As locals said later, the Earthborn warship had been helped by strange, never-before-seen activity in the planet's infrastructure—the energy accumulators, for example.
Ashley had also heard that the weather installations played their role. She hadn't known before that ordinary systems could be used so nonstandardly to immobilize such a giant. How many meters was it from "head to toe"? A kilometer? Two? Possibly two.
That the ship that had suddenly appeared over the planet and landed was enormous, Ashley Williams understood clearly and fully. Few Alliance cruisers could have attacked a Reaper in space. But here, on the ground, it had been opposed by a reconnaissance frigate. A small, agile ship. Absolutely not meant and not suited to fight in a "line." Especially alone. Against monsters like that.
The archaeologists were packing, preparing to move to a new site. Packing personal belongings, equipment, devices, tools.
A column of cargo and passenger wheeled vehicles lined up at the camp perimeter.
Ashley heard the scientists and technicians passing along Dr. Warren's instruction: prepare to relocate to a new site.
That meant the Alliance marines' camp would soon be without these restless, hard-to-manage neighbors.
Representatives of the local district administration arrived again. Dr. Warren secluded herself with them in her office.
The prefabs… some belonged to the local authorities, a small part—three to five of them—were under the archaeologists' control. Now these huts were being dismantled, parts stacked, completeness checked, packed, and loaded onto haulers.
Ashley inspected several emptied prefabs. Bare walls. Everything as usual. It was unlikely the marines would allow her, a platoon commander, to move any of her soldiers into these prefabs. Unlikely.
And she didn't need to move them into huts anyway. Tents… were more familiar. More normal. And somehow closer for her and her people.
If you thought ahead… tents soon wouldn't be enough to survive. They would have to switch to dugouts and bunkers. Dig trenches, communications trenches, slit trenches. If several such "shrimps" hung over the planet… only structures like bunkers and dugouts would help reduce losses. Not prevent—reduce.
Now the marines would have to fight. A real enemy. A landing force that would come to Eden Prime—and not only Eden Prime—from the bellies of giants like these. And that landing force would be massive.
The geth… a few days ago, almost no one could have argued convincingly that they would show up so far from the Perseus Veil. But now, after the geth landed from this Reaper… it was clear: there would be war with machines. With robots armed not with a virtual mind, but with full artificial intelligence. With robots that shot without missing, knew no fear, no uncertainty, no hesitation. Acting quickly, often at speeds and with precision no sentient organic could match. The war would be… страшная.
Ashley thought about it while doing the usual daily commander routine. She hardly noticed what she was doing now. Hardly thought about what needed doing next. It was as if everything had… automated.
Yes, she had always wanted to serve. The military had become home, family. And now, realizing more fully and deeply the approach of a real, big war, Ashley asked herself whether she was ready for such a war. She herself—the platoon commander of Alliance marines. An Alliance Navy sergeant.
The answer "yes" felt… pale.
Maybe if it were a normal interspecies conflict—even with the turians—Williams, the granddaughter of a combat general, would feel more confident and unequivocal in that positive answer. But after witnessing the clash between a frigate and a Reaper, surviving the drone attack on the camp inhabitants, seeing the indoctrinated—perhaps drugged—people who resembled patients of Earth psychiatric clinics, she understood more and more sharply that she had not been trained for the war rolling in. Not trained at all—or, at best, trained insufficiently.
The Normandy shuttle that had taken the Beacon to the frigate returned. The driver landed the craft, stepped out of the cockpit, sat on the grass, and activated his omni-tool.
Kaidan did not appear. The marine on duty at the camp recently reported that the lieutenant was still working with documents. And if those local administration representatives came again… Alenko would be stuck here a long time.
The shuttle driver was calm, not in a hurry. Sitting, reading something on his omni-tool.
"Sergeant, local police have arrived. The people detained by Lieutenant Alenko were handed over to them," a duty marine reported, stepping briskly to Williams. "With the lieutenant's consent, Sergeant," the soldier added.
Ashley nodded and saluted, freeing the marine.
So that problem was solved as well. Along with the detainees, the police were surely given the pistol and the contents of that "cache."
Maybe the marine had not seen everything. Maybe he hadn't been told everything. But even what he did understand was enough: very soon much would change.
Sitting on a boulder, Williams pulled a ration brick from her pack, unwrapped it, set it on the rock, and waited for the heater to finish.
She didn't feel like eating a cold ration—there was time to warm the food.
Williams's thoughts stubbornly returned to Kaidan. Something about him had truly caught her. And, as she understood while starting to eat, it caught her for a long time.
