Blood Lust

Shepard barely spoke to him since the night their conversation triggered a memory of Irikah and Kolyat playing—a memory he'd much rather have kept to himself. He expected her to question him about the woman and child he spoke of, but to his relief, she didn't. Instead, she excused herself, only offering him what he believed to be a reassurance that he would reunite with his family some day. Indeed, he would see Irikah again, quite soon, but not in the manner Shepard intended—if he understood her intention at all.

When she'd knocked on his door as they entered Tuchanka's orbit, it took him by surprise. She'd offered him a tentative smile when she came in, and she asked him to join her and Mordin to go look for his former student. She'd waved her hand, brushing aside the personalization of her request—she could've just as easily asked EDI to tell him to meet her at the shuttles as he knew she did with others on the crew—and made an allusion to thinking his infilitation skills might be of use. The look in her eyes when she'd met his gaze, though, told him his skills weren't truly the reason she wanted him along. It was the same look she had the night she'd told him she didn't know if she was real. He'd crossed the floor to stand in front of her and reached out, cupping her elbow in his palm for a brief moment as he told her he'd gather his things and meet her in the hangar. As he suspected, the nearly terrified look retreated from her gaze at the contact. Neither of them mentioned it at all.

By the time he'd made it to the shuttle, she'd wrapped herself tightly in her battle sleep, became the commander once more. The ride down to the planet's surface was filled with intermittent bursts of information from Mordin about his student, Maelon, followed by stretches of silence. Thane hadn't really had the opportunity to speak with Mordin beyond the few words exchanged in Dantius Towers and on the trip to the Normandy. He suspected the salarian wasn't one for socialization, seeming to prefer his lab to anywhere else on the ship, and so didn't judge Thane for his self-imposed solitude. He knew his absence during standard meal times drew whispers from some of the other crew.

He'd watched Shepard closely as she cut her way through Clan Weyrloc, it was as if the gods themselves guided the human's actions. He almost saw Amonkira's hand wrapping around hers, making her aim true. Arashu lending her shield to Shepard, as the human used it to keep watch over her ward, rushing into danger to provide cover to Mordin when his fear for his student urged him a little too close to the enemy. Kalahira's mercy, delivering death swift and with grace. It left him in awe of her.

Then, as she spoke with Mordin about his work on the genophage and looked over the corpses left in the wake of grotesque experimental trials performed by the clan—and the professor's student—her righteous rage at the krogan's suffering gave him clarity. She was a protector, he'd seen it in her all along, the way she fought and sacrificed to save the galaxy the most obvious, but even in the smaller things, like her concern for him and the others she'd taken aboard the Normandy. All the gods may have offered her their blessings, but she belonged to Arashu. A warrior-angle of the goddess, a siha. Few had the opportunity in their lives to meet one, how was it he'd managed to encounter two?

Yet it wasn't until they returned to the Normandy that he caught her limp, the tear in her armor catching his eye. She'd been injured, and it appeared she'd neglected to activate her Medi-gel. He wanted to believe she was merely too distracted, too upset over her discussions with Mordin and the discovery that Maelon willingly performed such horrid experiments in his misguided attempts to clear his conscious of the harm done to the krogan with his work on the genophage adaptation.

"Pain. Every time I take a bullet out there … every time I see my own blood oozing out of a wound, I feel alive."

But her own words showed him the truth of the matter. A siha she may be, but her wings were broken, and she struggled to learn to fly again. He cleared his throat, catching her attention, even as Mordin continued towards the elevator. She turned back to him, curiosity in her eyes as she searched his face.

He waited until the elevator door slid closed behind Mordin before taking a few steps closer to her, looking pointedly at her leg. "If you do not at least clean and close your wound, you risk a serious infection. Tuchanka is not a hospitable environment, and if I'm not mistaken, you intend to return to the surface with Grunt."

Her face fell, features taking on a sad cast as she shook her head. "I'll clean it, don't worry. It'll close on its own by morning, whether I want it to or not, thanks to Cerberus' implants."

