This chapter might seem a bit weird with Garrus all acting out...
But I've gotten this proofread, so...
It actually even fits the timeline in my head, sort of...
Darkness.
Complete darkness.
In the darkness, silence
Slow inhale.
In the silence, emptiness.
Slow exhale.
Peace.
The peace was broken by the sound of a door opening.
Thane Krios opened his eyes.
"Shepard," he greeted, without turning.
He heard the figure stopping.
"Do you need something?," Thane asked.
"How did you know it was me?," Shepard asked.
A flash went through Thane's mind. The pace of Shepard's step, the weight. The sound.
"Everyone's step is...different. Unique.," Thane answered. "I can remember them all clearly"
He heard Shepard walking again towards him.
"The drell have perfect memories, right?," Shepard said.
Most did not know anything about the drell. It was not surprising, because there was only so few of them, and almost all lived on the Hanar homeworld, Kahje.
It was a pleasant surprise.
Thane turned his head towards Shepard.
"You know of the drell?"
"Not as much as I'd like, I guess," Shepard answered, shrugging.
Impressive. The thirst of knowledge in such a man. Contrasting.
"Please, join me," Thane said, gesturing towards the chair on the opposite side of the table.
Shepard sat down. "That's gotta be hard. To remember all of your assassinations clearly"
"Hard? No. I did not kill them, my employers did. I was merely the tool," Thane answered.
"The tool that can think and make choices," Shepard asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"I was not trained to make choices, but to carry out my employers' orders," Thane replied, with the same calm tone.
Shepard narrowed his eyes, but apparently decided not to pursue this any further.
There was a moments silence.
"I apologize. I haven't had chance to introduce myself to you properly," Shepard said apologetically.
"There is no need. You are the Captain of this ship and many tasks require your presence," Thane replied.
"No, it's not that it's...," Shepard began hesitatingly. He cleared his throat. "...been more of a...personal matter"
Personal matter.
Another flash went through Thane's mind.
Exploring the ship. Engineering. The corridor with a large window. It shows the cargo hold. It is empty. The elevator opens. A quarian comes through. Walks towards the core room. Her pace is quick. Quiet sobbing. She vanishes behind the door.
He had seen the same quarian in Shepard's company very often.
Thane did not know if he was right, but even if he was, it was not his business.
"I...understand," Thane said.
Shepard's eyes narrowed again, but he didn't speak.
"You wish to learn about the drell?," Thane asked.
Shepard leaned back on his chair.
"No, I wish to learn about you"
Sudden realization crossed Thane's mind. The Kepral's Syndrome.
"Ah"
He lowered his head, slightly disappointed at the Commander's motives.
"You needn't worry. My illness will not affect the mission"
Shepard tilted his head.
"That's not what I asked"
Thane was surprised. He did not think that the reason would be the other one. Care.
"It was not?"
Shepard sighed, then put his hands on the table.
"I like to know my crew, and I like them to know me. It creates...unity"
Thane was a little disappointed at himself. He should not make such judgements about someone without seeing first hand.
"Forgive me," Thane said, bowing his head slightly "What do you wish to know?"
"Well...," Shepard began, leaning closer "...you could tell me about your illness"
Thane smiled inside. Genuine care, or making the other think that it was? Either way, he was impressed.
He told Shepard about the Kepral's syndrome, it's effects, what causes it, and how long he had.
"You seemed to have accepted your death?," Shepard inquired.
Thane had. The truth was, he had been dead a long time, maybe his entire life.
"There is nothing I can do about that. The only thing that remains, is acceptance," Thane stated matter-of-factly. "My training has aided me, since I have always considered myself as already dead"
Shepard leaned backwards again and looked thoughtful, as if pondering his words.
"Stoic attitude. Admirable"
"Ah, the school of human philosophy, created by Zeno of Citium"
Shepard wrinkled his brow "You seem to know a lot about humans"
"My perfect memory is a great aid in that regard. Information and knowledge are important to all assassins, and I am one of the best"
Shepard grinned and crossed his arms.
"Not so modest now, huh?"
Thane could feel a slight grin forming on his face. The Shepard's sharp remark had hit a nerve.
"I am merely stating the truth," the drell answered.
There was a long silence, until Shepard broke it.
"When I..." he paused, hesitating "When I was blown into the space...my suit ruptured" he said quietly and shrugged.
"I panicked, and it saddened me. I had wanted to die with dignity, with honor," he paused again, and sighed deeply.
"I thought about my friends, my crew. I had saved them, it was a good death"
he snorted, before concluding quietly.
"The thought made me happy, and I died with a smile on my face"
Thane tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. To hear someone telling about their death was...extraordinary, to say the least. Thane knew death intimately. He had killed many, but he had never known what went through the person's mind when they died.
"That's...," Thane began, searching for words to describe the event.
He could find none.
"I had not heard such a description before. Thank you," he continued, slightly bowing his head again.
Shepard nodded, rising back to his feet.
"I'll see you later, Thane"
Thane bowed his head in response.
After Shepard had left the room, Thane began to fall back into his meditations.
The impression he got of Shepard was...pleasing. He was clearly a very intelligent and cultured man.
Contrasting.
The word kept crawling back into his mind.
He had expected to find a stern, ruthless soldier.
He was again disappointed with himself. He should not to make such hasty judgements.
A single piece of wisdom popped up in his mind.
The measure of an individual is difficult to discern by actions alone.
It felt...suiting.