A/N: The first chapter of 2019 is here. I hope you all have a great year!

Reviews:

AnarionRising27: Thanks, I will! There is plenty more to come, so make sure you stick around. Your enthusiasm is infectious and helps to keep me going, I hope to see more reviews from you this year!

seabo76: Glad to hear it. I had that particular reveal in mind even before I had begun writing this story, so it felt great to finally let the cat out of the bag.

JustWriteAnon: Good to hear. I felt that last chapter needed to be slightly longer than normal because so much happens. I'm rather proud of that twist; I've had it in mind since before I began writing this story, so I'm glad it caught people by surprise.

Chapter 11: Response

"Shepard." The whisper was so quiet that Rassen almost missed it, but as he stared in surprise at the range of emotions that made their way across Kasumi's face, he knew for certain what she had said.

"Kasumi," he ventured cautiously, not wanting to pressure her given her current condition but needing to know more, "do you know who that is?"

She gave no sign she had heard him, staring straight at the datapad he still held as though he had just told her it was the most important object in the universe. He thought she might never answer until she suddenly shook her head slightly to clear it, before slowly leaning against one of the walls of the cockpit for support and staring at the ground in front of her. "Yes," she finally replied, still whispering, "I know him." Her head suddenly snapped up, eyes boring into his own. "Where is he?"

Rassen turned back to the datapad, frowning as he failed to locate anything else of any importance. "I do not know," he answered, "there are no coordinates or place names as far as I can tell. The Mandalorians were careful enough to omit those."

Kasumi suddenly lurched forwards, catching him off-guard as she began to type commands, a screen flaring to life in front of her as her fingers moving rapidly over the orange haptic surface. "What are you doing?" He asked, concern rising for the suddenly panicked woman.

"I'm checking where this ship has last been," Kasumi replied, face slightly lit by the orange of the interface in front of her. "I need to find him and get him out as fast as possible." She glanced at him for a split-second before returning her attention to the screen. "I'm going to need your help."

"I'm sorry?"

Kasumi looked back at him, features determined. "I'm going to need your help," she repeated. "If the batarians have him then they're going to have some heavy security. Besides, you know more about the Mandalorians than I do."

"Kasumi," Rassen gently said, reaching out to grip onto one of her arms, "there are three of us and you are still recovering. You saved Shaela's life and mine too. If someone close to you is in danger, I want to help you in return, but would it not be better to get other assistance as well? Shepard sounds like a human name… could we not notify the Systems Alliance about what we have found?"

Kasumi snapped round to face him, and Rassen couldn't help but notice that the petite woman's jaw was set. "No," she stated firmly, "everyone is stretched thin at the moment. Any help would take days, maybe longer with the current communication issues. Shepard has more friends than anyone else I know, but anything could happen to him during the time we'd waste waiting for help." She shook her head before returning her gaze to him. "The batarians want him to suffer," she muttered. "They could do anything to him… could have already done anything to him. The only thing to do is get him away from them right now."

Despite his best efforts to remain calm, Rassen felt a small amount of irritation well up at Kasumi's uncompromising stance. "I agree that if the batarians and Mandalorians have him, he needs to be rescued," he said gently, "but like I said; there are three of us. Kasumi, there could be hundreds of Mandalorians and Force knows how many batarians." He felt her eyes on him as he looked away from her to stare out of the cockpit at the barren ice and rock of the planet outside. "I told you that I want to stop the Mandalorians. In truth, I want to stop the batarians too since they are working together—"

"So help me."

Rassen felt his irritation grow as the conversation began to run in circles. "Who is he?" He demanded. "What makes Shepard so important? You almost died, why would you try to throw your own life away with so little thought after getting that badly hurt?"

"Because he saved everyone."

Both of them turned round as a third voice joined the conversation. Shaela entered the cockpit, a simple brown travelling case under one arm as she looked between them. Rassen glanced at the case in curiosity as the quarian turned to Kasumi. "He doesn't know," she explained to the still recovering woman. She turned to face him now, eyes glowing through the near-opaque blue visor with a greater intensity than normal. "You've told us what happened to you, Rassen, but I haven't told you everything that happened here during the last few years."

The atmosphere in the room had shifted. It now seemed heavy and oppressive to Rassen as he held the quarian's gaze. Instinct told him he would not like what he was about to hear. "You mentioned that there were wars while I was gone," he began. "Firstly, you said there was a war with the geth, who you told me drove your ancestors from their homeworld centuries ago. Then you mentioned a second one."

