Summary-Michael Shepard died along with the Normandy. When the Council and the Alliance buries everything he did Kaidan Alenko becomes hell-bent on finding the aliens responsible for Shepard's death. When Hackett contacts him about a talking geth found on Eden Prime Kaidan volunteers to investigate. What he finds will send him on a collision course with the Shadow Broker, Cerberus and a chance to bring Shepard back.

Notes-So after completing ME3 and crying for a week afterwards I was struck with inspiration to start writing again. I have to tip my hat to BioWare for making me like Kaidan. I was never really a fan of his but the romance between him and M!Shepard is so beautifully written and coupled with the facial animation and the voice acting and I was totally sold.

So this idea was born from the thought 'what if Legion was caught by the Alliance when he was on Eden Prime?' I wanted to toy with the idea that someone other than Liara was trying to find Shepard. Seriously when she admitted that she gave Shepard to Cerberus I wanted to punch her in the face. Didn't she think his friends and loved ones wanted to know there was a chance he could come back? Good lord she pissed me off. Ok I will not bash her, I don't like character bashing but I do not like her.

Right, enough rambling. I hope you enjoy and drop a review if you can.

The Boy Makes Coffins

Chapter One

Thrill of Living

He deserved better than this.

Kaidan Alenko, one of the heroes of the Citadel said nothing as he watched a new advertisement playing across the Wards. The Alliance had thought up a new recruitment campaign and now wherever he went the image of Shepard followed him. Michael Shepard's face had become the selling point for the Alliance and last Kaidan heard recruitment figures had gone up.

The image flickered and changed to another picture of Shepard standing proud and tall before the Council. Sign up, serve your world and become a hero like Commander Shepard.

Then stir up trouble, save the galaxy and have everything you've accomplished filed away and your team torn apart. Three months ago Shepard had died in an attack by an enemy the Alliance had yet to identify. It didn't matter anymore. The Council wanted it all gone. Saren and the geth had been defeated and the ship Sovereign had been destroyed.

They wanted to bury their head in the sand and pretend the threat had died that day. Hackett and Anderson had believed otherwise and Kaidan could breathe a little easier knowing that they were trying to keep Shepard's mission going. The biotic rubbed his face as a wave of dizziness swept over him.

He hadn't been sleeping lately. Truthfully for the past three months he found it hard to close his eyes. When he did it was always the same thing that greeted him. He was running down the hallways of the Normandy trying to reach Shepard as he prepped the SOS signal. So many different scenarios plagued Kaidan when he slept. What if he had stayed?

What if he dragged Shepard with him into the escape pod? His migraines plague him often and Chakwas did her best to help but Kaidan couldn't stop thinking about that day. He'd wanted to go back to the system, to see the wreckage that had fallen onto the icy planet but the Alliance had stopped any patrols going into that area.

The Terminus Systems were unstable enough as it is without Alliance ships heading into the region. Without the stealth technology of the Normandy it would be difficult getting anywhere near the planet. The biotic's thoughts drifted to the people he thought of as friends. Garrus and vanished from the Citadel and Tali had gone home to the Migrant Fleet. Wrex had left and Liara had said she wanted to investigate Ilos further. Joker had been grounded and Kaidan felt angry. Joker was the best damn pilot the Alliance had and they decided to take his wings away. It wasn't fair they ended up like this.

His head started to throb again.

Kaidan watched as the advertisement ended and people started chatting about joining the military. Sighing he stood up and headed for the nearest taxi terminal. His leave of absence would be up in a few days and Hackett was expecting him on his ship. The admiral was a good man and nothing escaped him when it came to the wellbeing of his soldiers under his command.

Kaidan's health and mental state had been in question after Shepard was lost and Hackett had ordered the man to take a break. It didn't really help. He thought about staying on the Citadel but contacted his parents to let them know he was fine and he was coming to stay with them. He wasn't sure how but he had just let everything out and told his parents what happened. He told them about the beacons, the planets they had to investigate and the race to stop Saren.

When he had no strength left he told them about Shepard.

Kaidan had felt something within him crumble as he told them about the little time he and Shepard had. He told them of the biggest regret of his life. He never told the commander how he felt, not once. He had time after Saren was defeated. He had time but it had been stripped away. His mother had hugged her son as he finally let go and just sobbed against her while his father held his hand. It had hurt. It had hurt worse than his time at BaAT.

Shepard was gone, the powerful Vanguard who never stopped trying to do the right thing. Kaidan had seen him survive battles with Thresher Maws, krogan, Rachni, ancient alien plants and countless geth. Shepard had seemed so unstoppable in battle, never slowing down or giving in. But more than that he had been a haven for people who needed it.

Kaidan would see him talking to his crew, making sure that he could help improve things on the Normandy and letting them know he would listen if they needed someone to talk to. He'd never met a man like him before, someone who saw good things in people and helped bring that to the surface. Now he was gone and Kaidan had never felt so lost.

It was like losing a limb. He didn't know how to function properly. His parents had helped him and listened as he told them about the hero who saved the galaxy. They had listened and gradually Kaidan began to function again.

Now here he was back on the Citadel and ready to move on with his life. The problem was that he didn't know where to start. His friends were gone and even if he did know where they went he wasn't sure about contacting them. Thinking about Michael hurt in ways his migraines never did. Once he was back on active duty maybe he'd start to feel better.

