Chapter 16

Illium. Last day

Yes, I moved the scene between Kelly and Lena from after the scuffle between Lena and Ghasvin to inside the ship. It feels more appropriate this way as someone made me notice.

Good reading everyone

Illium. Residential districts. 25 march 2185. 09 21 local hour

It was almost over: thanks to the intel relied on them by Liara the last night Shepard had discovered the location of Thane Krioss, the Drell Assassin and last entry on his files. Once again, the assistance of her former companion proved to be invaluable and, after a short battle inside a complex of buildings belonging to Nassana Dantius, Shepard finally managed to recruit the assassin inside his team. It was an odd fellow, this Thane: polite, quite silent, respectful, the exact contrary of what Shepard had expected from a man with the reputation of a merciless killer. Still, nothing could be said about his proficiency: a Drell that manage to infiltrate one of the most secure palace of Illium, move undetected through dozens of veteran mercenaries, top of the line mechs and cutting edge security systems and, last but not least, kill his quarry and all of the bodyguards surrounding the target in less than three seconds is a Drell worth recruiting.

All in all, this mission proved to be nothing more than a formality: they moved toward the target, put down the few idiots and mech that survived Thane's passing and still tried to stop them, reached the end of the palace and recruited their target without much of a fuss.

And yet, despite this stroke of good luck, everyone could see that something was nagging the back of commander Shepard's mind. The way he gripped his gun, the brisk movements he made while moving, the light scowl frowning his face from time to time, even the way he dispatched the enemy mercs inside the skyscraper were proof of this. Brisk and ruthless. Enough to worry the companions chosen for this mission.

"Shepard." quipped Kasumi behind the commander. Even the heavy hood the girl always used to cover her face could not hide the worry escaping from her face "Why the long face? The mission is over without a hitch. We got a new agent under our wing and everyone is fine. What is the problem?"

"You want to know?" replied Shepard darkly "Then take a look at this." and shoved the Omni-tool right into her face. The said Omni-tool that was now literally clogged in messages.

"Ten hours. No more than ten hours have passed since Lena's incident with that Batarian slaver, and I have already received two-thousands messages from across the entire galaxy! The Batarian Hegemony, the council of matriarchs, the Alliance high command, even the Migrant fleet has sent messages to me! All asking, pleading, ordering or flattering me into consigning Lena to them. Two fucking thousand, Kasumi!" Shepard's voice was nothing more than a growl at this point

"And this is not even the best part. I have also received reports from the Illium security centre, reports telling me that a literal tidal wave of bounty hunters, mercenaries and slavers is about to flood the planet. Guess why? Lena of course. Even the cursed council is asking me to come back to the Citadel. For a -briefing-, they said. Briefing my ass! They want to detain Lena with some excuse and are using me as bait. This is a mess Kasumi, and I doubt that even my Specter authority will save us if we remain for another day inside this cursed planet!"

Shepard's shoulders slumped heavily under the sheer amount of pressure he was currently feeling

"Liara was wrong. Illium is not simply heating up. It is about to fucking explode, and we are in the middle of the crater! EDI has informed me that only in the last three hours she had repelled two-hundreds hacking attempts on her main-frame and that more are coming. Add to all of this the fact that my secretary is currently in the infirmary, meaning that I have to deal with all this paperwork by myself and Liara seems obsessed with the Shadow Broker, to the point to literally demanding my help, and now maybe you will understand why I am feeling so tired."

"Is that bad, Shepard?" asked Zaeed behind them. Shepard simply looked at the old merc and sighted. Heavily.

"Well I will be damned!" whistled the old merc back at Shepard "The high and mighty of the galaxy united all together for one purpose: grabbing a goddam piece of that white ass."

"Damn straight. And this is also the reason why we are leaving this damn planet once this mission is over. We shall finish refurbishing the Normandy on the Citadel, where hopefully we shall have fewer mercs strapped on our asses. Let's move now, team! The sooner we end this mess the better."

Replied Shepard to his crew. The commander quickly closed his Omni-tool and darted once again toward Liara's office, opening a way through the still crowded streets of Illium, moving alongside people of all races, gender and age still milling around in the streets, moving for work or fun. In his mind, he hoped that what Liara wanted from him was nothing more than a quick job. Something to do in one minute just before going back to his oh so far bed.

Unfortunately, destiny had other plans in mind for him.


Normandy's infirmary. Same moment.

A pair of silver eyes looked emotionlessly at Kelly's carefully couched frame. They dwelled on every inch of the girl's body, stopping especially at her wounded leg now carefully wrapped in a metal cage and covered in medi-gel.

