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you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age · 7 years ago

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Part of Your World - Chapter 4: Getting to Know You

Kaidan watched Merrin move about the crew quarters near the end of his shift before dinner the next day as he attempted to reroute some wires in an auxiliary panel to enhance efficiency. She was still in her med bay shirt and pants from the day before, her hair still down from where she had worn it high on the crown of her head, with no socks or shoes. Out of the corner of his eye, he followed her as she padded around the mess three times over the last hour, her nearly white-blonde hair swaying around her hips, touching various objects and parts of the ship, stopping periodically to sniff the air - looking in every single nook and cranny. She was almost acting like a spy, trying to learn the ins and outs of the Normandy.

He scoffed quietly at the thought and he saw Merrin’s head whip towards him as if he had yelled at her. He murmured a ‘sorry’, surprised she could have even heard him from across the large room, and Merrin nodded before returning to whatever it was she was doing. She had decided to consider him as a friendly face here on the Normandy. He couldn’t let his observations of her be colored by thoughts that she might be a spy and consummate actress.

He looked at the situation from another angle. If she were from another planet, one not having been brought into the galactic community, then ships like the Normandy would be a strange thing to find oneself in. If he were in her shoes, he’d be curious about everything, too.

Kaidan continued watching her as he pretended to work, several minutes later, as she moved to the elevator. When Merrin stepped inside the car, she touched the green panel to make the elevator car go down. Kaidan could see panic in her eyes as the two doors began closing automatically and was about to go to her when he watched her leap forward between the two horizontal doors and do a summersault to cushion her tumble. On the rollout, she popped back to her feet in one fluid motion and turned towards the doors in confusion. She was acting as if she hadn’t been sick, hadn’t had an inch-deep slice in her belly.

Kaidan jogged over to her, his tool still in hand in his hurry from where he had been working. “Are you okay?”

Merrin turned back to him at his voice, the panic still in her gaze. “I am well. Now.” She looked over her shoulder at the elevator. “What is that beast?”

“That’s an elevator.”

She stared at him with a lost expression. “A what?”

“A… lift? It transports you from one floor of a building, or ship, to another.”

Her eyes widened in surprise and she turned back to the elevator doors. “Truly? What a marvel! That would make climbing the tower so much easi...er…”

Merrin’s words trailed off and Kaidan moved to stand next to her. When he looked at her, he saw that her skin had paled and now had a distant expression form in her profile, as if her mind were a thousand light years away and the memory was painful. He frowned. Just how neolithic was the planet she came from, if they didn’t even have basic elevators or lifts? He shook his head and looked back at Merrin. “What are you looking for, Merrin?”

“My name is Merrin, not…” Merrin frowned, eyebrows two shades darker than the rest of her hair furrowed then shot up; one disappearing into her side-swept bangs. “Oh! That’s what you said, isn’t it?”

Kaidan chuckled. “You aren’t used to people calling you by your first name, are you?”

Merrin’s hair swayed like silk in the sunshine as she shook her head from side to side before looking up at him with her bright hazel eyes. “No. Back home, people called me Knight-Captain or Captain Trevelyan. No one has really called me by my given name since Mother Rebekah.”

“You were in a military on your planet? Where were you stationed? I think I remember hearing you say something about a tower…?”

She froze and her eyes widened. Slowly, she backed up and away from him, looking like a deer caught in the headlights and that she was about to run.

“Merrin wait. I’m sorry. That’s obviously a touchy subject and I didn’t know.” Kaidan made the mistake of grabbing for her arm to halt her retreat.

“No! Let go of me!”

Kaidan quickly let go and held his hands up. “Okay, alright, no touching.” What had she gone through that would cause these kind of reactions? Was she suffering from post-traumatic stress? All these questions and more were flying through his mind. The way she was acting, the nightmares. They all pointed to a reaction to a traumatic event. He would have to speak with Chakwas. “Is there anything I can do for you, Merrin?”

She wrapped her arms around her torso, hugging herself. “I’d like my armor back, if at all possible. And my bow and arrows.”

“Alright, let’s see what we can do.” When Kaidan moved back towards the elevator, Merrin stopped short of entering with him. “What’s up?”

