Chapter 29: Resolve
Finding Veraidian would be step one. Liara T'soni had begun accumulating data on the Spectre the moment Shepard had confirmed the identity of his hunter. That was why he was hell-bent on Illium. Hopefully, the assassin himself would facilitate step two: finding the mastermind behind the plot.
Shepard looked past the doors as they parted, eyes fixed and intent on the star chart directly ahead. The moment he stepped off of the elevator, he caught the attention of a disconcerted Yeoman Chambers.
"Commander?" Kelly's usually outgoing persona seemed subdued.
"Yes Yeoman?"
"There's something you should take a look at." She nodded over to the Commander's private terminal. She was worried; Shepard could sense it in her tone.
No better way to instill calm than portray it oneself, he recalled. "Thank you Kelly." He made a point of appearing nonplussed as he stepped over to the data terminal and pulled up the message board. The blinking icon alerted him to a message marked 'urgent'. The Commander opened the correspondence and felt the blood drain from his face.
Sender: Thane Krios
Recipient: Commander J. Shepard, Alliance Military.
This week, 'Saturday', 0700 hours, Zakera Ward, level 11 factory district.
Meet me there. I will explain everything.
It took him a moment to shake the shock from his mind. Thane had been gone for months. Why would the drell wait until now to contact him? Throughout the duration of these thoughts, Shepard's face remained expressionless. "Change of plans Joker, we'll check in with Liara later, take us to the Citadel."
Zakera ward's 11th factory district was a processing center for all manners of raw materials and goods. More than a quarter of the ward's inbound shipments passed through the complex, hundreds of thousands of tons of freight daily. Shepard was exceedingly perplexed by the drell's chosen meeting point.
Why pick the busiest section of the ward as a meeting place? Thane was cautious, careful, meticulous. He was a master at adapting to various scenarios, yes, but preferred to eliminate all possible variables wherever he could. Crowds were variables. Very significant variables.
Arriving at the location, however, Shepard found his questions answered, only to be replaced by an even more baffling set of circumstances. The guards that would usually be patrolling the area were nowhere to be seen; only a few men guarded the entrances to the complex. Getting past these was no problem, as the Commander's Spectre status allowed him access to just about any place he pleased.
Beyond the guards, the normally thronging warehouses were all but abandoned; only the occasional maintenance drone or Keeper moved through the rooms. The warehouse was packed with all kinds of crates, boxes, canisters, shipping modules and storage bins. Garrus eyed the edges of each one, his hawk-like eyes scanning for any abnormalities.
A small click sounded from a corner up ahead and Shepard held up a fist, the sign to hold position. The Commander waited for several seconds, listening; nothing happened. Shepard spun his upheld fist, signaling Tali to deploy her combat drone. A moment later, Chikktika skittered around the corner to investigate.
Thermal readouts and I.R. scan results scrolled across the inside of Tali's visor as the drone examined the area, painting a digital picture of the bend ahead. After several seconds, Shepard saw the 'all clear' signal in the bottom left of his HUD and proceeded around the corner.
The warehouse opened up into a cavernous expanse. The plethora of crates and boxes that had haphazardly filled the previous space were neatly stacked and shelved along the sides of the room. Occasionally, a small pile of boxes would defiantly break the smoothness of the otherwise even ground. Off towards the back of the room, a colossal half-pyramid of shipping modules seemed to spill from the shelves like a freeze-frame picture of a dam bursting.
A lone figure stood in the center of the massive enclosure. Shepard immediately recognized the black coat. Thane.
Too late, the Commander noted the biotic fire licking across the drell's body. Thane spun around and unleashed a biotic push, catapulting Garrus and Tali back behind the corner. Krios pressed a key on his omni-tool and a series of small explosions detonated up in the ceiling, shaking the room. A colossal thud echoed through the warehouse as the processing room's massive door crashed down.
