Chapter 39.5

The door opened behind him, and he listened as the small clicks of heeled boots strode toward him. Thane turned in his chair, knowing to expect Samara. She stopped just to his right.

"May I join you?"

"Of course." He waited until she sat down before adding, "I was reliving some moments with Kolyat."

She nodded. "It is good that you were able to stop him before he assassinated the politician."

"Yes. He is better than that." Thane paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "While we were searching, Shepard told me not to be surprised if I found a reason to continue living. I told him I needn't one, that my life was coming to an end regardless of how I spend my last years. I have avenged Irikah's murder, I have saved my son from repeating my mistakes, and I will help save countless lives from the Collectors when we succeed. I was content."

"But something has changed," Samara supplied when he didn't continue.

"Now, I have a relationship with Kolyat. I don't wish for that to come to an end."

"Do you wish to quit the mission?"

Thane shook his head. "No. If the Collectors aren't stopped, who is to say they will stop the abductions at humanity.

"I don't wish to leave. I just wish to come back, and I will fight with all my being to do so."

"As you should. Familial bonds are difficult to mend and should not be squandered."

Thane watched her quizzically. She seemed to be talking from experience.

She answered his unasked question. "The fugitive I am hunting. The Ardat-Yakshi. She is my daughter."

"That must be difficult for you." He didn't offer his condolences. They were of little use to her, he knew.

"It is my duty to find her and bring her to justice. The Code-"

"Is not a parent to a criminal," he interjected. "You will do what the Code dictates, but do not diminish the effect it has and will have on you."

They sat in silence for several moments. An odd air swirled around them. There was obvious tension from Samara, but it wasn't directed at the drell. She was fighting herself. He was right. There was a constant battle being waged within her. On one said it was the justicar. On the other, the mother.

"Tell me about her," Thane eventually said. "When she was only your daughter and not your target."

She knew she shouldn't but couldn't deny the invitation. "Only if you tell me about your son."

Thane nodded, waiting for her to start. So Samara did.

Author's Note:

Last week was the last of the interlude dump. It's back to one chapter a week with the possibility of an interlude.