Chapter Text
Kaidan Alenko strained his arm, squinting in concentration, but his quarry was just out of reach and time was running out. He currently slouched back on the soft white couch in his bright apartment on the Citadel, his one-year-old daughter napping on his chest, his coffee cup just beyond his fingertips and cooling rapidly. Finally, as all hope seemed lost, his mother walked through the kitchen and was beckoned over by his hiss.
"Ashley sleeps like a rock, you know. She won't wake up." Karen Alenko handed the Spectre his caffeine but, with just a touch of smugness, didn't bother to lower her voice- after serving as the child's caregiver for the last few weeks she was enjoying her authority on all things Ashley. He quickly gulped a sip before he whispered his thanks, purposely ignoring her advice as she rolled her eyes and wandered back down the hall.
From their picture windows he could see a few residents going about their business in the quiet residential sector they called home part of the year, during the times work called them away from their cozy Vancouver home. In the distance a short woman in Alliance uniform walked briskly down the walkway and he almost sat up before realizing it would not, could not be Jane Shepard. She was already a day out, on her way to the Kepler Verge, seeking an eccentric- and possibly dangerous- volus prophet.
Things had been strained when Jane left her family the day before and he still wasn't sure where they stood as a couple. He loved her- he would always love her- but the woman refused to let someone else take the risks for once, resulting in him refusing to accompany her on this leg of her mission, opting to stay home with their daughter.
Kaidan drained the last of his coffee and kissed the top of his daughter's head. He wondered how Jane was doing on their voyage out. Things should be quiet on this leg of the trip- despite their recent disagreement, he hoped she wasn't too bored.
***
"What the shit, Joker?!" Jane shrieked as she stumbled onto the bridge, red auxiliary lights flashing behind her. She shouted both in anger and to be heard over the blaring alarms.
"I don't know, I didn't do it!" The pilot frantically punched buttons as he tried to regain control of the spinning ship. The Ursula was a small, sleek vessel; normally this was an advantage but today it proved a liability after being struck by a missile. "Who the hell is firing on us?"
"Doesn't matter, just get control of this thing-"
Her shout was cut off by Miranda's voice echoing through her personal comm. "Who the hell is firing on us?"
"Miranda, prepare the evac procedures immediately-"
"Already on it. Shepard, Joker, I expect you at your muster stations in 10 minutes tops." There was a note of warning in her second-in-command's voice- the last time they'd had to abandon ship things hadn't exactly gone according to plan. The pilot and the Admiral exchanged a glance through the red glow, silently acknowledging their situation.
Without further argument the two got up and, Jane supporting her friend, made their way to the escape pods. He only looked back once.
Jane waited at the muster station with a practiced calm that belied her internal state, ushering the small crew of the Ursula to safety, until Miranda confirmed they were the last aboard the ship. The two women and Joker climbed into the last pod and launched, watching the ship spin slowly through the small porthole.
From the vantage point they could see the extent of the damage- the small ship, built for speed and stealth, hadn't stood a chance against an unanticipated attack. After a moment Jane asked quietly, "Where are we?"
Miranda sighed. "Still in the Shadow Sea. There's a hospitable planet we should be on a trajectory toward. Let's hope these pods are everything the salesman promised they'd be, they certainly cost enough." The Admiral nodded and the three watched the ship that had briefly been their home gradually shrink as they hurtled toward what was hopefully their salvation.
After a few minutes Joker cleared his throat. "So what should we talk about?"