Author's Note: As one act ends, another begins. This story is short, yet holds quite the punch. I am excited to take this story into its next direction! It will be entertaining to see. Enjoy!

You Can't Run Forever

14th of April, Galactic Date: 2184

"Caz Ganar?"

"Simon Clarkson, as I live and breathe!"

"It's Timothy Yates now, you know that."

"Oh right, yeah forgot about that." There was a pause between the two friends. Long ago they had promised to never speak to one another, regardless of the circumstances.

Tim was not impressed by this encounter. "It has been a long time since I last saw you," he stated, monotone.

The krogan lifted his glass to his lips, letting the dark purple liquid wash into his mouth and down his throat. The glass slammed back onto the wooden table top. "It has," Caz replied. Unaffected by the human's pressing glare, the cool krogan gazed around the bar. People of all races and creeds gathered around tables, talking and laughing with glee. This did not amuse the krogan in the slightest. "I like what you did with the place," he grumbled sarcastically. "It really sells the old-timey vibe you have."

"What do you want, Caz?" asserted Tim, his gaze stagnant.

The krogan grinned. "Is that what you say to an old friend like me?" He beat his hands against his chest with bravado. "Honestly Simon, I'm hurt."

"I did not know you had the capacity for that."

Caz shrugged as he lifted the glass once again. "A lot has changed."

"Too much," growled Tim, causing the krogan to stop before finishing his drink.

"I know what your problem is, Simon—"

"It's Tim," corrected the bartender.

The krogan just waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you feel like calling yourself, human. The point is that you have a problem." The krogan gestured to the bar, displaying it before the owner with a defiant awareness. "You see this? This is an illusion, a damn mirage. You aren't this, Simon. You never were, never will be. You've become your disguise, a damn sorry case of mistaken identity if I ever saw one."

"You know why I left," Tim bellowed, his face becoming darker and more vicious. "Now I want you to do the same."

"I'm too damn stubborn to do that, Simon. You know that for a fact." The krogan burst into a mighty chuckle. "I used to hate that glare. It pissed me the hell off. Now I find it funny. Imagine that." The krogan finished off his drink. "Damn, this universe is a scary place."

"Leave, Caz. You know my answer."

"No I don't!" exclaimed the krogan, throwing himself to his feet. Numerous patrons began to stare, gazing at the krogan with a mixture of fear and curiosity. "Ever since I got you out, my damn neck has been on the line. You are my investment, you know what that means? It means that I need to make sure this little 'stunt' of yours pays off. If I knew that my life being on the line would be used for some stupid pyjak fantasy that you felt the need to live out—"

"Stop making a scene, Caz," commanded Tim, his voice never raising above a whisper.

"Or what?" beckoned the krogan. "Will you try to stop me using force? No, you are too much of a loose-skinned vorcha to do that."

A growl burst from Tim's lips. "You are disturbing my patrons, Caz. I suggest you leave."

"You don't have patrons, you have contracts." A sneer fixed itself onto the krogan's face and Caz moved to lunge himself at Tim, but before his hand could reach the human's neck, Caz stopped himself. Caz's eyes were blood-shot and filled with rage, yet he could not bring himself to throttle the human. The old Simon would have stopped me, realized the krogan with acute awareness. This one doesn't fight back, he just stands there, mocking me.

Lowering his hands to his sides, the krogan spat on the ground. "You aren't the human I knew. Not anymore. I remember fighting on blood-soaked fields with you, ravaging armies of turians, asari, and salarian bastards. You would always scoff about their stupidity at charging us. We were unstoppable!"

Staring back into the pure noir irises, Tim found himself small and insignificant. He turned his head away not from shame, but to hide from the excruciating krogan glare. A daunting silence followed, hushing all those who were intently listening to the duel of words. "It's not that simple," he muttered under his breath. "It is never that simple. I left all that . . . you know why I can never return."

Caz, seemingly ready to launch his next assault, paused and considered the comment. He languished under the mellow intonation of the human whom he had grown to know. The krogan began to quake, rage pulsating through every fibre of his being. Then he screamed, throwing his fist on a nearby table and breaking it in two. Gasps were sounded throughout the bar, but Tim didn't flinch.

The heaving krogan halted his destructive rampage, his eye darting to the corner of his face to stare at the straight-backed human. "How can you stand there?" he questioned, every word like bile on his lips. "Do you not feel the compulsion to fight, to kill?" The krogan gritted his teeth, his lip curled at Tim's silence.

"I know the price of that crimson," uttered Tim, breaking the tension between the two friends. "I can never return."

