MASS EFFECT: ENTANGLED

CHAPTER 14

*** This takes place during some of the events of Chapter 17 of "Solace." ***

The whisp and hum of the oxygen equipment near Thane's bedside cradled Alivia to sleep in her chair at his side. She remained vigil in his room despite Dr. Silon telling her earlier that day that the worse, for now, came to pass and he was deemed to be in stable condition. He would remain admitted to Huerta for a few more days while they continue to give him breathing treatments to elevate his body's oxygen levels. Once they were in acceptable numbers, then he would be transferred to a different ward of the hospital for in-patient therapy and follow-ups with a xeno-pulmonologist. With the Drell's casual presence limited on the Citadel, since they only frequent there as bodyguards for clients, there was only one doctor in Huerta that had experience with Kepral's Syndrome. The disease was limited to Drell with a high mortality rate.

She tried to sleep the best she could on and off in the chair, but the position made the task uncomfortable and tough. When she did find herself drifting off, the medical staff made their rounds to and from his room to check on his vitals. Defeated, she sat up straighter and turned on the room's monitor to the news channel and footage was playing of Shepard's escort on Earth. She was swarmed by reporters and angry protestors while being escorted by a heavily athletic male marine and a few more guards. The footage was then minimized to a smaller display as the feed switched to the human female news anchor at the center of the large u-shaped desk. To her left sat a primly dressed black-haired human male and to her right was an asari in rose colored formal attire. The female anchor looked to address her human counterpart first, "What do you make of this, Graham? There's no transparency at all from the Alliance and then we have them escorting Shepard in handcuffs."

"I agree with you, Lilian. The Hegemony is not shy when it comes to showing their fleets massing in the Harsa System. Their threats of retaliation should not be taken lightly. All human colonies in the Traverse are in lockdown."

"You have family in Mindoir, right? What do they say about all this?"

"They are frightened. My son is just four…I want my family safe. But where is safe now?"

"I think we can all agree that Commander Shepard is the instigator in this," The asari commentator finally chimed in. The feed of Shepard being taken inside cut away and now a still image of her was displayed to the right of the screen. "Look at her history. Is she mentally unstable? Perhaps, the Alliance needs a better screening process for their soldiers."

Lilian nodded her head. "Good point, Tar'mola. Let's start off with Torfan. She led her entire team to their deaths against the batarians."

"The butcher of Torfan," Graham added gruffly. "I never liked it when they made her a Spectre. How can the Alliance promote such a disgrace? What about those families who mourned the loss of their loved ones under her command?"

"I will say that the batarians do scare me. We never had peace with them since the exploration of the galaxy. Does this justify slaughtering over three hundred thousand lives?"

"She just hates them," Graham chuckled.

"Have you ever met one that was nice?" Tar'mola teased. "I haven't." This stirred laughter from Lilian and Graham.

"Humanity will pay for her actions," Lilian's tone grew deathly grim.

"Yes," The asari piped in once more. "Let's revisit her 'Reaper Theory.' That circled the extranet during her investigation into Saren."

"There are no facts behind this," Graham shot. "The Alliance and Shepard merely used this fear tactic to deduce the Council into making her the first human Spectre."

"With unlimited authority, it seems," Lilian nodded her head in agreement at his words. "Maybe the Spectres should be limited in what they can do? The Council doesn't have a good track record lately."

"No, they don't. First, their agent, Saren, attacked colonists on Eden Prime, and then Shepard slammed us into open war with the batarians," He agreed.

"Perhaps, there should be equal blame placed on both the Council and the Alliance," Tar'mola countered.

"I agree. They are part of this war as much as we are. It sounds like both sides are turning their backs on us," Lillian said.

"And we are going to pay for it…" Graham growled. "We are thirty minutes to midnight it sounds like."

"Thanks to Shepard's mental state," Lilian scoffed in hostility.

Alivia narrowed her eyes at their cold and harsh remarks before turning the monitor off. "They are wrong!" She could feel her arms tense at her sides with her hands curling into fists. Her silver eyes flickered over to the window and gazed out into the Presidium landscape. She thought back to their words about the provoked batarian aggression and her deployment to Arcturus tomorrow. She would soon be thrown into the fray, but she wouldn't dare blame Krysta for any of it. Thane's words behind Shepard's action were filled with truth. She believed him. She believed that the commander did the right thing. Though, it seemed like humanity was turning their backs on her.

A light cough from the drell snatched her attention away from the window pane and she moved to his side quickly, taking his hand gently into hers. "I'm here, Thane."

