"Thane, I'm just so happy that you are well. Even if... Even if you're risking your life like this again." Shepard wiped the tears out of her eyes, sighing, looking into his deep black eyes, where she could faintly make out his green irises hidden in their darkness. "And Kolyat? Please tell me he knows." She took Thane's hands into hers, rubbing them gently, unable to take her eyes away from his face. "And your girlfriend seems very nice by the way..." She had moved on, it only made sense that Thane should too. Whatever they had died when well... when he died.

Thane smiled, looking at her hands. They seemed so gentle now that the fight with the reapers was over. Back on on the Normandy, it always seemed like they were cut somewhere or bruised, it had taken quite a toll on her. "Kolyat was the one that brought me to Phoenix, the group that brought me back. And well, the Professor... She's not mine, rather she seems terrified of me." He sighed, looking back to where her footprints were being washed away by the gentle rolling waves behind him. "She's also my employer, that would be quite a breach in professionalism."

"Professionalism never stopped you and me." She pulled his face back to look at her. "Why is she afraid of you? Other than the whole assassin thing." She let his hands go, she didn't want to pull him back into anything. She couldn't. She loved Garrus, and Thane had been gone for so long Thane would be gone again, he couldn't sit still, that's not who he was as a person. She knew him well enough to know that. "You'll win her heart if you want to, Thane."

He cleared his throat, trying to get her off the subject, but it only made her look up even more worried, "Did they not cure your Kepral's Syndrome?! Don't move, open your mouth!" She leaned forward to look into his throat, but he laughed, "Stop moving!"

"The Kepral's Syndrome is long gone. It was indeed cured, in fact the research used to cure me is going to be used to cure other Drell." He smiled, thinking of all the lives in the end that it would save. It would be able to keep the Drell on Kahje, even though he personally felt the Drell should leave to take another homeworld of their own, as much as he loved the Hanar, he felt his kind should become more independent.

She sighed in relief, "I was going to call them morons for bringing back someone with a terminal illness... But it seems they did a good thing. But what is your mission here? I doubt you're here on shore leave." The look in his eyes told it all, that he could not say what he was doing here, "Thane, you can tell me."

He sighed, whispering, "I cannot, if I did, it may foil our purpose-"

That was when he saw Ivy running out of the confectionery, waving her arms at him, and he jumped up, pulling Shepard with him, "I have to go, please Jane, stay safe, for once in your career." He ran up to meet Ivy, "Got a notification?"

She grabbed his wrist and began to pull him in the direction her wrist band indicated. "They spotted Alenko. Undoubtedly the assassin will take him first-"

"This better not be speculation-"

"You said you wouldn't let your past get in the way of this. She will be fine, out of everyone in the galaxy I think she can take care of herself the best." She released his arm, now sure that he would follow, having reminded him of his duty, and fell fell silently into step. "If the assassin really is after Kaidan, which I firmly believe he is, then Ra and Kyre are in danger. I know they'll do anything to help us on this mission, which to be blunt, terrifies me."

"I've seen many good people die when they still had work to do, do not worry, I shall make sure nothing happens to them." He said, perhaps he wasn't really what was worrying her, or even getting in a firefight. Perhaps she was worried about the others more than anything, it sure would seem that way now. She and Kyre did seem pretty close... Did she love him?

"Thanks, but your job is making sure that assassin never gets another mark. I'll worry about my colleagues." She reached her arm out in front of him to stop, using her other hand to push up her glasses, as if moving them that slightly would help her see better. She was now whispering, "I see them, and I see the spectre."

It was pretty easy to make them out, they were near the fountain in the plaza. Ra was talking to some Asari vendour selling candied fruits, Kyre being serious as usual, observing Kaidan while not being too obvious. Judging by how calm Kyre was, he firmly believed that an assassin wouldn't have seen them yet.

But if this assassin was able to take out spectres so easily, nothing could be believed.

