Editorial Note: This personnel report focuses on Shepard's interactions with Thane Krios and his efforts to help him achieve some measure of peace before it was too late.
Personnel Report—Thane Krios
It's funny that 'Thane Krios' is a drell name, considering the number of times both names come up in Earth names and terminology. For example, did you know that 'Krios' is the Greek word for the constellation Aries? Or that it's (modern) Greek for male sheep or battering ram? Or how 'bout the fact that he's one of the Titans in Greek mythology? I didn't. I also didn't know that 'Thane' is an old Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon term for a high-ranking nobleman or retainer.
'Thane' is also very close to Thanatos, the Greek god of death. Try not to read too much into the fact that I actually knew that tidbit.
It's also worth noting that several philosophers came from (ancient) Greece. From Socrates to Plato, Aristotle to Pythagoras; these giants apparently had an enormous influence on human philosophy. I say apparently because I'm fairly certain I slept through that class.
But I digress: my point is that the themes of death and philosophy perfectly encapsulated a certain drell of my acquaintance. And I never would have discovered that were it not for a conversation I had during one of my habitual rounds.
"If you don't mind my saying, you don't really seem like an assassin," I started.
Thane offered a rare smile, one that mixed both politeness and understanding. "You've spent too much time fighting thugs who think custom-painted armour makes them professionals."
*cough*mercs*cough*
"The hanar trained my body for this role since I was six years old."
What the—"You've been killing since you were six?" I sputtered.
"Of course not," Thane replied. "I didn't make my first kill until I was 12."
Eep.
"They were training me. I was not to be used and thrown away. I was an investment."
"You were a child," I frowned, "not an investment!"
Thane raised a hand to stop me before I could go any further. "I've given you the wrong idea. They valued me. Yes, as a resource. But also as a person. They... regretted their need for me."
"I don't know which is harder to swallow," I admitted, "the fact that you were trained since childhood to kill or the fact that it was the hanar who trained you. Excessively polite Prothean worshippers don't seem like the type who'd train assassins."
No sooner had I finished did it occur to me that zealots were exactly the sort of people who'd train assassins. Religious whack jobs could justify anything if they felt it was in the name of their faith.
"Every species trains assassins," Thane shrugged. "The hanar are only unusual in that they need other species to do the killing for them. They have a strong grip and natural toxins—but have you ever seen one move quickly outside of water? Or fire a gun?"
No and no. "Why did your parents agree to this?" I wondered.
"The agreement was made under the Compact. It was an honour for our family."
"'The Compact?'"
"We live on the hanar homeworld because they rescued us—some of us—from extinction," Thane explained. "We owe them our lives. That is the Compact."
My sense of curiosity was tingling. "Why was your race going extinct?"
"Overpopulation," Thane replied. "That must sound trite to you. Humans developed mass effect drive before the problem became acute."
That was a matter of opinion, I thought, but I kept my mouth shut for once. I couldn't recall the details on how problematic human overpopulation had become, after all.
"Our homeworld, Rakhana, had few resources. We hadn't even developed fusion power when the soil began to fail from overuse and pollution. The hanar found us a century ago. They sent hundreds of ships. Evacuated thousands of us. Billions more had to be left behind."
"What's the state of Rakhana now?"
"Do you read your philosophers? A man named Thomas Hobbes?" When I gave him a blank look, Thane elaborated. "'When all the world is overcharged with inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is war, which provideth for every man, by victory or death.' As Rakhana died around them, my people slaughtered each other for mouthfuls of water and crumbs of food." (1)
Boy, that was depressing and predictable. Predictably depressing. Or should that be depressingly predict—"What exactly are the terms of the Compact?" I asked, pulling my mind out of the spiral it had created.
"There are many things the hanar can't do, even with mechanical aid. They ask drell to assist them."
"Can drell refuse to help them?"
"They can, but few do," Thane replied. "We owe our existence to the hanar. We are proud to repay the debt."
While it might be a slippery slope, it sounded like the hanar weren't taking advantage of that debt to turn the drell into slaves. Besides, I wasn't exactly surprised to hear that the hanar needed help. "Makes sense," I said. "The hanar I've seen mostly float around. It doesn't look like they can do a heck of a lot on their own."
"Out here, perhaps," Thane conceded. "But if you could see them in the Encompassing—the oceans of Kahje—you would see them differently."
"Oh?" I asked.
Thane's eyes widened slightly. "A stream of sliver in the dark," he uttered quickly. "Looping, diving. So fast the eye can't follow. Laughter like the squeals of a child vibrate the water. They fly over the black of the sea bed, like birds plumed with the light of heaven."
Um... okay. That was unexpected. "But you don't kill for the hanar anymore," I said slowly. "You're freelance. What changed?"
"I was asleep for a long time, yes," Thane nodded. "I paid no attention to what my body was asked to do. But then... laser dot trembles on his skull," he suddenly blurted out. "One finger-twitch, he dies. Then the smell of spice on the spring wind. Sunset-coloured eyes defiant in the scope. The laser dances away."
Thane blinked his eyes and subtly shook his head. "My apologies. Drell slip into memories so easily."
Was that what all that eye-widening and speed-talking was about? Memories? Made sense, I suppose. That last one sounded like a recollection of a past hit job—and a failed one at that. "Was that one of your assassinations?" I asked, seeking confirmation.
Thane hesitated before responding. "Ah. Yes. Perhaps we can discuss it later. I've wasted too much of your time."
Translation: he'd rather not talk about it. At least, not now. "It's my time to waste," I replied before departing.
That last conversation had definitely left my curiosity wanting. Somehow, I managed to resist the urge to indulge it for an entire week. I felt so proud.
"Do you need something?" Thane politely asked when I finally dropped by.
I answered his question with a question. "Have a few minutes to talk?"
"If you wish."
"The last time we talked, you started speaking about a past event as if you were watching it," I began.
"Drell have perfect memories," Thane replied. "We can relive any moment in our lives with perfect clarity."
Must make writing exams a breeze.
"It's difficult to control at times. Some of us disappear into... Mmm, let's call it solipsism."
"'Solipsism'?" I repeated blankly.
"When a memory feels as real as life, it's as valid as life. Thinking about a moment brings back the smell of cut grass, the warmth of another's hand on yours, the taste of another's tongue in your mouth. Wouldn't you rather lose yourself in such a memory than spend the night alone, staring at walls of metal and plastic?"
Put that way, probably. Naturally, my mind immediately conjured up a downside. "Isn't there a risk that you could lose yourself in bad memories as well?"
"Of course," Thane acknowledged. "Remembering the times I've taken bullets is... unpleasant."
I would have used stronger language than that—at least, to myself. Aloud, I probably would have said something similar to Thane. More and more, I found myself admiring his tact and gift for understatement.
"But I can look at my knee and see it's not shattered." Thane paused before adding "The memories that are hard to escape are those of despair."
Sensing that we were skirting towards another uncomfortable subject, I decided to steer the conversation away—for now. "So you can remember everything that happened in your life?"
"Almost everything," Thane amended. "I expect if we remembered the birth trauma, we'd never recover from it."
