The first box spun away easily, it was the second that caught him full in the stomach, knocking the wind out of his lungs and forcing him to double over sucking in air. Sweat poured down his face, soaking his shirt. Nearby he heard a course of sympathetic sounds and what sounded like at least one amused chuckle.
"Fuck, Shepard, are you even trying?" Jack asked.
He coughed and continued to breath deeply. "Thought I was."
His first training session with Jack had been short and surprisingly non-violent. Apparently using his biotics was something like using a muscle, and since it wasn't one he used often his extreme exertions had resulted in equally extreme amounts of pain. The former convict had actually been rather patient, explaining how to regulate his usage of biotics instead of just lashing out with full force. Many hours later she had decided to make up for the rather non-violent first interaction with an abrupt learn by doing session.
Now that he'd learned how access his abilities she said he had to learn to do it reflexively without over doing it. Boxes hurled at high speed by Jack's own biotics were the favorite teaching method of this school, apparently. It hadn't taken long for him acquire a small audience. At first only Kasumi perched on a crate, then Tali who had come down to keep a hold on Urz due to the fact that the varren thought they were playing some sort of advanced version of the fetch game Kasumi had already taught him. He had dragged a crate half way back across the cargo bay before anyone had realized what he was doing.
An hour later and Zaeed had joined the spectators along with Grunt, the two of them making bets on the outcome of each volley of crates and boxes. It seemed they even had a spread going on how many hit him and where. Garrus had joined not long after and of course immediately joined the pool.
"You're killing me here, Boss. I'm trying to keep the faith and all, but at this rate Zaeed is going to own everything but my dignity," Garrus said.
"Only 'cause you can't bet what you don't have, scales," Kasumi jeered.
"Apparently you know him better than I thought," Shepard laugh tiredly, glancing over at the turian.
A second later he was forced to dodge to the side as another box streaked through the air and was immediately followed by a second that he was able to shove aside with a push of biotic energy. Jack waved her hand and sent a final crate spinning towards him. Summoning up his reserves he shoved, hard, and actually managed to push the object back towards her to be batted effortlessly aside.
Jack smirked. "Getting feisty now, Shepard? Don't make me come over there and kick your ass."
"Just keeping it lively," he replied. With a loud groan he forced himself up straight and ran a hand across his head, wiping away the sweat there. Before the next round could begin the intercom came to life.
"Commander, we're one hour out from the Citadel," Joker interrupted.
"Thank god," Shepard said. "Show is over, people. Garrus, Kasumi, Tali, meet me on the CIC in forty-five minutes."
"Guess we'll have to pick up later. Don't wuss out on me, Shepard," Jack said, pointing at him.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Jack."
Breaking up with a few grumbles the group headed for their respective quarters, Zaeed looking pleased with himself as he flipped a credit chit end over end before catching it. Stepping into the elevator Tali touched her side, cocking her head at him in silent question.
"I'm fine, I heal quick these days," he said quietly, trailing off as Kasumi and Garrus joined them in the elevator.
"You lost me a good hundred credits, Shepard. You need to learn to duck faster," the turian said.
"I'll keep that in mind, Garrus. You know I didn't tell you to wager your life savings on me."
"That's like two hundred credits and some dextro-rations at this point so I wouldn't be out much," Garrus laughed.
They rode the rest of the way in the companionable silence, getting off one by one until he arrived at his quarters alone. He quickly stripped off his clothes and grabbed a quick shower to wash away the exertions of the past few hours.
A few minutes later Shepard found himself putting on his armor once more, thinking of the previous evening when Tali had helped him remove it with such care. The memory helped him ignore the occasional ache as he strapped it on piece by piece. It seemed odd now how in the moment removing his armor with her had felt almost like a ritual. In its own way maybe it had been.
As he prepared to exit his cabin, Shepard looked to the empty fish tank that occupied the majority of his wall. At first he'd seen it as simply wasteful, then as time went on it just wasn't something he paid attention to. Why buy things to fancy up a cabin when he wasn't even sure he was going to make it from one day to the next, especially with small living creatures.
Maybe it was time to change that. They were on the Citadel, somewhere had to sell fish. But first he had a job to do.
"What's the sit-rep, Boss?" Garrus asked as they exited the airlock and headed towards the customs checkpoint of Zakera Ward.
He glanced to his side. "Thane?"
"My son, Kolyat, has used my reputation to secure employment as an assassin here on the Citadel. I do not know how he discovered the details of my past nor have I been able to determine who is target is, only that the attack is supposed to take place within the next few hours."
"Oh, that's not good," Kasumi said.
"Indeed. My son does not need to follow my path, especially if it is likely motivated by emotion rather than reason," Thane said.
"That's why we're here. We need to take care of the Normandy's refits but this takes precedence. Garrus, Kasumi... both of you have contacts here on the Citadel. I want the two of you to see what you can find," Shepard ordered, pointing at the duo. "You keep each other out of trouble and report in as soon as you know anything."
