One of the colonists grabbed her arm and she held onto them, as though the very contact could stop what was happening. She tripped again was it her new sneakers? and fell this time onto her shoulder. A piercing pain in her back and she cried out, the sound rumbling up from her gut only to freeze halfway in her throat as she tried to suck in a breath but she couldn t. She couldn t move at all. All around her she could see people screaming as they ran, those swarms of insects enveloping each in a dark cloud, but she couldn t move a muscle. Couldn t speak. She felt her eyes well with tears that she couldn t shed; her eyelids wouldn t move.


	2. Chapter 3

Garrus held his breath as overhead bullets rained down around him. His back was pressed to the wall of a cabin as he let the Collector's tire their guns into submission long enough for him to line up a target. The colony was under attack when they had landed, throwing them into the thick of battle; he had lost sight of Jack, she had disappeared in a flash of brilliant blue as she unleashed her biotics on the Collectors. The problem was biotics didn't discriminate; she could easily cause unwanted casualties with her recklessness, which was why he would always prefer his sniper rifle.

He had managed to keep up with Shepard; small she may be but she was fast when it counted. Faster than him, even in all her N7 armour. From where he waited he could see her, crouched low against a planter that housed tomato plants. They lay in tatters now, the fruit burst by the spray of bullets they had aimed at his Commander. She had her pistol gripped in one hand, her helmet had been dislodged at some point, her long dark hair shaken loose and trailing down her back now dappled with tomato pieces and dirt.

She looked to him, her head ducking further as a bullet pinged a little too close for comfort; her blue eyes were hard and determined. She gave him the nod; the one that meant 'get ready' and he sucked a breath into his lungs. With that she punched her tech armour, the orange holo glow surrounding her N7 armour like a second set as she wrenched from her position of safety and faced the hail head on. From behind him he heard a whooping battle cry, and turned just in time to see Jack tearing along the roof of the cabin beside him; her hands growing a brilliant, chaotic blue as she plunged into the fray of the fight. That surge of adrenaline hit him like a punch to the gut; the delirium of an upcoming fight making his chest pound with his heart as he leapt from his cover, rifle at the ready.

He trained the sight on a target; fired. Snap reload and fired at another target. And another. And another. Each Collector thudding to the grass as he moved smoothly forward. Ahead of him a pack of husks had broken loose; their silver bodies catching the sunlight as they lumbered toward Shepard and Jack; mechanical blue eyes cold and glowing. Shepard was not fazed, instead launching into the thick of them, flashes of blue light catching his eyes as she let off biotic move after biotic move. Husks crumpled together with grinding creaks and moans, others flew through the air, crashing to the ground with destructive force; she was unstoppable, like a machine herself and it gave him pause. He had never seen her like this before.

Compound cleared they began to make a sweep of the cabins. So far they had found few colonists, and the ones they had seen seemed to be frozen in some kind of stasis. They knew from Intel gathered by the Illusive Man that Collectors were using some form of insect they had given the name Seeker Swarms to paralyse victims as they invaded colonies. What wasn't so clear was why. Why go to the bother of paralysing victims before killing them? The only sensible conclusion they could draw was that in fact the victims were being taken alive; a thought that brought both urgency and deep apprehension to their mission.

As she passed an abandoned cabin Shepard paused. She wasn't sure what had made her stop at this particular cabin; after all the all looked the same in one way or another. From where she stood at the threshold of the front door she could see a dining table had been laid for a meal; at the far end was a baby's highchair, a little bowl of food still sitting on the tray untouched. It felt eerily familiar as she cautiously stepped inside; feeling like an intruder, like she was invading someone else's world.

The house was pristine, the kind of house her mother used to keep she mused as she walked through the silent rooms. There was a child's room in the back, the walls painted pink and decorated with crude drawings in thick colourful crayon. It stirred something within her; something intangible yet very real that gave her pause as she stood staring at the wallpaper trying to figure out what her mind was trying to tell her.

She pushed her hair behind her ears, removing her gloves from her hands and dropping them on the chest of drawers in the far corner of the room. There was a little pink table lamp there and Shepard thought she recognised the cartoon character painted on the base, but her name eluded her. She turned to the wall, pressing her fingers against the wallpaper, running her fingertips instinctively down toward the skirting boards. She felt it before she saw it; her fingers passed over some kind of sensor, invisible to the naked eye, and just beside this a partition in the wall opened. She ducked down; squatting to check inside the crawlspace, but it was empty.

These LPR's had been installed in almost every colony home since the Alliance had begun to branch into the Terminus Systems. Activating the hiding place sent a distress signal to the nearest Alliance base and gave colonists a place to hide from invading enemies until help could arrive. The space was small though, and dark, and dusty and once closed it could only be reopened a full five hours later. A safety mechanism to prevent accidental discovery by enemies; or as Shepard had learned to stop children escaping once you put them inside. She paused, her heart stuttering in her chest as she gripped the frame of the crawlspace to keep her balance.