Thane looked back when he heard a familiar Human and Turian pair running up behind them. Neither spoke, they could tell by the air the Phoenix associates carried that something was about to go down, and they were going to figure out what. It was no doubt that Garrus had informed his fiance of what Ivy had told him, judging by the knowing look on her face, so he simply nodded at the two of them, and turned his attention back to the completely unaware spectre sitting on the fountain edge, looking at the sky.

What a perfect place to die, a beautiful sunny world, so far away from any problems the galaxy might throw at him.

Less than a minute later, a human girl came to sit beside him. She looked like a native, her skin glowing tan, unlike a certain lab professor Thane knew, and her hair a shimmering golden blonde. Though it was fake, one could tell by the roots that were starting to show their natural colour. She appeared to be an innocent girl, but that didn't ease any of their minds. Although it came as a lot of shock when the two appeared to be hitting on one another.

The girl fell back into the water, pushed by a bullet entering her shoulder, the spectre jumping to help her, pulling her out of the water, "Don't worry, I'll get you some help." Kaidan scanned the area, searching for anyone with a gun, landing his eyes on Kyre, pulling his weapon out, aiming it at the Salarian, "Who are you and why did you shoot an innocent woman? As a council spectre, I am taking you into custody."

Kyre didn't lower his weapon, quickly scanning for any signs of danger. He saw Thane and Ivy rush onto the scene, their weapons out as civilians rushed out of the commons. He also recognised the Heroes of the Citadel alongside them. "You nimwit, she was hit from the front and pushed back into the water, I was standing behind you. It would be physically impossible for me to take that shot."

"Kaidan, they're allies." Garrus said, his rifle out, and they finally heard the boom from the shot. "Wherever this assassin is, he's one hell of a sniper. That was at least a mile away."

Koi looked towards the once place a sniper could get a clear shot from that distance, and her eyes landed on a tall island out in the ocean, its rocks completely bare, where there were no trees to get in the way of a bullet. "There. And whoever they are, it won't be easy for them to get off, unless they have shuttle."

"Let's slip up. Mix teams, I'm not taking any chances, especially since you know somethings we don't. Garrus, you go with Thane, Kaidan, and that boy. I'll take the other two." Shepard said, her lover nodding in agreement.

"Woah woah woah, this is a Phoenix operation. I understand you're the godly Shepard and all, but I don't let people order around my team." Koi met the Commander's gaze, knowing this was a battle she would lose, "Thane,Go with Garrus and Kaidan. Kyre and I will go with the commander. Thane, keep them safe, and take that bastard out if you can, and take the body. Ra stay here and treat the girl."

Shepard narrowed her eyes at the defiance, but knew the young woman had to let her team know that she was still in control, a very reasonable leadership tactic, though leading through pure power wouldn't get her anywhere when she really needed it. "Alright, let's go."

"Wait, we need two routes. Thane, take a boat there. Go around the back, there are rocks for cover, stay in them or you'll be in perfect range to be taken out. Shepard, We'll take my shuttle. So when the assassin tries to flee, they'll be cornered by Thane's squad. It's the best way." If there was one thing Koi had over Shepard in this situation, it was that she was completely brilliant. Not to mention an undefeated chess champion.

"Sounds good." Thane and Garrus said in unison, running off to commandeer a boat closest to the island, since they had Garrus's spectre authority.

Shepard, Ivy, and Kyre ran back to the Firebird, Kyre instantly falling into the pilot seat and taking off. "Does this thing have shields?" Shepard questioned, noting that a skilled sniper could shoot an unshielded shuttle straight out of the sky.

The professor laughed nervously, "Unfortunately not at the moment. They were taken down by Batarian pirates last time we had to deploy the shuttle, and I haven't found a mechanic capable of fixing them."

"Great." Shepard looked out the shuttle window. It would only be a few seconds before the were shut down, or landed on the island. "I hope your pilot is good."

"If I may say so, I'm one of the best." Kyre smirked, pure pride in his voice "Flying a shuttle is also way more fun. Computers do most of the work in a ship, here it's all on the pilot."

"You're the one who got us shot down last time!"

"What can a shuttle do against a Batarian Pirate ship!"

"Well, maybe if you had flown faster!"