"Alivia...," His weak words were muffled by his oxygen mask. He shifted his back against the inclined bed. "You are angry…"

Realizing that there was a good chance that he heard most of the muttering to herself, she blushed and gave his webbed hand a tender squeeze. "Just the media…they are ripping Krysta to shreds…she doesn't deserve it."

"There will be many that speak ill of her and then some that will praise her. You must bolster yourself and remain at her side. She will need all the allies she can get," He coughed some more before taking a few deeper breaths.

"Relax…do not speak," She gently pressed her fingertips against his bare exposed chest. "You need to get your strength up so you can get out of here soon." Alivia bent over and placed her lips softly on the top of his head.

He murmured, feeling her caress. "I do not think I will leave this place."

She frowned. "Do not say that! Of course, you will. I just wish that- "She bit her lip to refrain from continuing. Guilt washed over her. How could she complain to him about how unfair her life was right now to be thrown into the chaos when the doctors advised that he was dying?

"Continue," He urged.

"I'm leaving for Arcturus in the morning," She sighed heavily. "This will be the last time I may see you..." She shook her head as she tried to surpass the tears that drained down from her eyes. Inside, she was shattering as she spoke to him. Only if she waited a little bit before going to the Alliance. "I can't leave you now, not like this."

He pulled her hand closer to him and kissed it tenderly on the back. "You must, my warrior angel from the goddess Arashu, my Siha. You are strong and survived great odds. The thresher maw attack proved how fierce you are; your will. I do not know your religion very well, but for mine, the gods are keeping you alive for something great."

"And they will keep you alive, Thane," Alivia persisted. She was on the verge of cracking with every breath. "I won't let you leave me yet," She flashed him a playful grin.

"I would like that," He smiled. "I am getting stronger every day with the breathing treatments. I will remain here and await your return for as long as I can."

"You better."

"It is better that you are not here. The end stages of Kepral's Syndrome are not kind. You will not want to be here and watch me suffer to draw breath."

"Enough," She leaned down and kissed his head once more. "The doctors will take care of you. Once things cool down with the batarians and I get my first shore leave, I'll find you. We can take a quick trip to find some bounties."

This made him chortle. "I would like that."

Chancing it before she left, Thane removed his mask and leaned up to gently take her lips with his. She missed his taste so much. Thane reached out gingerly with one hand to hold the back of her head to draw her closer to him as his tongue found hers. Within seconds, the alarm for his oxygen monitor beeped loudly as it detected a dip from set levels. Thane drew back swiftly and took a few deep calm breaths in his mask till finally the alarm quit. They exchanged mischievous grins.

"I love you, Thane."

"And I you."

Omega

Bray stopped outside one of the club's private backrooms that served as a holding cell for two of Aria's new guests. Aria summoned him down there unexpectedly to relieve Sanak for guard duty. She needed to speak with him. Bray didn't care for the other. Sanak and Anto both held their positions with Aria pretty close to the chest and felt like Bray was a threat. Privately, he knew that Aria didn't trust either of them or him. Sanak recently returned from his mission and brought two captives in T'Loak's quest to lure her daughter's murderer back to Omega for a fitting end. One prisoner was Kahlee Sanders; their main objective and the other was David Anderson, an unfortunate extra baggage. He was with Sanders when Sanak's team struck and to eliminate witnesses, Sanak risked taking him along with her.

Aria was not pleased with the carry-on since Anderson was high priority; an esteemed first human councilor and former captain of the Alliance. If anyone learned of his disappearance, then more than likely he would be traced back to Omega. Aria didn't trust Sanak to be that careful. They had their bait and now they had to wait for Grayson.

Sanak was assigned to guard the prisoners as a form of disciplinary action for being careless. The disgruntled batarian was now inside Anderson's room as a guard while a krogan stood outside for backup. When the krogan saw him approach, he grunted and lumbered over to grant him access inside. Both the other batarian's and the prisoner's attention was heightened when the door opened. Bray tossed a glance over to the guarded captain then addressed Sanak, "Aria wants to talk to you."

"Good, I hate it down here," Sanak grumbled as he moved to exit the room to exchange places.

"Next time, don't screw up," Bray used the chance to remind him of his position slipping. This time, he would have the advantage. It felt so damn good to him.

The batarian snarled by the quip and then nodded over to where Anderson was watching on. "Intel said he used to be Shepard's former captain. Don't get too cozy with him." Both sets of eyes seem to twinkle in sheer sadistic delight. "I know you miss your girlfriend," He chuckled as he walked out.

Bray growled lowly after him as he refrained from pulling out his pistol and shooting the other for the dangerous comment. This time, the prisoner spoke up from where he stood, "What did he mean by that? Did you know the Commander?"