_Melissa Shepard gave a hard push this time and sent her daughter sprawling in front of her into the crawlspace. She cracked her head off the metal interior, but she was moving, crying and moaning as she went. She reached the far end, pulled herself into the corner and drew her legs to her chest as she stared back at her with wide, fearful eyes.  
"Come on!" She shouted, gesturing wildly for her mother to follow.  
Behind her Melissa heard the crash as the front door of their cabin was kicked in. She could hear the incoherent shouts of the attackers, the crunch as they marched over the broken glass in the hallway, the thump as their boots began to drum on the staircase.  
"Abby," She breathed, turning back to her teenage daughter "help is coming. You have to stay quiet, you hear me?" She smiled, to show her daughter strength, but inside her organs quivered with fear "You are meant for better things sweetheart." She whispered desperately "Survive."  
"No! MOM!" Abigail lunged forward but Melissa was too quick and slammed the door of the crawlspace shut. There was a crunch and a clank of something mechanical – the lock snapping closed and the timer to its removal beginning it's slow descent. _

_Melissa wrenched back from the wall, throwing herself as far from the LPR as she could, losing her balance and sliding against the blinds over the window. She pressed her back to the glass, her breathing coming quick and short in her throat. She wanted John back, right now, he had run out with his pistol the moment the commotion began and she hadn't seen him since. Inside her his son stirred, and she pressed her hands over him protectively. _

_The bedroom door flew open, almost off the hinges from the force behind it, and the doorway was filled with a black silhouette at first she thought was human. Words passed toward her, but she was either in too much fear to understand or they were not speaking her language. She shook her head at the intruder, and he marched forward into the room. Illuminated by the spotlight outside in the main compound she could see now he was not human. Two sets of eyes stared back at her in the same head; a mouth turned down in a snarl barked more orders at her, the voice incredibly deep – like it came from the stomach of the creature. _

_She had no idea what it was; John was the one who loved space travel. John was the one who had moved them here, to Mindoir, in the hope of a better life for Abby and their son. The creature closed the space between them and she felt the first hot tears begin to slide down her cheeks as she shook her head frantically.  
"Please," She said weakly "I'm carrying a baby."  
The creature said something to her, an order or command judging by the length and tone of the utterance, and all she could do was shake her head at him again. Finally bored of her he wrapped her hair around his fist and began to drag her from the room. She tried not to scream; she tried her best knowing her daughter would hear it, but as she felt the first tug on her scalp and the first warm trickle of blood where hair dislodged she couldn't help it any longer. _

"Shepard!" Jack's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife and Abigail flinched, jumping to her feet and turning to face the biotic. She was frowning at her, her arms folded over her chest as her gaze ticked to Shepard to the crawlspace and back to Shepard.  
"You planning on getting in there?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Abigail, flustered and hot as she tried to regain her composure shook her head "No. It's empty. I was… checking it."  
"Right. Well, gettit together Shep." The words, while terse and lacking any real support shook Shepard back to reality. What the hell was she doing? She was here to rescue colonists not think about Mindoir, that shit was behind her! But she couldn't deny the familiarity she felt wandering through the empty colony. It had the same 'feel' as Mindoir had and that was eating into her, however she tried to hide from it.

And Kaidan was here; the only other person she had spoken to about Mindoir. The only person she had ever cared about beyond friendship. She couldn't lose him like she lost her family and her friends, she couldn't let that happen.

"Shepard." Garrus sounded in her earpiece, and she paused waiting for him to continue "You better come to me, I've found something interesting."


	3. Chapter 4

The cabin Garrus stood in was sparsely decorated. As she entered she walked directly into the kitchen, which was gleaming, the dining table was clear. Over the breakfast bar she could see a leather couch, the throw cushions positioned at angles in the corners. She paused, doing a little turn before glancing to her friend and moving her shoulders.  
"What's up?" She asked.

Garrus looked at her seriously, gesturing back toward the bedroom "I think you will want to see this." He said gravely. Shepard pushed past him, into the bedroom beyond. The room was bright, the curtains drawn into holdbacks allowing sun to spill inside on the beige carpet. There was a double bed in the centre of the room, fastidiously made. To the left side sat a little bedside cabinet with a bottle of Noverian whiskey and a single glass; the sight of it pinging memories somewhere deep within her.

She caught her breath, glancing to Garrus, feeling heat creep up her neck and spread over her face. He smiled, shaking his head as he produced a photo frame he had been holding.  
"Were you going to tell me Shepard?"  
She took the photo from him. It was a dark brown, solid wood frame. Inside was a picture of her, her face bright; her grin wide and warm – her arms were thrown around Kaidan's neck, balancing on his back as he leaned forward for the shot, the camera in his other hand held at a jaunty angle. It was a sweet memory, a weekend spent together in Vancouver at the behest of his mother. They lived in a lovely house in Vancouver that had matured to beachfront overlooking English Bay – she had spent the whole weekend with Kaidan on that beach just being normal.

