Deep Space: An Epic Sci-Fi Romance

by Joan Jett

  After Shepard left, Kaidan sat on the bench, the energy drink forgotten in his hand. He seemed almost dejected.

  “Kaidan?” I asked gently.

  “I think we’re done for the day, Liara. I’d better get back to work.”

  “All right, Kaidan.”

  I went to follow Shepard. I caught up with him at the door to his quarters. He smiled, invited me inside, and sat down behind his desk.

  “I’m worried about Kaidan,” I began.

  He sat back and steepled his fingers, waiting for more.

  “While we were practicing, he seemed to be in pain. He also had a strong reaction to your news about our new orders. I’m not sure he is well.”

  “He’s fine, Liara.” Shepard’s face was expressionless, giving nothing away. “I think you should drop this line of inquiry.”

  I blinked, surprised at his coldness. “Shepard, Kaidan is a friend. I want to help if I can.”

  He frowned, thinking it over, but then his expression softened slightly. “I’m sorry, Liara. I suppose that’s fair. He’s my friend too, and you may have noticed he’s a very reserved person . . . but I don’t think he would mind if I explained this to you. Just make sure what we talk about doesn’t leave this room.”

  “I understand.”

  “There’s nothing we can do to help Kaidan.” He tapped at the back of his skull. “It’s his implant.”

  “I see. I’m sorry, I know very little about the implants human biotics use. We asari have no need for such technology.”

  “I imagine it helps that you’ve evolved to use biotics naturally. It’s not so easy for us humans. Our biotics have to have cybernetic implants installed in the brain and upper spine, about when they reach puberty. The implants regulate the nerve impulses that trigger the mass effect. Otherwise most of them couldn’t lift a feather, much less use biotics effectively in combat.”

  “This technology is dangerous?”

  “Any time you mess around with the core nervous system, yes, it’s risky. They’ve got most of the bugs worked out these days, but the first generation of human biotics got the experimental L2 implants. Like Kaidan.”

  “Kaidan was one of the first?”

  “That’s right. You won’t meet many human biotics older than he is.” Shepard leaned forward. “Now, as I understand it the L2 implants are pretty powerful – they spike high and give the user almost asari levels of energy output. But we humans didn’t understand neural implant technology very well back then. A lot of the L2 biotics ended up with neurological problems: severe pain, psychological complications from chemical imbalances in the brain, sometimes cerebral hemorrhages.”

  My eyes widened with shock. “That’s terrible. I’ve been impressed with Kaidan’s biotic abilities, but I had no idea he paid such a high price for them.”

  “He actually considers himself lucky. From what he tells me, he just gets these really amazing headaches, with a lot of sensitivity to light and loud noises.”

  “That must make combat difficult.”

  “He toughs it out,” Shepard said simply.

  “I take it younger human biotics do not have the same difficulty?”

  “No. After a few years we developed a better approach to the implant technology. Not as powerful, but a lot more stable and safe to use. Most human biotics today have the L3 implants, or something even more advanced.”

  “Could Kaidan not have his implants replaced?”

  “He has the option, but he prefers to remain as he is. The operation is risky. It’s dangerous to just replace something that’s been integrated with your core brain functions for years. The headaches don’t cripple him, and he finds the extra power the L2 gives him is useful, so he lives with it.”

  A connection formed in my mind. “Kaidan is one of the people who might have benefited from this proposed law in your legislature, isn’t he?”

  Shepard nodded. “That’s right.”

  “Are you certain you can rely on him for this mission?”

  “Absolutely,” he said decisively. “Liara, being a leader requires knowing when you can trust your subordinates. I know Kaidan better than you do. He may feel some personal involvement, but he won’t let that interfere with his duty.”

  I nodded, deferring to his judgment. “May I help in any way?”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  * * *

  9 April 2183, Farinata System Space

  Normandy dropped out of FTL quite close to the captured freighter, the Ontario. Almost immediately the freighter activated its engines in full drive mode, dashing toward a nearby asteroid cluster. Faster and more maneuverable, Normandy moved to intercept the freighter long before it could reach cover.

