Chapter Text
One week later, Kaidan realised that he’d learnt more about krogan in the past week than in the rest of his life put together. Wrex was certainly an unusual one, preferring cooperation and negotiation to blind violence – but he was also more than tough enough, willing to butt heads when it was necessary – or just shoot people, if they still insisted on causing trouble - and Kaidan could see why the krogan were willing to unite under his leadership. There were the inevitable detractors, of course, but he’d made progress where at one time, no one had believed it was possible for the krogan to be anything more than thugs and hired muscle.
And Bakara was… also not what he’d expected. She’d proven herself to be a stabilising influence in Wrex’s life – much like Kaidan in Shepard’s, someone had said, not quite jokingly – but she’d also proven she was more than capable of looking after herself. Namely, by smacking Wrex in the face with a shotgun when he’d done something that had particularly annoyed her.
Shepard had been in his element, head butting a krogan who was arguing with Wrex, joining a hunting expedition with a pack of the locals and having a competition with Garrus to see who could shoot more pyjaks… shooting with their left hands, of course, given that they were both right handed… Garrus had won, but only because he’d played dirty, promising Kaidan two bottles of a rather expensive whiskey if he ‘distracted’ Shepard during the match.
So now, after a week’s hospitality on Tuchanka, complete with varren fighting, nightly stories about Kalros, the mother of all thresher maws, and more than one extremely strange conversation between the krogan and Mordin Solus – for all his efforts to assist them, he was still a salarian, and therefore not to be trusted – they were transporting the two krogan leaders back to the Citadel. The council had already gotten wind of the cure for the genophage, and they’d demanded that Shepard return immediately to explain himself.
On Shepard’s advice, Mordin had decided to make himself scarce for a little while, and had departed Tuchanka on a trading ship, muttering something about running tests on seashells. Wrex and Bakara were coming to support Shepard, who, Kaidan now understood, had only agreed to assist with the cure once he’d seen Wrex’s ability to unite and lead the unruly species. They deserved a future, just like any other species, he insisted, but they first had to prove that they’d learned from their past mistakes. And so Wrex was preparing to give evidence to that effect, detailing plans for rebuilding Tuchanka, of non-violent projects the krogan were planning which would benefit the galactic community, and Bakara was coming to show the council a united front – the krogan females were just as tired of the males’ antics and were now willing to butt heads until order and peace was achieved.
All in all, it sounded like the krogan had a bright future ahead of them.
And Kaidan’s relationship with Shepard had progressed. They’d repeated their experimental bouts of intimacy several times, until Kaidan had finally felt ready to try intercourse. He would have to be top, of course, but Shepard was not at all opposed to that. And Kaidan had been doing some reading, still feeling a lingering deficiency in himself about denying Shepard the opportunity to be top. ‘Intercrural’ sex sounded like it had definite potential, but he had yet to suggest it to Shepard. Having another male on top of him, even it that didn’t involve penetration, was still an intimidating idea, but he was willing to be patient. One thing at a time, he reminded himself.
And so now, he was lying curled up against Shepard’s shoulder, in his bed, having completed their first round of penetrative sex. And all things considered, it had been a roaring success. Kaidan had been far more nervous than Shepard, concerned about hurting him, but they’d proceeded slowly and carefully, and after they’d both come, Kaidan had felt elated and pleased and so utterly free, after so long of being afraid of himself and of everyone else.
His eyes were drooping now, Shepard already dozing lightly, and his mind drifted back over the weeks since he’d joined the Normandy, all the strange and unexpected things that had happened to bring them to this point. The shoot outs with the mechs, negotiating with Major Kyle, the terrible mission in the warehouse where he’d nearly died, saving Shepard’s life in the archives… Kaidan frowned suddenly. The archives…
“Shepard?” he asked suddenly, as a strange idea occurred to him.
“Hm?” Shepard sounded mostly asleep. But the question was too important to leave for the morning.
“How did Bailey know that your spectre codes had been used without authorisation?” Kaidan asked.
“What?” Shepard lifted his head. “What do you mean?”
“In the archives. He showed up with a bunch of officers, and he said they’d tracked us there because the spectre codes were used without authorisation. But he also said that they’d lost track of you. So why would he think that the codes were unauthorized, instead of just assuming you had deliberately accessed the vaults? And how did he know that I was the one to use them?” Bailey had directed the question to Kaidan, asking him for the explanation, not Shepard. “And for that matter, why was he monitoring spectre codes in the first place? That’s not C-Sec’s normal jurisdiction.”
