Sentinel - Chapter Seven

Soldier-Boy:

No matter how many times Kaidan went into space, he was always fascinated every time he did it. There were simply so many things to see, people to talk to.
And they did talk to a lot of people, alien and human alike.

Kaidan wasn't fuzzed, the universal translators equipped under his skin, just above his ears, helped in understanding their tongue. It didn't matter to him who he worked with, he happily co-operated with whoever he was told to work with.
He liked working with Asaris', at least those who didn't mind working with him. Some frowned over the thought of a human biotic since their skills were "created", not something that was natural to their kind like the Asaris' abilities were.
Others were fascinated by him and his abilities as well as the natural strength to his biotics, telling him that he was rivalling many of the best users in the Asari military. He didn't know how strong the Asari Commandos were, but being compared to the best there was easily understood as a big compliment.

He was still a passive user of biotics, though he was growing more and more used to using them for more practical things. Like adding that extra push during heavy lifting, bringing weapons closer to his squad while under heavy fire without risking being shot while doing so, or just shielding himself and his comrades when their own shields gave out. He was still very much a hesitant user though, refusing to be dependant on his biotics to do his every need. It was an edge, a last resort.
He didn't want to be relying on them because there would be times when he couldn't give that shield or have the capacity to use his biotics to send his squad-mates a gun when their own overheated.

Still, he was used to working with very capable people now; people that held their own ground, skilled in different ways. People who trusted their own skills as much as they trusted their team-mates' skills. People that Kaidan admired and respected in more ways than one because of their dedication to their field and skills.

Kaidan himself still felt more like a wild-card, having yet to find something that was truly tickling his interests as well as satisfying him on a mental as well as physical level. Being a Marine and a foot-soldier was all well and good, but having something extra was always good. Like with his biotics, it would give him that extra edge.

Ever since he stopped his profession as an intel-gatherer, he'd picked up new skills here and there. He'd served for nine years now, steadily climbing the ranks of officer, having been promoted to second lieutenant a few months earlier.

He was called a "jack of all trades" by his squad-mates, knowing a fair amount of most things. He'd taken a year to study field-medicine after he gained enough experience as a Marine, feeling that it was needed after he'd been part of a mission that almost cost the squad their team-leader when he was by a bullet to the abdomen.
After that Kaidan started studying engineering so he was capable of doing light field-repairs to weapons and machines while under heavy fire, having experienced first hand how much it downright -sucked- when equipment broke down.
Now he was working on shuttle and ship-flight so he could serve as a co-pilot. Mostly he kept his eyes on the radar and signals, doing very little actual flying, but he had the basic knowledge needed for take-off, landing and flight. He was hardly capable of fast, smooth flying, emergency landing or evasive manoeuvres.

He had seen and worked with many talented people while he worked on his flight-degree, though the one that stood out the most was a young pilot named Jeff Moerau, nicknamed Joker. A rather cheerful man and one of the best, if not the best pilot Kaidan had ever seen. The fact that he suffered brittle-bone disease just made him all the more impressive and Kaidan had to admire the strength and downright stubborn nature Joker showed by winning over his disease. It wasn't slowing him down in the slightest and while Joker was more than happy to brag about his accomplishments, annoying some people to no end with them, Kaidan knew that he had more than earned that right.

Joker wasn't just blowing hot air. He simply was that good and Kaidan was lucky that he was able to train with the pilot, learning as much from watching him as he was from the instructors.
He also felt inspired by Joker, feeling that if Joker could handle the challenges tossed his way with his disease, then Kaidan could handle his own migraines.

Though it was easy to think it and a lot harder to actually do something about it, especially when it felt like someone had stuffed a rampaging Krogan into his head and it was now bashing its way out.

That was the downside of being a co-pilot, Kaidan figured. A lot of noise and a lot of bright, flashing lights in different colours, blinking all around him. Most of the time it went okay. Maybe as much as ninety percent of the time. But the remaining ten… He could bite himself through it long enough to request for someone to take over and wait until the person actually got there, at least during simulations. Thank god for good, long simulations to check not only reflexes, but also durability.
It was probably one of many small things that would ensure that Kaidan would never ever be able to be a shuttle-pilot. His sensitivity to light and noise, as well as the itch he seemed to get whenever he remained still for too long.

Not that he minded. He preferred being a Marine, being out there and getting his hands dirty.

Like father like son, he figured. His father was a Marine as well, a soldier. Even when his dad was at home he always seemed to do something, be it minor repairs or upgrades to the house, working on banged up cars or just tending to the garden. Heck, at times it seemed like he did most of the housework as well, which frustrated Kaidan's mom to no end. "There's nothing left here for me to do," she would say, but Kaidan knew that his mother appreciated all the help her husband was giving her around the house.

Still, any training was good training, and Kaidan was enjoying the piloting as much as he was able to.
That and the chance of working with someone like Joker was great fun. It was, in fact, the first time in a long, long time he was actually smiling and relaxing while training.

It almost made his face hurt and as far as he was concerned… It was more than worth it.