"I see." Thane tucked his hands behind his back, unsure of what to make of the extent of alterations Cerberus made to her physiology.

She smiled, though it appeared forced. "You want to go with me when I take Grunt down?"

He dipped his head. "If you'd like."

"Might as well put you to work so long as we're in arid conditions," she said, tone taking on a teasing quality.

"Indeed." He chuckled, waving his hand toward the elevator, and they started walking again. "Urdnot Wrex seemed pleased to see you again."

She glanced at him, offering him a more genuine smile, voice soft when she said, "He did, didn't he?"

They parted ways on the Crew Deck as he stepped off the elevator and headed for Life Support and she continued on to her cabin. She'd informed him she intended to take a couple of hours to rest and 'refuel' before heading back down. He planned to spend that time in mediation after eating a light meal.

Instead, he'd spent the time sitting quietly, his thoughts focused on Shepard. He found he worried about her, afraid if she didn't find some way to resolve her existential crisis, she would wind up endangering herself in her quest to feel alive. The more time he spent with the human, the more he felt his battle sleep failing him, the edges peeling back, crumbling away from his soul like millennia old paint in the caves of his ancestral home. Ten years. He'd kept his battle sleep wound tightly around him for ten years, and now, so near the end, a human—another siha—would rip it away from him.

When EDI alerted him that Shepard was ready and waiting in the hangar with Grunt, Thane let out a weary sigh and stood. Collecting his weapons, he left Life Support and took the elevator all the way down.

Grunt paced the hangar, head swiveling toward the elevator when Thane stepped off. "About time." He made a sound somewhere between a snort and a growl, turning to the shuttle. "Come on Shepard, I want to get this taken care of."

Shepard glanced at Thane, eyes widened, eyebrows slightly raised and gave her head a little shake. Apparently the young krogan's behavior disturbed her. Thane wondered if it made her reconsider her stance on the genophage, though he suspected it did not. He made his way to the shuttle, waiting for her to climb inside before following and securing the door behind them. Lifting up, the shuttle maneuvered out of the Normandy, and Thane settled in for the long trip back to Tuchanka's surface.

It'd failed to surprise or impress him to see Gatatog Uvenk further inserting himself into Urdnot Wrex's decisions, attempting to persuade the Urdnot Shaman to refuse Grunt the Rite of Passage. It did, however, send a spark of shock and amusement through him to see Shepard rear back and headbutt the krogan. He'd been watching the krogan closely as he formed his complaints, identifying and cataloging five different ways he could kill Uvenk before the krogan could touch Shepard, another six before Uvenk could draw a weapon. She removed the need—temporarily, he suspected—by insulting the krogan in such a fashion. He fought back a smile as Uvenk stormed off, muttering his last threats.

They'd taken a Tomkah to the ancient grounds where countless krogan before underwent the Rite of Passage. Thane listened with interest as the clan Shaman bespoke of the history and importance of the ritual grounds, explaining how the creatures of Tuchanka answered the call of the keystone. Admittedly, he'd never really spent much time studying the culture and history of the krogan, as a species, they held little interest to him beyond being children of pure, innocent instinct, finding no need for guilt or remorse in the lives they took. To call them the brutes of the galaxy would be an understatement, but perhaps he'd underestimated the struggles and trials they undertook to earn such a title.

He recalled tales passed down to him from his father, lore of his own people prior to the hanar uplifting, ancient times when grand fights would be held in arenas. Drell pitted against all manner of beast and, at times, each other; the victor of such fights rarely survived to dawn, but their names were recorded in stone, and they continued to live on, their feats forever etched into the minds of the spectators. He wasn't sure how he felt about such a notion, but perhaps that was simply because for him, to be seen taking a life meant he'd failed at a very important aspect of his job.