“I am curious about everything here, so normally I would have stayed in the… elvator… to see where it went. But as the doors were closing I remembered… things. So I lept out.”

Kaidan exited the elevator. “Alright. Let’s go down the stairs then. We can talk to Ash about your weapons and armor. I think she was put in charge of repair.”

“Who is Ash?”

“She was there when we found you on the Suns’ ship.”

“The dark-haired woman?” Kaidan nodded and Merrin frowned. “Why did she call you el tee? Your name is Kaidan.”

“LT is a nickname given to me by Ash - Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. LT is short for Lieutenant.”

“Why does she not call you by that? Is she of higher rank than you?”

“No,” Kaidan answered and rubbed the back of his neck. “My full rank is Staff-Lieutenant, I’m the Head of Marine Detail, but most people stick with Lieutenant or, in Ash’s case, LT.”

Merrin crossed her arms over her nearly flat chest and Kaidan kicked himself internally for the disrespectful observation. “That is disrespectful of her, Lieutenant. If you are of a higher rank in your military than she, then you should be afforded the respect you deserve.”

“You can still call me Kaidan, Merrin. You aren’t part of our military so our rules and traditions don’t necessarily apply to you. But honestly, Ash is a friend and it doesn’t bother me that she calls me LT. As long as she doesn’t do it in front of Captain Anderson or any Rear Admirals. She doesn’t mean anything by it.” He watched her shake her head at something before relaxing slightly. After several moments of silence, he asked, “So, what were you looking for in the crew quarters?”

“I like learning my surroundings, if I can. Better for planning should something arise, do you not agree, Lieutenant Kaidan?”

“I do agree, but your mannerisms could come off as suspicious, Merrin. You aren’t Alliance, so to those who have yet to meet you, it might seem like you are gleaning details about the Normandy to either report back to an employer, to sell to an enemy of the Alliance, or to sell to an information broker. For all they know, you could be selling us out to the Batarian Hegemony or extremists because they have your family and it’s the only way to get them back.” Merrin bristled at the mention of the Batarians and Kaidan remembered coming across the other species amongst the Blue Suns on the ship they found her on. It was common to find Batarians within that particular mercenary company. “Merrin?”

“I would never ally myself with any Batarian. Tearn was rude and cruel with his words. He wanted to purchase me from his keeper just so that he could hurt me more because I called him a demon.”

Kaidan choked back a laugh. He didn’t know her well, but felt that she wouldn’t appreciate him finding humor in a traumatic event. Even if it was over a simple word. He nodded in understanding instead.

There was another uncomfortable moment of silence after she spoke and he wanted to kick himself for bringing up the Batarians. God only knew how long she had really been in that ship’s brig or how she had been hurt by them, and his reminding her of that time had been thoughtless. He could feel something deep inside him wanting her to think only the best of him. And not just as a friendly face. But that was ridiculous, they had only just met.

“I’m sorry, Merrin. That was thoughtless on my account.”

She nodded. “You’re right, it was. But I forgive you.”

Kaidan paused at her bluntness when they reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the cargo hold. There was something almost refreshing about it.

Merrin’s stomach took that moment to growl loudly and Kaidan smiled as he flicked his wrist to activate his omni-tool to check what time it was. Merrin jumped back, reaching over her shoulder for a weapon, only to grasp at air. She looked at her shoulder in confusion for a split second before her gaze turned to sadness Kaidan lifted his hands, again, palms up and omni-tool still active. It felt like he was constantly doing that around her. When her hazel gaze returned to him, he lowered his hand so only the omni-tool was raised. “It’s okay, Merrin. I’m just checking to see what time it is.”

Her eyes never left the omni-tool encompassing his left arm, but her look surprise turned into interest. Kaidan sighed and flicked his wrist again to close it once more.

“What was that?”

“How about I answer all of your questions while you eat dinner? My shift is over and, if what I saw when we rescued you was any indication, you haven’t had much to eat before we found you either.”

Merrin lowered her hands to her hips, accentuating their slight curve. “It’s not like I didn’t want to eat, you know. There hadn’t been much to forage for in the forest and I was too weak to eat anything they brought me. Not that I would have. I did not trust them. They might have intended to poison me or some such nonsense.””

