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Trying to outshine a poster-boy was like trying to buff rust out of oxidized engine parts. You just didn’t. There were some things in the universe you couldn’t fix and the attitude of the man standing a few paces to Kaidan’s left was one of them.
Commander Shepard, a soldier chosen for his effortless survival on Akuze, was now standing on Eden Prime during the biggest firefight Kaidan could think of. Jenkins had just been killed, struck down by a geth turret before anyone had known what hit them. Kaidan didn’t have time to feel the pain of losing a friend, something Jenkins had been for a long time, even before he’d joined the Systems Alliance. He told Jenkins the military probably wasn’t for him. Sucker had to go and sign up anyway. Now Kaidan would have to tell the man’s parents what happened to him, what a reckless stunt he tried to pull.
Yet it didn’t seem to phase Commander Shepard, gun blazing, firing at the geth perched behind a rocky outcropping. It gave them both a chance to breathe.
“How long do you think they can keep this up?” And how long were they going to last? Kaidan wasn’t encouraged by the lack of field experience he had on a team with Shepard, and was even less prepared for the distinct possibility he was going to die. Never thought his stunning military career would end in rifle flames. Too many medals to count and Shepard was in charge. He left the bitterness alone. It wasn’t like him to be the smaller person, even as human as he was.
“Longer than we can, at any rate,” Shepard shot back.
Kaidan checked the heatsink on his pistol one last time and rose above the rock they were hiding behind, lining up a shot. One geth wasn’t down completely, part of his flashlight head poking above its almost superior hiding spot. The very corner of Kaidan’s mouth twitched up before he pulled the trigger.
Hadn’t been watching for the geth to his right, circling around trying to flank them. That meant another was on their left. Sparks flew from the barrier covering Kaidan’s entire body, disrupting the field and forcing him to jerk to the left in recoil. Damn geth was using a shotgun! Kaidan remained down once he’d ducked.
“I never thought I’d get to see geth. First time, I get shot at.” This was not shaping up to be a good day on the job. Supposedly they were doing a simple run, in and out of Eden Prime because of something they found. Instead they got geth, one person killed, and now it looked as if they wouldn’t be walking out alive either. “There are worse firsts,” came the response, Shepard letting off a shotgun blast. “Trust me.”
“We’re a man down and the Normandy can’t break through the interference.” Kaidan tried to keep his head down further, the presence of geth building along the outer ridge. Dug in, they were. A deep breath and the bravery to stand up for their lives brought Kaidan back over cover, firing several well-placed shots before going back down again. “Any ideas, Shepard?” Now was not the time for the other soldier to get scared. How could someone who survived a thresher maw massacre have cold feet? Shepard did know what he was doing, and it was apparent by the sudden disregard for personal safety.
“Yeah, a few ideas come to mind — ” The Commander responded, checking something on his gun. Was now really the time? Kaidan almost said something, words cut short by the one finger held up in his face. “Give me a second,” Shepard added.
Kaidan had the pleasure of watching the man work.
One geth, two more; eventually there were none, and Kaidan felt positively schooled. Well, the edging of shame crept along his spine, but he pushed it off as his L2 implant wanting to give him a headache. Just a little quiet, a little peace, and maybe a few stern words of opinion thrown back at Captain Anderson upon their return to the Normandy.
Not a moment later Kaidan was able to see the glory and appreciation of Commander Shepard’s remaining cool under fire. That pop of the heatsink, the way the man cocked his hip out. God, did it get any better? Kaidan rolled his eyes. “Better idea. Let’s go ask her,” was the Commander’s suggestion. A figure in white armor, tripping over herself, came around the side of another rocky outcropping. No time to spare a few words; it was another opportunity for do or die.