Yeah, probably. "But you can re-live every assassination you've ever made?"
"In perfect detail. Every mistake I made. Every target's last breath."
"That sounds difficult," I sympathized. "At any moment, you could relive the guilt."
Thane looked surprised. "Guilt? No. I've never felt any particular guilt about my contract. My employers killed them. My body was only the tool they used."
I must have looked a bit sceptical, as Thane posed a question to me: "If you kill a man with your gun, do you hold the gun responsible?"
"My gun can't choose, nor can it decide right from wrong," I rebutted. "You clearly do."
"My soul does," Thane corrected, "but my body is merely flesh. Flesh whose reflexes were honed to kill."
"I don't follow."
"Drell beliefs are different from humans'," Thane elaborated. "We see our body as a vessel and accept that it is not always under our control."
I scratched my head. "So... you don't assume any responsibility for the things you do?"
"Not every action performed by my body is the result of conscious choices," Thane replied. "I take responsibility for those that are. As I understand it, humans often believe in a soul distinct from the body. A spirit responsible for moral reasoning that lives on after the body's death. Our beliefs are just a bit more literal."
Maybe it was just me, but I found it hard to believe that this set of beliefs worked for him. It seemed to me that this belief system could be countered by his perfect memory. No matter how hard he might try to believe that he wasn't really responsible, his perfect recall of every assassination probably hammered home the guilt every single time. Unless this thing about the soul and the body being separate—okay, now we were getting into ethics and philosophy and other intangibles. I felt a headache coming on. (2) "The last time we talked, you remembered one of your assassinations," I hastily said. "Something about 'sunset-coloured' eyes?"
"Ah. That time," was all Thane had time to say before his memories took over once more. "Laser dot trembles on his skull. Spice on the spring wind. Sunset eyes defiant in the scope.
"A bystander noticed my spotting laser and threw herself between me and the target," Thane said once he had recovered. "She couldn't see me, but she stared me down."
"I... see."
"You find her bravery surprising?"
"No—well, yes, but that's not the point," I replied. "It was odd that you just blurted that out, that's all. Just another vivid drell memory?"
A rare smile graced Thane's face again. "Not just—no. She was a vivid person."
"Did you have a chance to line up another shot?" I asked.
...
...
"Not that day," Thane said at last.
It suddenly registered that Thane had used the past tense to describe this woman. Clearly she meant something to him and, thanks to his eidetic memory, Thane couldn't possibly let time dull that wound. "I should get back to my duties," I lied, getting back to my feet.
"Shepard," Thane spoke before I could take a step. "I appreciate these chats we have."
"You've spent a lot of your life alone, Thane," I shrugged.
"Work fulfilled me. Reading, too. I barely spoke to anyone outside of my family. But now... it seems there will be no one to mourn me when I die. You're the only friend I've made in ten years."
That put my sad and pathetic life into a bit of perspective. Maybe I wasn't the only one who suffered from the universe's warped sense of humour. "Thank you for saying that. It's a shame you stay huddled up in here, though. The rest of us lose as much as you do when you hold yourself apart like that."
This time, Thane's smile was tinged with a bit of sadness. "I've found it difficult to sit in the ship's mess for meals. I'm used to keeping my back against a wall. Facing the doors."
The better to watch for potential hostiles and monitor points of ingress and egress. I was no stranger to that habit myself. Another thing we shared, I suppose.
"I'm trying to relax," Thane concluded. "To find my centre."
Whether in combat or in our private conversations, Thane always maintained a calm, steady demeanour. He never lost his cool or his composure—something that was invaluable as a sniper, a squad mate and, well, a friend. Which made his agitation one not-so-fine day all the more unusual and alarming.
"Shepard," he said briskly. "I mentioned when we met on Illium that I was dying."
I closed my eyes and sifted through the maze of memories, wishing that I had Thane's recall to speed things up. "Yeah," I finally said. "Kepral's Syndrome, wasn't it? Something about your lungs getting worse when exposed to prolonged moisture? (3) That was why you wound up bunking in Life Support—EDI said it's a bit more dry and arid than the other parts of the Normandy."
"Exactly," Thane nodded. "It's not communicable, but I have less than a year to live."
"Are you feeling sick," I frowned. "I could get Dr. Chakwas. Or Mordin."
"No, no," Thane hastened to reassure me. "Though I suppose that is a part of it. My mortality has me... dwelling on things."
He got up and walked over to his gun rack. He stared at a sniper rifle for a while, as if the familiarity of that weapon would settle his thoughts. It must've worked, because he finally spoke again. "I had a family once. I still have a son. His name is Kolyat. I haven't seen him for a very long time."
"How long has it been since you talked?" I asked.
"Ten years. He showed me some of his schoolwork and asked if we could dance crazy. We did that when he was younger."
"'Dance crazy'," I repeated. "What sort of dance is that?"
"It's—I check my extranet contracts. I expect an update on my next target. The console plays music. Old. Unfashionable."
Thane had apparently left the building again.
"Kolyat jumps into the room. 'Hi, Father!' Runs around in circles. I scoop him up. Toss him into the air. He shrieks. Laughs. 'Spin me!' The console beeps. I put him down. Click the message. 'Father,' he pleads. Tugs my sleeve. 'I need to read this,' I say. I don't look at him."
Thane lowered his head in shame as he concluded that memory. I waited a minute for him to recover before resuming my questions. "Did something happen to them?"
"I abandoned them.
"Not all at once," he quickly added, seeing the way my eyebrows lifted. "Nothing dramatic. No sneaking out in the middle of the night. No final argument or slammed door. I just... did my job. I hunted and killed across the galaxy. 'Away on business,' my wife would tell people. I was always away on business."
So the drell assassin with an unexpectedly staggering amount of introspection and philosophy was also an absentee father? Why can't I pick simple, uncomplicated misfits to join me? "You never mentioned anything about your family before," I said instead. "Why bring it up now?"
"When my wife departed from her body, I... attended to that issue."
Something told me he didn't mean arrange a funeral.
"I left Kolyat in the care of his aunts and uncles. I have not seen him or talked to him since."
My eyebrows lifted. "That's not the choice I expected. Why didn't you raise him yourself?"
"My body is blessed with the skills to take life," Thane explained sadly. "The hanar honed them in me. I have few others. I didn't want that life for Kolyat. I hoped he would find his own way. If he hated me, so be it. He would not have shared the path of sin. I used my contacts to trace Kolyat. He has become... disconnected. He does what his body wills."
Again with that body-soul thing. "You'll have to explain that one to me."
"The body is not our true self. The soul is. Body and soul work as one in a Whole Person. When the soul is weakened by despair or fear—when the body is ill or injured, the individual is disconnected. No longer Whole." (4)
"Okay," I said slowly. "So what's wrong with Kolyat? Is he hurt?"
"Something happened that should not have," Thane replied with a note of urgency. "He knows where I've been. What I've done. I don't know his reasons, but he has gone to the Citadel. He has taken a job as a hit man."
Following in Daddy's footsteps to get closer to the man he never really knew. Oh, the irony.
