"You really should have come to me as soon as you got back yesterday." Dr. Chakwas criticized as she tentatively touched Shepard's neck. Shepard winced and pulled away. "You're trachea is bruised. I suggest limiting the shouting you do in the next couple of days and eating only soft foods and liquids."
"Uh huh." Shepard replied absently, picking back up the data pad she had set down and scrolling through the information. The doctor looked down at her patient disapprovingly.
"I mean it, Commander." Shepard blinked and looked up.
After a moment she smiled apologetically. "No yelling and no tough steak – got it." Dr. Chakwas sighed and threw up her hands in defeat.
"Just... come back to me if it gets worse." She said. Shepard nodded and slipped off of the bed. She muttered her thanks and headed towards the door, her eyes glued to the screen in front of her.
After horizon the Illusive Man had sent her three more dossiers of people he felt might be assets to her crew. She had pouring over the email all morning trying to gather as much information as she could on these people. The first two could both be picked up at the same place... it was the third person that concerned her.
Tali.
The Illusive Man wanted her to recruit Tali. After what happened on Freedom's Progress, Shepard was not looking forward to their next reunion.
"EDI," she called as she stepped into the elevator, "Let Joker know to set a course for Illium."
"Of course, Commander." The AI replied immediately. Instead of going up to her cabin or to the CIC, Shepard hit the button down to Engineering. She exited the elevator and immediately made her way down to the bowels of the deck.
"What do you want?" Jack asked as soon as Shepard stepped off the stairs. Shepard didn't answer immediately, she took a couple of steps into the room to survey the tattooed woman. Jack was rude, arrogant, and dangerous. And Shepard wasn't intimidated by any of it. Sure, Jack could probably do some serious damage if she put her mind to it, but there was something about her that reminded Shepard of a wounded dog baring its teeth.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing." She said evenly, crossing her arms.
Jack narrowed her eyes. "Don't think that just because you let me see those Cerberus files that we're buddy-buddy."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Shepard replied. She nodded towards the files that were on the bed next to Jack. "You find anything in them?"
"Your friends in Cerberus are into some nasty things." Jack jutted out her chin and shot her a challenging look.
Shepard shrugged as though it didn't bother her. "No surprise there." Jack grunted in disgust.
"I'm going to find something useful and I'm going to make them pay." She promised. Shepard nodded, they had already discussed Jack's anger over what Cerberus had done to her.
"We're heading to Illium," she said shortly, focusing on the reason she came down here. "I'm giving the crew a 96 hour leave once we get there. I'm recruiting an assassin the first night and an asari justicar the second. I could use your help with the second."
Jack snorted. "Of course you could." She looked up and sneered at Shepard. "I'll help you get your asari. Then I'm getting shit-faced drunk and finding someone to either fight or fuck. Depends on how I'm feeling. You should think about doing the same." She smirked and Shepard answered with one of her own.
"I'll consider it."
An asari with a welcoming smile greeted Shepard as soon as she stepped foot on Illium.
"Welcome to Nos Astra, Commander Shepard." she greeted, "We've been instructed to wave all docking and administrative fees for your visit. My name is Careena. If you need information about the area, it'll be my pleasure to assist you."
Shepard's eyes narrowed. "Who instructed you to wave the fees?"
The asari's smile didn't falter for one moment. "The order came from Liara T'Soni, who paid all fees on your behalf." Shepard's eyes widened. Liara... she was here? "She also asked that I direct you to speak with her at your convenience. She's near the trading floor." Careena continued, glancing at her omni-tool.
Shepard swallowed hard and nodded. She didn't stay to chat but stepped past the woman and started down the hallway. She found Liara's office easily but stopped at the stairs leading up to it, unable to make herself go further. Anxiety burst within her, warring between fear and excitement. What if she was rejected again? Could she stand to see that look of revulsion in Liara's face? Did she want to put herself through that? But she already paid for the docking fees, doesn't that mean that Liara wanted to see her? But Liara hadn't seen Shepard's face yet, she hadn't seen the scars.