She glanced to Garrus, who was watching her carefully and moved her shoulders "The Illusive Man said he was here." She said meekly, dropping the frame onto the bed.  
"I did wonder why we rushed here." Garrus said, behind her she could hear Jack enter and cleared her throat.  
"Who's that?" She asked, lifting the frame Shepard had dropped.  
"No one." Abigail said, she didn't want to get into details with Jack. She wouldn't understand.  
"Well, you were sure someone to him." Jack grinned, tossing the frame aside once more. "Think the Collectors took him?"  
"No." Garrus interrupted before Shepard could answer her "Kaidan was never lapse in defence. He'll still be here." He sounded confident and Shepard fed from that, used it to strengthen her resolve. The truth was the further they made it into the colony with no sight of him the more she was beginning to worry the Collectors did have him on the ship already.  
"Come on." She said, sharply, reasserting her authority as she raised her chin "We're wasting time."

They left the cabin and pressed further among the buildings, heading for the defence tower where they could reprogram the AA guns to target the Collector ship and drive it from the colony. As they moved deeper there was some evidence of fighting, a few broken windows; glass glittering in the grass, a generator had been shot and burst into flames, thick black smoke roiling from the twisted, melted metal. She felt the heat of the flames as she passed by, even through her armour and swallowed as nausea threatened to lurch from her gut. The flames flickered at the edges of her eyes as she tried to keep her focus forward, but increasingly it was getting dragged back.

_She grit her teeth, her hands covering her swollen stomach beneath her dungarees as the creature shoved her brutally out into the main grounds of their colony. Everything was destroyed. Buildings were burning, here and there bodies lay strewn – mostly men. The air was thick with hot, choking smoke and death. Melissa could hardly see in front of her, her vision was so blurred with tears and she stumbled more than once, eliciting a hard jab with the nose of the rifle the creature held in her back. _

_She could see where he was leading her, ahead a convoy sat, and more of the same aliens were loading others aboard; a lot of them children and she caught her breath. She realised now what they were._

_Coming to Mindoir had never been her idea; it had never been her dream and so she had been resistant from the start. Waiting in the Alliance docks for transport had been among the worst hours of her life, pacing in front of the arrivals desk, watching Abigail flick through a magazine while popping her gum. There had been a news-reel about pirates in the Terminus Systems, about the danger it posed to new colonists and about the steps the Alliance was taking to ensure their safety. These were pirates. Slavers. With a sudden, dreadful terror she realised that they were not here for adults, they were here for the children._

_She wiped her eyes, knowing with certainty that they were undone. That the children they had on board that convoy would be worked to death or worse, that they would wait for her to birth her son and sell him to the highest bidder – babies commanded big money. Children could be easily controlled, indoctrinated to be a certain way; to live a certain way, and a baby raised as a slave would be a valuable investment. _

_She looked to the skyline, the blackness closing in. She wanted John to be there, she wanted him to come running and save them all, she wanted to hear his voice one more time. _

_Ahead of them the body of an Alliance guard lay spread-eagled in the dirt and she shook herself to sense once more. Tripping she lost her balance, falling over the body and scrambling to her feet even as rough hands gripped her arm hauling her to her feet and pushing her roughly into the convoy. Around her children jostled, most screaming and hollering for their parents as the doors closed shutting them all in blackness. _

_Melissa was no housewife, she was an engineer and she knew the make of these light convoys. Muscling her way through the children she crept to the back of the cart in the blackness, kneeling low as she pulled the grenade free she had stolen from the guard's body. There was no way she was allowing these children and her own baby to be stolen by slavers. She closed her eyes, finding solace in the fact that back on the ground her daughter was safe inside the LPR, that she would survive this. That she would live._

_Quietly she pulled the pin from the grenade, pressing the explosive against the wall directly ahead of the engine. _

_Abigail rocked. And cried. Outside had grown silent since an explosion had almost ruptured her eardrums. She had no idea how long she had been inside the crawlspace, time had no meaning there in the blackness. She felt like she could barely breathe; forcing herself to take shallow, short breaths, to conserve the oxygen in case there was a limit inside the hidey hole. She wiped her eyes, burying her face in her knees once more as she was overcome again with wracking, deep felt sobs. _

_A noise, unfamiliar made her hold her breath. The noise of the door being opened to her hiding place. There was a glare of light, so bright she had to squint, hiding her face once more in her knees. They wouldn't see her; they wouldn't; she was safe. It was alright. She was going to be alright._

"_Hey!" A man's voice called, coaxing, warm but she resisted, it was a trick; had to be. She was seeing things now. Hearing things. It was wrong. "Are you ok?"  
She felt herself rocking, the feel of the wall hitting her back was somehow comforting. Like winding a baby, she thought, sinking her teeth into her knee.  
"Hey?" She felt something on her arm, fingers, gently touching her hooded jacket trying to get her to look up. "It's ok," The voice persisted "You're safe."  
She shook her head, peering over her arm to the voice at last. It came with a face; piercing green eyes held her gaze unwavering, a handsome face, all angles and edges with a flash of blonde hair underneath an Alliance military helmet. He had a scar above his right eyebrow, a place where the hair refused to grow back.  
"Hey Skipper," He smiled, reaching his arm further inside toward her "I need you to come with me ok? This colony is still under attack by scavengers, we need to get you out of here."  
She blinked, shaking her head, uncomprehending "Who are you?"  
"My name is Cooper." He said, tilting his helmet back so she could see his face fuller "Lieutenant Stewart Cooper – but everyone calls me Spooner."_

