An Attempt to Escape Boredom

[Kyna Harper]

Two months. Two. Effing. Months. Two months since the sacrifice of Admiral Anderson, the activation of the Crucible, the galaxy uniting to defend itself from the Reapers...

...and two months since Kyna Harper was given, in her terms, "beached whale" status.

For the moment, the Infiltrator was off in some "dark" (haha) corner of the Dark Star Lounge. It wasn't like she had anything else better to do anyway, not until she finally got reassigned. As usual, she was dressed in dark colors - black and blue, mostly, the occasional accent of dark violet - dressed not in a skirt, but in slacks and a blouse, matched with black boots. For the moment, she was here on an unofficial mission.

Objective: escape boredom.

Current status: failing. Miserably.

"...I need a freakin' drink," the blonde mumbled after what seemed to be hours of just watching local patrons on the dance floor (in actuality, only half an hour). She didn't move to the bar, though - it was more or less her vocalizing her current annoyance the quietest way she could. Besides, she wasn't one to drink - alcohol never tasted good to her and it hindered her senses anyway.

She needed something - anything - that could catch her attention for more than five minutes, damn it, and it needed to be something other than gambling or dancing, damn it. Before she went nuts, preferably. She was beginning to wonder how much more of this monotony she would be able to take before she finally snapped...

[Amaliana Shepard]

Getting out of the hospital was a lot easier than Shepard had ever intended it to be. If she had to guess it would to guess it would be that her lover was both the Councilor for the Asari and the Shadow Broker. Plus her own fame had to expedite the process some. So she had been released to a hotel suite that had been set up for her to recuperate within. Despite that she had grown a little stir crazy with staying inside and doing nothing other than attempting to rebuild her strength so she needed to head out and relax somewhere. Finding that the Dark Star Lounge was still intact she had entered. Wearing her off duty clothing of the N-7 Hoodie and standard issued pants she would walk in and survey the crowds of people.

:: Seems the celebration of the war being over is still going on... Thats good as the fighting took a lot out of everyone and it is good to see them all relaxing some. ::

With her thoughts kept to herself Shepard would walk into the Lounge leaning on a cane she had for helping herself walk. Walking in she would walk around and wind up beside another human. Leaning against her cane she would stand there watching both the bar and the dance floor. It was lucky it was not to terribly busy in there as she had not been recognized instantly upon entering the Lounge. As she stood there she heard the human beside her mumble about needing a drink. Shepard would give out a little laugh to herself and then speak up.

"That would make two of us... Been a hellish last four months has it not? With the whole war and then with all the rebuilding that is going on."

[Kyna Harper]

"Yeah. 'Hellish' is definitely one way to describe it," Kyna agreed, nodding once. She didn't recognize the woman who had replied, but figured it best not to ask at the moment. Most people you randomly meet in a bar you don't often meet again, but she'd been stuck here for two months and the Dark Star Lounge had been a frequent enough stop that she recognized some of the patrons present. This woman was not one of them. Judging by the way she was leaning on her cane, she likely was just recently discharged from the hospital.

"At the same time, though... closer to Purgatory, I think," noted the blonde. "For the time being, at least. This kind of quiet can only last so long."

She wasn't talking about the non-existent lack of bass and music that was still pounding in her ears. Any soldier would pick up the hint immediately. Whether or not the pessimistic - or, perhaps, realistic - view was justified was another matter altogether. She was silent for a moment before shaking her head, hanging it.

"Always a 'boom' tomorrow..." She muttered. At least she was prepared if there was a "boom" today - despite the casual dress, she did make sure she had Rhys on her. The pistol would be her only line of defense if a firefight broke out. Hopefully it didn't. Knowing her luck, though? Not likely.

[Amaliana Shepard]

Leaning on the cane helped but her leg still hurt. It had been two months since she had used it for more than brief attempts at walking or standing so this was one way for her to test it out completely. Hearing the woman agree with her once again brought a small laugh from Shepard. It was funny to run into someone at a bar that did not have a drink in their hand, a date on their arms, or being tossed out on their backside, but this person seemed to be none of the above. Listening to her speak of Purgatory brought Shepard back it had been a while since she had heard of that place, and it was pleasant news knowing it had survived the war. It was her next statement though that mad her mind chill some.

"That is true... Be it Ilos, Virmire, or any other place I have thought I had brought peace to. There was always another boom awaiting those planets. Those Reapers sure pulled a lot of damage across most of this galaxy in such a short time..."

