Unseen: Mass Effect FanFiction (ReWritten)

Chapter 36

Mina was almost home when a soft, reedy voice spoke beside her.

"Excuse me, human."

Mina froze, her heart giving an involuntary lurch. She turned. A drell stood beside her, his skin a mosaic of muted greens and blues, his eyes a startling, intelligent yellow.

He was dressed in plain, practical clothes, not the opulent silks favored by many of his kind on the Citadel. There was an urgency in his posture, a subtle tension that made her nerves prickle.

"Can I help you?" Mina asked, her tone carefully neutral. She was used to unusual encounters on the Citadel, but something about this Drell felt different.

'SAM, who is this?' she asked.

'A Drell,' SAM stated.

'As is who is the Drell?' Mina growled at him. 'What is his name? And why didn't you pick up on him?'

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near whisper, though it still carried a surprising weight. "Your quarters... they are not safe. Not tonight."

Mina's heart gave a sudden, unpleasant lurch. Her home with Garrus. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

The Drell's gaze flickered around, as if expecting to be overheard. "My name is Kael. And I'm a friend... or, at least, someone who wishes you no harm. You must be careful, Mrs. Vakarian. Very careful."

He paused, his eyes narrowing, his voice a gravelly murmur now, barely audible above the distant thrum of traffic. "Especially... of the human councilor. Don't trust him. Not with anything. There are... forces at play. Forces that would see good people, important people, removed from the board."

"Who are you?" she demanded, her politeness replaced by a sharp edge.

"A concerned party," he replied, his yellow eyes unwavering. "I can take you somewhere safe. Somewhere they won't think to look. A... temporary relocation, until this matter can be resolved." He extended a slender, four-fingered hand.

"And where exactly is this 'safe place'?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion. "And why should I trust you?"

'SAM, get a message to Garrus,' Mina instructed. 'Warn him.'

The drell offered a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Because, human, the alternative is far less appealing. And because sometimes, the greatest dangers are the ones you don't even know exist within your own four walls."

He gestured again, a silent invitation. "Come. Time is not on your side."

Mina looked down the path the drell indicated, a path that led away from the familiar hum of the Presidium, towards a less-traveled district. Her mind raced, weighing the unknown against the chilling implication that her home was no longer safe. The decision, she knew, had to be made quickly.

"Fine, take me to this safe place," Mina said, her voice steadier than she felt.

Kael melted into the shadowed alley, Mina following close behind, her quiet lunch now a distant memory.

*

The hum of the Citadel felt like a silent thrum of anticipation. Kael, his lean Drell form moving with an almost liquid grace, led the way through the bustling Wards.

His vocal cords produced a low, melodic murmur of "This way, Mrs. Vakarian. Almost there."

It wasn't the usual tourist route, nor the well-trodden paths to her usual haunts.

'This is new,' Mina thought. 'I didn't know the Citadel had a place like this.'

They ascended through several traffic levels, the typical glow of neon giving way to softer, warmer lights. The air grew subtly sweeter, carrying faint hints of damp earth and exotic blossoms, an impossible scent for the metallic arteries of the Citadel.