Part I: Prodigal Son
Chapter 1: The Deep and Savage Way
"I'm not sure where precisely to begin… I suppose some background would be helpful. I began my training under the Compact at the age of six; this was just before my Awakening, of course, so I knew little else.
"Ah, yes, my apologies. Drell memories don't fully develop until the age of six or seven. We retain few details of the first years of our lives until that occurs, a process we refer to as the Awakening. A somewhat poetic term for a mundane developmental milestone.
"My point, however, is that I excelled in my training, and knew little but the praise of my teachers, and later, my handlers. As you might imagine, this engendered a certain… overconfidence. I'm afraid I grew to be quite an arrogant teenager.
"Of course, I wasn't perfect—no student is. My first kill, for example, was… clumsy, as one might expect.
"After I'd been training for six years, when I'd spent as much of my life in the Compact as I had with my family, Arren—my mentor and trainer—gave me my first assignment. Arren was a rare creature: an old assassin. Hmm, well, that's how I remember him; I suppose a twelve-year-old can be forgiven for counting one who's passed fifty among the elderly. He was something of a legend among the assassins of the Compact, with hundreds of confirmed kills over three decades of service, until his advancing Kepral's Syndrome forced him into semi-retirement.
"But regardless of his failing health, Arren commanded the respect—indeed, the awe—of those he trained. Though I refer to him by his given name now, at the time I knew him only as Sere Xiphas. He was an easy man to learn from, but a difficult one to please. Rarely did he deliver praise directly—far more often, I would hear from one of the hanar, 'Sere Xiphas was impressed by your performance in today's marksmanship training,' or, 'Sere Xiphas tells this one you handled yourself remarkably well your sparring match yesterday.' But he would never tell me so himself.
"Naturally, I took that as a personal challenge. I became determined to impress him so much he would be forced to admit it personally. It wasn't the noblest of motivations, perhaps, but it kept me striving for perfection. So when he offered me the contract—a full year earlier than most trainees—I jumped at the chance to prove myself.
"The target was the commander of a small band of human mercenaries who had set up a base on Intai'sei, a man named Chester Palhed. This particular group was one cell of a growing crime syndicate whose operations were growing uncomfortably bold, and the Illuminated Primacy wanted to send them a message. It was a simple, low-risk, low-priority assignment: a perfect opportunity to test my skills. I was to infiltrate the base, eliminate the target, and escape without being seen. The point wasn't to destroy the cell entirely, just to let them know they'd been noticed.
"And I wasn't going in alone. Arren would accompany me to evaluate my performance. He would keep to the shadows and not interfere unless I slipped up so badly as to find my life in immediate danger.
"I swore to myself not to let that happen, of course. Just the thought of having to be rescued like that was… humiliating.
"But I committed my first error before we even left Kahje.
"Intelligence operatives had secured the plans for the building, and in studying them, I had found an excellent sniper's nest in the maintenance catwalks above the loading bay. I would hide there, wait for Palhed to come inspect an incoming shipment, and take him out with a single shot. It was the kind of scenario I had trained for extensively. So confident was I in my plan and my abilities, I declined to bring spare ammunition, opting instead to load my sniper rifle with only a single thermal clip. I would have one shot and one shot only—and I was certain that was all I needed. My only secondary weapon was a small dagger, equipped merely as a nod to standard procedure.
"The look Arren gave me probably should have given me pause, but in my hubris, I ignored him.
"No, he didn't say anything. Arren always let me make my own mistakes, so I'd learn from them. Some might call it a harsh way to teach, but it was… effective. And I would certainly learn a lot on this mission—though perhaps not enough.
"We spent most of the journey to Intai'sei reviewing my plan. As was his way, Arren offered little input and no indication of whether or not he approved. This was a test, and I would pass or fail entirely on my own.
"Intai'sei is a hot and arid world, uncomfortable for humans, though less so for drell. The base was lightly guarded, and the watch outside was changed frequently. I timed my incursion carefully to take advantage of a gap in the patrols, and slipped unseen into the compound's wide ventilation shafts, Arren following immediately behind. The air inside was bitterly cold in comparison to the heat outdoors, and I stopped short for a moment in shock. I even heard Arren suppress a cough. But there was no turning back.
"I had of course memorized the route to the loading bay, and located my sniper's nest with little difficulty. Silently, I climbed out of the duct and set up my rifle. It was only slightly warmer out here, and my fingers were numb from the cold, so I had to move slowly. In my mind, I cursed every extra second, certain that Arren was counting them, too.
"In reality, it probably wasn't much cooler there than it is here on the Normandy. I simply wasn't accustomed to it yet. Kahje is nearly as warm as Intai'sei, and this was the first time I'd been off-world.