"What are you doing!" Shepard's voice seemed to be swallowed by the room's overbearing emptiness. Confusion and anger wove through his mind. Thane was far more precise than this. If the drell had wanted to kill him, he'd have used a sniper rifle or some other method that would avoid collateral damage. Whether the drell had done something to clear the warehouse or noted a scheduled maintenance change was irrelevant. His care and preparation both spoke to his methodical nature and this ran in direct contravention to it.
"My apologies Shepard," Thane's deep voice rumbled in John's helmet. "I could not allow them to become involved."
He began to pace around a solitary crate. "I am, conflicted. When I left the Normandy some months ago, I was distressed. I had received a Touraj, an ancient drell challenge to mortal combat." Thane took a breath as he explained. "The exact version I received has only been seen by five persons, my parents, my brother, myself, and a turian named Veraidian Nurem."
Shepard's shotgun flew up, ready to put the drell on the ground. Thane was here to kill him.
Krios was mildly unsettled. "You know him?"
"Veraidian Nurem is a former Spectre, he's been commissioned to kill me."
"So he has." Thane nodded. "Veraidian added a glyph to the Touraj, a symbol depicting my son's name. I am sorry that I did not tell you that I was leaving, but time was of the essence. Veraidian killed Ihrika. Shepard, he was threatening my son's life if I did not answer his challenge. Now, he has- given me an unpleasant task."
"BOSH'TET!" Tali roared, slamming the butt of her shotgun into the heavy bulkhead in a gesture of futility. The impact from Thane's biotic push had left her with plenty of bruises, but she couldn't feel the pain. She wouldn't.
Garrus fumed to himself behind her, furiously pacing atop one of the shipping containers. He paused as Tali unloaded her firearm into the metal barrier that separated them from the Commander. Sparks and infinitesimal dents were the only indication that the weapon's discharge had so much as touched the metal.
Shepard had been stupid to take point. Garrus thought. He had known this was likely to be a trap, why risk it?
Another shotgun blast roared behind him, followed by several rapid impacts as Tali swung the gun's stock against the door repeatedly. "Why, why couldn't you have left well enough alone?" The quarian's words came out, half whisper, half angry sob.
"I have been forced to make a choice, Shepard. My task-" Thane felt the bile rising in his throat. He could barely think the words, let alone speak them. "My task, is to kill you… or watch my son die." The Drell closed his eyes. "I cannot make this decision, nor can I kill myself. End my misery, Shepard, kill me."
John was dumbstruck. One of his best friends, a soldier who had fought by his side though some of the toughest missions he'd ever been on, was asking him to do something unthinkable. The shotgun swung limply to his side. "What?"
"Shepard, this is a choice that lies beyond my strength. I cannot choose between you and my son." The drell's eyes communicated intense emotional turmoil. "Suicide condemns me in the afterlife. I need you to kill me; it is the only way both you and Kolyat can live."
"You know I can't do that."
"Please," Thane implored. "There is no other way." If Shepard didn't take the chance, he'd be forced to try and kill him. Anything short of a genuine attempt on the man's life would be insufficient to incite the necessary force to end his own.
Without thinking, the Commander lifted the shotgun and Thane tilted his head back and spread his arms, inviting the shot. Shepard's finger tensed on the trigger. Could he really kill a man like this? Off the battlefield? Was it truly sacrificing the life of a dying man to save the life of his son?
Images flashed through Shepard's head. Thirteen men and women on Elysium, all had picked up a rifle and answered the call, all cut down like dogs by batarian terrorists and slavers, by scum. Corporal Richard Jenkins, speared by dozens of slugs. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams giving him that single, confident nod, a faint smile on her lips: 'See you there.'
Zaeed Massani, the old mercenary's lifeless eyes staring blankly into the mud as a bloody froth seeped from his lungs. Tali… The Commander shuddered. Tali being gutted by the Collector drone. In the depths of his mind, Shepard pictured himself pulling the trigger and ending the life of Thane Krios. The previous scenes returned, this time, he was holding the gun, pulling the pin on the gas grenades, cutting through Tali's- NO!
