A/N: First up, sorry for the wait. Life got busy, really busy, and as a result, I haven't been able to get this chapter out until now. Fortunately it is now that magical time of year when I have more free time, so the next few chapters shouldn't take nearly as long to release, assuming there are no complications.

Reviews:

AnarionRising27: You got it! The plot is moving along nicely so far in my humble opinion. Thank you yet again for the constant encouragement, it really does keep me going!

JustWriteAnon: Good to know, thanks. Kasumi and Rassen have only just met, so I didn't want either one to come across as completely trusting the other right out of the gate (particularly Kasumi, she doesn't have the Force after all). I'll watch for missing commas going forward. Please continue to let me know if you have anything to say about this story as it progresses.

Chapter 8: Familiar

Rassen watched the stars drift by through the small viewport built into the wall he currently sat next to. It had been almost an hour since he and Kasumi had taken off from Horizon's surface, the two of them leaving the devastated colony behind. While he was currently in the cargo area just behind the cockpit, the dark-suited woman was at the front of the ship, flying directly for the mass relay that was their way out of the system.

Despite her earlier statement, Kasumi had yet to ask him to divulge everything else that he knew. Rassen had been grateful for the unexpected delay; since it had allowed him to formulate an answer for virtually everything he thought she might ask, without telling the mysterious woman anything she would find unbelievable. As much as the Force seemed to be telling him he could trust her, they had still only just met. Remaining mostly honest was the best route, though he still knew he couldn't tell her everything. That being said, there was certainly a drawback to having such a long delay.

He had too much time to think.

Several issues seemed to press in on the Jedi from different directions, each one occupying his attention for a short while before his mind would shift to the next, the different concerns clamouring for his complete focus but unable to gain it. That in itself had been enough to give him a headache, but it was made substantially worse by how he didn't know where to begin with each issue, meaning his mind seemed to be caught in a never-ending whirlpool of confusion.

Most of the different problems stemmed from the current situation. What could the Mandalorians and batarians want that would have caused them to ally? How had the former discovered how to transport people between galaxies? What kind of resources did the two groups have, combined and separate from one another? Why had the Mandalorians attacked Horizon? Where were they now?

One thing jostled for his attention more than anything else though, and while it was disconnected from the others, it still caused Rassen the most trouble. But then, personal problems were most often the hardest to find a solution to.

What should he do concerning Shaela?

The Jedi rose from where he had been sitting on a sofa, in order to stand directly in front of the viewport, gaze never moving from it as the stars continued to drift past. His original plan before finding out that the Mandalorians had found a way to this galaxy had been to return and find Shaela as quickly as possible. That had been his sole driving force for more than two years. There was only one small problem however.

He hadn't expected for others to make the trip as well.

People had died. Normal people, good people, innocent people. More would likely follow if he simply ignored the Mandalorian threat and went looking for Shaela. Despite how much he missed her, deep down Rassen knew that he would never forgive himself if innocent people got hurt because he had walked away. Shaela would never forgive him either.

There was also the fact that it had been so long since he had last seen her. As far as the quarian knew, Zaressh had transported the two of them back to their galaxy and then killed him. As far as she knew, he would never find a way to return to her. After such a length of time, perhaps Shaela had accepted that they would never see each other again and moved on. Perhaps she was happy with someone else. The thought seemed to twist a knife through his heart. Rassen wanted her to be happy. That came before all other priorities as far as Shaela was concerned. That being said, the idea that she might have found somebody else…

"You had that look a few times earlier."

Rassen nearly jumped in surprise, unable to keep from marvelling slightly at the near-silent approach of the ship's other occupant. He saw Kasumi smirk as the door to the cockpit closed behind her, obviously enjoying the fact she had managed to catch him off-guard. He returned her gaze for a moment, noticing that she seemed to have composed herself in the time since they had left the surface of Horizon. Rassen glanced back out the viewport, mind still largely concentrated on Shaela.

"Did I?"

"Yep," the strange woman replied, making a popping noise as she did so before sitting down where he had been previously. Kasumi then raised both of her legs onto the sofa so that her feet were positioned at the opposite end to the rest of her body as she leaned towards him, elbows resting on her knees. "It was only for a few brief moments, but you had the same expression." She seemed to think for a moment before continuing. "It's like you're a million miles away, focused on something that bothers you."

