It seemed the Citadel had filled up with thousands of refugees since the last time they had docked. Many colonies were being destroyed daily and without warning; none of them ever even had a chance to defend. Shepard supposed that, with this many new faces crowding the Citadel, Saren would most likely be able to wander through, unrecognized. She smiled, realizing that her thoughts had involuntarily wandered to the turian who had been sharing her bed for little over a week. Saren was quite the conundrum; one that she strangely seemed to understand. He was strong-willed, stubborn, and arrogant. But there was also a softness about him; one that he tried his damndest to never show. However there were times when he'd accidently let it slip. She sighed dreamily, recalling the last time she'd caught him admiring her while he thought she'd slept. Taloned fingertips caressed gently down the length of her body. Mandibles fluttered approvingly against her sensitive skin. The soothing sound of his purr hummed in her ear. She was so distracted by the memory that she didn't realize she was already standing outside the human Councilor, Udina's office. Days earlier he had requested an audience with her, mentioning something about a new discovery that may help to with this war. No matter how much she disliked the man, if he had information that could destroy the Reapers, she was there. Shaking the remnants of pleasant thoughts from her mind, Shepard stepped into the Councilor's office to find the man sitting at his desk, datapad in hand. The moment he'd seen her enter, he set the pad down and moved forth to greet her. He displayed none of his typical annoyance at her presence, which immediately caused her to believe something was amiss.
"Welcome back, Commander," Udina said, almost too cheerfully.
"Udina," she greeted plainly.
"I hear you've made a great deal of progress since your last visit. Securing the krogan, salarians, and even the asari in the war… They will be important assets, indeed. You've done humanity proud, Shepard!"
She had no intention of taking his words of praise to heart. She knew him much better than that. The man wanted something, and she aimed to find out what. "And judging from our last correspondence, you have your own assets to add?" she questioned him.
"Indeed! Your old friends, Cerberus, have finally agreed to do their part," he replied matter-of-factly. He paused, intending to judge her reaction before continuing. When she didn't offer him any, he went on. "But you have something they need, Shepard."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, voice filled with warning.
"Don't play stupid with me. You know precisely what they want." The change in his tone indicated he was beginning to lose his patience, which was typical of their usual conversations.
Shepard crossed her arms and stared at the Councilor blankly, not intending to give up any information freely.
"The Reaper core, Shepard! Where is it?" he demanded, pounding his fist into his open palm.
"I don't know anything about a 'Reaper core'," she said dismissively, turning away from him. She glanced at the door and considered making an exit before Udina decided to do anything rash. If the man was aiming to support Cerberus, there was no telling to which type of force he would resort. Despite her dislike of him, she hesitated having to kill him.
"You're not going anywhere, Commander," a low and deadly voice warned her.
Shepard wasn't sure when anyone else could have slipped into the office, but the voice certainly didn't belong to the Councilor. She spun on her heals to face its source. A well-armored figure stood beside the Councilor with a pistol aimed steadily at her head.
"K-Kai Leng," Udina stammered, attempting to conceal his nervousness but failing miserably. The Councilor was obviously intimidated by the intruder. "I told you I would handle this."
"You've already failed, Councilor. Now, the Commander will kindly give up the core," he said, tilting his head at her, "or die."
"That was not the agreement!" Udina shouted, finally finding strength in his voice. "We still need Shepard to win this war."
"Wrong!" Kai Leng shouted. "She's expendable… Just as you are." The man fluidly shifted the aim of his gun and relinquished one silent shot in the Councilor's direction. Udina staggered for an instant before collapsing in a pool of deep red upon his office floor. Without so much as a second thought, the man returned his attention back to the woman before him.
"Now, Commander…" he said, stepping toward her slowly. "Hand over the core."
She narrowed her eyes in challenge. "Even if I wanted to give you the core, I can't."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"I've already had it implanted," she lied.
The smile that began to crease his face grew wider and more maniacal as he continued to advance on her so gracefully that it appeared as if he wasn't moving at all. "If that's true," he sneered, "then I would love to be the one to slice it from your corpse."
When he was finally within arms-reach she risked taking a swing at him, successfully knocking the pistol from his hands. She saw a flash of a delightful grin before the back of his armored hand collided with her naked jaw. She could feel his powerful grip encircle her wrists as he spun her around and forced her down onto her knees. She shook her head, attempting to will away the shock of the blow. She felt his vengeful fingers twist in her hair, yanking her head up cruelly and painfully.
"So this is the Illusive Man's pride?" he hissed in her ear. "How pathetic! You are weak, Shepard. I will always be superior!"
"Sounds like you've got a complex, Kai Leng," she muttered through a strained voice. "Wanna talk about it?" She suddenly felt shocking pain as he forced her head to the floor; heard her own voice cry out involuntarily as it collided with the solid surface. When he yanked her head back up, the room spun in about five subsequent directions.
"You're in no position to make snide remarks," he snarled.
His voice, as it resonated in her ear, was filled with so much poison and hate that it caused fear to rise up from within her. But there was no way she would allow him to see that fear, so she swallowed it. "Then feel free to suggest a better time. Cause I have more," she muttered spitefully.
Again pain coursed through her body as her head glanced off the floor, but this time she didn't utter a sound. When her head was whipped back up by his unyielding grip, a warm sensation began to tickle her upper lip as blood dribbled from her nose. She could feel his lips press against her ear.