The AA tower was abandoned like most of the cabins. The console blinked monotonously showing that the guns were not calibrated properly, the readings filling the screen in a great red scroll. Shepard worked the results, engineering was in her blood but there was nothing she could do on the ground. Turning to Jack she signalled for her to do a perimeter sweep, to secure the area.  
"EDI?" She pressed her earpiece waiting for the AI to respond.  
"We read you Commander," Joker's voice crackled weakly in response "The signal's weak though."  
"EDI," Shepard said firmly "I need you to calibrate the guns here, I want to target the Collector Ship."  
"Calibrating the targeting matrix will not be a problem Shepard." EDI informed her "However my scanners are picking up reinforcements heading your way; I recommend a defensive position."  
"Great." Garrus muttered beside her "Hide and seek with the Collectors."

EDI was not wrong; she rarely was, a lesson Shepard thought she had learned by now. Apparently not. As the roar of Collector wings could be heard overhead Shepard ducked behind a stack of supply crates readying her pistol. She was beginning to feel the first draw of fatigue from using her biotics.  
"Left flank!" Garrus called and she turned in time to see the first Collector scouts land, rifles readied as they began their barrage of bullets once more. She ducked low, covering her head with her arm, realising now she should have picked her helmet back up before they moved on.

Jack appeared from behind them, bright blue sparks of light leaving her hands in a wave of power as they plunged into the scouts sending them flying this way and that. She could hear the snap and echo of sniper rounds as Garrus picked a kill. From beyond a rush of husks scattered into the grounds and she was in motion; not really knowing what she was doing, just moving. Her training did the rest.

She ducked under the first husk as it lunged for her, the metallic arm grazing the back of her armour instead as she pivoted on her heel, driving the butt of her pistol into the back of the husk's head. It connected and plunged into the wiring inside, sending the creature sprawling forward non-functional. She dipped, pressing a palm to the grass and pushing forward – feeling the electricity of her powers rush up her arms leaving her with gooseflesh. The biotics hit the ground in a wave, sending the husks flying backwards in a circle, their bodies sparking and smoking with the impact. She was moving again, fluid, as if she had known nothing else her whole life. A Collector appeared at the edges of her eyes and she shot: once, twice, stepped over the body as it hit the ground and paused to reassess their situation.

There was a noise behind her, a crunch of a footstep and she spun, finger already squeezing the trigger of her pistol. She was met with another pistol; Alliance standard issue, and a face she knew all too well. Dreamed about almost every night.

"Kaidan." She breathed, staring down the barrel of the gun at the man she loved.


	4. Chapter 5

Kaidan simply stared at her, unblinking, his pistol still aimed at her head.

She dropped the nose of her gun a little, hesitating as she heard the beat of Collector wings overhead once more.  
"Uh…Shepard…" Garrus' voice sounded worried in her ear and she knew she should look round; she should _look_ at what was coming; but she was frozen to the spot, staring into the dark pools of Kaidan's eyes as he stared back into hers. His face was unreadable, like stone. A heartbeat went by, maybe two and then he moved toward her.

She backed off instinctively, unsure whether he was attacking or not, his face still held in that emotionless expression. He moved her behind him with one hand, firing his pistol with the other as a Collector lumbered from behind some crates. Had he not moved her she would have been dead.

"Kaidan." She said again, and he glanced over his shoulder at her. There was something there, deep in his eyes, some spark of the man she had loved and it filled her with such hope she felt her chest swell. He didn't speak, instead he moved forward, crouched low as he assessed their situation, coming up and firing shots briefly – taking out a Collector that was manhandling Jack.

Abigail had no more time to think. Overhead a thrum of energy made her teeth vibrate as she was knocked off balance by a sudden force of wind. She caught herself on a crate, searching the sky for the source. A mechanical thump drew her attention and she turned just in time to see a monstrosity land behind her.

It was massive. Exactly what it was she would never be sure, but it looked like a cross between a metal crab and a beetle. The head was rounded and smooth, covering glowing purple eyes; and beneath it legs protruded, scuttling like a spiders, but made from metal. It opened a mouth – do robots have mouths? – And fired a beam right for her.

"Abby!" She heard Kaidan yell, felt him tug on her arm and spin her into him as they both crashed to the ground. Disentangling herself from him she wrenched away; if it was coming around for another attack she couldn't be near him. She began to sprint, barely seeing where she was running as she tore across the compound. Collector scouts still hid in cover and she was met by one as she skidded to a halt, comfortable with the distance she had put between herself and the machine.

She threw out a warp, sending the Collector sprawling back, slamming into the wall of a cabin and turned to face the real threat. The machine bunched low on the ground before launching itself into the air, hovering, it reopened that mouth again for another shot. Pulling her pistol free Shepard aimed for that opening and fired right up until that beam almost hit her, she could feel the heat of it as she ducked behind a crate for cover. Beside her, where the beam had landed, the grass smouldered and smoked.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Jack yelled "My biotics are not even scratching it!"