"I would like your help to stop him," Thane requested. "He is—this is not a path he should walk."
"What made him go to the Citadel?" I asked.
"Years ago, I prepared a package for him," he revealed. "A relic of my ill-spent life. I had volus bankers store it and arranged for delivery when I died. He acquired it early. I don't really know how. I did wet work on the Citadel around the time his mother died. That may be why he went there."
"Maybe," I conceded. "But that doesn't explain how he got hired. You don't hire a raw rookie for a contract killing."
"I'm afraid someone may have seen we share a name and assumed we share skills," Thane shrugged. "I don't know why he would accept the task."
"To be closer to you maybe?" I suggested.
I regretted that as soon as the words left my mouth. Thane's face slackened. "That thought haunts me more than any other," he whispered.
"Maybe he dropped your name to get hired," I tried instead.
"It's possible," Thane admitted, "but I don't think so. It doesn't seem right. My name... he should not respect it."
"Okay, fine. But why me? I don't have your contacts and I don't have your tracking skills. Why do you need my help for this?"
"I don't need your help," Thane corrected. "I want it. The last time I saw my son—"
By this point, I was getting used to Thane's seemingly involuntary memory flashes, so I wasn't too surprised when he suddenly started staring into space and babbling. "They've wrapped her body in sea-vines," he said. "Weighted it with stones. He tries to pull from me. Calls for her. The hanar lift her off the platform. They sing like bells. 'The fire has gone, to be kindled anew.' He begs them not to take her away. They let her body slide into the water. He hits me. 'Don't let them! Stop them! Why weren't you—?'
"It rains. It always rains on Kahje. Warm water pours down his face."
He finally stopped talking. I waited a moment to make sure he was finished before clearing my throat. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I didn't mean to make you relive that."
"Perfect memory," Thane replied, accepting my apology with a gracious nod. "It is sometimes a burden."
I checked my chronometer. "We can head over to the Citadel and search for your son tomorrow. Say, 0700?"
"My thanks," Thane replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be meditating until our departure."
True to my word, I got the team to saddle up for another thrilling day. Before we left the Normandy, I asked EDI to do some searching. The results came in just as we landed. "According to C-Sec, a drell recently passed through customs. The C-Sec office may have more information."
Thane shook his head as we walked towards the C-Sec office. At first I thought he was dismayed by this latest proof of his son's presence. I realized my error when he spoke: "You'd think Citadel Security would be the tightest in the galaxy."
Garrus snorted. "I know C-Sec too well to believe that's true."
"Indeed," Thane agreed. "I see no fewer than fourteen fatal flaws a skilled assassin could exploit. Eight of them existed when I was here ten years ago."
I decided to ask Thane about those flaws another time. If he was less distracted, maybe he could ID a couple more for me. (5)
As we entered the C-Sec office, I saw Bailey talking to a subordinate. "You'll have to make him scream a little," he told her. "He's not gonna tell you everything just 'cuz you ask."
"I—I know," the cop said nervously.
"If you don't have the stomach or you're worried about being reported, I can take care of it," Bailey offered, his tone suggesting a bit of exasperation.
"No sir," she shook her head. "I can take care of it."
"All right. You go do that." Bailey turned towards me. "Shepard," he acknowledged. "Back already? We haven't even started to plan a party for Garrus's departure yet."
"Then there's still time to invite me as the guest of honour," Garrus said smoothly.
"That'll be the day," Bailey snorted. "So why are you back? You wouldn't be up to anything, would you?"
"Who? Me?" I asked innocently. "Why would you say that?"
"I pulled up your records after the last time you passed through. Trouble follows you," Bailey said dryly. "Not that I'm getting on your ass about it," he quickly reassured me. "You get things done. Like helping us nail Fade's ass—I knew that Harkin was no good. Anyway, if something needs doing, you do it. No matter what. I respect that."
"Speaking of things needing doing, I'm here for my associate." I tilted my head towards Thane as I continued. "He's trying to find his son. We think a local criminal may have hired him."
Bailey glanced at Thane before leaning towards his console. "Should be easy. We don't see many drell here." He pulled up a bunch of reports and started scrolling through them. "There we go. One of my men reported a drell recently." His eyebrows rose after he finished skimming the relevant report. "And he was talking to Mouse. Interesting."
"Mouse?" Thane repeated.
"A petty criminal," Bailey dismissed. "Probably not the guy who hired your boy, but a messenger. He's a former duct rat, runs errands for anyone who'll pay."
"What's a 'duct rat'?" I asked.
"Local slang for the poor kids who grow up on the station," Bailey explained. "When they're small, they tend to play in the ventilation ducts where adults can't get to them."
"Aren't the ducts dangerous?" I frowned.
"Yeah," Bailey sighed. "Every couple of months, we pull a little body out of them. Lacerated by fan blades. Broken by a deadfall. Suffocated by vacuum exposure. Those are just the ones we know about. More just disappear. Maybe they get sucked into space. Maybe they fall into the protein vats the keepers run."
Great. Soylent Green all over again. (6)
"Mouse survived long enough that he can't fit in the ducts anymore. He was one of the smarter ones. Or the luckier ones."
"What sort of trouble has Mouse been getting himself into?" I asked.
"Odd jobs for shifty people," Bailey replied. "Duct rats take whatever's available to get by. Data running. Fencing stolen goods. Selling illegal VI personalities. Actually, he was selling one of you."
"Me?" I echoed, marvelling at Mouse's poor taste.
"Yeah," Bailey nodded. "When you erased a file, it would say 'I delete data like you on the way to real errors.'"
I swear I saw Miranda's lip twitch out of the corner of my eye. On the other side, I heard Garrus raise an eyebrow. "That's pretty extreme, Commander," he said mildly.
"Laugh it up, Garrus," I retorted, glaring at him.
"It was pretty damn buggy, though," Bailey added. "It crashed every half hour. The error message was about how the galaxy was at stake and you should fix the problem yourself."
I didn't know whether to be chagrined at the poor design of my ersatz counterpart, annoyed at my squad's perverse glee or amused at the contents of the error message. "I've heard enough," I said instead. "Where can we find Mouse?"
"He's usually upstairs, outside of the Dark Star Lounge," Bailey replied. "He works out of a public comm terminal. You should pick up a copy of the 'Shepard VI' when you talk to him."
Ignoring the snickers that were coming from my traitorous comrades, Bailey looked at Thane. "Sounds like your boy's running with the wrong crowd," he said sympathetically.
"Yes," Thane nodded. "I agree."
"If Mouse can't get you in touch with your son directly, he'll know who can," Bailey told him. "I'll help you if you need it. Cordon areas off to get the civilians out of the way, that sort of thing."
"Not that I don't appreciate the assistance, but you don't know us that well, Captain," I pointed out. "Why are you going out of your way to help us?"
Bailey was silent for a couple seconds before he gave his response. "I've worked the Zakera Ward for two years. Every day, kids turn to crime because they've got no other choice. Because their parents don't care."
He tilted his chair and looked Thane in the eyes. "You're trying to save yours."