Shaela nodded. "The Reaper War."

Rassen looked at her carefully. "What happened?" He asked softly, glancing from the quarian to Kasumi, who had stopped her search as soon as the word 'Reaper' had been uttered. "Who is Shepard, and what occurred while I was gone?"

After a moment Balak's gloating smile became too much, and Shepard glared at the batarian as he attempted to rise to his feet. "Balak, what's going on? What have you done?" He demanded, inwardly cursing at the extent of his weakness. Shepard scowled as he found standing up to be a herculean task. How long had he been in that damn tank?

Balak's smile grew wider, his four eyes narrowing at Shepard's confusion. "I thought you'd be more grateful, Shepard. You were in a bad way when we found you. You'd be dead if not for me."

"What are you talking about?" Shepard asked, glancing round at his surroundings, trying to find anything to indicate where he could be. Cutting-edge medical technology, both familiar and unfamiliar, filled the brightly-lit room, with workstations and chairs for a small army of doctors or scientists. He frowned in confusion. Had he been hurt? He ached all over and had been completely submerged in that bizarre liquid, had Balak been healing him? If so then why? The terrorist opposite him had made no secret of the fact he despised him completely and utterly. Holding a gun to his head on the Citadel had made that much apparent. His limbs began to shake with the effort of trying to get up, and he collapsed at Balak's feet, the batarian's mirth palpable as the latter stood over him.

"Whatever happened on the Citadel left you nearly dead, Shepard," the batarian drawled, the light making his sickly pale face look like a skull as he sneered. "Fortunately for you, I was generous enough to have you pulled from the wreckage, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you haven't thanked me yet. Humans, such a disrespectful species." Balak activated his omni-tool and pressed a button on it, causing a door behind him to open and two other batarians to enter the room. At his nod, the two of them roughly seized Shepard between them. Instinct kicked in and the Commander attempted to fight back, but his limbs felt heavy and unresponsive, almost like he was attempting to move through quick-sand. In spite of the situation, his eyelids felt heavy as the two guards easily over-powered him and held one of his arms each. Balak sneered again at his attempts at resistance, before nodding to the two men holding him.

"Take him to one of the cells. Tell Mandalore that none of her people will guard him. If necessary, remind her that she can have him only once I'm finished." The man who had once attacked Terra Nova began to turn away, causing Shepard to shout at him with the last of his strength.

"Balak!" His eyes were almost completely closed now, but Shepard still saw Balak tilt his head, even though his back remained turned. "Did we… did we win? The Reapers…" He barely managed to see Balak glare at him impassively before he nodded again to the two guards, and Shepard felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

"I… How is that even possible?" Neither woman answered Rassen as he lurched to his feet, looking from one to the other as though they would suddenly tell him that everything he had just heard was some kind of elaborate hoax. "Sentient starships millions of years old, billions even. That cannot be true; no technology can operate for that long."

"It's true, Rassen," Shaela said firmly but gently, the quarian walking over to him before taking his hands in her own. She gently squeezed them as she stared up at him, no sign of deceit anywhere in her eyes. "I know it sounds ridiculous, most of the galaxy didn't believe in their existence at first, but they were very real." The quarian slowly closed her eyes as she looked away, causing Rassen to instinctively draw her closer as he sensed she was remembering something unpleasant.

"I'm not… not sure, Shaela. Just the idea of anything being that ancient is beyond me. Remnants of civilisations thousands of years old surviving is one thing, but machines that old…"

"Rassen, do you trust me?" Shaela was looking at him again, eyes determined behind her visor.

"You know the answer to that, Shaela."

"Then believe me." The quarian reached up to cup the back of his neck before leaning up right onto the tips of her toes in order to press her mouthpiece against his lips. Shaela gently stroked his cheek as she pulled away, but the beseeching look in her eyes never vanished. "Please," she whispered.

Rassen swallowed slightly before nodding in reply. "Okay." He muttered. "Okay. So the Reapers were beyond ancient machines that everyone in this galaxy opposed while I was gone and eventually defeated them. But how does Shepard factor into this?"

"I'm probably the better person to ask about that, big guy."

