Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 38

"You have my thanks, Captain."

"Don't thank me. I've worked this Ward for more than two years. Seen too many kids turn to crime because their parents stopped caring or never gave a shit to begin with. You're trying to save yours. And I'll do anything I can to help simply because of that."

"He faces a dark path. I wish to turn him to the light."

He was aware of where the Dark Star lounge was located, the pair immediately heading in that direction. Much had changed on the Citadel between the attack on the Citadel and the present day, so Shepard didn't know his way around as well as he used to. Thane knew where the Dark Star lounge was so helped guide the way. Approaching the club, he could feel and hear the bass from inside, the noise only increasing with a burly guard at the door opened it to allow someone new to enter. The line to enter, even at this time of day, was long.

He recognised Mouse immediately. Still a young man. No doubt still leading a life of petty crime. It had been years since he had seen him, though he figured Mouse would recognise him immediately. Thane looked at Shepard and gestured with his eyes. When Mouse finally noticed their approach, far too late from him to turn and run, he seemed to almost slink back against the wall in fear. Thane could understand why. He had never intended to scare any of the children that worked for him, but they had learned of his reputation.

"K-K-Krios, I thought... I thought you were retired? Oh shit. Oh shit. You're here to finish me, aren't you? I know too much, right?" Then his eyes glanced at Shepard. "Hang on, aren't you... You're Commander Shepard! I've seen your photo's on the news! But... You're dead..." He fell silent, glancing between the pair of them, before he finally slumped. "Shit."

"Calm yourself, Mouse," he said, gently as possible, resting a hand on his shoulder, surprising the young man didn't leap when he touched him, "We are not here to cause you any harm. We merely require information."

It was no surprise that Mouse was immediately defensive. Thane may have used him at one time, but that was long ago. He no longer held the young man's allegiance. And even though he would fear him, information was his lifeblood. If others found out that he'd sold someone out, that would be his livelihood gone, in addition to putting his life in danger. "What information?" Mouse asked, "You know that sort of stuff doesn't come cheap."

"Come, Mouse. You know you will give me the information. Do not be defensive. I only require a name. You gave another drell information about an assassination. I merely wish to know who the target is."

"I don't know. You don't know the people I work for now, Krios. You were good to us. None of us will forget. But I'm not prepared to die for you."

"Do you trust me, Mouse?"

The young man looked between them again. Shepard appeared relaxed, not wishing to intervene. No doubt part of him would have slapped the kid around until he talked, but seemed to recognise Thane wished to obtain the information his way. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, you never did me or the other kids any harm. Your credits kept a lot of us fed."

"Help me now and I will ensure whoever you work for will not harm you. And you know I am the sort of person who can guarantee that."

Another glance between the pair. He would have known of Shepard's reputation. And Thane had a mystique about him. Mouse had trusted him long ago. And no doubt that trust still lingered in the back of his mind. "Okay. Fine. The other drell approached me. Said he knew you. Said he was looking for a job. Knew the code we used to confirm he was legitimate. So I ran through all the contacts I've built up over the years. Someone who'd give a rookie a shot. Eventually came upon a name."

"Who, Mouse?"

"Elias Kelham."

Thane looked at Shepard, who returned a shrug. "Who is this Elias Kelham?" Thane asked Mouse.

"He's a human. Been here for around a decade or so. He was a nobody for a long time. Small-time criminal. Never really looked like going anywhere. Ran into him once or twice when you were still active. Didn't like him then. Don't like him now."

"And now?"

"Now he's a somebody. Lot of big shots got taken out when the geth attacked. Now he's got plenty of cash. And people in his back pocket. He's near untouchable."

"Where's he based?"

"Shin Akiba."

"Thank you, Mouse. Are you contact details still the same? And your account details?"

"Of course."

"Expect something by the end of the solar day. And rest assured Kelham will no longer be your problem."

Mouse would believe him, of course. His reputation has earned him respect and fear in equal doses. And kids like Mouse had almost worshipped him at times as he had kept them safe. And there was no doubt the young man believed him as he no doubt believed he and Shepard would now either kill or intimidate Kelham.