Rassen nodded, though he did not turn around. "Very perceptive," he admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He laughed at that, now turning to face Kasumi properly. "I barely know you," he said slowly, "and you barely know me. I thought you were more concerned about everything I know regarding the Mandalorians anyway?" The Jedi frowned for a moment. "If you're here then who is flying the ship?"

Kasumi's smirk returned as she noticed his attempt to distract her. "Relax, a VI is handling that. I don't trust it to do anything complicated, but it can fly us in a straight line just fine." She then switched back to the previous topic. "Who you are, where you're from, all of that is important, but so is whatever's bothering you."

"I do not wish to discuss it."

The smirk widened. "Is it embarrassing?"

"No."

"Hmm, does it have something to do with a family member?"

"No."

"A friend?"

"No. Please stop trying to gue-"

"A girlfriend?" The smirk transformed into a grin as Rassen felt himself freeze for a split-second, unable to respond. He noticed Kasumi lace her fingers together before she pressed for more information. "You can tell me, I won't judge."

"That I highly doubt."

"But you're still going to tell me."

"Why would I do that?"

The ship's owner gave him a look as though he had just told her he had spent the last half an hour working out that they were in space. "Because you've been alone for a long time," she said quietly, "and you're sick of it. A part of you just wants someone to talk to." The woman's smile was sad now as she looked up at where he still stood unmoving. "It's obvious from the way you walk, the way you don't want to make eye contact with me but occasionally do anyway."

"I take it back," Rassen breathed, "amazingly perceptive." He frowned for a moment in thought before walking over to the sofa; Kasumi drawing her legs in so there was room for him to sit. Rassen ignored her for a moment, eyes staring directly ahead of him, gaze boring into the wall opposite where they sat.

Am I really going to do this? I've known her for mere hours, and we sent most of that going through the colony, rather than talking.

The truth was though that Kasumi was right. He was sick and tired of years of being alone, of years spent in near-isolation trying to find a way back to this strange galaxy. Despite her bizarre choice of clothing, she was friendly, and he could sense no deception from her at the moment, just curiosity. He nodded slowly before turning to face the woman to his left.

"Her name is Shaela," he began, just mentioning the quarian by name taking more effort than he had expected. "She and I were not together for long, but we got separated." He shrugged slightly, turning his gaze back to the wall. "I haven't seen her since then."

"How long ago was this?" The woman next to him asked softly.

His vision began to blur slightly and Rassen snarled upon realising the cause. "More than two years," he muttered, wiping his eyes quickly. "I've been trying to find her since then." He looked back over to see that Kasumi had paled slightly, mouth opening and closing as she tried to think of a response.

"T-that's, well…"

"Yes."

An uncomfortable silence lingered between the two of them for a few moments, neither one of them venturing to break it. A quiet cough from Kasumi eventually caused Rassen to glance back over at her as she shifted position slightly, clearly searching for a way to dissolve the awkwardness between them.

"So… why do you wear a hood then?"

Rassen couldn't help laughing at the unexpectedness of the question. "One answer would be that as it is a part of my cloak, I might as well make use of it. In truth though, I wear what I do because it is part of the traditional dress where I am from… aside from the armour, that is only worn when conflict is expected."

He could tell he had piqued the interest of the woman next to him, and not only because her 'friend', whoever that was, wanted an in-depth report from her. "Traditional dress?" She asked curiously, "Are you part of a religious group of some kind then?"

"Sort of," Rassen admitted after a moment of thought, "the members of the order I am a part of do have strong spiritual beliefs, one of which is that we should help others. Often this takes the form of protecting the innocent against those who would do them harm."

"Ah," Kasumi said, nodding in understanding. "It makes a bit more sense now. That's why you were on Horizon when it was attacked, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"If you're so interested in stopping the Mandalorians and batarians though, then shouldn't you call for backup? I mean, galaxy-wide communications have been getting worse for some reason, even though the comm buoys are back online, but eventually your message would get through."

Rassen paused before responding, formulating his words carefully in his mind before replying. "I was sent out alone," he lied, "and told that I would receive no support. In the event that the scale of the threat was too great for me to defeat on my own, I was told to seek out other help."

Kasumi nodded slowly. "Meaning me," she said thoughtfully.

"Exactly," he nodded back, before then asking a question of his own. "This 'friend' that you mentioned earlier… do you think they could do something about the Mandalorians and batarians?"

