Hannah kept her eyes glued on the caped figure walking purposefully ahead of her down the hall. There was something familiar in its gait, but she couldn't identify what. Lucas marched next to her, the pistol he'd confiscated aimed at the back of the figure, ready to shoot if necessary.

"Why are we doing this?" he whispered under his breath, so low Hannah hardly heard his question.

"I'll fill you in as soon as I can," Hannah whispered back.

"I have good ears," the figure ahead declared without looking back.

Lucas eyed Hannah uncomfortably, but kept pacing beside her. The figure seemed to be taking them on a backstage tour of the Citadel, moving through a maze of hallways unseen by the public. Hannah hoped her decision to follow was a good one. She tensed every time they turned a corner, afraid her choice would be proved incorrect and an ambush would be lying in wait. Still, she didn't see why anyone would want to ambush her. The fact that whoever was in front of her had gone out of their way to contact her made this eventuality seem unlikely. It would seem more probable that the figure wanted to talk to her, not hurt her. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, but probably took far less time, the figure stopped at a door.

"I'll open it," Lucas called out, still wary.

The figure nodded at him, the emotion in its eyes undetectable. Lucas kept the gun leveled at the figure, walked to the door and pushed the panel outside. When the door slid open, Hannah peered intently inside. It looked to be an unused maintenance storage unit. Barren shelves thick with dust filled the walls on all four sides. Footprints in the dust on the floor revealed someone had been there recently, probably the figure standing at the door. There were also a few metal crates present, but other than those, the unit was empty.

"Look okay?" Lucas asked, glancing at Hannah.

"Seems completely empty."

"Go in and check if you're so worried, but make it quick," the deep voice of the figure insisted urgently. "We need to get out of this hall. I think we're safe here, but I can't guarantee it."

Hannah looked to Lucas. "I'll go in."

"Careful, Red," Lucas warned.

Hannah entered the unit. It only took a few steps to cross it. There was nothing out of the ordinary. It was simply quiet and vacant. Suddenly, Hannah heard the sound of a thud behind her. Swinging around quickly, she saw that the caped figure had somehow thrown Lucas into the room and was standing with its foot on his chest, yanking the pistol out of his hand.

Hannah made to rush the figure, but it held up its hands in surrender. "Just proving that if I wanted to, I could have killed him. I don't like people pointing my own weapons at me." The figure holstered the pistol on its hip. The door had slid shut. The figure pushed a panel next to the door. "Let's risk a little more light."

Lucas picked himself up off the ground as the dim light rose slightly, fuming at the figure, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Have a seat," the figure said, gesturing to the crates. Hannah sat down and nodded at Lucas who sat as well, his muted green eyes still furious.

"Who are you?" Hannah asked.

The figure began to laugh. "I had thought my message would reveal my identity. I tried to lace it with hints, but you obviously didn't catch them." The figure reached up and began to peel off the head mask, shaking its head once it was free and sighing loudly.

Hannah stared in surprise. A batarian? Its top set of eyes was blinking and squinting in the light.

"Awful going about using only two eyes. How you humans manage it is beyond me." Now Hannah could see that the batarian spoke through a round device that covered its mouth. The round part resembled a small speaker and was kept in place by a thick band that circled the batarian's head. The batarian pulled the device off and stretched its mouth wide, then grinned at Hannah.

"Hello, Hannah Shepard," it said.

Hannah started. She recognized the voice immediately, though the face was hardly the same, much older and decorated with a long scar down its right side. "Keta…Keta La'ali?"

Keta shook her head. "You really were denser than I thought you would be. I thought my message was clear."

"Wait," Lucas called out. "You know this batarian?" He cocked his head at Hannah.

"Keep your voice down," Keta urged.

"Keta's…an old friend," Hannah said quietly.

"Friend? Batarians and humans aren't friends," Lucas disagreed.

"I saved her ass," Keta came back in a low, yet harsh voice. "Your girlfriend might have died if I hadn't intervened."

Lucas turned a questioning gaze on Hannah. Hannah nodded. "It was a long time ago, the first time I came to the Citadel, but, yes, she did me a great favor. If she hadn't helped me, a group of batarians may have killed me." Hannah looked back at Keta. "And Lucas is not my boyfriend."

"Then why did you bring him? You almost ruined everything by bringing this thing with you." Keta gestured at Lucas.

"I'm not a thing!" Lucas complained loudly.

"Be quiet!" Keta returned. "If someone hears us, this entire affair is a waste."

