A filler piece after Shepard visit Kaidan one last time before he was discharged from the Huerta Hospital. Written in the POV of Kaidan. Shepard convinced Kaidan to take up the Spectre role and the story begins right after Shepard left. ME3 Spoilers! FemShep x Kaidan Alenko
____________________________________________________________________
Chapter 1 : Accepting in the name of Duty
“Councilor Udina, I will accept the Spectre offer.” I announced it as the first thing I said when I walked into Councilor Udina’s office. I was discharged from Huerta Hospital, just a few days after Commander Shepard dropped by to visit me and she headed on to Tuchanka.
Udina shot up an eye brow, taking a long, hard look at Major Kaidan Alenko, before tossing the datapad that he was poring over, onto his desk. “Really? What changed your mind?” He paced over towards Kaidan who’s settling in on the sofa, while taking two shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey to join him.
“It’s a huge responsibility, Sir. After weighting the definite pros and cons, I feel that I could help advance humankind’s goals and make the galaxy a better place.” It’s a little corny but it is also the truth that I genuinely believe in. Okay, but perhaps not the entire reason. Initially I wasn’t sure or confident that I could take on this huge responsibility. Especially after witnessing the immense stress and politicking that Shepard had to deal with. It’s a whole new ball game together, being a soldier and a Spectre.
However, the encouragement that Shepard gave me in the hospital made me feel more confident at this task. I innately smiled; she always has such an effect on the people around her. No matter whether she’s chasing after Saren, the Collectors or now finding ways to deal with the Reapers, she always does it with such drive and determination. And in the face of that, people just can’t help but push themselves a little more. After all, her strong character is what makes me fall in love with her in the first place. Okay, maybe a little due in part of her sexy curves too, but that’s not the point.
However, Udina need not know all my reasons, I will just give him a stock, politically correct answer and be done with it.
Udina doesn’t look entirely convinced. He poured a glass of whiskey for me, then for himself. Regardless of what he thinks, he doesn’t seem to push for an answer. His eyes darkened a little as if he’s swarming with God-knows-what little schemes he has in his head. He suddenly lit up, laughed and gave me a good hard pat on my shoulders. “That’s great to know, boy! I knew you would eventually come around!” Udina poured another glass for himself and lifted it up, “To Mankind!” I smiled uneasily and wordlessly toast to that. To Shepard.
As I walked down towards my rented apartment at the Presidum, my head hung low deep in thought. All in all, this has all happened rather quickly. Udina gave me a quick briefing about being a Spectre 101, what to expect and handed me some compulsory training programmes that I need to attend before the big Ceremony. I cringed at the thought of that. A Spectre Inauguration Ceremony? Never a big fan to be in the limelight. The thought of standing in front of thousands of people and a solemn spotlight following me as I marched across the stage… I shivered at the thought of that. Crowd, noise and lights don’t go well with me at all.
All my life I only thought to dedicate myself fully to the Alliance, I count myself lucky to be even promoted to Major. I started off being nowhere else to go and just wanting to make my dad proud. Never in my dreams that I thought I could achieve as much as Shepard. I can’t help but foolishly smile when I think about her. As going-to-be-Spectre and Major, I effectively outrank her now.
I’m not someone who likes to wave around my rank or care about it as much, given that I pursued her even when she’s my higher ranking officer. Regs be damned, I thought, after that night at Ilos, I had sooner threw the manual out of the airlock.
But I still have a man’s ego; I feel the need to be able to provide for her if ever she wants to take a break from everything in the future. I snorted a little at that notion. In the future? We only managed to sort things out regarding Horizon and established an uneasy budding friendship. Marrying her and starting a family seems like such a foolish distant dream given with the current situation and uncertainties. I don’t even know if she wants to settle down, but I would respect her if she doesn’t want to. However… A man can dream right?
I sighed as I pulled out my omni-tool and my apartment door slide open. I plopped down onto bed without so much as changing out of my uniform. Exhausted from all this thinking... I really wish to be there with her now at Tuchanka…
With that, I closed my eyes and drifted off to blissful sleep, hoping that at least in my dreams, I can wrapped my hands around her, in a sweet warm embrace.
No comments:
Post a Comment