Disclaimer: Socrates once said, "I know that I know nothing". In this case, it's "I know that I own nothing". This work of fan fiction was made for the purposes of entertainment. All characters, settings and other materials (unless otherwise specified) used in this work belong to their creative owners: Bioware & EA. This is not for profit and I do not intend to get anything out of it (besides world domination, of course).

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Full description: This story chronicles Thane's adventure from the warm streets of Illium to the cold alleys of Omega; from the illuminating experience of his first kill to the painful realisation that his actions have more consequences than he could ever possibly imagine. Through the judicious teachings of the Hanar, Thane is brought up to be the perfect instrument of death, while steering the galaxy away from the chaos that engulfs it. Despite his young age, the requirements of his service will plunge Thane into the middle of a dark war between the armies behind the walls, leaders without titles and men without honour. Will Thane be able to lead himself and his comrades unscathed through the turmoil of his own creation? Who will Thane have to face to emerge victorious? And will the dire consequences of this dark conflict ultimately cause Thane to question the true purpose of 'instruments' like him?

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Act I: The Die Is Cast

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Chapter 1: Ruminations

The man stood ahead of him; his back turned, his head cocked. Thane reached into the inside pockets of his suit and retrieved the weapon given to him by his superiors. Would this be the right weapon for the job, he thought, examining it. The greyish tinge of the otherwise green pistol matched the red lights protruding from the inserted thermal clip. Attached to the end of the barrel was a silencer. It did not matter at this time, his train of thought continued. Swiftly, he placed the weapon back into his pocket. Good things come to those who obey, who follow the rules – but not merely by some arbitrary rules enabling a sense of self-regulation and control; but the rules stemming from that undeniable idea – the idea that shapes, defines and binds you.

He would meditate on this later. For now this man, his target, this human, was his world. He knew nothing outside of it, and wanted to know nothing outside of it. To know your goal is to know you're content; to act on reaching that goal is to act for contentment. To be content is to be Whole.

The crowd surrounding Thane was thinning. Night was approaching, and it would be the opportunity to strike. The man would not even know he would be about to leave this universe until… Until when? Thane thought to himself once more. Would it be right for the human to know he was about to depart, or would it be right to keep him ignorant of the fact?

The Hanar never spoke of this. How to approach your target, the strategic weaknesses of various species, failsafe routines to be played when your assassination fails were all taught in measure and repeated consistently, but nothing on what the target should know when their end is near. The Hanar would probably think it's irrelevant, he digressed.

Sitting on a nearby bench, Thane continued to watch his target, who was looking down at something he was holding. The fact that his head was cocked would indicate several immediate possibilities: that he was partially deaf in one ear (likely), that this was just a particular tick that the man did when reading (unlikely), or that he was confused at what he was seeing and his head being cocked was an automatic response to seeing something unfamiliar (very unlikely, although a common trait in humans). This man would not be easily confused, Thane thought. This man was one of the largest death dealers in the system. He is smart, ruthless and, most importantly, adaptive. He can shape anything and anyone to his will, given the right leverage.

But Thane knew that this "leverage" was almost always violence. During the small amount of time Thane had been spying on him, gathering information and waiting for the time to strike, he had witnessed several of this man's attempts to rectify astray situations in which his suppliers were threatening to cut him off of weaponry. He would kill the messenger and send their head back as a warning. It was clear to Thane that this world would be much brighter without him, but it was unclear as to why he was chosen to take this weapons dealer out. He is a high-profile target, but not someone who would be expected to be the first contract of a mere twelve year old. Thane was at the top of his class, though. But would he be good enough?

Of course I am, Thane thought. The problem lied not in Thane's ability to kill (although, for all intents and purposes, this would be his first), but the movement of the crowd, their reaction, the security. The first thing that the Hanar taught him was to admit that there are variables outside of his control and that the only means of attempting to regulate them would be by eliminating them all together. Regulation is easy when you have nothing to regulate. Eliminate the variables, Thane realised.

