.
.
"An infested creepy tunnel under Omega that would likely guide us to someone who actually believes in the Reapers and has information for us? The signs are all there, Shepard; it's a trap." Years spent buried under mountains of papers and red tape as a C-sec officer had sharpened the turian's bullshit detector and she couldn't help but grin at his remark. "Aria told us as much. But it's better if we face this now than let another poor bloke fall for it. Besides," she nodded her head towards the entrance, prompting him to follow her in "the calibrations of the Normandy are damn fine, Garrus. You need to go out once in a while. I swear, if you ever say that you need to double-check them again, I'll show you how optimized her firing algorithms are." The geth accompanying them piped in "We have examined the weaponry. Scanners show that calculations are off by 0.000023 percent of maximum capability" to which the turian replied "Yeah, well byte me."
"Geth do not bite."
"You know, for all the time you spent observing humans, you certainly are not above improvement regarding learning their culture."
"We do not understand."
"Yeah, well, spend enough time around Shepard and you'll wish you'd packed extra bandwidth to keep up with her."
Leaving the two to banter among themselves, Mordin caught up to the Commander who was leading, followed closely by the drell. "Shepard. Want to talk. News of your return cause stirs among people. Some believe you, but no means to fight in front line. No guns. No power. Think other ways to help you. Fall for these traps. May result in many casualties. Good plan, start with your followers. Lucky that Aria picked up on this first one so quickly and contact us."
Thane's expression turned dark and his pace quickened to match hers "I know this method very well... And with your growing popularity, Shepard, I have no doubt that you might find yourself in a difficult situation. You won't be able to protect everyone."
Shepard nodded gravely "Yeah. I can think of some bastards who would stoop this low. That's why I'm checking it out. And-" she trailed off and shot a quick look at her two comrades, then at Garrus and Legion who had also quieted down, looking ready. Combat instincts kicking in, Shepard pulled out her pistol and vaulted over a crate "Get to cover!"
A wave of bullets whizzed past their heads as a small group of mercenaries ambushed them. One of them, the leader she presumed, raised an arm in sign of cease-fire before addressing himself to her group.
"You're Shepard aren't you? The hero of Citadel graces us with her presence! We heard there was an Informant here with data that might interest you."
The commander peeked over her cover "And what interest do you have in him?"
"Information is money. There are those who would be willing enough to pay good credits to get them. Real or not, if you're interested in it, then so are we. Though this one proved himself quite stubborn... but I'm sure that by the time I'm done talking, my men will have extracted everything we need from him. And with you in the addition, I'll be certain to add more zeroes into the price tag" He turned to his subordinates "We take her in alive! Kill the others!"
.
In all her combats, Shepard had noticed a common mistake among her enemies; they have a tendency to deliver really long speeches. Had they even considered what her teammates were doing while they were caught up into their own elocution? She had no doubt that in between the enemy's words, Garrus' mind has already thought up several tactical vantage points to set up their kill zone while Thane's proficiency located every one of their weak points. Legion's FTL calculations provided them the enemies' formation and Mordin was probably thinking of the next project he was going to work on in his lab.
Her group advanced efficiently without missing a beat, unleashing never ending waves of bullets, biotic and techs powers on the mercs. It was over too soon.
Or maybe not.
A lone batarian suddenly leaped out of his hiding and charged directly at Thane. "You'll pay for what you've done!"
Rifle in hand, the newcomer on the battlefield had not even managed two steps before honed instincts took over the assassin. Thane dived forward.
Five meters.
Twist. Warp.
Three meters.
Step. Turn.
One meter.
Pull out gun.
Three centimeters.
Point blank. Shoot.
The batarian fell back, dead.
Garrus blinked before he set his sniper down, a mixture of surprise and confusion on his face. "Well…that was odd."
Legion's upper plate mirrored his expression. "Denouncing presence with a battlecry. We do not understand why one would take course of action that would haste deletion," it zoomed in on Mordin "A batarian way of fighting?" The salarian shook his head "Behavior shows lack of experience. Based on body morphology and voice depth, not reached adulthood. Recruited when still young. Unsurprising."
"Didn't think mercs were desperate enough to start recruiting in kindergarten…" the ex C-sec officer snorted.
Thane knelt down and flipped the body over, inspecting it. "Armor quality barely meets standard and too big for him. Too many openings. And this one hasn't held a gun in his life." He held up the limp hand, devoid of calluses or any other significant markings, bringing an end to the discussion. His gaze dropped to the ground.
Shepard narrowed her eyes and hesitated for a moment before she stowed away her sidearm "Garrus, scout ahead."
Her order was met with a long look before the turian nodded in understanding and addressed himself to the other two companions "You two. With me." Whether they suspected something or not, she was grateful that Mordin and Legion didn't voice it aloud and followed Garrus. When they disappeared around the corner, she made sure that they were out of earshot then muted the output system of her com-link. She then approached the lone figure crouched next to the batarian, looking solemn "What couldn't you say in front of the others, Thane?" He was not surprised that she has caught on to his thoughts.
He shifted aside and pointed. Her attention immediately darted to the insignia on the chestplate. It was hand painted in clumsy way, not projecting an once of the glory it was probably meant to reflect.
"I have seen this before"
She wiped the sweat off her brow, frowning at this new information that would either complicate things or shed light on the situation. "When?"