He continued. "Thane, you, Tali, and I are going to visit Captain Bailey at C-Sec. If it's going down anywhere near here I'd bet that he knows about it or knows someone who can find out. We're on a very short time table here, use your head but do whatever it takes to get the job done."
"On it. I'll check with some of my old C-Sec buddies," Garrus said.
"And I know a few sketchy-types that might know who the big movers are," Kasumi finished.
Without further comment the group split up, turian and human heading one way while their trio moved towards customs. Numerous people milled around, waiting for security clearances or a variety of other things. As usual Shepard simply nudged his way through the crowd, ignoring the customs desk. It seemed this time they were a little more observant.
"Sir! Weapons are not permitted on the Citadel," one of the agents said, a rather tired looking woman with her mouth set in a thin line.
"Ugh. I hate customs... same thing every time. 'What's in your pockets, quarian?' 'Do you have paperwork for this?'," Tali muttered.
"Guess hanging around with me has some perks," Shepard said, flashing a smile at Tali and turning to the C-sec agent. He raised his wrist where is omni-tool flared to life when he addressed her.
"Council spectres are authorized to carry weapons. You'll find all the details on your terminal. Now I have business to tend to if you don't mind."
The woman looked a little nonplussed at his casual response, blinking a few times before forming a response. Her voice carried faintly behind them as they kept moving into actual security check point.
"Of course, spectre."
"Much simpler. Legitimacy has its uses," Thane said. "I have spotted at least a dozen security flaws, however, at least seven of which were present on my last visit. The illusion of security does more than actual prevention, it seems."
"So they'd like you to believe at least," Shepard said.
Stepping into the C-sec precinct they found it equally busy. Near the front desk was an elcor, complaining in his race's unchanging tone about a burglary while an officer tried to patiently wait for him to finish. One of the turians at the desk waved him up. After a brief moment he realized it was the one that had scanned him when he'd first arrived on the Citadel after his absence.
"Shepard. You here to see Bailey?"
"Good guess," he confirmed.
"Good timing more like it, come on," the turian said, motioning for him to follow. He led them past the main desk and towards a conference room. Inside Bailey was sitting at one end of the table looking unamused. A turian paced back and forth, surprisingly out of armor, making vigorous hand gestures.
"Ahem... Captain?" the officer interrupted, opening the door.
"Look, I'm not going to arrest people on your say so - what is it?" Bailey snapped.
"Spectre business, sir," he replied, hooking a thumb back at Shepard.
A faint twitch at the corner of Bailey's mouth betrayed his relief but it was quickly concealed before he turned to address the other turian. He spread his hands in a helpless gesture.
"We'll have to continue this later, I'm afraid spectre business overrides normal considerations."
"Bah! Human spectre, human C-sec officers... what should I expect?" the turian said.
He stalked out, shoving past Shepard roughly and without apology. Bailey shrugged as they filed into the conference room and the door was shut behind them. Stepping forward Bailey extended his hand, Shepard quickly returned the gesture and shook it firmly.
"Good to see you again, Bailey."
"You too, nice timing. Thought that jackass would never leave. You saved my last nerve," the captain replied. "What can I do for you?"
"I've come into some information regarding an attempted assassination that will take place on the Citadel. I need to find out who the target is," Shepard said.
"Assassination? Shepard if you've got intel I need to hear it."
"Nothing firm, that's why I need your help. We need to stop this before it takes place," the spectre said.
"If you don't know who the target is, how about the trigger man or the one who ordered the hit?" Bailey asked. "If you don't even know who the target is, what is a spectre doing investigating it?"
Shepard sighed and glanced to Thane. They both knew that telling Bailey would mean that he would technically be required to report the information. The risk they had to take was that they could persuade him to let them handle the matter 'off the books'. Finally the drell nodded and stepped forward.
"The trigger man is my son."
The C-sec captain's eyebrows shot up. "Oh."
"Kolyat is troubled, his mother died some years ago. I need to stop him before he makes a decision that he will regret," Thane explained.
"You know I'm supposed to report this, right? Of course you do," Bailey said, answering his own question.
"You struck me as a man more interested in getting the job done whether or not it was by the books. Why don't we chalk this up to spectre business?" Shepard asked.
Bailey sat for a moment in thought before finally sighing heavily, pushing himself to his feet. He ran a hand down his face and gestured to the door.
"Fine, but if this starts going sideways you need to call me in. What can I do?"
"My contact here told me that the hit was ordered by someone in this Ward, but didn't have a name. Are there any sources we could pressure for information?" Thane asked.
"Yea, yea... I know a guy. Mouse. Used to be a duct rat, one of the lucky ones considering he got too big for it," Bailey said. "Now he's a small time fencer, fixer, and package boy for anyone with a little 'under the table' business to do in Zakera Ward. I leave him alone most the time as long as he tosses some good intel my way every now and then."