The taxi arrived and Kaidan plotted his destination back to the commons. He was tired and heartsick from watching the images of Shepard playing across the Wards and on the Presidium. The taxi stopped at the commons and Kaidan made his way to the Apollo Café first. He liked the place and the view. There was something calm about it, where he could stop and think for a little while.

"Hmm?" Kaidan glanced down at his Omni-tool when it started to beep. Kaidan frowned when he saw that he had an incoming message from Hackett. "Admiral Hackett…"

"Lt. Alenko." The admiral nodded. "I'm sorry to call you back early but something came up. I need to speak with you in private."

"Of course sir. Where should I meet you?" Kaidan asked.

"Find me at Udina's office in the embassies. Anderson is with me." Hackett replied. "I wouldn't ask unless it was important."

"I understand sir." Kaidan was glad for this. If Hackett wanted him back in the field he'd be able to feel right again. "I'll be there shortly."

"It's good to see you again Alenko." Hackett greeted him once he stepped into the office. Kaidan felt apprehensive about the meeting but he saluted his superior by way of greeting. Udina was absent, probably at another meeting with the Council.

"How are you these days son?" Anderson approached him, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Been better..." Kaidan shrugged. "But I'll be ok. So what's this about sir?"

"The mission to Eden Prime...it changed everything." Anderson watched as Kaidan allowed his memories to take over for a moment. Eden Prime had been the trigger for so many things. "Once the geth cleared out we thought the colony would be left in peace."

"There's trouble there?" Kaidan frowned.

"It's a little more complicated than that." Hackett handed Kaidan a datapad. "I received this report an hour ago. A geth was found on Eden Prime. According to the patrol there the thing spoke."

"What?" Kaidan's eyes widened as he quickly read the report. "We never met a talking geth. We didn't know they were capable of speech."

"I know Tali'Zorah was instrumental in taking down the geth but we can't locate her." Hackett took the datapad back. "I was hoping for more information about this geth."

"But that's not the troubling part." Anderson turned from the lieutenant to stare out across the Presidium. "When the patrol found it the geth kept asking for Shepard Commander."

"Shepard?" Kaidan whispered. During their time finding Saren the crew of the Normandy had defeated countless geth but never once did they speak or address the commander by name. Kaidan honestly didn't know what to think. "Where's the geth now?"

"Reports say that it was damaged in an attack and right now its being held in a containment cell. Scientific curiosity won out." Hackett explained. Kaidan said nothing as he waited for the admiral to continue. "I want to know what the geth was doing there. If it was actively looking for Shepard I want to know why."

"So what do you need me for?" the biotic asked. "Wouldn't the scientists be able to get that information?"

"As far as I know extracting information from a geth is a tricky enough feat. Shepard trusted Tali during the mission against Saren and I don't want this to become public knowledge." Kaidan could understand the admiral's concerns.

"But how can I help? I don't know anything about how a geth works." the only thing Kaidan knew was how hard his biotics had to be when he hit the machines with his power.

"We're sending our best engineers out there to investigate the geth. But you knew Shepard, you knew how he worked and what happened after the beacon gave him that vision." Anderson placed a hand on Kaidan's shoulder. "I know it's been hard son but if this geth was looking for Shepard we need to know why."

"Because of the Reapers?" Kaidan muttered darkly. "We all know this isn't over. The Council can bury their heads in the sand all they like but Sovereign was just the start."

"You don't need to convince us." Anderson shook his head. "But the Citadel is still recovering from the battle and losing Shepard so soon afterwards...it hasn't been easy."

"The geth did worship them. Any information on the Reapers and their plans will be invaluable." Hackett spoke when Kaidan became silent again. "If you're willing lieutenant I want you to go to Eden Prime and talk to it. Find out why it was looking for Shepard."

"It could try hacking our systems the second we get it back online." Kaidan said.

"If it proves hostile then you have full authority to take it out." the admiral said.

Kaidan was silent as he thought about it. The fact that a talking geth had been found was bizarre enough but it asked for Shepard by name. The commander had taken out countless of the machines so why was this one looking for him? Kaidan bit his lip, struggling to keep the sense of loss from overwhelming him. He was trying, he really was but something always came back to remind him that he couldn't save Shepard.

Maybe Hackett needed him to go to the colony because no one else was around. Everyone Shepard knew and worked with had gone their separate ways. Kaidan still felt lingering anger because of that. There had been a service held for Shepard once the Alliance declared him KIA.

Before Kaidan knew what was happening the people he thought of as friends had all but vanished. Tali he could understand but then Garrus and Wrex took off and he couldn't find Joker anywhere.

He wanted someone to talk to but he hadn't always been the most upfront of people. And Shepard had always managed to get him to talk. Shit he needed to stop thinking about this. Taking the mission and finding this geth...maybe it could help him.

"I'll go to Eden Prime." Kaidan answered.

"I appreciate it lieutenant." Hackett looked relieved. "Get ready to leave in three hours."

Kaidan saluted his superiors once he took the datapad from Hackett explaining where he would need to go for the mission. Kaidan couldn't help but wonder what Shepard would have done in his place.

No, he knew exactly what the commander would do. He'd want to talk to the geth, hear its side of the story. They weren't a great threat anymore to Citadel Space but that didn't stop the Alliance from sending out patrols to wipe out any pockets of resistance left.

If nothing else talking to a geth was going to be interesting.