Shepard honored him, trusting him to watch her 'six' while Grunt rushed headlong into battle, charging first varren and then klixen. If he'd expected her to take the easy route, find cover and wait out the attack when the thresher maw showed itself, he'd have been mistaken. Alas, he expected no less from Shepard than for her to face the enemy head on, especially since Grunt intended to do exactly that, too. He admitted, some part of him greatly enjoyed the thrill of the battle, man against beast, he could almost hear the chants his ancestors performed before great hunts, prayers to Amonkira, echoing back from ancient times in his ears. He caught Shepard's eye, and the fevered look to her gaze made him wonder if she heard something similar, the blood lust of her own people urging her on. It struck him in that moment, she was beautiful.

When at last the thresher maw let out a screech and collapsed, shaking the ground beneath their feet, Thane new the Rite of Passage must be, regrettably, at an end. Or so he thought. A shuttle descended, settling down amongst the ruins, Uvenk and his krantt stepping out once it landed.

Ah.

With the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, the call to violence deep, restless waves crashing against the inside of his skull, he struggled for a second to rein himself in, reminding himself of his place and duty. He turned to Shepard, lifting a brow ridge in question, and she frowned, leading the way over to Uvenk. It shamed him that it pleased him so much the krogan refused to listen to reason and resorted to violence, giving Thane the opportunity to quench that inborn thirst for just a few moments longer.

By the time they returned to the Urdnot camp, he'd composed himself completely. He stood off to the side, observing without intruding as Grunt finalized his rite, kneeling before the Shaman as he bestowed honor and right of name of clan upon Grunt. Shepard lingered next to Thane, her battle-rich scent filling the air around them, he found it … intriguing. He'd followed her back over to the dais where Wrex sat upon his broken, stone throne, listening as she spoke with her friend and ally, again, standing off to the side so as to be unobtrusive. Though she accepted Wrex had responsibilities to his people and must stay on Tuchanka, it was painfully obvious to Thane she desperately wished Wrex would join them on the Normandy … another anchor to her life before her death.

The ride back to the Normandy was filled with laughter and retelling of moments of glory between Grunt and Shepard. Thane contented himself to watch and listen to them, smiling and chuckling along with them from time to time. He only spoke when one or the other of them dragged him into the conversation, and he noticed, in those times, Shepard listened to him with rapt attention. He wished he understood why she seemed drawn to him, of all people … and why he felt drawn to her.

"I'm starving," Shepard said as the shuttle settled back down onto the hangar floor of the Normandy. She glanced at him, her gaze lingering, almost as if it refused to look away even as her head turned towards Grunt. At last, she shifted her eyes, turning her gaze to the newest member of clan Urdnot. "How about you guys?"

"I could eat." Grunt laughed, though Thane wasn't sure exactly what was meant to be funny about the statement.

"Indeed," Thane said when she turned her attention back to him.

She smiled. "Give me twenty to get cleaned up and meet me in the mess hall. I'll kick Gardner out and make us something myself, we should celebrate. Call in the rest of the crew, let them know our very own Grunt took down the thresher maw … with a little help."

"A little help," Grunt repeated, laughing again.

Thane felt a brief moment of disappointment, it occurred to him he'd hoped she might wish to do something more relaxing instead, engaging in quiet conversation with him as they ate. Still, she looked so pleased with the prospect, he couldn't bring himself to decline. Perhaps he should learn to be more sociable with the rest of the crew anyway. He returned her smile and dipped his head.

When he made his way to the mess hall a half hour later, he was shocked to find Wrex and several other krogan had come aboard. Rich, deep laughter echoed off the walls as the krogan took turns jostling Grunt around, slapping him on the hump and congratulating him for being the first since Wrex to kill the thresher maw. Thane hesitated, just about to turn around and retreat to the quiet solitude of Life Support when Shepard spotted him from across the mess hall. Her face lit up the moment her gaze met his, and she waved him over.

