English Bay Blues: A Mass Effect Prequel (Shenko)

Chapter 8

Earth/Canada/English Bay, Vancouver, B.C.

Earth Year: 2173 CE

Damn it, but he still could not believe Anderson's nerve. And how the hell had he found out about his interview?

After a shower and change of clothes, he was still muttering to himself about the day's events. He paced the kitchen and living room,stopping occasionally to stare out unseeing at the blue ocean beyond.

It was now past seven and he still hadn't had time to process everything that had happened earlier in the day. He had no clue what to do next. A part of him wanted to call Anderson. But to say what? Mind our own business? That Anderson had succeeded in convincing him to turn down the bodyguard position with the Ambassador and enlist with the Alliance?

That last thought brought him up short. Until he voiced it in his head, he hadn't known he was even entertaining the idea. Shit. Not even in his wildest dreams had he considered joining the Alliance. Especially not after how they'd treated him after what had happened at Jump Zero.

Even his father as an Alliance officer had been unable to sway him, never missing an opportunity to encourage him to join. Yet after listening to Anderson, the Alliance's role in those events had turned out not to be as black and white as he'd been led to believe. Which left him with only his own reluctance preventing him from deciding his next course of action.

Tired of his pacing, he dropped into a chair, a cold beer in his hand. Sipping at it, he mulled over this new thought. Damn it to hell, he swore, but Anderson was right. He needed to get back into training. Without it there was no way he could even consider joining the Alliance, at least not in his current condition. He didn't let himself acknowledge what he'd just voiced in his head. That he was even thinking about enlisting was inconceivable after all this time.

Although he did make a point of working out and had some control, he knew he'd let his endurance slip. Even so, it was still a far cry from being ready for the military. A far, far cry, he thought miserably. Like it or not, training would have to come first which meant he'd be keeping his position with the Ambassador office. At least for the time being.

Sighing relief at having come to some semblance of a decision, he rose and stepped out to the deck to watch the sun set. Within moments of settling himself in his favourite lounger, he was asleep. The lines of his face that had etched themselves there over the course of the day disappeared as the remains of the tension he'd been carrying left him.

----xxx----

The following morning, Kaidan dressed and headed out, grabbing a ready-to-go meal as he left the house and stood in the early dawn air waiting for a cab.

He'd told his mom a watered-down version of the day's events during dinner, leaving out the part about his meeting and conversation with Anderson. He could tell she'd been pleased with his decision to renew his training but was wise enough to not make an issue of it. He was fine with letting her believe it had been his idea.

Mentioning Anderson was out of the question. The less his mom knew about that the better. Knowing an Alliance officer had shown interest in her son would only add fuel to the fire regarding her hopes of seeing him enlist. He wasn't ready for that conversation and he had no desire to have his mom find out how lax he'd been in keeping up his biotic endurance..

Arriving early to the address Kazra Zale had provided him, he was not at all surprised to see Alliance logos prominent on the building's facade. Subtle Anderson, Kaidan thought ruefully, very subtle.

----xxx----

Six hours later, his head pounding, he emerged from the building, his body feeling as though he'd gone ten rounds with an elephant.