Get over it Shepard. She snapped to herself. Either she'll be excited to see you or she won't. Just get it over with. Shepard took a deep breath and forced herself to move up the stairs.
Liara's assistant greeted her with a smile and waved her in, saying that Liara was expecting her. Shepard nodded and stepped through the door. The office was spacious, with a large window that looked out across Illium. Liara stood facing that window, talking to someone on her vidscreen.
"Have you ever faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have." The woman spoke smoothly, seductively. The man that she was speaking to looked positively terrified. "I'll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I'll flay you alive. With my mind."
Shepard shivered. The first part was the exact same words that Benezia had used right before she had tried to kill her. But Liara hadn't been there for that. Why would she have said it? For a moment, Shepard almost pulled her gun but then the asari turned around and her face broke into a grin.
"Shepard!" She grinned, "Nyxeris, hold my calls." She stepped forward and embraced Shepard. Shepard wanted to hope, she really did. But Kaidan had hugged her too, right before he ripped out her heart. "My sources said you were alive, but I never believed. It's very good to see you."
"You're threatening to flay people alive now?" Shepard asked. Liara let out a small laugh and gave some sort of excuse about how the man was refusing to pay for the information she had given him. Shepard nodded, but inside she was crying for the asari that had seemed so innocent the last time she saw her. Two years was a long time.
They spoke for a while and Shepard learned that Liara was gunning for the information broker. She had become talented and resourceful over the past two years. And ruthless. But there was something in her demeanor that seemed off to Shepard. Her anger didn't match the reasons that Liara gave. Shepard tried to coax it out of her but eventually she just flat out asked.
Liara stiffened slightly and got up out of her chair to stare out the window. "Did Cerberus every tell you how they recovered your body?" She asked softly. Shepard frowned at her. What did that have to do with anything? Liara continued before she had a chance to speak. "I gave it to them. I gave you to them, Shepard. Because they said they could rebuild you. And to do that I had to take your body from the Shadow Broker. He was going to sell you to the Collectors."
Something caught in Shepard's throat and she stopped breathing for a moment. Liara saw her reaction and eyes grew wide. "When I gave you to Cerberus, I told myself that I was doing it for you. For a chance to bring you back" She spoke quickly, almost desperate to get it all out. "But I knew Cerberus would use you for their own business. And I let it happen. Because I couldn't let you go... I'm sorry." Her voice trailed off and cracked at the end.
Shepard just stared at her. She wanted to sooth the guilt-ridden self-loathing in her friend's eyes but all she could think about was the waves and the shadows. She had died. She had been dead and yet here she sat staring at the face of the person who made her resurrection possible. Maybe it would have been better if she had never come back? Would it have been so horrible if she had just given into the peace that was offered?
Shepard snapped back to herself. What the hell was she thinking? She had fought that peace for the chance to continue fighting. She was alive again. It was impossible, and it was wonderful, and it was all because of Liara.
"You don't need to apologize." Shepard said with a soft smile. "You did the right thing."
Liara let out a sob of relief and slumped in her seat. "Thank you. I... I was afraid you would hate me."
"Never." Shepard promised and all of the tension that she felt dissipated. Liara didn't hate her. She wasn't afraid of her. She had risked everything to bring her back. Liara closed he eyes and took a deep breath. She looked as though she was trying to commit that one word to memory.
When she opened her eyes again Shepard thought she looked more like her old self. "Tell me, is there anything or anyone I can help you find?"
Things had gone wrong from the moment Thane Krios heard gunfire. Somehow Nassana Dantius had found out that someone had hired him to go after her and sent her mercenaries to clear out the building. Instead of ushering the salarian workers from the building, the mercs had opened fire on them. It angered him and twice he stopped his pursuit of his target to lock the terrified workers in a room and out of immediate harm. The innocents should not have to suffer for this woman's cruelty.
