Chapter 2
Thane stood before her, his hand resting on the back of the cold, metal chair "May I?" he asked, his gravelly voice making her tingle.
Shepard lowered her eyes to the table. "Of course." She replied to her plate, keeping her voice level. Be cool, Shepard.
Thane silently slid the chair back and sat in front of her without drawing any attention from the mess hall's rowdy occupants. The assassins ability to attract absolutely no attention to himself was impressive. Shepard imagined that was just how he liked his presence on the ship: inconsequential.
This skill was no mean feat for the drell. Not only was he handsome, his species was naturally exotic, appealing even. Not many were seen outside of the hanar home world. So when they were in citadel space, for example, they were likely to draw at least some interested attention.
The hanar obviously trained him well. He was silent, and deadly. Something about the way he carried himself exuded danger. The first time Shepard had taken him on a mission had opened her eyes to just how dangerous he was. She wasn't easily impressed, but fighting alongside the assassin was exhilarating. And arousing. Which was disturbing. She tried not to think about it.
Neither one of them had interrupted the comfortable silence, for which she was partly grateful. That way she had less chance of saying something inappropriate.
"...Okay, so you could probably take Jacob," Zaeed said to Jack as Jacob looked disgruntled. "But what about the assassin?" he questioned, pointing his thumb towards Thane.
Shepard's attention was brought back to their futile conversation at the mention of Thane. "What did I miss?" she enquired, instantly.
Thane's attention was drawn too, only more subtly than Shepard's. Inclining his head in their direction at the mention of his profession, he was intrigued.
"We were just wondering if Jack thought she could take on Sere Krios." Samara replied, composed as ever.
"No way. I mean, I'm no fan of assassins," Garrus said, "no offence," he acknowledged Thane, who in turn bowed his head in acceptance, "but they're trained killers. That's their livelihood. Thane would win, hands down."
"True," said Zaeed, "but this Subject Zero is a trained crazy bitch," he growled in his usual demeanour.
"Exactly." Jack growled through gritted teeth. She wasn't enjoying people questioning her strength or her abilities.
"What do you think, Shepard?" Kasumi asked with a glint in her eyes. Shepard knew it was there, even if she couldn't fully see her eyes under the thief's customary hood.
Remain diplomatic, that's the key. "Well, I think they are both very fine fighters." She said with a serene smile, proud of her tactful response.
"Ah, screw the diplomacy Shepard." Zaeed grumbled. "We wanna know what you really think."
Her entire crew seemed to be waiting for her ruling on this topic. Most looked expectant, Kasumi looked amused, Jack looked angry and Thane looked, well, like Thane always looked. Although, if she wasn't mistaken, his left eyebrow ridge was slightly raised and the smallest hint of a smile traced his lips. He was enjoying her nervous hesitance. Bastard.
She couldn't pretend to deliberate any longer. "Well, um, considering Sere Krios," she looked Thane in the eyes and emphasised the formalities, "is trained in hand to hand combat," she addressed the rest of the group, "which involves taking advantage of an opponents mistakes." She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry Jack but you're just a fireball of rage! Without a strategic plan I think it would be very difficult to defeat an assassin."
"Not just any assassin, Shepard..." Tali probed, pushing her to answer plainly.
"FINE." She shouted, "Thane! It would be very difficult to beat Thane. My money is. on. Thane."
The group erupted into jeers and shouts, as if Shepard's declaration was as stimulating as actually watching said opponents fight.
"I told you!" Garrus was shouting, banging his taloned hand on the table in celebration. Jack stormed out of the mess hall, muttering something about killing the rest of them.
As the crew returned to their usual jovial conversation, Shepard returned to her peas with a smile on her face. Her crew really did lighten the mood of this suicide mission. Perhaps they all had enough faith in her to believe this would not be their last mission together. She wished she shared their optimism.
…...
Shepard glanced up at Thane who had remained silent throughout the theoretical competition. His stance had changed but his eyes hadn't moved. They bored into her own now, as if trying to read her thoughts and put his interrogative mind at ease.
Thane rested his elbows on the table and his head on his hands, examining her like a therapist would their troubled patient. His face was a mix of inquisitive wonder. Shepard baffled him, which he, some what masochistically, enjoyed. He had not met such a curious person in a long time, perhaps ever. He was very good at reading people. It came with the job. He was used to taking all information available into consideration, looking for anything he can use to his advantage and his target's demise.
Surveying all he knew about the mysterious woman in front of him had, unfortunately, not enlightened him to who she really was. This both frustrated Thane and worried him. Why was he going to such lengths to know his employer? Shepard was just another client that had requested his services. Not knowing everything about her was best.
Although, it wasn't just the torment of not fully understanding her that drew him in. It was not understanding himself. Deep down, he realised what was drawing him closer to Shepard, he wasn't stupid after all. But this feeling was dormant, and foreign. Long ago he had been stirred by these feelings by one scoped glance. He had thought himself no longer capable of such positive emotions. Battle sleep effectively suffocated the needs and desires of his body, and of his heart.
