"The kett facility— yes, see here! If we send in another squad—"

"We cannot risk it, Jaal. I will not sacrifice any more of my troops for one person— no matter how dear she is."

"Evfra, this is the Moshae we are talking about! Not only is she dear to our people, she is a symbol of what was!"

Evfra's cold eyes narrowed at his words, his patience running thin. "Do you think I am not aware? The Moshae is one of the very few I hold close to my heart, Jaal. But this is war. Sacrifices will have to be made, whether we like it or not."

Jaal stubbornly held his ground. The leader of the Resistance was infamous for his intolerance for emotional outbursts— among other things— but that didn't stop him from trying. "Evf—"

Suddenly, Evfra's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he snarled gutturally, his gaze in the sky over his shoulder. Jaal frowned in confusion and followed his gaze, the argument falling from his mind as he saw an alien ship being escorted onto Aya.

"How can this be? Aya is hidden!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Even the Archon himself had not been able to find Aya!

"Go," Evfra growled. "If they appear to be hostile, do not hesitate."

Jaal nodded his acknowledgement and raced towards the docks, his mind in chaos.

When he arrived, Paraan Shie was already engaging the alien. "…crossed darkspace. I've heard of your journey." He picked up his pace, almost ramming into her. How much had she revealed to this alien? He disregarded Paraan, his eyes locking onto the newcomer. "Jaal!" she called after him. "I have this in hand."

He waved her off. "Evfra saw the ship come in and sent me to find out what's going on." Despite the tension in the air, he knew that when all was said and done, he'd regret the rudeness he'd displayed to Paraan. He'd never meant to undermine her authority as governor, but these were frightful times.

"She's a human from another galaxy. A Pathfinder," she supplied.

He marched up to the human— so close he could feel her breath— and took in her unfamiliar features. He'd seen humans before, though only through the scope of his rifle while scouting, and he knew every one of them looked differently. This alien was short, barely reaching the peak of his chest, and seemed frail with such a small body frame and face. But her eyes were quite striking— a gleaming violet with black markings sprinkled around them, and a rather appealing scar running down her right eye. As beautiful as they were, its radiance was obscured by the threads of red in the whites of her eyes and dark shadows lying underneath.

"Aya is hidden, protected." He gave her time to process his meaning: this is our planet, and we aren't afraid to open fire. "What do you want?"

The alien met his gaze. "We didn't know what we'd find here, to be honest. But I'm open to sharing what we know, if you are."

Jaal took a half a step back to gauge the truth in her words. Human eyes were similar enough to the angara's that he could see the intimidation and vulnerability in hers. She seemed to understand that she was entirely at the mercy of the angara. Good.

"Honest?" he hummed. "Honesty would be a good start." He turned away from her and climbed up the steps, throwing over his shoulder, "I'll inform Evfra. He'll be waiting for you in his office at the Resistance headquarters. I'll meet you there."

Paraan threw him a look of displeasure before addressing the human. "I will accompany you through our city. Your crew will stay on your ship. Follow me."

In the small amount of time he'd spent conversing with her, he'd found that she was level-headed, almost to a cold degree. Yet he had believed that the empathy she'd shown upon learning of the angaran struggles was sincere. She was also a woman of her word. When he'd disclosed the details of the angaran suffering, she'd given freely some of the experiences they'd encountered since arriving to Heleus. He'd learned that the kett had also waged war against her people, and he knew it was beyond foolish— not to mention entirely reckless— but he found himself swayed by her words, in a way he could not comprehend.

Evfra would have disapproved of his naivety and berated him for his lack of vigilance. Then again, Evfra disapproved of and yelled at many things.

Speaking of Evfra…

"Kadara be damned, I won't lose Voeld!" Ah, so his fearless leader had decided to recall the remaining Resistance members in Kadara to gather on Voeld. It had been the most logical move.

He approached Evfra, noticing the human had tactfully fallen a few steps behind. He smiled inwardly; apparently, she was smart, too. Jaal knew he could be too social and idealistic, and as comfortable as the human had gotten in his presence, she seemed to keep in mind that she was still only alive because Evfra had not yet given the kill order. It would not serve her purpose well to stand by Jaal, assuming herself an equal.

"Evfra, this is one of the aliens from the… Meellkee Way." He hoped he had said it correctly. Such strange names. "A Pathfinder."

Evfra turned from the screen to the alien. "Pathfinder," he sneered. "It's an aggressive move, coming to Aya."

"It wasn't meant that way," she explained. "I have an ark full of desperate people counting on me to find them a home before they starve."

Jaal blinked. She had not told him this. Though, with the name of "Pathfinder", he should have guessed.

