"Ahhh. This hits the spot."
She had to admit the weightlessness in the escape pod did have a way of relaxing the soul and de-stressing the body. Peebee seemed to enjoy it well enough.
"Ryder?"
"Yeah?"
"You know, there's something else that would relax me."
"What's that?"
"That's the spirit! Wanna fool around?" Sara would almost swear the asari was blushing. "It doesn't matter if you have something else going on. I can be discrete. Just two people blowing off steam. No strings attached. Only if there are no strings attached."
Ryder tried to taper down on her first impulse, and the memory of smooth skin against her own and the feeling of being more grounded than she had in a long time, longer than she'd like to admit. She could still feel his arms around her and the pull of his kiss. She fought the wince that wanted to make itself quite known when she recalled shutting him down. His disappointment more cutting than she expected. She sighed, "Normally I would say yes but... I'm sorry, it's just not the best time right now. I have to concentrate on the mission."
To her surprise Peebee laughed lightly. "And our resident crisis expert would have nothing to do with it?"
Sara mustered the best glare she had. "Not a damn thing."
"That reaction is very telling. Just in case you're actually trying to keep it all hush hush."
"It was a one time thing, nothing there to keep under wraps," Sara said, angling her limbs just so, and pushing towards the exit. "SAM kill the anti gravity for a sec." The two floated gently to the deck. "I need this unit to work well together. Having fun with everyone could cause conflicts. Conflicts are the last thing I need. Gil and Kallo are more than enough of a personnel issue for now. Anyways, we're vault hunting when we get to Kadara and you're coming with so be ready."
Peebee glanced up at Ryder from her seat on the floor, "And who might be our other ground team member?"
Ryder glared further at the picture of innocence and inquiry on the deck. "You and Kosta."
Peebee shook her head, "You know, you're awful attached to him. Is there a mission you haven't taken him with you?"
"His skill set compliments my own, just like yours do, it's purely professional."
"Whatever you say Ryder. See you soon."
The cargo bay bustled with activity as Ryder suited up, checking various seals before grabbing her weapons. "Sure you don't want me along for the ride?" Vetra mumbled, handing over her piranha.
Ryder smirked, "I'll be fine sweetcheeks. But I appreciate the thought."
"The last time you said that and left me behind you came back leaking profusely from gunshot wounds and stop calling me that. It's ... weird."
Sara chuckled, "Has it ever occurred to you that's why I do it?"
Vetra sighed heavily, "All jokes aside, I'm worried. You've been off your game for a few days now. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Sara shoved in the heat sink on her shotgun with a tad more pressure than was needed. "I'm fine." Her gaze fell forward doing her best impression of someone who was not rapidly loosing their shit.
Peebee and Liam strode into the bay suited up and ready to go.
"Pathfinder, Vetra's concerns are not without merit. You have been showing signs of elevated stress for 3 days. It is no coincidence that Mr. Kosta ..."
"SAM, I kinda need you in my corner here. I can't deal with that right now."
"As you wish Pathfinder, however if you show any further issues I will be obligated to alert Dr. T'perro for your own well being."
Sara suddenly had the great regret she couldn't hang up on the AI in her head she hadn't asked for. Vetra looked dead set on having this out so in true Pathfinder form Sara turned away before her friend could say anything more. "Kosta, Peebee, lets go."
3 days ago ...
Sara knew cold. She'd lived in it her entire life. However as she, Drack, and Liam huddled inside the bubble of warmth that the vault on Voeld provided Sara had to admit she'd never felt cold like this. Her fingers were stiff in her gloves and her coordination was way off, belatedly she felt a pang of empathy for her companions, at least she had been prepared. Kosta was obviously suffering from the chill and Drack looked far less lively than he normally did. Stubborn old krogan should have told her the cold would affect him.
"How are we doing old man?" She asked.
"I'm fine Ryder. Worry about yourself." Drack grumbled.
"Kosta, how about you?"
"Couldn't be ready for more Pathfinder." Liam stated, almost keeping his teeth from chattering. His eyes remains glued to his omnitool. She missed the warmth his gaze had brought to her before.
Pathfinder. That's what she had become since she had been forced to make the responsible decision that was required of her role. She would give anything to tell Liam just how much that night had meant to her. She wanted to reach out again, to feel him against her once more, but that was not for her. She fought against the surge of anger inside her, even from the grave her father was doing a wonderful job of ruining any chance of happiness she had. She never wanted to be Pathfinder, would have happily handed the responsibility off to Cora or anyone else that happened to sign up for this shit show. She knew she couldn't. She was more than herself now and there was a whole Nexus full of people that saw her as their only hope. Her life was no longer her own. Taking a deep breath Sara forced her issues to the side, now was not the time. She needed to reset this vault so she could keep her promise to Lexi and get Drack out of here, before his last organs turned into ice. "Alright, let's get this over with," she strode out of the bubble and stepped up to the remnant console.
"Escape route uploaded, we should be alright as long as the jump jets hold against the cold." Kosta parroted.