First: the crowd. How would he do it? Even at night there would still be a crowd, witnesses. To eliminate the possibility of witnesses, you must ensure you are in an area that has none. Fine, he thought, I will not end his life here. A secluded place would do. A back alley? But how to get him there? The man's apartment? Bodyguards. Thane thought on this for a moment. The back alley idea would be perfect if he could get him there. But this man was smart enough not to go down side streets or back alleys unaccompanied. His apartment is less convenient, but Thane knew that there is the certainty that his target spends most of his time there. But the bodyguards. They're no match, Thane thought.

Second: the crowd's reaction. It would be eliminated with the destination being the targets apartment.

Third: security. There are no cameras in the targets apartment. Thane knew that for certain. No visual footage can be captured. The only way he would be seen would be in person, by the bodyguards and the target himself. They must all be eliminated.

Thane paused on this last notion. Must they all be eliminated? The Hanar had never exclusively taken a side with this topic. "It is all down to you and the circumstance," they had said. Surely, Thane wondered, they need not all die. Yes, there are those who work for the enemy. Are they just as responsible? The word 'innocent' was never properly defined in Thane's lessons. It could have meant anyone other than the target. It could have meant anyone not wholly associated with the target. He would meditate on this later as well. For now, he had to go back to the variables.

Fourth: likelihood of physical evidence leading back to him or the Hanar. The only evidence would be the weapon with his DNA on it. He would make sure he disintegrates it at the earliest convenience.

Fifth and final: likelihood of target surviving. Impossible. One bullet through the spine. If done effectively will cause death. If not, hydrostatic shock. His target will be in too much pain to move, and will be effectively crippled. In that case, round through the head at a six percent decline, entering the occipital and temporal lobes of the brain. Likelihood of survival, he thought. Impossible.

Thane's target looked up. Placing his hands to his sides, Thane saw that what the man was holding was a datapad. He started to ponder what was on it, before his target began to make his way out of the courtyard – in a hurry. Thane wondered what would cause such a fast pace in his walking. The man got to the archway that served as the exit for the courtyard and into the main streets of Illium and turned around, examining the area. Thane knew his target couldn't see him, but was nonetheless intrigued as to why the man was watching to see if he was being followed. Exiting the place, Thane swiftly got up and walked to the archway. Taking a quick look around the corner before retracting, Thane saw that the man was now jogging down the street.

Could he know I was after him? Thane thought to himself. I have taken every precaution. Thane took another glimpse but didn't withdraw his gaze. He would wait until there were signs of his target going to turn around before he would withdraw. The man continued to jog down the street, but didn't turn to look behind him. He was clearly certain no one was following him, or wasn't in the mood to care.

"Excuse me, sir," a soft female voice spoke to him, "what are you doing?"

Thane turned around. A human female in Trewhursch evening wear was glaring at him. She had seen him peeking around the corner. Thane stood silently.

"What are you doing?" the woman repeated, in a firmer tone.

Thane examined the woman closely. She didn't waste time in asking him what he was doing, so she must have been watching him before he got to the archway. Her narrowed eyes spoke of considerable suspicion. She would not hesitate to call the authorities, Thane assumed. But he had a failsafe. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a badge in a leather holding.

"Illium Security Service," Thane said. "Government business. I need you to go back to your business," he pronounced.

The woman drew her breath back in shock. "I… I had no idea. I am so sorry. I just thought that you were just some drell stalking someone."

The badge was counterfeit but looked real. The Hanar had given it to him for the job to secure no ignorant civilian interference. Thane looked older for his age. All drell did. This made it significantly easier for Thane to pose as a guard – which he had done on numerous occasions since arriving on Illium. "That is fine, human," Thane replied. "As you were."

The woman bowed her head and began to walk away, back into the crowd. Thane watched her, making sure she was out of sight before turning around to look down the street. Thane's eyes widened at the scene lying before his eyes: his target was gone.

Thane felt his heart beating faster. He had not made one mistake since starting this assignment, but now he had made the worst one: he had lost the target.