Mass Effect, its characters, locations, and other references are property of Bioware/Electronic Arts

Mass Effect created by Preston Watamaniuk, Drew Karpyshyn and Casey Hudson

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Normandy, Crew Deck, Mess Hall

Ken Donnelly had finished eating when Zaeed Massani took the opposite seat, "Hold it right there, you."

Ken reached over to the terminal for a huge, green nutri-soda, "Oookay."

After a few moments, the consummate mercenary said, "Do you actually have intent towards her?" Meanwhile, he started his meal.

The engineer was taken aback, "If you mean… Welp, I… That is…"

Zaeed held Ken's gaze, and simultaneously took a long sip of his drink. "At least I'm not hearing a no."

"Nobody's ever asked me that before." The younger man fidgeted with his former meal.

"You don't honestly plan on pushing people away, right?"

Ken looked around the room, and at the Medical bay. It was all empty. "Look, I… I've always thought of her as a sibling, ya know?" He looked at Zaed again, "We've never talked about anything other than work."

Massani sternly stared at Ken as he stabbed his food, "That's your fault." Consuming the cherry tomato slowly, he told Dennelly, "Two things: treat her like you're interested in her and her alone, and take her out somewhere when we get to the Citadel." Zaeed grabbed his glass, "If you really do like her as the hetero-leaning woman she really is, don't you dare keep up that boyish charade of voyeurism."

The engineer sipped his nutri-soda for a while, contemplating.

Zaeed grunted, "Look at this from the perspective of someone who's fantastic with girls. Plenty of ideas right there."

"But you're not…"

"Everyone on this damn ship is better than you at this!" He pointed his plastic fork at Ken, "Boy, just ask yourself what Shepard would do." When the younger man stalled, Zaeed said, "If you're stuck in thought, emulate someone who would succeed." At that, he grunted again, "Now, get out of here so I can eat in peace."

Citadel, Alliance Docks, Normandy in Alliance colors docked

Gabriella Daniels had waited to use the elevator alone, but before the doors closed, Kennith Donnelly got an arm in, "Gabby, I was looking for you."

She looked him over, noticing his casual clothes and lack of schematics in-hand, "Speaking of looks, I didn't know you owned any civies."

"I figure my date would expect something casual."

Gabby laughed, "A date?! You!? What film are you gonna watch this time?"

Ken slyly gazed at her, "I'll have you know I got dressed up to visit Gibraltar."

"Gibraltar's a hell of a pricey place to get drunk."

The elevator stopped. Ken shot her a smirk, "I'm planning on food, dancing, and video games."

She looked at him quizzically.

Holding the smirk, he took in her form, "But I can't take you there looking like your average grease monkey!"

Gabby inquired, "Why now? This seems rather sudden."

The doors closed, but the elevator remained motionless.

"I want to apologize to you. I've been a complete, childish arse for most of the time we've been hanging out together." Ken glimpsed at the doors for a moment before looking at Gabby anew, "I'm sorry for all the shit I've put you through."

She shifted her jaw, briefly gathering her reddish, lower lip with her teeth, "Alright, then. Apology accepted, but you still haven't answered…"

He put his left hand on her right shoulder to interrupt, and smiled, "I like you, Gabby."

Gabby gathered his hand, "I've liked you since the day we met, but I thought you only thought of me as one of the guys…"

Kenneth slyly smirked at her again and squeezed her hand, "They don't really fill out a uniform like you do."

She blushed, looking at her feet, "Ken…"

He waved at the doors, triggering the motion sensors; he also gave Gabby's hand a leading tug, "C'mon. We gotta find a dress fit for a grease monkey."

Citadel, Zakera Ward, Factory District

Before Shepard opened the shutters to look out onto the factory floor, she asked Vakarian, "You had a squad back on Omega?"

"Had being the operative word." He picked up an open, forged digi-ID card, "There's a Human expression: a snipe hunt. The guy I'm after was one of mine, and he led me off on a snipe hunt." Handing the card over to Jane, he concluded, "Meanwhile, the rest of the team was hit. With all their effort, my guys ensured there were no survivors."

"Well, about that…" Jane said, hitting the control for the shutters and door.

It was Thane's turn on overwatch, while Garrus, Tali, and Miranda followed Shepard on the ground.

Tearing through the merc grunts and cheap mechs, Shepard's team made their way to former C-SEC officer Harken.

As he turned to flee through a door opposite where Shepard entered, Garrus stopped the cowardly crook with a not-so-gentle fist to the gut, "Fade is it?"

As Harken lay on the ground gasping, the Turian admitted with a little pride, "I may have caught one of his ribs."

"Vakarian, you asshole. You would come around at a time like this." The coward said between coughs.

Jane stood over Harken opposite Garrus, "You helped someone fade away two days ago. New identity, falsified records… I want you to make him reappear."

He picked himself up, partly leaning against the wall for support, "You'll have to be more specific. I have a lot of clients."

Garrus put his hand around Harken's neck with a squeeze, "Sidonis."

"Fine. Whatever. Here's his new ID." He replied, pulling up the information on his omnitool. "Now, get out of my life."

Harken looked back over toward Shepard, only to see the door closing. A muffled gunshot was all that he heard next, followed by his own scream as his foot suddenly had a one centimeter hole right through it.

Garrus flexed his mandibles in thought, "A little blood in the water for the C-SEC sharks."

Two hours later, Citadel, Bachjret Ward

As Jane walked and talked with Sidonis, Garrus watched for his opportunity to put a bullet through his old squad mate's head.

"This one doesn't seem like one who has been living the past two years."

Thane's comment got Garrus to pay attention to the conversation on the far side of the walkway.

"Two years worth of running, changing identities everywhere I can. Food has no taste. Sunrises, sunsets, watching a thunderstorm. Nothing holds any meaning anymore." Sidonis lamented.

Garrus narrowed his eyes, "If I get a clear line, he'll never…"

The sad Turian continued, "If you're here, that means he's here. I'm done running. Only place left to hide is an airlock, after all."

Thane said to his teammate, "That one has nothing left worth killing. Living is a greater punishment for him."

"Shepard, just… tell him to go away."

Normandy SR-2, Crew Deck, Mess Hall

Thane and Garrus sat across the table as they ate in relative silence.

"I'm… thanks for showing me he wasn't worth it."

The Drell merely lifted his teacup towards the Turian, and nodded. Jane stood by the elevator for a moment before heading to Engineering for another poker game.