The assassin moved through the vents as quickly and as quietly as he could. The mercs were a setback, but not an insurmountable one. They did not know that he was bypassing them through the ventilation shafts. He had just maneuvered though the elevator shaft and onto the next floor when he heard two mercs discussing the intruders through the open vent.
At first, Thane thought that they were speaking of him but the more he listened the more he realized that they spoke of someone else. He had thought that the gunshots he heard had been mercs shooting more workers but perhaps he had been mistaken. There was someone else here and they were fighting towards the same goal he was. The thought made something twist in his stomach, something he had not felt in a very long time.
This was... unexpected.
The knowledge that someone else was after the same bounty as him spurred him to move faster. The sounds of gunshots and explosions urged him forward, pushing him towards his goal. These intruders challenged him in a way that he had not experienced in a long time. He found himself anticipating the finish line, when he might finally meet his competition. But he had to get there first.
He was almost there, he knew it. He had studied the layout of the building meticulously and he knew that all he had to pass through was the open bridge that connected the buildings before he reached Dantius's private office. Unfortunately, the last of her guards were posted along the bridge, they had covered every avenue and were surprisingly vigilant in their watch for intruders. Thane watched their movements from the dark corner of his vantage point and considered how best to tackle this obstacle. He was just about to make his move when three people came barreling out of the building and opened fire on the mercenaries. From where he was, Thane couldn't see who they were but he could tell they were heavily armored and highly skilled. There was only three of them against almost thirty and yet they picked through Dantius's guards as if they were made of paper. Thane wanted to stay and see what these three were capable of, but he had a job to finish.
Taking advantage of the chaos he slipped from his position and made his way across the bridge. No one saw him. He was sure of it. Once on the other side, Thane located the vent in the corner and wormed his way inside. He pulled himself up through the vent, until he was above the ceiling and made his way towards the office.
He saw her.
The asari, that was his target, paced back and forth in the middle of the room; she looked restless and angry. There were three mercenaries with her, armed and pointing their guns at the door. He processed this quickly and moved to drop in on them when the door burst open and the three commandos entered the room.
"Wait!" Nassana Dantius demanded spinning around to face what she thought was the real threat. She had no idea that he stood right above her, staring down at her head. "Before you kill me, just tell me who hired you." Thane hesitated, he was curious about that as well.
"I'm not an assassin Nassana," a woman replied coyly, "but I'm looking for one." Thane blinking in shock, they were looking for him?
He leaned forward and adjusted in position so that he could see the newcomers. A heavily armed human woman stood in front. She was flanked by a turian and a krogan. The woman was small with bright red hair and glowing scars that indicated cybernetic implants. She looked... familiar.
"You break in here and decimate my security just to find the person who's here to kill me?" Nassana shouted in outrage. The human woman didn't seem at all concerned but the warriors on either side of her adjusted their position so that they could better protect her. Interesting. "What are you playing at Shepard?" The asari demanded.
Thane started in recognition. The woman was Commander Shepard, Savior of the Citadel. No wonder she had seemed so familiar, her face had been on every billboard across the galaxy after the attack. But he thought she was dead. His startled movement caused him to hit his shoulder on the side of the vent and he cursed his recklessness.
"Damn it! Check the other entrances!" Nassana snapped at her bodyguards. Thane took a breath and calmed himself. He had let himself be distracted, but he had a job to do. His target turned back to Commander Shepard. "You stay put."
She continued talking but Thane didn't pay attention to her words. He dropped silently from the ceiling to the floor and rose up behind one of the guards. Commander Shepard saw him and her brow rose slightly but she didn't say anything. Thane stepped forward and snapped the guard's neck, he punched the next one in the throat then took the man's gun and shot the third. All three were dead before his target had even finished her sentence.
The asari whirled around in shock but he didn't give her time to speak. He stepped close to her and pulled the trigger, firing a round into her stomach. She collapsed against him. Gently, he lowered her body to the table and crossed her arms over her chest. He stepped back and lowered his head to his clasped hands.