  Kaidan and I waited in the CIC while Shepard opened negotiations.

  “Ontario, this is Commander Shepard of the Alliance warship Normandy. You are ordered to cut your drives and prepare to be boarded.”

  Silence from the fleeing freighter.

  “Ontario, if you do not cut your drives I am prepared to fire upon your vessel. I am aware that you have a hostage on board. You should be aware that Alliance policy does not permit me to take that fact into consideration. I will disable your engines, and if you continue to refuse cooperation I will use deadly force. However, if you are willing to open negotiations, I have someone on hand ready to talk to you.”

  Silence . . . and then a voice came over the radio connection, male human, heavy with strain. “Normandy, there will be no negotiations under threat. Back off now or we will kill the hostage.”

  Shepard’s voice, on the other hand, was calm and very cold. “That would leave you nothing with which to bargain. Don’t make any decisions you’ll regret afterwards. However briefly.”

  Shocked, I stared at him for a moment and saw nothing to make me doubt that he was serious.

  After a long moment Shepard spoke again, clearly for the benefit of the other ship. “Lieutenant Moreau, target the Ontario’s primary drive.”

  “Wait! You leave us adrift, we’ll die in that asteroid cluster!”

  “You should have thought of that before you decided to become terrorists.”

  The other ship didn’t respond, but its icon on the situation map changed color, indicating that it was no longer under power.

  “Good choice, Ontario. Are you prepared to talk to our negotiator now?”

  “. . . All right, put him on.”

  Shepard nodded to Kaidan.

  “Ontario, this is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. I’ve been assigned to negotiate. What is your situation? Do you need food, fuel, or any other supplies?”

  There was a long silence. “Lieutenant, we are well-supplied for the moment.”

  “Good. What are your demands for release of your hostage?”

  The voice fell into a cadence, obviously reading from a prepared script. “We demand the Alliance Parliament immediately pass a bill authorizing the payment of reparations to all biotics suffering harmful side-effects and medical conditions as a result of their L2 implants. These reparations must be sufficient to cover the costs of removing L2 implants, or replacing them with L3 or more advanced models, free of charge to any biotic who wants to undergo such a procedure. We also want amnesty for everyone on board the Ontario, and a guarantee that we can leave Alliance space without pursuit.”

  Kaidan glanced at Shepard, who nodded and held up three fingers.

  “Ontario, I’m sure you realize that it won’t be easy to get the Alliance Parliament to do anything. We can talk about ways to get the issue more public attention and put some pressure on Parliament to move on the issue. We can talk about arranging amnesty and safe-conduct. But none of that is going to happen while you’re holding Chairman Burns hostage.”

  “None of it is going to happen if we let him go, either,” said the voice. “Send letters and do protest marches and nobody listens to you. The only way to get anyone to take you seriously is to hold a gun to some privileged idiot’s head.”

  �
��Let’s try this, Ontario. Can we have some proof that Chairman Burns is alive and in good condition?”

  “Sure, Lieutenant.”

  A new holographic display appeared before us. At first we saw a male human face, deep brown eyes, light brown complexion, beard stubble on cheeks and chin, scowling with anger and frustration. Then the viewpoint swooped downward, and we saw Martin Burns kneeling on the deck, hands behind his neck, a heavy pistol leveled at his head.

  “The Chairman’s fine for right now,” said the hostage-taker. “We haven’t been treating him badly, and he’s in good health. That can change at a moment’s notice.”

  “Thank you, Ontario. I’ll need a few minutes to consult with my commander.” Kaidan made a throat-cutting gesture, looking suddenly very pale and afraid.

  Shepard cut off the radio link. “What’s wrong, Kaidan?”

  Kaidan leaned forward and worked with the haptic keyboard in front of him. The video transmission from the Ontario froze, and then moved backward until we were once again looking at the first glimpse of the hostage-takers and Chairman Burns. Then the computer focused on the leader’s face. Kaidan nodded grimly.