Shepard grit her teeth, blowing hair out her mouth as she prepared herself. Punching her tech armour she rose from her hiding spot; there was no more hiding to be done. It was time to face up to her fear.

_Spooner led her away from the main colony on foot, his rifle scanning the surroundings as they moved. He didn't speak much, but Abigail didn't mind – she didn't have a lot to say. _

_She thought he looked familiar, but it was probably just images of the Alliance Guard on Mindoir coming back to her. They hadn't been like this guy though. They had spent years on Mindoir and had grown soft – too used to having ground under their feet her father would say. This marine was altogether different, she could see it in the way he carried himself, the way ever sense and muscle was trained to attention. The way his head swivelled as if it were on a pole, never satisfied their surroundings were safe. _

_She had to jog to keep up with him. Her breath came in short rasps, her throat raw and her voice paper thin from screaming. She could hardly recognise her surroundings, buildings were half demolished in places, windows broken out and many of the houses were on fire. The sky was overcast with smog; the air thick, humid and choking with smoke. _

"_Where is everyone?" She asked, but her voice was so frail she could barely hear herself speak. She pressed forward, coming alongside the marine as he paused, crouched against the wall of a cabin and peered around the corner. She copied him, pressing her back to the cold cabin wall and tapping his shoulder. He looked to her, his handsome face creasing as he smiled encouragingly to her._

"_Alright Skipper?" He asked, giving her a confident nod "We're almost there now."  
"Where is everyone?" She asked again, raking shaking fingers through her long dark brown hair.  
The marine paused, looking at her seriously before turning from her, glancing around the corner again.  
"They're not here." Was all he said.  
She felt her face grow hot as she contemplated his words; what did that mean? They had to be here. She gripped his arm, shaking him roughly this time until he looked to her once more,  
"Where is everyone?" She asked again "Where are my parents?"  
He sighed "Look, kid, I don't wanna be the one dealing with this – kids are really not my thing… your parents are dead."_

_The words hit her like a blow to the gut. She gasped, winded as his words rang around and around in her head. He was wrong. He had to be._

"_They can't be." She blurted, getting to her feet shakily "They can't be. How do you know?"  
"They're dead." He said again, "Now get back down please."  
She shook her head, defiant and blazing in his gaze of authority "How do you know?!" She screamed, feeling hot tears flush from her eyes once more, marring her face with dirt and grime as they rolled to her chin "Did you see them?! You don't even know what they look like! You don't know who they are! How could you know that the-"_

_He wrenched to his feet, his height intimidating and freezing the words in her throat as he approached menacingly. "Engineer Specialist Melissa Shepard, Alliance Military, file:443674. Dr John Shepard, Alliance Research, file: Classified, minor Abigail Jane Shepard, Alliance ward, file: 443675." He enunciated each word perfectly; leaving no doubt that he knew exactly who her parents were. "I was sent here to rescue you all; trust me when I tell you there is no one else."_

_Broken she shrank back from him, wrapping her arms around herself as she wept. He touched her shoulder, giving her a little shake.  
"Look, this is not the place Skipper, we don't have far to go and then I swear I'll answer anything you want to know."_

_There was a pop, pop, pop sound and at first she thought they had stepped on firecrackers somewhere, but then Spooner was moving, pushing her back as little puffs of dust and dirt flew up from the ground. He was caught off guard and it took her a moment to realise it was shots, flicking the ground in front of them, burning an invisible trail toward them. There was a sound of material being ripped and Spooner cried out, one leg buckling beneath him as blood spurted from a wound in his thigh. He aimed his rifle, another bullet plunging into his shoulder sent him spinning to the ground in a spray of hot blood. _

_Abigail screamed; her senses leaving her briefly as she stared hard against the red sunset as a figure loomed into being atop a cabin roof. It dropped to the ground with a thud; incredible in size she had never seen anything like it. Its red eyes locked with hers as it took a step forward, pointing a rifle at the wounded marine. _

_Abigail could feel herself letting go; she was dying already she could feel it. She reached out to Spooner, lying still in the dirt; crashing to her knees beside him she cradled his head. _

"_LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She screamed, and when she did something broke inside her. Something from deep within came alive; reverberating through her body like electricity and her shout _became_ something. It took form, vivid and blue, like when a spark jumps from one place to another, and it rushed out of her in a semi-circle, surrounding the black figure, absorbing him in its brilliance, and then he was gone. _

_She panted, weak and lightheaded, terrified of what she had seen; unsure if she had been the cause or a witness. She glanced down at the marine, who was watching her with a look on his face she had never seen before: A look of sheer terror. Then she felt her legs give way beneath her and darkness rose like a beast to claim her. _

Shepard faced the machine; her heart thundering in her chest as she drew a leg back preparing to charge. From the right she saw Garrus lining up a shot, the light caught his sniping visor; reflecting white under the sun. The machine opened again, the purple light inside brightening as it prepared to fire its beam once more. Behind it she could see Kaidan, he was on the ground, holding his side – he was injured.