Heading back to C-Sec for information in regards to Kelham, getting Bailey to help out was trickier. It wasn't necessarily corruption that was taking place within the ranks, though C-Sec was as easy to corrupt as any organisation, but it was obvious that Kelham used power and influence to ensure he could continue his operations with interference. Bailey sounded disgusted, at least, so it seemed he may have been fighting the good fight but with limited success.

Bailey was helpful, stating he would have Kelham brought in for questioning but they'd have to sit tight until his arrival. They were shown to an interrogation room, Bailey stating that Kelham would be brought in, but otherwise, he would make himself scarce. There would be blowback against having someone with his influence brought in. Shepard simply thanked the man, assuring him he now owed him a favour now.

"What are you thinking, Shepard?"

"Bad cop. Worse cop. I'll be the latter. If I've read this guy properly, even threats won't work. We let him know that, in this room, there are no rules. We are in charge. He co-operates, or he dies. Simples."

Thane wasn't going to disagree with what Shepard had planned. He had killed many with the reputation of Kelham before. He'd be doing the Citadel a favour if he was left in a body bag somewhere, though as always the case, the vacuum left by Kelham being dead would simply be filled by someone else. There was always someone else...

Twenty minutes later, Shepard leaned against a wall, seeming to check his fingernails, Thane relaxing with his eyes closed against the wall, the door into the interrogation room opened, and a half-conscious man was dragged in by a pair of C-Sec officers. Dumped into the chair, Shepard stated he was a Spectre and dismissed them immediately. Shepard grabbed a glass of water from nearby, splashing it into the face of Kelham before tapping his cheek. "Wakey, wakey, sunshine."

Kelham opened his eyes, blinking rapidly, immediately confused as he looked at Shepard first before himself. "Who the fuck are you two? Where am I?"

"C-Sec," Shepard replied simply.

"C-Sec. I demand you..."

Shepard put a fist straight into his nose. "You don't get to demand a goddamned thing."

Still holding his nose, blood already flowing, Kelham glared daggers. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Where's my advocate? I'm going to have your fucking badge for this!"

Shepard laughed. Thane thought it was positively evil, left thinking he was getting a kick out of this. Taking the pistol from his hip, Shepard jammed the barrel under Kelham's chin. His eyes were immediately one of fear, staring at him, hoping he would intervene. He would not, unless Shepard looked on the verge of actually killing him. "Let's get one thing straight here, bozo. You are not in charge here. I am, and my partner has questions. You answer his questions, we let you go. You don't answer his questions, you have four limbs I can put a bullet in. Don't answer a question, get a bullet. Understand? A simple nod or shake of the head will suffice." Kelham nodded his head. "You may proceed with your questions."

"You sent a young drell after a target. He is to assassinate said target. Who is he?"

"I don't know."

Shepard stood back and put a bullet into his right leg, the howls of pain echoing around the room. Thane looked at Shepard, who simply shrugged. "I warned him. He lied. Try again."

Looking back at Kelham, he asked again, "You sent a young drell after a target. He is to assassinate said target. Who is he?"

Kelham delayed answering, Shepard levelling his pistol at his other leg. "I have another leg and two arms before I get towards the more sensitive areas. And you won't bleed out before I'm done."

"His name's Talid!" Kelham cried, "Joram Talid. He's a turian running for office in Zakera Ward. He's running on an anti-human ticket. He's going to mess with my enterprises. I intend to stop him."

"Where and when?"

"His apartment. The 800 blocks."

He bowed. "You have my thanks, Mister Kelham. Have a nice day."

Before they walked out, Shepard clocked Kelham across the jaw, knocking him out. As they were strolling out, they ran into a man, demanding access to his client. Shepard thumbed back into the room. "He's having a little nap in there. He was also shot. Not sure by who. I think Mister Kelham needs to be more careful in regards to who he hangs around with."

As they walked away, Thane could resist the slight grin as he said, "Shepard, I do believe that may go down as one of the shortest interrogations in history. I didn't think you had that in you."

"Please, I have no problem dealing with people like Kelham with overwhelming force and intimidation."