Kaidan motioned with a tilt of his head and a raised thumb, for her to follow him back up the stairs and to the small ship's kitchen where food was on display. In the mess, he reached over Merrin’s shoulder for several hot rations and a hand full of cold that he felt were more edible than the others.

He chuckled as he watched her lean in close to the piles, examining them, poking and prodding them, all the while pinching her chin. She was one of the most curious people he had ever met, making her story about being from another world more believable. Kaidan touched her elbow to grab her attention after he placed the rations on a plastic tray, and took them to the main table where everyone on the Normandy ate.

When they stopped next to the table, it was to find Garrus and Tali, two of the three new additions to the Normandy’s crew from when they had been on the Citadel last, having a conversation as they sat across from each other eating dextro meals and drink substitutes. He hadn’t gotten to know them terribly well yet except for when they went to various planets before rescuing Merrin and since she had been aboard, but they both knew what they were doing, especially in battle.

“Mind if we join you?” Kaidan asked, setting the tray down but not letting go in case they wished to be alone.

“Not at all!” Tali chirped and waved to the chair next to her to indicate they should sit next to her and Garrus, who nodded in agreement. All three turned to face Merrin where she remained standing and gasped.

“Seema’Ray? Is that you?”

Garrus and Kaidan looked from Tali to Merrin and back. Seema’Ray had been the Quarian that they’d found in the cell next to Merrin and who had come to the Med bay to check on the human before disembarking on a space station. She had told them that she had come from the Adima, a small ship in the Migrant Fleet. The female had told Shepard of the slavers plans for all of the souls in the brig. For Merrin, they were planning to sell her to the highest bidder as the only one of her kind in Council Space. He was glad that they had found her when they had.

“Merrin, this is Tali’Zorah nar Rayya and Garrus Vakarian. Your friend, Seema’Ray nar Adima visited you before she requested that we drop her off on a space station within Council Space shortly after we found you.” Kaidan looked at Merrin and noticed she was still staring at Tali, who had started squirming in her seat under the human’s intense gaze. It was as if she was trying to see past the female Quarian’s faceplate. “Merrin.”

His firm tone caused Merrin to jump to attention. When she tore her gaze away from Tali to look back towards Kaidan, it passed over Garrus and Kaidan watched her eyes grow wide again as she lifted her hand over her shoulder for the weapon that still wasn’t there. Her body began shaking as she groped for her invisible weapon once more and Kaidan started to worry.

Kaidan rose from his chair and stood next to her, standing between her and the Turian, placing a gentle hand above her upper arm and feeling the vibration of her muscles moving through her limb even as his hand hovered above the sleeve of her shirt. “Are you alright? What’s wrong.”

Merrin slowly turned to him and leaned in to whisper in his ear, without touching him, so as not to appear rude. “What is Garrus Vakarian?”

Kaidan had to force down the shiver that went through his body and down his spine from her warm breath at his ear and swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew Merrin hadn’t meant for her words to come off as rude as it had and he hoped that, if the other male had heard it, Garrus wouldn’t take it offensively. Shepard had briefed everyone of their impromptu acquisition and her part of her situation, but that didn’t excuse rudeness. “Garrus is from a warrior race called the Turians. They are our allies and most are friendly like him, so you don’t have to worry.”

To her credit, after he explained, Merrin quickly recovered and she walked closer to the table and bowed at the waist with a fisted hand over her heart. “I apologize for any perceived rudeness or misunderstanding, messere. My name is Merrin Trevelyan. It is a pleasure to meet you, Messere Vakarian, Messere nar Rayya.”

Tensions calmed after that. Merrin sat across from Kaidan, next to Tali, and began asking a sundry of questions of Garrus and Tali while eating her rations. Occasionally, she would glance at him as if she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. But that couldn’t be true - people just didn’t act that way around him. She just wanted to include him in the conversation. Kaidan appreciated the kind gesture, but he was content simply listening.

Kaidan listened to their words as the conversation continued past thirty minutes, but he found himself getting lost in the tone of Merrin’s voice. Now that she was fully awake, drug-free and without fear, he could hear confidence infusing a voice that was smooth and airy. Quite an interesting contrast. It washed over him like a warm summer breeze and he felt his biotics react, flaring slightly before he had a chance to block it.

