Edit: The new addition is chapter 29 according to the site's numbering.


Thane

Thane melded with the crowd as he separated from his two companions. He would find this contact quicker if he was alone. Shepard may be an infiltrator on the battlefield, but his reputation made his presence here nearly impossible to hide. Garrus had been a C-Sec officer, trained to be a constant visual reminder of the law. Spotting either one of these men would send the potential informant to ground.

Garrus was also in no state for searching. His attention rested solely on his vendetta. Thane recognized the look in the turian's eye, mirroring the one he saw in his own while he was avenging Irikah's death. He would be useless until he achieved his goal.

The assassin thought about speaking with him, to pass on some words he wished he had heard during his own mission of revenge. But he recalled the rage that burned through him and how he allowed nothing to deter him from his path. Thane imagined that even Shepard would find Garrus to be distant and unwelcoming of advice, let alone a drell assassin who he had only spoken to a handful of times. So he left the turian alone, both on the Normandy and now. Hopefully, his mission would not destroy a piece him.

Thane knew that was unlikely. There was always a price. Unfortunately for Thane, that price was the life of his son, and he was unwilling to pay. Kolyat would not suffer because of the decisions he made.

He searched for nearly an hour before noticing a familiar face in the crowd. The young human was standing off to the side of a busy intersection, calling out to anyone who would listen about a Commander Shepard VI.

The boy had changed over the eight years since he had last seen him. He had grown over a meter. Short hairs began to grow in patches on his jaw, chin, and upper lip. His once wide-eyed and almost optimistic face had hardened. Still, Thane could see the child that stared up at him in wonder as he gave him credits and a gift for his service.

Thane pinged Shepard's comm.

"I'm here," he answered.

"I have found Mouse. Meet me here once you have finished Garrus' mission. I will keep my eye on him until you arrive."

There was a long pause. "I'll be there in fifteen."

They must have already been done if the man was able to respond so quickly. Thane wondered what had occurred. Shepard's tone gave no hint.

The human arrived in thirteen minutes and searched for the drell. Thane flanked him, allowing Shepard to sense his presence.

"Mouse is the one thirty degrees to your right," he said in hushed tones.

"He's just a kid," Shepard whispered back once he spotted him.

"Duct rats and former duct rats must fend for themselves. There is little need for innocence here."

He gritted his teeth but refrained from saying anything further on the topic. "So, how do you want to approach this?"

"Let me do the majority of the speaking. I believe I may understand his motivations better."

With the Spectre's nod, they approached the young man. Mouse looked expectantly at the two, hoping they were interesting in buying his product, but appeared stunned when he recognized the drell.

"Krios! I thought you retired. And Commander Shepard? I thought you died. What – what do you want with me?"

Thane put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He felt Mouse relax slightly under his touch. "Be still, Mouse. You can change your pants in a moment."

The young man's shoulders completely relaxed after that. There was even a faint smile.

"We just need some information, Mouse," Shepard added. If he was surprised that the boy knew Thane, he didn't show it.

"You gave another drell instructions for an assassination," Thane continued calmly. "I want to know the target."

"I – I don't know. I don't ask questions. The people I work for, they'll kill me if I give anyone anything. I'd like to help you, Krios. I would. You've always done right by us. But I don't want to die because of it."

Shepard stepped forward. "Look, you know Thane. He wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important. Do it for him."

"I want to, but…"

"No one is going to know you talked to us."

"Mouse, I swear you won't be named," Thane said.

He shifted nervously but finally relented. "All right, all right. He came with the holo of me you took all those years ago. Said he wanted a job. I ran through the old contacts to see who might give him a shot. The guy who offered was Elias Kelham."

"Thank you. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure Kelham doesn't find out it was me who told you. I'm as good as dead if you do."

Thane nodded and turned to leave, but Shepard spoke up, his face nearly unreadable.

"About those VI's of me you're selling."

"Shit! Listen, we thought you were dead. It's completely legal to make a VI of you."

Shepard smiled. "How about you give me one for free, and we call it even."

Mouse stared for a moment. "Yeah! Sure. Absolutely." He transferred the file. "Sorry about the whole…"

"It's all right, Mouse. Just try to stay out of trouble."

Once they were a comfortable distance away from the young man, Shepard asked, "So you know Mouse?"

Thane nodded. "When I heard the name, I didn't think it would be the same boy. He was one of the contacts on the Citadel when I was active. He and the other children would gather information on my targets."

"You used children?" Shepard asked. There was no heat or scorn in his voice. It was simply a question.

