Doubt
Cora squared her shoulders once she reached the top of the steps that led the way to where the Director of Colonial Affairs stood. "Mam, you wanted to see me?" She kept her arms poised behind her back in a military stance.
Foster Addison noticed her arrival and panned her eyes from side to side to see who all would be listening in to their conversation. "There's a spare office near maintenance. It is better that we talk there." Her tone was curt and clearly it seemed something really was bothering her as she made a bee line to her appointed destination. Cora dutifully followed behind in her tow. Her mind whizzing with assumptions as to what the meeting was called for and without Ryder. The Initiative was already in a disarray before their arrival. First the collision with the scourge and then the mutiny. One arc arrives with the designated Pathfinder dead. The idea of staying back in the Milky Way was probably playing on everyone's minds. The short brown hair woman in front of her remained quiet and didn't utter a word until they were behind closed doors. The Lieutenant held back any questions. She wanted Addison to make the first move. Addison clasped her hands together behind her back as she paced. "I want to know the goddamn truth. Spill it." Her green eyes flashed upon Cora in an accusatory manner.
The straight shot threw Harper for a loop. "I do not understand-"Her words jumbling in her mouth.
"Quit the bullshit. It's tough enough holding this station together with Tann. How did Alec get killed?" Addison pivoted sharply on her heel to directly face the blonde.
Taking a breath, Cora sized up Addison and didn't flinch from her stance. "We found Habitat 7 and sent in a ground team for reconnaissance. The scans were totally altered before departing from the Milky Way. It didn't make sense for the planet to completely change the way it did even in six hundred years. Our shuttles were scattered due to electrical interference. We came across the hostile alien forces and Alec learned that some type of atmosphere converter guarded by the kett was to blame for the change."
Foster listened in carefully. Her eyes straight on Cora's face as if she expected her to give a lie. "Continue."
"I wasn't with him when he died. He and Celeste went ahead to observe the device. My only thinking is that the converter had to have some type of failsafe once activated. He and Celeste were both caught off guard by it."
"Now he dies and we are left with her," Addison huffed and rolled her eyes. "The Pathfinder's line of succession doesn't fall to the children." She paused as if she was trying to choose her words carefully, avoiding any type of backlash. "I thought you were his second in command."
"I was," Cora knew now where this conversation was. It plagued her mind, but she never expected someone else would be digging into the same thing. "Alec made it clear though who he chose for his successor. Sam transferred to Celeste."
"With no training?" Foster sighed hard. "What the hell was Alec thinking? If he wanted his children to take over then why…" She stopped short and gazed up at the ceiling as if she was hoping some celestial force was going to enlighten her.
"With all due respect, mam. I know my place. An Asari huntress follows her commander without question. Alec was my mentor and I do have trust in Celeste."
"I don't." Addison shot back quickly. She shook her head and started to pace again. "Forgive me, Lieutenant, but you were not here when the mutiny happened. We lost lives, and we lost the krogan. We sent colonists out to chosen worlds to avoid any further mutinies and they failed. Now the arcs are missing and the only hope we have is an untrained daughter of our Pathfinder whose brother is in a coma. Things are looking very bleak."
"Tann seems to be hopeful." Cora lightheartedly brought up.
The director scoffed. "Tann just sees a new puppet. He will manipulate her. We have station stability right now, but even without the krogan, he's not well liked. Some don't like the choices he made during the uprising. Alec could have fixed this. The people would have looked up to him and we would have had hope." A beat. "You were his second in command and that should assert some type of authority and right for succession."
"I'm not sure I follow you," Cora almost had to take a step back to digest the sheer thought of where the conversation was taking them. "If you are suggesting-"
"I'm not suggesting anything," Addison coldly shot back. "I want you to tell Ryder that you are better trained for what we are dealing with. Make her step down."
Before Cora could respond, Foster was quickly out of the door leaving her alone in the room with her thoughts.
Luckily, Cora managed to avoid any contact with Celeste prior to boarding the Tempest. She didn't think it was prudent enough to instantly go to her with Director Addison's request or demand was more like it. She needed to time to think hard on it and hope to find some type of direction in her manuals she brought from her time as a huntress. Her mentor, Sarissa, always had an answer for everything. The planet nursery on the ship was a great place for her to take residence in. There she could keep herself busy by tending to the seed pods, but still be reclusive enough to not to be disturbed. After all, besides maybe their science officer, Suvi, she didn't think anyone else would be interested in plants.
Checking the precipitation count and growth, Cora felt herself becoming less tense since leaving the station. Sure the idea of provoking her "right" to succession did cross her mind. Almost immediately when it was announced that Celeste would take over. Not like she had a say in the matter right away. The transfer of Sam was so instantaneous after Alec's life signs depleted that her point would become mute. Plus, she felt guilty even wanting to question it when she saw the pain that Celeste was going through after learning the loss of her father. Her father passed away while she was in critical status. She didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. She didn't even know that he traded his life for hers. Cora never had that type of fatherly love. Despite knowing that Alec's work made him isolated from his children, it was at that moment that he showed how much he loved them. Cora never had that. She left her father when she was young. The Alliance picked her up quickly because of her biotic abilities. The communication from both her parents became less and less and with time she chose to accept it.
A chime came through her omni tool. The sender was Foster Addison. One thing going for her was staying on top of "crucial" business. The matter with Ryder seemed to be on that hot list. "Cora Harper here."
"Did you talk to her?" The director came out of the gate running.
"Not yet. She will be doing her rounds when she comes on board." Cora internally took a breath as her brown eyes gazed over her plants. She knew what she had to do. She had to do what Alec expected of her. "I'm not going to debate her right as our Pathfinder."
"I beg your pardon?" Addison's voice hissed.
"We all trusted Alec. Even you said that. He must have had a reason. If he believes in his daughter to get the job done then I will be by her side." A weight lifted off Harper's chest as she finished the sentence. A smile spread across her lips. Though she knew Foster couldn't see.
"And if she fails then the blame would also come to you. Not me." The answer was defensive. The connection was severed. Probably on Addison's end. Cora knew that most likely she would probably come around. She just needed to give Celeste a chance and Cora was going to make sure that Celeste had that. Sarissa would have probably told her the same thing.
"Nice place you've found," Celeste's voice caught made her jump a bit. Embarrassed that she may have heard the conversation, Cora avoided eye contact right away and examined the plant leaf in front of her.
"Clean air. Plants. Helps me think."