There were so many people! The loud screaming of the crowds hurt his ears almost as much as the artificial light hurt his eyes. It was… disorienting, a challenge to his highly-trained senses.

Thane pushed his glasses higher on his nose, and moved slowly away from the wall. He stepped cautiously from the shadows and into the simulated sunlight, coming to rest against a nearby railing, and looked out over the Presidium Commons.

There were people everywhere, of species and cultures he had only read about. Hawkers advertised their wares at the top of their lungs, diners chatted over exotic meals, couples embraced each other before going their separate ways. There was even a quarian and a turian arguing over – he listened for a moment – dextro-immunisation supplies the turian had promised the quarian and was now refusing to deliver.

Thane sighed. It was all so different to the monastery of Kael-Mon on Kahje. The leaves swaying gently in the breeze, the soil warm and soft beneath his feet. The calm, quiet atmosphere as the brothers and acolytes went about their daily tasks, and the rain pattering on the dome high above their heads.

Thane knew why he had been sent here – Screams on the night wind. The smell of burning flesh drifts through the air – still he had not expected the Citadel to be so… overwhelming. So many people, so many possibilities. Even with all his training, Thane wasn't sure how he could possibly…

Thane clasped his hands together, and silently whispered a prayer to Amonkira, and to Koaru, the goddess of wisdom, asking for divine aid. With any luck, should the gods see fit, he would be back on Kahje soon. Back where he belonged.

A loud roar sounded behind him. In the reflection in the rail Thane saw two large Krogan adolescents jogging through the crowd. Suddenly they charged, one sailing past him down the stair to the right to the level below. Instantly Thane took one step to the left, a spherical object whizzing past his ear. The second Krogan laughed and charged down the same stairs after his partner, disrupting an asari couple and forcing them uncomfortably close to Thane.

Thane took another step to his left, his concentration focused on the two Krogan disturbing the people mingling below. So distracted he was that he didn't notice the young human male behind him. The male, tall, wiry, wearing what the humans called "jeans" and a CH Renegades jacket, ran past his shoulder knocking into Thane as he ran to intercept the two Krogan. The impact knocked Thane into the rail, and knocked his glasses off his head and into a bush. The boy hopped down the stairs, half turned back towards Thane and yelled out a quick "Sorry!" before running off.

Thane pushed himself off the rail, rubbing his stomach where it had dug into his muscles. A quick resolution indeed, he thought. He reached over the rail to pick up his glasses. Almost immediately he found himself very nearly falling over the edge into the garden bed as another person ran headlong into him. Thane's glasses landed at his feet with a quiet chink.

Thane blinked his inner eyelids rapidly in irritation. A low growl emitted from his throat. By Arashu, this assignment had better be resolved quickly.

A small hand landed lightly on his shoulder. "My goodness," a small, high pitched voice exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Thane resisted the instinct to react and remove the hand on his shoulder. One must, after all, blend in. Instead he slowly turned, resting his hands behind his back, and finally saw…

The smell of heat sink residue rides the wind. Fire-coloured hair burns in the light.

Bright green eyes stared up at him from a petite female human face framed by bright red hair streaked with gold. Her form was clothed similarly to the other human, the scent of heat-sink residue coming from the worn CH Renegades jacket tied around her waist. "I'm so sorry," she repeated. "I didn't see you there."

Thane blinked. How exactly had she not seen him? he thought. Still, perhaps he was better at blending in than he thought he would be in this new environment. Thane cleared his throat. "It seems to be a common occurrence this morning," he said, quickly glancing at the group of boys sitting at the edge of the pool which ran the length of the Presidium.

The girl followed his gaze, easily spotting the group below them. "Oh, them," she muttered quietly. She drew a deep breath, drawing Thane's attention back to her. "Yeah, I'm sorry about them, too. They're rather inconsiderate at times."

Thane growled his acceptance, his throat frills vibrating slightly. The girl narrowed her eyes at him. It took a few seconds for Thane to realise she hadn't been able to hear him.

Thane nodded at her, bowing slightly at his waist.

The girl before him smiled tentatively in response, just one corner of her mouth lifting slightly, her brows still drawn together in what Thane assumed was still concern. And for some reason, just for a second, Thane wondered what she would look like if she fully smiled.

Thane quickly blinked both sets of eyelids, dispelling the question. You're here for a reason, he thought, concentrate. Quickly gathering his thoughts he bent down to retrieve his glasses. The closer look revealed cracks in the lenses, which fell in pieces from the rims as he picked it up. Thane groaned again, loudly.

The girl shifted to get a better look at his hands. She answered his groan with one of her own. "Oh, no. That's my fault, isn't it?" she asked.

Thane shook his head. "It is of no consequence. I have others," he said.

The girl shook her head. "No," she said. "It was my fault. I should replace them for you."

Thane shook his head again, and squinted against a bright shaft of light. "That won't be necessary," he said. "It was an accident." A loud cry erupted from the group, now joined by a young male turian, who was waving in their direction. Thane cocked his head towards the disturbance. "I believe your friends are calling you," he said.

The red-headed girl stepped to the side to look past Thane, but when she glanced back towards him, he wasn't the anymore. The girl looked around, her gaze darting around the Commons, searching for the man she had run into, piercing crowds to try and find his illusive form.

Another shout drew her attention away from her search. With one last quick glance, she backed down the stairs, and joined her friends across the way, her shoes trekking broken lenses across the ground.

From the safety of the shadows Thane watched the girl as she joined her friends. The elder krogan gripped her hair and gave a gentle tug. The girl glared at him, and said something that caused the krogan to laugh, take a step back and throw his hands up in mock surrender. The younger krogan thumped the elder on the back, and the krogans headed off. The human male followed, his shoulders hunched, but shaking with what Thane could only assume was mirth. That left the girl and the turian, their heads close together, conversing. Finally they followed their companions, walking side by side, their arms wrapped around each other.

Interesting, Thane thought. The last he had heard the relationship between the two species was still hostile. Yet there they were, a turian male and a human female, so obviously not hostile, and quite possibly more than that.

Thane had a job to do, one of great importance and one he could not fail. Suddenly, though, he felt that it had just grown even more complicated.

So, okay. This is the first chapter of my Mass Effect High fic. The group was started after a friend of mine over on deviantart, The-JoeBlack, did a couple of sketches of the Mass Effect cast as teenagers. A lot of us thought it would make a great comic, and after a while, Joe started a group where people could play with the concept to their hearts content in whatever manner they wished. He supplied the source material, character basics for a few characters, but for the most part, we are left to our whims. And it's FUN! Head over to the group at www . masseffecthigh . deviantart . com . All the source material is there, plus everything we have come up with. It's a fun place, and a great group of people. :)

For those wondering, no I haven't stopped working on Invictus. In fact I was working on it tonight. However, working on the Thane Fanbook Introductory Essay Whispers on the Tide has left me pretty burnt out. I'm using this and mappeli's fics to try to get myself back into the swing of things. That essay has grown into a monster and even though it is only about 35% done (second version, btw, and most of the rough draft has been done, just doing the editing) if I don't take a break from it I'm gonna blow up! It's stressing me out to the point where even the thought of it is making me ill. So yeah, Invictus will definitely continue, AFTER THE ESSAY IS FINISHED. Invictus is my serious piece, while this is supposed to be fun. For me anyway. :P

So yeah, read, enjoy, review. Remember: reviews = love. Everybody loves love.

Keelah Se'lai

and as always,

#SaveThane