They were alone, apart from EDI's constant presence. No one else had been wounded during the mission and doctor Chackwas was currently outside her infirmary, grabbing some much-needed rest after patching up Kelly's leg in the middle of what was her time off. Of course, like any self-respecting doctor, she quickly moved inside the infirmary without complaining once hearing about the emergency, but after two hours of complex working on Kelly's leg coupled with careful checkings, everyone could see the bags under her eyes and no one dared to stop her from hitting her bed once she was reasonably sure that her patient was out of danger.

Not a single word escaped from Lena's lips, content to simply watch over Kelly with the zeal of a loyal hawk, silent and deadly.

Definitively not what she had expected when Kelly asked EDI to summon her.

"Ehm….Lena" Kelly tried to break the ice "I heard that in the end, Miranda's squad found Raina before it was too late. How is she?"

"Fine," replied Lena curtly, her voice laced with neither the anger nor annoyance Kelly would have expected after such an ordeal. Truth to be told, Kelly sensed no emotion at all, something that unnerved her evermore.

Some tense seconds passed, Lena still refused to speak back to Kelly and the whirring of the machines was the only sound heard inside the infirmary, until Kelly decided to have another go.

"So, feeling better?"

"I survived." another laconically replies, but this time Kelly lost her temper.

"Then, would you kindly tell me what is wrong with your head?! You look like an automaton Lena, and I do not enjoy speaking with a person incapable of using more than two words per sentence. Have I made you angry somehow? Are you angry? In distress? Talk to me!" replied Kelly to Lena, her hands moving angrily on the air in an effort to stem her annoyance.

Lena's mood still refused to change, with nothing on her posture showing any sign of distress, of pain or even annoyance. She simply kept looking at Kelly with the composure of a statue, scanning every inch of her wounded body, betraying no emotions from her silvery eyes. Kelly sighed in defeat and almost scoffed at Lena when, all of a sudden, the Claymore spoke

"Why are you still worried about me Kelly?" asked Lena simply

This was the last sentence Kelly had expected to hear

"Sorry what?" she asked flabbergasted. In response, Lena approached her friend and touched her wounded leg with the delicacy of a feather. truth to be told Kelly felt a shiver down on her spine when she felt Lena's hand but managed to hide it quite well.

"I said, why are you still worried about me?" repeated Lena, this time with a bit more emotion in her voice

"Why should I not?" replied Kelly, not understanding the reason behind these words. Lena did not answer immediately. Instead, one of her fingers moved toward Kelly's leg and poked at the cast holding her leg still

"Why? Have you seen the state of your leg lately? Have you already forgot that you are here, in the infirmary, because of me?" Now Lena's emotionless tone was gone, replaced by a sound akin to a clap of thunder, reverberating inside the small infirmary with the strength of a storm

"You almost died Kelly, and before coming here EDI told me that you will be stuck here for an entire week, all because of me!"

The white hand on Kelly's leg traced the cast's silhouette, where Lena knew now lie a long, thin scar scampering through most of her calf

"This" pointed Lena "Is my fault, and it is my fault because monsters like me should never mingle with humans."

Kelly almost chocked on her air after hearing this declaration but Lena stopped her, refusing to hear any words coming from her

"What?! No Lena, you are wrong in this! You should not"

"You almost died Kelly!" she snapped back "And this happened because you were with me! Just like back on the island, anyone that comes near a Claymore like me risk death! For your good, you must forget about me, Kelly."

Without saying another word, Lena turned away from Kelly and started moving toward the exit, uncaring of Kelly's surprised gasp

"Farewell Kelly. Thanks for everything," she whispered next to the door but, a second before she could open it, a voice behind her stopped her in her tracks

"Lena! Stop your bloody legs and turn toward me. NOW!" it was Kelly's voice, but different. Angry and full of authority. Now that she thought of it, had Lena ever heard Kelly raising her voice since she had seen her inside the Normandy?

Reluctantly, Lena turned away from the door and looked at Kelly. She was still laid down on her medical bed, but her eyes were now blazing with fury.

Yes. This was definitively new.

"Good. Now come here! And do not utter a single word. Am I clear?" snarled Kelly again, and again Lena obeyed, too surprised by Kelly's sudden change to even try to protest. The Claymore approached Kelly uncertainty, unsure about what to do, and lowered her head toward Kelly.

Then, right into that moment, Kelly slapped her in the face. Hard.

It was a comical sight. Like looking at an angry kitten biting and clawing against an old wolf, with the wolf too stunned by the look to it to even try to react.

Lena jerked instinctively, more out of surprise than true pain. Her right cheek was throbbing right now and her silver eyes widened in utter surprise.