As Shepard spoke she would notice the womans sidearm. A rather simple pistol, standard Alliance make. In the moment Shepard saw the pistol she would begin to formulate ways if the woman drew the weapon that she could disarm or take the woman down. For some reason it was second nature for her to always expect the worst and yet this was the time to be optimistic and hold out for hope.

"Nice sidearm by the way, always preferred the Carnifex myself. But nothing compares to my 'Kassa' though. Just enough stopping power and range to drop a husk or cannibal at 40 yards."

Shepard was making it rather apparent that she was a military veteran, and had seen quite a bit of action. Though for most would know of the Commanders weapon preferences and that she was one of two people in the known galaxy to own a M-12 'Kassa' Locust.

[Kyna Harper]

"Kassa?" The blonde blinked, surprised. Clearly, she was outclassed. "An M-12? You're joking."

The red-head, of course, wasn't. Which meant... Ah, hell. She wasn't, was she? ...Was she?

Kyna looked down at her pistol, patting it slightly. "Well, for the moment, Rhys is the only weapon I've got right now. He gets the job done, though I'd much prefer a sniper rifle..."

Always had her back, Rhys did. Even on Moros, before... She shook her head. Dwelling on the past wouldn't help in this case, and besides, Ezio was on his way to Elysium by now. Until she finished N6 training (whenever that happened), she was stuck. And with a vet that look like she took one hell of a beating. ...Which reminded her...

"I never introduced myself, did I?" she asked out loud. A hint of embarrassment was evident on her face. She nodded once, saluting. "NCO Kyna Harper."

[Amaliana Shepard]

Shepard would give Kyna a smile as she watched her move and pat her pistol. She had formulated a plan should the weapon be drawn, but thankfully she would not need to use it as she did not reach for it in an aggressive manner. Hearing her mention a rifle made Shepard smile a little more. As Shepard herself was quite the shot with a Sniper Rifle and would always willingly go up against anyone else with her Valiant, should the gun still function. Thinking about the gun brought Shepard's mind to a point where she realized something. After the battle she had not seen any of her guns returned to her yet. That was something to chock up as a simple 'Call Liara later about them' moment.

That is when the other woman would stand and give a salute to Shepard and introduce herself. With a little bit of a held breath she would widen her smile some and move her hand to return the salute. Opening her mouth she would remove all doubt as to who it was the woman was talking to.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Harper. I am a little surprised you did not recognize me, but then again nearly breaking every bone in your body can make you hard to recognize... Commander Amaliana Shepard."

As she finished she would give as sharp of a salute as she could before giving a slight bow as that was easier at this time to do than the salute. After a moment or two of silence the Commander would speak up and shift her weight back onto her cane.

"You spoke of using a rifle which is it that you use Harper?"

Not much for too much conversation other than the facts for this time though Shepard would try to at least be sociable.

[Kyna Harper]

Ah, hell, it was. Harper never thought she'd meet the Commander in person, let alone randomly at a bar. She certainly looked a little worse for the wear, but after what she'd been through? This was kind of to be expected.

"I was beginning to suspect your identity at the mention of the M-12, but I honestly wasn't sure," Kyna informed. "I figured it best not to pry in case I was mistaken."

The mention of rifles, however...

"M-13 Raptor or M-92 Mantis, depending on the situation," she answered. "Normally, I use the Mantis. Saved my life on Moros. And back on Earth, when the Reapers showed up."

She doubted anyone liked talking about them after they attacked, hitting Earth with all the subtlety of a flying hammer by the name of Mjolnir. Shepard, most especially, seeing as to how she saw the Reapers coming and knew they would come for the past... how many years now, four? And the Council refused to acknowledge their existence until it was too late. If it weren't for Shepard and Admiral Anderson, they'd probably all be dead now. Then again, Kyna didn't know the Commander personally, so Shepard could surprise her, for all she knew.

[Amaliana Shepard]

Giving off a smile when she mentioned the Kassa giving away her identity. It was true that she was one of the two people who had the gun so it would not of been hard to guess. The entire situation was laughable as she would listen to her speak of her rifle choices. Then she heard about how the woman had been on Earth during the war against the Reapers. When Shepard heard that she would dip her head ever so slightly. She still felt horrible about running away from Earth despite the fact that she had returned with reinforcements and managed to save the day in the end.

"A very reliable weapon the Mantis is. Was invaluble in my battle against Saren. Nothing matters when you look down that scope and draw it upon your target and pull the trigger. It is only you and that target at that moment. Your gun is an extension of your will and you exert that will by pulling the trigger..."

