Unlike Keema, Sara didn't find the cargo theft humorous. Reyes quickly outlined the nature of the job, and was pleasantly surprised when she readily agreed to help.

"But we split the profits 50/50."

There it was. Vetra must have given her lessons. "60/40, and that's my final offer."

"Deal." Sara gave him a radiant smile, and he had to remind himself that even with their newly-formed friendship, he still had to take this slowly. "So where do we start?"

"When she's in town, Zia drinks at Kralla's Song. I thought we'd see if we could get any information there." Reyes paused. "You probably want to leave your guns."

"I should let the crew know we'll be docked for a while, too. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes."

Sara breezed into Kralla's Song twenty minutes later, having been briefly caught up in a spat between Kallo and Gil.

She felt...different. Lighter, somehow, even knowing she was hunting down stolen goods. She couldn't deny that she was pleased to see Reyes, and she was sure he'd been equally happy to see her. She made a mental note to thank Vetra later.

For the moment, she'd spotted Reyes across the room, his broad shoulders and black hair notable even in the gloom of the seedy bar. Sara waited until she was directly behind him to speak. "You look like you're waiting for someone."

His face lit up as he turned to her. "That's my line. I was beginning to think you'd stood me up."

Sara feigned shock. "I wouldn't dream of it, Reyes."

Umi had heard enough. "Are you two here for drinks or a room?"

Sara, caught off-guard, had a quick flash of what might happen in said room. She blushed furiously, but was spared the necessity of answering by Reyes.

"Information, actually."

"That'll cost you more than a round of drinks." Umi favored them with a slightly less angry version of her usual scowl. Neither she nor Reyes seemed to notice Sara's embarrassment.

"I think my friend here is good for it," Reyes said lightly.

"I said I'd buy you a drink, Reyes, not intel," Sara growled. "You'll owe me for this." She tapped a few keys on her omnitool, then leaned on the bar.

"Trust me, Sara, you are one person I will happily owe something." He smiled down at her, his voice a promise, and the bartender groaned. "Umi, has Zia Cordier been in recently?"

"You mean your ex? She was here just a few hours ago."

Sara sat bolt upright. "Ex? As in ex-girlfriend?"

"'Girlfriend' is kind of a strong word. We had drinks occasionally." Reyes cleared his throat and glowered at Umi. "So, did Zia meet with anyone, or mention any business?"

"She met with a salarian. Shifty looking guy, I'd never seen him before." Umi's voice became even drier than usual. "Maybe he was the Charlatan."

Sara thought she saw a shadow of something flicker across Reyes' face as he chuckled, but it was gone before she could figure out what it was. "Anything's possible, of course."

Umi rolled her eyes. "They mentioned a meet at Spirits Ledge, and left pretty quickly after that."

"Thanks, Umi."

"Whatever," Umi acknowledged him. "You didn't hear it from me." The bartender stalked off, probably to glare at some unsuspecting drunk.

"Can you take a trip up to Spirits Ledge while I work my contacts on the Collective angle? The more ground we can cover, the better."

"First, you need to level with me." Sara crossed her arms. "Is this about the cargo, or are you trying to one-up your ex?"

His face gave away nothing. "Why, Sara, are you jealous?"

"Just answer the damn question." She could be stubborn when she felt like it.

Reyes laughed and nudged her playfully. "It's about the cargo."

Sara hadn't flinched away from his touch this time. And although she may not have admitted anything, Reyes felt a certain hope that she was attracted to him, too. She wouldn't be worried about Zia if she wasn't.

Even with the stolen cargo, it was turning out to be a pretty good day.

Reyes weaved through the back alleys of Kadara Port as he tracked the movements of Zia's business associate. The salarian made stops at several weapons dealers, a "medical" dispensary, and finally landed in a small apartment. He waited nearly an hour before the fence left again, circling around to the rear of the building to avoid being seen.

When he judged the coast to be clear, Reyes bypassed the security lock in a matter of seconds and quietly stepped inside. The single room was a jumble of illegal weapons, Oblivion paraphernalia, and datapads. And if the security on the door was easy to hack, the datapads were a joke. He browsed through the communications and inventories, noticing there was no pattern to the deals and no real connection to either the Collective or the Outcasts.

He did, however, find a Carnifex MkV. Recalling that he rarely saw Sara without her well-used MkIII, he concealed it under his flight suit and quietly headed back to Tartarus.

Before he could make it to the slums, Sara's voice cut across his comm.