I think Thane was a bit choked up at that admission. "He faces a dark path," he finally said.
"Then we better hurry," I piped up.
We said our goodbyes and left the office. Thane waited a couple minutes before bringing up something that he'd noticed. "You didn't tell him that Kolyat plans to assassinate someone."
"He's a cop," I reminded him. "He'd try to stop Kolyat and one of them could end up dead. I'd rather avoid that, if I can."
Thane blinked rapidly for a couple seconds before he could respond. "Thank you, Shepard," he rasped gratefully.
Sure enough, Mouse was chatting at a public comm terminal outside the Dark Star Lounge. Dark brown hair with a moustache and beard, all closely shaven. He quickly glanced at me, motioned for me to hold one moment and finished off whatever conversation he was in the middle of. "Yeah. Sure, I can get you two cases by the end of the day."
"You Mouse?" I asked once he signed off.
"Yeah," he said, turning around. "What do you—oh, shit!" he exclaimed, jumping back and holding up his hands in a 'Don't hurt me, I surrender' pose. "Krios? I thought you retired!"
He got a good look at me and jumped again. "Commander Shepard? I thought you died! What do you want with me? Whatever it is, I didn't do it, I swear!"
"Be still, Mouse," Thane said, patting him gently on the shoulder. "You can change your pants in a moment."
"How do you know Thane?" I wondered.
"Krios? He didn't—? Uh... if he didn't say nothin', I ain't either," Mouse declared, abruptly clamming up.
"When we heard the name, I didn't think it could be the same Mouse," Thane explained. "He was a contact on the Citadel when I was active. He and some other children would gather information on my targets."
"Wasn't that a bit dangerous, putting children in harm's way to spy for you?" I frowned.
"Not just the children; anyone who was poor and willing," Thane clarified. "My people's word for their kind is 'drala' fa': the ignored. They're everywhere, see everything. Yet they are never seen. I would not have employed them otherwise."
Okay, if that was the case, I might've done the same thing. Satisfied for the moment, I stepped back, letting Thane decide how to play things. Apparently, his patience was starting to wear thin, as he whipped an arm out and pulled Mouse towards him. "You gave another drell instructions for an assassination. Who's the target?"
"I... I don't know," Mouse sputter. "I didn't ask. 'Cause the people I work for? They can make me disappear. I'd like to help you, Krios. You always done right by us. But I ain't gonna die for you."
"Look," I interjected. "You know Thane. He wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Do it for him. For old time's sake."
Mouse looked at Thane and bit his lip. "I want to. He was always nice to us. But these people ain't nice, Krios."
"Nobody's going to know you talked to us," I reassured him. Hopefully I wasn't lying. It would sure be embarrassing for me—and inconvenient for him—if I was wrong.
"Mouse, I swear that you won't be named," Thane promised him.
"All right... all right," he sighed. "He came with that holo you took of me. Said he wanted a job. I ran through your old contacts to see who might give him a shot. They guy who offered was Elias Kelham."
"And he is..." I prompted.
"Human. Moved to the Citadel about ten years ago. He was little people when you were here, Krios." Thane nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Well, he got big after the geth attack. Lots of the big guys from before got cacked. All in them big fancy apartments up on the Presidium. Now he runs the rackets on the lower end of the Ward. Shin Akiba. He's seriously bad news."
"One other thing," I added. "That Shepard VI you're selling?"
Mouse jumped again. Now I knew where he got the name. "Oh, shit. You hear—look, you were dead, man! It was totally legal to make a VI of you."
"Give me a copy and we'll call it even," I proposed.
I think he was shocked that I didn't try to get a cut of the profits or something. So was I, come to think of it. "What—I mean, sure. Yeah, absolutely! Sorry about the whole..." He broke off and handed over an OSD. As I put it away, he added "Just so you know, there are three volus who are patching it all the time."
"Thanks. You did good, Mouse," I said.
Mouse smiled nervously. "Yeah. Hope I live long enough to pat myself on the back."
"Kelham will never know," Thane reassured him.
"I hope not. I'm out of here, Krios. Next time you're on the Citadel... well, don't bring the family, yeah?"
"That couldn't have been easy," I said to Thane as Mouse scampered away. "How're you holding up?"
"Mouse knew more about my life than Kolyat ever did," Thane said sadly. His eyes widened into a blank gaze as another memory popped up. "He smiles up at me, broken teeth and scabby knees. Bare feet black. A dead-end future looking up at me. Worshipping the petty gifts I offer.
He blinked his eyes and focused on me. "I was the only good thing he had, back then. But I left him, as I left Kolyat."
"Mouse said you had a holo of him."
"Yes," Thane nodded. "A foolish bit of sentimentality. I can perfectly recall every moment I spent with Mouse."
He illustrated that point with another memory flash, though I was never certain whether it was conscious or not: "He pulls at my arm. Smiles. He wants to know that I'll remember him. That anyone will remember him. I take the holo. He smiles at himself in miniature on my palm. Then a frown crinkles his brow. He pats my pockets, checking for other holos. 'Where's your son, Krios?' he asks."
He lowered his head in shame. "Don't beat yourself up about it," I offered lamely.
Thane wouldn't let me get him off the hook so easily. "If I don't, who will? We must carry the weight of our decisions, Shepard. You, of all people, know this."
He had a point, I had to admit. "Let's head back to Bailey," I finally said.
"You talk to Mouse?" Bailey asked when we returned to the precinct. "Did you get the name of the guy he's working with?"
"Elias Kelham," I replied.
He froze up. Aw, crap.
"Kelham," Bailey repeated. "Shit." He shook his head before looking at us with a mixture of embarrassment and shame. "Ah, look. This is awkward. Kelham and I have a—an agreement."
I could see where this was going.
"He doesn't cause too much trouble and 'buys tickets to the C-Sec Charity Ball' from me. In return, I... I ignore him. It keeps the peace."
Yep. "Is there a C-Sec Charity Ball?" I whispered to Garrus.
"There was," Garrus whispered back. "It was cancelled shortly after Saren's attack. Cost-saving measure."
Typical—both the reason for its cancellation and the revelation of another wrinkle in the mission. I just looked at him. To his credit, he looked back instead of squirming.
"You said you'd help us," I finally said. "Does that offer still stand, or is it too 'inconvenient'?"
Bailey shook his head. "There'll be repercussions if I don't handle it right, but this is more important. I'll get some of my people to bring him in and set him up in a private room. You can interrogate him yourself. I'll stay out of sight. If I'm lucky, Kelham will believe that I had nothing to do with it."
"Bring him in," I urged. "We might not have much time."
"I'll make it happen," Bailey nodded, getting to his feet. "Wait here."
As he left, I gave Garrus and Kasumi a look. They figured out what I wanted and casually wandered off. Not that I didn't trust Bailey. It's just that I didn't completely trust him.
True to his wordthough, Bailey got C-Sec to take him in. A human and turian in blue dragged a dark-haired guy in a decent suit into the precinct within an hour. As they escorted/dragged him to one of the interrogation rooms, I caught the eye of one of the other cops. "We've got Kelham," I told him. "Tell Bailey we're ready."