"Kelly...what?" she tried to ask, but Kelly quickly stopped her

"Save it! Save me your self-wallowing bullshit Lena. Today I am not in the mood!" snapped Kelly back to the Claymore "I tried to be gentle, to help you recover from your traumas. God himself is the testimony that I tried my best, but enough is enough!" One hand grabbed Lena's face, uncaring of the fact that her body was still tied to the medical bed. Many straps and medical devices protested to this with a loud beeping, but Kelly simply ignored them.

"You are not a monster. Would you kindly shove this idea inside that thick skull of yours already? Yes, you are different from the average human and, as a soldier, you kill people for a living! Big fucking surprise! Should I treat you differently from Jacob and Shepard only because you do it with a sword instead of a rifle?! And before you retort" effectively Lena was trying to muster her words for a comeback, only to be stopped by Kelly once again "You are not all that different from Shepard. With all the enhancements and modifications Cerberus used for reconstructing him, I doubt he can be still dubbed as a human. The less is said about what truly happened to Miranda or Jack, the better. Do you see them as monstrosities?"

Lena's flabbergasted face barely managed to move in denial.

"Then is the same for you. For the love of God why do you still refuse to see it?" a finger stabbed Lena's chest. She knew that the wound was long gone, not even a scar left, but that was the place where Lena had shot herself to save her "A monster is a soulless creature caring only for herself, but you? You could have left me alone, just ran toward the ship and forget about me. Instead, you stood your ground and protected both me and Raina without hesitation. Hell! You took a fucking bullet for me. These are the action of a good person, Lena. Just accept it."

"But you still got hurt because of me!" tried weakly to protest Lena, pointing at her injured leg "I am their target and you ended in the crossfire."

"So fucking what?" replied Kelly hotly "Hello? Earth to Lena! maybe no one told you, but we are hunting the Collectors! We are hunting down the most dangerous species of the galaxy with only a light frigate and no other support whatsoever. Every day we venture in the space we risk our life my dear, and you are worried about me dying because of a pathetic slaver? Besides yes, yesterday I risked my life, but you were here for me, so is all right."

Lena could not believe in what she was hearing. A single tear escaped from her silver eyes, her stony gaze now completely shattered by Kelly's offensive. Something that her friend quickly noticed and used to press the attack

"And monsters do not cry, Lena" continued Kelly relentless. One hand delicately snatched Lena's tear and showed it to the Claymore as a trophy while the other grabbed Lena's right hand "But what I see here are tears. Now, promise me this. Promise me that you will stop this charade. That you will finally look at yourself and see a human in the mirror, not a monster."

"I….i"

"Promise me, Lena!" Kelly's grip on Lena tightened in reaction, to the point that it almost hurt Lena.

"Ok ok!" shouted Lena, still dazed and confused "I promise you, Kelly. I will do as you say."

A kind smile finally reappeared on Kelly's face and the girl freed Lena from her grasp.

"Good!" wheezed the girl, the rage coursing from her body finally dissipated. "Then stop looking at me with that face. You needed to hear this cold shower sooner or later. Changing argument, what happened to all the dresses we had to leave during our escape?"

"Ehm...well, Illium security guards found most of them and brought them back to the Normandy, although some of them are still missing."

"Oh really!?" replied Kelly with a smirk "Are you telling me that the Illium security lost some of the dresses we bought? And the lost dresses are, all by coincidence, the risqué ones that made you blush like a schoolgirl back on the outlet? Am I right?!"

"Ehm...well...something like… that yes!" stammered Lena trying to gather a response

"All available agents reporting on the bridge!" announced EDI's voice all of a sudden

"Saved by the bell," commented Kelly snarky

"I...i have to go Kelly. Will be back as soon as I can." stammered Lena back, grateful for this unexpected assist

"Yes yes. Runaway from me, but this is not over." shouted Kelly back to the Claymore, just a second before she disappeared "Once I am out of here, I am gonna make an accurate inventory of what was irretrievably lost, and buy it back on the double. Clear?"

Lena's only answer was a very unladylike yelp.


One minute later. Inside the briefing room

"The situation is simple: the recruitment mission is over and success. Shepard has informed me that soon we will receive a visit from our new Drell candidate, but ten minutes ago Shepard also informed me that a Shadow Broker's agent has just attacked our Asari informer, Liara T'soni. The commander moved to investigate alongside another Spectre, only to discover some minutes later that said Spectre was a traitor working for the Shadow Broker itself. According to the last message, they are now in pursuit of this Spectre all while being constantly harassed by the Shadow Broker's army and requesting support."

Miranda's voice curtly informed the rest of the squad all while a hololitic generator displayed a map of Shepard's current position. According to the map, Shepard was currently pursuing this runaway Spectre, this Vasir, across the highly trafficked space roads of Illium with a Taxi of all machines, all while being constantly followed and hammered by enemy gunships showing an unknown signature. It almost sounded like a joke, but no one wanted to laugh right now, let alone Lena.

