The complex interstellar civilization of Mass Effect has many moving parts and important figures. As one of Mass Effect's few Spectres, Commander Shepard meets and comes into contact with a variety of the galaxy's most influential people. Many are allies, or at least similarly opposed to the Reapers, but by the time Mass Effect 3 begins, Shepard's former acquaintances at Cerberus have turned on him, hoping to harness the power of Reaper technology instead of destroying it. This leads Shepard to numerous confrontations with Cerberus' most skilled assassin, Kai Leng.
Though Shepard once worked in tandem with Mass Effect 2's enigmatic Illusive Man, the two parted ways after the mission to the Collector Base at the end of the game. Cerberus is a human-first paramilitary terrorist organization, perpetrators of assassinations and such atrocities as exposing thousands to Element Zero in an attempt to bolster the population of biotic humans. In a similarly selfish act, the Illusive Man has decided Cerberus' main goal in ME3 is to retrieve Reaper tech by any means necessary so that humanity can ascend to the top of the galactic pecking order.
The Illusive Man largely acts through Kai Leng, an assassin with a host of cybernetic implants. Much of what is known about Kai Leng prior to Mass Effect 3 comes from comic books and novels, but unfortunately, Mass Effect 3 does not do a great job of giving Kai Leng much characterization. Prior to his time with Cerberus, Kai Leng served in the Earth Systems Alliance military and even received an N7 designation like Shepard. Kai Leng's time with the Alliance only lasted four years, however, since he was dishonorably discharged in 2176 for murdering a Krogan while on leave, earning him a sentence of 20 years in an Alliance prison. Leng's actions attracted the eye of the Illusive Man, and Cerberus helped Leng escape.
Much of Kai Leng's time off-screen during the events of Mass Effect and ME2 is spent gathering intelligence and acquiring assets for Cerberus. Leng has dealings with Aria T'Loak on Omega and even has a run-in with Captain Anderson. He helped Cerberus learn of Saren Arterius' machinations during the events of Mass Effect but never played a vital role in regards to Shepard (and the player) until his appearance in ME3. The Illusive Man is still the Cerberus puppet master, but Leng is the dangerous face of Cerberus that the player confronts multiple times.
Commander Shepard's first encounter with Kai Leng in Mass Effect 3 comes when Cerberus attempts to help Councilor Udina overthrow the rest of the Citadel Council. Depending on player actions prior to the mission, Leng may successfully assassinate the Salarian councilor, mortally wound Major Kirrahe, or gravely injure Thane Krios, who is already in the late stages of a terminal illness. Leng attempts to reach the other councilors as well but is ultimately unsuccessful.
The next time the player encounters Kai Leng is on the Asari homeworld of Thessia, where a Prothean VI called Vendetta reveals that Leng has been indoctrinated by the Reapers. Leng presents a holographic Illusive Man for the Commander to talk with, but the discussion ends with Leng fighting Shepard and their squad over the VI, which has critical information on the Crucible's final schematics. Neither side is able to kill the other, but Leng escapes with the VI.
The Commander later follows Leng to the human colony Horizon, where he was sent by the Illusive Man to retrieve experiment data gathered by Miranda Lawson's father. During their encounter, Leng injures Miranda, but she manages to get a tracking beacon on the Cerberus assassin, which Shepard later uses to locate Chronos Station, the Illusive Man's headquarters. The Alliance plans an attack on Chronos Station to retrieve Vendetta and learn how to complete the Crucible. A battle against Kai Leng is the final showdown on Chronos Station, which ends with Commander Shepard killing Leng, avenging whoever he managed to kill on the Citadel during the coup. Kai Leng's stint in the games is wholly within the third, but his character helps flesh out Cerberus in the backstory of Mass Effect's grand narrative.
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