006 ✰ voice

[renegadeparagon]

[There is a pause before the message comes, a silence of dead air in which anyone could think that no message is coming. A faint sigh does follow, however, and finally Commander Shepard's low voice, with nothing jovial about the tone, though he makes sure not to let his unhappiness seep into it either. He keeps his voice controlled, careful, even

Comments

[renegadeparagon]

[Shepard keeps his tone level, even if he wants to just strangle someone today.]

As much as I ever am. Kaidan was still my senior officer, he just never took the reins from me.

[renegadeparagon]

I have? Who is it? [Oh good grief, it's going to be the lippy Cerberus grunt, isn't it?]

[toaccomplish]

AUDIO

Whoah, whoah, wait a second! I thought you said we were stuck here. So how the hell does he return home?

[renegadeparagon]

[And then there's this guy. Great.]

I'm not certain. Sometimes people just go home. We're mostly going on the assumption that the device used to bring us can return us, but nothing is proven yet.

[toaccomplish]

How do you know they're going 'home'?

[renegadeparagon]

Because that's what we have to assume, based on what little evidence we have. When people die here, their names don't get erased from the contact list, and a week later they're revived, somewhat worse for wear but alive nonetheless. One of the System, The Entity, has the device that brings us and returns us. We're not sure why it sends anyone home, but Entity is kind of complicated.

[He sighs a bit.] Honestly, though? They could be snatched up and we'd have no damn idea. The System is air tight when it comes to information.

[sheistheswarm]

text;

Down in the gym, Commander.

[renegadeparagon]

action

[Shepard doesn't respond, he just heads to what they call the gym. It's really just James Vega's workout station in the shuttle deck, but it's where most of them tend to train; at the least the ones of them who live on the ship full time.

Stepping past the consoles, he heads over towards her, with a small frown creasing his brow.] Kerrigan.

[sheistheswarm]

[ Kerrigan is already looking at the doorway as he steps in, pulling her long red hair back into a ponytail. She simply raises an eyebrow. Dressed in a tank top and a pair of pants she raided from the ship wardrobe, Kerrigan almost feels at home on the Normandy.

Almost. ]

It was different when he left this time, John. [ She doesn't bother asking if that's what he really wants to know. She simply says it. ] Thoughts when someone dies fade. This was instant.

[renegadeparagon]

[Dammit. She knew exactly what he wanted to know, because she can read his thoughts, but he's not sure which answer he was hoping for. If Kaidan had still been here, or died here, she'd know. Instead, he simply vanished, went home, gone.]

Alright. Thank you, Sarah. [He looks up at the gym equipment and wonders about training with her, but he's not sure he has the mind for it right now.] You're settling in well.