The cop saluted—why I don't know—and ran off. A minute later, Bailey walked up. "He'll expect me to get him out of this," he said, glancing at the interrogation room.
"Not this time, I think," Thane replied.
Bailey looked like he was about to say something, then brought a hand up to his ear. Garrus quickly tapped a command into his omni-tool. I later learned that he patched us into C-Sec's comm frequencies. All I cared about was that I suddenly heard the conversation.
"...lawyer's here. Bet Elias has his VI set to page him if C-Sec gets within ten metres."
"I'll stall him," Bailey told us. "Get in there. And work fast."
As Bailey left, Thane turned to me. "We should question him together. Keep the pressure on. Thoughts on how we approach it?"
"Uh..." I turned to Garrus. "Good cop, bad cop?"
"Sure," he shrugged. "Though most criminals are familiar with that tactic. You might try telling him that you're not cops instead."
"Because if we do, he might realize we're not bound by due process and cave faster," I finished. "Sure. That could work. You better not go in, then."
"Agreed," Garrus nodded.
"Okay," I decided. "Thane, you convince him that we'll put a bullet in his head if he doesn't talk. Once he's scared, he'll cooperate."
"Very well," Thane said. "I'll pretend we're ready to kill him. We can't push too hard, though. We need the information more than we need a corpse."
"Picky, picky," I muttered.
We walked over to the interrogation room. Kelham was sitting in a chair, shackled by his wrists and ankles. Before entering, I activated the intercom and listened. "—do you think you are?" we heard. "Get me out of these restraints, Bailey. Pretty funny, bringing me down here like this—"
I chose that moment to enter the room, Thane close on my heels. "Who the hell are you two?" he glared.
Thane and I looked at each other and split up. Thane chose to walk in front of him and give him the cold stare; I settled for any irritation, distraction or psychological advantage I could get from lurking out of his line of sight. We waited a moment to see if silence would loosen his tongue. It didn't.
"You hired an assassin," I started. "We need to know who you want killed. You tell us, you can go."
"I want to see my advocate," Kelham said immediately.
"You apparently haven't noticed we're not C-Sec," Thane rasped menacingly. "No deals. No due process. No advocate."
Kelham scoffed. "And that's supposed to scare me? You two are in way over your heads. Bailey won't let you touch me."
"Bailey doesn't know you're here," I informed him. "But he will—after we're done."
"You aren't the only one who can buy off C-Sec," Thane added helpfully.
"What are you, frog-boy," Kelham sneered, "his little apologist?" He craned his neck around to look at me. "So what's the plan, kid? Gonna bore me into confessing? You ain't shit. Come on. Hit me. I dare ya.
"No, huh?" Kelham laughed when I didn't take the bait. "Didn't think you'd have the balls."
"Think carefully, Elias," I said. "I want to catch the assassin. Not you. Why stick your neck out for him?"
"You want me to confess to putting a contract on someone. You think I'm stupid?"
"I get the name, I walk out," I shrugged. "You never see me again."
Kelham snorted. "I got no reason to believe you."
"Elias, if we were after you, we'd have already put a bullet in your head," Thane snapped. "Think about that for a minute." He looked at me and walked to the back of the room.
"This isn't working, Shepard," he hissed when I joined him. "We're not making any progress. Bailey can't stall his advocate forever."
True enough. We needed a Plan B.
"Are we done here?" Kelham called out. "'Cause I got people to see."
"We're done just as soon as—"
I was interrupted as the doors hissed open. "I said get out of my way, Bailey!" a man in a nice suit snapped, pushing past the captain. "You have no right to—what the hell is going on in here? Step away from my client!"
"We are away from your client," I said helpfully.
"Is that—do you have him tied to the chair?"
"Nope," I replied. "He's shackled to the chair. And we didn't do that. Big difference."
"You're in trouble now," Kelham smirked before glaring at his advocate. "Glad you could make it, Freddy."
"Traffic was bad," was all Freddy had to say. He took his time pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up, no doubt thinking he had the upper hand. "You'll need a shovel the size of the Citadel to dig yourself out of this," Freddy smiled.
"I don't think so," I smiled back. "You see, this is all above-board. I'm a Council Spectre."
Freddy pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and gaped at me. His shoulders slumped. "Shit," he said at last.
Kelham looked back and forth between Freddy and I. "What? What does that mean, Freddy?"
"Spectres can do whatever they want, Elias," Freddy said. "I can't help you."
"Shit," Kelham repeated.
"If it was you I wanted, I could kill you and go." I leaned towards him. "Fancy suits and legal briefs aren't exactly bullet-proof, if you catch my drift. But today's your lucky day. I just want the assassin. Tell me who the target is and I'll leave. Keep mouthing off and..." I gestured towards my pistol.
"Damn it," Kelham cursed. "Joram. Joram Talid. He's a turian, running for Intendant of Zakera Ward."
"Where can we find him?" Thane asked.
"His apartment's in the 800 blocks."
"Thank you for your cooperation." I glanced at Thane. "Let's go."
We left to find Bailey. Didn't take long—he was waiting outside the interrogation room. "What's the story?" he asked. "Why did Kelham hire the boy?"
"Assassination," I replied. "A turian named Joram Talid. You know him?"
"Joram? Yeah." Bailey shook his head in disgust. "You might have seen his posters around. He's promising to end organized crime on the Ward. Thing is, his message is all mixed up in race politics. He's anti-human."
"Are things so bad out here that people can openly campaign as anti-human?" I asked.
"Before the Battle of the Citadel, the alien population thought we were violent upstarts," Bailey replied. "Look what's happened since then. A human fleet guarding the station for months. C-Sec filled with humans. Anderson does what he can, but some people have lived on the station since before humans had starships. They see it as a coup."
Of course, they'd think that. Why recognize the fact that no other race had the resources or manpower to keep every Tom, Dick and Harry from shooting up the Citadel or looting anything that wasn't nailed down when you could just nurse old stereotypes instead? I shook my head in dismay. "Maybe we should focus on something we can actually deal with," I suggested.
Bailey grunted and flagged down a human cop. "Sergeant! Get a couple patrol cars. These men and women need to get to the 800 blocks."
"Yes sir," the woman saluted. She led us to the precinct's skycar bay. We divided ourselves into groups of four and piled in.
On the ride over, we discussed over the comm how to best handle it. In the end, we decided that Thane, Kasumi and I would find Talid. Everyone else would split into teams under the command of Miranda, Garrus and Jacob and cover the exits to make sure no one escaped.
It didn't take long to find Talid. He was the only one with a krogan Blood Pack bodyguard. "Have we seen anything good since the humans moved into Zakera Ward?" he asked a small crowd.
"I like their food," a salarian piped up.
Talid laughed heartily. "I'll have to take your word on that. I can't eat human food. But let's be serious. Since the Shin Akiba enclave opened, crime has increased. Incidents of racial tension are up 24 percent, despite 116 new C-Sec officers being assigned to the Ward. Of course, most of those officers aren't turian or salarian or asari. They're humans who turn a blind eye to the crimes committed by other humans. That corruption goes all the way to the top. Don't think that a human with a C-Sec captain's badge is any less a crook than the thugs he deals with."
