Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect
AN: As requested by Zaara the black and Yonis, hope you enjoy it.
Mass Fiction
Episode 8: Stakeout
Steadying his breathing, Thane began to peel away the distractions around him. The dim haze of the red hazard lighting that saturated every corner of the station. The putrid smell of garbage and urine that seemed to bombard your senses no matter where you were, from the upper penthouses to the lowest gutters. The moans and groans of air filters and intake pumps, a rambling lullaby that drifted across the levels, a soundtrack to the weary and desperate.
Omega. It was his least favorite place in the entire galaxy because for him, the darkest corner with the best view was the ideal place to work. But on Omega, it was those places where the demons and the depraved seem to lurk, waiting to snatch some helpless victim and drag them screaming into the night.
It was one such demon that had brought him here, a killer that Samara had been chasing for centuries. Shepard had agreed to be used as live bait and now he waited for them to emerge so that Shepard could lead his quarry back to her lair. A cunning if not dangerous plan.
Looking through his scope, he saw his other teammate, the Justicar Samara hunched behind a pile of refuse, monitoring the front door of the club for Shepard or her criminal.
"We are certain that there is no back entrance to this particular club," Thane asked through his headset.
"Yes," Samara answered, "there are a variety of VIP rooms inside, but this door is the only way in or out of the club itself."
"Would it be possible for her to try and attack Shepard inside the private lounges rather than take him back to her home," Thane said as he tracked a Turian hobbling out of the club.
"This creature enjoys the hunt and the control she can maintain over her prey. She will want privacy so that she can enjoy herself fully. No, she will lead Shepard to her lair and there I will end her," Samara said with conviction.
"If you wish I could eliminate her as soon as they exit the club," Thane said watching the Asari through his scope, "it would be a fairly easy shot from this distance."
"While I do not doubt your skill Thane I must insist that you stay your hand. She is my responsibility, my penance and as such I alone must stop her," Samara said grimly.
"I apologize for my assumptions," Thane said returning to watching the club's door, "normally I do not work with others, acting as part of a team has taken some getting used to."
"No apology is necessary," was Samara's reply through the comm., "the ways of my order are not well known outside of Asari space. Justicar's both work and live in solitude for much of their lives. Explaining my actions to a teammate is something as you say, I am getting used to."
"Indeed," Thane agreed.
The club doors opened and Thane again scoped out the entrance only to see a human female exit and disappear into the crowd at a brisk pace. Not quick enough to draw attention from your average passerby, but enough for the eyes of two veteran professionals.
"She seemed like she was in a hurry," Thane said lowering his rifle.
"I noticed that at well," Samara said returning to her hiding spot, "she looked as though she was worried about being followed."
"A possible deal gone bad," Thane guessed, "or she was merely trying to escape her date."
"If it was the latter than I wish her luck," Samara said as she watched two more Turians limp out of the club.
"Three injured Turians in one night. I cannot believe that this is a coincidence," Thane's voiced echoed through the comm.
"Perhaps Shepard has taken my advice and is building himself up as the alpha male," Samara surmised, "if so it will not be long before he has her attention."
Silence fell between the Drell and Asari as their stakeout continued. Many might have considered it an awkward silence, but for them it was more a comfort. Solitude and reflection was a large part of their lives and had been for some time. It was that reflection that prompted Thane.
"I wonder if I could ask you what you meant by ending this criminal being your penance," Thane said focusing his scope on the Asari once more.
"I suppose that you should be fully aware of the situation given the circumstances," Samara reluctantly admitted. "I have already spoken to Shepard of these matters and I trust that you understand that this is a very personal matter for me."
"I offer nothing but discretion and I assure you that your trust is both well founded and appreciated," Thane said trying to ease her mind.
"The creature we hunt is an ardat-yakshi, a 'demon of the night winds'," Samara explained. "It is a name born from both myth and superstition, before my people had genetics to explain the mysteries of the Asari body. She kills during the mating process by overpowering the nervous system of her partner during the meld we Asari use. During which she gains both knowledge and power in exchange for her partner's life. The euphoria achieved from the act is addictive causing her to seek out new victims."
"You mentioned genetics? I take it that this is a defect among the Asari that is rare?"
"It is only seen if ever in the children of a pureblood joining. It is one of the reasons why such relationships carry a certain taboo within Asari culture as it only appears in the daughters of purebloods."
"I see," Thane said putting the pieces together in his mind, "you feel that each death your daughter causes is your responsibility, that their blood is on your hands."
"It was my blood that afflicted her with her condition, but it was her decision to give into her desires and to destroy rather than live a life of peace. My penance is not for her victims, but for her. I have doomed her to a life of being hunted like an animal, cornered and eventually killed. No, the lives she has destroyed are of her own making, what has become of her life is my own," Samara said solemnly.
"A difficult burden to bear."
"I do not seek pity," Samara said quickly, "that part of my life is over."
"Not pity," Thane explained, "merely understanding. You wish a better life for your daughter, one where your own destiny did not taint hers."
"You sound as if you speak from experience," Samara said turning to the rooftop above her, the shadows keeping their secrets from her eyes.
"My need for revenge nearly cost my son his soul. Had it not been for Shepard, I might have found myself in a situation not so dissimilar to your own. The very thought only raises my respect for you that much higher. If I were in your position, I am uncertain if I would be able to do what was necessary."
"I have had nearly four hundred years to contemplate my actions. Even now, it takes my entire being to push forward and do what I must."
The opening of the club doors drew their attention, a slight intake of breath heard over his comm as Shepard emerged arm in arm with an Asari dressed in black. At first he was taken aback by how closely this killer looked like her mother, a near perfect copy. Only through closer inspection in his scope did the real differences emerge. Where Samara walked with confidence and an air of regality, this one strutted in a sensual slither, hypnotic like fluid movements of a cobra.
The other difference was the eyes. While Samara's gaze held both wisdom and regret, the demon had the look of a wild animal, just barely restrained lust and hunger pitching and boiling just below the surface.
"Dangerous," Thane thought as his sights remained focus between those very eyes.
"They are heading for her lair," Samara whispered into the comm, "I will follow behind them."
"I will shadow from the roofs," Thane replied.
"I do not believe she suspects any danger but be prepared in case she flees," Samara said as she watched them slip into the crowd.
"Understood," Thane said watching from above.
Thane watched as the couple and their shadow made their way through the ward, the huntress in black seemingly unaware that she now was the hunted. Collapsing and storing his sniper rifle, he bowed his head as he had countless times before.
"Amonkira. Lord of Hunters. Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true and my feet swift. And should the worst come to pass, grant us both forgiveness."
And like that, he was gone.
I always wondered what the third person you bring is doing with themselves the whole time. Well here's the VIP room, I'm just gonna grab a churro real quick, alright lets go get that ardat-yakshi, what do you mean the missions over? I'm getting Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning tomorrow so dependent on how good or bad it is will determine when the next chapter is up. Until next time read and review people.