There was a new soldier in town. The Justicar that Shepard had just recruited was here with them, looking silently with her crystal eyes to the map, and Lena had to admit that the Asari was impressive in her way. The pattern of her armour, the simple way she moved, the clarity on her eyes, all signs screaming to Lena that this Asari was not your average run of the mill soldier. There was also a strange, menacing aura all around her. A feeling that she felt only once when glancing at some armoured zealots guarding the doors of the baptistery back on the city of Rabona, only cranked up to eleven with this Asari.

Definitely not someone she wanted to have as an enemy.

"We will take two of the interceptor class drop-ships we have in the hangar, and close into the fleeing Spectre in a pinching manoeuvre." The hololitic image inside the room changed in a predictive algorithm prepared by EDI, shoving both Shepard and the fleeing Specter's predicted movements, alongside Miranda's designed interception course. "There is the possibility that either Shepard or the target drop back on the ground before we manage to catch them, so keep a coded channel open in case of sudden changes of plans. I will command the first squad, Jacob the second. Doctor Solus, you are with me. Jack, Samara with Jacob. Any questions?"

"Yes, one." replied Lena to Miranda "What am I supposed to do? I know that Garrus is busy recalibrating the new gun, and Tali is working on the new systems, but I am free, and yet you didn't involve me in the group."

"Because you are not coming, Lena. You stay inside this time."

The room became deathly quiet

"And why?" asked Lena back to Miranda. Truth to be told, this was a mild reaction compared to the words she felt a second before. Still, the tension in her words was unmistakable, especially for an old fox like Miranda

"Lena, have you already forgotten what happened just some hours ago? Sending you out of a mission on Illium is not an option right now." replied simply Miranda but Lena refused to accept such excuse.

"But that mess happened because I was unharmed, and accompanied by Kelly. This time we will be out as a team, armed to the teeth and ready for anything!" she tried to counter, in vain.

"Lena, the last report I have received informed me that an army of mercs is waiting outside the door of the Normandy, ready to jump at the occasion of abducting you, and they don't care if you are under a Spectre's protection. This is not a matter of being alone or being armed. The truth is that, right now, you are a liability."

"But"

"This is not up for debating Lena!" interrupted Miranda briskly "Shepard's orders are for you to not leave the Normandy, no matter what happens outside, and you will obey. So Lena, here is what you shall do: you are gonna stay put, greet the new member of the crew, and avoid doing anything stupid. Is that clear?"

Lena's mouth twitched in impotent rage, desiring nothing more to shove Miranda's words back inside her mouth alongside some of her teeth, but still, she remained silent.

"Is that clear?" repeated Miranda. Her tone was still calm, but now a steely edge accompanied her words and one of her fists closed in a grip, ready to disgorge Biotic energy if necessary

"Clear, Miranda. I will wait inside the ship." relented Lena in the end, defusing the situation

"Good." Miranda turned toward the rest of the squad, the incident already forgotten inside her mind, and finished her briefing.

Lena simply stood still, her breathing now ragged and her legs refusing to leave the briefing room, listening to pointless tactical data and possible plans. Her mind still reeled about the idea of being an actual prisoner inside the ship, to the point that when Miranda and the rest of the squad moved toward the hangar, the Claymore barely noticed it. Only when Jack gave her a light pack on the shoulder, a simple gesture of sympathy, Lena managed to awake herself from her self induced coma, but still refused to move, only allowing herself to look at her companions moving away without her, thinking about Miranda's words.

It took five minutes for Lena to finally regain her speech, and it happened when the room was long empty.

"A liability." she whispered finally "Hundreds of bounty hunters baying for my blood, and dozens of hacking attempts, just because I am a Claymore. Even worse than back on the island." with each word Lena's rage boiled, even more, threatening to explode at a moment notice. She tried to defuse it, using some tricks learned from Kelly like counting until ten but failed miserably.

"Fucking hell!" she cried in the end when she reached the breaking point. Her eyes shifted back to her golden form without control, and one of her fists hit the walls of the briefing room.

An entire tile folded under the blow.


Azure Palace. 41 minutes later. Azure palace's terrace

Shepard was starting to hate this damned planet. As a Spectre and a former Alliance officer, he knew that no plan survives the enemy contact and that a person like him should always maintain a calm composure and a clear mind to inspire his subordinates.

But God how much he wanted to scream fuck it to everyone and leave this dustball as far away as possible right now!

"Thermal clips down. Now! Or the girl dies!" shouted the traitor in front of them, and she meant it.

In response, Shepard snarled back at the traitorous spectre, an Asari matron called Tela Vasir, and the reason she was not already a riddled mess on the floor: the young girl she had taken as a hostage.

