Chapter 3 : The Spectre Inauguration Ceremony
The last few weeks were crazy. I don’t remember Shepard needing to go through all that training and lessons on what is expected out of a Spectre. Don’t I just take a gun, shoot at whatever the Council wants it to be pointed at? Okay, fine, nothing is ever that simple. But when does Accounting ever got to do with being a Spectre?
Nothing is as bad as the predicament that I’m in now though. Here I am, fully decked out in a heavily starched white formal Marine uniform, with a decorative sword clasped on my belt. I’m sitting on a bench backstage, hands supporting my head as I slumped towards my legs.
Only30 minutes before being fed to the sharks.
Sure, Udina forced me to go through media training. I know I don’t have the grace like Shepard did to handle media like Khalisah al-Jilani. Shepard played her like a flute and handled her tough questions like water sliding off the back of a duck.
If Al-jilani ever approach me, I might just punch her. Okay, correction. Punch her mentally. I don’t like to be violent to be civilians, much less women.
But all those media training, tone corrections, painful repeats and regurgitations on what to say during my inauguration (pun intended!) speech seems to be thrown out of the window. By my nerves.
Does Shepard feel all this whenever she needs to give an inspiration speech to her crew?
I almost jumped when I heard the back door slide open. Doctor Amethia and a small group of my biotic students walked in.
“Woah woah woah, lookie here. Hot stuff coming right up~” She walked over and checked me out throughly. I sweared she looked at my back a few more seconds than she ought to. My other students are laughing and cat-calling at the side. “You should wear this more often.”
She looked around, “She’s not coming?” I know who she’s referring to. I pulled myself up from the bench and adjusted my beret in front of the floor length mirror, “No, she isn’t. She has more important things to do.”
“That’s what you get for dating the Heroine of the galaxy.” She smiled. “Always out to save damsels in distress, or whatever the alien equivalent.”
I’m not actually going out with Shepard. Though I gave my all to hint to Shepard that I’m still very keen on continuing the relationship with her. She seems to reciprocate but there’s always one more important mission than to settle this right now. Shepard and I always place duty first. However, I wished I could step away and give this inauguration ceremony a miss, just to be with her. But Udina insisted that it is very important to give mankind, even the galaxy, something to look forward to and celebrate for. After all, when Shepard became the first human Spectre, there was no official ceremony whatsoever given the urgency of her mission back then.
“15 mins before heading out! Get yourself a glass of water, you look positively pale, Major Alenko.” The Asari coordinator looked at me before she head back out to stage.
“That’s our cue to get back to our seats, people. Go!” Amethia clapped a few times for my students’ attention and they walked off backstage after each of them gave me a high five to congratulate me. “Just breathe, Kaidan.” As Amethia looked back at me, “Shake hands, smile, accept token, and a quick speech. It will be over before you know it. Or if you want, I have this really nice concoction that can soothe out your nerves.”
I shaked my head vehemently, “Erm… Thanks but no thanks.” I rather die than drink that nasty shit again. After promising she will take a lot of photos and vids, Amelia left the backstage excitedly. I’m left alone to fight an intense battle with my nerves, when my omni-tool started to beep. I thought I switched it off to silent, I frowned. As I looked up on who’s calling, I realized it’s a call from the Normandy. I patched it up immediately and turns out it’s a vid call. I just never thought she would call.
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