He felt a blush form at his reaction, glad that Merrin hadn’t seemed to notice the blue aura that had formed over his body while she consumed a hot ration. He didn’t want to think about what her reaction would be if she saw his biotics activate without him explaining first, didn’t know what kind of memory it might trigger.

He tried to remember when he had had a similar reaction to someone, but came up blank. Had it happened with Rahna? He couldn’t remember now. What just happened at just the sound of Merrin’s voice appeared to be a first and he was both concerned and intrigued.

After a while, Garrus went back to the cargo bay and the Mako and Tali went back to engineering. Kaidan took the opportunity to get to know Merrin without company while she continued to eat her rations, her attentions solely on him.

Merrin answered all his questions in between bites, nothing held back, many of her replies as blunt as her words earlier. She was twenty-nine years old, a rogue and a archer. She was born to a noble family in Tevinter, but had been sent to a group called the Templars when she had still been an infant. When he asked about why she was so honest and blunt, she explained that it was easier to be up front and truthful than secretive and lie all the time, explaining how she grew up and the people she surrounded herself with. How she had run those under her command.

Then something about what she had told him caught his notice. “Wait… you didn’t choose to become a soldier? The Templar Order sounds almost like monkhood and they forced it on you as an infant!” Merrin looked to the side, but couldn’t hide the faint flush that formed across her cheeks and nose.

‘Cute.’ Kaidan cursed himself at the thought, but couldn’t make the word stop echoing through his mind. He studied the faint coloring, surprised to see it highlight a light scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, to the tips of her slightly pointed ears, and the skin beneath eyes of the most stunning hazel color he had ever seen, flecked with gold. Thin, yet calloused fingers tucked strands of white blonde hair behind her ear.

“No. Mother Rebekah told me that my parents, who are Trevelyan dignitaries in a country called Tevinter, were forced to give me to a corrupt Knight-Commander to protect my older brother when the local Templars discovered he had magical abilities. Or so I am told.” Merrin sighed sadly and gathered her knees to her chest in her chair. “Mother Rebekah raised me. She is an amazing woman and I miss her terribly.”

Merrin paused then looked up at him. She looked so young and small all of a sudden and his heart clenched at the sight. “Lieutenant Kaidan?”

“Please, Merrin. Just Kaidan. I am your friend after all.”

“Friends? Really? I’m sorry.” She chuckled nervously. ”All of this is taking some getting used to.” Merrin smiled up at him meekly.

Kaidan chuckled, the word ‘cute’ slipping past his defences again, causing him to groan inside. “It’s fine, Merrin. You can call me Lieutenant Alenko or just Kaidan. Whichever is more comfortable for you.”

Her bashful smile turned into a smirk before she nodded to him. “All right, Just Kaidan. Do you think I will ever return to Thedas?”

“I honestly cannot say. While you slept, after we took you from the ship you were on, I looked for your Thedas, but found no trace of it on the extranet.” he paused, seeing confusion in her eyes once more. “Erm, our public archives. I don’t know what nebula they picked you up in because when we boarded, they wiped the ship’s trip history. Likely to protect their customers. I’m sorry.” When Merrin looked away from him, Kaidan found himself blurting, “But Shepard might be able to help.”

She looked up at him once more with skepticism and a tiny twinkle of hope. ”How?”

Kaidan realized too late that he shouldn’t have said what he had. It would only get her hopes up and, if it turned out Shepard couldn’t help her get back home, it would hurt her and the pain she was already experiencing from being kidnapped from her home world would only intensify. He got the feeling she would see the failure to produce the information she sought as a lie and be upset by it. Merrin gave off the impression of being intolerant of lies. It was something Kaidan found that he admired about her.

“I make no promises, mind you.” He was quick to add. “For all I know, it may have been an uncharted world that the slavers just happened upon and it won’t come up in any database whatsoever. But there is a slim possibility Shepard has the resources to find it.”

Merrin bobbed her head in understanding. Without missing a beat, she continued. “Where is my armor? I have eaten as you suggested. I should like to repair it, if at all possible. I would also like to find my bow as well, unless it was left on the previous metal bird.”

“Ship.”