"Reyes, I found something. Looks like a dead drop, the only thing here is a datapad with a navpoint. Find anything on your end?"

"Zia's salarian friend was a fence. He was probably just trying to find a buyer for...whatever it is Zia stole. Send me the coordinates, I'll meet you there."

Sara was waiting for him when he arrived, almost lounging by the hastily-built shelter. Vetra and Drack flanked her, the three of them still in a way he'd learned only really dangerous fighters could be.

She spotted him and her lips curved into an appealing smile. "Thought I'd wait to go in until you got here. Your client paid for secrecy, after all."

Reyes nodded. "I appreciate that."

He overrode the door's security without any fanfare, and they stepped through. Reyes kept a hand on his sidearm as his eyes adjusted to the dark, but the room was almost completely empty.

"Shit," he swore, kicking at an overturned crate. "We got here too late."

Sara's eyes, however, tracked to the second level. "We're not too late. This was a setup."

"You don't mean...there was never any cargo." Reyes gritted his teeth. "Fuck."

"You really are going soft, darling," purred a familiar voice. He turned to see Zia step out of the shadows on the balcony above. "But your little toy there figured it out. Too bad, Vidal. You could never resist a pile of credits."

"What can I say, Zia?" Reyes shrugged. "I'm a greedy man. But you leave her alone."

Zia laughed, but the sound was devoid of any sort of humor. "You must really like this one."

Sara, meanwhile, looked dangerously relaxed. "Reyes is a better man than you think."

"Oh, honey, you have no idea how wrong you are. I'm almost sorry for you. Reyes here is too selfish. That's why he only has contacts, not friends."

"Cut the bullshit, Zia," Reyes snapped. "What do you want?"

She trained her shotgun on him, smiling too sweetly. "You've been taking the best jobs in Kadara. It's gotten more than my attention."

"So, what, the local smuggler's union decided to band together and take me out?"

"Something like that. Move in!"

Before Zia could finish speaking, Sara unleashed a wave of energy that staggered her and left her immobile for several seconds. Vetra and Drack, who appeared to have been waiting for her cue, both pulled weapons and took cover, leaving Reyes still slightly surprised and scrambling to keep up.

He didn't waste any time in drawing his own weapon and shooting Zia in the chest. From there, he kept an eye out for stragglers as Sara charged through the hideout, lacing tech and firepower together in a deadly but beautiful dance.

While they were outnumbered, Zia's crew clearly hadn't reckoned on Sara. One lone mercenary escaped, and she watched him go with evident satisfaction.

"They're out for your blood, Reyes," she said softly. It was a sharp contrast to the vicious fight she'd just finished. "You should be careful."

"Don't worry about me, Sara. I know they're coming now. They won't get the drop on me again."

Vetra spoke up. "Pathfinder, we need to leave now if we're going to follow that lead on the Archon's ship."

Sara's brow creased in frustration. "Damnit. I'm sorry, we can't stay."

Reyes nodded. "Before you go, I found something I think you'll like." He pulled the Carnifex from inside his jacket and offered it to Sara. "As a thanks for your help."

Drack grunted. Vetra hummed. Sara, however, accepted it reverently. "It's stolen, isn't it?"

"At least twice." He was surprised when Sara flung her arms around him in a brief hug.

"Thank you. I love it."

"Easy, Sara. Between that and the way you stood up for me, I might start to think you like me."

She stepped back, her dark eyes a challenge. "Would that be so bad?"

For once, Reyes Vidal had no words.

"I think he really likes you."

Vetra, Drack, and Sara were back on the Tempest, each attending to armor repairs and weapon cleaning in the armory.

Drack grunted in agreement. "Nobody just steals a gun like that."

Sara focused on installing her favorite scope. When she spoke, it was in a carefully measured tone. "You two are nearly as bad as Peebee."

Vetra and Drack exchanged a look, and Drack grunted again before leaving.

"Pathfinder, maybe it's not my place to say this, but it really does seem like Vidal cares a lot about you." The concern in Vetra's voice was evident, and Sara set her new weapon down gently.

"We've been writing to each other," Sara admitted. "I guess I really enjoyed talking to someone who trusted me. Someone who wasn't a member of my crew."

Vetra nodded. "I can understand that. You need someone to just be your friend."

Sara gazed thoughtfully at the weapons bench. "Maybe I need more than that."

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me. Just make sure he knows to treat you well, although if you ask me it looks like he's off to a pretty good start."