Shepard spoke from personal experience on that. She preferred to fight from a distance away and take out the largest most powerful of the targets with quick easy headshots. It still felt odd for her to not have her rifle or even a sidearm not on her person. Subconsiously she was still beating herself up over all she had done even if she had no control over it all.

"My rifle was a M-98 Widow... It was used by a former squadmate of mine. Until his death he would always say that the weapon was 'an efficient design'. On the main stock of it despite how strange it sounds are the names of those I knew who I lost in this war... All of them heroes in their own right as they gave the sacrifice that most of us soldiers could be called up to give at any time. All four of them deserved better than the fates that they where given, but it seems that at least while this peace lasts..."

As she spoke this time Shepard would turn and face the dancefloor and bar. Looking over them with a slow turning look she would seemingly take it all in as her words trailed out. There was a look of a rather deep thought on her mind that was screaming to be let out.

"So long as this peace lasts there sacrifices will never be in vain. Those who will disturb this hard fought peace will be taken care of. As soon as this soldier is capable of fighting it is what I will do... Even though I know full well that I could become an Admiral and sit comfortably on Earth or Thessia for the rest of my life. It would not feel right for Kaiden, Thane, Moridin, or even Legions memory for me to stop fighting the good fight and stop injustice whenever it raises its head..."

As she finished up her hand on the cane would of tightened up as she was feeling that inner fire that many have described her as having slowly be rekindled. A smile was on her face as she noticed several human patrons had looked over and she could hear them speak up saying "Isnt that Commander Shepard? Yea I think it is... I guess even she needs to relax after the war." Shaking her head she would continue to have the smile on her face as she turned her head back toward Kyna.

[Kyna Harper]

The other patrons had now noticed who the human with the cane was. Kyna kept her mouth shut as the Commander spoke about the Widow. The mention of lost comrades... Most any soldier could understand that. Maybe that was her method of remembrance. Kyna turned and looked at her pistol again.

"True. Remembering those sacrifices... It's the best we can do now. I think that's why I kept going after Moros. Someone's gotta stand between civilization and those who would threaten it."

Her squadmates would've said the same if they were still alive. Even Ezio would've agreed. However, he was being grounded on Elysium. She was still stuck here. But meeting Commander Shepard was not something she intended to forget anytime soon, not like the rest of her stay here at the Citadel, at least. She wanted to get back out there, be able to do something other than sit on her butt. The Commander, at least, had an excuse - she was still badly injured, even with the cybernetic upgrades she had supposedly received. Which reminded her...

"We lost a lot of good people during that war. Some to bullets. Others to indoctrination, then bullets. Which reminds me, Commander, there's something I need to say: thank you. ...For putting my uncle out of his misery."

[Amaliana Shepard]

The commander would shrug her shoulders to the other human patrons and would turn her back to them all. She was not wishing to get into a large scale discussion as she did not feel up for such large events quite yet. So she would set her cane against the nearby railing and would lean against it. Listening to Kyna speak Shepard would smile as the young soldier would remind her so much of the man she lost of Eden Prime three years in the past. So eager to get out there and prove their worth and yet all that received Jenkins was a quick trip into the ground of his home planet of Eden Prime.

Hearing Kyna speak up after a brief pause Shepard would give a quizzical look toward the soldier. She did not know about killing anyone that shared her last name, but then again Shepard shot down so many during the fight against the Reapers so it could have been easy to forget. Opening her mouth Shepard would respond to Kyna.

"It was nothing Kyna... If he had become a husk than I would be happy to know that at least he is no mindless servant. I... I have a question for you though Ms. Harper. You where on Earth for the entirety of the war correct? How bad was it just before we came in those final hours? You do not have to tell me, but call me curious on it all as I still feel terrible about having to leave Earth... I feel as if I could of done so much more should I of stayed behind alongside Admiral Anderson..."

[Kyna Harper]

Kyna said nothing else about her uncle - she knew for a fact he wouldn't have become a husk, he was too smart, too slippery to be caught on one of the many Dragon's Teeth that had littered the planet. She highly doubted he would've become a Husk. But she knew he had succumbed to indoctrination.

Her interest, however, piqued a bit when the Commander said she had a question. She asked about Earth, how bad it was just before the fleet had come in. She said she didn't have to reply, but she felt terrible about having to leave Earth. Like there was more that she could do if she stayed. Kyna's lips thinned.

"...Bad. Really bad," she answered. "Rubble, corpses, Dragon's Teeth, fire and flood everywhere, even if you tried to escape into the Cascade Mountains. I was in the Seattle-Vancouver Metropolis when the Reapers first hit; the small refugee group I was protecting was picked up, and we got to see how bad the damage was from the air as we escaped. Can't imagine what it was like in London... But it could have been worse."