"How do you want to handle this?" I asked Thane as the politician yapped away.
"Follow Talid on the maintenance catwalks," Thane replied, pointing above us. "Tell me what he's doing. The krogan bodyguard will make him easy to follow. Kasumi, follow him on the ground."
"What about you?" Kasumi asked. "Where will you be?"
"The darkest corner with the best view," Thane said cryptically.
Kasumi shrugged and sauntered off, quickly getting lost in the crowd. I started to walk away myself, but turned back when I heard Thane speak. He had his head bowed down and his hands clasped together.
"Amonkira, Lord of Hunters," he prayed. "Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true and my feet swift. And if the worst should come to pass, grant me forgiveness."
A couple passed between us as he concluded, temporarily blocking my line of sight. When they moved away, Thane was gone. No cloak. No fancy gadgets. Just pure skill. I made a mental note to ask him how he did that. Out of curiosity, you understand.
Might come in handy one day.
Civvies always think that snipers do nothing but shoot people. It's more than that. Snipers have to sneak through enemy territory, find good vantage points and keep watch until their target shows up. Believe me; you'd be surprised how much you can see when you're safely hidden several kilometres away. Watching patrol routines, seeing if or when people are dropping things off and picking them up, figuring out whether some REMF's inflicting himself or herself on an enemy garrison. Heck, most of the time, our orders are to perform recon and surveillance, not drill holes in people's foreheads like I'd been doing on and off for the last couple of years. I was almost looking forward to this part of the mission. No one was shooting at me, yet I still had a chance to do what I was trained to do.
"It's been wonderful talking to you all," Talid was saying. "I hope you'll all come out on Election Day."
"You can count on it," another salarian—or maybe the same one—assured him.
"Show those humans they can't get their way!" a turian shouted.
"Thanks," Talid chuckled. "But remember, it's not all about the humans. They couldn't have gotten this far without the Council's support. Taking back our Ward is only the first step. We must remove the cowards and appeasers on the Council. This doesn't stop here. I won't rest until the humans have been removed from power!"
Tuning Talid out, I looked around. I couldn't see Kasumi or Thane, but I did spot a datapad lying on the catwalk. Picking it up, I thumbed it on and skimmed through its contents. It had a bunch of schematics for a pistol upgrade. "Thane?" I said, pocketing the datapad while activating the comm and setting it to the channel Thane, Kasumi and I had agreed upon. "I'm on him. He's still talking to the same group of voters."
"Understood."
"Everyone in position?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Sure thing."
Talid and his bodyguard began walking. I went through a set of doors and emerged on another catwalk.
"Have you got him?" Thane asked over the comm.
"Other races wait patiently for hundreds or thousands of years to earn an embassy. Do the humans? No! They win one battle and think they're owed a Council seat. (7) That's not how we do things. My people won a krogan war before we asked for that honour. We respect tradition!"
"Looks like he's talking to another voter," I replied.
"Any sign of Kolyat?"
I looked around. Lots of turians, salarians and a couple asari. Plenty of bright red and yellow neon lights. Even a 'Take Back Your Station' poster. But no drell. "No."
"Same here," Kasumi piped up.
"I'm moving to another position ahead of him," Thane said before turning off the comm.
"Humans think anything ten years old is obsolete!" Talid ranted. "Worthless! How can they contribute to a 2000-year old government?"
"Yeah."
"You said it."
"It's been wonderful talking with you all. I hope you'll come out on Election Day."
I thought they'd continue going forward. Instead, they took a right. Shaking my head, I hurried to catch up. "Lost contact," I reported as I passed through another set of doors.
"Got them," Kasumi reassured me.
"No problems so far," Thane added.
"Okay. Ah, got 'em." I jogged up ahead, entering another corridor. This one was lit up with blue lights. "They're slowing down."
"Can you give me an update?"
"They're outside a store named 'Aquila'," Kasumi said. "Talid's waiting outside while the bodyguard goes in."
She was right. Talid was casually leaning back outside the door, next to a vid-panel displaying the slogan 'Take a Stand Against Crime,' where no one inside could see him. From my viewpoint, though, I saw the krogan inside lumber menacingly towards the clerk. "Looks like the bodyguard's shaking down the store for money."
"He's letting the bodyguard do all the work," Thane observed. "That lets him deny involvement."
After a couple tense minutes, the clerk passed something over. The bodyguard grabbed it violently enough to scare the crap out of the guy before leaving to rejoin Talid. To my surprise, they hurried off. I jogged ahead, only to belatedly realize that they'd gone the other way. I doubled back and passed through some doors. To my relief, I caught up with them just as they slowed down to a walk.
Their next stop was in a small club called i-NOVA. I watched them from the catwalk above. "I don't have a good angle," Thane said. "What's he doing?"
"The bodyguard is talking to the bartender. Looks like another shakedown," I replied. "Two consecutive businesses employing, if not owned by, humans. Interesting..."
"Still no sign of Kolyat," Kasumi added.
"I'm relocating to the next room," Thane decided. "Let me know if anything changes."
Nothing changed, unless you count more creds changing hands. They stopped to talk to a couple of krogan in red armour.
"He's meeting a couple of mercenaries," I told him. "Looks like Blood Pack."
"Same group his bodyguard comes from," Kasumi sniffed. "I'd have thought he'd go for Blue Suns or something."
"Blue Sun turians aren't as intimidating as Blood Pack krogan," I guessed.
"He looks nervous," Thane observed. "Could be he's noticed you or Kasumi."
"Hey!"
"Or maybe he saw Kolyat somewhere," I suggested, trying to keep my voice calm. Thane was probably feeling a bit anxious—he normally wasn't the kind of guy to go around making accusations like that.
"Also a possibility," Thane conceded. "There are obstructions ahead. I'll try to go around. Don't lose him."
"Good thing you told us that," Kasumi grumbled. She was still smarting from Thane's earlier insult, intentional or otherwise. "I'd have never figured that out on my own."
"This isn't our first time, Thane," I chided.
"My apologies."
Time for me to plan my next move as well. "Kasumi," I said, looking around, "I have to pass through another door or two up ahead."
Kasumi sighed. "Sure, sure, you boys go run off and play. Let a woman do all the work."
"I knew you could handle it," I replied. I walked along the catwalk; softly enough that I could hear one of the thugs reassure Talid that he had nothing to worry about. "You're runnin' for office," he rumbled. "Lots of people watch you."
I lost track of the rest of the conversation as I passed through the doors. To my surprise, I entered some kind of store. A stock boy saw me and ran over. "Hey! Who are you? What are you doing back here?"
"I'm with Citadel Health and Safety," I improvised smoothly. "We've had vermin reports in storage areas around here."
"What? You can't be serious," he scoffed. "How did you get in here?"
"Same way you did. Look, if I didn't have authorization, how did I get in? You see any other doors?"