With a resigned sigh, he made his way through the crowd, deftly dodging the rowdy krogan who attempted to draw him into their shoving match, the scent of ryncol heavy on their breath. Garrus, Tali, and Wrex all stood near Shepard as she worked in the kitchen area. Even Dr. Chakwas had left the confines of the Med Bay to join in on the festivities, greeting Wrex with a warm smile.

"So, Wrex," Garrus said as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest, "hmmm, I hear you're working to unite the krogan clans. How's that working out so far?"

Wrex hoisted his shoulders up in a shrug. "There's a few fighting against the idea, but they'll fall in line. It might be a little easier now that Shepard went and killed off Gatatog Uvenk. 'Course I'd rather she'd let him live long enough to actually grow a quad and challenge me outright. Heh, would've been fun to tear into him myself."

"What are the krogan doing to prepare for the reaper invasion?" Garrus asked, mandibles fluttering a little before falling still again.

"Why? Afraid the Council's going to need us to save your asses again?" Wrex chuckled, the sound deep and resonate. "Don't worry, pyjak, when the reapers show up, the krogan will be right there. We're krogan. Where else would we be?"

Garrus smirked, flicking his mandibles. "I don't know, Wrex. Spending all this time sitting around, you might be getting too old and fat to fight the reapers."

Thane blinked, expecting such a remark to start a fight, but instead, Wrex lifted his head and let out a hearty laugh. Shepard chuckled, meeting Thane's gaze when he glanced at her. She seemed … happy. He wished the moment might last for her. He offered her a smile, and he swore he saw a spark of … something in her eyes.

He stayed near to Shepard, offering her assistance as she prepared food, undoubtedly not expecting to feed five additional krogan when she suggested cooking for the crew. Occasionally Tali or Garrus would make their way behind the counter, looking over Shepard's shoulder to offer comments about the dextro preparations, but otherwise everyone seemed to leave them alone as they worked.

Thane excused himself after eating, slipping away back to Life Support, longing for the silence. It wasn't long after when he heard a soft knock at his door, and EDI informed him Shepard wished to speak with him. He stood, turning towards the door as it slid open. Shepard glanced up, meeting his gaze, a cup of tea in each hand.

She hesitated, lingering over the threshold, the sounds of laughter and chatter drifting in behind her. "Mind if I come in?"

"Not at all." He turned, gesturing at the table. "Please, join me."

She crossed the room, stopping in front of him to hand him one of the cups. "You left without saying anything. Everything alright?"

"Ah. My apologies, I didn't wish to interrupt the festivities. You seemed to be enjoying yourself." He sat the cup on the table, returning to his chair as she sat across from him. "I suppose I'm not accustomed to such …."

"Loudness?" She grinned, arching an eyebrow.

He chuckled, dipping his head. "Indeed." Tilting his head a little to the side, he added, "You needn't leave your company for my sake, though."

She shrugged. "It was starting to get a little loud for me, too. It's good though, knowing everyone else is out there having fun. I just hope the krogan don't tear apart the bulkheads or anything."

He smiled. "I'm sure Cerberus will be able to repair any damages."

Snorting softly, she took a drink of her tea and let out a sigh. "In that case, let them rip the whole damn ship apart and make Cerberus replace it."

"I would prefer to dock somewhere, first," he said with smirk.

She let out a bark of laughter, the sound cynical and dry. "Yeah … don't really want to get spaced again. Once was enough for me."

Thane winced inwardly, it was a thoughtless statement. "Jane, I—"

She held up a hand, bringing his apology to a halt. "Relax, Thane. I'm not going to fall apart at the mere insinuation, I'm not that fragile, I swear. Humans … we have a way of making fun of ourselves, making light of serious situations, it helps us to cope with things."

"I see." He took a drink of his tea, noting it wasn't the same chamomile as before, but something richer, with a hint of spice and cream. He hummed. "This is good."

"I'm glad you like it. It's called chai latte." She smiled. "So, it's been a few days since we've really talked. Are you settling in a little better?"