Kasumi's lazy smile told Rassen he had asked a question which to her had an obvious answer. "Absolutely, she has a proven track record when it comes to large-scale problems such as this." She winked before continuing. "I'm going to have to ask you to take my word on that one though; she doesn't deal with people directly."

The Jedi felt a small amount of unease at the vague response. "You make her sound like a crime boss of some kind." Force knew he had enough experience with those to last him a lifetime.

Kasumi shook her head, hood swaying slightly from the motion. "She's really nice… most of the time. She can be a little intimidating when she gets angry, but normally people deserve it. She isn't a crime boss, so don't worry about that." She shrugged before continuing. "You're going to have to trust me."

Rassen nodded slowly, not entirely convinced. While Kasumi had given him no reason to doubt her, he hadn't the slightest clue as to the motivations of her seeming employer. Circumstances were what they were though, and he had no real choice but to accept that she was right about her friend's skill at dealing with serious problems. He had already learned the hard way that the Mandalorians were a threat he couldn't stop by himself, particularly now it had transpired they had batarian support.

Kasumi had evidently picked up on his scepticism. "Hey, I trusted you earlier, didn't I? That's worked out so far."

The Jedi couldn't help smiling slightly. "Very true, and it would be wrong of me not to extend you the same courtesy. I'll trust your word regarding your friend then, since you have given me no reason to doubt you." The silence returned, though this time it seemed more like a natural break in the conversation rather than because neither one of them knew what to say.

"Since you asked me, it seems rude not to ask you," the Jedi nodded in Kasumi's direction. "Why do you wear a hood? Presumably it is not out of a sense of tradition."

"Nope," Kasumi replied, smirking in a way that told him he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted. "It's comfortable, plus it suits me. Think of it as a fashion statement rather than anything else." Rassen nodded before noticing her glance down at her omni-tool.

"We're coming up on the relay now. I don't trust the VI to get the approach right without help." He nodded to her as she rose from the sofa and headed in the direction of the cockpit. He had already began to return to his thoughts when Kasumi paused and turned back to face him.

"About the start of our conversation, don't give up on trying to find Shaela, Rassen, even though it must have got harder with everything that's happened."

Rassen frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

His new friend gave him a baffled expression, eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion beneath her hood. "Well, searching for people has become a nightmare," she finally said. "After the Reapers, I mean."

Rassen frowned in confusion. "What are the-" A sudden blaring caused the two of them to glance in the direction of the cockpit, from where the interruption had originated. Kasumi had left the room in an instant, Rassen close behind as the two of them sprinted the few metres between them and the origin of the sound.

"It's a ship," Kasumi explained once she had taken the pilot's seat, fingers flying over the controls in front of her as she began to turn her own vessel around. "It's just come through the relay and is headed right for us."

"Or Horizon." The Jedi replied, the low-ceiling of the cockpit forcing him to remain hunched over slightly from where he stood behind the only chair. "We were heading straight from the planet to the relay, after all."

Kasumi didn't respond as the ship managed to turn around and began moving away from the newcomer's own craft. "Do you think it's them?" She asked, gaze never wavering from what she was doing.

Rassen shook his head before realising that she couldn't see the gesture. "I doubt it. They were long gone by the time you arrived. There is no reason for them to return; the colony is gone." He paused as the Force seemed to tremor slightly. Something big was about to happen. He just wished the Force could be a little more specific about what that something was. "If we've seen them then they probably know we're here. Can you hail them?"

Kasumi nodded before pressing a small button on the orange haptic interface in front of her, a quiet beeping beginning to emit from the console as the button began flashing. "Whoever it is, their ship is tiny," she muttered. "It's probably smaller than this one."

Rassen frowned as the Force seemed to ripple again. Inwardly, he cursed his inability to determine what was happening. Exhaustion and frustration seemed to have had an effect on his abilities. Whatever was happening, this hadn't been the first time he had felt it. Where did he recognise it from? The Jedi closed his eyes as he forced himself to try and remember. It had been a long time ago. Years had passed since the last time he had felt that sensation. He vaguely heard Kasumi announce she had managed to reach the pilot of the other ship, but the sound of a new voice caused his eyes to snap open. He leaned round Kasumi's side, causing her to glance at him in surprise before he spoke, his voice almost a whisper as he addressed the person at the other end of the line.