"Well... but there—never mind. Just—just go on through, okay?"
"Thanks."
"Yeah, yeah," the stock boy muttered, looking around nervously. "Just don't let my boss see you."
That delay with that silly little kid could have cost me. Sure, Kasumi and Thane were probably on it, but that didn't reassure me. "Report," I said, activating the comm.
"Just lost contact," Kasumi replied.
"I can see the bodyguard, but there is an elcor in the way," Thane reported.
Breaking into a jog, I re-acquired the target. Talid and the krogan were walking down a corridor. A human behind them was suddenly shoved to the side. The person responsible...
...was a drell.
With a gun.
"Kolyat!" I yelled.
Talid and the guard turned around. So did the drell. He looked at me before turning back and lifting his gun. The guard shoved him out of the way. "Call C-Se—argh!"
Kolyat scored a direct hit. Not enough to kill him, but enough to take him out of the fight. "Thane!" I called out, vaulting over a rail and sliding down a support column to the floor below.
"I saw." Thane came out from behind a potted plant and joined me.
"They must be headed for Talid's apartment," I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kasumi pop up and make a bee-line for the Blood Pack merc. Satisfied that she'd look after him, the two of us pursued our target—and Thane's son.
By the time we caught up to them, Talid was already kneeling on the ground. Kolyat was standing behind him, gun pointed at the back of his head. I pulled out my pistol and aimed it at him. Thane spread his hands out empty-handed and slowly walked towards him. "Kolyat," he greeted him.
"This—this is a joke," Kolyat sputtered in disbelief. "Now? Now you show up?"
"Help me, drell," Talid whimpered. "I'll do whatever you want."
Speaking of showing up, Bailey picked this moment to walk through the door, accompanied by another human, a turian and an asari. "C-Sec," he identified his motley crew. "Put the gun down, son."
"Get out of my way," Kolyat demanded. "I'm walking out. He's coming with me."
"They'll have snipers outside," Thane implored him.
Kolyat whipped his head towards him. "I don't need your—"
I shifted my aim and fired my pistol. Kolyat jumped as the expensive vase to his left shattered. He looked towards the shards before turning to me. "What the—gah!"
He stumbled back, hand going up to his face where I'd punched him. Reaching out, I yanked the pistol from his hands and roughly stuffed it into my holster. Keeping my pistol trained on him, I pulled Talid to his feet with my other hand. "Talid, get the hell out of here."
"Yeah. Yeah! I will!"
The asari cop stepped forward to steady and escort him out. That left three humans—including yours truly—two drell and a turian.
"Boys, take him into custody," Bailey ordered.
Kolyat stiffened and glared at Thane. "You son of a bitch!" he hissed.
I motioned for the cops to stop before they could make a move. "Your father doesn't have much time left, Kolyat," I told him. "He's trying to make up for his mistakes."
"What, so you came to get my forgiveness?" Kolyat sneered. "So you can die in peace or something?"
Thane took a few steps towards his son. "I came to grant you peace."
Kolyat just gawked at him. Thane lowered his head shamefully and gazed at the floor. He took a deep breath and looked up again. "You're angry because I wasn't there when your mother died."
"You weren't there when she was alive," Kolyat shook his head angrily. "Why should you be there when she died?"
"Your mother—they killed her to get to me. It was my fault."
"What?" Kolyat asked, his voice stunned and quiet for the first time.
"After her body was given to the deep, I went to find them," Thane explained. "The trigger men. The ringleaders. Everyone. I hurt them. Eventually killed them. When I went back to see you, you were... older. I should have stayed with you."
"I guess it's too bad for me you waited so long, huh?" Kolyat spat bitterly.
Thane found the floor very interesting again. "Kolyat," he said at last, "I've taken many bad things out of the galaxy. You're the only good thing I ever added to it. Don't follow my path, I beg you. You deserve better than that."
Now it was Kolyat's turn to stare at the floor. He didn't say anything. Neither did Thane. They stood there for a moment before Bailey coughed. "This isn't a conversation that you two should have in front of strangers." He turned to the other C-Sec officers. "Boys, take Kolyat and his father back to the precinct. Give them a room and as much time as they need."
Thane stepped forward and gingerly placed a hand on his son's arm. Kolyat looked up at him, tears running down his face. Either that, or his facial scales had gotten a lot shinier in the last minute or two. "I'm surprised you're letting him do that," I murmured to Bailey. "Not that I don't appreciate it; I do. It's just unexpected."
Bailey looked at Thane and Kolyat before turning to me, a sad look on his face. "You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising his kid?"
Ah.
"I have to get back to the precinct," Bailey harrumphed before things could get awkward. "Come on. I'll give you a lift."
Thane and Kolyat disappeared inside one of the interrogation rooms. This time, no one was shackled to a chair. The rest of the squad, having formed up again, hung around the precinct. None of us had much to do, other than try to make some pathetic attempt at chit-chat.
Bored and with nothing to do, I looked at my chronometer again. To my surprise, a couple of hours had passed. "They've been in there awhile," I said aloud.
"Kid's been through a lot," Bailey pointed out.
"Fair enough," I conceded. "Hey, random question for you: earlier today, you recommended that someone should 'make him scream a little?' 'Cuz something needed doing?"
Bailey's face darkened briefly. "You've spent enough time poking around here. You saw what it's like here in the Wards. It ain't the damn Presidium!" He emphasized that last point by slamming his hand on the desk—and scaring a passing cop. "All they have to worry about are protesters outside their 'free speech zones' or someone's poodle crapping on the grass! Down here, we have drugs, organized crime and murder. Policing the Wards is like policing New York City! Sometimes you have to work outside the Council's rulebook."
Garrus raised an eyebrow. "C-Sec has changed," he murmured. "Maybe I left too soon."
"I'm guessing you didn't realize that when you started," I commiserated, choosing to ignore Garrus for the time being. "How did you end up working on the Citadel, anyway?"
"I started with the Alliance way back when, but the travelling was killing me," Bailey replied, resuming his computer typing. "It's a shitty life if you're trying to raise a family, seeing your kids every six months. I joined C-Sec so I could stay in one place. Put down roots."
"You like life here on the Citadel?"
"Life here is good," Bailey shrugged. "Helluva lot different than life back on Earth. I miss the food mostly. You just can't get sockeye salmon on the station."
"Yeah," I sighed. "Can't remember the last time I had decent salmon myself. You ever get back there?"
"Earth? Every couple of years. Less and less all the time. But when I finish my stint with C-Sec, there's a nice little place in the foothills I'm going to retire to." He looked up at me and added "Not that I'm retiring any time soon."
"I got the hint," I laughed. "So what're you doing?"
"I've been running some searches in the C-Sec archive," Bailey replied. "About ten years back, a bunch of real bad people were killed. Like someone was cleaning house. The prime suspect was a drell. We never caught him."
Bailey and I exchanged glances.
"Ten years is a long time," I finally said. "Whoever was responsible for that probably doesn't exist anymore."
Bailey gave a knowing smile and nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right about that."