"Finally, I was ready, and all that remained to do was wait. The next shipment wasn't due for another hour. But now that I wasn't moving, the cold seemed to seep into my very bones. The vent we'd come through was blowing chilled air directly on my back, and the metal of the catwalk floor and railing was like ice. It took all the discipline I could muster to remain still.
"After what seemed like an eternity, the shipment arrived, and Palhed came to the loading bay to inspect it, as his dossier indicated he would. Only he and a few dockworkers occupied the room. It was time for me to make my move.
"I scope in on him. The back of his head centered in my crosshairs. Red laser dot dances on his skull. My hands tremble, from nerves or cold, I cannot say. I pause, willing them still, to no avail. Sere Xiphas silently judging every second of delay. Frustrated and anxious, I pull the trigger.
"And in my haste… I missed.
"You can imagine my surprise—and embarrassment. It simply hadn't occurred to me that I might miss such an easy target. For a moment I simply stared, frozen in disbelief, with barely enough presence of mind to switch off my targeting laser before someone used it to track me. Time seemed to slow.
"In shame and a little bit of panic, I glanced back at Arren. I expected him to be angry. But instead, he simply gestured to the frightened men below as if to say, Complete your contract.
"My sniper rifle was useless now, of course. If I'd brought any spare thermal clips, I could have easily reloaded and taken another shot. I certainly wouldn't have missed a second time! But I had none, of course, and I knew better than to ask Arren for one. So it would have to be hand-to-hand.
"I laid my rifle aside and climbed over the railing, moving slowly and silently so as not to attract attention. Palhed hadn't yet thought to look up. As for the dockworkers, they had retreated to the cargo ship and barricaded themselves inside, terrified. The knowledge that it was me they feared so was… a little bit thrilling. And that gave me the confidence I needed, if not the forethought.
"As you well know, it's important to know someone's physical capabilities if you're going to attack them, especially if they're of another species. And there are a few relevant differences between human and drell physiology that can have a profound effect on hand-to-hand combat. Most notably, our muscle tissue is denser than yours, so a typical drell is about eight to ten percent stronger than the average human. I'd planned for that disparity. But in my haste to impress my mentor, I failed to account for the fact that I was still but a boy, whereas my target was a grown man. Therefore, I would find myself suddenly and unexpectedly outmatched.
"Despite that perhaps unforgivable oversight, however, I was still well-trained and knew how to handle larger and stronger opponents. But it was loud and messy, and perhaps a miracle that I was the one left standing when it was over. It was—
"He stares around the room wildly, trying to track my stray shot. Another step, and he's directly underneath me. I hesitate, a fraction of a second, then drop from the catwalk to land on his shoulders. He falls. I manage to get a grip on his jaw with one hand and prepare to snap his neck. But I've underestimated his strength, and he throws me off, my fingernails leaving bloody scratches across his face. I roll to a crouch, slightly stunned, catching my breath. Reevaluating.
"His fear and anger turn to shock when he sees me. He laughs in disbelief. 'You're kidding me. A goddamn child?'
"I snarl at that and lunge at him. He sidesteps me easily and tries to grab me, but I elude him, barely. I draw my knife. His eyes widen when he sees the blade. Not fear. Relief. He draws a pistol from the holster at his hip.
"A laser dot appears on his forehead as Sere Xiphas prepares his shot. Deliberately, I signal to him: no. Palhed follows my gaze, and as soon as he's distracted, I strike.
"I'm fast, but not fast enough. And he's stronger than me. He catches my wrist just before I can plunge my knife into his heart. He twists my arm roughly, and the knife clatters to the ground. I aim a kick at his other hand that sends his pistol flying. But I can't free myself from his grip, so I go in close. A knee to his stomach doubles him over. Elbow strike to the temple stuns him, and he finally lets go of my arm and stumbles back. He shakes his head and charges at me, aiming a punch at my face. I charge my biotics and Throw him, and he falls.
"I'm on him in an instant, my knee on his chest, his head in my hands. His neck snaps. The laser dot disappears.
"I grinned up into my mentor's scope as I caught my breath, eminently pleased with myself for having completed my first real assignment. But of course, it wasn't really completed yet. In moments, footsteps sounded outside the door, and I barely had time to escape back into the ventilation shaft before Palhed's security forces entered the room.
"Naturally, on the way back to Kahje, Arren scolded me quite soundly for the errors I'd made in my eagerness to show off. But he also congratulated me on my quick recovery and recalculation. It was the first time I'd ever heard words of praise directly from his lips, and that, unfortunately, was the part of the lesson that stayed with me. I credited myself and my own skills for my survival that day. Looking back, though, I see that it was only the grace of Arashu that spared me."