"What in the world is going on?" Lucas asked, now looking at Hannah for an explanation.

Hannah, however, addressed Keta. "You said not to tell anyone so I didn't, but I didn't know who I was dealing with. I wanted to protect myself. Lucas doesn't know what's going on."

Keta nodded. "I understand, but it complicated things for me. I had hoped to approach you and you'd know me right off, but then I saw him and got worried. I didn't know if someone had gotten to you before I did. If someone knew I was on station."

"Keta," Hannah spoke seriously. "What is going on? Why all the cloak and dagger?"

Keta walked over to a crate across from Hannah and sat cross-legged on its top. "Batarians don't come to the Citadel anymore. I certainly can't walk around out in the open without attracting attention. Thus, the cape and mask."

"And your voice," Hannah stated.

"Yeah. Voice modulator. Projecting a deeper voice gives anyone I have to talk to the impression I'm male."

Hannah contemplated. Keta had gone to great lengths to hide her identity and Lucas had caused her alarm. From the way she talked, it seemed Keta thought someone had it out for Hannah.

"Am I in danger?" Hannah asked Keta.

Keta shook her head. "I don't think so. When I saw your lover…I mean, friend, I thought maybe you were in trouble since you hadn't come alone. But when he tried to defend you, I figured he must know you personally. Still, I wanted to be sure. Now that I know he's just your friend, I'm fairly positive you're okay."

"Then why did you contact me?"

Keta returned by asking her own question. "Why didn't you figure out it was me?"

"Your message was anonymous and cryptic," Hannah replied.

"'He Got What He Deserved'," Keta prompted. "And the fact I said I'd find you."

Hannah thought back all those years ago, then it hit her. Keta referred to Balak in her subject line and the last thing she had said to Hannah was that if they ever met again, she'd find Hannah, not the other way around.

Keta saw the light dawn in Hannah's eyes. "Next time, I'll try and be clearer, though I had to cover myself. If it got intercepted, I'd have a price on my head."

"Alright," Lucas spoke again, his voice a whisper. "Will someone start explaining what's up?"

Hannah looked to her friend, confusion and frustration evident on his face. "I received an anonymous message on the Kilimanjaro. That's when I called you, asked you to go along with me. It said that I couldn't tell anyone and someone's life was in danger." Hannah turned her eyes back on Keta, crossing her arms over her chest and repeated her previous question. "So…what is going on?"

Keta stretched her arms above her head, then placed her hands on her crossed legs. "I've been in the same line of work since we last talked. I find jobs here and there, bringing people into agreement with my skills."

"And those are?" Lucas asked.

Keta eyed him with disdain. "I'm good with guns."

"So you go around killing people?" Lucas didn't seem to like the sound of that.

"I haven't killed anyone in several years," Keta shot back, annoyance in her voice. "I just encourage parties to agree to terms."

Lucas shook his head and spoke condescendingly. "You're a heavy. Typical batarian."

Keta now stood. "You want to have this out right here, human? I can take you any day."

"Keta, Lucas," Hannah commanded, standing herself. "Calm down. Lucas, give her some slack. Keta, just…you know humans and batarians don't exactly get along."

Keta sat back down, this time letting her legs dangle off the side of the crate. "I know." She tilted her head to the right* at Lucas, but turned back to Hannah. "But occasionally," she said, picking up her narrative again, "someone does hire me to use my gun only to kill." She snapped her head back to look at Lucas. "And I usually refuse, as I don't want to play such dangerous games anymore. I'm older and those kinds of jobs are just the ones I don't want to be caught doing. I don't want to spend my retirement in prison."

It struck Hannah that age had mellowed Keta. She remembered a younger batarian, angry at the Hegemony, seemingly more willing to take risks. Time, it seemed, had worn down Keta La'ali.

"So, a week ago, I was contacted regarding an assassination job. And when I saw who it was, I accepted immediately."

Hannah felt her heart pounding in her chest. Things were starting to come clear. Keta was letting her in on the fact that someone was being targeted and Hannah guessed that someone was human. Someone in Parliament? Maybe one of their military leaders? Hannah's mind flew to Steven, who she hadn't seen in a while, but was still a good friend.

"Who is it?" Hannah asked quietly.

Keta blew out a long breath. "Jane Shepard."

Hannah put her hand to her chest, stunned. Jane? Someone wanted Jane assassinated? Who and why?

"It didn't take but a quick extranet search for me to confirm she was your daughter."

"And you accepted?" Lucas confronted Keta angrily.