Shepard sat up, suddenly wide awake. “He’d have to have known that I wasn’t able to be using the codes myself. Because I was somewhere else.”
“Like inside a sealed vault,” Kaidan said, not liking the conclusion he was reaching.
“And he’d have to have known that you weren’t with me, making you the most likely person to have accessed the vaults to get us out…”
They stared at each other, both wanting to deny the evidence. But the conclusion was hard to deny. They’d both been played, right from the start. “I’m going to gut that son of a bitch,” Shepard growled, and it took Kaidan a moment to remind himself that that wasn’t the most appropriate course of action.
“Take it to the council,” he advised, sounding just as angry as Shepard. “It’s not as good as a little one-on-one interrogation, but it makes for a bigger public spectacle. And a public humiliation for Bailey. And it’ll be a lot harder for the council to throw you in jail for curing the genophage if you simultaneously deliver a traitor into their hands. I’m not saying it’ll solve the whole problem, but it would have to ease the blow.”
“Bailey deserves to suffer for this,” Shepard insisted, and Kaidan nodded.
“No doubt he does. But he’d also love to see you get locked up. And just think how pissed he’d be, knowing that he’s part of the reason for the council’s leniency. Besides, don’t you think the council will want him flayed for what he’s done? One way or another, there’s a hefty punishment coming his way.”
Shepard looked at him with a quizzical, intrigued expression. “You can be seriously devious, you know that?”
“Why, thank you,” Kaidan replied with a grin. “You did say I was getting the hang of this ship.”
And Shepard laughed. “That I did,” he agreed. “That I did.”
EDI had been busy, Kaidan realised, as he reviewed the data she had compiled about Bailey. And with each new development, his blood had boiled more. She’d hacked every inch of the C-Sec security system – thanks in large part to the information Eclipse had given them, along with a few access codes that the Shadow Broker had managed to buy from disgruntled C-Sec officers. The result was that she’d discovered the exact security codes used by Bailey, and determined that he, along with two other Captains, had been the ring leaders in the whole set up. One of the captains was now dead, but the other had gotten away with it scott free… or at least, he thought he had.
But more staggering than the fact that he’d been not just a participant, but an instigator in the outrageous plans, was the galling confirmation that Bailey had been present inside the archives during Shepard’s imprisonment. He’d been there, lured him to his intended death, and played the innocent fool when Kaidan had rescued them. Attempted murder of a spectre was added to his already heavy list of crimes, and the whole crew had started baying for his blood.
But Kaidan had maintained his stance as a voice of reason in the heated debates that had fired up the conference room. Shepard had wanted to go in guns blazing, of course, but Kaidan had pointed out that more chaos and violence, when the council already had Shepard on very, very thin ice, was not going to help him at all. And when Shepard had argued that the galaxy would be better off if he made a new hole in Bailey’s chest and ripped his heart out, Kaidan had agreed.
“No argument from me there,” he’d said. “But there are other ways to bring Bailey down. Send me, and Garrus, and James. Call in a favor from another spectre. Someone on the citadel must owe you something. But for god’s sake, don’t screw up your own trial to bring down a man as worthless as Bailey. You spend so much of your time doing what’s best for everyone else, for the galaxy, for the krogan, for this crew. Isn’t it time you did what was best for you, for once? Getting yourself kicked out of the spectres and probably into jail isn’t going to make anyone’s life better, least of all your own.”
And for all their anger at Bailey, the crew’s surprisingly plaintive faces had pulled Shepard up short. The Normandy wouldn’t be the Normandy without him. The crew would be lost, a major part of their lives taken away. And the galaxy would be worse off, Garrus had pointed out, with a sly wink at Kaidan. After all, if Shepard was in jail, who would stop the next Bailey, or free the next long-forgotten species, or blow up the next space station when it was overrun with a rogue AI… no offence to EDI, he had added.
And so, to their shock, Shepard had backed down. He’d contacted Jondum Bau – he’d helped the spectre out on an assignment a little while back – and arranged for him to meet Kaidan and Garrus and arrest Bailey in his absence. They were to bring Bailey to the council, where they could present evidence against him… and hopefully prove that despite his unwillingness to be called to heel, Shepard was still a spectre they could be proud of.
But in the end, as sometimes happens with even the best laid plans, luck threw them a bone.
Shepard had been warned that an armed escort would meet him at the Normandy’s airlock, the council not willing to risk another of his usual ‘stunts’ – which had earned Shepard an amused ‘I told you so’ from Kaidan. But what they hadn’t anticipated was who that escort would be. Half a dozen C-Sec officers, as predicted, but they were being led by none other than one Captain Bailey.