/ He limps away, broken bones and missing fingers. Begs me to end the pain. But I do not listen. He has to suffer for what he's done. I grab his arm, a bright orange insignia blazed across his plate. A crest. It is insignificant. Unimportant. He is the last. I drag his body to the edge- /
A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, pulling him out of his trance. His gaze flew back up to her worried face. The next words came out slowly, testing the waters. "Irikah's killers... they wore this insignia. Though none of them should have been left alive…" Her grip on him tightened slightly, making sure that he was still there, to which he reassured with a quick nod and then gently pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen across her eyes. It distracted her enough that he could pry himself away from her.
"...A fan?"
His hands searched through the batarian's pockets and felt a flat object collide against his fingers. He inhaled deeply at the sight of the holo that he pulled out. "Worse. A son. No, a surrogate. They didn't have any family."
"Coincidence?"
"No, I saw the way he charged at me. He was looking for me. He knew you would lead him to me eventually…"
"Is there a risk that they would send more after you?"
He stood up slowly "No, there shouldn't have been anyone left to remember them now. I... took care of all of them," he straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back "No one will reclaim the body."
Garrus' footsteps interrupted them when he came back alone, discharging a thermal clip. "We have found the informant. The mercs roughed him up a bit," he shifted his stance, looking perplexed for once, "This... might seem like the genuine stuff, Shepard... but something is unsettling."
"A feeling in your gut?"
"Yeah. The space is too open, too risky for us if other mercs decide to join in. A poor choice of location to meet up if you ask me. Buckethead is making sure there's no surprise around, but there is something interfering with our radar... Something isn't right, Shepard."
"What about our guy?"
"Left him with the Professor and Tinman. Mordin assures me he'll make it. Rather than folding my hands over my gut and wait for someone to deliver the punch, I'd rather make sure I armor it first; let me go take position on the catwalks, Commander, just in case."
A pinging sound drew their attention before Legion broadcasted its monotone voice into their comm "Shepard-Commander, the Informant wishes to speak with you. Requesting your presence immediately."
Shepard nodded Garrus to go ahead with his plan. "I'm counting on you."
"Aye aye, Commander." The turian turned on his heel and disappeared around the corner, leaving them alone. She then concentrated on Thane who was lost in thoughts, eyeing him with concern "Thane. Look at me." When he didn't comply, Shepard attempted reason, but she had never been good at gathering broken pieces, and all she had ever offered was to protect whatever was left of him. It had seemed enough at the time, but some wounds just don't heal and the hole that was Irikah had once open been torn open. "It was self-defense, Thane. One would-"
He shook his head slowly and there was a frighteningly familiar icy calmness to his voice when he interrupted her "No, not self-defense. Reflexes," he stood up and took a deep breath, dropping his arms to his side "It is a sad universe we live in, Siha, where one's existence can be decided by how well he or she reacts at gunpoint."
"Thane…"
"His anger is justifiable and he sought to extract revenge, just like I did. But he does not have the same skills like I had, and it cost him his life…" he then bowed his head at her, his gaze never leaving the body "I would very much like to carry his body out of here."
"Where?"
"Anywhere else than here is fine. An alley, if you please. Just... let his body be found." At her dubious expression, he quickly added "After this, of course."
It was her turn to take on a grave expression when she crossed her arms and took a step closer to him "Thane, you once told me that you would follow me anywhere, even if it led to your downfall. I need you to tell me right now this won't be it... If you were to..." she trailed off, not wishing her words to sound like a bad omen.
"Do not worry siha. This will not hinder my performance. Let us move on."
"If you are certain…"
"I am." He sidestepped, inviting her to lead the way. And as he followed, he couldn't help but think of the young batarian. He had no difficulties imagining his son lying there instead; Kolyat, who almost followed in his footsteps and carried out his killings, to eventually be shot down in an desolate place, never to be found.
Shepard glanced at him worriedly but Thane kept his expression aloof and didn't dare tell her that he was unworthy of her concern; the batarian was a victim of a vicious cycle that never should have swept him in and his death elicited regret on his part, but a dark corner of his mind dared believe that in killing him, he had managed to save Kolyat and couldn't deny the overwhelming feeling that he finally reached the shore of after being adrift for so long. Irikah probably would have been disappointed of him and that thought hunted him more than anything. Carrying the body out in the open for it to be found would not be enough to wash away the disgust he felt within, but it was all he could think of.
He didn't ask the gods for forgiveness, willing to bear this sin as long as it kept Kolyat safe.
The ugly voice of reason asked him how many more times was he willing to repeat this. It seemed that his liaison with the Commander of the Normandy has been leaked out in the open and it was a perfect opportunity for old scores to be settled against him. And with his barely mended relationship with Kolyat, he can't think of a suitable explanation to get his son to safety without dabbing onto old wounds. And Shepard...
He shot a quick look at his siha, who has joined Mordin and knelt down next to their battered informer. A sense of dread invaded him at the thought of having to part from her in order to keep her safe, but memories of them lying together, basked in the blue light of the aquarium in her quarters, tangled limbs and muffled laughs made him willing to risk everything.
I will not so readily give up my life, knowing that it is not mine alone to live... I'll live for you, Thane. So stay, with me.
Whatever grace was given to him by the godess Arashu, he would hope that she would also bid her divine protection to the warrior-angel that had woken him up from his long battle sleep.