"Duct rat?" Shepard asked as they walked.
"Young kids in the poorer wards, they play in the air ducts and vents because the adults are too big to fit. They can get all over the station with them."
"That cannot be safe," Tali said. "On the Flotilla there are very strict rules where children can go on the ship, especially in their bubbles."
Bailey grimaced. "It's not... they lose hands, break bones. Every now and then we pull a little body out of the bottom of a shaft. God knows how many more we never find. The Council may want the galaxy to think the Citadel is a spotless example of civilization, but there's plenty of dirt and death underneath the pretty exterior."
"Where can we find this Mouse?" he asked.
"Go a couple levels down, he's been hanging out around the Dark Star lounge using the terminals there. Last I heard he was actually hawking an illegal Shepard VI so should be an interesting conversation either way," the captain said, his tone becoming lighter.
"Got it... wait, what? Shepard VI?"
"Yea. Not perfect but apparently pretty good from what I hear. Mouthy, too. When you delete a file it says 'I delete data like you on the way to real errors!'," Bailey informed him. "Little glitchy, though. Likes to lock up and tell you to go save the galaxy yourself. Either some programmers idea of a positive message or someone got lazy."
"That's... ah... pretty extreme, Shepard," Tali said with a barely suppressed laugh.
"Wonderful," he said dryly. "Let's go find this Mouse. And thank you, Bailey. You're sticking your neck out damn far for people you don't even know."
The C-Sec captain took a seat when they arrived at his desk, sighing heavily as the faint smile fled his face. His gaze turned out the window at the crowds passing by just outside the entrance to the C-Sec offices.
"I see kids here all the time that turn to crime because they've got no other choice, the ambassadors and government big-wigs don't care. Their parents don't care," he said and looked to Thane. "You're trying to save yours. That's more than I can say for most. Now go check with Mouse, if anyone can tell you who hired your boy it's him."
Shepard nodded sadly and motioned for his companions to follow, heading towards the exit. Soon they were caught in the sea of people that was ever present on the Citadel. One other advantage of being him Shepard discovered: when you're already a well-built individual and add a suit of combat armor and visible weapons the press becomes considerably less. A good look and people were generally willing to step aside to let him proceed unimpeded. For his part Thane seemed to slip between the passersby like he was walking between rain drops, while Tali simply used the path he was carving through the crowd by following just behind.
It didn't take long to reach the Dark Star. The lounge and bar was a familiar place, even if he'd never been there before, resembling so many other such establishments. Loud bass lines thrummed in his ears, people in fancy designer clothes strutted around like exotic beasts during mating displays, and alcohol flowed freely. He was momentarily concerned exactly how they'd find this 'Mouse', but Thane peeled away almost as soon as they entered and headed towards a table in the back.
"Thane?"
Following the drell led them to a young man dressed in clothes that had seen better days and a five o'clock shadow that had probably taken him the better part of a month to grow. He was thin, not quite malnourished, but still too slight for his stature. He was speaking animatedly to someone on the other end of a comm line.
"Mouse?" Thane asked.
Shepard gave the man a once over, looking confused. "Wait, you know this guy?"
"Not until I saw him, I did not think it could be the same person."
The man blinked a few times and quickly disconnected his call. "Holy shit... Krios? I thought you retired! And... Shepard? You're supposed to be dead, what the hell is going on?"
"Be still, Mouse. I'm looking for information, very specific information about an assassination that is supposed to take place today. A young drell was hired to do the job," Thane informed him.
"Whoa. Thane you always did right but us, only person that was nice to us I remember in a long time. But these people aren't nice. Very not nice, in fact."
"We're not putting together a police report, Mouse," Shepard interjected. "This is all off the books. Since you two know each other consider it a favor to an old friend."
The younger man glanced around nervously and rubbed his chin, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I probably owe you but old friends or not I'm not going to get killed for you, Krios. You'll have to find your drell buddy somewhere else."
Thane's fist came down hard enough to make the table rattle and cause Mouse to nearly bolt for the door. His own muscles tensed and he even noticed Tali stiffen in surprise. When Thane spoke his voice was level but it was clear he was having difficult restraining himself.
"That drell is my son, Mouse. I need to find him before it's too late."
"Ah fuck man, I shoulda known," Mouse grumbled. "Thane they'll kill me if they find out..."
"Then they won't find out," Shepard stated forcefully, leaning forward on the table and locking eyes with the nervous fence. "Give my friend the information he needs, Mouse, and they'll never hear your name and if they do try something it will not end well. However bad your 'associates' are, Mouse, I promise you one thing: I am far, far worse when someone gets in my way."
"Okay! Okay. This drell came to me. He had that... holo, the one I gave you years ago. Said you were associates, was looking for work. I told him I'd see what I could do," Mouse explained. "Finally I had a guy looking to have a problem 'fixed'. It was Elias Kelham."
"Thank you, Mouse. You did well. Kelham will never know," Thane said.
