Scott returned to the Tempest to put on his armor. Peebee and Liam fell in line behind him, exchanging looks that made their pathfinder sigh with exaggeration. The spot on his thigh where Reyes' hand had been seemed to burn through him. He could feel the callused hand like a palpable thing as if it was still there. It bothered him that Reyes affected him so much. He didn't know a damn thing about the man, and yet even several of his crew were already behaving like the man had proposed or something. Truth was Scott didn't really believe the smuggler wanted him—maybe as a conquest, to be able to say he'd landed the human pathfinder—but Reyes didn't know him either. It was obvious the attraction was entirely physical and Scott wasn't interested in something like that. After having a love that encompassed his entire being, after years of sharing every intimacy with another person, after the excitement and passion of seeing one another on shore leave and any other event or occasion that warranted them time together, Scott could not imagine ever wanting anything less in his future. Anything less than that seemed trivial and small. They had planned to marry before everything went to hell. If Scott was going to even entertain the thought of letting someone into the intimacies of his life, a life together had to be in the cards. Perhaps that made him a fool, or a hopeless romantic. He knew others in his place—with death being a possibility every day—would throw caution to the wind and take a warm body to bed every chance they had. The biblical eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die mentality.

Scott couldn't live like that. He never could before and he couldn't now. He had to believe he was making a difference, giving people hope—that the work he was doing here was for people like him who wanted to find someone special and start their families. He needed to make that possible because he wanted it, too. But he had no idea, even if he survived all this, if that would ever happen for him. He may never be allowed to leave his position as pathfinder. SAM was a part of him to such a degree that it was not simply a matter of transferring the AI to the next candidate in line. Pathfinder could very well be a life sentence for him.

Peebee bounced up to him as he buckled this chest plate in place. "So?"

"So, what?"

"How's the boyfriend?"

"Don't know what you're talking about. In fact," he spoke up loud enough that everyone in the hold looked to him. "Let's just clear this up right now. Nothing will ever happen with Reyes or anyone for that matter. So whatever you think you need to say about it keep it to yourselves and let me focus on my damn job."

He hadn't meant to get angry. He knew the teasing was in good fun, that on some level his crew cared about him and wanted him to be happy. He just didn't want to deal with it right then—not after the events of the night before.

Peebee giggled, completely unaffected by his mood. Scott pointed a finger in her smiling face. "You're sitting this one out," he said.

That got her attention. "Aw, Ryder, come on!"

Liam laughed.

Scott pointed at him. "You, too."

"What did I do?"

"Vetra, Cora, you're with me," Scott yelled over Peebee's protests. "Let's get this over with so we can get back on track."

Scott pulled out his Widow sniper rifle, busied himself with checking the scope while the two ladies hurried to get ready. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gil leaning against the wall watching him. Scott didn't need to look to know the man was frowning. He felt bad suddenly. Then he got angry all over again for feeling bad. He shouldn't have to feel bad, but he shouldn't have behaved like a child either. Scott closed his eyes. He shut out the voices and noises around him, breathing deeply. He thought of his father. What would he say right now—what would he think about his son losing his cool over something so ridiculous, so unimportant? Scott didn't question his father's decision to transfer SAM to him, cementing his role as the pathfinder. He didn't question it because there was nothing he could do about what was done while he'd been busy dying. His only choice was to do the very best he could, and when that wasn't good enough, to give even more. That's what his father knew about him. Whether that was why Alec chose him in those final moments Scott might never know.

Alec would be proud of you, Scott, SAM said over their private channel.

I guess you would know better than me, Scott thought.

He didn't say it, but there was a warmth, a sense of fatherly pride every time he thought of you and your sister.

Thanks, SAM.

Scott opened his eyes, looked around at his crew. Peebee and Liam were blaming each other for why they were being left behind. Vetra and Cora were armored up and loading rounds into their weapons. Drack, Jaal, and Gil were all watching him—Scott could only imagine what they thought of him. He took one last calming breath.

"My apologies," he said, quietly, but the strength of his tone carried the words over Peebee's and Liam's noise. "You all deserve more from me, and you will get it." He looked at Cora and Vetra. "Ready? Let's go then."

The trio headed down the ramp into the busy port. They had a murderer to stop. Nothing would give him more satisfaction than being the one to stop the despicable person or persons responsible.