"Children. The poor. My people's word for them is 'drala'fa:' the ignored. They're everywhere, see everything. Yet they are never seen."

"It seemed like Mouse knew you pretty well."

Thane felt the familiar stir of a memory ready to overwhelm him. He didn't fight it.

"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."

The memory faded, bringing Thane back to the present. "He knew more about my life than Kolyat ever did. I was the only good thing he had." Guilt flooded in, replacing the emotions from the recollection. "But I left him, as I left my son."

"He obviously meant something to you. He said you had a holo of him?" Shepard continued, obviously used to his sudden treks into the past.

"Yes. A foolish bit of sentimentality." Thane draws the memory forward, allowing it to tell the tale. "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 at my palm. Then a frown crinkles his brow. He pats my pockets, searching for other holos. 'Where's your son, Krios?' he asks."

Another wave of guilt crashed over him. A "duct rat's" simple question had reminded him that he had more mementos from his work than from his son. He felt wholly unworthy of his title as father.

"Don't blame yourself," Shepard said.

Thane smiled sadly back. "If I don't, who will? We must all bear the weight of the decisions we make."

Shepard didn't respond, and the drell was aware that he had struck some exposed nerve with the comment. It was obvious the human was dealing with his own burdens. They haunted him during their conversations about his past with Cerberus.

They walked back to Captain Bailey in silence. Thane was too wrapped up in his failures to speak, and he assumed Shepard was in the same position. Once they arrived, the human explained to Bailey the situation.

"Kelham? Shit."

Shepard's eyebrow arched. "Is that a problem?"

"This is embarrassing." He rubbed the back of his neck. "He and I have a little understanding. If he doesn't cause too much trouble and buys tickets to the policeman's ball from me every year, I leave him alone."

Thane was prepared for a righteous rant from Shepard. In his previous encounters with corruption, no matter how insignificant it may seem, he always berated the individual. He's moral fiber seemed to require it from him.

However, instead of a lecture, he simply stated, "It's fine. Bring him in under my authority. I'll make sure you stay out of it."

The captain nodded before calling it in.

"That was… uncharacteristic of you," Thane whispered as they stepped away.

He tried to smile. It was small and unconvincing. "He doesn't have unlimited resources. If this deal with Kelham keeps people safe and limits the criminal activity in his district, then maybe it's for the best right now." He sighed. "I know what it's like, making deals with people that sicken you."

Apparently, what Thane had said before must have resonated with him.

"I never asked. How is Garrus?"

"Can't tell. He needs some time to sort through stuff."

Thane nodded knowingly. "Revenge is a powerful driving force."

"He let Sidonis live."

He was surprised by the statement. The turian was so adamant about his mission, yet it wasn't fulfilled as expected. Shepard must have had a hand in the outcome.

"Still," the drell added, "without that force, he will need to find a new reason to continue, or he may not wish to survive our mission."

"You sound like you know from experience. Is that why we're here?"

Thane shook his head. "My life is coming to an end, Shepard. If this mission doesn't kill me, my disease will. I'm in no need of motivation. I am here because I've removed many terrible people from the galaxy during my time as an assassin. Kolyat is the one good thing I've added to it. I will not see him tainted by my mistakes."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped walking and turned.

"That may be," Shepard told him. "But don't be surprised if you find something more."

Any response Thane would have given was interrupted by a madly sputtering man being dragged into an interrogation room. Captain Bailey approached the two men as soon as the doors closed.

"That was Elias Kelham. You better work quick. I'm sure his advocate will be here soon."

They wasted no time.

Neither did Kelham it seemed. As soon as they entered, he yelled, "You think you're funny, Bailey? Get me out of- Who the hell are you two?"

"My name is Troy Shepard. You're in those restrains because I wanted to talk to you."

Thane watched as the Kelham slowly recognized the name. His eyes widened, and his face paled.

"What does a Spectre want with me?"

"You hired an assassin. Who's his target?"

Kelham swallowed. "Joram Talid. A turian. He's running for office. He lives in the eight hundred blocks."

Shepard looked at Thane. He nodded back, telling him it was enough.

"Thanks, Kelham. You've been most helpful." He hit the release button on the chair.

The criminal stood and left as quickly as possible. He was obviously uncomfortable being stuck in the same room as Shepard.

"That may go under as the quickest interrogation in history," Thane said amused.

Shepard smiled. "Come on. We should let Bailey know about what we learned."