"Shaela?"

There was a moment of silence during which the universe seemed to almost freeze. Rassen stood there staring at the flashing icon on the interface as Kasumi's head slowly turned in his direction. The mass effect core of the ship seemed to dull to a barely audible whine and even the stars they passed seemed to slow to a crawl. Individual moments tend to pass so quickly that people don't notice them. But every so often, if the circumstances are right, they seem to last for an eternity.

Time seemed to resume its normal pace as the person on the other ship responded, voice as quiet and disbelieving as his own, causing the Jedi's heart to pound like it had when he had fought the Mandalorians on Horizon. It couldn't be, the chances were ludicrous at best, yet so it was. The response was filled with as much raw emotion as his own question had been, and now he understood what the Force had been trying to tell him.

"Rassen?"

Kasumi watched Rassen carefully as the latter stood in front of the airlock. It had been only mere minutes since the two of them had spoken to the pilot of the small ship that was currently docking with her own, but although he had instantly moved to his current position, the strangely dressed man had been completely still since then. Well, almost completely still. Kasumi prided herself on her observational skills much like any thief would. The difference of course between her and any other thief was simple; she was better.

That was why she could pick up on the minute movements of the man she observed from where she still sat in the pilot's chair.

Rassen was breathing evenly, but each breath was a little longer and deeper than normal; a textbook sign that he was making a conscious effort to keep calm. There was a slight stiffness to his posture, the kind she had grown accustomed to seeing in guards when they were absolutely focused on protecting their charge. The biggest give away however were his eyes.

Beneath his hood, Rassen's eyes moved from one location to the next, gaze never leaving the airlock, but unable to remain focused on one part of it as he thought. As much as it wasn't her concern, Kasumi felt her interest grow. Rassen had seemed relatively unperturbed by her uncloaking near his position when they had met for the first time a few hours ago. Now though, the calm façade he had tried to reassert after discussing the woman currently docking with her ship had cracked, was less perfect than the one he had shown when they had first met.

A series of dull clunking noises reached her position as the docking procedure completed, accompanied by the trademark hissing of gas being released. There was a moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity.

Then the door slid open.

She's barely changed in the slightest. Rassen stared in amazement at the woman who looked back at him. Shaela still wore the same environment suit she had so many months ago, down to the blue adornments that had torn and dulled in colour during the ordeal on Omega. The only real difference in her appearance was that her hood looked even more ragged than he remembered; the result of it seeing continued use long past when it should have been replaced. Shaela returned his stare, her silver eyes disbelieving as she likewise ran her gaze over his body, looking for any changes. For a moment they continued to examine each other, both unable to accept that the other was real.

"Kasumi," he breathed, eyes never leaving the quarian in front of him, "could you give us a moment?" He barely heard her reply as the door to the cockpit slid shut almost silently, leaving the atmosphere of the cargo hold oppressive as he and Shaela stared at each other

He had spent the few minutes before the two ships had docked thinking desperately about what to say. Should he explain to her what had happened? Ask for forgiveness because he hadn't wanted to leave her but had been made to? Should he ask if she had moved on? How had she found him when he hadn't had the slightest idea of how to find her? All of those questions were important, but as Shaela finished her own examination, silver eyes boring into his own with an intensity that caused him to tremble slightly, his mind went blank. The light built into the quarian's mouthpiece blinked to life before turning off, Shaela clearly having as much trouble with what to say as he did. He couldn't help smiling slightly at the sight.

"I-I missed you," he managed to get out, the words sounding pathetic as they polluted the air. I missed you. Those words could not come close to describing how he had felt without her, without knowing if he would ever see her again. A quiet whimper drew him out of his self-recriminations, the quarian's shoulders beginning to tremble as she looked back at him, those silver eyes behind the light-blue material of her visor seeming to root him to the spot.

"I missed you t-too," Shaela responded, her own voice just as weak as his own as she gently sobbed, her voice as soft as he remembered, that same musical lilt still present despite the distortion caused by her helmet. Rassen felt his smile broaden, and the quarian's eyes seemed to glow even brighter than normal as a result. Time seemed to distort once again and now he was in front of her, Shaela tilting her head up in order to keep their gazes connected.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice now so quiet that a part of him was certain she hadn't heard him.

