A human approached her - a good-looking one. Vicci had assumed that Shena was Angaran, but what if -

"You look like you're waiting for someone."

Oh shit, Vicci thought as something in her twinged. This, she did not expect. She took the offered drink just to slow her heartbeat, but the more he talked, the less effective it became. Did he have to be so sexy?

The good news was, he had information, which he quickly laid out for her. The bad news was the information itself: that Evfra wanted Vehn Terev in the hands of the Resistance, but Sloane Kelly wanted to execute him. And Sloane had the upper hand. Who did the Initiative need more? Hopefully Evfra, because Sloane sounded like an asshole.

Reyes had a smooth, easy way about him that told her she should run as far as she could, as fast as she could, but she was stuck in this. And he stood so damned close to her.

She was in trouble.

When he said "We're gonna be friends, you and I," she felt a shiver run through her. Friends, indeed.

"You work on Sloane," he instructed, finally breaking the shoulder-to-shoulder contact. "I'll talk to the Resistance." And he began to walk away.

"How do I contact you if things go south?" Vicci called after him.

He turned and - unbelievably - winked at her.

Dammit, she thought, heading for the exit.

"Hey!" The bartender startled her out of her thoughts. "You gotta pay."

She growled, realizing "Shena" had left her with the bar tab - certainly not on accident. She transmitted the credits and told the bartender to keep the change. Vicci had bigger problems.

She was going to fall for Reyes.

Vicci shared what she'd learned with Liam and Vetra. "So I guess our next step is to try to get an audience with Sloane Kelly."

"Can't be that hard. Best case, she wants to talk to you as bad as you want to talk to her. Worst case, she wants to kill you herself. Either way I'm sure you'll be seeing her soon."

She shook her head. "Liam, I love your positivity."

Liam hadn't been wrong, though. It wasn't hard to get in to see Sloane. It was, however, largely useless. And whose fault is that?

It was true, she had played it poorly. Sloane on her throne. Vicci should have played up to her self-importance, showed her the deference she obviously expected. I can't be a shitty Pathfinder. I'm the only one we've got. For the millionth time, she wondered what her father was thinking.

"Have a nice chat?"

Vicci, torn from her thoughts, looked up to find Reyes eying her curiously.

Damn, but she wanted him. "I don't think she likes me much."

When he laughed, it didn't feel like I was laughing at her. "Don't worry, I found a workaround."

Relief flooded her, but she refused to show it. "Let me guess - it comes with strings attached." She suspected most things with Reyes did.

"Not any new ones." Sneak into the holding, break Terev out, the Resistance takes him from there. More complicated than she liked, although not unexpected.

"His intel better be worth it," she grumbled.

"That's for you to judge," he said, and gave her access codes to a nearby maintenance shaft. "That'll get you inside. You should be able to handle the rest."

This man is a valuable asset to the Initiative, she tried to tell herself, but he also had those incredible green eyes and Maker, she was only a woman. "There's still the matter of the bill you left me with."

"I'm usually a model gentleman," he assured her, and

She laughed. "I don't believe you."

"That's because I'm lying." She couldn't figure him out and she wished she didn't so desperately want to. "When you're done, come to Tartarus. First round's on me. I promise," he added in a voice that said don't believe me and that damnable smirk that was just begging to be kissed.

Dammit, she thought again.

At least the plan worked, and traitor or not, Terev's intel was worth it. She took Liam and Vetra with her to Tartarus - they deserved to celebrate as much as she did.

"This place is...wow," Vetra said, looking around.

"Don't get me wrong," Liam agreed, "I've been in some shit bars, but this is a really shit bar."

"Now we know why Kadara's upper crust frequents Kralla's Song," she smirked, climbing the stairs. "I hate to sound cheap, but can we go easy on the drinks? Pathfinder isn't the most lucrative gig, believe it or not."

"I thought Reyes was buying the first round?"

"I've thought that before, too, Liam," she sighed. "It's a trap."

Vetra made a noise. Vicci looked at her. She shrugged.

The important thing, though, was keeping her shit together. She didn't come here to flirt. She was the Pathfinder. This was business.

To Vicci's surprise, the drinks were already on the table when she got to Reyes' private room. He responded to her look of impress with another of his damn winks.

She sat a safe distance away from him and tried to keep the conversation more towards Kadara. Intel. Useful intel. That was the job.

He seemed to do the same, asking her about the Initiative and, to her dismay, her role as Pathfinder. She pretended she didn't mind talking about it.

Reyes kept things very casual. Had she misinterpreted him before? Good, she tried to tell herself. This relationship should be purely professional. Disappointment swirled inside her, along with embarrassment. He was doing a better job than she was.

Never one to leave well enough alone, Vicci steered the conversation sideways. "What about your nickname, 'Shena'?"

He looked just embarrassed enough that she felt bad. "It's the Angaran word for...mouth." He cleared his throat. "I'm good with words."

"Among other things?" Behave yourself, she scolded.

He fixed her with those gorgeous eyes. "I never had a complaint." He had her gaze and he refused to release it.

Heat flooded her. She had to get out of here, while she still could.

She stood. "I better get going." She saw Liam and Vetra exchange a look before they joined her.

"Ryder." Her name on his lips gave her chills.

"Yeah?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but...you're not really liked here. In Kadara Port."

It was Vicci's turn to be embarrassed. "Ouch."

"What I'm saying is - you need a friend. Somebody on the inside, to help you out. I can be that guy. You need intel on Sloane, the Exiles, whatever -" he gave her a heavy look "- come to me."

She couldn't process this on the fly, and she knew she couldn't blame the booze. All she knew to do was leave. "Thanks...I think."

That night, she couldn't sleep. She just kept thinking about how weird the whole night was, replaying their every interaction in her head. She felt like a child picking petals off a daisy. He loves me, he loves me not.

"SAM?"

It took a moment for SAM to respond. "Pathfinder. You want to ask me about your interactions with Reyes Vidal."

Did SAM have a tone?

"I would ask that you do not. Your...love life is not within my purview. Also, as I understand human emotion, if I gave you any insight, that would be cheating."

Vicci chuckled. SAM had her there.

There were two things she knew for sure. One: she would see Reyes again.

And two: she couldn't wait.