"Hope I live long enough to feel good about myself. It was good to see you again, Krios... if you're going to visit old haunts again, next time try to do it without bringing a mess with you."
He gave the young man the faintest of smiles. "I doubt I'll be back this way again, Mouse. May Arashu watch over you."
The fence acknowledged the goodbye, maybe understanding the significance, maybe not. As the faded into the crowd and disappeared from view Shepard saw his companion's eyes follow him. Thane shook his head and turned from the table, heading towards the door. Motioning for Tali, he followed, noticing the quarian tapping at her omni-tool.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just hacking his system, looking for data just in case there was something else useful there. He's talented but not nearly good enough to keep me out," Tali replied.
"Anything useful?"
She looked up. "Hm? Oh, nothing. Nothing useful."
He arched an eyebrow but let it go, continuing to follow the drell outside, moving to flank him when the assassin stopped just past the exit. They stood in silence for a moment before Shepard spoke.
"That couldn't have been easy. You knew him before, when he was one of those duct rats?"
Thane nodded. "Yes. He and the other children would help me, provide information. They were the invisible people, no one noticed, no one cared. Mouse was one of the best... his eager eyes looking up at me, worshiping at the petty gifts I bring, pressing a holo into my hand asking if I would remember him."
"That sounded rather... vivid," Shepard said, noticing how the drell's eyes seemed unfocused as he spoke, his words coming rapidly like he was narrating a vid or reading from a book.
"The curse of memory. Mouse knew more about my life than Kolyat ever did... but I left him behind as well."
Carefully he placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Thane."
"Then whose? A man must accept the burdens of his choices. Come, let us find out if Captain Bailey can assist us in locating this Elias Kelham."
The assassin straightened his already perfect jacket and moved away, once more flowing through the crowd with ease, heading back towards C-Sec. He could only follow and roll Thane's words around in his mind, the sentiment all too familiar.
As it turned out Elias Kelham was a local 'reputable businessman'. With said reputation mostly involving veiled threats and only vague descriptions of what sort of work he was supposed to be involved in. Bailey was less than pleased by the news, Kelham apparently had come to an agreement with the C-Sec captain: restricting violence in Zakera Ward and occasional purchasing some 'tickets to the C-Sec fundraiser' in exchange for being safe from law enforcement harassment. While Bailey expressed his distaste for the man he also felt it was the simplest way to keep the peace.
"Look, I'm having him brought in and I'll get him set up in one of the interrogation rooms for you," Bailey said. "Officially I can't charge him with anything without causing a hell of an incident. His lawyer will have him out in no time after that so you'll have to work fast."
"After all your talk about people turning to crime here isn't your arrangement with Kelham a little hypocritical?" Tali asked.
The human frowned. "I chose the lesser evil. Believe it or not Kelham isn't the worst criminal that could have moved in here and I'd rather have the snake I know close at hand."
"The world is an imperfect place. The best decision is not always the most righteous," Thane agreed.
Bailey's omni-tool beeped rapidly. He stepped away for a moment, speaking quietly, nodding. The next few minutes were going to be interesting to say the least, he wasn't an expert in interrogation and they were quickly running out of time. He'd received a notice of his own from Kasumi and Garrus; they hadn't located the target but apparently the Wards were all stirred up with racial tension and there were more than a few mercenaries prowling the streets. Word had it that there were changes in the wind.
"Okay, they have him in interrogation room three. He's going to expect me to get him out of this. To make matters worse, his advocate has already made an appearance," Bailey explained, rejoining them.
The turian at his side rolled his eyes. "Must have his VI set to page the guy if we get within ten meters."
"Probably. I'll stall him, but you need to work fast," Bailey said.
He and the other C-Sec officer marched away, heading for the main desk and Kelham's advocate. Thane glanced over at him and shrugged.
"How do you want to handle this?"
"I don't know, wing it? Hell, let's see if vid's are true to life. You appeal to his self-interest and I'll put the fear of god into him," Shepard suggested.
Thane nodded. "Very good. I'll make a show of being sympathetic to his predicament."
"And what am I supposed to be doing for this?" Tali asked.
That gave him pause. He already had a feeling how this was going to go and it likely wasn't pleasant. But he also couldn't afford to hold back, they needed Kelham's information or someone else was going to die and Thane's son would pay the price. An idea pushed to the front of his mind.
"You wait outside the door, pop the panel off and act like you're fixing it. Might buy us another minute or so, just don't push it too far and get in trouble," Shepard said.
"Okay," she agreed, still sounding a little skeptical but offering no argument.
They quickly found their way to the interrogation room, Tali kneeling by the door and giving him a nod. Thane hit the controls and the stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind them with an firm, audible thunk that brought an unpleasant smirk to Shepard's face. Apparently C-Sec wasn't above reducing the safety cushion on their automatic doors to add a little theatricality to the interrogation room.