“Shepard,” he greeted the Commander, as if they were old friends. And from his perspective, Kaidan supposed, they still were. “Sorry to hear about the fuss. And about having to escort you like this. But I thought I should come. Lend you some moral support and all. Might even be able to put in a good word for you.”
Kaidan – and the rest of the squad, he was sure – held their breath. Despite agreeing to do this the peaceful way, Shepard was still livid over Bailey’s betrayal, and decking the man would no doubt be thoroughly satisfying…
But maybe some of Kaidan’s deviousness had rubbed off on Shepard after all. He merely nodded, a tight expression on his face. “I appreciate you coming,” he said to Bailey, and if he looked stressed, it could easily be put down to the trouble about the genophage. “Let’s get this over with.”
As they headed for the council chambers, Jondum Bau fell into line beside Kaidan, much to the disconcertion of C-Sec. He hadn’t noticed him, lurking beside the entrance, but he was grateful for his presence. Arresting a C-Sec officer was something no one on the Normandy besides Shepard had the authority to do, and expecting him to do it in the middle of his own trial was not in keeping with the calm, cooperative atmosphere they were trying to create.
“More spectres involved in this?” Bailey asked, noticing Bau’s arrival, but the salarian merely shrugged.
“Shepard’s done me a few favors in the past,” he said vaguely. “I thought I’d come and return one of them. Much like you’re doing,” he added, and Bailey seemed to find the explanation satisfactory.
“I’ve been trailing him for hours,” Bau murmured to Kaidan, when they were out of earshot. “Didn’t expect it to be this easy, but I guess we got lucky.”
“Thank you,” Kaidan said succinctly, and Bau smiled.
The council, along with its newest human member, was waiting for them with grim faces.
“Shepard,” the asari councilor acknowledged him. “I see you managed to make it here without blowing anything else up. And you’ve brought some krogan. How… convenient.” The was a wealth of disdain in her voice, but, like Shepard, Wrex had agreed to take the peaceful option today. He was well aware of how much was riding on this meeting, and, at the end of the day, the krogan still wanted to work with the council, to be a part of their vision for the future of the galaxy.
“This is Urdnot Wrex,” Shepard introduced him, “the leader of the united krogan on Tuchanka, and Bakara, a shaman for the females. They’ve come to discuss the future of the krogan in council space and to prove their willingness to work towards a peaceful outcome.”
“Words are easy,” the turian councilor said. “Actions carry far more weight.”
“Very true,” the asari agreed. “All right. Let’s hear what you have to say.”
“Of course,” Shepard agreed, but instead of beginning his explanation on the genophage, he activated his omni-tool, sending duplicate copies of the data EDI had gathered on Bailey to all four councilors. They looked down in surprise as their omni-tools beeped.
“What is the meaning of this?” the asari demanded, as she skimmed through the data.
“I’m sorry to delay discussion of the genophage,” Shepard said, “but I believe this is a little more urgent, if of smaller consequence, in the big picture.”
Jondum drew his gun and aimed it at Bailey, quickly followed by Kaidan and Garrus. “Bailey, you’re under arrest,” he said sharply, and Bailey’s hand actually moved towards his own weapon before he realised how heavily the odds were stacked against him.
“What the hell is this?”
“Captain Bailey,” the turian councilor repeated, having caught the gist of the data quickly. “You’re under arrest. For orchestrating the mech-hacking crime ring, for fabricating evidence, and for the attempted murder of a spectre. Bau, cuff him.” Bau did so with obvious satisfaction.
“This is insane,” Bailey protested. “We caught the guys responsible for the crime ring-“
“Yes,” the salarian councilor agreed. “But unfortunately, the leader of a crime ring arresting a few of his underlings and called it a victory pales in comparison to catching the ring leader.”
Bailey turned to Shepard with a glare that could have stripped paint off the walls. “You traitor. We’ve been friends for years! I’ve helped you out a dozen times! You couldn’t cut me a little slack just once in my life?”
“You tried to kill me,” Shepard pointed out, venom thick in his voice. “I think that cancels out any favors I owe you. But if you really want a favor, consider the one where I didn’t shoot you the instant I stepped off the Normandy.”
“You will be tried according to council law,” the asari interrupted, clearly wishing to avoid any further violence. “And as the evidence Shepard has provided seems impressively thorough, I imagine you can look forward to a very long stay in jail. Take him away.”
