Starborn (Mysterious Eyes)

  Thane was in position, waiting for the opportune moment to make the kill. That moment came quickly, but he didn't finish the job.  Instead, he continued waiting. He wanted to see the stranger who had been hot on his heels all the way here.
  A few more minutes passed and the door to the penthouse opened. From where thane was hiding, he could see all that went on. However, he was unable to see the stranger's identity. He saw that she was human. Covered in black armor, she had hair as dark as the emptiness of space. It was short and feathered out in the back, with two long bangs framing the sides of her mysterious face. A little of her forehead was visible, revealing the palest human complexion that he had ever witnessed. She was heavily armed with all sorts of weaponry.
  The mercenaries surrounding the assari bared their guns at her.
  “YOU! But, you're dead!” Nassana exclaimed in shock.
  “I got better...” The human mused back.
  Perhaps this was someone his target had tried to kill.
  “Now you're here to kill me.”
  The woman scoffed at this.
  “I'm sure you find this very ironic. First you take care of my sister, now you're here for me.”
  Nassana's guards tightened their grips on their weapons.
  “Your sister left me no choice. She and her pirate gang attacked my team.”
  “Well, you made it this far. Now what?”
  She sighed, “You really think I'm here to kill you?”
  “You have another reason for destroying my tower and decimating my security?”
  “I'm looking for someone. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now. And I certainly wouldn't have just walked in here without taking out your guards first.”
  So she was looking for him, not going after his target. Why?
  “You expect me to believe that?” Nassana scorned “Is this about credits? Is that what you want?”
  The stranger shook her head.
  “Name your price, we can make this problem go away.”
  “You really are paranoid.”
  “Come on, just name your price.” She insisted.
  “All the credits in the galaxy won't make this problem go away.”
  “Bitch! Who gave you the right to play God?”
  The woman's demeanor changed from being cautiously casual to aggressive. She trembled and clenched her fists, “Who gave it to you? All the people you've killed. All the innocent night workers that have been slaughtered or injured. And for what!”
  “Don't patronize me! I may not be perfect, but look at you. We both kill people for money. What's the difference?”
  “You kill people because you think they're beneath you or they're in your way. I kill people when they leave me no choice.”
  “But you do have a choice. You don't have to do this. I can tell you -”
  It was time to end this. Thane shifted his weight emitting a slight sound from the air duct he was in. Several mercenary guards jumped at the sound and began frantically searching for its source. The stranger, however, just braced.
  “What!” Nassana demanded.
  An assari commando replied, “I heard something.”
  “Damn it! Check the other entrances.”
  The guards fanned out to exact their orders.
  “You...” Nassana pointed at the woman “Stay put. When I'm finished dealing with this nuisance, you and I are going to -”
  She turned in time to see Thane snap the neck of the last mercenary. In one swift movement he came forward, restrained the assari's arms, and placed the barrel of his pistol to her chest.
  “Who...?” She managed to murmur.
  Thane pulled the trigger. Nassana groaned with pain as he laid her down on her desk and folded her arms over the wound he had given her. With a sigh she stopped breathing.
  Replacing his pistol in its holster, Thane immediately bowed his head and clasped his hands in a silent prayer to the gods. He waited for the pain of bullets to come. Strangely, the human who had hunted him so relentlessly never drew her weapon. Instead, she stood patiently, watching him. Still he waited, lingering in prayer. As he prayed, the silence grew heavier. Finally, Thane decided to break it. If she wasn't here to kill him, he wanted to know what she was here for.
  “I apologise, prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken.” He lifted his head and took his first good look at her features.
  Her face was round, her skin smooth and visibly soft. Full lips with gentle curves held slight indents in the corners from frequent smiling. They were a soft pink and wore a shining gloss. A small, slightly wide set nose balanced her mouth. Her brows were slender and sleek, her forehead well proportioned. Her eyes, though they held a slight depth, were not sunken in and were also well rounded. A moderate application of black make up framed their shape and enhanced their crystalline like centers. They were wide, bright, and filled with spirit. They held a deep intensity that was surprisingly familiar. These were the very same blue eyes of the siha from his vision.