“I’m sorry. Left on the previous metal ship , my hand feels odd without it near; my back feels strange without its weight. It’s like an extension of my being and I do not like being separated from it.”

“Ashley has your bow, but for your armor, I don’t know. I think it was taken to the armory after Chakwas removed it to examine your injury.”

“I see.” Merrin flattened the bit of tinfoil that had been wrapped around some kind of cake before standing and picking up her tray. There was a pregnant pause before she added, “Are you ready?”

Kaidan nodded and rose, taking the tray of flattened wrappers from her hand back to the kitchen to dispose of in the garbage compactor.

When they reached the cargo hold and the armory, Kaidan introduced Merrin to Wrex, who was standing in front of some of the lockers. She had a similar reaction to the Krogan as she had with Garrus, but it lasted less time than before and she didn’t grab for her non-existent weapon. She was adapting to all the new species on the ship and he was impressed. When she started asking the male questions about his race, causing an awkwardness in the Krogan that made Kaidan laugh, he picked up her antiquated armor from a bench and handed it over Merrin, drawing away her attention from the uncomfortable alien. When the alien woman took it from him, she held the chest plate close and traced the design etched into the metal before picking up the boots and turning back towards him expectantly.

A short distance away, Ashley was cleaning out the barrel of an assault rifle with a steel file. His fellow soldier looked up as the two approached and turned to them when they stopped in front of her table.

“Hey Ash,”

“Hey LT, what can I do for you?”

“Lieutenant Kaidan tells me that you have my bow, Gunnery Chief. Might I have it back please?”

Ashley raised an eyebrow to Merrin. “I didn’t realize you were awake. Are you alright?” “I am well, thank you. May I have my bow please?”

The other marine turned to Kaidan as if to ask for permission. “It’s a bow, Ash. What harm could it do? I doubt her arrows could do much damage to our armor and I have confidence that she is competent with the bow.”

Ashley shrugged and went to a locker on the right side of her station, pulling out the bow and quiver of arrows they had found inside her cell. She held it in both of her hands, getting one last look at the intricate details etched in the wood before handing it to Merrin. Merrin shifted her armor to one side and grabbed her bow with the other, snatching it from Ashley’s hand and holding it close to her breast.

Merrin studied her bow, an almost loving look blooming in her gaze before she turned her hazel eyes to stare steadily at Ashley. Kaidan entertained the thought that the temperature in the cargo hold had dropped ten degrees just from the look Merrin was giving Ashley. “Thank you, Gunnery Chief Williams.”

Ash must have felt it as well because she raised her hands in surrender. “Yeah, sure. No problems. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Kaidan stepped in before Merrin could speak. “Not at all. If she needs anything, I can get it for her.” He steered Merrin away from Ashley and towards the elevator once more. “What was that about?”

“I didn’t feel comfortable with her handling my weapon - I don’t feel comfortable with anyone handling my bow but me. I also told you that I do not approve of her blatant disregard for your rank. Our acquaintance may be new, but I think you deserve the respect you have earned.”

“I understand the weapon thing, but why are you so focused on her use of ‘LT’ over my full title? Ash and I are friends - it honestly doesn’t bother me.”

“Why does it not bother you? You have earned her respect, and that of your peers, and yet she does not give it to you while either you or she is on duty. If any of the Templars under my charge had shown me such disrespect while on duty, there would have been punishments.”

“Well, she isn’t a templar. We aren’t on your planet. I have no problem with her nicknames and you shouldn’t either. And why are we even having this discussion? I barely even know you.”

He realized he struck a negative cord with Merrin when she looked shocked at his words before putting on a mask of stone as she stood straighter, looking oddly like a seasoned commander.

“You are correct, Lieutenant Alenko.” Kaidan flinched slightly when she reverted to using his surname. “I am sorry for my words and actions. It will not happen again. I will see myself out. Oh, and you need not worry about my needing a friend. I can do well enough by myself. Good day.”

Kaidan sighed as she spun on her heel, her long hair whipping behind her back as she walked quietly and evenly towards the elevator, to where, he didn’t know. He knew that he should stop her. It wasn’t wise for her to be without an escort on the ship, regardless of what Shepard said. He was going to tell her that the armor repair supplies were down here, but now she was in the elevator heading up and he got the feeling that she needed some space. Hell, he did too. But after listening to her about her history, the urge to learn more about her was undeniable. He wanted to be her friend.