"Who the hell are you two?" the man in the room asked. He was nothing of note in other circumstances, average height and weight, brown hair cropped close with a thin beard outlining his face. A displeased sneer marred what would otherwise have been attractive features, sitting there in the mostly bare room. Only a single table and two chairs taking up the square space.
"We merely want to ask you a few questions, Mr. Kelham. Off the record," Thane said, placing his arms behind his back and moving to stand in front of the simple table that occupied the middle of the room. Shepard paced around the back wall, just in the edge of the man's vision.
Kelham eased back in his chair and rolled his eyes. "Yea, off the record in a C-Sec interrogation room. I want my advocate."
"We are attempting to locate him, but his participation is not necessary. As I said, this is strictly off the record. I am sure we can conclude our business and let you get back to yours long before your advocate arrives," the drell explained, taking the seat across from the man. "You employed an assassin for a job to take place today. Who is the target?"
"I'm not telling you a damn thing."
"We're on something of a timeline here, Elias," Shepard said coolly and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I suggest you cooperate."
"Fuck you."
"Wrong answer."
In a flash his hand moved up, grabbed the back of Kelham's head, and slammed him face forward into the table. He was careful not to exert too much force, just enough to bounce the man's head off the table once, causing him to jerk back up with a groan of pain, blood running from his nose.
"Do you have..." Kelham said and then paused, wiping away some of the blood. "Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you for that?"
Thane steepled his fingers, elbows resting on the table. "My associate gets a little... excitable during interrogations. Not his strong suit. He prefers to deal with problems more directly. Please do not become a problem, Mr. Kelham."
"Yea, I'm real scared. Hit me again, see what it gets you," Elias spat.
Shepard shrugged and caught the side of the man's head in a backhanded cuff, forcing Kelham to catch the side of the table to prevent himself from falling out of the chair. It was a little harder than he'd intended, but quite satisfying. A few small flecks of blood broke up the smooth silver surface of the table. Thane caught his gaze, jerking his head towards the side of the room. He got the message, moving to join the drell.
He wasn't really sure which angered him more. Kelham's attitude was bad enough, all contempt and swagger, confident that not only was he untouchable but that they should be afraid of him. But possible more infuriating was that much of it was justified. The laws and politicians, corrupt deals and loopholes let him get away with what he did with impunity because the red tape was too thick to fight through.
"Careful. He is of no use to us dead," Thane cautioned.
"He's no use to us at all if he doesn't start providing some useful information," he pointed out.
"Indeed. In the time available I am unsure of the best option, a few bruises aren't going to be enough to get him to change his mind especially when he likely knows that it is only a matter of time before his advocate can secure his release."
"Then I guess it's time to stop playing nice. Spectres have effectively unlimited authority in Council space after all," Shepard said.
The drell's brows raised. "Did you not tell me that the Council ordered you to restrict your operations to the Terminus systems?"
"He doesn't know that. And there's nothing in the computers to that effect. I have full spectre status as far as the rest of the galaxy is concerned."
"But if you violate your agreement with the Council do you not risk the chance of alienating them and losing said status?" Thane asked.
He couldn't keep the look of contempt from his face when he spoke. "The Council has done nothing but waste time and resources to actively ignore the threats that don't fit into their tidy world view. I had no reason to purposefully antagonize them, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let their opinion dictate my actions. Might as well get some use out of this spectre status while I still have it."
Thane only nodded in thanks when they turned back towards Kelham. The criminal was eased back in his chair, watching them both with the same sneer while he wiped away the last trickle of blood from his nose.
"You two done? Gotten all your final affairs put in order? Because once I get out of here you're going to learn just what it means to screw with Elias Kelham," the human said.
"I am sorry, Mr. Kelham. But I can no longer assist you. I'm 'washing my hands' of the matter as your people say. I wish you had been more cooperative," Thane replied. "A name and time are all we require."
"You're a broken record, drell. Why don't you shove a -"
Kelham's remark was cut off with a gurgle of surprise when Shepard cleared the space between them in two long strides, bodily lifting the man by his throat and then slamming him onto his back across the table. The 'reputable businessman' choked and coughed, hands wrapped around Shepard's wrist as he tried to speak.
"No, no more words, Elias," Shepard growled. "Do you know what a spectre is? Of course you do. There's a nice long speech about protecting the peace and stability of the galaxy, right hand of the Council, etcetera, etcetra. But at its most basic it means that I can kill you right here, right now. No arrest. No trial."
Reaching behind him Shepard yanked the combat knife from its sheath and then exerted all his strength, slamming the knife down so hard next to Kelham's head that the carbon-reinforced blade penetrated the thin aluminium of the table with the faint shriek of rending metal. He yanked the blade free, leaving the wide gash there next to the man's head.
"Now unless the next words out of your mouth are the name of the target for your hit and where it's going down I am going to take this knife and split you open from breastbone to groin and see what answers I can find in there. I hope I've made myself clear, Elias."