"It's a damn shuttle, how fast do you think these things can get while being safe?!"

"Oh please spare me the romantic melodrama." Shepard sighed, and they pulled into a landing. Perhaps the sniper was already fleeing and didn't have time to shoot. Or maybe he had only brought one bullet, which was ridiculous.

Both yelled in unison as the shuttle door slipped open, "We're not together!"

They wasted no time rushing out of the shuttle, weapons in hand. Ivy had taken the time to exchange her pistol to a weapon she was far more comfortable with, a Viper sniper rifle. "Now the hunt really begins."

"We can't even have a shore leave without some kind of drama." Kaidan said, helping Thane steer the boat while Garrus navigated. "I can't even hit on a girl without her getting shot. I'm sensing a trend you know."

"Perhaps you should swing for the nearest male- Oh wait, no, not me." Thane pulled the steering wheel towards him. The thing was stiff from years of being out in the water, rust was caked around the inner rod, making it very difficult to move. "It's good to see you living though. I can't believe he missed."

"You mean it's good to see you living, I was at your funeral. I was sure you'd stay dead. Someone pulled a Shepard it seems." The pair desperately tried to keep the boat from slamming into the gargantuan pillars of rock, but Garrus singing the theme from The Titanic wasn't helping to ease their worries of capsizing a mile out at sea. "Garrus, please."

"What? Singing calms my nerves." He continued his song, albeit a bit more quietly.

"You couldn't pick any other song? You had to pick the one from the movie about the sinking boat." Kaidan scanned up ahead, looking for any signs of movement. He could see a shuttle had landed, and assumed that to be the other woman's shuttle. "So Thane, who is that woman, the one calling the shots on your end."

Thane saw the firebird's shuttle land, to his relief, and sighed. "Professor Ivy Koi, the woman who brought me back to life."

"Well I get that, but what's she like? Not that I'm going to hit on her. She'd only end up getting shot anyway." The group was launched into the air as the boat hit a rock underneath them, and they all slammed back into the metal, "Garrus, you're supposed to be watching for those!"

"I'll never let go, Jack!" The Turian joked, earning a glare from the other two men, "Sorry. I'll pay more attention." He rubbed his shoulder, which had come in contact with the boat as he fell. "But do talk about this woman of yours, Thane. I only spoke to her briefly."

"Well, she's not my woman to start. I've only known her for a few days. Though I suppose she's known me longer. But if I had to speak of what I knew of her, I would only say that she is very determined, especially to know everything she can, but yet she also appreciates beauty and art." He only really had compliments for her, he didn't really see any flaws in her character. But everyone had flaws, eventually they would become clear to him, there was no such thing as a perfect individual.

They arrived along the shoreline, and hopped out of the boat, making sure that they all had their weapons with them. "Now, let's assassinate the assassin."

Both teams raced up the side of the mountainous island, running towards the very top, where they suspected the sniper would be.

"Hey Shepard, Kyre, there's something I don't understand." The red-headed professor asked, stopping in her tracks, looking to the other two, her mind racing, trying to piece the few clues she had been given together. "Why would someone who killed about a dozen spectres... Miss such a clear shot? Even at his distance, a good sniper with a powerful scope would make it easy. And there's no wind at all today... " She closed her eyes for a very brief moment, before her mind finally put all of the clues together. Her eyes snapped open, running towards where the other group would be, "It's a trap, stop! Stop!" She screamed, feeling like her throat would burst from the volume, "Stop!"

Shepard and Kyre ran after, not taking a moment to reconsider what she was saying. They had to stop the others before they got to the top of the island.

"Thane, what is that, on the cliff's edge." Garrus pointed to a tripod shaped object at the edge of the cliff in front of them, "I can't quite make it out."

Thane took cover behind a large, sharp rock, peeking out from behind it at the object. "It looks... almost like a turret..."

"STOP!"

in that single second at least a dozen bullets were fired at them, from seemingly everywhere, their blood curdling whistles piercing the air before even the sound of gunfire could be heard, carried by the calm and clear gust of wind that signalled a coming storm.