Brief

He was the unseen, the silent blade. She was the protector, the shining lance.
Together, they will fight.
Right and wrong are more often shades of gray than black and white.
Can they change the fate of the galaxy?
Can they save each other?

Thane blinked to adjust his eyes as the conference room lights came on. Shepard had asked him to join in the debriefing on Aeia, particularly the reactions of the crashed crewmembers. After he had delivered his version of events, he had stepped back to let Jacob began his narration, not wishing to intrude. The Illusive Man claimed to have no knowledge of the Hugo Gernsback, but Jacob didn't seem to believe him.

"Yeah, well, if you didn't forward it, who did?"

"I did." On cue, as Jacob asked The Illusive Man who had sent him the information, Miranda stalked into the darkened room.

"Ahh, the obvious insider," Shepard said, realization dawning on her face. "I should have known."

Miranda faced Jacob, her voice gentle. "I promised you once that if I would help you find your father. I keep my promises." She seemed about to say more, but her face crumpled and she hurried out.

Shepard and Thane exchanged a startled, questioning glance. Miranda was usually very reserved and articulate. The glimpse of depth was curious. Shepard, typically, voiced her question directly to Jacob. "So you really had no idea Miranda was behind this? I know you two have a history."

"No. She's got a good memory, though. Selective, but good." Jacob rubbed the back of his neck in an uncertain gesture. "I haven't thought about those days in a long time, Shepard."

"Sounds like you might want to start thinking about them again," Shepard suggested. "It looked like she had a lot more to say."

"Not sure I really want to. She...requires a better man than I."

"You're a good man, Jacob. Don't sell yourself short." Shepard lightly punched Jacob in the arm, shaking her head ruefully. "Ah, come on, we've got work to do."

"Aye Commander. And Shepard? Thanks for the help."

"Any time, Jacob. I'll be babysitting an adolescent krogan if you need anything else."

"Krios." Jacob turned to Thane as they walked out into the hallway. "I wanted to thank you too. Those were some good moves down on the planet."

"You are welcome, Mr. Taylor. I'm glad I could be of assistance."

"Listen..." Jacob jerked his head in the direction of the armory to indicate his intended direction. "I know we haven't been on the best of terms. Just wanted to let you know, I appreciate you and Shepard helping me out."

"I regret that your father's history had to be revealed in such a way. It could not have been easy to face," Thane replied, following with his hands clasped behind his back.

"The man I knew died a long time ago, Krios. My father's in my memories. Guess he was a good enough dad that even he couldn't screw up what he taught me."

"It's never easy to learn the truth of your loved ones."

Jacob paused just inside the armory to place his shotgun on the nearest table. "Huh. I guess you'd know about that. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. How's your son?"

Thane hesitated, picking up and examining a newer model of silencer for his rifle before answering. "Kolyat...has a good heart. I believe in time, he will forgive me. Perhaps you may come to feel the same for your father?"

"Doubt it. He's not my father any more. He's just a guy who took advantage of his power to do bad things. He can rot in prison for all I care. But I was wrong about you. Glad to have you on the team. No hard feelings, right?"

"Of course not, Mr. Taylor."

A/N: I know, Brief chapter is brief. My sincere apologies for that. This is a setup to the much longer chapter coming up. It didn't really fit in at the beginning of the next chapter, or the end of the previous one, so here it stands by itself. Next chapter should be up by Friday.