"Would you mind if I invited you into the shuttle, Sergeant?" Alenko's voice sounded. Ashley almost flinched from surprise: the lieutenant had approached so quietly and unnoticed. "We can eat in more comfortable conditions there."
"Don't mind." Ashley stood, slinging her pack over her shoulder.
Sitting at the small table in the shuttle cabin, she looked at the lieutenant.
"Looks like my platoon will be left alone soon," she said quietly.
"The archaeologists are being moved to another site," Kaidan confirmed, unwrapping his ration and waiting for his heater to finish. "I'm sure there are plenty of Prothean artifacts around here," he fell silent, took a spoon, and started eating.
For several minutes there was silence in the cabin, but Ashley noted it wasn't forced—it was natural.
Yes, Kaidan… could be different. He could be very laconic and… surprisingly unobtrusive. Yes, he invited her, a marine platoon commander, aboard the frigate shuttle, though he didn't have to. Maybe it looked… standard.
Maybe. But it mattered to her: he showed her attention first. Attention he, of course, could have withheld. He was a lieutenant, an officer, and she was a sergeant. Distance, difference, subordination and all that gave him enormous advantages. Advantages that… perhaps were neither important nor necessary to him now.
Nothing special was happening: she, a Systems Alliance Navy marine sergeant, and he, a Systems Alliance Navy lieutenant—Ashley no longer cared what his specialty was—were simply eating lunch, or perhaps even dinner, aboard the shuttle.
Still, Ashley liked feeling that this wasn't just a shared "meal" between two commanders, even of different levels, even of different ranks. And when, really, were commanders supposed to talk if not during "meals"? There was almost no free time, duties were endless. And besides, it was clear Kaidan wouldn't stay here long. He would return to the frigate.
If the local authorities had come to the archaeologists' camp and, as best they could, dealt with the local "troublemakers," handing those outsiders over to local law enforcement, then Kaidan had little reason to linger here among marines temporarily left without work. Unless…
Unless one of those reasons became her: Sergeant Ashley Williams. And since her platoon's marines had no work here in the immediate future, she could afford to step back from the daily military cocktail a little. And remember she was not only a marine sergeant and a platoon commander, but also a girl. And Kaidan was not only a lieutenant, but also a young man. Interesting, attractive, pleasant… not just a conversational partner…
God, why was she so fast?! They barely knew each other, and he was trying not to look at her, focused on eating. She, of course, was looking at him. With interest. He understood it and didn't stop her. The driver… sat with his back to the cabin, so… still, it would be foolish to underestimate him—he could sense a lot.
"Lieutenant, permission…" Ashley set aside the wrapper and wiped her fingers and palms with a napkin.
"Williams, we're not on the parade ground. So for now… let's do without ranks." Alenko leaned back in his seat and looked at her. "I assume you may be transferred to a new post soon. For a new mission."
"That's how it will be." In that moment Ashley didn't know how she should address him. Yes, she understood "without ranks," but to address him by name right away… Maybe she was being foolishly afraid?
"Kaidan… sorry… that fight…" Williams said timidly, forcing herself past her reluctance to reduce the distance so quickly.
"We prepared for it," Alenko said. "Long before our ship entered this system. Prepared," he repeated. "And that's why… we managed to resolve the situation in our favor. Or… at least begin to resolve it. For now it's clear to me: the situation isn't resolved to the end. The Reaper… is only immobilized. It's not destroyed, not brought under our control. So… everything can still change very quickly," Alenko paused, "one way or the other. And the fight… yes, we used part of the planet's infrastructure capacity. There will be major restoration work," he admitted.
"That means…" Ashley continued timidly.
"That means the frigate likely won't leave the planet in the next day or two, Ashley," Kaidan said, vaguely realizing he was the first to give his interlocutor the chance to seriously shorten the distance.
Hearing her name from his lips, Ashley felt something complicated—and she was afraid even to think about her feelings logically.
It was too pleasant to hear her name from Kaidan. He made a big step toward her first. He addressed her by name, not by rank, not by post. Though he could have. He could have. But he did—by name.
Chakwas saw on her monitors how Kaidan's health readings were changing, and she understood that the lieutenant… had fallen in love. He was, of course, happy to realize he wouldn't have to "pay" for such sharp, deep excitement with hours of terrible head pain, though in these moments he hardly thought about it clearly. He was happy. And he savored it fully.
"I'm glad, Kaidan, that… the frigate will stay on the planet a few more days," Williams said softly, looking straight at the young man sitting opposite. "Would you mind if we took a walk? Half an hour… we have it."
