The Cerberus shuttle descended through Khaje's stratosphere and upper atmosphere and was then swallowed by endless clouds. Thane had not been exaggerating about the level of precipitation; the planet was downright sodden. When they finally emerged from the thick grey blanket they were only a few feet from the landing pad which projected out from a central docking area. All around were giant shielded domes and in the distance, obscured by drizzle, were some ancient looking stone structures, partially covered in tendrils of sea vines and luminescent blue script.
The docking lounges were packed with Drell and Hanar but only a handful of other species, although it appeared to be a main hub for travel and business.
"The hanar appreciate that other species are unlikely to enjoy the claustrophobia of the deep ocean, even if underwater construction techniques here make the high pressure perfectly safe." Explained Thane as they walked through the arrivals lobby.
"All entertaining of diplomats and business meetings are held on these platforms. Our settlements were extended from these when the first Drell arrived from Rhakhana. The lower levels are completely submerged and offer access points to the Hanar".
Shepard noticed that some of the Drell wore loose fabrics in the traditional desert style they had brought with them from Rhakana. Women were mostly clad in shades of pink, purple, orange, and red which contrasted with their rich jade, emerald or ochre skin tones. Their large eyes, soft features and curves made them very easy on the eye. Shepard couldn't help feeling like a plain Jane in her simple trouser suit, despite the fact that many of the Drell looked at her with interest as she passed.
"Not many humans coming through here?" Shepard asked.
"Not many no, but don't forget your reputation proceeds you even here. Younger Drell are taking more of an interest in galactic current affairs than previous generations and you... Well, you are not camera shy." He flashed a coy smile at her.
"Hey," she objected, "I just like to get my point across in person before the reporters demonise me yet again!"
Thane insisted they dine at the finest restaurant on Khaje, a glass dome structure built twenty metres underwater and surrounded by some of the most stunning coral in the galaxy. The waiter showed them to a private pod which resembled a giant bubble, with the deep, dark ocean surrounding them on one side and the vibrant coral on the other. The menu boasted an exotic array of Hanar and Drell crossover cuisine.
"So the Hanar don't mind eating other sea creatures?" Shepard mused as she looked over the menu options.
"All resources here come from the ocean Siha, barring a handful of bio-domes that breed select desert birds that were rescued from Rhakhana. It is still considered taboo among the Hanar to eat more primitive Cnidarians. Somewhat like a human not wishing to dine on primates."
"Hmm, I don't think I could stomach jellyfish anyway. what do you recommend?"
"The roasted wings of Timbulaja in sauce angelica is a favourite of mine."
"No idea what that is but I'm game" she grinned.
Thane waved at a nearby Drell waiter and they placed their order. A moment later they were served some sea vine wine in a vibrant shade of luminescent green.
Shepard took a deep swig. "Hmm, not bad!" she leaned back and looked at Thane, tilting her head to one side. In some ways she felt like she had known the intriguing Drell assassin for years but, now they were actually on their first official date, she realised there were still some huge gaps in her knowledge about him. "You know, I still don't know that much about you. About your early years for instance. Just that you went from being a six year old recruit at assassin training camp to the most deadly assassin in the galaxy. You must have had some teething problems? I mean I only survived my first few years in the alliance and the N7 training because of my squadmates. The camaraderie. But assassins work solo, surely that's a lot of pressure for a teenager?"
Thane leaned forward and laced his fingers together.
"There were some early commissions that were... far from straightforward. My employers were responsible for information gathering. At times they were lax. Several jobs had to be aborted to avoid the loss of civilian lives."
"Any in particular stand out?" She asked.
He thought for a moment.
"In my early teens I was given an assignment to remove a notorious Hanar philanderer. He kept an apartment in Zakera ward and had been intimate with the wife of one of my earliest employers, and many others.
I entered the building through the vents without incident but when I came to his bedroom he was not alone. My employer's wife had left the ward an hour earlier but he had a new mistress with him, an elcor who also happened to be a high ranking C-Sec official. I had to remain hidden in a narrow duct through several hours of their... exertions. Let's say that I grew up quickly that night".
Shepard grinned.
"And as a Drell you get to remember the whole thing in full surround holo!" she teased, grateful that she was only partially able to imagine what a hanar pleasuring an elcor might involve.