The smugness had fled Kelham's eyes finally as it finally sunk in that this wasn't just some new C-Sec shakedown, a problem that could be solved by paying off the right person or hiring the right lawyers. His mouth worked wordless for a moment before finally stammering out a reply.
"J-Joram Talid! His name is Joram Talid. He's a p-politician, the guy is supposed to make the hit when he returns from making his glad-handing rounds. His last speech is in ten minutes!"
He let go of the man and slid the knife back into its sheath, shaking his head. "You're pathetic, Elias. I'm sure your advocate will be here soon so you can get out of here and change your pants. And for your sake I hope you're not lying to me or I'll find you and finished what we started."
Thane walked around the other side of the table when Shepard motioned for him to follow. He pressed the door controls and felt the rush of air as the door slid open to reveal a man with graying hair and a well-cut suit standing there with a surprised look on his face. Tali still knelt by the door controls, placing the panel back on.
"Ah, there we go. All fixed, see?" she said.
The other man frowned, looking around Shepard to see his client still laying on the table breathing heavily.
"What is going on here?"
"Nothing at all, advocate. Your client is free to go," Shepard replied and walked away. The other two followed him to Bailey's office where the C-Sec officer waited.
"Well?"
"Joram Talid is the target. Who is he, and where do we find him? We're running very short on time," the spectre said.
"Ah, hell. Talid is the turian you interrupted my meeting with earlier. He's a local politician running on an anti-crime and anti-human platform, real slippery bastard. I get the feeling he's not any cleaner than Kelham, just better at hiding it," Bailey replied, rubbing his temples. "The election is in a few days, he's trying to get people stirred up about 'human aggression'. A lot of aliens don't like the fact that we were granted a Council seat so quickly after the Battle of the Citadel. Add in that half the cops they're seeing are human and it goes down hill from there."
"Where is this Talid located? If Kelham's information is correct we do not have long to intercept Kolyat," Thane asked.
"Three levels down, he should be finishing one of his campaign speeches in the main trading floor in the next few minutes. He has a penthouse not far away. He'll probably walk there, makes for a perfect target. You better move, I'll put together a couple of units of guys I know I can trust to follow orders and meet you there," Bailey said.
No further discussion was needed, the trio quickly heading out of C-Sec headquarters and towards one of the main elevators while Bailey called up some of his officers. They stepped into the elevator and Shepard slapped the floor indicator that Bailey had give them. He turned to Thane.
"We need your son to reveal himself, if we just go in and tackle Talid he'll just disappear before you get a chance to talk to him. It's risky but we have to wait for him to make his move. What's the chances he could have secured a sniper rifle on the Citadel?" Shepard asked.
Thane shrugged. "Almost non-existent. My contacts for such things would not have dealt with him, someone like Mouse or another small time dealer would have to supply it. A pistol, sub-machine gun at best."
"That's something at least. I'll tell Garrus and Kasumi try to cover the main exits from the level. Tali, I want you to find a terminal and see if you can prevent a general security alert if something does happen. Don't do anything that will get you caught, but even a delay will save us plenty of trouble."
The drell met his gaze, a faint smirk on his lips.
"Your interrogation technique is quite interesting, by the way. I believed you would carry out your threat for a moment," the drell said.
Shepard sighed and watched the numbers tick by slowly before responding to Thane.
"For a moment so did I."
"I've got him. Damn krogan bodyguard is anything but inconspicuous," Shepard said into the comm at his wrist.
"Understood, I see them as well."
In an effort to cover all possible angles Shepard had hacked one of the maintenance doors and gained access to the gantry and walkways above the main floor, keeping on eye on Talid's progress during his walk home as well as on the area around him on the off chance that Kolyat decided to try and take a shot from the higher position the walkways offered. Thane was shadowing the politician through the crowd, almost invisible as he slipped from person to person, shadow to shadow.
"Talid is waiting outside, the bodyguard is going inside. Do you have a better view, Shepard?" Thane asked.
"Let me take a look."
He produced a small pair of electronic binoculars from one of the pouches at his waist, glad that he'd brought his usual set of tools especially since he had forgone the helmet. Looking through the viewfinder he zoomed in on the large krogan that had just entered a small hardware shop. The krogan and human shopkeeper seemed to be arguing until the larger alien leaned over the counter threateningly, the human capitulating and sliding what looked like a credit chit across the surface of the counter.
"I don't believe this. His campaign is based on fighting organized crime and it looks like the son of a bitch is using his bodyguard to shake down locals for protection money," Shepard said.
"It would explain the fact that he has employed Blood Pack mercenaries for protection. Not your typical choice," Thane said.
"Quite true. We're on the final stretch here and I haven't seen any sign of Kolyat, though."
"We must be vigilant then," the assassin replied.
The politician continued on his way once the hulking krogan had rejoined him, occasionally stopping to try and muster support from another non-human along his path. Before long they were approaching the area that was flagged as his personal residence, his omni-tool giving a muted beep to inform him of their proximity. Glancing down at the device he almost missed the movement below. A young drell had stepped into view from behind one of the advertisement kiosks just as Talid had passed.