“You two just fought like an old married couple, I hope you know.”

He turned to Ashley when she came to a stop next to him with the rifle back in hand; both marines facing the elevator. “That was weird.”

“You’re telling me. Am I mistaken, LT, or did she seem… protective... of you?”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, from watching you two when you entered the hold, she seemed to walk close to you, then realize it and move away, before repeating. And when I called you LT, she literally bristled. Bristled! I don’t think I have ever seen anyone actually bristle before. And what was with her ears? Can she move them all on her own? She kind of reminded me of a cat when she was talking about me to you about respecting your rank. You two may have moved a distance away, but the four of us down here could hear everything you were talking about.”

Had they really? No way. “I think you’re seeing things that aren’t there, Ash. Merrin has only just come aboard. No, you are definitely seeing things. Merrin just appreciates that I helped her off of the Suns’ ship and I want to be her friend. I’m sure she is the same with Shepard and will be with you once she gets to know you and your winning personality.”

Ashley rolled her eyes at him. “Do you know if she has even spoken to Shepard since being brought to the Normandy or even since waking from her induced coma?”

Kaidan had to take a moment to think back through the day. Was there a time when he wasn’t watching her? He shook his head. That was just creepy; as if he was a stalker or something. “Not that I can think of.”

“You were watching her your whole shift?”

“Not my entire shift.” Kaidan reached up to rub the back of his neck. “She happened to be wandering around the crew deck at the end of my shift, so I kept an eye on her while I worked on a control pannel down there. All she was doing was examining every nook and crany. She said it was because she liked knowing her surroundings.”

Kaidan looked over at Ashley and saw that she had crossed her arms over her breasts with a raised eyebrow. She didn’t believe him one bit, even though he had told her the truth. Kaidan shook his head. It didn’t matter whether she believed him or not. What did matter was that he now needed to go apologize to Merrin for his words.

“Take it easy on her, Ash. She is still getting to her feet in this new world she has found herself in.” Kaidan walked to the elevator with a ‘yeah yeah’ floating behind him.

~//~

Merrin angrily swiped her cheek with her hand again as she traveled up the lift. Why in the Maker’s name was she so emotional. Kaidan… Lieutenant Alenko had been right. She was acting irrational about the ranks. He and Ashley were and had been friends for a long time, it was painfully apparent. She had no right whatsoever to tell him who could call him what. A captain of the Templars she might be, but they were not Templars. They weren’t her men to be commanded. She was nowhere near Thedas now, thanks to those who kidnapped her. And if Kaidan was right, she may never return.

Her stomach threatened to roll and rebel at the thought and she had to stop along the side of a walkway leading to the medical room to use the wall to brace herself as she leaned over. Never see the beautiful Free Marches again? Mother Rebekah? She had never truly met her biological family, and the templars and mages she had been friends with and called her family were dead. Except for Rhyse and Arryn and a handful of mages of varying skill.

She suddenly felt very alone in the belly of this metal bird, ship , as she pushed off from the wall and carried her armor through the crew deck, that she managed to find after pressing the button in the elevator a number of times. Being alone wasn’t entirely true - Kaidan had expressed wishing to be friends with her. But she had likely ruined that now and, as he said, he didn’t even know her, nor she, him. Not truly. Did that constitute friendship? What did? The topic had never come up in Templar training or through her years of service, so she couldn't be sure. Those she had called friends… had they been?

When she stowed her bow and armor behind the bed she had woken in - she suddenly wasn’t feeling like repairing it - she decided to keep walking. Get to know more of her surroundings. As she was leaving the med bay, she realized she was forgetting something. Merrin quickly padded back inside and changed into her tunic undershirt, leather breeches and boots. It did not make good first impressions on the other humans within the bird if she was walking around in barely-there pants and no shoes.

Merrin tucked in her shirt as she ascended the stairs and found herself on a different deck all together. She looked around for signs to tell her where she was, but she couldn’t read what was written on the wall. The... thing… in her ear must only translate sound, not writing.