Shaela's sobs were now easily audible as she responded, her own voice also nearly silent. "I love you too," the quarian smiled through her tears. Rassen felt his vision blur as he pulled her towards him, one arm around her shoulders and the other her waist as he pressed his lips against her mouthpiece. Shaela threw her own arms around his neck, leaning up as far as she could as she kissed him back gently. The kiss began to slowly increase in intensity, Rassen holding the quarian more firmly against himself by moving the arm around her shoulders, in order to place his hand on the back of her neck, the fabric of Shaela's hood pressing against the material of the environment suit beneath it as the quarian moaned quietly, the noise stirring something deep within him. The Jedi growled in response before moving his other arm up from the quarian's waist before bringing it back down, tracing her spine despite the material of her environment suit, firmly massaging the skin there. Shaela moaned again, this time louder, and Rassen felt the quarian pull him forwards, only stopping when her back met the wall next to the airlock.

He didn't know how much time passed as he continued to kiss the woman in his arms, neither of them complaining about the helmet she wore which prevented their lips from actually touching. It might have been only a couple of minutes, it could have been days. All Rassen knew for sure was that eventually the two of them stopped, both gasping for breath, before then sinking to their knees, leaning on one another for support. The Jedi gently cupped the side of the quarian's helmet with one hand, Shaela nuzzling into his touch despite the cool metal that he could feel even through the material of his glove. He leaned forward, slowly resting his forehead on hers as the two of them continued to stare into each other's eyes.

"I love you so much," Shaela whispered, still sobbing as the two of them knelt on the metal flooring.

Rassen smiled as he gently kissed her mouthpiece again. "I love you too, Shaela," he promised. "More than anything."

Kasumi's thoughts were churning as she sat in her chair. Rassen had given her no reason to doubt him initially, so she had been willing to give him a chance. His armour and cloak were strange, but then she herself could hardly say her own style of dress allowed her to blend into a crowd. No, nothing about his appearance was responsible for her lack of certainty.

How the hell does he not know what the Reapers are?

Every man, woman and child in the galaxy knew the word 'Reaper'. Months after the end of the war, the term was rarely spoken, since when it was there would be terrified muttering about whether they had indeed been stopped in that final battle both on Earth's surface and the space above it, or whether some were still out there, biding their time. There was no way Rassen could not have known about them. Even if had never seen one personally, he would have known the name.

After checking to make sure the door between the cockpit and cargo hold was still sealed, Kasumi returned to her seat and began typing an omni-tool message. She paused halfway through however, unable to stop a small amount of guilt from welling up. Rassen still seemed like a good sort, but she had to do this, she had to know whether she could trust his word. She glanced down at the message once she had finished.

Liara,

Everyone on Horizon has been killed bar one survivor called 'Rassen Voratt', who claims he wants to help prevent any other colonies being wiped out. The two of us investigated the colony together and he told me that he thinks a group called the 'Mandalorians' are responsible. The batarians also seem to be involved as well. Rassen seems friendly enough, but everything about him seems… off. His clothing, armour, accent and so on don't quite match anything I've encountered. Liara, he didn't know what the Reapers were.

I've attached a picture I managed to take when he wasn't paying attention on Horizon's surface. I need you to see what you can dig up on this guy as soon as possible. I don't know if we can trust him.

-Kasumi

Having checked through the message several times, the thief pressed a button on her omni-tool and sent it. Kasumi then slumped down in her chair slightly. Guilty, she felt guilty at doing a background check on someone she didn't know if she could depend on. A few years ago it would have been second nature to her and she would have had no qualms. Kasumi glanced back in the direction of the door, wondering idly how things were going between Rassen and Shaela. Despite her concern regarding the former, the thought of interrupting the moment no doubt occurring between them disgusted her. Whoever Rassen was, the look in his eyes when the airlock had opened had shaken her to the core.

It was the same look that Shepard had given her the last time they had spoken.

It hadn't been in person, the circumstances of the war hadn't allowed that. No, the final conversation they had, in truth the final conversation many of Shepard's friends had with him, had been via a QED. It had been that day that the Commander had gone missing, the Reapers defeated, and the galaxy saved. When the human and quarian had looked at each other, she had known that no matter what, she couldn't interfere. Kasumi was a born rule breaker, but just this once, she hadn't wanted to get involved.

Damn it, Shep. How much did you change me, how much did you change everyone?