"Thane!" Shepard barked.
"I see him! Kolyat!" he heard the man shout.
Kolyat had already raised his weapon when his father's shout startled him. The krogan bodyguard spun in place, producing a pistol of his own only to catch a volley of shots that staggered him from the would-be assassin once he regained his composure. Talid immediately panicked and bolted into his suit, Kolyat hot on his heels.
"Dammit!" he cursed, leaping over the railing and landing in a roll. The spectre sprung to his feet and immediately began to run, Thane just ahead. Leaping up he slid the last few feet over a decorate marble slab in the middle of the small courtyard that was in front of Talid's penthouse.
The mercenary bodyguard had gained his feet once more, a few pistol rounds not nearly enough to put down an armor krogan. Shepard reached out with a hand and used the techniques that Jack had been trying to drill into him earlier, azure glow springing to life across his hand. He grabbed the krogan with a mass effect field and yanked him across the entrance to smash head first against the wall forcefully, rendering him unconscious.
He and Thane drew their own weapons as they entered the penthouse, covering each side of the room. They found Kolyat in the main living area with Joram Talid on his knees, the drell behind him. At their entrance the turian looked up.
"Spirits! Please, help me! I'll give you anything you want."
"Shut up!" Kolyat yelled.
"Kolyat, lower your weapon," Thane said, doing just as he suggested and holstering his own pistol at his hip.
"Now? You show up now? Is this a joke?" the younger drell said. He brought his weapon up to point at Thane now, causing Shepard's muscles to tense. Any other time he would have already have fired, ended the crisis in one shot, but for Thane's sake he paused.
"C-Sec! Drop the gun, boy."
Bailey and two C-Sec officers came through the door with weapons drawn. He could see the panic in the younger drell's eyes, moving between his father, Shepard, and the officers. Kolyat shook his head.
"I'm walking out of here and he's coming with me," Kolyat said, pushing the gun against the back of the turian's head.
"They'll have snipers positioned outside, son," Thane said.
"Don't call me that! Why are you even here?"
The younger drell had raised his weapon once more, jabbing it accusingly towards Thane. His arm trembled, eyelids blinking rapidly. Even Thane seemed to be at a loss at the sudden outburst, shoulders slumping slightly.
"Your father and I have killed, Kolyat. Far more than either of us could ever have wanted. There's no reason for you to start down the same path," Shepard said.
"I read the files. About your jobs, the targets, the work. What makes it okay for you, but not for me? The great Thane Krios! I would have thought you'd be proud of me. Following in your footsteps!" Kolyat said.
Thane shook his head. "No. I was six when the hanar first began my training. I've known nothing else in my life. But your mother... she woke me from my battle sleep. Showed me more."
"Then why did you leave her? Why weren't you there when she died?"
"Your mother... they killed her. To get to me. Her death was my fault," Thane said, voice thick with emotion, a deep resignation in every word.
The gun dropped slightly as surprise spread across Kolyat's face. "What?"
"My enemies hated me, but they feared me. They paid the Shadow Broker for the location of my family, killed your mother. After her body was given to the deep I slipped into my battle sleep once more. I hunted them. The trigger men. The informants. The ringleaders. I hurt them. Eventually killed them. All of them. And when I finally came back to see you... you were older. I should have stayed with you."
Kolyat looked at his father incredulously, a mixture of anger and sadness on his face. "I guess it's too bad that you waited so long."
"It is," Thane agreed and raised his hand, looking into his son's eyes as his fingers wrapped around the front of the pistol. "I cannot undo the past. But I have taken many bad things out of this world, Kolyat. You are the only good thing I have ever added to it."
For a brief moment Shepard wondered if this was where it all went wrong. One gunshot and Thane's life would end even sooner than his illness dictated, immediately after his son would follow as the C-Sec officers opened fire. But there wasn't a shot, Kolyat's finger left the trigger, a tear finally escaping his rapidly blinking eyes to trail down one scaled cheek.
"Weapons down," Bailey ordered immediately. "Mr. Krios... this isn't a conversation you should have in front of strangers. I'll have my officers escort you and your son to C-Sec. We'll give you on of the interrogation rooms, take as long as you need."
The two men behind Bailey looked more than a little surprised, but one fierce look from the Captain quelled any objections before they were raised. Thane gave the man a grateful nod and slowly guided his son from the room, the C-Sec agents flanking them.
"I'm surprised, Bailey. Even for you that's not exactly standard procedure," Shepard said.
He looked over, then C-Sec captain's eyes looked towards the window of the politician's room for a moment but didn't seem to be fixed on anything outside when he spoke.
"He's not the first man or the last to screw up trying to raise a son. There's enough grief in this world without making it worse for the sake of some regulations."
"Agreed," he replied quietly.