The situation was bad: he couldn't afford to let the hostage die, he would never forgive himself and judging by how much-said hostage, a human waitress in her mid-twenties, was hyperventilating under Vasir's gaze, there was not much time left! If only he had come a little faster.

The traitor, Tela Vasir, had given both him and his squad one hell of a chase, as expected from a veteran Spectre. From the discovery about Vasir's betrayal to the subsequent chase, it had all been a rollercoaster of emotion for Shepard. First, he, Liara and his squad tailed Vasir across half of Illium's commercial district in a mad game of cat and mouse where the roles changed every single second. Then Vasir reached her car, a heavily armoured hovercar with who knows how many enchantments, and ran away in the skies of Illium, forcing Shepard, Liara and Kasumi to pursue her with a borrowed Taxi of all machines. During said pursue they almost died because, for some damnable reason, Vasir's car was equipped with mines that almost destroyed the car and, last but not least, after finally managing to make her collide with a pleasure palace. The place itself when they ended was called Azure, nothing more than a glorified brothel packed to the brim with promenades, small rooms, bars, love hotel and even less savoury places. Currently, Shepard and his squad were on the terrace os said place, together with dozens of now fleeing patrons, broken umbrellas and shattered glasses. There was even a small swimming pool, now deserted.

And last but lot least, when Vasir's car collided with the palace and the Asari ratted her way out from her smoking wreck, the bitch still managed to take a fleeing waitress of the said palace as a hostage!

God, how much Shepard wanted to be done with this day! But he could not afford to stop right now. He had a hostage situation to defuse, and thankfully he already knew how to do thanks to Liara.

At least they were still able to understand each other without a word. Shepard took that small consolation from the pile of bullshit he was forced to endure today.

"Liara." whispered Shepard to her friend next to him "Ready to act?"

"I need a minute" replied Liara, one of her hand behind her back and glowing with blue energy. Shepard smirked and moved his eyes back to Vasir. The Spectre was bleeding heavily from a variety of small wounds, and her blue and white armour was dented and cracked, but unfortunately, her eyes were still well focused on him and Shepard knew that he could not afford a single mistake.

"Is this your plan?" asked Shepard to Vasir, his tone cocky and calm. Vasir for a second lost her cool and looked back at Shepard with utter surprise

"Are you kidding Shepard? I am serious about her! Drop them or" replied Vasir to Shepard, only to be stopped on her track

"Vasir, I killed hundreds of people during my life and done many dangerous things." snapped Shepard back "I killed the Thorian back on Feros, I allowed the last of the Rachni queen to wander freely across the universe. I ordered the sacrifice of the entire Alliance main fleet in an effort of saving the council. So for your good, I hope that your chance of survival does not rest of the possibility that I will shoot or not a cursed hostage!"

The waitress's eyes bulged in fear and a loud rasp of terror escaped from her trembling lips, while Vasir's ones looked back at Shepard with doubts and uncertainty. Behind them, a large metal table, silently raised by Liara, started moving toward the wounded Spectre.

"You are lying Shepard. You will never do that." tried to reply Vasir, but now her voice had lost the steely edge of before. Shepard smiled at this. A cold, savage smile.

"True. Liara!"

The table smacked Vasir with such strength and power that the weakened Asari immediately lost her grip on her hostage, allowing her to escape from Vasir's grip. The Asari swore and staggered under the blow, incapable of maintaining a grip.

Vasir swore and staggered. Such was the strength behind the blow that the wounded Asari failed to keep a steady grip on her feet, the momentum of the strike powerful enough to make her tumble far away from her starting place. Immediately Shepard and his squad fired at her position once they saw her without her convenient human shield, but Vasir was not done yet and managed to somehow dodge most of the bullet until she reached the small pool and launched herself inside it.

"Secure the area!" bellowed Shepard once he saw Vasir disappearing inside the water "And move the civilians away! I doubt this mess is over!"

Immediately Kasumi complied to her orders, while Liara accompanied him toward the pool, weapon ready and scanning the now murky water.

It was a small pool, circular in structure and surrounded by comfy chairs and small tables, now deserted and scattered. The water was murky and disturbed, but Shepard could see that someone was still moving inside, right in the centre.

Shepard aimed his heavy pistol at the still moving water, ready to blast the damn Asari into oblivion and be done with this mess.

What else could she do at this point, he wondered, so wounded and defenceless?

The answer come when the blue glow of biotic power shimmered inside the end of the pool, followed by a literal tidal wave that almost managed to sweep aside both him and Liara like pieces of wood.

Shepard swore loudly, his armour now stained and her vision blurred by droplets upon droplets of water. When his hands cleared the murky water away from her eyes, he saw Vasir. Floating in the air, biotic energy coruscating from her purple blood, her armour broken and shuddering under her powers, and two balls of biotic energy ready to strike.