Keta rounded on him. "You wanted me to refuse and have them go find someone else? Someone who might actually carry it out?"

Lucas pursed his lips together, irritated he had to concede to Keta's point. He shook his head.

"There's something shady about this, Hannah," Keta said, fixing her with serious a serious gaze. "I can't put my finger on it, but this isn't a standard assassination."

Hannah found her voice and it came out weakly. "What's different?"

"Call it my intuition, but whoever hired me doesn't want just a simple assassination. They say that's all they want, but I get the distinct impression I'm being lied to. They won't contact me directly. They send me encrypted messages with a different distorted voice every time. They don't want me to see them and that's unusual."

"Why?"

"Someone who hires an assassin may send a lackey in his stead to protect his identity, but he also wants to make sure the assassin will get the job done and I haven't known anyone who didn't want to get a read on the gun they're hiring. I've not met someone in the flesh on this job yet."

Hannah wrung her hands, trying to think. Someone wanted Jane dead. But Jane was safe—for now. "What are your instructions?"

"I've got a month to track her down and kill her, anyway I want, they say. They keep sending me updates on places she's been and places she's going to. She's busy. Your daughter's apparently been traipsing all over the galaxy."

Hannah felt her stomach churn. "That means someone on the inside is funneling these people information."

Keta nodded. "Now you know why I couldn't go to anyone higher up in the Alliance or even to the Council. Not that they'd trust the word of a batarian anyway. The Hegemony's done a nice job of messing up our relationship with the galaxy." Keta paused, then spoke softly. "So I did the next best thing. I went to her mother."

Hannah still had her hand to her chest, feeling it rise up and down rapidly. "Thank you."

Keta shrugged. "I didn't save your life to let your daughter die. I figure I've kind of got an investment in you. I can't call in the favor you owe me if I kill your daughter."

Lucas snorted. "So, this is a 'you rub my back and I'll rub yours thing'."

Keta shook her head. "It was a joke, grufax."

"What did you call me?" Lucas asked.

"You don't want to know," Keta informed him.

"So, what do you suggest?" Hannah asked hurriedly, wanting to keep the peace between Keta and Lucas.

Keta turned her attention back to Hannah. "You can go to someone higher up, someone you trust and only that person. I don't know where this is coming from, so the fewer who know the better. And do not tell your daughter."

"She should know…" Hannah started to protest.

"They know where she's going, what she's doing. For all I know, there's someone on her ship monitoring all her communications. I don't know how they're getting their information. And if they figure out that I'm not going to pull this off, that I'm an informant, they'll send someone else to get the job done and whoever that is may put a bullet through your daughter's head."

"I could meet with Jane in person," Hannah said, desperately wanting to tell her daughter what was happening.

"Even then, I worry her ship is bugged or maybe there's even a bug on her person. I know ways to plant a bug on someone where they'll never find it."

Hannah shuddered. She didn't want to know how Keta could somehow plant a listening device on (or in) someone's body. Hannah took a long breath. She couldn't tell Jane, not yet. She rubbed her chin, thinking. Who could she go to? Of course, she realized all of a sudden. She could go to Steven. He was an Admiral now; he had considerable clout.

"So if I can't tell Jane, how do I know the person I do talk to isn't being monitored?"

"You won't know for sure," Keta answered, "but from the communication I've received, it seems whoever has hired me is concentrating on your daughter alone. It's her communication that's mostly in doubt. In short, you have to risk it, but hope this risk is better, contacting someone who isn't as close to your daughter. That, and I don't think it has occurred to whoever hired me that I might actually go to the Alliance. They won't be watching for that. Batarian and human animosity works in our favor here."

Hannah nodded, thinking. If she went to Steven, it wouldn't look suspicious since they had been friends for so many years. "Alright, so I'll go to someone I trust. But what do I tell him?"

"We have a month to figure out who hired me and take them down."

Hannah stared at Keta. "We?"

"I can help you, tell you what I know. But, Hannah, I know I'm in trouble here, too. My intuition tells me I'm in as much danger as your daughter. This all feels so wrong. My life preservation kicked in the minute I replied to their first message."

Hannah could tell by the look on Keta's face that she feared for her life. "Alright, I know who I can contact and meet up with. Will you need to be there?"

"I'd like to be if possible," Keta said, "but this has got to be done carefully, covertly."

"Do you have your own ship, a way to stay close to mine?" Hannah was concerned how Keta would keep near her, especially since a batarian wouldn't be welcome in human space.