Breathing deeply, the krogan lifted himself to full height. "I knew you were going to say that. Part of me convinced myself that you would see reason, that you would confront this foe and face it in battle like you did before—"

"I'm a different man, Caz," explained Tim, his eyes glossy.

"Yeah," stated the krogan, "I suppose you are. More in action than in name."

Realizing that people were staring at them, Tim turned to the bar, allowing his frown to evaporate and conform into a grin. "Don't worry, my friends. Caz is a little upset. Go back to your drinking, we will be outside." This seemed to ease the worry that had built up in the room and many returned to their conversations as if nothing had happened.

An asari in the back, Sarnia, began to take a few steps forward, but Tim motioned for her to stay. The bartender returned to the krogan, who could only stare. "I don't know you anymore, Simon."

Tim sighed. "Neither do I. But this is the life I have chosen. I am safe in this situation. That's all I want to be anymore: safe. No more fighting, no more bloodshed or war. Just plain, old safe."

"Nothing lasts forever," grumbled the krogan, kicking at the ground.

"You and I both know the meaning of that phrase."

The krogan looked like he would retort, but he merely shook his head instead. "Let's go outside," Tim stated after a tangible lull had washed over the bar. "It has been a long time since we saw each other. Too many stories have been left untold—"

"That is not why I came."

Tim's brow raised. The light tone that had started to seep into his dialogue vanished as quickly as it had arrived. "Why did you come here then if not to convince me to return?"

The jolted from a chortle slipping from his lips. "You misunderstand me, Simon. I wanted you to return not because I miss you or for any sort of sentimental crap like that, but because I want you safe." Tim cocked his head, worry starting to seep into his chest. "The Blood Pack has a new leader."

Tim remained still for a few moments. "Oh," he stated, monotone.

"He's assigned henchmen to certain sectors of the gang's control. You know Garm?"

Tim shuddered. "Who could forget him?"

A thin smile worked its way onto the krogan's face due to Tim's humour. "He's apparently heading up operations on Omega. Last I heard he's running into difficulty with some 'Archangel' guy." Caz shrugged. "But that's not important. What is important is our new leader's policy."

"That is?"

The krogan's features darkened, became less vengeful and older, thoughtful. "Tie up loose ends."

Tim started to laugh at this, walking up to the krogan and slapping him on the back. Caz looked at the human in shock, surprised at this reaction. After a few moments Tim calmed and grinned like a boy who had gotten away with stealing. "That's it? Christ Caz, I never knew you could worry over such trivial nonsense—"

"It's not nonsense!" defended Caz. "I'm trying to save your ass—"

"And I'm promptly denying the help. Seriously Caz, I knew you were paranoid but making a fuss over something this small—"

"You don't understand, Simon. All this is bigger than you and me. You thought hiding was difficult before, it's going to be twice as hard now. Every step you take could be your last, I'm taking a damn risk just telling you about this—"

"Then leave," asserted Tim bluntly. "Leave if you think it's 'so dangerous'. I got your warning and I'm refusing to take your advice."

Caz's pulse quickened again, but before his rage took a hold of him he spied the young asari in the back. She had told him a story, one of love and redemption. The krogan would not lie and say it did not affect him, such universal truths could relate to any species. But when Caz looked on Sarnia and saw the worry on her face, he could not bring himself to yell at Tim again.

"Fine," stated Caz, taking a few steps away from Tim. "I see how it is, Simon. I'm not going to meddle in your affairs. I've warned you once, I've done my damn job."

"So you have," stated Tim, darker than before. "I will see you out."

Caz, about to speak, closed his mouth again, his lips pressing tight together in contained fury. Every step he took to the doors shook the ground and Tim had to place a hand on the krogan's shoulder to calm him. At the double glass doors, Tim uttered a simple, "Thanks for coming, it was good to see you."

The krogan looked at the human. He saw the memories, the trials and the tribulations wrapped in that youthful face. So many years beside that grizzled human smile, telling stories around an artificially created fire. They all wanted to leave that life and only one had: Simon. It pained Caz to see what solitude had done to Tim. However, he knew fighting the human on it would only make matters worse. "Good to see you too, Simon," stated Caz dryly. "Just . . . promise me something."

Tim's brow rose. "What's that, Caz?"

Caz looked to the dark Illium sky, his eyes sparkling from the street lamps around them. "Keep Sarnia safe, know that every action you have holds consequences, and watch your back." Caz took a deep breath. "You can't keep this up forever, Simon. Tim can only protect you for so long."

"I'm safe, Caz," affirmed Tim. "Why can't you accept that?"

The krogan in the ruby armour shook his head and stepped out into the warm Illium air. "Because nothing lasts forever."