"Ok, Shepard. Now I am officially done with you." she sneered back at Shepard, her eyes blazing with pure power and her small wounds dripping purple droplets of blood mixed with biotic energy.

"Just die!"

Two spheres of blue energy darted toward Shepard, and the commander only barely managed to avoid them by ducking away. Thank God he did, because the moment the biotic attack collided with the concrete, they tore apart metal and stone with contemptuous ease, opening a hole bigger than his entire head.

Shepard buckled away and ducked for cover while all around him pieces of furniture flew and exploded under Vasir's power. He snarled loudly at all of this and, for the eleventh time, he wished to have never come inside this cursed planet.


Normandy Sr2. Mess hall. 11 29 ship hour

"You know, I had my suspicions when they talked about the last recruit." said Lena to her new guest inside the mess hall "A lonely, professional Drell assassin with perfect knowledge of any enemy's weakness, and great marksman to booth. There aren't that many Drell with such references in the universe."

"And you were right in your suspicion, my old apprentice. I am glad to see that you are still alive." replied the person in front of her, the infamous Thane Krioss and latest recruit among Shepard's crew, currently busy sipping tea from a cup next to him. "How is Raina doing? I hope that nothing happened to her."

"She is fine, thanks for asking" replied Lena with a smile, the rage endured just some minutes ago evaporated at the sight of an old, friendly face. The last thing she had expected when ordered to greet the recruit was to see his most trusted and amicable mentor ever met back on Omega.

He looked exactly just how he had left him back on that cursed station: dark green-scaled skin with big, black orbs capable of looking directly at your soul. Gentle smile coupled with iron hands, and his unmistakable black leather jacket covering most of the body.

Too bad that he was not wearing his sunglasses. She loved the way they complimented him

"She is currently busy learning engineering from the ship's engineers. Heard she is giving them quite the surprise."

"Raina has potential, and it is good that you, as her parent, are allowing her to unleash it. She will turn into a fine young woman once the time shall come."

Something in Thane's words gave Lena pause. A strange, inexplicable sadness that left the Claymore at a loss for word for a second, seconds where the only sound they could hear was the clanging of platters and the sounds of people speaking all around them

"Thane," she asked Lena some seconds later, her tone now serious "Why are you here with us? You never strike me as the suicidal type, and this mission's chances of success are….slim."

"I know this. Shepard warned me about this, but at this point, I could not care less," answered Thane to Lena, a sad smile escaping from his lips

"I am dying Lena. Kepral's syndrome. An incurable disease that destroys a Drell's lungs."

Lena's eyes bulged in surprise after hearing these words. A drop of hot chocolate she was drinking from her cup escaped from her now startled lips

"I….i" stammered Lena back to Thane, at a complete loss for words "I am….sorry Thane. You do not deserve this."

"You are wrong in this." replied Thane to her with tranquil voice "I have done many things during my life, Lena. Terrible things. Because of this, my soul is no longer whole, and this is the price for such a sin."

Lena scoffed but refused to say anything back. He knew that Thane was, unlike her, a deeply religious person and he respected him enough to not challenge what was for her a load of complete bullshit. Still, he was unnerved by Thane's apparent acceptance of death. This was not the Drell he remembered.

"So this is why you accepted this mission?" asked Lena trying to understand Thane's reasons "For redemption? Salvation?"

"For repayment." replied Thane to Lena "Every sin must be repaid. For every new death, I must ask for forgiveness, and every innocent life must be saved. For this reason, I accepted to help Commander Shepard in his crusade."

"Stop talking like this Thane." grimaced Lena "You are not gonna die here. Shepard is a competent commander and you one hell of a fighter. I still remember how you always managed to overpower me during our training despite the clear difference in strength."

Thane smiled at this. A sad, loving smile but did not reply to Lena. Like a father consoling his child.

"Even if I do not die here, during this mission, my destiny is clear Lena," said Thane "And I will not escape from it."


Shepard was tired. He was bleeding slightly from God knows how many small wounds and his hands felt like a pair of broken rocks. Around him his companions were faring no better, with Kasumi being treated with medi-gel by a kneeling Liara and Zaeed loudly cursing in cockney, a new scar now adorning his ruined face.

But at least the battle was finally over.

Defeating Vasir had been one of the hardest battle ever fought by Shepard in all his life, and this included the first contact war, the hunt for Saren and the fight against the Torian! The sheer, unbridled biotic power of the rogue spectre coupled with her outstanding training, experience and top of the line gadgets meant that even in her weakened state the Asari managed to put up one hell of a fight. Biotic charges, biotic traps, precise bursts of firing, collateral damages, Vasir used every trick in the book in the effort of winning the battle and almost managed to kill Kasumi with a well placed biotic bullet.