“Hey there! I didn’t realize you were up and wandering around. Need help finding anything?”

Merrin spun around with a gasp. A man had stopped next to her and was smiling at her in familiarity. “Oh! Did I walk in front of you…?”

“Commander Shepard. And no, I just got here myself. I was going up to see the pilot about our ETA.”

“ Commander Shepard?” Merrin did a quick salute, closed fist over her left breast and slight bend at the waist. “I’m sorry, ser, if I showed you any disrespect. I did not realize your title.”

Shepard chuckled. “You’re fine. You can call me Shepard or Malcolm.”

Merrin straightened. “Thank you, ser. But I would rather call you by your proper title if that’s alright.”

He nodded then moved to stand next to her. “Would you like to join me, Merrin?”

She fell into step with Shepard as they moved around the large room with the circular table. When her eyes caught on a circular light below a platform, Merrin couldn’t pull her gaze away. When she stopped, Shepard turned. “What is this?”

“That’s a map of our galaxy.”

“It’s beautiful! I have never seen anything like it before in my life. How was it created? A spell?”

“It’s a hologram.” She looked at him in confusion. “It’s a copy of our galaxy using lights and mirrors. I use it to decide where we will go next.”

“Amazing!” Merrin followed him, her head swinging from side to side as she tried to take everything in that she was seeing. People were tapping away at glass, producing results on another pane of glass. Others were walking around with things in their hands. Shepard must have seen her looking. “Datapads.” he supplied as they continued up a set of stairs. Along the sides of the walkway sat several people, their uniforms similar to Shepard’s, waving their hands around in front of them, moving see-through objects. Her mind screamed ‘Mage’, but she saw no telltale glow, no hum of energy from them.

“They are running constant calculations and sending them up to the pilot as well as monitoring different instruments that monitor the area around the ship, searching for planets with supplies, and other things.”

They came to a stop behind a man in a chair surrounded by the same orange glass as she had seen before, waving his hands around like the people along the walkway.

“Joker, this is Merrin, our surprise guest from the Suns’ slave ship. Merrin? This is Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, affectionately named Joker.”

Merrin bowed, but rose when she heard the Lieutenant mock the Commander. Shepard just laughed. “See? A barrel of laughs.” She could almost feel the pilot’s eyes rolling in his head.

She looked around again, seeing no window, just gray walls like the rest of the ship. “Lieutenant? How can you fly this metal beast if you cannot even see where it is you are going?”

“With my magic powers and pixie dust.”

“Alright, Joker, tune it down a bit. You’re losing her.”

“Right, right. I can fly using the readings of the objects around the ship. If there is nothing anywhere around us, I know to go in a straight line. The only reason I have this paneling up because we recently passed by this system’s star. Which reminds me.” The Lieutenant turned to the Commander. “We’re thirty minutes out from Therum, Commander.”

“Thanks Joker.” Shepard turned to Merrin. “Would you like to join us? Maybe stretch your legs? See a different planet up close?”

She didn’t know where it came from, but the idea of seeing a planet, a new world, excited her and she smiled. “I’d love to!”

Shepard nodded and smiled in return before turning to the side and placing his right hand at his ear. “Alenko.”

“Yes, Commander?”

Merrin jumped when the voice came from behind. Shepard seemed to have expected something different because he looked surprised to see the Lieutenant behind them. “Sorry, Kaidan. I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s alright. I was waiting until you were done talking before I made my presence known. Do you need anything, Shepard?”

“Yeah, we’re about thirty minutes from Therum and Merrin needs armor. I saw the shape her armor was in when we found her, so she will need one of the spare light armors that we have down in the cargo hold. Think you can help her get acclimated in a breather as well before we get there? I think it would be a good idea for her to take her own weapon for the time being because the crash course in pistols is longer than we have. You had better suit up too. I don’t know what we will be facing planet side and I will need you down there with me.”

Merrin opened her mouth to speak, wanting to insist that Kaidan wouldn’t want to help her and that she could find her way, when Kaidan beat her to it. “Sure, I’ll be ready. I think I know a good set that would fit her well. Let’s go, Merrin.”