Keta shook her head. "I got here stowing away on a volus merchant ship."

Hannah took a breath, knowing what she next said would amount to treason. "Can you get on board the Kilimanjaro?"

Keta laughed. "Easily. I hate to tell you this, but your Alliance Navy is slipshod when it comes to guarding their ships."

Lucas growled angrily, but Keta and Hannah ignored him.

"Then, stow away. The person I have to talk to isn't on the Citadel. I'll have to track him down." Hannah couldn't believe she was advising someone to sneak on board her ship. She was committing the act of a traitor by directing an unauthorized alien to board an Alliance ship.

"Is he trustworthy?" Keta suddenly asked, pointing at Lucas.

Lucas puffed out his chest. "I'm not a tattler."

"You can trust him," Hannah confirmed.

Keta ran an eye up and down Lucas. "Alright, then. If you say so." Lucas sat up straighter, angry eyes boring through the batarian.

Hannah stood up and walked over to Keta, reaching out to shake her hand. "Thank you again, for putting your life on the line."

"My pleasure," Keta said, shaking the hand offered her.

"How will I know you made it on board?"

Keta smiled mischievously. "You'll know."

Hannah nodded. "Okay." She walked to the door of the storage unit, gesturing for Lucas to follow her. When she turned around, Keta had put her gear back on and was now hooded. Her voice sounded deep again.

"I'll lead you back."

Hannah and Lucas followed Keta back to the door they'd entered the maintenance area through. Keta left them alone, pacing back down the hall. Hannah waited until the batarian had turned the corner, then opened the door. They stepped back out into the bright light, Hannah blinking her eyes after having spent the last hour in dimly lit areas.

Lucas looked longingly at the stairway to Flux. "We're not going to Flux, are we?"

Hannah shook her head. "I'm not. I suppose you can, if you promise to keep your lips sealed."

Lucas sighed. "I'm going with you. You trust me. I'll see this through."

Hannah smiled. "Thanks, Lucas." She made for the nearest elevator, Lucas walking next to her.

"You're a good friend. I'd do anything for you."

Hannah felt uncomfortable with the way Lucas said "friend." It was clear he still wanted something more than the word implied and she still couldn't give it to him, never would give it to him. But she did need his support and loyalty now more than ever.

Hannah went directly to her quarters with Lucas the moment their shuttle landed back on the Kilimanjaro. Hannah wanted Lucas to encrypt the message she needed to send. They talked about how she should word it and after fifteen minutes, the message was sent.

Steven, I need to talk to you. This is something that can't wait. I'm in a lot of trouble, and I need you desperately right now. I beg you not to tell anyone about this message, to mention it in any communication. Please meet with me. Hannah.

Lucas left her quarters and Hannah lay on her bed, thinking. She'd tried to make the message sound personal, implying its subject was her and not Jane. Hannah punched her fist into her hand, suddenly angry. She wasn't going to let someone kill her daughter. Losing Daniel had been bad enough; she wasn't going to lose Jane.

Hannah was surprised when her comm beeped in ten minutes time. "Yes?"

"It's Lieutenant Hu. You have a call incoming."

"Patch it through, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am."

There was the sound of static and then Hannah heard the familiar voice of Steven Hackett on the other end. "Hannah, this is Steven."

Hannah's curiosity was piqued. When they communicated across distance, they always used their formal titles. He never called her by her first name unless they spoke in person.

"Hi," Hannah said suspiciously.

"Hey, I'm on Arcturus right now and I know your ship will be heading back this way with Parliament officials. I thought we might get together, have a drink for old time's sake."

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. He'd gotten her message and this was his way of letting her know. "That sounds great. I'd love to catch up."

"Good. I look forward to seeing you. Steven out."

Hannah lay back on the bed. Her mind was in turmoil over Jane, but now that Steven was on her side, she felt somehow safer, that everything would be okay.

Later that evening, as Hannah worked the night shift on the bridge, she decided to check her e-mail when the boredom crept in. A new message had popped up, its title blinking "Safe and Sound."

I've settled in. Meet you on the other side.

Hannah erased the message. Keta was now on board. Hannah realized she was officially in trouble at this point. What she had just done, if it ever was found out, would get her court-martialed. Hannah rubbed her neck. It didn't matter, she told herself. She'd do anything for Jane, even if it meant losing every dream she'd ever had.

*In batarian culture, tilting your head to the left at someone shows respect. Tilting your head to the right is showing your superiority. (This tidbit can be found on the official ME wiki).