But in the end, she failed. Even one like her could not avoid the literal hailstorm of bullets that invested her during the fighting, especially when Miranda's and Jacob's squad arrived to seal the deal. First a sniper wound, then a hail of pistol bullets, then a biotic attack. Little by little Shepard's team whittled her down, destroying shields and armour until finally, the soft flesh was ripe for the picking and a shotgun shell fired by Shepard tore her right arm from her body. A wound like this would have killed a weaker woman, but Vasir somehow managed to keep her cool and still tried to blast Shepard with her faltering biotics, to the point that he had to pummel her into submission with the butt of his weapon.

A real tough bitch, as Zaeed quickly pointed out.

"Miranda, take your squad and make sure that no one disturbs us for now. Mordin, take the place of Liara and check for wounds. The rest still on alert, in case Shadow Broker's goons tries something nasty."

"Yes Shepard, but you? You look like hell," replied Miranda to Shepard while pointing at the marks and scratches that adorned his armour

"It is better than it looks" smiled Shepard "The armour stopped most of the blows, and the implants inside me have already compensated for what managed to get through."

A burst of slow, broken laughter coming from the still bleeding body of Vasir replied to Shepard's words. The Spectre was still alive, although on her last legs, and chuckled humorlessly in front of Shepard.

Blood spurted from her lips, leaking out a mixture of laughing and scoffing.

"Better implants….and a ship. Is this the reason you...betrayed the council Shepard?" she wheezed darkly "For more strength?"

Shepard dismissed Miranda with a gesture and crouched next to Vasir, his expression unreadable

"I betrayed no one Vasir. Unlike you that sold yourself to the Shadow Broker, I am merely using Cerberus for my own goals: saving the colonies on the Terminus systems. Every scrap of intel I receive during our missions goes directly to both the Council and the Alliance and, the moment this task will be over, I will not hesitate to ditch them."

Vasir laughed even harder when hearing these words, or at least she tried to. Flecks of purple blood escaped from her shattered lips, but her eyes betrayed glints of cruel amusement.

"Idiot…..you stupid, gullible….idiot!" she spat back at him "I know everything...about your squad and mission! You think…. The Illusive man care….about some colonists!? Think about it! The strongest….mercenaries…..the greatest warriors….the bravest thieves….dozens of talents that would never….work with Cerberus….now all together under one ship. One ship constantly monitored by their agents. They are learning many things thanks to you. Terrible….things."

The arm still attached to Vasir's body darted toward Shepard, grabbing his neck and dragging it toward her face with surprising strength. Shepard stumbled under the attack, utterly surprised by this move, and all of a sudden he was a hair's breadth from Vasir's broken face

"Especially the Ripper." she whispered with her last breath "Thanks to you…..soon….she will not be…..the only one."

This last phrase hit Shepard with the strength of a thunderstruck. The commander grabbed Vasir's head with both hands and kept her in her place, demanding her attention.

"What do you mean with that? Speak!" he shouted, but it was too late. Vasir's eyes became glassy and unfocused, all while she kept sputtering and coughing blood. A few seconds later, the Asari's head slowly tilted on a side, finally dead.

"Fucking hell!" cursed Shepard while letting Vasir's body slumping away. With heavy steps, she moved toward Jacob and ordered all the squads to go back inside the ship as soon as they were done with the wounded, but without him.

He had two things to do before coming back to the ship. Things that she needed to do alone.

They must have seen something in his eyes, because no one dared to complain or ask questions, not even Miranda and, n less than five minutes, all of Shepard's squad members were gone, leaving the commander alone on the terrace of Azure with the company of a Specter's corpse and Liara, waiting for the authorities.

-Good.- he thought Shepard once he saw the twin space shuttles moving away with her squadmates

-And now that I am alone, off to the first task.-

"Liara, we need to talk." declared Shepard to her friend.

"Just a second Shepard." replied the girl, now busy rummaging over Vasir's corpse. Shepard saw her ripping away the Spectre's omni-tool from her lifeless body without hesitation, all while trying to hack its security systems, something that made Shepard gulp in surprise.

-The old Liara would have never done such a thing.- he thought sadly

"No Liara. We need to talk now!" replied Shepard more forcefully "About your obsession with the Shadow Broker."

Liara immediately stopped moving, Shepard's words cutting deeply in her mind, only to raise from her position and look at Shepard's eyes without any shreds of emotion

"Stop right now Shepard. I already know what you are about to say: you have changed, you have become crueller, more ruthless and brutal." said Liara to Shepard with neutral voice "And the truth is, I know this. I know and I do not care in the slightest."