  “I know him,” he said. “His name is Miguel Rodriguez. He was in biotic training with me back in 2168 and 2169, just before the BAaT program was shut down.”

  “How well do you know him? Do you think he would remember you?”

  “Not well. He was a few years younger. We didn’t have much to do with each other. But I suspect he would remember me.” Kaidan gave Shepard a significant glance, clearly reminding him of something the two of them had shared.

  Shepard nodded. “Let’s see if he would be willing to go for face-to-face talks. We could go in and assess the situation . . .”

  Kaidan broke in. “Sir, with all due respect, you have no business going over to the Ontario.”

  Shepard opened his mouth to issue a retort, thought better of it, nodded. “Right. The negotiator goes in but the commander stays out of reach. By the book.”

  “By the book,” Kaidan agreed.

  “Would it help if I went in as well?” I asked.

  Both of them stared at me. After a moment Kaidan nodded reluctantly. “Commander, she won’t appear threatening, but if this thing goes sour they won’t be expecting anyone with her level of biotic talent. Not to mention some of the L2s hold asari in a lot of respect. It’s worth a try.”

  Shepard looked very unhappy, but in the end he nodded agreement. “Take care of her, Lieutenant.”

  “We will take care of each other,” I said firmly.

  * * *

  Kaidan and I went across the boarding tube, meeting some of the human biotics in the airlock of the Ontario. We were searched for weapons, but we had deliberately gone in unarmed, wearing only light armor. While Kaidan was being searched I took the opportunity to evaluate the extremists. Only four had come to meet us, two to search while two held their weapons on us. There were three men and one woman, and if I was any judge of human ages they were all relatively young. All of them looked angry and frightened.

  We met the group’s leaders in a half-empty cargo hold, with Chairman Burns nowhere to be seen. Rodriguez was clearly in charge. “What’s with the asari, Lieutenant?”

  Kaidan stepped forward. “She’s a member of our crew, and at least somewhat sympathetic. Consider her my assistant . . . Miguel.”

  Rodriguez did a double-take. “How do you know my name?”

  “I was at Jump Zero with you. You may not remember me very well.”

  “I don’t remember you at all.”

  “I’m sure you remember what got Brain Camp shut down finally.”

  “Yeah, that turian instructor who got in a fight with one of the students and ended up getting killed . . . holy shit. That was you?”

  “I’m not proud of it, but yeah.”

  “You should be proud of it. Turian bastards killed a few of us. Does your Commander Shepard know?”

  Kaidan nodded. “He knows.”

  “And yet he sent you in here anyway. Hmm.”

  “Listen, the commander may sound like a hard-ass, and it’s true there’s only so far you can push him . . . but my being here should tell you he’s not unreasonable. You know your demands aren’t going to be met in full. You’ve actually done yourself a lot of harm by acting like a bunch of terrorists. But it’s not too late to make things right and make at least some progress toward what you want.”

  “Kaidan, is it?”

  “That’s right.”

  Rodriguez shook his head. “Look, Kaidan, we tried everything. Public relations campaigns, lobbying, protests, none of it worked. You know how most of humanity looks at us. To them we’re unnatural, dangerous monsters. We keep suffering and dying, because we’re not really people to those bastards back home. Burns could spit in our faces and get ten points in the polls in the next round of elections.”

  “Have you asked him?” I inquired.

  Both of them looked at me.

  “Asked who?” demanded Rodriguez.

  “Chairman Burns. He’s been in your company for several days. Have you taken the opportunity to speak to him?”

  “There’s no reason. We already know what he would say.”

  “Are you sure?” I challenged him. “At the time when he took the action in Parliament you disapprove of, he had never met any of you. Now he has. Perhaps he now has more reason to despise you, but perhaps not. Why not ask him?”

  Kaidan nodded. “That’s not a bad idea, Miguel. What have you got to lose?”

  Rodriguez narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “You two are both biotics. Blue there probably packs quite a punch. You planning some sort of lame rescue attempt?”