At that point, a door hissed open behind us. Looking back, I saw Thane step out. He seemed contemplative; something that was par for the course when he was meditating, not so much when he was on a mission. Of course, this wasn't just any mission. "How'd it go?" I asked.
"Our problems... they aren't something I can fix with a few words," Thane replied. "We'll keep talking, see what happens."
"I hate to bring this up," Bailey interrupted gently, "but we need to talk about what happened. Your boy shot some people."
"Those people were shaking down businesses and threatening humans," I interjected. "Talid isn't looking to eliminate organized crime. He's only interested in targeting the elements that offer any competition. Especially if they're human."
"I'm not saying I feel sympathy for them," Bailey said, "but Kolyat can't just get away with it."
"True enough," I agreed. "But jail's not the answer. Look, the kid made a stupid mistake, but I'm sure he wants to make up for it. Maybe make a difference in some small part of the galaxy. Can't you give him community service or something?"
"Community service for attempted murder?" Bailey looked at me incredulously. "What jury would agree to that?"
"None that I've seen," I replied, giving him a sly grin. "Which means this would have to stay out of the judiciary. Strictly within C-Sec."
Bailey gave me a shrewd look. At last, he offered another knowing smile and nodded. "Interesting. I'll think about it." He got up and extended a hand towards Thane. "Thank you, Captain," Thane said, shaking his hand.
"I'm just glad I can give your son a second chance," Bailey shrugged. "Those things don't come by all that often. You remember that, you hear?"
"I will."
Bailey came through for us once again. He sent me the following e-mail shortly after I returned to the Normandy:
From: Captain Bailey, C-Sec
Hey, Shepard. Just wanted to let you know that the drell kid's doing okay.
Everything's taken care of legally, and he's doing some work for me. Helping me deal with some trash in the Wards, maybe make life better for some of the kids like Mouse. Not perfect, but then what is?
Don't know if your drell and mine are talking. I told him life was too short not to, but I don't know if it took.
Good luck out there.
-Bailey
I decided to drop by Life Support to see if Thane was talking to his son. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't in the midst of any meditations or memories. "What're you up to?"
"I am—I had been recording a message for Kolyat."
"How're things going for him?"
"It is difficult. All things worth keeping are." Thane paused a moment before continuing. "I never explained—I suppose the story of my wife's death took you by surprise."
"Don't worry about it," I waved it off. "I figured you'd explain it to me when you were ready."
"I appreciate your patience," Thane nodded, "but after all you've done, you deserve to know. I kept my work clear of our home life. I assumed that would be enough to protect Irikah. That memory I mentioned before—
"Laser dot trembles on the target's skull. The smell of spice on the spring wind. Sunset eyes defiant in the scope."
Thane blinked as the memory ended. "That was Irikah. That was how I met her. She saw my targeting laser as she walked by and threw herself in the way."
"Damn," I marvelled. "Few civvies would do that. I guess she must've impressed you."
"She woke me up," Thane said. "Her body trembles. Not fear. Indignation. Her mouth moves. 'How dare you?'"
That last bit was another flash, in case you were wondering.
"You and I trained to sacrifice ourselves to save others. As you said, it is not often that a civilian steps in the way of a bullet to protect someone they've never met? I thought she was the goddess Arashu. She met my eyes through the scope and my purpose faltered."
"So how did she go from blocking your shot to marrying you and raising a son with you?" I asked.
"I had to meet her. The memory of her bravery possessed and endowed me. I fell on my knees before her. Begged her pardon. She introduced me to the world beyond my work. Eventually, she forgave me. Later, she loved me."
"And then..." I broke off, not sure how to approach this. "When you talked to Kolyat," I said at last, "you said she died."
"I let myself become complacent. I thought Irikah and Kolyat were safe. I stayed away too long and my enemies came for her."
"Who came for her?"
"Batarians. A slaver ring that was preying on hanar outer colonies. I'd killed their leaders. They paid the Shadow Broker to find out who I was. But they were afraid of me, so they went after her."
"You told Kolyat that you hunted her killers down," I recalled.
"Irikah woke me up. When she passed, I returned to my battle sleep. My body hunted her killers. Murdered them. I was taught to grant death quickly, cleanly. To minimize suffering. Them—I let them linger."
"You were operating on instinct," I pointed out. "By your own rules, you can't blame yourself."
"But I made the choice to hunt them. They're the only lives I've ever taken of my own choice. The only deaths on my conscience."
True enough. More important was the fact that he recognized his beliefs on this body-soul thing couldn't weasel him out of this one. Rather than try, however, he was willing to admit it and determined to own up to it.
"I haven't spoken about my wife in..." Thane paused. "I don't think I ever have. I didn't have anyone left to tell it to."
"Thane, the worst thing is to face deaths with regrets," I told him. If there was one thing the whatever-it-was I had with Miranda had taught me, it was that. "I'm glad you felt you could come to me with this. You're part of my crew—and I consider you a friend. If there's anything I can help you with, or if you need a sounding board, just ask."
"I've never been part of a team," Thane commented. "Assassins tend to be solitary. I'm learning the virtues of facing death with others at your side. It's a work in progress."
"Like reconnecting with your son," I nodded, remembering the original purpose for my visit. "I'll let you get back to that."
"Thank you again, Shepard."
"You're welcome."
To further drive home the point, I'd selected a very specific song. It had been playing through the loudspeakers during our conversation and was just starting to wrap up as I left the room:
"I've long since retired, my son's moved away.
I called him up just the other day.
I said, 'I'd like to see you if you don't mind.'
He said, 'I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time.
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu.
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad'
It's been sure nice talking to you.'
"And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me:
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.
"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon.
Little boy blue and the man on the moon.
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son.
You know we'll have a good time then." (8)
(1): Thomas Hobbes is considered one of the founders of human political philosophy. He is renowned for concepts such as the right of the individual, the equality of all men and women and that political communities must be based on a 'social contract' that is granted to governments by the people.
(2): Most people in Shepard's position would have given up long before that. Shepard's persistence is a credit to both his curiosity and his desire to learn about other cultures, no matter how different.
(3): A disease that bears striking similarity to the human disease known as cystic fibrosis.
(4): A belief that is strikingly similar to those of numerous indigenous Earth cultures.
(5): One of the few instances where Shepard's curiosity was outweighed by his desire to help his squad mate and friend.
(6): A human vid released in 1973, in which a food ration supplement distributed to the population is secretly synthesized from human remains.
(7): Following Joram Talid's logic regarding tradition, he would have humanity demand a seat on the Council immediately, rather than accept the honour of an embassy first and pursuing application for Council membership through proper diplomatic channels: the asari and salarians, as the first species to independently discover (or re-discover) the Citadel, established themselves as the first two members of the Council; while the turians were granted immediate appointment to the Council within a hundred years of first contact for their role in ending the Krogan Rebellions. Furthermore, the unofficial tradition and precedent for Council membership requires that the candidate species be capable of providing naval, material and economic resources and assistance and provide at least one instance of extraordinary service; both of which humanity had done.
(8): 'Cat's in the Cradle', a folk rock song released by Harry Chapin in 1974.