Without hesitation she launched herself at the machine; the thought of Kaidan in danger stirring her power within her, solidifying her resolve as she charged headlong into its path. There was a crack as Garrus fired his shot, the round connecting with the metal frame of the machine and shattering only an outer layer. It was enough to knock the beam off target though, and instead of hitting her shields it streaked past her, the heat searing the skin on her cheek as she ran full pelt.

"SHEPARD!" She heard Kaidan scream and the machine heard it too, hovering in mid-air as it turned to the sound of his voice. There was no room for mistake now. With as much power as she could muster she ran at the planter next to the machine, slamming her foot on the rim and pushing up, launching herself into the air. Coming down in an arc she ejected her omni-weapon, the orange blade glowing viciously as she plunged it deep into the mechanics of the machine, gripping on for dear life as it recoiled, twisting and turning trying to throw her off.

There was another crack, a round whistled past her ear to slam into the glowing eye of the machine, sending a shower of hot glass and metal around her. She released her grip, crashing to the ground. Her back hit grass and she felt the wind leave her lungs in a whoosh that left an ache in its place. Above her the machine thrashed as it began to glow, the metal superheating to the point it started to disintegrate; ash and bits of wiring falling to the ground in its place.

Shepard lay where she was, staring at the blue of the sky as the first thunderous booms of the AA guns sounded. There was an explosion, deep and rumbling, and the sound of a ship starting up – taking off. She pushed herself to her elbow, her chest stabbing painfully as she sucked oxygen back into her lungs. The Collector ship was leaving with most of the colonists on board.

She had failed.

"Shepard." It was Garrus, she looked up to see the Turian standing over her, his hand held out to her. She took it and he hauled her to her feet, giving her a firm nod before turning to check on Jack.  
"They've got most of the colony on that ship." She said, he voice wracked and tight from the pain in her chest.  
"Shit." Jack muttered, staring after the ship.  
"Nothing we can do about it now." Garrus said, his voice steady as he looked at her "You did everything you could."

"Shepard." The voice made her freeze, and she glanced to Garrus who turned away politely, pretending to be occupied elsewhere, pulling Jack with him. When she turned Kaidan was standing there, a hand on his ribs, the other still had his pistol. She tried to steady her breathing; tried to calm, her heart but they were both rushing ahead of her. He pushed his pistol into the holder at his hip and stood a little straighter, wincing at the pain it caused him. Before she could speak he took a step toward her, pulling her into an embrace.

He was so familiar it brought tears to her eyes; that same spicy smell tinged with lemon. She buried her face at his shoulder, like she used to, relishing how it felt just the same. She wished she could be pressed against him, could feel his body against hers; but she felt nothing under her armour, only the unending fluttering in her stomach.

"I thought you were dead." He said, and his voice was gravelly and thick " We all did." He held her a moment longer before taking a step back once more, taking the time to really look at her closely as though he still expected her to disappear.

"It's been too long Kaidan." She said quietly "How've you been?"

At that he frowned, his eyes darkening as he shook his head "Is that all you have to say? You show up here after two years and just act like nothing has happened?" He made a noise in his throat, somewhere between a snort and a grunt of disbelief "I thought we had something; something real. I loved you!" his voice was rising with his anger, laced with pain and venom as he rounded on her, those dark eyes bright and blazing "Why didn't you try to contact me?! Why didn't you let me know you were alive?! How could you do that to me?!"

She shrank back a little, affronted and then her own stubbornness kicked in and she took a step forward, letting him know she was not backing down over this.  
"I'm sorry." She said firmly, raising her chin a little "But I was clinically dead; it took two years to bring me back. So much time had passed… I thought you'd have moved on… I didn't want to open old wounds – I didn-"  
"I did move on." He said sullenly "or at least I thought I did." He sighed "But then there were rumours that you weren't dead, that you were working for Cerberus. Anderson wouldn't tell me anything, he stonewalled me, shut me out – and I didn't believe them not really; but now this…"  
Shepard shook her head "I know it looks bad Kaidan, but it's not… I'm not working _for_ Cerberus – I mean not really… I'm working with them; to investigate these missing colonies."

As she watched him his face twisted into something almost unrecognisable, his eyes narrowed with horror as he shook his head "I can't believe – can you even hear yourself?" He asked incredulously "I wanted to believe the rumours were true; but I never expected anything like this!" He took a menacing step toward her, his temper making his neck and cheeks pink; the same way they used to go when she kissed him. "You've turned your back on everything we believed in! You've betrayed the Alliance – you've betrayed me!"

She shook her head, feeling Garrus' presence behind her as he came to investigate the trouble. "Kaidan you know me!" She shouted back, feeling her face grow incredibly hot "You know I would only be doing this for the right reasons!"  
"You're too close Kaidan," Garrus interjected "You're not seeing the bigger picture here."  
Shepard nodded in agreement "You're letting how you feel about our past with them get in the way of the facts; it's Collector's harvesting human colonies and they are working with the Reapers, Cerberus has no involvement beyond our investigating." It made her feel sick to put herself in the same vein as Cerberus, but it was necessary to explain her point here.  
"Maybe," Kaidan relented, his voice was low and hostile "or maybe you just feel like you owe them something because they brought you back. Maybe they're using that and the threat of Reapers to manipulate you."  
"Dammit Kaidan, you really think I would let that happen?" Garrus barked and Kaidan looked to him, shaking his head as he turned from them both.