"I believe I am, yes." He nodded. "I explored the ship more completely, over gamma shift three nights ago, while things were quiet and still. It provides me with a certain reassurance knowing exactly where things are located, where others sleep."

She nodded, then raised her eyebrow. "Did you go up to the Captain's Cabin?"

"No, of course not." He blinked, disappointed that she'd think so little of his respect for her personal space. "I wouldn't enter your private quarters without invitation, least of all while you slept."

She smirked, pushing away from the table and standing, jerking her head toward the door. "Come on."

He looked up at her, tilting his head, confused. "Where are we going?"

"Up top." She said, waving him up from the chair. "Might as well take the full tour, get it out of your system."

He hesitated, admittedly curious, both professionally and personally to see the rest of the ship … to see where she lived, so to speak. He chuckled, dipping his head to her. "As you wish." He stood, setting his tea on the table.

"Go ahead and bring it with you, if you want." She nodded toward the cup, so he picked it back up.

He followed her out of Life Support, the raucous sounds even louder in the mess hall than when he left. She stopped in front of the elevator and pushed the call button, the doors sliding open almost instantly. They stepped inside, and Shepard pressed the button for the top deck. When the elevator opened again, it was onto a small foyer facing another set of doors. Thane moved out after her, stopping in the foyer to take in the spaces to the right and left of the elevator, opening into shafts, for maintenance perhaps, but a weakness one could exploit, bypassing the elevator to make their way into her cabin. He glanced back at Shepard, finding her watching him with a soft smile on her face.

"I know," she said. "They lead to access panels in the Armory and Tech Labs. Probably meant to give me alternative escape routes in the event the ship is breached, but …."

"It only makes you vigilant for someone coming up from beneath," he said, finishing her thought.

"Exactly." She pushed her palm against the green glow of the door's control release and stepped inside. Glancing back over her shoulder at him, she jerked her head towards the cabin.

Thane dipped his head, taking that for invitation and crossed the threshold, stopping just inside to tuck his free hand behind his back. He glanced around, surprised by the size of the Captain's Cabin, as well as the apparent luxury it afforded her. Perhaps the most opulent item in the room was the aquarium stretching out over half the wall on his left. Glancing at her again, she dipped her head to him, and he moved further inside, stopping to look at the Illium skald fish swimming around in the tank.

She moved past him, down a short set of stairs and disappeared off to the right of the room. "Take your time, look around. There's couches down here, if you want to sit."

The show of trust wasn't lost on him, he smiled, though she couldn't see. "My thanks." He turned, taking note of the desk, the overturned photograph frame drawing his interest more than the display case filled with model ships above the desk. He hesitated only a moment, curiosity winning out, she did tell him to look around. He crossed the space, picking up the frame and finding a picture of a human man, he recognized the face as Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. The man stood by Shepard's side as she presented her evidence to the Council, proving Saren's involvement with the geth attacks, and then as the Council made her Spectre.

She'd mentioned him to Thane, briefly, once before while speaking about her old crew, and doing so upset her. Glancing around, he saw no other photographs, just the one of the lieutenant. Curious his picture would be the only she had, even curiouser it would be turned over. Their reunion must've been a difficult one for her, perhaps it pained her to even see his face. He turned the picture back over, careful to leave it just as he found it and glanced over the medals pinned to velvet sitting beside the frame. They held no meaning to him, but clearly they were important to her.

A soft, shuffling sound drew his attention to the shelf behind him, and he saw another small tank, this one filled with wood shavings and a tiny, furred creature snuffling about in its food dish. The creature looked up at Thane and jumped, running back to hide in the small enclosure against the wall of the tank. He chuckled, moving over to open the door next to the shelf, finding a bathroom. Turning back, he took a moment to look at the collection of model ships before making his way to the stairs.

She looked up from a datapad, meeting his gaze. "Gaudy, isn't it?"

He chuckled and dipped his head, stepping down off the last step. "Indeed. Am I to assume this is different from the original Normandy?"