Shepard shook his head and threw the shotgun to the floor. "I, I can't Thane. I won't."
The Drell's face contorted into an agonized grimace and a piercing cry of rage erupted from his chest. The Commander watched as the air around the drell rippled and curled, blue tendrils of energy snaking across his body.
Instinctually, Shepard stepped back, the soldier in him prompting him to form a biotic barrier in preparation for the inevitable onslaught. Thane loosed his attack, a charged warp that would have gutted an unprotected krogan.
Shepard's reaction was instantaneous, projecting his own biotic field in a wedge-like barrier, channeling the drell's attack harmlessly around him and into the massive bulkhead. Thane leapt at the Commander, sapphire energy crackling across his forearms. Shepard deflected the first punch, then the second, spinning left to bring his heel to the drell's exposed side.
The Assassin caught the kick and twisted, trying to wrest the Spectre from his feet. Shepard had anticipated the response and spun his body a full 360 degrees, breaking Thane's hold on his calf. The motion brought his other foot across Thane's face in a vicious arc, driving him back and trailing a thin streak of blood from his chin.
Shepard was strong, much stronger than he remembered. Thane and Shepard had sparred several times aboard the Normandy to keep each other sharp. During the matches, Thane usually came out on top, his discipline and extra years of experience granting him a slight edge over the Commander's speed and strength. Now that Shepard's strength so greatly surpassed his own, the advantage was almost completely gone.
Thane nearly panicked, his opponent might well be able to put him down without landing a fatal blow. Blue and green air roiled around the combatants as they jabbed, blocked, kicked, dodged and wove around each other.
Thane's hand found purchase on one of Shepard's pauldrons and he pulled hard to the side, bringing his knee up to the Commander's face. John saw the impending impact and twisted, mitigating the force of the blow. Stars filled his vision as the drell's leg smashed into the helmet.
Krios pressed his advantage, following up with a second blow to the dazzled human's head. He felt his shin impact the Spectre's armor, but was immediately thrown from his feet as Shepard cast him aside with a biotic push.
The combatants closed again, Shepard made a feint punch at Thane's right, but the assassin saw the action as a fake and accepted the blow. The impact was heavier than it should have been but Krios was still able to contend with Shepard's real attack as the man's armored fist sailed for his face.
The Commander found the drell's hand clamped on his left wrist as it launched towards the drell's head and felt the assassin try to twist it to get him turned around. Shepard swept his left leg behind that of his opponent and kicked out, even as Krios forced his body to turn.
Thane felt the other's counter and released the man's arm, tucking into a roll before the Commander could throw him to the floor. Kolyat resurfaced in his mind and Thane made a weak lunge for the Commander's midsection, an attack deliberately designed to give the human an opening. Shepard simply sidestepped the blow, bringing his hand down on the back of Krios' neck.
The impact would have stunned or incapacitated a human, but the rough plates on the drell's back mitigated the force of the Commander's strike. The drell fell forward, rolled to the side, and sprang back to his feet.
Garrus' omni-tool glowed as he furiously tore through page after page of the warehouse's layout. Every path into the processing room seemed to have been blocked. He turned his attention to the Quarian, also feverishly trying to find something, anything that would allow them to reach the Commander.
Tali's efforts paused as she let out a scream of despair. To be trapped here, powerless to help Shepard was agonizing.
"Keelah, why did I let him go?" Tali leaned against the bulkhead, resting her head beneath her forearm.
Garrus' eyes narrowed as something in the warehouse's layout caught his eye. What were those doing in an industry warehouse?
Thane landed a punch on Shepard's chest, but immediately found himself in an arm lock. Shepard's iron grip seemed to crush the bones in his hand, forcing him to his knees. He couldn't let the Spectre win like this, Shepard would simply knock him out, sentencing his son to a brutal death. Almost instantly, his mind snapped back into combat mode and his body reacted on instinct.