"I have to get back to the Citadel." He said angrily "They can decide whether they believe your story or not."

She took a step after him, reaching out one last time with her heart – with everything she could gather; her love for him, all their past memories. She closed her eyes and could see them all, his lazy smile first thing in the morning; his hair fluffy from sleep and smelling like the pomegranate gel he used; his hands on the small of her back, heavy and grounding; his deep voice, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, chasing her fears away with each tender word.

"Don't go." She said, her voice cracking as she swallowed back against the tears that threatened at her lashes "I could use someone like you on the crew – it would be just like old times."

He didn't even look at her, glancing over his shoulder he shook his head solemnly "No it won't." He said finally "I'll never work for Cerberus. I'm an Alliance soldier, always will be." She could see the muscle in his jaw flex as he grit his teeth, striding away from them, leaving her bereft and in a sea of despair as she watched him disappear beyond one of the cabins.

"Come on." Garrus said, his hand coming to her shoulder "We've had enough of this colony I think."

Shepard barely heard him as she looked on, for her the world had just ended.


	5. Chapter 6

Abigail Shepard let the spray of the shower hit the back of her head. She closed her eyes, leaning back to allow the water passage down her face; washing the dirt and sweat of the battle from her skin. She raked her hands through her long hair, detangling as she went.

"You betrayed me."

She swallowed as Kaidan's voice forced its way into her mind. Opening her eyes, she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a chill despite the heat of the water. Had things between them really changed so much? She felt the familiar ache at the back of her eyes as tears threatened and bit her lip instead; turning so the spray of the shower hit her face instead. She scrubbed at her cheeks and eyes with her fingers, determined to put it from her mind. Determined to leave him behind if that was what he wanted; but some stains were more difficult to wash clean it seemed, particularly those of the heart.

The heat of the shower on her face was making her light headed, and she reached for the tap to turn it off when a hand came over hers, curling around her fingers. She jumped, crying out, spinning and almost slipping had strong arms not grabbed her elbows, preventing her fall.

It was Kaidan.

He stood in her shower, dressed in his combats and black Alliance t-shirt, now dappled with water marks. He held her steady a moment longer, before releasing one elbow to reach a hand to her, sweeping her wet hair behind her back. He didn't say anything; but then she didn't need him to. She just needed him.

He crashed against her under the hot spray of the shower, his shirt instantly getting soaked through. His mouth pressed to hers urgently, his grip on her body so tight he was almost lifting her from the tiled floor. She tangled her fingers in his wet hair, remembering how it moved under her touch; remembering the feel of it in her fists. His hands trailed up her hips, up her back, pulling her against him and she wept with the joy that swelled inside her.

She pulled at his clothes, and obligingly he helped her with them, lifting her from where she stood and pressing her against the cold tiled wall. It was an electric sensation – the cold of the tiles behind her, the heat and steam of the shower in front, and Kaidan's hot mouth leaving gentle, fluttering kisses on her throat and shoulders. His hands slid down her thighs, hooking behind her knees as he brought her legs up to sit on his hips. She locked her ankles there, the heat of the spray caressing her skin.

Kaidan murmured her name and a slow groan escaped her as she arched her back, his hands finding hers and pinning them above her head. The tiles were smooth and cool against the backs of her hands; his fingers were as hot as coals linked with hers. He kissed her then, gently; a contrast to the passionate frenzy beforehand, the kiss was tender, reminiscent and it brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Suddenly it was like her world was right once more, everything – working for Cerberus; the missing colonies; the threat of Reapers; having lost two years of her life; losing the Alliance and her whole identity – suddenly it didn't seem so bad anymore, as long as she had him. As long as he loved her like he used to. She needed his strength, his arms around her, to overcome the darkness that stood waiting at her door.

"Oh… Kaidan." She wept, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Commander."

She blinked.

"Commander?!"

Raising her head Shepard blinked through the spray of the shower. She was huddled in the corner, her legs drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked at the door, the voice beyond came with a soft rap on the door.

"Is this a bad time?" Joker called, his voice muffled.

"I'll be out in a sec." She said, wiping her face, wrenching the taps to shut the water off. Quickly she wrapped her hair in a towel from the wrack, slipping into her towelled bath robe and tying it securely at her waist. She glanced in the mirror, wiping the steamed reflection with her hand. She looked tired, her face pink from the heat of the shower and the tracks of tears.

She unlocked the door, stepping into the cool air of her cabin gingerly. Joker had his back to her, standing with his hands on his hips watching the Belean Jelly fish lope in the fish tank. He didn't suit the Cerberus uniform, she thought as he turned, that blazing yellow logo catching her eye like a wound. He folded his arms over his chest, the usual humour absent from his face, his mouth set in a line amongst his shaggy, brown beard.

"Joker." She said, adopting his posture and folding her arms under her breasts. Asserting authority in a bath robe could be quite the challenge. "What's up? Not like you to leave your chair."