The NCO paused for a moment. "If you had stayed, Commander, the possibility of humanity's survival - and the survival of the batarians, the asari, the turians, the krogan, the salarians, the drell, the hanar, everyone - likely would have been shot. Everyone needed help. Everyone needed to pull together. The Reapers claimed they were our 'genetic destiny', implied they were perfect." A small smile crossed her face here, one of assurance. "You proved - twice - that two in harmony surpass one in perfection. Once when Sovereign showed up here, and again when the Reapers actually came. You did exactly what needed to be done, Commander, even if others think you should've stayed on Earth. By leaving for Mars, by uniting everyone against the Reapers, you did the right thing. There's no doubt in my mind about that."

[Amaliana Shepard]

Leaning against the railing Shepard would listen to Kyna speak up once again. She had decided to answer the commanders questions and it was as bad as she had feared it had been. Lowering her head some she listened to Kyna's story. Hearing that she had been in the same area as Shepard made her close her eyes. The scenes still replayed in her head as if it where yesterday. The dodging of the desk of the defense committee, the child, and leaving Anderson behind. All of it burned into her memories for the rest of her life. Speaking up before Kyna would speak again Shepard would say.

"I was there as well at the initial blow hit... I am amazed anyone made it out of the metropolis alive... They hit so hard and fast. You wished to know about London? It was bad... Not many standing structures and those that where standing where those reinforced back in the late 20th century for nuclear warfare. There where husks, cannibals, marauders, brutes, and even banshees everywhere. Every shot had to count, every bullet was precious. Even those who had fought with me through everything I had done knew that it was bad and... "

Shepard would trail off and be quiet as she heard Kyna speak up about what would of happened if Shepard had stayed behind. It was true, she had united all the seperate unique races into a cohesive fighting force of destruction against the Reapers. That made her put a smile on her face. Opening her mouth again she would exude a little of the confidence she felt about leading all those forces.

"It was what needed to be done... We needed allies and that was all we could do. As I told the defense ministry moments before the attack. There was no way to win the war but to fight and keep on fighting. So that is what I think I can safely say is what happened. Yet it still makes me feel as if there are other things I could have done. But that is the past... The war is over and some of us will carry those scars a little longer than others..."

[Kyna Harper]

((ARGH, took too frelling long... Let's see here...))

Banshees? They had effing banshees in London!? At that point, "bad" was an understatement... Especially if the rest of the Commander's team thought it was bad - no one gets on the Normandy if they weren't the best of the best, according to the rumors. But the Commander's confidence returned, and though she said that she felt like there were other things she could have done, it was the past.

That was then, this was now, in other words. But the scars remained.

"Scars of war can run deeper than flesh," Kyna noted, looking upwards. "Especially those families whose members were affected by indoctrination. Time should heal those wounds... most of them, at least. We'll just have to muddle through somehow."

The NCO shifted her attention back to the Commander's cane. "I'm actually amazed you're out and about, Commander - though I've heard that not even death can keep you down, I'm pretty sure you took one hell of a beating two months ago..."

[Amaliana Shepard]

Shepard stood there waiting for Kyna to speak up. When she did it was something the commander expected yet did not. The smile on her face faded a little as she spoke of the scars of war not fading so easily especially with those that had been indoctrinated. Inside her own mind on occasion Shepard could still hear the roar of the Reaper, the ringing of the signal from the Reapers, and the voices of those she lost over the years.

Feeling Kyna's eyes upon her Shepard would turn her head back and face her. Hearing the words coming from Kyna Shepard would smile and let out a little laugh. She would then speak up.

"I am surprised as well. Yet most of the doctors told me I should be dead from the injuries suffered on Earth..."

As she spoke Shepard would turn back to looking out over the balcony. Speaking back up as she did so.

"They told me I had lost a lot of blood from a piece of rebar that had pierced through my armor about three inches off of my stomach to my right side. Broke my leg in multiple places, broke a vertebrae in my lower back, both my arm bones in my left arm, four ribs on my right side, two of those ribs punctured my lung. Oh and I fractured my skull... Or at least that is what they have told me I went through..."

After saying all of that Shepard would lower her head and look down off the balcony. It was the first time she had actually dwelled on her injuries since leaving the hospital.

"I should be dead yet again whatever those freaks at Cerberus used to revive me the first time has sustained my life again... Yet here I stand, unable to fight anymore just trying to find something to make the days go by..."