  Kaidan raised both hands in a pacifying gesture. “You have my word, Miguel. As long as no one tries to kill Burns, we would rather talk this out.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  “All right. I’ll admit I haven’t had much time to talk to him. Didn’t see any point anyway.” He turned to one of his partners. “Yevgeni, keep Burns in cuffs but bring him out here.”

  While we waited, I whispered to Kaidan. “You killed one of your biotic instructors?”

  “Hmm. It’s a long story, Liara, and we don’t have time right now. Let’s just say the mistakes the Alliance made with us didn’t end with badly designed neural implants.”

  “I understand,” I said, and left it at that. Enough prying, Liara, he’ll tell you more if he wants to.

  Burns arrived in restraints, guarded by “Yevgeni” and two more of his captors. He had a harried look but did not appear to be ill-treated. He was clean and well-fed.

  Rodriguez made introductions. “Burns, this is Kaidan Alenko, one of the Alliance team who’s been sent to rescue you. You may remember the name, if you’ve bothered to educate yourself at all about the issues that come before your committee. The asari . . . sorry, miss, I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Dr. Liara T’Soni,” I supplied.

  “There you go. She’s with Lieutenant Alenko. They’ve suggested we bring you into these discussions, although I can’t imagine what good it will do.”

  Burns’s voice was rough from disuse. “Thank you.”

  “So, Burns, what have you got to say for yourself? Here’s your chance to beg for your freedom, so you can go back and demonstrate your fiscal responsibility some more. What’s a few hundred human lives that have already been destroyed by Alliance policies?”

  Burns slowly shook his head. “No.”

  Rodriguez blinked. “What do you mean, no?”

  Burns stood up straight. “First off, no, I won’t beg for my freedom. Second, no, I don’t think I want to stand in the way of reparations anymore.”

  All of the human biotics stared at him, including Kaidan.

  “Look, I won’t deny I took the job as subcommittee chairman to further my political ambitions. It’s what you have to do in Parliament, if you ever want to work your way up through the system. Knowing anything about
the issues that come before your committee is optional.” He sighed. “When the reparations bill came before the committee, it seemed like an easy decision. Biotics aren’t popular, and spending Alliance funds on any kind of reparations isn’t popular. Why not save a few hundred million credits?”

  “Bullshit!” shouted Rodriguez, enraged. Suddenly he was standing inches away from Burns, staring the politician in the eyes.

  Kaidan moved, beginning a gesture to bring up his biotic power, and that set off a chain reaction. Weapons were leveled all around the cargo bay, Kaidan had a blue halo around his shoulders and hands, and even I had light streaming from a clenched right fist. Thank the Goddess it stopped there. Rodriguez had not drawn his sidearm. Still staring at Burns, he made an impatient gesture and all of us eased away from the precipice.

  “The Alliance created us!” Rodriguez growled in the politician’s face. “Exposed us to eezo in the first place. Took us away from our homes, our families. Handed us over to Conatix. Shipped us out to Jump Zero so no one would have to pay attention to what was done to us. Jammed these half-assed pieces of junk into our brains, never mind the side effects that would last the rest of our lives. And then when we weren’t making progress fast enough, they called in turians – turians, Burns, aliens who hated us and were killing other humans on the battlefield just a few years before. And then those turians started killing us. The Alliance did all this to us, quite coldly and deliberately killed some of us, made sure the rest would never have any chance at a normal life, and now we’re worthless parasites who don’t deserve reparations?”

  Burns was silent.

  “I’ve got a little sister, Burns, did you know that? She’s fourteen years old, pretty and cheerful and one hell of a lot smarter than me . . . and she’s a biotic too. I will die before I watch the Alliance treat her the way it treated me. The way it treated all of us in the first generation.” Rodriguez shook his head in weary disgust. “The reparations are a down payment on justice for us, but they’re also a promise that kids like my sister won’t ever have to go through what we suffered. A promise that the Alliance will start treating biotics like human beings, with decency and respect. Do you get that? Do you get any of it?”