//------------------------------//
// Master Thief 
// Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness 
// by CommanderApplejack 
//------------------------------//




Chapter 43






Master Thief





Go after the disturbance. Whatever is watching me, it can't be good. 66%


After the briefest moment of hesitation, Fluttershy sprang into action. Running in the direction of the disturbance, she flared her wings and flew up to the overhead walkway. The person who had been watching her didn't waste a moment after he'd been made and sprinted away from the pegasus. Where initially the disturbance was faint and barely detectable, it now was a clear disruption in the shape of either a human, batarian or asari.

Fluttershy, not willing to be caught unaware, used her biotics to create a barrier around herself. Whereas her armor would passively draw on her biotics to maintain a barrier, without it she had to focus to keep it active. This meant that she could neither use her ability to fly or use an attack without dropping her barrier.

Now in hot pursuit, Fluttershy mentally activated her omni-tool and called Shepard who almost immediately picked up. "Fluttershy, where are you? We're waiting at the shuttle docks, if you can’t get here soon we’re going to go ahead to the Normandy"

"I noticed that we were being followed by someone. I'm pursuing him right now," Fluttershy answered through her panting. Whoever this person was he was very nimble. None of the objects in his way had slowed him in any way as he seemed to fly, jump, and slide over them.

"Where are you right now?" Shepard asked as Fluttershy was gaining on the running spy, her four legs proving superior in the speed department. But getting this close also meant the person who was trying to get away had to think up different measures to escape. His omni-tool lit up and he fired an orb of energy from it at Fluttershy who was too close to dodge.


Does this orb hurt Fluttershy? No

Does it have other effects? Critical Yes


The energy from the orb arced over the pegasus' biotic barrier and made its way to her left leg where it interfered with Fluttershy's omni-tool, cutting off its connection and taking it offline momentarily. With renewed vigour, the spy increased the speed at which he was running and slowly increased the distance between himself and the pegasus.

Should I stop? I'm only on my own and- No! He was watching you for a reason. Your new friends might be in danger, and you need to figure out why!

"STOP!" Fluttershy shouted as she lowered her barrier and flapped her wings once. Even the slowest of flyers could outmatch the fastest of runners. The pegasus collided with the spy and the two of them tumbled to the ground, his cloak finally dissipating. But in a stunning display of agility, the spy did a flip and landed on his feet where Fluttershy came to a rolling stop.

Now that the invisibility had been disrupted, the pegasus finally got a good look at who she had been chasing. The spy was most definitely a human and a lady at that. She was dressed in a tight black and grey suit of sorts, and her head was also covered by a black hood which veiled a good part of her face in darkness, but the purple line that ran over the middle of her lower lip was clearly visible. She was also panting slightly from the failed attempt at running away from Fluttershy.

So what now? Was she sent to spy on us by Saren? If so, is she indoctrinated just like those salarians?

Those questions ran through Fluttershy's mind as the two of them had a stare off, waiting for the other to make their move. Unfortunately for the human, Fluttershy's next move did not require her to move at all as she unleashed the stare. The pegasus reasoned that back on Virmire it had purged the indoctrination from the asari scientist's mind. If it could be done with her, then It wasn't too far fetched to assume it could do the same for this human.

The female grunted as she fell to her knees, the stare ripping all control of her body from her. To Fluttershy's horror, she didn't find any of the corruption like she had with the salarians and asari. Having been warned against using the stare to prevent damage to the mind of the receiving party, Fluttershy immediately cut the ability off. The female scrambled back a bit away from the pegasus, none of her movements as graceful as they had been moments earlier.

"Why were you watching me back there?" Fluttershy demanded in as assertive a manner as she could while in reality, her heart was beating in her throat from fear.

"Well, can the little girl in me not get a bit excited after seeing a fairy tale creature?" She answered after recomposing herself. Though still on the ground, she looked ready to bolt at any second. The other thing Fluttershy noted was that the translator in her omni-tool was telling her the human was speaking a language called Japanese.

"From a walkway?" Fluttershy questioned skeptically to which the female simply shrugged.

"My line of work usually requires me to stay hidden. I'm actually surprised that you managed to notice me twice in a row," she said, a faint smile forming on her lips. Fluttershy wasn't sure what to do next. This human most definitely wasn't with Saren, but there was most definitely something wrong about her as well. A quick glance at the time on her omni-tool told Fluttershy that she had thirty minutes left to get to the Normandy, something that she guessed would take at least twenty.

"So the only reason you were watching me was because you were intrigued?" Fluttershy asked, still a little wary of the human as she had stood up and slowly circled the pegasus.

"Do I need a better reason?" she innocently queried, "But then again, I guess a bit of paranoia is in order when you're planning to commit high treason."

Fluttershy froze at the added sentence. This human knew about the plan to release the Normandy from lockdown. If she warned C-Sec, then the plan to release the Normandy would be over before it had even started. The human covered her mouth in a mocking fashion as she noticed the pegasus' reaction.

"Oh, was I not supposed to know about that?" she said amusedly as her omni-tool gave off a sound, "Look at that. I've finished downloading the files off of your omni-tool. There must be some interesting dirt somewhere in there, mustn't there?"

Fluttershy felt a shiver run up her spine. Whoever this was, she had allowed the pegasus to feel as if she had the upper hand while still retaining a firm grip on the situation. "What do you want?"

"A favor," the thief answered without hesitation, "There's something I could use your help with some time in the future, though I can't say exactly when."

"And if I refuse?" Fluttershy asked, even though she was pretty sure what the answer to that would be.

"How long do you think it'll take for C-Sec to swarm the alliance docks and arrest captain Anderson?" she answered, confirming Fluttershy's fear.

"How would I contact you?" the pegasus questioned as she saw the time she had left before catching the Normandy would be impossible slowly diminishing.

"You wouldn't. If I have need of you, I'll contact you," she answered. "So, what do you say?"

Fluttershy felt a layer of cold sweat on her coat as she evaluated her options.

If I agree, I'll owe her a favor, but if I say no, she might sell all the readings on my body stored on there to the highest bidder,

1. Agree to the terms.

2. Say no, and call Anderson to make his move immediately.

3. [I should have stopped her the first time.]

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