He glanced over at Kasumi in surprise, almost having forgotten about her during the moment with Shaela. The shorter woman obviously picked up on his slight disorientation, a small smirk pulling at her lips despite her earlier distress. "You told me you know him," he said slowly, noticing Shaela gasp as she too turned to face Kasumi, "but not how." He let silence hang for a moment before asking a question he had mulled over since he had first met the strangely dressed woman. "Who are you, Kasumi?"

"I'm one of Shepard's crew, well, ex-crew might be more appropriate."

"What!"

Both Kasumi and Rassen turned to face her, causing Shaela to blush slightly in embarrassment at her outburst. Pushing down the sensation, she turned to glare at Rassen, who was smirking slightly at her reaction, before returning her gaze to Kasumi. "What are you talking about?" She demanded. "Everyone knows who Shepard's crew were; Garrus Vakarian, Liara T'soni, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. If you were a member of Shepard's crew, then why doesn't anyone mention you?"

Kasumi shrugged slightly. "In my line of work, it helps to maintain the smallest presence possible in the galaxy."

Shaela crossed her arms as she glared at the woman opposite her. "And what is this line of work?" She asked. "What would cause you, if you were a part of Shepard's crew, to keep your identity a secret?" Seeing Kasumi hesitate, she pressed on. "You saved me and Rassen," she said more gently, gesturing at herself and the man next to her, "and we told you about what happened several years ago. If you want us to help you, then we deserve the truth, Kasumi."

The hooded woman stared at her in surprise before turning her attention to Rassen. "I see why you like her," she said approvingly. "She can be pretty intimidating when she wants to be."

Despite her suspicion, Shaela felt more than a small amount of her anger evaporate as Rassen put an arm round her shoulders and embraced her. "I agree with you there," he smirked. "Remind me to give you a bit more detail about the two times she saved me from Zaressh. Both times, I was not sure whether she would attack me as well." Shaela glared up at him, but felt her anger recede again when Rassen winked down at her, the human clearly getting the reaction he wanted.

"Ahem."

The two of them turned their attention back to Kasumi, who was grinning at the two of them now. Upon seeing that they were both looking at her, Shaela noticed the grin fade as Kasumi became more serious than she had come to expect from the human woman. "I don't go round just telling people this," Kasumi began, "but after what we've already gone through together, you both should know. I was one of the people who joined Shep against the Collectors back when they were abducting whole human colonies. I never advertised that I was involved, and the others made sure to keep quiet about me."

"Why?" Shaela asked in confusion. "Stopping the Collectors is something to be proud of, so why would you want that kept between only a few people?"

Kasumi's grin was back as she replied but now there was a trace of nervousness there. "Because I'm a thief by trade. The best thief in the galaxy even." She turned to face Rassen. "I'm probably the best thief in two galaxies. Part of that means remaining unknown by as many people as possible. Security tends to tighten if someone knows the ex-business partner they cheated has hired someone as good as me to relieve them of a few valuables."

Shaela felt herself shift uncomfortably. "You're a thief," she repeated, a feeling of disgust beginning to build in her stomach.

"I only steal from people who deserve it. Shep had that much of a lasting influence on me." Kasumi turned serious again, the other woman's expression changing to one filled with so much pain that Shaela instantly felt sorry for her. "This isn't about me," Kasumi whispered. "This is about Shepard. You remember the Bahak incident? He did that to buy us time against the Reapers. The batarians though, they wanted him to suffer for that and probably still do. They might be hurting him right now. I saved your lives, but then you saved mine, that makes us even. Please, do this for Shepard, not me."

Shaela swallowed heavily before glancing at Rassen, who stared back at her calmly. Unlike her, he had already made his decision, she could tell. She turned back to Kasumi. "Can you give us a moment?" She asked the thief, who nodded slowly before silently leaving the cockpit. After a moment, she pulled away from Rassen in order to close the door and begin pacing up and down as she began thinking. Rassen watched her, the human's eyes gently observing her as two different parts of her mind battled for dominance.

"Are you all right?"

She sighed, raising her hands to her head, only to scowl when they made contact with the metal of her helmet rather than the material of her hood. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "Kasumi saved us, Rassen. But she steals from people. It looked like it took a lot for her to admit it, but—"

"You are not sure whether you want to help a thief." She heard Rassen sigh gently as he continued to watch her pace. "Why is that such a problem, Shaela?" He quietly asked.

