All references, names, and places are fictional and draw upon/extend from original characters and events in the storyline of Mass Effect 1–3, Prelude to Drell and Drell I-III….Artwork is property of SpecialDelivery.2/The_Writerz_Bloque, both author pseuds on FFN and AO3, respectively.

Rating M for mature.

Sex, violence, language.


This Kind of Love

Summary:

Braith Shepard meets Casnar Soterios on the eve of her return to Lothiraxl after touring the galaxy with the Alliance post-Reaper War….She learns who he is, simultaneously discovering that Thane's Kepral's has returned….and Thane has asked something of Braith to keep her involved with his family—as well as Casnar's.


Chapter 1


2190

She stood outside Nolyn Tower, bending her neck backward to look up at its heights….The doors to the lobby opened, welcoming her into the cool conditioned air….She saw more than a few faces she recognized, and they all turned to greet her.

Most were from her crew of the Normandy, and they had arrived early.

"Ready to see your prison for the remainder of your Alliance career, Commander," Jeffrey "Joker" Moreau lowered his hand from a salute by Jacob Taylor and James Vega, one former and the other current crewmates of Braith Shepard.

"Haha, so funny," Braith followed them to the lifts on the side of the lobby, "….It's a desk job with a stable income, and we're now considered 'support' instead of 'tip of the spear', Joker….Hackett's words….Now where's my cell," the men chuckled as the lift door opened and they filed inside….Braith passed the threshhold of the lift and stood with Joker at her right, Jacob behind her, and James at her left….The door slid closed, and Joker made the request to the lift's computer to ascend to Braith's office on the top floor, the lift abruptly accelerating and causing everyone to grab the walls or shoulders and arms together.

The door opened onto the top level….Braith stepped out first.

Her grey eyes smiled at who she saw turning to her to greet their arrival—Thane Krios and his son, Kolyat, both handsome drells if she knew of any. She walked towards both of them as they backed up and led her to the offices, the others emptying from the lift….She noticed briefly the walls made of silver metal and reflecting her with minor warping of she in an Alliance uniform, blue navy and black buckles with gold piping on her shoulders and along her arms and legs as she walked through….The walls were perfectly flat, but bowed down only at the ceiling where they joined together in a wide channel of mirror-like metal and recessed interior lights.

She whistled as she saw out the windows that appeared once she stepped through the lift hall into the lounge area set with drinks, coffee, some food, before the deeper offices which turned blue from halite-silver walls. She looked down the boulevards on either side from so high up, and saw the glistening city of Lothiraxl and its towers of endless, shimmering quality, reflecting the dawning sky….Kolyat and Thane led her onwards, passed the lounge into the first of her offices, where sat a great glass desk with a console on the right, loaded with various ports and tech included, and a recessed screen that sank into the partition at the front of it, attached to the floor….Beside the desk stood a surprise in blue and silver metal—a droid. Braith held her hand out to the female model, "….I didn't expect to see a synthetic here," she looked into the glowing blue eyes, "….Braith Shepard," but the droid did not shake her hand, and its smile seemed solid and immovable until it spoke.

"A pleasure, Commander. My name if it pleases you to know is Andali Five," the droid's artificial lids closed and opened, blinking off the blue glow briefly, "….I will be at your service, Commander. Would you like a beverage, hors d'oeuvres?"

"Not right now," Braith shook her head, "…Do you need anything I can get for you?"

"Ah, Commander, it's not EDI," Jacob entered the office, holding two beers in his hands.

"And EDI would tell you if she wanted something if she didn't have a body to just get up and take it," James entered, popping his thumb in his mouth to follow the hors d'oeuvres he'd just sampled with some sort of cream and relish.

"EDI…a woman at the core…." Joker laughed somewhat nervously, stuffed a cracker in his mouth and made to leave, "….I need to get back to PT—sorry, folks….I don't get to fly the Normandy around anymore, so if I'm going to flex any muscles these days, it's got to be down a few levels in the clinic Chakwas and Michel opened up here….Even if these glutes are a little too shriveled to show off to the aides."

Braith snorted in her typical laughter, and bumped into something—or someone—Thane caught her as she turned, his hand alighting supportively on her lower back….Kolyat left with James and Jacob to check out more of the platters and to help themselves to the free drinks.

Braith and Thane continued into the deeper offices—she pushed him roughly against the wall suddenly, with his back to the front of the offices, once they'd stepped out of view of the droid at Braith's desk. Braith ran her fingers through the red tebral folds of his throat, and suckled on his lip before letting him breath again….He took hold of her hand on his neck and raised an eyeridge, green and hooded over his lens tint of black-on-green iris…She nuzzled up to him, pressing close against his shape through the fitted suit he wore, "….What have you been up to while I've been on tour for the annual assessment of the Council-plagued galaxy, Thane?…" She squeezed his fingers, smiling at his furtive grin, "….I've been sitting in on meetings with Hackett, shaking hands and rubbing elbows with Alliance brass and Councilors, serving my just punishment for surviving and not Anderson."

Thane relaxed, then turned them both with controlled finesse so that her back was now against the wall, and her hand remained behind her head, his fingers coming down from hers to her chest, and lower to the buttons of her uniform over her abdomen, "….I have been visiting family that has moved here from Kahje and Rakhana, Siha," he sniffed her neck, and touched her cheek with his nose, inhaling her spice, "….and spending time with my son while I awaited your return….and as part of the celebration tonight in honor of your return," his hand's knuckles brushed under the jacket of her uniform, going lower—and slower—to the zipper of her pants, "…I have arranged a dinner with my family….You will meet Kolyat's aunts, cousins, an uncle or two on my side….one on Kolyat's mother's side."

Braith smiled through her teeth, "….Great….Can I take a raincheck?…." He gave her a stern look and withdrew his hand from her thigh….Braith pouted immediately, "…Fine….Meeting the family always was the only way to get you naked in my bed on the Normandy…" Thane chuckled and kissed her hand….She freed her arm from behind her head and wrapped both arms about his neck, walking him backwards from the wall and into the rear office as they kissed.