"Anderson." The voice held a slight questioning tone. The commander had been summoned into the councilor's office with no comments regarding as to why. He found it difficult to relax his stance when he might be required to expect the worst. Not that he hadn't already witnessed the worst once, two years ago.

"I'm glad you came right away, Alenko. I have a mission for you." The councilor turned from peering out over the railing to face the commander. "I need you to find someone who is very difficult to find. I'm hoping if you search around enough, she'll come to you. "

"That's it? I was expecting something more life threatening. You're losing your touch, Anderson," Kaidan joked.

"Oh, that's not all. But, I won't tell you more until you find her. It's too risky. She's a thief. Goes by the name Kasumi Goto."

"A thief, Anderson? Really?"

"Yes. You'll understand soon enough. Locate her right away and then report back. I'll update you after."

"This intel isn't much to go on," he said, letting the sentence hang in the air a few moments.

The councilor sighed. "I'm sorry, Alenko. We don't know much now but everything will reveal itself in time."

Kaidan sighed, letting his head rest in his palm. He let his elbow rest on the desk, his eyes unfocused on the screen before him. From the way Anderson had talked, he had expected to find nothing on the extranet but even his best sources were coming up empty over the last few weeks. He was about ready to turn to the Shadow Broker.

And, then something binged at him.

Kaidan let his hand slip from his chin as he redirected his attention at the words in front of him. Someone was messaging him through an instant service. One he did not have installed. Sitting up straighter he read over the words a few times.

Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Is petite and Japanese your style, Commander?

He tapped his fingers on the desk trying to determine if the message was worth responding to. The Japanese comment did match up with what little he knew of the thief he was looking for. Kaidan weighed the risks of replying without knowing if this was who he was looking for or not. He had no other leads though, and his best one was staring him in the face having caught him unawares. For now, he would play this game.

K-Alenko: Exactly my type right now.
Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Oh, Commander, you're making me blush.
K-Alenko: Is that such a bad thing?
Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Judging by the pictures I pulled up, not at all.

Kaidan couldn't believe he was doing this. He wasn't sure how much longer he could sound so unlike himself.

Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: So, what can I help you with, Commander? Am I really exactly your type right now? What you want? What you need?

He felt like he was being tested. The flirting was just code. The subtext was there.

K-Alenko: More than you know. I've been looking for someone just like you for some time now.
Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: I bet you say that to all the girls.
Curiosity-killed-the-krogan: Meet me for drinks?
K-Alenko: Absolutely. Where?

Immediately, it appeared that she had signed off and the program shut itself down. For a moment, Kaidan worried he had done something wrong. He had screwed up his best chance. His omni-tool pinged at him and a nearby bar, time, and table description were included in a message he received along with an extra note.

I've been waiting for this chance for longer than you know.

A few hours later, Kaidan found himself freshly clean and casually dressed, sitting at a small, private table in the dimmest corner of a loud, high-class lounge. On the table was a single red rose. He was on high alert, his eyes scanning every face, flickering towards every movement. But, he let his face remain passive.

Then, he saw her. An apparition from a shadow came to him, her features hidden within a hood. A small smile played at her lips, as if she was merely toying with him. She smoothly slid into her seat before fingering the flower on the table.

"You look nice, Commander. I did not expect you to have clothes outside of your uniform." Her tone was light and teasing. Something about it made him want to drop some of his tension, enjoy a meal and a drink, but he was here on business only. He frowned at her as she ordered herself something. When he declined an offer for something of his own, she inquired, "Are you sure, Commander? Everything is very good here. You look like you could relax a little."

Kaidan's eyes narrowed at the woman before him. There was a quiet danger about her. She seemed so at ease and confident. She had shown herself competent with tech earlier when she had hacked his computer from elsewhere. This was a woman not to be underestimated. Like Shepard. But, unlike Shepard, Kasumi's abilities weren't on display. She didn't openly radiate the kind of power Shepard had.

"I'm sure," he responded stiffly.

As her drink was placed in front of her, Kasumi thanked the waitress and tilted her head slightly at the man in front of her before shrugging. "If you say so. I can see you want to get down to business, so let's." She sipped her beverage, keeping her eyes on Kaidan.

"Are you Miss Goto?" Kaidan realized he could only keep up with her games for so long. It was easier for him to be straightforward. His risk made her smile.

"No need to be so formal," she said as she waved her hand. "You certainly did a lot of looking for me these last few weeks."

"Yeah, and found nothing. You're a difficult woman to track down."

"For good reasons, I assure you."

By now, she had finished her small drink and looked ready to leave. Kaidan took the lead and led them from the lounge, Kasumi paying before they left the table. They weren't too far from his apartment and it occurred to the commander that she had chosen this location because she knew that information. It seemed more and more likely that this thief had done her research and done it thoroughly.

They walked in silence and a few blocks later, they were walking through his front door. As it shut behind her, Kasumi dropped her hood. As Kaidan turned towards her, he stopped and stared. He should have expected her to be young by how she spoke earlier. And, her features were definitely Japanese which he also should have come to realize. But seeing her eyes clearly startled him a bit. There wasn't anything special about them, but something about her made them interesting. It was easier to see the intelligence, the passion, and the loss behind them. For a brief moment, she was laid bare in front of him.

As soon as she noticed him staring, something about her face changed. She wasn't wearing a mask necessarily, but parts of her were hidden as easily as if she had drawn up her hood again. She interrupted his thoughts by grinning at him since she had caught him staring. Kasumi walked past him and made herself comfortable on the nearest couch, drawing her legs up beside her. "So tell me, Commander, what is it you need from me?"

Kaidan decided that honesty would work best with the thief, so he set himself on a nearby chair and openly told her, "I don't know. I was told to find you. After that, I report back. I assume we need your help with something but I haven't been given any other information."

She gave him a quizzical look, as if she were considering the possibilities. She even hummed a little as she thought. "It seems strange that you would be ordered to seek me out at a time like this."

Kaidan furrowed his eyebrows. "Time like what?"

Some astonishment showed on her face at that. "You really don't know? But, you report to Anderson and he most certainly knew. I can't believe he didn't tell you." During her little outburst, she had leaned forward slightly but now that she was done, she reclined against the cushions once more.

He was quickly getting frustrated. Kaidan wasn't fond of not having all the information from the start and clearly, Anderson hadn't told him something that Kasumi deemed important. He grit his teeth and felt a headache start to form behind his eyes. He tried to calm himself down as the thief watched him with interest. He almost felt bad about his behavior in front of this stranger. "I'm sorry," he sighed. His voice sounded strained and tired. "Please, tell me what it is that Anderson didn't say."

Kasumi frowned a little before she told him. "Kaidan, I worked with Shepard on her mission against the Collectors."