"In perfect detail," he frowned. "But it taught me to be meticulous when gathering data on a target. And not to rely on others."
"So what happened? Did you take him out later?"
"No. My employer had a change of heart. The Hanar in question is now a famous holo star I believe".
"You're kidding? You mean.. Blasto?! You nearly took out Blasto?" Shepard tried to keep her voice from rising too loud. "He's huge! Did you see the latest one, Blasto and the Vengeful Vorcha?"
He gave a sly smile, "I must admit I do not keep up with such things, I prefer old fashioned mediums; books, e-journals. I try to stay abreast of current affairs but 'Blasto and the Vengeful Vorcha' must have passed me by."
"Alright Mr book worm, when we get back to the Normandy were renting all four movies and having a marathon!"
"I suppose it might help me identify some of the bizarre references you use on missions..." Thane was eager to change the topic of conversation. "And what about you Shepard? Tell me about your formative years."
"My childhood was pretty tame in comparison to yours. I was right out in the sticks, a backwater planet out in the Traverse and we never went anywhere off world. Mindoir was famous for extreme weather and extreme wildlife. We were constantly racing to genetically alter crops to cope with the varying climate. One year drought would kill off half our staples, the next floods would wash away whole fields. But the planet only needed partial terraforming, the habitable equatorial zone was already sustaining a whole bunch of carbon life forms. Most of it bacteria but a few giant herbivores lived in the eastern continent's forests, and were preyed on by even bigger flying reptiles. We lost a lot of cattle to those things. But it meant I quickly got the hang of a rocket launcher," she grinned happily, recalling the early lessons with her father in operating the heavy weapon.
"Little wonder you grew into such a resilient woman", Thane smiled. "And how did you come to join the alliance? Were there patrols passing through looking for recruits?"
Shepard's grin faded and she swallowed painfully. This was not an easy topic for her, even fifteen years on.
"The alliance patrols were sporadic, once a year at most. We were several days FTL flight from the nearest relay. No one could help us when the Batarian slavers came."
Thane visibly tensed at the words. Shepard bit her lip and continued.
"I was out bringing in some cattle. A lighting storm had spooked part of our milking herd so I went to round them up but they'd strayed well beyond our land so I was heading back to get a Sandox saddled. I found my whole family lined up outside the farmhouse. I hid in the barn. All I could do was watch and wait.
My dad tried to reach for his pistol, but they gunned him down. Then dragged everyone else off into their ship. I never saw them again, they died in a secret labour camp on Camala. They were... Their remains were ID'd when it was raided by the Alliance a couple of years later."
"I sent out a distress beacon and an alliance scout ship picked me up. They became my family and that was enough. I've never been back to Mindoir. Part of me likes to believe it's all just the same there. Pretend I could go back tomorrow and see all the same faces...the herds on the horizon, my old dog Benji lazing by the troughs."
Shepard gazed out into the dark ocean depths, lost in memories. Thane did not respond for a long while.
"It seems we both owe our lives darkest hours to Batarian slavers."
"Batarians come in all shades of grey, just like every other species. That rigid cast system they have is the real problem. The upper classes are brought up to believe they have a right to use and abuse anyone beneath them in social ranking. Combine that with a lack of decent employment opportunities and you get a lot of men and women willing to enslave others for a living."
"Did the collectors take anyone from Mindoir?" Thane asked.
"No, they were lucky. The population is still tiny. Not a popular place to settle after what happened, still too vulnerable. If their luck holds they won't register as a valid target when the Reapers hit either. The Collectors were interested in quantity rather than variation. I wish.. " Shepard could not suppress the vivid memory of the collector ship walls lined with thousands of pods.
"You did everything you could Siha. An even bigger battle looms."
She smiled ruefully, looking around the busy restaurant. The relaxed atmosphere had made her nearly forget for a moment. But the truth always lingered somewhere at the back of her conscious mind, a nagging fear. The reapers are coming. Nothing you can do will be enough to stop them.
She had something to tell Thane but this was not the time. Tonight was for them.
A few minutes later Shepard placed a small bite of the expensive marine delicacy in her mouth, not sure what to expect.