Back with Bailey a few minutes later, he asked no question and they gave no explanation. Asking who Talid was, the C-Sec officer could at least give details of his movements and where they could find him. He also explained how Talid had become so popular as an anti-corruption advocate, but also one who was vocally anti-human. Bailey didn't appear perturbed by it but Shepard didn't sound particularly happy. But he still didn't want to see the turian killed just because he held an opposing viewpoint, so Bailey offered to have them driven to the 800 blocks and they'd work from there.

Once dropped off, he asked Shepard to tail Talid from a distance, something he knew Shepard would not be used to, but he trusted him enough not to be seen by the turian, lest he believe Shepard was here to kill rather than protect him. As for Thane, he would follow from the shadows, ensuring he would be between Kolyat and the target when the time came.

In the end, finding his son wasn't difficult. He was too young. Too naïve, Too inexperienced. And he made too many mistakes. When he finally came face to face with his son, he saw Irikah more than he saw himself. The colour of his skin. His eyes. Even his voice was a reminder. But he also saw a man. A young man, but a man nonetheless, confident in his abilities, confident that he would still somehow walk out of that room live. Shepard had his pistol aimed at his son, the pistol of his son at the head of the turian. It was a stand-off.

Bailey had obviously been monitoring their progress, because before anyone could say a word, the apartment was fill with at least three more people, including Bailey, his own weapon drawn.

"Kolyat," he stated quietly.

"Of all the times, now you show up? Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"Help me. Please!" the turian pleaded. Kolyat simply leaned forward, pressing the pistol into the back of the turians head, forcing it down further.

"Alright, son. I think this has gone far enough. Gun down," Bailey instructed.

"No. I'm walking out of here. And this piece of shit is coming with me. You're all going to get out of my way and let me leave."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Bailey stated.

"Put the gun down, Kolyat," Shepard stated gently.

"Who the hell are you?"

"A friend of your fathers."

The eyes of his son looked around, noticing that he had no chance. If he shot Talid, he would be dead seconds later. If he dropped his weapon, he still had a chance. With a sigh, he dropped the weapon and kicked Talid in the arse, the turian immediately rising to his feet and running out. "Sergeant, take the boy and his father back to the precinct. Give them a room and as much time as they need. Understand?" Bailey said.

"Of course, sir."

"You have my thanks, Captain Bailey. But I must ask why?"

"You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son? And I figured you'd like some time to talk. I'll do what I can to help, but this will be hard to look anything different than what it was."

"I understand."

Kolyat did not speak the entire time on the way back to the station. Shepard travelled separately, and gave father and son time to speak. Thane sat opposite his son in an interview room. There was anger in his body language. Anger he could understand. The conversation was one-sided at first. The only words he received were scathing, but with a lack of understanding about why... why he had left. What had happened to his mother. What happened to him. The years he had spent tracking down those responsible. By the time he had returned, it was too late. So he left to pursue a different path. He answered the questions, whether asked or unasked, as best he could, to try and help his son understand. By the end of their conversation, he could only hope he had imparted at least some knowledge.

His last words of love. That he had loved his mother. And that he had always loved his son. In the darkest moments, it has always been the moment of his birth that had given him a true sense of purpose. Kolyat would likely never understand that feeling until he had children of his own, but it was the one reason remaining as to why he still lived.

Walking out of the interview room, he leaned against a wall and took a deep breath, calmed himself down, found his centre once again. Shepard obviously gave him a few moments before approaching. For once, there wasn't a joke. Only a caring pat on the shoulder. Thane turned and offered his hand, the shake warm as he thanked Shepard for his help.

"My pleasure, Thane."

"I will return to the ship, Shepard. I will meditate on the events of today. It is early days, only the first day, but I see a chink of light for the future, a door slightly ajar. It is not up to my son if he wishes to speak again. I will not push him to reconnect. I will understand if he does not. But I will now go into this mission with hope for the future once again."

"Sounds like another good reason why this shouldn't be a suicide mission then."

"Before today, I would have gladly died to ensure its success. Now... now I hope to live, Shepard. I have not felt that in a long time."