"Why do you think?" She wheeled round incredulously. "Rassen, she takes the property of other people without asking and never returns it. People like her deliberately do wrong and sometimes even get away with it."

Rassen walked over to her before taking her hands in his own as she had done to him earlier. "But why are you so upset, Shaela?" He asked. "I can understand the idea of not wanting to associate with someone who steals as a general principle, but it seems more personal than that to you." He released one of her hands in order to gently raise her chin so she couldn't avoid looking into his eyes. After a moment, her resolve broke, and she began to explain.

"I suppose there is," she muttered, still staring into the blue eyes that were so unlike a quarian's. They didn't glow, which she had found strange about humans, asari, turians, and every other race upon first learning about it as a child. Still, Rassen's eyes were fascinating in their differences to her own, the way in which his pupils dilated or constricted depending on the amount of light present in particular had always been intriguing. Shaela felt her cheeks heat up as she released that the two of them were still staring into each other's eyes. Seeing that Rassen was about to again ask her what was wrong, she pushed on before he could.

"Do you… do you remember that woman back when we first met, the human one who tried to tell you to stay away from me?" She waited while Rassen thought for a moment before continuing. "After my people lost their homeworld, none of the other races trusted us. Because we were confined to the Migrant Fleet and young quarians left with the aim of bringing something important back, rumours began to spread that we stole from members of the other races. They weren't true but a lot of people believed them, which was why we became so disliked, even hated by the other races."

Realising her voice had begun rising, Shaela took a deep breath to calm herself slightly before continuing. "It just seems wrong to work with someone we know is an actual thief, who steals from people and seems proud of it, while centuries of quarians were hated because people thought they liked to steal when they didn't."

Rassen nodded thoughtfully. "If it makes you feel any better," he said finally, "I do not like the face that Kasumi is a thief either, just in general. That being said," at this the human pressed his forehead against hers, which caused Shaela's breath to hitch slightly in her throat, "Kasumi has told us the truth. She could have lied to us, but she freely admitted to being what she is. While we did just tell her about the Force among other things, I don't think we mentioned how it can be used to determine if someone is lying."

"I know," Shaela admitted, "but I'm still not sure I like the idea of working with her. I mean she seems like a good person but still…"

"Would knowing my opinion help?"

"It might."

A flash of pain crossed Rassen's face for a moment, prompting her to raise her free hand to cup one of the human's cheeks. He smiled at the gesture before moving the hand on her chin so that it rested against one of hers. Well, it would have if her helmet wasn't in the way. Shaela felt a sudden stab of resentment towards her enviro-suit. It kept her alive, but why did it have to take away from what was otherwise a perfect moment? Her train of thought was interrupted as Rassen spoke, the human's voice washing over her and soothing away her frustration.

"Kasumi's determination, the way in which despite her injury she is willing to head straight into danger to save Shepard, it seems less like saving a hero and more like saving someone she's close to. I did not see a thief when she asked for our help; I saw someone who is desperate."

Shaela frowned. "Do you think she sees Shepard as a friend?" She asked after a moment.

"No." The pain was back now. "She hid it well but I could sense it. Before you returned, the expression she had… the emotion there," Rassen shook his head slightly, "it reminds me of what I saw in the mirror every morning for the last two years."

It took a moment for her to process what Rassen was getting at. Shaela's voice came out softer than she thought it would as the implication began to sink in. "Do you mean," she asked almost silently, "that Kasumi might be…"

Rassen's eyes were determined as he stared back at her. "What would either of us do," he murmured, "if the other were in Shepard's position?"

For once in her life, Kasumi genuinely hated waiting.

While it was never an enjoyable activity, she was normally able to tolerate it. Observing the patrol route of a guard, staying in hiding until a security system was taken down for maintenance, or simply flying a ship from one side of the galaxy to the other took time, even if the latter did benefit from faster than light travel. Patience was one of the most important traits of any good thief, and she hadn't been exaggerating when she had said she was the best there was. It had been a difficult attribute to learn, but she had learned it through forcing herself to always keep her end goal in mind. Waiting for a guard to turn a corner made it easier to steal the priceless artefact he was protecting after all.