From the walkway in front of his apartment above Tartarus, Reyes watched the pathfinder and his two crew mates load their gear into their nomad. He couldn't help but admire the armor plates that accentuated the powerful muscles in the young pathfinder's legs. He loved the leather padded armor plating that hugged the man's muscular waist and the black utility belt that hung slightly askew on such slender, delectable hips. The chest plate and bulky shoulder plates made the pathfinder look so much larger than he actually was—that, in addition to the powerful biotics the man possessed, cut quite a striking, intimidating figure. But no matter how good the pathfinder was, Reyes knew it was only a matter of time before someone bested him. He had no doubt in his mind such a feat would be achieved unfairly, but it would happen nonetheless. There was no shortage of ways for smugglers to get their hands on biotic dampeners. He'd even heard of some advancements being attempted to such devices that could be powerful enough to cripple anyone with biotics, temporarily or permanently Reyes didn't know.

Reyes had eyes and ears everywhere in the port, the slums, and even in the badlands. He heard an alarming number of conversations involving the pathfinder from the moment the Tempest landed on Kadara. Mostly Outcasts, but there was a fair number of smaller gangs, groups, organizations, or just angry exiles and criminals who hated the young man for no other reason than that he worked for the Nexus. It didn't matter that the work Ryder was doing was going to benefit them all. It didn't matter that Ryder cared what happened to those he came across. Someone was going to do something stupid eventually if any of those conversations were ever put into motion. Reyes would do whatever he could to keep that from happening.

Agents from his Collective had witnessed Roekaar leaving the crime scenes. There was never any question in Reyes' mind who was responsible for the murders. However, there wasn't any evidence visible to any technology on Kadara that could definitively pin the murders to the alien-hating group. Not that it really mattered. Reyes could have had the Roekaar exterminated already and been done with them. But when the reports kept rolling in of people planning to take out Scott and his team, Reyes saw an opportunity. Send the pathfinder to investigate the murders and do away with the culprits. Reyes would see to it that every man, woman, and child knew that it was Scott Ryder who had brought the murderers to justice. Reyes was going to chip away at the hatred for the Tempest crew and, by default, the Nexus one piece at a time. Reyes had no respect for Director Tann or even Addison, for that matter, but he wanted the gap bridged. He didn't come all the way to Andromeda to be a low life criminal, or to go to war with his own people. He could have just stayed in the Milky Way for that.

Doors slamming closed echoed loudly in the cavern-like space. The nomad's engine roared to life and Ryder and his companions soon disappeared around the corner of the mountain. Reyes had sent them to a ridge in the Sulfur Springs valley where some of the exiles had set themselves up. One of the victims had been a krogan who kept to himself despite his neighbors and was just trying to get by like everyone else. Reyes suspected the Roekaar chose him, not just because he lived alone, but for the challenge, the thrill of bringing down a mighty enemy. Reyes had already been to the sight, it wasn't pretty. The Roekaar had pried off the krogan's frontal plate—an excruciating and humiliating ordeal—before killing him. The place had been a complete mess and Reyes was confident the Roekaar left behind all kinds of clues. They weren't exactly going for neat and clean when the blood trails and spatters suggested the struggle and ultimately the murder took place in every room and corner of the krogan's home.

Reyes knew exactly how long it would take Ryder and his team to reach the navpoint. He had time. Perhaps now was as good a time as ever to visit Keema Dohrgun. There were certain...things that needed discussing and the woman had a way of putting things into perspective.

Keema agreed to meet him in Kralla's for a quick visit. The angaran representative needed a break from Sloane's throne room anyway, she'd expressed. Reyes didn't know how she did it. Five minutes with the Outcast leader and the two would be shooting each other, but Keema...was a very patient woman. She knew Reyes and his Collective were working on a way to get Sloane out of Kadara Port, and she knew that it was a long, slow, difficult process. She understood and didn't complain, a fact for which Reyes had to give her endless credit. He could only imagine how he'd feel if an alien had come to his home and taken over, demanding outrageous payment from those who rightfully owned and lived in the place, exiling those who couldn't or wouldn't pay. Keema's people had suffered a great injustice, and Reyes was sorry it was a human responsible for it.

Reyes was already seated at a corner table when the lovely angaran woman descended the stairs into the main floor of the bar. He caught her eye and she smiled making her way to him.

"Reyes," she said in a lyrical tone as she took her seat across from him. "How are you, darling?"

"No complaints," he smirked. "How is the royal court?"

Keema rolled her eyes. "Kelly is insufferable as always," those large angaran eyes watched Reyes carefully, "even more so since the pathfinder landed in Kadara."

"Yes, he made quite the impression," he chuckled. "Were you there?"