"Impressive. You certainly know how to make an entrance." the turian said. Thane did not answer him.
Amonkira, Lord of Hunters. I thank you for leading me true and I ask forgiveness for the life I have taken. Grant her passage across the sea.
Commander Shepard took a couple of steps towards him but he did not look at her. Not yet. "I was hoping we could talk." She said tentatively. He hesitated, then continued in his prayer.
"I apologize. Prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken." He replied when he had finished.
"Do you really think she deserves it?" She asked. Thane cocked his head and considered her words. Is that really what she thought?
"Not for her, for me." he told her finally. He looked at her then. She was not staring at him distaste or pity, rather she seemed to honestly be considering his words. He studied her face, the pale smooth skin, broken by orange scars. The bright fiery hair that brushed against her cheeks. His jaw clenched when he saw the dark purple ring of bruises around her throat, but he forced himself to relax. When he met her eyes, bright green like a shining gem, he found her studying him just as intently. She did not seem to be the kind of person drawn to senseless violence.
Thane dropped his hands and walked slowly around the table. "The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you for instance. All this destruction... chaos." He paused to study her face but it was impassive, unreadable. "I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well... here I am." It was a lie, of course. Thane had thought that Shepard and her team had been after his target. But there was no need to tell her that.
"You knew I was here." It wasn't a question but he answered it anyway.
"Gunfire and explosions." he explained. The turian had put away his weapon but the krogan still had his drawn and was pointing it at him. Thane stepped past Shepard until the gun was almost touching his chest. He stared at the krogan in silent challenge while he spoke. "I prefer to work quietly. If I have to fight through guards, then I've made a mistake. I rarely make mistakes. You disrupted my plan, but your distraction eventually proved valuable." The krogan snarled at him then glanced over his shoulder to the human and reluctantly dropped the gun. Thane stared at the krogan for a moment longer before turning back to the woman.
She was silent for a moment, studying his face. For what, he could not tell. "There's a race out there called the Collectors, they're abducting human colonies. I'm going to stop them." There was no bravado in her voice, just simple undeniable truth.
"Attacking the Collectors would require passing through the Omega-4 relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so." he stated bluntly watching her carefully for any emotion that might reveal her goal. She smirked, that was all. Her eyes did not change. Her face did not shift, save for the small twitch of her lips.
"They say it's a suicide mission." She agreed. "I intend to prove them wrong."
Thane turned away from her to look out the window and consider her words. "A suicide mission." He repeated. This was to be his last job, but he did not want to die in a hospital bed gasping for air. Perhaps Commander Shepard had come as an answer to his prayers. "Yes, that'll do nicely." He glanced at her and saw confusion dance across her eyes. It did not touch her face but he was more likely to believe the emotion in her eyes than what what was expressed on her skin. "I am dying. Low survival odds don't concern me. Your missing colonists does." The confusion in her eyes was replaced with something... something darker... something he could not interpret.
"We're all dying." She said softly, then loader she asked. "How long do you have?"
Thane blinked. "If you like, we can discuss it on your ship." Shepard shifted and he realized that he had just agreed to join her crew without meaning to.
"Why do the colonists concern you?" she asked and he appreciated the wariness he heard in her voice.
"They are innocent, yes?" She nodded. He turned back to the window and shifted to dispel some of the tension he felt. "The universe is a dark place. I'm trying to make it brighter before I die. Many innocents died today." He said thinking of the salarian workers. "I wasn't fast enough and they suffered, I must atone for that." He didn't expect her to understand but surprisingly, she nodded. He turned to her and saw... acceptance in her eyes. "I will work for you Shepard. No charge."
She held out her hand and he grasped it firmly. "The Normandy will be docked at port for another 72 hours. You can board any time before we leave."
"I will gather my things and meet you there." She nodded then turned back to her squad. He watched her speak to them calmly surrounded by the death in the room. She was a very interesting woman.