Now though she was unable to keep from fidgeting, constantly activating and deactivating her omni-tool as she tried anything to make the wait end faster. For possibly the hundredth time, her eyes moved in the direction of the cockpit from where she leaned against a wall in the room next to it. She could eavesdrop on the conversation; it would obviously be no test of her skills. But doing so just seemed wrong for a lack of a better word. Rassen and Shaela were not corrupt businessmen, pirates, or even art collectors who had unknowingly acquired a piece that had caught her fancy. No, they were two people considering whether to help Shepard, whether to help her, putting their lives in danger if they agreed. For once it didn't seem right to eavesdrop.

The whole situation felt strangely familiar but she knew why.

Keiji.

It was like going after his greybox all over again but instead of getting help from Shepard, he was the thing that needed rescuing.

After a couple of minutes of continuing to activate and deactivate her omni-tool, she noticed the message notification icon blinking incessantly at her. Curious, she touched the icon, revealing a message with a short video clip attached. The thief's eyes widened as she reached the bottom of the message.

Kasumi,

This 'Rassen' barely seems to exist. The only traces of him I could find are several years old and range over a period of only two months. He spent most of that time on Omega before going to a small mining colony named Querra. From there he vanished, though his companion (more on her below) bought a ticket off-world a week later. He appears to possess advanced and unique technology like nothing I've ever seen, so be careful around him.

As to whether he can be trusted, I don't know. All I know for sure is that he is more than capable of defending himself. The omni-tool recording below is of a man I believe to be him, based on your image. He appears to be accompanied by a female quarian, the same one who left Querra without him, but I could not narrow her identity down any further than that. With the millions of quarians there are, even accessing the Migrant Fleet's records and knowing what her suit looks like meant I was unable to work out who she could be.

Try to find out more from 'Rassen' and stay safe. The Reapers are gone but some days it really does seem as though the galaxy is just as dangerous as it was when they were still around.

—Liara

Kasumi started the clip, attention focused on the video as it began playing. A figure, similar to Rassen but wearing a mask, was wielding a bright-blue energy sword—a lightsaber, she remembered from their conversation just over an hour ago—and was in the middle of fighting a number of armed thugs. The figure blocked their shots with his own weapon, feet moving as he continued to defend himself. Seeing a familiar looking enviro-suit, Kasumi quickly paused the video.

Definitely Shaela, though her suit looks much less battered. That makes this guy Rassen then, strange fashion sense with the mask though.

The video did not go on for much longer; Rassen, Shaela, and their attackers vanishing from sight as the person recording was swept away by a panicking crowd, but Kasumi had got the drift by that point. A sudden clunking noise caused her to look up, deactivating her omni-tool and pushing any thought of the video to the back of her mind. She stood up, taking a deep breath as she stared at the door to the cockpit expectantly.

She felt a very uncharacteristic surge of intense nervousness as the door opened, Rassen and Shaela walking over to her, the quarian observing her with the same caution she had when they first met. Rassen seemed more at ease, though his facial expression was hard to read. As far as she could tell though, he seemed satisfied.

"Before either of you say anything, I need to say something first," she blurted out, catching Shaela off-guard, if the split-second glow of the quarian's mouthpiece was of any indication. "Like I said earlier, back there with the Mandalorians… we're even." Seeing that Rassen was about to interrupt, she pressed on. "I know I saved the two of you, that was kind of obvious from how you were both at gunpoint, but I would be dead right now if not for your help." She looked at quarian. "Yours especially, Shaela." Glancing between the two of them for a moment, she continued. "As far as I'm concerned; I saved you, and then you saved me. So, don't feel under any obligation to help me because of anything that happened before now." Silence fell as the human and quarian looked at each other, causing Kasumi to frown in confusion.

How the hell are the two of them able to read each other's facial expressions and body language that well?

She was taken out of her musings by Shaela clearing her throat. To her surprise, the quarian marched straight over to her before extending a hand, causing her to glance down at it in surprise. She heard Shaela sigh, causing her to glance back at the quarian's visor as the latter's eyes moved from her to the offered hand and back again. After a moment Kasumi hesitantly took the outstretched hand, Shaela gripping hers firmly as the two of them slowly shook hands.

Kasumi looked over at Rassen, who smiled slightly as he stared at Shaela, before he looked at her and allowed his smile to widen. Kasumi felt a wave of relief wash over her as the quarian spoke, causing her to return her gaze to the woman who now seemed to be looking at her with a small smile of her own, if the shape of her eyes was of any indication.

"All right," Shaela said firmly, "we'll help you. But we have a few conditions."