"Wow! That's delicious!" she mumbled through a mouthful of food. Recalling that she wasn't in the mess with soldier she quickly swallowed and cleared her throat.
"That certainly beats Gardener's calamari gumbo".
"Yes" said Thane "I should hope so".
She took another swig of her sea vine wine. It was an odd flavour but left a warming and tarragon like aftertaste she could get used to.
"So where's this aquarium you mentioned?"
"The Riyahl Tasat, the largest bio-dome on Khaje. The hanar are very conscientious when it comes to preserving endangered species. Common specimens are sold off world to fund protection and breeding programmes for the more exotic varieties."
After dinner Thane led Shepard to a sky car lot and they flew southwards towards a vast structure, separated from the main web of residential and commerce domes.
"The Aquatic habitats descend all the way to the ocean floor." Thane explained. "Over the last few decades they have built access for non aquatic species and now many thousands of Drell are employed in the daily management."
They arrived at a large glass elevator which descended down alongside enormous tanks several hundred meters across. Shepard gasped as she saw one bizarre creature after another. There was so much variety of life, forms and shapes and combinations of colours and skin textures she could never have dreamed of.
After a few minutes the lift slowed and opened a side exit into a laboratory. A Hanar looked to be monitoring the carefully controlled temperature, pH and nitrogen levels in the tank.
"Uh, Thane I thought you said this species was hardy?"
"Oh they are Shepard, this is a breeding tank. The Fooluphites are extremely sensitive when it comes to procreation and will only mate if conditions are just right".
He paused and looked hesitant for a moment. "They are, uh, currently not available to purchase but I believe I have found another species even more suitable for you Siha." He smiled and led her around a corner to a second set of giant tanks containing knots and ribbons of beautiful eel like creatures. She saw streaks of electric blue and yellow, black and neon pink, metallics and the most delicate, ghostly white.
"The Hanar word for them translates as 'the ones that coil and recoil' but the Drell have come to know them as Arashu's Tears. The male and female pair off for life."
Shepard walked over to the glass. One of the Creatures glided from the top of the tank down towards her, its body curving and shimmering like a silk scarf falling to the ground on a still day. It's iridescent pearl like scales reflected the lights from the laboratory. Shepard was mesmerised. When she turned back around a few moments later she found Thane was in deep conversation with another Hanar who she assumed was responsible for the eels. Shepard scanned the room and noticed a female Drell standing nearby looking up curiously at Thane and then started staring at Shepard.
She smiled at the woman and the Drell quickly returned her attention back to her work.
Thane turned towards her at last.
"It's all arranged Shepard. The Eels will be delivered to your cabin in a few hours."
"Thank you so much Thane!" She turned to the Hanar.
"This one is very grateful to you for, uh, arranging the particulars of this exchange" she said bowing low. Getting the Hanar etiquette right was no easy task when you were tipsy on sea vine wine.
"You know you don't have to woo me with gifts right, You already won me over with the saving my life half a dozen times". She pulled Thane towards her as they ascended in the bubble like elevator at high speed.
"Indulge me Shepard, I know it is a little cliche, but I wish for you to have something beautiful to remind you of our time together".
Shepard's arms dropped and she turned away from him.
"Uh Huh." She suddenly felt flat and aware of a throbbing in her head no doubt induced by the potent wine.
"Siha" Thane's arms wrapped around her protectively and he gestured with a hand to the endless ocean beyond the sides of the elevator pod.
"The oceans of Khaje. They will be my final resting place. Those eels are a part of this ocean and.. they have great significance to my people".
Well now she felt like an ungrateful oaf.
"I'm sorry Thane. Thank you. I just wish..."
"You have helped me break the terrible habit of letting my mind literally dwell in the past. Now you must learn not to waste your energy on worries about the future. The present should be our only concern".
"You're right" she mustered a smile and laid her head on his shoulder. The vast ocean stretched out below and before them. Impossibly deep and impossibly dark. Her mind began to play tricks, convincing her that every distant moving shadow was a body, wrapped in sea vines and descending solemnly into the depths. She closed her eyes to escape the images but pressed even deeper in to her mind came the visions of the Reapers, emerging from dark space, bringing a veil of desolation in their wake.