Kaidan's Vancouver, Wednesday

The weather wasn't too bad in Vancouver this time of year. A lot of rain, sure, but also decent temperatures. Kaidan had been staying places too classified to mention for too long; the breeze alone had put him in a good mood. Though... that might've also been the part where resurfacing like this meant he had a one-shot chance to talk to some old friends.

... No, not that friend. The friend - if Kaidan could call him that - currently incarcerated nearby... yeah, he wasn't sure he knew how to handle that. Especially not after that stunt with that Batarian colony recently-- damn, that one.

But he wasn't here for that, anyway. He was here to brief the Admiralty about the Reapers - which he'd just done. They'd been getting strange readings not too far from Earth itself. Well out in the outer rim, but enough to make everyone a little nervous. Even Kaidan, if he was going to be entirely honest. Just... not nervous enough that he didn't want the slight indulgence of seeing his friends.

He pushed through the door leading out of the Admiralty offices, his eyes immediately searching for three distinct faces among the crowd.

( Will something go wrong? Of course. )

[[ nfb, nfi, ooc-okay! preplayed with the magnificent 6buckstohisname, bitten_notshy and allie_vamp; taken and adapted from mass effect 3. helloooo, canon train. or rather, canon trauma conga line. ]]

From the Normandy to the Red Planet, Wednesday

The hangar doors had barely shut tight behind Shepard when the barrage of questions began. Vega stalked after him, barking one out after the other. "What the hell's going on? Where's Anderson? Where are we going?"

Shepard ignored him. They had bigger things going on right now. He moved across the shuttle deck fast, going for the consoles.

"Hey!" Vega snapped after him.

For fuck's sake.

Shepard looked over his shoulder. "We're leaving," he said flatly.

"Leaving?!" Vega shrieked.

No, seriously. They didn't have time for this. Shepard's fingers found the console and he tapped the buttons required to start setting up their armor, the ships... everything. They needed to be ready.

( And it just keeps on going downhill... )

[[ nfb, nfi, ooc-okay, muchos thanks to 6buckstohisname, bitten_notshy and allie_vamp! taken and adapted from the mass effect 3 mission 'Priority: Mars'; tbc thanks to LJ post limits ]]

Mars, Wednesday

Kaidan shook his head, echoing wry smile still on his face. "Allie? Watch those big doors down there. Dean? You think you can convince the guys on the other side of the com-- walkie talkie that we're some of theirs, the evil Alliance types are dead and we want across?"

( Playing with walkie-talkies... )

[[ nfb, nfi, ooc-okay, continued from here; violence to a PC under the cut. taken from the mass effect 3 mission 'Priority: Mars'. ]]

Huerta Memorial Hospital, the Citadel, Wednesday Evening

Huerta Memorial was a crowded hospital. Salarian, human, turian and asari doctors milled around, chatting-- the atmosphere was tense. News of Earth's Reaper invasion had just arrived, and everyone was on edge. More so now that they were aware there was a war hero lying in one of the single rooms, though the room itself was well-guarded.

( Shepard paused in the doorway. )

And... he'd like to sit here, make sure that Kaidan wound up all right... but he had a war to fight, and the Council was waiting for him. He stepped out of the room, nodded at Kaidan's friends sitting in the hallway. "He's stable," he said.

Then Shepard was gone, on to do his job.

[[ for those there! speech taken from mass effect 3. ]]