"Somehow, I doubt it's your wit that makes the Illusive Man favor you. Why don't we find out what it is that makes you so exceptional?" he whispered maliciously, releasing his grip on her hair. She could feel his free hand begin working at the clasps of her armor and it caused her heart to race with anxiety. Realizing what he aimed to do, she strained against his hold on her wrists, but to no avail. She desperately tried to find another option; another means of escape. She'd previously noticed the man possessed a blade… If only she could reach it.
Then, through her muddled thoughts, she heard a loud crack, like the sound of bones crushing under a great force. The unrelenting grip that restrained her wrists suddenly loosened, and having lost her support, she fell forward onto her hands. Quickly glancing back, she could see the body of her assailant lying contorted on the office floor. And before her mind could process her immediate freedom, supportive hands encircled her, guiding her to her feet. She repressed the urge to lash out, the guidance of a gentle touch easing her nerves.
"Siha." The concerned and familiar, throaty voice resonated in her ears.
Her vision focused on the green face of the drell, his large dark eyes appearing troubled as he looked upon her bleeding face. "Thane," Shepard gasped. Though still shaken, the presence of her good friend provided her with a surge of relief. "Am I glad to see you!"
"I'm sorry I did not arrive sooner. He was a trained assassin and I had to wait for the most opportune moment to strike," Thane told her apologetically.
She shook her head, the action unfortunately rattling her brain a bit too much for comfort. "I'm just glad you got here when you did."
"Did he hurt you?" he asked, lightly rubbing his thumb over the blood that streaked down her lips, wiping it away.
Her eyes widened at the seemingly intimate action but decided to shrug it off. "Nah. I've been through worse, you know that."
Thane nodded in response before his expression turned solemn. "It is good to see you. I… I heard about Earth."
"Yeah," she replied, bowing her head sadly. When she looked back up at him, her expression was determined. "But we'll get it back, that's for sure."
"Yes. I hear you've been busy. I have no doubts that if anyone can do it, you can." He paused thoughtfully before continuing. "Please, allow me to join you in your fight."
Her eyes filled with sadness when she looked upon her dying friend, knowing that any future battles would bring him closer to death. "No, Thane… Your health was already suffering when I left for Earth. The strain will be too much on your lungs."
He clasped her hand in both of his. "When how else would you see me go, Siha? Kepral's Syndrome is very unforgiving. I would much rather die fighting by your side than painfully in a hospital bed."
She released a defeated sigh. He knew she wouldn't deny him the right to die an admirable soldier's death. It was the death he wanted and the death he deserved. "It would be an honor to have you with us, Thane," she said finally.
He gave her a satisfied smile. "As always, my arm is yours, Siha."
After explaining to Commander Bailey the events of Udina's deception and Kai Leng's attack, Shepard decided to drag Thane along for some quick shopping on the Presidium. She wanted to make sure she picked up a thermal pipe she promised Engineer Adams, along with some much-too-tempting upgrades. Thane could tell by the abundance of her purchases, that the events in the Councilor's office truly bothered her. For the short time he'd come to know the Commander, he quickly found that when she was stressed, shopping for advanced weaponry was one of her favorite outlets. Joy didn't come easily to someone with the weight of the galaxy on their shoulders, so seeing her happy was a pleasant experience.
When the she was finally satisfied with her hundreds-of-thousands of credits worth of purchases, they began making their way back to the Normandy's docking deck. Though, before reaching the elevator they came upon a large crowd, the gathering mainly consisting of sobbing asari and frightened faces of various other races. Thane glanced up at the galactic news report, around which they were gathered. Through all the commotion he was unable to hear the reporter, but he was able to make out the words that scrolled across the bottom of the screen. Glancing at Shepard, he could see that she'd been staring at it as well, her fiery eyebrows drawn in with discontent.
"Let's go," she said with a slightly shaky voice.
When they finally managed to push their way through the devastated crowd, they rode the elevator up in silence. It wasn't until they reached the docking bay that she finally faltered, having to steady herself against the railing leading to the ship.
Uncertain of how else to comfort her, he placed a gentle hand on her back. The familiar action caused his mind to lapse into a previous memory they had shared.
"Are you afraid?" I ask.
She sighs. Silver eyes flutter. But the action is filled with sorrow, apprehension. "Of course I'm afraid."
I touch her. Shoulders quiver. But she feels strong, powerful. One word lingers on my lips. "Siha".
When the memory fades, she feels different under his hand. Despite her armor, she felt smaller somehow. It was if all the weight of the galaxy had finally begun to crush her. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Shepard sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. "Thessia… is a significant loss."
"Yes," he replied, bowing his head in a silent mourning for the dead. "But we mustn't loose hope."
"Yeah…" she agreed, pushing herself away from the metal railing. When she looked at him again her face was calm, but her grey eyes hid within them, despair and uncertainty. "It just feels like a matter of time." She glanced out the wide window that overlooked the Presidium. "Soon, this will be the only place left. There will be nowhere else to go when they attack."
"We won't allow them to get this far," he said reassuringly.
"You're right." She gave him a light smile but doubt still lingered in her gaze. "Let's get to the Normandy. Your old room is waiting for you," she told him, changing the subject.
I know, not much Shep x Saren in this chapter as I'm trying to keep chapters shortish... next one though, I promise! Despite my love of those sexy turians I'm still a fan of the ever-so-stoic (and hot) drell, so I felt he needed his own chapter *and* deserved to pwn Kai Leng with vengeance!. Plus it appears that he had/has feelings for our heroine... What's Saren going to say about that! ;)