Arashu's Gift

Chapter 6

The crew of the Normandy were restless. They were still docked at the Citadel. Shepard had left for an operation with Officer Vakarian and the asari Samara, perhaps to see her in action for the first time as Shepard had done with Thane. It seemed like a last-minute decision, as the original order had been a three-hour shore leave for the Commander to visit the human embassy in the Presidium.

After they'd shared tea in Zakera Ward, they'd returned to the ship. As soon as they'd boarded, the turian had requested Shepard's attention. Thane had returned to the third deck, assuming that his squadmate wished to speak with her in private. They seemed close; Shepard had introduced him as her second-in-command and her right-hand man. The turian knew he had an advantage with her and this unplanned operation outside of their schedule was proof of that.

The Commander's decision seemed to have upset the humans Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor. As Cerberus' representatives they monitored the Commander's every action and decision, though it seemed Shepard was largely indifferent to them.

Thane was grateful for the extra time this schedule change provided. He indulged in remembering and analyzing the conversation with Shepard. She had blushed, the pink coloring that had briefly painted her cheeks making her appear more vulnerable, deprived of her rank.

Thane knew how to kill humans, he knew their weak points. Many of the contracts he'd undertaken in his career had involved human targets. Sometimes he had had to employ a more personal touch to approach them, for the majority had been high profile people.

Thane only knew how to kill them, but not how to decipher their social codes.

Some of his training had included the art of seduction for various species, humans included, where a honeypot strategy might be useful for getting close to a target and tearing down their defenses. Only thanks to that miscellaneous knowledge had he been able to interpret the blush on her face. Shepard had seemed to feel shame when she discovered him watching her.

Seconds before the turian clerk greeted her, Thane had felt her gaze on him. He had felt a tingling sensation at the nape of his neck and her presence at such a short distance at his back. He wasn't used to being watched – on the contrary, it was he who usually spent hours observing his target from the shadows, studying their movements. Instinct had told him to stand alert, but on turning and seeing her blushing face and startled, shy demeanor, he had instead felt disarmed. His reaction puzzled him, as did her invitation to tea.

Towards the end of their conversation, she had blushed again. Fortunately, the last decade of solitary life hadn't seemed to greatly affect his capability to keep a conversation in polite and socially acceptable terms.

What could a professional assassin like him talk about? People didn't exactly seek him out to cultivate a friendship. Shepard had asked the sorts of things that were expected from the healthy level of curiosity the drell produced in other species. Little was known about them and it was normal to explain things like The Compact. However, nothing of the last days had been normal for Thane. At this point he should have already departed for the sea. Shepard had interrupted the buen morir – the honorable death – that he had aspired to in the Dantius Towers. He ignored the reason why Kalahira was taking so long to call him to her shores. Even though his lungs were still working relatively well, the years of negligence on his part would soon take a toll. He hadn't sought treatment because he didn't deserve it, that was the truth.

A notification coming from his omni-tool shook him from his musings. It was Doctor Solus. Puzzled, Thane stood up and left for the lab on the second deck.

"Thane, happy to see you," Doctor Solus said. Thane approached to stand opposite his terminal. "I have analysis of blood sample by Doctor Chakwas. Taking liberty to suggest treatment, antibiotic, potentially counteract pulmonary damage, experimental by nature, unprecedented, medical advancement crux of salarian STG studies ..."

"I'm resistant to antibiotics, doctor," Thane interrupted.

"To conventional ones, yes. Cipoxidin, Malanarin, Alburicin. Medication unknown outside STG base on Sur'Kesh. Can order a supply, have STG contact on Citadel."

"Why would the salarian STG spend their resources developing a drug for Kepral's, a drell syndrome?" Thane asked.

"Not a medication against Kepral's, but against all consequences of extreme humid environments where Council troops must operate. We use salarian genetic information, amphibian by nature, to create resistance to humidity for all species vulnerable to said exposure. Also, Kahje neighbor planet in Inner Citadel Space, drell intelligence work sophisticated, unpredictable, salarian counterintelligence work too valuable, drell better as allies than enemies." Doctor Solus took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he opened them, he looked right into Thane's eyes. "Salarian Union policy to win wars before they begin, to develop technologies before they're needed."

Thane pondered what he'd heard. He was unsure what surprised him more: the fact that the salarians had secretly developed a medication conveniently useful for patients of Kepral's Syndrome, or that the salarian STG considered drell intelligence as a real threat. Doctor Solus' species didn't like to be surpassed in what they believed themselves to be the best at. What drell lacked in numbers for their ranks, they compensated for with expert, precision-focused espionage operations. Thane wouldn't be surprised if there were a drell spy in the very salarian STG base in Sur'Kesh, living in the ventilation ducts for weeks or months at a time. Why else would the salarians have created a counterintelligence plan?

The professor had left the Illuminated Primacy, the hanar government, out of his argument. Drell intelligence served their hosts on Kahje, distinguishing themselves from any other in the galaxy. And the hanar were one of the biggest financial powers in Citadel Space. Thane thought it ironic that Doctor Solus had shared this with him, an elite assassin trained by hanar monks, aboard a human vessel belonging to Cerberus, the most immoral and dangerous pro-humanist organization this side of the galaxy. Thane had already assumed that the entirety of the Normandy was equipped with spying systems and that the artificial intelligence EDI fulfilled the purpose of recording every single thing said on its different decks. Perhaps the prospect of a suicide mission made the salarian scientist before him especially reckless. Nothing mattered anymore, seemed to be the maxim.

Nothing mattered anymore. The path was laid. It was pointless to accept the offer from Doctor Solus if in a matter of months he'd venture through the Omega 4 relay and, most likely, find his death in the Collector Base. If by some miracle he came back out the other side unharmed, Kalahira wouldn't delay in summoning him to the sea. He couldn't interrupt her call. He must already begin to part from his mortal body for, if he resisted, his soul would be forever lost. There was no reason in the universe to keep him alive. Irikah was awaiting him at the shores of Kalahira, and Kolyat must have believed him dead or hated him for being an absent father. All he ever deserved was awaiting him at the other side of the Omega 4 relay. It was going to be a good death.

"Thank you for the offer, doctor," he said with a flat tone of voice. "I'm sure there are other drell on Kahje who need this a lot more than I."

"Of course there are. Chakwas mentioned viability for lung transplant, also rejected. Religious reason? Philosophical? Guilt expiation? Suicidal tendency?"

"If you will excuse me," Thane said and, as he received no reply, he turned around and headed towards the door.

He left the doctor to his leisurely musings, exiting the lab. As he crossed the CIC on the second deck, he spotted Yeoman Chambers. At the corner of his eye he noticed her observing him as he waited for the elevator to the lower level. He exited the elevator on the third deck, passing the human Jack as she entered. As she passed him, he noticed that she had a small bandage on her arm. She was coming back from the medical examination by doctor Chakwas, he inferred. They didn't share words. He headed directly to Life Support and sealed his door, changing the lock from green to red. He took a seat at the table, supporting his chin on crossed hands as he looked out at the drive core.

After hours of deep meditation, he came to a decision. There was one thing he must do before rejecting Doctor Solus' offer outright. He opened his omni-tool and, using his encrypted extranet channel, he launched a search. A few minutes later the name of the volus banker to whom he had entrusted the deposit for Kolyat appeared. Thane took a deep breath and began to write.