"But why!?" asked Shepard trying to understand what had happened to her old friend "What did the Shadow Broker to justify such a change in you?"

"He tried to sell you!" almost shouted Liara in response and, in all due honesty, that was not the answer Shepard had expected. Not in the slightest

"Sorry what?" whispered Shepard, not believing in what he just heard. Liara scoffed at this

"Two years ago," she began to explain "after your official funeral, I discovered that the Broker's agents were looking for your spaced body, for unknown reasons. This spurred me to investigate, of course. I could not let that bastard do whatever he wanted with your corpse, and my investigations lead me to something almost impossible to believe: the Shadow Broker wanted your body because he wanted to sell it to the Collectors."

If Shepard had been surprised before, now he was completely flabbergasted. His mouth hung open for some seconds, refusing to believe in what he just heard.

"But….why?" he asked Shepard, failing to see the point

"Credits" simply answered Liara "Once you died, the Collectors offered an astronomic sum for your corpse Shepard. You have no idea about the mess it generated in the Terminus system, or about the impossible backflips I had to do to save you from his damned clutches. I lost a good friend that day. But when everything was over, when you were finally free from the Broker's clutches, I was forced to handle you to Cerberus."

"You handed my corpse to Cerberus? So that is how they did snatch me. Miranda always refused to reveal me the details about my recovery."

"Yes Miranda." muttered Liara to herself, as if remembering something in the past "That cold-blooded bitch is still alive, but they promised to resurrect you, that is why I have accepted." a mournful look painted Liara's face after remembering such memories

"The thought of handing your body to that despicable organization haunted my dreams for months, but what they offered, your resurrection was so….so"

"Hey, it is alright Liara" gently chided Shepard "In the end, everything went out for the better. Still, there is one missing link that needs to be solved: why are you still so hell-bent in killing the Shadow Broker?"

"Because of all the pain he caused to me!" replied angrily Liara "I almost died because of his damnable agents. Dozens of innocents died only because they were close to me during the assassination attempts! He forced me to hand your body to Cerberus of all people! And Feron, he….he"

Liara's fist smouldered of biotic energy all of a sudden, such was the rage coursing through her mind

"He must pay Shepard. Today's attempt was only the last one of a long list Shepard. For all the pain he inflicted, and the people he murdered in cold blood, the Shadow must die."

"I see." reasoned Shepard after hearing these words "At least now I understand your rage and single-mindedness." the commander placed one hand on Liara's shoulders "I will try to ask the Illusive Man about the Shadow's whereabouts, but promise me this: if one day you manage to actually find him, call me. I refuse to see you charging the Broker's base all by yourself, and besides, I now want to have a chat with the bastard that tried to sell me to the Collectors. A chat involving a missile launcher."

Liara smiled at this. The first actual smile in days witnessed by Shepard.

"I will remember that, but I must go now, Shepard. You might be a Spectre, but if the Illium security find me in the middle of all this mess, and I wish to decrypt Vasir's data core as soon as possible."

"Not a problem Liara. Just one thing" replied Shepard gently "Vasir, before dying, told me something disturbing. She implied that Cerberus is creating other warriors like Lena somewhere in the galaxy."

"The Ripper?" asked Liara

"Yes, the Ripper. Coming from anyone else I would say bullshit, but Vasir was not a someone. She was a Spectre with the weight of the Shadow Broker behind her, and the way she spoke to me told me that it was not a lie. Could you keep an ear out in case you discover something about it?"

"Of course Shepard. If I discover something I will immediately tell you." the sounds of sirens quickly reached the ears of Liara, spurning her into moving once again

"I hope to meet you once again during better circumstances Shepard," she said before disappearing "Good look!"

"Same for me Liara." whispered Shepard to herself once her friend was gone "Same for me."

-Good!- thought Shepard once he was alone once again -Now for the other thing to do.-

Shepard activated his comm bead locked inside his right ear, clicking a specific set of commands that ripped away from the connection between the Normandy and himself. The code now rigged inside the minuscule machine was an old one, one used two years ago during the hunt for Saren and unknown by most people. Most important of all, a code unknown by EDI and anyone else inside the ship but two.

A voice quickly flickered inside his ears, replying to his call, followed by another.

"Shepard?" asked both Garrus and Tali in unison "This the old code. Why are you using it? Why now?"

"Garrus, Tali, listen very carefully to me." replied Shepard to them, his voice accepting no reply "Tomorrow at eleven o'clock, you shall come inside my cabin without telling anyone the reason. Make sure to bring every possible disrupting program with you. What we shall say, must not exit the room."

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the Illium arc is officially over! Next time, Tuchanka!

As always, comment if you see something that can be improved, or simply if you particulary liked or disliked, and have fun.