He moved his shoulders, his gaze ticking to the floor and then back to her "Well, this was important." He said all traces of humour gone. It was eerie, unsettling to see him so serious.

"Ok," she smiled, moving past him to sit on the edge of her bed, careful to make sure the bath robe stayed straight and covering her body "what's so important?"

"Well, you saw Kaidan." He said, carefully she noticed, guarded.

"I did." She bit off, yanking the towel from her hair and scrubbing the wet locks roughly "So what? Kaidan's moved on. Like I expected him to wait around." She rolled her eyes and made a huff noise, it was no big deal – not really. "If he wants to be like that – after what he said – then anyone is welcome to him." She added icily, throwing the towel across the room.

"Right." Joker said, nodding slowly. He turned as if to go, then paused and turned back to her "I think if you knew everything about the past two years, you know, you would cut him some slack."

Shepard blinked, looking at him incredulously "You're taking his side?" She scoffed "Are you serious?"

"I'm not taking anyone's side Shepard… I just wa-"

She shook her head, throwing her hands out "What do you want from me Joker?! Why are you here?! Why are you even talking to me about this?!" She blew up, the pain and hurt from Horizon coming to the fore as she blazed up at him.

"Because you're my friend." Joker said evenly "And my Commander. And, with all due respect, sometimes you can get a stick up your ass." He moved his shoulders "And what kind of friend would I be if I didn't tell you there was a stick up your ass?"

The light humour gave her pause, she stared at him, her jaw stiff and aching as her eyes began to water. She smiled, letting a breath out as she dropped her gaze to the floor. "He hates me, Joker." She said quietly "You never saw the look in his eyes."

"I came to say I'm sorry." He said suddenly and she frowned, looking up at him.  
"Sorry?" She asked, confused.  
"I lost two friends the day the Normandy went down." He said thickly, removing his cap and sitting awkwardly on the bed next to her. "When Kaidan opened that escape pod and saw only me inside…" He stared off into the distance, as though reliving the moments "Something inside him broke in that moment Shepard. I had never seen it before. He swore he would kill me; told me it was all my fault…"  
"Joker…" She interjected, but he cleared his throat, glancing to her signalling her to be silent.  
"He was right." He said solemnly "If I had listened to your orders, if I had just got myself off the ship you wouldn't have had to come back for me. You wouldn't have died, and my best friend wouldn't have lost the woman he loved. He has every right to hate me, Shepard. But he doesn't hate you."

She looked at her hands, resting in her lap, twisting her fingers together as she took in what he had said.

"They found out about you two you know." He said quietly "By then he had stopped speaking to me. He had stopped trying to kill me whenever he saw me too, so I took it as a positive. The Alliance had a major ceremony in your honour. They had erected a massive statue of you; looked nothing like you by the way, but you know… they wanted _something_." He cleared his throat nervously "Kaidan was asked to speak at your ceremony; asked to make a speech about what sort of person you were and all that. You can see it on the extranet vids, if… if you wanted to… but basically he broke down – in the middle of it. When the Alliance did their investigation they realised it was far more than regular grief counselling he needed." Joker sighed "I think Anderson got him off with it, somehow, got him diagnosed with PTS and that was the last anyone saw of him for a while."

Shepard swallowed, that would have killed the Kaidan she had known. The Alliance was everything to him; being a soldier was his whole life.

"I contacted Liara about a month after, and she managed to find him. They had put him in a facility somewhere – you know the type – he was on suicide watch for a while, relieved from duty – but he got out. He was put back in service and promoted to Commander pretty quick too, and you know… I think he was ok." Joker wouldn't look at her; instead he rubbed his face with his hands "He was my best friend."

"I'm sorry Joker." She said, and she meant every word of it. She had never really considered the time when she was gone; two years was a long time, but she had never given consideration to the events that happened in that two years. Maybe she had been wrong; maybe Kaidan did have some grounds to be angry at her – maybe it was presumptuous of her after two years of hard work moving on to think she would simply show up and pick up where they had left off. With a heavy heart she realised she had lost him; what they had was gone and could never be the same again, it could never be what it was, because time had changed him.

"I just thought you should know." Joker said, quietly "It's easier to be angry, but… I've never seen him like he was with you Shepard. Never seen him so happy." He got to his feet, stiffly, limping a little off his bad knee. "I thought it would help you to know; if he's angry with you… it's not because he hates you; it's because he loves you."

He didn't look back, instead he opened the door to her cabin and left.

Abigail Shepard watched him go, his words hanging in the air like thick fog; clouding and confusing her thoughts. Perhaps she had been too hard on him, after all she really had no idea what he had gone through in the two years she was dead, and if the boot was on the other foot… well, she was pretty sure she would have handed his ass to him too.

With a sigh she flopped back on the bed, throwing her arm over her eyes as she let her thoughts sink in. Perhaps she had been too hard.

The sound of her console was like a gunshot in the silence of her cabin and she groaned, pulling herself to her feet once more and padding over to her desk. The station was a mess of datapads and old coffee cups; a cupcake wrapper lay abandoned by the console. With a sigh she clicked on the flashing icon of her inbox.

_About Horizon…_

**The End**


End file.