Dropping the datapad down on the table in front of the couch, she picked up her tea and leaned back. "Way different. Oh sure, there are similarities, just enough to make it feel familiar and like home, but it's not the same at all." She tilted her head towards the seats on the couch perpendicular to where she sat. "Have a seat, live like royalty for a few minutes and laugh at the peasants down below living in squalor."

He laughed, a bit louder than usual for him, and it brought a wide smile to her face. Moving over, he sat down where she'd indicated, relaxing against the back of the couch. "It is nice, though. Quiet, tranquil even."

She stood up and crossed the floor to a control panel and activated it, glancing up at the ceiling. He followed her gaze to see a shutter slide open above her bed, revealing the stars.

"At first … I kept this closed all the time, it reminded my too much of floating off into space," she said, voice soft, drawing his attention back to her as she crossed back over to the couch. "Now, I open them sometimes. It makes me feel a little less trapped by Cerberus, the Normandy a little less like a gilded cage."

"Gilded cage?" Thane raised a brow ridge, sipping his tea.

"It just means a cage is a cage, no matter how nice you make it look," she said with a shrug.

"Ah." He drank his cooling tea, taking a moment to enjoy the silence, looking up at the ships behind and above her. "Did you put them together yourself?"

She turned sideways on the couch, drawing her leg up onto the cushion, looking at the model ships. "I did." She pursed her lips and nodded. "It's a good way to kill time between missions, when everyone else is asleep."

"That is Sovereign, is it not?" He raised a brow ridge when she met his gaze again.

"Yeah." She scoffed. "Bought it at Citadel Souvenirs. Ironic, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Indeed."

Silence filled the air again as they both stared at the ships, but after a few moments, Shepard propped her elbow on the back of the couch and threaded her fingers through her hair, resting her head on her hand. "Can I ask you something personal? You don't have to answer it, if you don't want to."

Curiosity to see what she'd ask urged him to accept. "Very well."

Still, she hesitated. After a moment, she took a sip of her tea and then asked, "The memory the other night. Was that of your family? And if it was, do they know where you're at? What you're doing here, how risky it is?"

He should've known. He glanced down at his cup of tea, fighting back the waves of memories throwing themselves against his will. Swallowing, he cleared his throat when at last he felt he had control. "My family, yes. I—my wife … she has gone to the sea, many years ago. Our son," he said before stopping to clear his throat again, trying to ease the knot choking him, another layer of his battle sleep crumbling away. He didn't know why he chose to share something so personal with her. Perhaps because she'd been so willing to share such personal things with him, but he felt compelled to continue. "I left him in the care of his aunts and uncles, though he is a man now and has likely moved from their home. I haven't—I don't—I am no longer a part of his life, it is better this way. Safer, for him."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Her voice sounded truly remorseful, and though he wanted to reassure her, he couldn't bring himself to say anything or even meet her gaze. She took a deep breath. "I just thought … nevermind, I apologize."

He took slow, steady breaths, finding the strength to speak again. "No need. But you will understand if I don't wish for this to be made public knowledge."

"Of course."

"My thanks." After a few moments more, his calm returned enough to meet her gaze. "Perhaps you'll indulge me in a personal question?"

"Seems only fair." She offered him a soft, apologetic smile.

He gestured beyond the display case. "There is a photograph turned over on your desk."

She chuckled. "That's not a question. But, yes, there is. It's of Kaidan."

Her mirth gave him the courage to press. "It seemed to bring you discomfort when you mentioned him the other night."

"We became romantically involved on the old Normandy, and I thought I actually meant something to him. He meant something to me." She hesitated, lips parted, pulling in a deep breath. "But, when I found him on Horizon, he couldn't see past the Cerberus logo. He looked at me with disgust, there was so much disdain in his voice as he ridiculed me for being with Cerberus, and for having dragged Garrus into it, too. He wasn't willing to hear any explanation I might offer. It hurt. A lot."