Thanking him again, Thane turned and began his walk back to the Citadel. He must have appeared content, even happy, as more than one person smiled at him on his walk back. It was unusual not to be stared at, people even recoiling slightly, whether in distrust, even fear. Back on the ship, he returned to his quarters, changing into new clothes before joining Samara once again. Getting into a comfortable position, he felt himself calm, and for once, the memories did not disturb him. He felt reconnected himself.

A hand grabbed his. "I am glad you are well, Thane," said a soothing voice.

"I feel at peace, Samara. It is a feeling I am not used to."

"Embrace the feeling, Thane. It is something that you will not wish to see diminish anytime soon, not with what lies on our horizon."

They did not share any further words. At least for the next couple of hours.

*****

Knocking on her door, I didn't actually expect her to be home. It was late enough in the evening that people would have finished worked, but journalists worked off hours sometimes, or she could have been away on assignment, or...

I need not have worried. The door opened and I soon had a smaller woman than myself hugging me tight enough that it could have led to trouble breathing. Leaping into my arms wasn't unexpected, I was ready for that, at least, managing to carry her inside, shutting the door with my foot, before I sat her down on a stool. Her lips found mine immediately, and it was obvious she was happy to see me.

"I didn't know you were even here," Emily said.

"Last minute thing. A colleague of mine needed some help. And since I was in town, I thought I'd come and say hello."

"How long are you on the Citadel for?"

"No idea, to be honest. Long enough that I can take you out for dinner tonight, at least. What do you prefer? Fancy or simple?"

"Simple and close to home, Shepard."

"Oh, and why would that be?"

"Because the last time you were here, we slept in the same bed but I didn't want to do anything. I've been thinking about that ever since. The opportunities we have to be together are fleeting because of what you do. But it was such a shock to see you standing at my door again..."

I just hugged her tight to my body. I'd reunited with everyone since then but had only seen her the once. We'd messaged often, but messaging wasn't the same as seeing each other face to face, or talking, and definitely not like being intimate. "Well, why don't we order some food in then and not bother leaving?"

"I know the perfect place. Can I fit the stereotype of ordering Earth food at least?"

"I don't mind what we eat. I'm sure you know the best places to buy from though."

Half an hour later, we were sat together on her couch, small tubs of food across her coffee table, sampling each one as we chatted about our lives. Even though she was a journalist, I knew our conversation would be off the record, as I'd already promised her an interview as soon as I was out of the clutches of Cerberus. But I guess giving her a head up about one or two things wasn't a bad idea either. She told me about some of the big news items she'd been involved in. Of course, absolutely no-one spoke of the Reapers anymore, completely written off by the Council, and even the Alliance seemed to be in full denial mode. Whether it was different back on Earth, or on Arcturus, I simply couldn't know.

Finishing our meals, we finished the bottle of wine she had also bought, turning towards each other now, moving closer and closer until we finally kissed. Wine was forgotten about as hands started to explore once again. I couldn't wait to get her shirt off, making her giggle as I practically ripped off her bra at the same time, lips and tongue immediately heading south to her breasts, feeling her hands wrap around my head as she gasped.

Moving down her body, she rested back as I removed her skirt, joking that she must have known as I coming before I moved her panties at the same time. I definitely licked my lips as she automatically spread her legs for me, beckoning me on to taste her. So I did, making her moan quietly as I ran my tongue up her slit. "Taste as good as ever, Emily," I whispered. Corny, but it made her giggle again. And I wasn't lying. Our brief times together during my chase of Saren had always been passionate and the sex had always been excellent.

Sex on a couch is generally awkward, so I picked her up and carried her into her bedroom, helping remove her footwear before joining her on the bed, resuming what I was doing before. I didn't just focus on her pussy straight away, my lips finding other places to kiss around her body, finding those little zones that made her moan or giggle, before I moved back up to her face, and simply gazed into her eyes for a little while as my fingers gently played with her pussy, watching each and every reaction.

"Shepard," she whispered, followed by a gasp.

"Miss me?"

"We should have made love the first time you were here. I'm sorry."

"Emily, I loved that night we shared. It was nice just to reconnect. For me, it felt like barely a week. I knew it was much longer for you."