  Thane hid his shock as the woman replied. She too had been taking in his features and found him to be just as interesting.
  “I'm not sure she deserves it.”
  “The prayer is not for her, but for me. Besides, the measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone.”
  “I'm not sure I understand.”
  His shock faded, replaced by frustration. This was supposed to be the day his suffering ended. The vision had to be a sign that his pain was over. It had to be proof that it was time for him to join his beloved Irikah. The gods were supposed to grant him peace. Instead they sent him a human with eyes like a siha who held a purpose other than bringing him death.
  “Take you, for instance. All this destruction... Chaos. And to what end? I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well... Here I am.”
  His voice never rose, but she easily perceived his mood.
  “I had little choice in how I handled the mercenaries, they thought I was you.”
  “Gunfire and explosions. I prefer to work quietly. If I have to fight through guards, I've made a mistake. I rarely make mistakes.”
  Placing a hand on her hip, she looked him in the eye.
  “Maybe you should have told them that.”
  Thane blinked, taken aback by her witty statement. Gaining control of his emotions, he offered a truce.
  “You disrupted my plan, but your distraction eventually proved valuable.”
  She gave a nod and proceeded to introduce herself.
  “I'm Commander Shepard. Its good to meet you Thane Krios.”
  At the mention of her name, information came flooding through his mind in the form of memories. She was the first human spectre and savior of the Citadel and Council. Her victory against Saren and the geth had caused the galactic media to become obsessed with her. But, she had been well known before that.
  A war hero among her race, Shepard had rallied colonists against invading batarian pirates. Then, single handedly, held off and sealed a breach in their defenses during the Skyllian Blitz. In addition, she was one of few humans who had obtained the rank of N7.
  Indeed, as Nassana had stated, she was supposed to be dead. Assigned to chase down the remaining geth threat, her ship had been destroyed. An unfortunate event that she allegedly had not escaped from. Yet, there had been recent reports claiming she'd been seen alive. Now she stood before him, providing a face to put with her name.
  “Likewise.” He replied, curious.
  As if sensing his desire to know why she, of all sentients, had sought him out, she stated her reason. Her hand left her hip and she gestured towards him.
  “I have come to recruit you for an important mission.”
  Hand falling back to her side, he looked at her with intrigue.
  “I see... Who's the target?”
  “A race called the Collectors.” She stated gravely.
  Thane made no reply, instead, he continued to look questioningly at at her.
  “They have been abducting entire human colonies. Colonies like Freedom's Progress. Thus, me and my crew are out to stop them. That means I need the best specialists at my side. Ergo, I'm here for you.”
  “Attacking the Collectors would require passing through the Omega 4 Relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so.” He cautioned.
  “They told me it was impossible to get to Ilos too.”
  He gave  a nod, “A fair point... You've built your career on performing the impossible.”
  She smiled and reached out her hand.
  “Will you join me?”
  Thane looked at her a moment, then turned and made his way over to the nearby window. Behind him, Shepard's smile faded and her hand dropped to her side. Looking out over Illium, he crossed his arms behind his back and sighed.
  “This was to be my last job. I'm dying.”
  Her face took on an expression of concern, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
  A moment of silence passed.
  “Giving me this opportunity is enough.”
  Turning again, he faced her.
  “The universe is a dark place. I'm trying to make it brighter before I die. Low survival odds don't concern me. The abductions of your colonists does.”
  Stepping forward until he stood less then an arms length from her, he frowned and looked at the floor. Her eyes remained focused on him.
  “Many innocents died today. I wasn't fast enough and they suffered. I must atone for that.”
  He then made eye contact with her, reached out, grabbed her hand before she could react, and shook it.
  “I will work for you, Shepard. No charge.”
  Surprised, she gave a firm shake back.
  “It will be an honor to work with you.”