After a quick conversation with the captain and a ride to the location, Thane and Shepard were following Joram Talid, waiting for his son to make a move. They watched as the turian campaigned with an anti-human agenda, shook down merchants, and spoke with the mercenaries that acted as his body guards. The alien was corrupt to say the least, but that matter little to Thane. He just wanted to stop his son.

It wasn't until Talid neared his apartment that Thane saw the back of a drell starting to stalk his target. He assumed it was Kolyat and was acutely aware that he was too far to stop him. He watched as his son lifted the pistol and aimed it at the turian's back. The older drell waited for the shot, waited for the moment he failed to protect his son from himself.

But the gun never fired. In its place, he heard a yell.

"Kolyat!"

It was Shepard. Thane had never been more grateful for the human.

Kolyat spun, allowing Thane to see his son. It still startled him how much his boy had grown without him, but he could still see the child he knew him as. Memories came crashing down on him, but he fought them off. Thane could relive them later. Now, he must stop this.

Shepard's cry drew everyone's attention, causing the people to freeze. It was enough for the krogan bodyguard to recognize the threat and step in front of his ward just before Kolyat could turn back and fire a shot. The bodyguard crumpled but was still very much alive. Talid wasted no time running into his apartment with Kolyat hot on his trail.

"Thane!" Shepard called over the comms.

"I saw," he answered, trying to keep calm as he moved as fast as his feet would carry him.

"He headed into Talid's apartment."

The two found each other at the door of the complex and raced inside. Within moments, they found Kolyat standing over a kneeling Talid. The drell had a gun pointed at the turian's head.

Shepard raised his pistol at Kolyat. Thane didn't fault him for that (he was doing what a soldier is trained to do), but the drell couldn't point a gun at his own son.

Instead, he simply said, "Kolyat."

"This – this is a joke. Now? Now you show up?"

Thane fought another memory away. His son's voice had changed, growing into the rasp every drell gets as they achieve physical maturity.

He heard the turian say something and was aware of the door opening for C-Sec officers, but the sounds barely registered. His focus was on his son. Where it should have been since the moment Irikah passed away, he now realized.

"Get out of my way," Kolyat snapped. "I'm walking out of here. And he's coming with me."

"They will have snipers set up outside," Thane said, surprised by how even his voice sounded.

"I don't need your help!"

A shot rang out, and Thane thought it would be the last time he saw his son alive. But Kolyat was still standing, just flinching away from the sound of a bullet hitting the metal lamp beside him.

The younger drell looked at the fallen lamp. "What the hell?"

He turned back only to receive a punch from Shepard who had used the distraction he caused to step between Kolyat and his target. The human ripped the gun from his hand a moment later.

"Talid, get the hell out of here," Shepard said calmly.

More words were said, but, again, Thane didn't listen. He was too focused on the hate swirling in Kolyat's eyes, hate that was directed at him.

"You son of a bitch!"

Shepard spoke before Thane could. "Your father doesn't have much time left, Kolyat. He's trying to make up for his mistakes."

"What, so you came for my forgiveness?" Kolyat sneered. "So you can die in peace or something like that? What makes you think I want you to?"

Thane shook his head. That wasn't the reason he was here. He didn't deserve forgiveness. "I came to grant you peace. I wasn't there when your mother died."

"You weren't there when she was alive. Why should you have been there when she died?"

He couldn't bear the anger in his son's eyes. He dropped his gaze. "Your mother – they came for her to get to me. It was my fault."

"What?" Kolyat seemed surprised at his admission. He shouldn't have been. He probably blamed Thane for his mother's death, and he was right.

"After he body was given to the deep, I went to find them. The trigger men. The ringleaders. 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 you you wanted so long, huh," his son spat. Thane noticed his eyes were watering.

"Kolyat, I've done many bad things even if they were for the right reasons. You – you're the only thing I've ever been truly proud of. You're my redemption."

His son's eyes softened. There was still anger there which Thane knew that might never change, but there was something else as well. Understanding, acceptance, love? Thane didn't know which. But he wasn't about to let this opportunity to reconnect with his son pass him by.

Captain Bailey cleared his throat. "This isn't a conversation you should be having in front of a bunch of strangers. Boys, take Kolyat and his father back to the precinct. Give them a room and as much time as they need."

Thane nodded his thanks to the human before laying a tentative hand on Kolyat's shoulder. His son didn't move to remove it. It was small, but, at least, it was a start.


Author's Note:

I don't know why these last two chapters were so hard for me to write, but they're done now. Hopefully my muse will stop being a dick and give me some actual inspiration now.

As always, thanks for reading and please review.