Thane raised a brow ridge, daring to push a little further. "Surely the intimate nature of your relationship afforded you some level of trust?"

"You'd think," she said with a scoff. "Later, he sent me an apology letter, if you can call it that, but I couldn't bring myself to respond. I don't hate him or anything, and … I guess I forgive him. I understand, after all Cerberus is Cerberus … but I'll never be able to forget that look on his face. I'll never be able to look at him again and not feel that rejection, when I needed him the most." She huffed a wry laugh. "I think Garrus wanted to punch him. If I'm being completely honest, I did, too." Letting out a loud sigh, she forced a smile on her face. "Well, aren't we just depressing?"

The statement stung a little, he'd pushed her too far, asked for more than she'd wanted to share. "Perhaps we can talk about something else."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Ah. Your thoughts on the krogan genophage," he said, giving voice to the first thing to come to mind. "I have not met many who share your views."

"No?" She asked, despite not seeming surprised by the statement. She hummed. "What are your views?"

He took a moment to consider his response, wanting to choose words that conveyed his thoughts without carrying offense. "I believe the krogan are a volatile people, and yet, as with all live, I believe they have the right to self-determinate. It is not for us to impose our will on them, not for us to hold their progress hostage. We should certainly defend ourselves against them, should the need arise, but the genophage isn't a defensive maneuver, it is an oppressive one. And one that leaves little real opportunity for the krogan to evolve as a civilization."

A genuine smile spread across her face. "I'm glad to hear you see it that way." She sighed. "I think Mordin regrets it more than what he's willing to admit. It sounded like he was really reaching to justify it to himself, or maybe that's just my wishful thinking."

"I thought much the same, but I don't believe it is something that can be forced on him. He must come to the conclusion on his own." Thane paused, considering Maelon's words and actions. "Perhaps seeing his student driven to madness in his own struggle to accept his role in the krogan's suffering will encourage him to reevaluate."

"Mordin's old, for a salarian, he doesn't have too many years left." She leaned forward, picking her cup up from the table and took a swallow before setting it back down. "He saved the research, maybe … maybe he'll decide to do the right thing while he still has the chance."

"Perhaps." Thane tilted his head to the side. "Though, it's unlikely the Council will allow such a thing to go unchecked, should he cure the genophage."

"True." She let out an unexpected growl of frustration. "God, they're all a bunch of assholes. Except Anderson, of course, but I don't honestly know what he'd say about curing the genophage."

"The fears the galaxy holds about the krogan aren't unjustified," he said, offering her another piece to help balance her internal scales.

She sighed, head moving in a slight nod. "No, I suppose they're not."

"Your friend, Wrex, seems to be moving his people in the right direction." Thane was truly impressed by the work the krogan had already managed to achieve.

"He's trying, but you heard Uvenk." She waved a hand. "He wasn't the only one to see things his way."

"No change comes without those who oppose it, siha." Thane stopped, blinking once, and then once again. He had no intention of calling her siha, why had he done so? "My apologies," he said, before she could question the slip, though the confusion was clear in her eyes. He hoped she wouldn't ask, but he could see the words there, already forming on the tip of her tongue.

"Siha? That sounds familiar, I must've seen it somewhere, when I was looking into drell." She lifted her eyebrows. "What does it mean?"

Either she truly didn't recall him referring to Irikah as siha in his memory, or she was offering him the opportunity to save face, as humans called it. He wasn't sure which. Either way, heat crept into his frills, and he scrambled to compose himself.

Embarrassed, Thane coughed into his fist. "Ah. It is … one of the warrior-angels of the goddess Arashu. Watching you in battle today, you reminded me of a siha. Fierce in wrath. A tenacious protector. It was a slip of the tongue, as you'd say, I didn't intend to call you such."

"Hmm." She pursed her lips. "That's too bad."

"Oh?" He raised his brow ridge, watching her with curiosity and inexplicable hope.

Lips slowly turning upward in a smile, she said, "I like it."