"I wouldn't." Kaidan stood, went down the ramp first, and offered Ashley a hand. The shuttle driver, turning toward them, saw the marine sergeant pause, then rest her hand in the lieutenant's, and after stepping down, as the host of the camp, lead the guest toward its edge.
Soon Ashley and Kaidan were walking slowly along a narrow trail.
They talked for several dozen minutes. They took turns and didn't slip into long monologues.
Ashley liked the way Kaidan listened—how unhurried and calm he was. It seemed to her he was even a little relaxed. Maybe because they had already walked far enough from the camp with its artificial order and were now among forest barely touched by civilization. Or maybe for some other reason.
Williams very much wanted to believe Kaidan would be with her for a long time. A very long time. The premonition of war didn't leave her. It became familiar, taking up a permanent corner somewhere in her mind.
If a war like that lay ahead, then these peaceful, calm minutes… would be very precious when they became only memories—replayed again and again. Later, when there was war. A terrible war. With enormous losses, destruction, and grief. Almost continuous heavy fighting. Retreats… yes, retreats, because an enemy with ships like that Reaper on its side would hardly start retreating at once under Alliance pressure.
There would not be endless retreats. But retreat—especially in the first hours and days—would be necessary. The enemy would have to show its strength and power, to convince the galaxy's inhabitants at least of the seriousness of its intentions. And then—of its ability and readiness to impose its will on sentient organics.
Ashley didn't feel ready to think about occupation or captivity. Even internally. And that unsettled her. The mad people—civilian and military—had left her, a marine sergeant, with a complex, heavy impression.
If the enemy could so easily affect the psyche of sentient organics… there would be no captivity. There would be either life, or… death. Complete and final. Not the death of a body—the death of a mind, because a madman is already a different person entirely, even if outwardly he is often indistinguishable from a sane human.
"Kaidan… tell me… about yourself," Ashley asked, trying to drive away thoughts about the grim fate of indoctrinated organics.
"All right." Alenko walked even more slowly. His story was unhurried. Williams understood that Kaidan was not saying a lot, but that he also wasn't hiding a great deal. "Now I'm the deputy commander of the landing team. For assault-landing work," the biotic officer finished. "Ashley, tell me about yourself."
"Well." Williams didn't stop, though in that moment she very much wanted not only to stop, but to look around.
In her story she also left a lot unsaid, not really hoping Kaidan wouldn't notice, but she tried to cover many points with enough completeness.
"They sent us to Eden Prime to keep the archaeologists safe. Their mission was to extract some valuable Prothean artifact from the planet's depths. Official dig, but requiring military security. For marines that's familiar. Though tasks like these are fairly rare in our practice. Good thing we based close—both the archaeologists and us—didn't distance ourselves. We were close physically, but in everything else we tried to keep a proper distance. They work, we guard. And we don't вмешиваемся in anything else. Unless they ask for something concrete and the request doesn't contain anything… unacceptable. As for relations with locals… well, most of the archaeologists are from Eden Prime. We're the ones here on a temporary assignment," Ashley allowed herself a faint smile. "We had to allow the locals a lot. And avoid over-bureaucratizing interactions—with both local authorities and locals. So the mistakes… accumulated. Good thing the weapons found on locals and in that makeshift cache… didn't start shooting sentients."
"Yeah… good," Kaidan nodded, stopping. "Sorry…" He pressed his palm to his ear and activated the comm. "Lieutenant Alenko," he listened. "Yes. Understood. I'll be at the pad on time." Lowering his hand, he looked at Ashley; his eyes showed sincere regret. "Ordered to return to the frigate. For now—to the pad. There's work," he looked at the approaching shuttle. "Ours are all aboard; it's here for me. Sorry." He gently took Ashley's hand. "I hope we'll see each other again. I really hope," he said quietly but clearly, turning and taking the first steps toward the landing craft, reluctantly releasing her hand. "I really hope."
Williams watched Kaidan until the cabin door closed behind him and the shuttle rose, turned its stern toward the marine sergeant, lifted its nose, and accelerated from a standstill.
Following the shuttle's flight with her eyes, Williams stepped onto the trail and, trying not to run, returned to the marines' camp.
She had tasks that could no longer be postponed.
Some part of her mind was now firmly occupied by thoughts of Kaidan. She… definitely liked him very, very much. She liked him more than many other young men service and visits to inhabited worlds had brought into her life.
Now she was almost sure she had fallen in love with Kaidan Alenko, the biotic lieutenant. And she felt, understood, realized that he loved her… Mutual love, mutual affection… were rare. Which meant young Williams was very lucky. There would be new meetings with Kaidan ahead. New conversations. She would learn more about Alenko, his shipmates, the frigate. She would. And she would try to understand a lot.