Much to Jaal's surprise, Evfra's cold and calculating eyes had softened at her words. Not by much, but it was enough that he would have to remember to give him a generous hug after they dealt with this Pathfinder. After all, their people were also counting on Evfra for their survival.

"Of course. I… feel for you and your people." And stars, Jaal believed him. Despite his rather minor emotional slip, Evfra's next words did not contain any warmth, nor his usual level of prickliness. It was merely… suspicious curiosity. "So, Pathfinder. Never mind how you even found us— why are you here?"

The Pathfinder seemed to embrace Evfra's no-nonsense attitude, as she wasted no time in stating her purpose. Jaal couldn't think of the last time someone took to Evfra's natural hostility. "On a hostile planet we call Eos, I explored an ancient structure— a 'vault'— and brought it back online. It stabilized that planet's environment."

I see. So it was her. Jaal stepped forward. "Remnant. Recent intelligence supports that claim." He caught Evfra scrutinizing his defense for her statement. He merely shrugged; it had only been the truth.

Oblivious, the Pathfinder continued, "If I'm right, there's a vault on Aya that's different. I need to look inside."

Jaal saw Evfra's eyes harden before he turned away for the window, shaking his head. "You're right," he confirmed, albeit grudgingly. "There's a 'vault' out there, but it was shut years ago and the entrance hidden. We… can't help you."

Jaal felt his heart leap in vindication of their earlier discourse. "The Moshae could." To the Pathfinder, he added: "She is our most revered scientist and elder. She knows this vault."

"But now the kett have her, and our rescue attempts failed." He strode over to Jaal, glowering. "She's lost to us. And you," he spat out at the human, the threat for Jaal to stand down hanging in the air.

"There must be another way," the Pathfinder insisted. "How can I convince you? Can I offer help?"

As ecstatic as Jaal was to have someone willing to help rescue the Moshae, he winced inwardly at the human's offer. Evfra was a masterful tactician and a prodigal leader, but most of all, he was prideful of the angara.

"Arrogant! I don't know you, let alone trust you. Why would I want your help?" he snarled.

The hostility in his voice caused the human to deflate. "… Of course. I only meant—"

Evfra cut her off. "I know what you meant, human, and yet I still take offense. The angara will handle their own."

Jaal took this chance to reach out. "Evfra, I feel… Evfra, what this human says is extraordinary." Evfra's scowl deepened. "The Moshae would want us to be brave and not let this chance pass."

He held Evfra's gaze, seeing the doubt and resignation in his eyes. "Jaal, you talk too much."

"Let me assess this alien. I'll be your eyes. I know you can spare me," he all but begged.

Evfra had had enough and stalked off. "Go if you want. But when she tries to kill you, be prepared to strike first."

This was really happening. He was leaving Aya, leaving the safety of the Resistance, to fly amongst the stars with aliens he didn't trust just yet. He bit his lip. Had he already made a mistake?

"Regretting your rash decision already?"

Jaal spun around and was met with Evfra's detached gaze, his arms folded over his chest.

"Are you worried for me, Evfra?" he teased.

Evfra wasn't fazed. "You're deflecting."

He sighed, gathering his thoughts. "I feel… I must do this. I don't understand myself right now. I feel… lost," he admitted.

Evfra considered his words. If Jaal— of all people— was questioning his place, then he would allow him his time. "Then go. And when you return, there will always be a place for you beside the leader of the Resistance."

At his generosity, Jaal beamed and crashed into him, crushing Evfra's bones. Evfra— ever so predictable when it came to emotional touch— stiffened and held his breath. Jaal chuckled and released him, patting his shoulder.

"You have a big heart, brother." Evfra scoffed, rolling his eyes. Jaal smiled. "When the Pathfinder brought up the 'vault', you gave her information of the vault on Aya freely. You told her that we could not help her." He searched Evfra's eyes for comprehension. But, ever the soldier, his thoughts did not shine through. "You knew I would mention the Moshae."

Evfra seemed to hold himself tighter. "You give me credit where there is none due. I send my angaran brothers and sisters to their deaths every second— every hour— of the day. I have no time and no room in my heart for kindness." And he turned on his toes and walked off, calling over his shoulder, "Quickly go find yourself, brother, but be wary of the aliens. Especially that Pathfinder."

Jaal's heart was warmed to the core by Evfra's uncharacteristic display. He may have denied it, but Jaal knew better. Somewhere in the frozen crevices of Evfra's being, there was a sweltering heart and it was burning with untapped emotion. He wondered if Evfra even knew it himself.

Only time will tell, he mused.