The assassin coiled and leapt into the air, straining his opponent's grip. The hands around his wrist held firm as Thane landed on his feet, wrenching his arm from its socket. The Drell cried out in pain as Shepard pushed forward, spinning him on his feet.
Thane muscled past the pain, sending a powerful shockwave through the air. John felt the biotic attack slam him in the chest and released his grip. He couldn't breathe; the impact had knocked the air from his lungs.
A soft 'pop' sounded as Thane relocated his shoulder, grimacing at the pain. Shepard stood up along one of the walls, pushing aside several crates that had spilled from the shelves around him. "This is stupid, Thane! What makes you think Veraidian hasn't killed Kolyat yet?"
"As long as there is even a chance that my son lives, this is my only course." Thane's voice was laced with anger at his impossible situation, at Shepard for refusing to grant him his only out, at Veraidian for putting him in this mess. "You have to kill me Shepard, until you do, I must hunt you."
Thane felt his resolve melting away even as he spoke. Kolyat's voice echoed through his head, a memory from one of Veraidian's transmissions. "You can't go through with this! Remember what you taught-"
"Sorry about that." Veraidian's voice had cut over the comm. "I can't have you having second thoughts about your task. Kolyat might get hurt." The Spectre's words dripped condescension.
Thane trembled with rage. Veraidian had no right to do this, but if Shepard lived, Kolyat died. It was that simple.
Tali forced herself to calm down. She couldn't help John if she couldn't think straight. She'd expended four thermal clips on the door, yielding no discernible effect. Chikktika had floated up to the top of the door, but despite the warping of the metal, was unable to locate a viable gap.
The Quarian could hear the battle raging on the other side of the door. It sounded like some sort of vid or game. Strange echoes warbled through the air, suggesting a biotic free-for-all. Tali felt a strange tug at her heart. PRAY.
Please, God, protect him…
Thane's knife flashed up, missing Shepard's face by inches. The Commander had refused to draw his own blade, electing instead to continue the fight hand-to-hand. He grabbed the knife as Thane made a thrust with the weapon.
Krios jerked the blade, back, cutting into his opponent's hand and peeling away the black material of his glove. Shepard tightened his grip, bringing the knife to a halt. Blood ran down the forearm of his armor in tiny, red rivulets. The drell stared at the metal of the knife-blade, embedded deeply in the Commander's skin. What was-
Thane felt a powerful punch land on his chest. The air left his lungs and fire coursed through his ribs. Krios' grip on the knife loosened. His vision blurred. He was starving for air.
Shepard let the knife fall to the steel bulkhead. "Thane, think about this. Veraidian is using you! He killed Ihrika! He has no reason to spare you or your son!"
Thane staggered to his feet and glared at the man. "There… is… no… other… WAY!"
Sapphire energy rippled across the room as Thane jumped back, pulling one of the thick metal panels that had fallen around the Commander. Shepard realized too late that the drell had thrown the object at him. A loud 'Whump!' sounded as the object pinned the human to the wall behind him.
Thane's eyes were filled with anger as he took up the knife, only dimly noting that the blade had been bent and warped in Shepard's grasp. John saw the drell approaching and tried to summon a biotic push to free himself, but it was too late. Thane hovered above him, ready to plunge the blade into the soft rubber seal around his neck.
Revision note:
Hooooooo-eeeeeee! Over 900 words and a LOT of headaches later, here we are. Like Kovalyov said (bless you my friend!) the original draft of Awakening was extremely fast paced. I want to keep the combat in the story rapid fire and intense, but I also want to lengthen and slow down the story as a whole. That was (in large part) the focus of this chapter's revision, slowing it down while still keeping the fight tense and gripping. The next chapter is going to be much different than its original draft as well… Near total rewrite anyone?
Original Author's note:
DA came through yet again. I was discussing the fact that the fight scene felt too familiar to the other 1v1's. He suggested that I utilize the environment more, and it worked. Can't say anymore without spoiling the next chapter.