The rest of the C-Sec officers were looking on with gaping stares and bewildered astonishment, and the expectation of public humiliation for the Captain had been right on the money, Kaidan saw with satisfaction. Who said the only way to solve a problem was with a gun?
But instead of leading him away, Bau stepped forward instead. “May I address the council?” he asked.
There was a moment’s confusion amid the councilors, and then the human councilor replied, “Yes. I would be interested to hear what you have to say.”
Bau cleared his throat. “I’m aware that Shepard was largely responsible for the cure of the genophage,” he said, without preamble. “And aware of the potentially disastrous outcome that that could have on the galaxy. If the krogan got out of control again, there’s no saying we could stop them, this time. But I would like to suggest that the decision to cure the genophage should be considered in light of the arrest of Captain Bailey. Shepard forwarded to me the evidence he has presented to you today and I have had time to study it in some depth. So I would like to express my respectful opinion that Shepard is exactly the sort of spectre we need. The C-Sec case was closed, a handful of suspects arrested, and he could have left it at that, gone back to his duties feeling satisfied about a good result for everyone concerned. But he didn’t. He looked deeper. He reexamined the evidence, searched beyond the obvious data, and uncovered the real truth behind these crimes.
“When I was made a spectre, I was told that spectres are not trained. They are chosen. Chosen because they are individuals who have skills and dedication beyond the rank and file, who are willing to risk more and do more than an ordinary soldier. Shepard has proven today that he is exactly that sort of person. And if he has applied that same depth of thought and long-range consideration to the curing of the genophage, then I have every confidence that it was a wise and timely decision.”
Bau ended his speech with a slight bow, then turned and took Bailey by the arm, leading him from that chamber.
“A carefully considered plan? To unleash a rapidly breeding and highly aggressive species on the galaxy?” the asari councilor asked with disbelief. And Kaidan suddenly had the frantic thought that Shepard should absolutely not mention the rachni… okay, so the council already knew about that potentially disastrous decision, but they really didn’t need reminding right now…
But Shepard held his tongue, and the asari councilor continued. “If this was, in fact, a decision with even a modicum of thought and consideration behind it, then I would be most interested in hearing the evidence.”
Shepard stepped forward, giving a slight nod to Wrex as he went. “Let me begin, then,” he said, with confidence and just the slightest hint of reproof in his tone, “by detailing the full extent of my dealings with Urdnot Wrex. Because, as the leader of the krogan, and the only one in a thousand years who has managed to unite them for any kind of considered purpose, he has been instrumental in my decision to assist in the cure of the genophage…”
Three hours later, Kaidan found Shepard standing on the docks outside the Normandy. They could see almost a whole arm of the citadel from here, quite the view, with all the lights spread out before them. He went to stand beside the Commander, not saying anything, but wondering if Shepard would want to talk. It had been a stressful afternoon.
“You know… most of what Bau said about me in the council chambers isn’t true,” Shepard said softly. “I had declared it case closed, end of the line. We only went back to the evidence because you noticed the fly in the ointment.”
“Yeah,” Kaidan admitted easily. “But I wasn’t the one who needed a get out of jail free card. And if you really want to assign responsibility, EDI did all the hacking, and analysed most of the data. Hell, you could even throw Eclipse in there, for their info on C-Sec.”
“It was a team effort.”
“Exactly. Besides, if I keep this up, maybe they’ll just make me the second human spectre.”
He’d meant the suggestion as a joke. But Shepard looked at him sideways, a crafty, devious look on his face. “That’s not a bad idea.”
They lapsed into silence, simply taking in the view. “You know why I love this ship so much?” Shepard asked sometime later, and Kaidan shook his head. “Because no one on it has ever, ever stabbed me in the back.”
Kaidan was stunned at the announcement. “Really?”
“People have made mistakes. Bad ones. And we’ve gotten into some serious trouble because of it,” Shepard explained. “But they were always honest mistakes, things done with the best of intentions, even if they lacked good judgment. And I’m not going to hold that against anyone. God knows I’ve made my share of bad calls.” He turned his head and tugged Kaidan closer, kissing him lightly. “Thank you. For convincing me to go the gentle route with the council. I can’t stand that bunch of bureaucratic head-cases on a good day… but today, they made a good call.”
“Which happened to be the one that kept you out of jail, and let you keep serving on the finest ship in the Alliance,” Kaidan pointed out, aware of the heavy bias in Shepard’s opinion.
“That too,” he said, with a wry grin. “Now… let’s get this motley crew together and get out of here. Somewhere out there in the galaxy,” he said, turning back to the view, “there’s got to be something that needs to be blown up.”
The End.