English Bay Blues: A Mass Effect Prequel (Shenko)

Chapter 22

Milky Way Galaxy/System: Classified/SSV Tokyo

Earth year: 2180 CE

An hour later he'd booked passage off the station to the nearest Alliance outpost. By the following day he was back aboard the Tokyo, the data-pads handed off to Anderson for analysis.

"Nice work down there Lieutenant." Anderson said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Heard it got a little dicey."

"Nothing I couldn't handle sir."

"Good. Knew you'd do well."

"Commander, if I may. Can I ask you something? Off the record?"

"Off the record?" Anderson brow furrowed. "Sure. What is it Lieutenant?"

"How does Aria T'Loak know you?"

"What? Who told you that?"

"She did."

"What did she say? Exactly."

"Just that I was to pass on a hello to you sir."

"Hmph." Anderson snorted. "Maybe another time Lieutenant."

"Okay. I hope I wasn't out of line asking."

"Not at all Alenko." Anderson reassured him."It's just a long damn story and I'm tired as I'm sure you are. Anyway, enough about that. I want you to take shore leave, a week at least. You've earned it."

"Thank you sir." Kaidan said as visions of walking along the Vancouver shoreline flooded his thoughts.

"Don't thank me Lieutenant. You're a mighty fine soldier and a damn good marine. You did good work down there. Get some rest. We'll be back on Earth in a few hours."

"I will sir." He said taking his leave. As he laid down for the night, his dreams were filled with the sound of crashing waves, the call of birds and the distinct aroma of ice cold Canadian beer. He sighed in pleasure as he slept and drifted deep into peaceful oblivion.

----xxx----

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

Sunday afternoon he was sitting in his favourite lounger on the deck of his parent's house. He was listening to ANN, the Alliance News Network, sipping a cold beer when he heard that name again.

His ears twitched and he cracked an eye open. He looked over at the news vid where a female reporter was reading the latest headlines.

"...will be awarded the Star of Terra for her heroic and courageous actions four years ago on the colony of Elysium. It was there that Lieutenant Shepard led the resistance to repel a major assault on the planet led by batarian warlords. The awards ceremony will also honour the valiant efforts of both Alliance soldiers and civilians who perished in the fight. A memorial will be erected in the town square where most of the fighting took place. I'm Lindsey Nowles for the Alliance News Network."

"In other news, the Alliance is still trying to determine what caused a highly trained squad of Alliance soldiers to land near a thresher maw nest on Akuze three years ago. Unfortunately, there were no survivors and the entire squad was wiped out. Although the Alliance admits to having no new leads, they do not believe the incident was accidental. I'm Lindsey Nowles for the Alliance News Network."

Sighing, Kaidan got up and switched it off. Good for Shepard, he thought absently as he helped himself to another beer from the kitchen. At least the Alliance was giving recognition where it was due. He leaned into the fridge seeking a snack as his stomach grumbled. Leftovers! Yum! He took a few slices of pizza and warmed them before taking it back out to the deck.

As he dug into his pizza and beer he switched the news back on, chewing thoughtfully.

"In a surprise statement, Alliance Military has just announced a new graduate from their intense special operations training program. Lieutenant Shepard graduated ten days ago earning her the coveted N7 distinction. Lieutenant Shepard graduated with honours and is the youngest female marine to successfully complete the program. I'm Lindsey Nowles for the Alliance News Network."

Kaidan switched it off. Although the station was informative, their habit of repeating themselves at the end of each segment quickly became annoying. Wow, he thought as he reflected on what he'd just heard. Whoever this Lieutenant Shepard was, she sure knew how to stand out from the crowd.

Switching on his omni-tool he tapped a few buttons and did a quick search. For the next hour he learned what he could about Lieutenant Shepard - her history, her career and her moment in the spotlight after the events on Elysium. He frowned when he failed to find any mention of her given name though, especially since she was becoming known as a symbol of bravery for humanity and the Alliance. He sighed, closing the omni-tool in defeat.

No matter what her name might be, it was obvious she was damn good at her job. Probably also good with leadership given her success on Elysium, he mused. She also had to be highly skilled to have earned the coveted N7 designation. He stifled a yawn, not that it mattered much either way since his odds of meeting her were slim to none. It was his last thought before sleep claimed him.