"Regretfully, no, but from her endless bitching about it I know it must have been something else."

Reyes laughed. "That's what everyone hears."

"Where is this young man now? I would like to meet him," Keema said with a hint of a smile.

"He's looking into those murders," Reyes said quietly. The bar was loud, but he didn't want to risk anyone overhearing. "I told you my plan with that."

Keema nodded. "It's a good idea, and very sweet of you to look out for him."

"He looks out for himself just fine," Reyes cleared his throat. "This is just the first piece to set in place for our ultimate goal."

Keema put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm, watching her friend with amusement. She'd never seen such a genuine smile on the man before.

"You like him," she said.

Reyes just stared at her.

Her smile grew.

"That doesn't have anything to do with this—"

"It does. But that's good."

"You're being ridiculous," Reyes huffed. "I don't even know him."

"You will," she promised. "Really, you humans are such strange creatures. You would live a lifetime alone rather than admit to feeling something for one another."

Reyes smiled at that. In fact, he had already admitted to liking the young man. Turned out that was the easy part. "We do enjoy our misery," he said.

Keema nodded. "Do you plan on telling him?"

The question was vague, but Reyes knew exactly what she was asking. He looked away from her large, bright eyes—watched a rowdy group at a nearby table for a moment.

"Like I said, I don't know him. Much too early to be worrying about that."

"All right, my friend," she said, patting his hand that rested on the table. "Keep your secrets for now. But if the pathfinder ever becomes important to you, it's best to tell him sooner rather than later."

At that moment Reyes' omni-tool pinged. It was Scott calling. He must have reached the murder scene.

Reyes winked at Keema and answered.

"Reyes," Scott's young voice sounded grim. "I reached the navpoint, it's...not pretty."

"Yes," Reyes stood from the table leaned down to kiss Keema's cheek in farewell. She smiled at him before he hurried toward the stairs. "I heard it was an unpleasant scene. My apologies. The victim was a krogan male named Zear. His attackers pried off his frontal plate before shooting him to death."

"They wanted him to suffer," Scott said, disgusted—angry. Reyes couldn't blame him and felt a pang of guilt for sending him to the site. There were other sites that were less foul, but none more likely to yield the evidence they needed.

Reyes was out of the bar and on his way to the dock. He had a shuttle there waiting for him.

"Get to scanning, Ryder," he said. "Look for anything that will point to his killer..."

Reyes nodded at the agent standing watch and he jumped into the pilot's seat of the shuttle. As the engine hummed to life Reyes responded to Scott's discoveries at the scene. He knew exactly where the Roekaar were holed up and he needed to get there first—a simple enough task since the pathfinder was traveling by land. This particular group of Roekaar had significant numbers and Reyes planned to level the playing field as much as possible.

Reyes was on his back inside a crawl space underneath the main floor of the Roekaar hideout. He'd already planted several explosives in key areas of the base, was just carefully placing the final one when he heard the pathfinder's nomad approaching. He heard the engine shut off and doors close in the distance.

Reyes waited patiently for the trio to scout the area and slowly approach on foot. He could hear them speak quietly to each other but couldn't make out what was said. When he heard the doors to the base slide open Reyes synced the timer on the explosives to his omni-tool and crawled out from under the building. He retrieved his assault rifle from where he'd hidden it behind some crates and moved quietly to the door. He could hear angry voices demanding that the pathfinder and his team drop their weapons.

Reyes cursed under his breath. He knew Scott was a weapon whether armed or not, Harper was as well, but his heart lurched as the angry voices continued yelling for them to disarm. Just knowing that deadly weapons were pointed at the pathfinder at that moment made Reyes angry—sparked a feeling of protectiveness in him. He forced himself to take a calming breath. The Roekaar would take their new prisoners to Farah. She was their leader and Reyes knew she would want the pleasure of killing them herself. He had a little time.

Reyes counted on the Roekaar guards abandoning their posts in order to march their prisoners further into the base. He was glad to see he was correct. It was an oversight they were going to regret. Reyes moved silently into position behind the wall at the top of the stairs leading down into the caverns beyond the man-made base. He listened intently to the conversation going on between Ryder and Farah while he watched the timer on his omni-tool. He could hear Ryder trying to reason with the woman, bless him. Even facing someone who would happily cut out his heart while he lived Scott tried to give her the option of a better way.