She looked over the group once more before moving ahead of Kaidan to go back to the elevator and waited for the dark haired man to join her. Heat flooded her cheeks as they descended to the cargo bay, their last conversation echoing through her head, rousing the singing from lyrium. ‘The medication Healer Chakwas gave me must have worn off,’ she thought to herself. Merrin wrapped her arms around her torso to make herself smaller and she closed her eyes to ward off the pain that she could feel building at the base of her skull.

“Are you alright?”

Merrin turned towards Kaidan, opening her eyes to see concern on his face, and felt surprise. “Yes, ser. It’s just a headache. It will soon pass. I thank you for your concern on my wellbeing.”

Kaidan sighed. “Look, Merrin. I’m sorry for the things that I said earlier. They came out worse than I planned. I still want to be your friend, if you will have me. And I’m glad that you are alright.”

She turned back to the doors as they slowly opened, revealing the cargo bay. “I forgive you, Lieutenant, but you need not apologize. You were right, about everything. I was rude to you, to Gunnery Chief Williams. You deserve better, especially from me, the unknown variable. Perhaps now is not the time for anything else.”

The look of hurt and upset that shone in his eyes made Merrin want to take back her words, but he replaced them with an impassive guise. She did want to be his friend, but it couldn’t be pushed and she needed to adjust herself to this world without help.

The rest of the ride down was made in silence, both lost to their own thoughts. When the doors opened to reveal the cargo bay, Kaidan exited the lift first and moved back towards Chief Williams.

“Hey Ash, where is that spare light armor that was too small for me? We’re about to land on Therum and Shepard wants Merrin to go with us.”

“It’s over in the spare locker with its helmet. Who else is going?” Ashley asked as she moved to the locker she had indicated. Merrin watched Kaidan move towards another locker, open it and pull out a set of black armor and helmet. Both were unlike any armor she had ever worn or seen on Thedas. Perhaps they were very light weight.

“I don’t know. I don’t suppose anyone else because Merrin and I will be with him.”

“Williams, suit up. We’ll be moving out in fifteen.” Came Shepard’s disembodied voice. Merrin looked around for the other human, but only saw Wrex, Garrus and a lone human in the opposite corner.

“Guess that answers that question!”

“Great. Hey, can you help Merrin put her armor on? For her first time in armor like ours, it might be difficult.”

Merrin turned to Kaidan. “I think I will be able to figure it out on my own, Lieutenant.”

“How about I just stand by and answer any questions you might have then, hmm? Would you be okay with that Miss Trevelyan?”

She looked at the other woman who was already applying bits and pieces of her armor to her body. Merrin smiled with a nod. “I thank you, Chief Williams.”

“Are you sure you are best for the job, Ash? You wear heavier armor than she would. Heck, heavier armor than I do.” Kaidan chuckled as he finished putting on underpadding and started on his armor pieces.

“You wear lighter armor than Chief Williams, Lieutenant?” Merrin dragged her gaze up and down his body, her eyes lingering without warning on the way his shirt added tone and texture to his chest and his pants encased his thighs and buttocks oh so nicely. Merrin shook her head and blushed. That had definitely never happened before.

He obviously hadn’t noticed that she had oogled him. “Surprisingly yes. It just works better for my class.”

Merrin barely heard him speaking as she removed her breeches, tunic and boots, leaving her in only a breastband and smalls. She quickly put on the tunic and breeches handed to her by a fully armored Williams, not yet comfortable with being mostly bare amidst people she wasn’t yet familiar with.

The underarmor padding surprised and confused her. It fit her like a leather glove, yet had next to no padding whatsoever. She was about to ask the two flanking her about it when she looked inside the actual armor pieces and found that the armor had padding sewn onto the different articles of armor.

“Facinating!” Merrin murmured as she began trying on different parts, feeling the difference between them and figuring out quickly which went where and how. By the time Shepard arrived, fully armored in the gear she had met him in on the slave ship, Merrin was dressed with weapon in tow. She had only needed help from the two soldiers on either side of her twice. Once, as she was turning to Ashley to ensure that everything was on correctly, Merrin thought she saw a glimmer of approval shine in Kaidan’s eyes, but she couldn’t be sure.

~//~

#Part of Your World #mass effect #dragon age #merrin trevelyan #kaidan alenko #my work #my words #fan fiction #crossover

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