Joram Talid was finally struggling to his feet, slumping back against the plush couch that occupied the center of the room. His hands frantically seemed to check his person for injury, shoulders slumping in relief has he found himself intact.
"Of course now we have to deal with this little situation," Bailey said, focusing on Talid.
"I've got some ideas there too..."
"I don't know what just happened here, but I want to drell brought up on charges," the turian said shakily. "He was about to execute me in cold blood!"
"Mr. Talid," Shepard said.
"Yes? Who are you?" the turian asked.
"Unimportant, other than the fact that I just saved your life. What is important is some interesting information I've collected in the past few hours, especially about your involvement with the Blood Pack mercenary company and your 'business visits' to numerous human owned shops on this level," Shepard said calmly.
"I don't know what you're trying to imply, human. Clearly the corrupt human influences on this ward wanted me removed and they sent a scapegoat to do the job and take the fall," Talid responded.
The spectre shook his head and stepped closer to the politician. "That might work on your average dock worker or disinterested C-Sec agent, but I'm a little different, Talid. You see, most people on the Citadel are fairly sheltered. I'm not. I know all about the Blood Pack, hell I've taken apart a few battle companies of them myself."
"Now how do you think it would spin to your adoring public if I provided all the information I have on Blood Pack operations? Slaving, red sand dealing, piracy, protection rackets... and then I also send along this wonderful video imagery I have of you outside a shop today waiting for your krogan bodyguard to finish shaking down your latest victim?" he continued, holding up the digital binoculars he'd used earlier.
"That... I... that is preposterous. You can't prove anything!"
"I don't have to, remember? Election is in a few days, you'll be tore apart in the arena of public opinion before you can put a proper 'spin' on it to save your reputation. By then the election will have long past and you'll just be a barefaced memory."
The fight went out of Talid's stance and he growled out a reply. "What do you want?"
"I'm a reasonable man. And I think Captain Bailey here can agree that organized crime is a problem in Zakera Ward, right, Captain?" Shepard asked.
"Indeed. Quite the problem," the other human agreed.
"So you're going to keep running. You'll probably get elected. But you're going to stop blaming the humans for everyone's problems as an easy scapegoat. And so you don't look like a total liar you'll keep your hard line stance on organized crime. Since I trust the current protection ring will suddenly disappear for the humans you'll look like you're mending fences and hard on crime at the same time."
"You think my supporters won't be pissed that I'm suddenly being nice to the damn humans?" he asked.
"You're hardly the first politician that didn't quite live up to his campaign promises. And since you're going to work closely with the good people at C-Sec on your new anti-organized crime initiative I'm sure you'll win them back when the crime rate starts dropping."
The turian sighed. "Alright, I can see how it would work... is there anything else you'd like to demand?"
"Just keep your politics and your business clean. Otherwise the next time someone has a gun to your head help might not be so quick in coming," Shepard said coldly.
He turned and left without waiting for a response, Bailey following behind shaking his head with a slightly bemused smirk on his face. They'd only made if a few steps outside Talid's penthouse when Tali came running up.
"Is... everything... okay?" the quarian asked, out of breath.
"It is now," Shepard assured her. "Thane is on his way back to C-Sec with his son. For once no one died today."
"I can give you a lift back to the precinct if you want," Bailey offered.
"I appreciate the offer, but I suspect it's going to be awhile for Thane and his son. Would you mind paging me when it looks like they're done so we can discuss what's going to happen next?"
"Sure thing. Good work, Shepard. Wish you came around here more often," the C-Sec officer said, heading for his car.
Shepard watched him leave before motioning for Tali to proceed him as he walked slowly towards the other end of the Ward. Within a few steps she fell into line beside him, strolling in silence for a few minutes. It wouldn't be long before Kasumi and Garrus caught up to them.
"Are you okay, Shepard?" Tali asked, breaking the silence.
"I... yea, I think so. Everything worked out for once, just feels like a drop in the bucket. I remember when I first set foot on the Citadel. It was all so shiny and new. It's only gotten darker since," he sighed.
"Maybe. But as long as there are people willing to try to make it better, I think it's not quite so bad."
He smiled, glancing over at her. "My little optimist."
"Someone around here has to be. You and Garrus are The Brothers Gloom," she teased.
"Is that so? I think someone has been poking at the Normandy's Earth literature databases too," Shepard laughed.
"Maybe," Tali said innocently. "So what now? You've charged off to avert another crisis. I guess we need to contact the Council about getting a dock for the Normandy's upgrades?"
Shepard shook his head. "Not just yet. Every been shopping on the Citadel?"
"Please, half the shops have 'no quarians' signs posted. It's just a question of whether they mean customers or prospective employees. What are you up to?"
"Just been holding myself back because of stupid reasons and I've been meaning to pick something up. Now come on, let's see them try to kick Commander Shepard out of their shop," Shepard smirked.
The quarian's response was quiet, but he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Lead on, hesh'alan."