Reyes heard it when Farah's tone changed. He knew she was done talking. Reyes turned the corner with his weapon ready. He saw Farah draw a wicked-looking blade, saw the hatred flash in her eyes as she prepared to use it with deadly force. Reyes aimed and fired. The bullet hit Farah's hand knocking the deadly knife away. All guns turned to him as he quickly descended the stairs. Vetra and Cora immediately took cover but Scott stood out in the open. Reyes watched the pathfinder roll his shoulders back and a blue-white barrier expanded from his body covering himself and his companions in its protection just as the Roekaar opened fire.

Scott looked to his side where Reyes now knelt. "You're late," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

Reyes smirked. "You'll see why in three...two...one."

Explosions erupted throughout the base. The deafening roars echoed through the caverns toward them. Anyone that wasn't dead had been knocked to the ground buying valuable time. Scott grabbed a dropped gun and tossed it to Vetra.

"Still mad?" Reyes asked. At that point several Roekaar had recovered and were firing into Scott's barrier. Scott stepped forward increasing the strength of the shield, his body lighting up like a beacon drawing all their enemy fire. He smiled back at Reyes before jogging forward. He held one blue-white blazing hand toward the ground then swung his arm up like an under-handed throw and an enormous shockwave tore through the center of the cavern, the power of the biotic energy sending enemies flying. After that it was chaos. Cora blinked behind enemies and shattered them with nova strikes, Vetra provided a hail of cover fire and Scott was a lightning blur darting from one end of the cavern to the other instantly with his biotic charge. It was a little mesmerizing to watch the man in action. Even without a gun of his own no one could touch him, in fact the Roekaar seemed completely at a loss as to how to deal with such an enemy. Reyes almost felt sorry for them.

Just then he spotted Farah behind a pile of supply crates with a powerful looking rifle in her hands. She was aiming for the back of Ryder's head as he struggled with a large angaran male. Reyes charged through the barrier that was still protecting him and tackled her to the ground just as a deafening shot rang through the base. He didn't have time to see if Scott was all right as the angara woman fought him viciously to gain the upper hand. He activated his omni-blade and stabbed her through the chest—watched with a degree of satisfaction as the light left her eyes.

Shoving off of her he held his gun at the ready as he looked around the smoke-hazy base. It was much quieter all of a sudden.

"Ryder," Reyes called out.

No answer.

"Scott," he yelled, moving forward to where he remembered seeing the man before the gunshot.

"Reyes," Scott walked out of the haze with his companions several steps behind.

Reyes felt the tension in his body release, leaving him feeling weak. He hadn't realized his heart had practically stopped in that awful moment of silence.

"Are you all right?" he found himself asking even though he could see that he was.

"Thanks to you," the young man smiled at him. He turned his left shoulder toward Reyes. There in the armor plating was a large missing chunk where the armor-piercing bullet had gone through like a hot knife through butter.

Reyes swallowed thickly. That had almost been Scott. The human pathfinder, their only pathfinder had almost been killed chasing down some low-life Roekaar and it would have been his fault.

"Reyes," Scott put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything ok?"

Reyes managed a believable smirk. "You made short work of them, pathfinder. The streets of Kadara are safe again."

They began walking back to the front of the base. Reyes noticed Scott watching him with a strange look on his face. A mix of concern and something else.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure all the important people know who to thank," Reyes said with a charming smile, trying to lighten the weight in his own chest.

"We make a pretty good team," Scott said. He'd stopped walking and let his companions continue up the stairs and out the door.

There was that strange look again that Reyes couldn't quite read. Scott was looking at him intently.

"Careful," Reyes said gently, "or I might start thinking you like me."

To his surprise Scott reached up and gripped Reyes by the back of the neck, pulled him close. Just before their lips could meet Scott stopped. Suddenly Reyes understood the look in the man's eyes—uncertainty and fear warring tumultuously with want and hope.

Scott's voice shook a little when he whispered in a far away voice, as if he wasn't talking to Reyes at all, "Would that be so bad?"

The two stood like that a long time, both wanting more. Reyes was willing, but Scott looked terrified. Reyes could feel the young man trembling in their close proximity.

"Scott," Reyes offered him a gentle smile. He slowly moved forward and pressed his lips to the young man's cheek. He pulled away to see Scott's eyes had closed. Reyes waited for them to open again before he said, "Don't be a stranger, pathfinder."

It took everything he had to pull away then. He ignored the looks Scott's companions gave him as he walked past them into the sunlight outside. It felt strange to want someone this much. It wasn't about sex, it wasn't about conquest. He wanted Scott. He wanted to know him, he wanted to love him. It was a feeling he'd never felt before and he was surprised to find that he liked it very much.