Scowling at him for catching on, Bray ignored Anderon's questions and looked back at the krogan manning the door. "I got this. Go ahead and close it." He waited until the door was closed for a few seconds before turning to address the other. "Everyone knows her."

"That's not how he placed it."

Bray didn't like how the direction of this conversation was going. It was hard reading this guy. To him, he was a threat, but he seemed not to be aggressive. His body itched for a smoke. He kept his hand on his sidearm to block out the temptation to light up. "Quit talking. I'm just here to guard you until he gets back."

"Come on now," Anderson continued softly as he took a few closer steps. "I need to check on Kahlee. Is she safe? What is Aria doing?"

"She's safe," He kept his answers intentionally short to suppress any lingering dialogue. "Don't come any closer."

The room grew quiet and Bray almost thought his tactic worked, but then Anderson broke the stillness once more, "If you are friends with Shepard, then I know it looks bad for what she did in the Bahak System. That was not her fault. I know her. I know her style. She doesn't hate all batarians."

Bray smiled at his words and let out a chuckle. "Just me." He thought back to their previous entanglements on the station; the first time they met in Aria's booth and how she drew a gun on her, and then their kiss in the alley. For a brief moment, he became lost in the abyss of that one private moment they shared.

"Sounds like an interesting story," The man picked up on his change of demeanor. His dark eyes panned around the room. "And I'm stuck in here until your boss decides what to do with us. How did you meet Shepard?"

Bray lifted an eye ridge by the priding question. This man was so hard to read! He couldn't tell if Anderson was genuinely striking up a conversation or if he was trying to knock off his guard to ambush him. After all, they were both soldiers and served in combat. "She came here when she was with Cerberus to find recruits on her mission against the Collectors. That's all I know," He lied. Just talking about Krysta made him feel uncomfortable and off-balance. He longed to see her again. Would he ever?

"Heh, I remember her when she first joined the Normandy. I read her file. I guess you know about Torfan," He paused. Bray grunted in acknowledgment and then he continued, "I figured you would. She was sharp, dedicated, and had a 'mission at all costs' mentality. I've never been prouder of an XO in my career. She led the ground team on several incursions. As you get older, you start to miss the adrenaline of combat. Then again, you don't have to see the shock of death firsthand. That you never miss." A beat. "What about you? Were you in the military before Aria? You have a stance about you..."

He swallowed hard at the intrusive query and forcefully breathed through his nostrils as his hand relaxed just a bit from his pistol. "Yeah, long ago. Seen some shit." He decided not to do a full disclosure to this stranger in front of him because most likely the rooms were tapped by Aria's techies.

"I know the Hegemony is rough. I'll admit the batarians are very cunning when it comes to combat. I've had my share of run-ins. In my youth, we were tracking down some pirates. I was young and naïve. Stupid if you call it that. Thought I could get the drop-in on a group of pirates. We outnumbered them. All intel said they were dug in deep and aware of our presence outside the planet's atmosphere. Instead of doing recon, went right in like an idiot." His voice grew quieter. "Lost my best friend that day."

"You lived," Bray pointed out and eyed Anderson carefully before he finally gave in to his craving to take out a cigarette and light up.

"Yeah, I did," The man became defensive at the remark. "My best friend didn't. His death was on my conscience for years." Anderson's jaw became clenched as he watched the batarian take a few drags of his cigarette. "What about you?"

"Eight years ago, we received a call that an eezo mine affiliated with the Blue Suns was hit by a human group. We pegged it to be the Alliance. When he got there, all the workers were dead; about twenty of them. Many had their eyes cut out by a blade…." His words became dark as he thought back to that grotesque vivid image of finding the workers strewn about on the facility's floor outside the mine. They appeared to be rounded up into one group and then shot multiple times. Then their bodies were mutilated with the eyes removed. It was hard to tell if the brutish torture was done before or after their death. The act was a direct insult to the batarians and their religion for they believed that in order for their soul to enter the afterlife, their eyes had to remain open. With the eyes removed, the soul would be trapped inside the rotting corpse for all eternity. There would be no peace for their families or the fallen. The sheer scenery was shocking. They never saw something so violent done to their people and in a barbaric fashion. Not even attacks on the lower caste. He took a few more hits of the cigarette before snuffing the end out with his boot. "Never found the bastards that did it. Wasn't the Alliance's MO, but the rounds were definitely from human-made weapons."

Anderon's mouth gaped at the appalling tale and he shook his head in disbelief. "That's terrible. I believe outsiders have no idea what soldiers witness." His brown eyes directly looked upon Bray at the door. "Well, I guess we now wait for Aria. Do me a favor?"

"What?"

"If you see Shepard before I do, tell her that I said hello."