Sara brought her hand over the remnant tech and tried not to shiver in discomfort as the AI surged through her, her nerves and her body were swamped with SAM's presence. Once again she pushed back against her own issues, this was not the time. They needed to leave.
The pillar of pulsing light shifted, growing red and ominous. The others were already at least five paces ahead and running towards the exit they would need her to reach. For one moment, just a second she entertained what it would be like to let the black smoke gathering around her just ... just to let it take her. She never wanted this. She never wanted to have so many rely on her, she never wanted to be their beacon. She just... she was so tired. Cora would do fine and the crew would go on. Everything would be better off if she had never been named Pathfinder.
"Sara! What the fuck are you doing? We need to go!"
Liam. It was Liam. He would not survive if she was not there. Without her unwanted gifts he would die in this vault too. Her feet found motivation and her hand found another console. A short stop to grab the remnant tech Peebee would no doubt be drooling over later and back to the entrance.
She raised her hand one last time over the console watching the black blocks undulate and the deadly smoke retreated from their position. Her friends were safe. Her sigh held relief but more obligation than the former. "Anybody else looking forward to getting the hell off this ice cube?"
To her surprise Liam practically ripped his helmet off. "What the hell was that Ryder?!"
She breathed deeply before meeting his eyes with as much calm as she could project, "I got distracted. Sorry."
"Distracted? People watching vids get distracted. Suvi gets distracted by random data pads. That is not a fucking moment to get distracted. Does the Initiative matter to you at all?!" He was yelling. Sara cringed, she had never dealt with yelling well.
"The Initiative is the only thing that matters to me," she responded. The silence that followed that statement was telling.
Drack was wondering towards the door, attempting to give the two the space they needed.
Liam's sigh was heavy. "Ryder... Sara, please can we... I'm so sorry. Tell me how I can make this right again?" His jaw tensed, yanking on the hair she longed to feel between her finger tips. "If I had known how much that night would change things. Just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix this."
Her smile was soft. "There's nothing to forgive or change. Everything's fine."
"I'll radio the Tempest to pick us up here," Drack mumbled walking out into the snow toward the Nomad.
Sara stared resolutely at her boots, doing the only thing she could think of to avoid the awkwardness that would meet her if she looked up. She heard steps, lighter than the krogan leaving the vault entrance and rather familiar looking boots entered her field of vision. "Ryder, we have a job to do. That's bigger than both of us. Do you need me to leave? It's the last thing I want, but this isn't about me. I'll go, just tell me and I will."
She subtly took a deep breathe, inhaling all his scent she could. Her chuckle was depreciating. "Don't leave Kosta. You are needed." She moved towards the entrance the Tempest now swirling snow around the area and away from the man she desperately wanted. Liam watched her go and the crushing sensation in his chest became more intense. "The Initiative wouldn't be the same without you."
I couldn't do what I have to do without you by my side. Whether you know it or not.
"Pathfinder, you are showing high levels of emotional distress and your vital signs are showing significant stress. Should I alert Dr T'Perro?"
She brought a hand to the bridge of her nose attempting to stave off the unpleasant headache starting to bounce around in her skull. "No SAM. If I need attention from the doctor I will ask for it."
The hand on her cheek rearranged her priorities. A pleased sigh fell from her lips and she involuntary leaned into his hand. There was no stopping herself from looking into Liam's very concerned face. "Sara," he pleaded. "What's wrong?"
She plastered the biggest smile on her face she could. "Nothing. I'm fine."
"Here for pickup," Kallo chirped over the comms.
With a bodily effort she pulled away from the only thing in the Andromeda Galaxy that made Sara Ryder feel all right. "We have colonies to be making. Move out."
There was no looking back.
She stepped into the already rising temperatures, "We gathered quite a bit of minerals. Open up the cargo bay and make some room." Her omnitool flared to life as the docking bay descended. "Suvi we need an inventory run on how much Eezo we gathered. I want a report within an hour."
"Understood Pathfinder."
A quick glance assured all was as expected, Drack and Gil were moving containers into the cargo bay, Vetra was already inventorying all that they had salvaged. They were a breath of fresh air. Each for their own reasons of course. Jaal was most likely making their resident science officer giggle with all her girlish enthusiasm and Peebee was probably gleefully unpacking her new tech. Each time she came back to this ship and these people, she was reminded of why she carried on, even if she hated rose gardens.
Sara rolled her shoulders. Whether or not she wanted this role, for them she would soldier on. They had risked everything to get here and she couldn't let them down.
"Pathfinder! Mr. Kosta's life signs are failing!"
"Jaal, Vetra, with me! We have a problem." She barreled back toward the vault.
Assault rifle fire bounced off of the metal that no one could identify and the remnant assembler was standing above Liam's unconscious form dodging Jaal's best attempts to destroy it.
Sara had always felt more. Her emotions running higher than most. Scott was always her opposite, calm where she ran hot. Scott was everything a Pathfinder should be rather than herself which was everything a Pathfinder shouldn't be. Rage was the only thing she felt. Pure unadulterated rage. She barely registered the manic smile as her omnitool sunk into the assemblers glowing red light.
"Liam! Lexi I need you!"