Late at night in his quarters, he would recall their battles, in perfect detail. Remembering each time he had caught her eyes on him on the field. All the times his scope had lingered on her a little longer than it should have. Every time they had touched in the fiery blaze of an arms fight.
She ducks beside me as I snipe the foes whose armours she has just overloaded. To our right I see husks coming to out flank her. She is reloading her weapon. I push myself in front of her, charging a biotic throw with my right hand, my left is placed on her shoulder plate, keeping her behind me. Then a lingering glance as I help to her feet, before we run to opposite cover posts.
Leaving solipsism, his eyes refocus on Shepard who has tilted her head at him. She is staring at him, as he expects he was while reliving that memory. He wonders if she is in her own form of solipsism...
…...
...His hand on my thighs, lifting me onto the table. My hand around his neck, the other sliding over his bare chest, pulling at the jacket. "Take it off." I breath against his cheek. He pulls my hair, tilting my head to expose more of my pale skin, he bites the base of my neck. "Thane..."
"Yes Shepard?" Thane replied, caught by the longing in her voice. He was unsure whether she had meant to utter his name so quietly.
Oh God. She had not meant to say his name aloud. She had gotten carried away in a fantasy that should strictly be saved for bed time hours. And probably not even then.
Shepard rattled around her brain for anything suitable to say in this kind of situation. She had nothing. Think. Think! He's looking at you waiting for a response of some kind. Say something. Do something cute. Throw my peas at him? No, don't throw your peas at him. Get up and leave. Save yourself any further embarrassment and just leave.
And so she left without another word, not meeting his eyes. Thane sat perplexed as he watched her round the corner and, presumably, enter the lift. He laughed quietly, shaking his head as he collected his and her plates and delivered them to the sink. As he leaned against the counter, he was surprised to realise that was the first time he had laughed in over ten years.
…...
A couple of hours later, when Shepard had some what regained her professionalism, she stood in CIC and stared blankly at her private terminal. The Illusive Prick had filled her inbox with emails about all her new toys. As much as she hated Cerberus and TIM, the free stuff was cool. Especially the big guns.
Turning to Kelly, Shepard asked: "Do you ever get the feeling the Illusive Man is overcompensating for something?"
Kelly turned to Shepard with a quizzical look.
"I mean, look at this ship. He could have completely recreated the Normandy SR-1 as was, no problem, but no. He made it bigger and better and more imposing." She stated. "Also, have you seen his office?! It's not just got a sea view... it has a planet view. I think it's because he's insecure about his," she whispered for effect, "little illusive wiener."
Kelly laughed despite herself and tried to regain composure. "I don't know what you mean Shepard." She quirked her eyebrow. "One thing I have heard though, this ship has ears." She said nodding towards EDI. "And I happen to quite like my job."
"Ah, don't worry about EDI." Shepard said as the blue orb appeared. "Her job is to report important mission information to TIM," she said. "Not speculation about the size of his penis."
"That is true Shepard. I happen to file gossip under morale building specs." EDI informed them. "You have no need to worry about idol chatter leading to you losing your position on this suicide mission, Miss Chambers."
"Uh, yeah. See." Shepard said, unsure whether EDI was attempting humour again by mentioning the kind of chances they were up against. "You'll still be put up against unfavourable odds just like the rest of us."
Kelly laughed again "Thank the makers for that, I guess."
"Yep," Shepard laughed. "Good talk EDI."
"Logging you out Shepard." The orb disappeared.
"So," Kelly said, obviously feeling more comfortable now they weren't on the subject of TIM's peep. "If gossiping is allowed, I suppose that means I can ask about Thane..."
Oh crap. Obviously her professionalism was limited at best, judging by the conversation they just had. But she had just regained what little she had regarding sexy drell crew-mates.
"What about him?" She asked innocently.
"Oh, come on." Kelly said, putting her hand on her hip. "One minute you're always in Life Support drinking tea together, then you're nowhere near the port side of the ship, practically running for Kasumi's door when you want to see her, doing you're absolute best to avoid him, and then there's the drooling..."
"Drooling?!" She asked, instinctively moving her hand to the corner of her mouth.
"Well, no, not really," she laughed. "But pretty close."
Shepard crossed her arms and put on her best commander voice. "I don't know to what you are referring to, Miss Chambers." She said. "Thane and I have a strictly professional relationship. There is absolutely nothing untoward about my feelings for him. I am his commanding officer. Nothing more, nothing less."
Kelly seemed to mull this over for a few seconds. "Okay," she finally said.
Shepard nodded. "Okay," she said, unfolding her arms and looking back to her terminal.
"Does that mean I can have a crack at him?" Kelly asked.
Without looking up from her messages, Shepard replied: "Don't you dare, bitch."
…...
Thane was still laughing from what he'd heard of Shepard and Yeoman Kelly Chambers' conversation when he had returned to Life Support. To think, if he hadn't have gone down to speak to Dr. Solus at that moment, he might not have heard what would later be one of his most relived memories to date.
