Chapter 24

The skyrunner entered cooler temperatures as it ascended towards mountains in Nohman….Greeting them as they talked on their way to Liara's base was a low-hanging rim of wispy clouds lingering above and around the mountain they were approaching in the distance, and Braith, sitting towards her window, looked out to see the foggy beginnings threading by her view of the far off land below.

Liara, while navigating the skyrunner towards its destination, adjusted the temperature controls in the skyrunner to accommodate for the drop in temperature outside, and they could continue to converse comfortably while ice crystals began to form at the edges of the windows and along the front of the skyrunner nose that they could see through the windshield….She played with some icons on her navigation display, also preparing for a descent that would occur soon to bring them to her base of operations….A blast of wind tried to move the skyrunner off course but Liara handled it well, and with calm (as did Braith).

More turbulence was felt, both taking it well as the other….Finalizing her choices for Navigation, and their ultimate descent, Liara banked the skyrunner against the wind and guided it towards what appeared to be a diagonal edge of the upcoming mountain, craggy, dark, bluish-white where snow had formed and found itself a "grip" on the terrain from the wind, "….It's a little edgy going in this way, Shepard," Liara wet her lips together, "….but I've done it before and done it well, thanks to some of Joker's 'old tricks' I recall."

"Glad he taught you some."

"How is Joker?…." The wind she could feel through the handles was acting stubborn and trying to force the skyrunner away with its strength and erraticness, and Liara gripped and pushed the skyrunner forward and down through the charging air with a kick of power from its engine….It jumped with the increase in speed.

"He's doing A-okay, Liara….Mind we don't get distracted going in here."

"Who, me?…." Liara smiled.

Braith started to chuckle—then gasped as the skyrunner wobbled, but evened out, "….You did that on purpose!"

"Keeping you in line, Shepard…." From the angle they had approached the edge of the mountain by, the feature had appeared to be the start of the next face over, but once passed it, as Braith could see through the crystals of her window, the edge had been a stark ridge jutting from the mountain, and they were still on the same face of the monolith….The prominent ridgeline was flat like a knife, and nestled among its craggy blade was a well-hidden platform that ran back into the vertical, sloping cliffs higher up….The wind was less as they passed into the shadow of this ridge slicing outward into the sky from the rockface, effectively blocking the wind from harassing the skyrunner more….Liara guided the skyrunner towards the platform and lowered it down towards the end, and once above this, she flew the skyrunner along the landing strip to get closer to the camouflaged entrance at the end of the ridge.

"How did you find this place again?"

"Some research."

"'Some research'," Braith snorted back, "….I'm sure you'll tell me when I have to know…." Liara grinned over at her.

The skyrunner came to a stop, and settled in its parking state, and they opened their doors….Both passengers rose from their seats into the cold air. "It's nippy," Braith looked up at the towering mountain hidden partially by the thicker swirls of clouds at its heights, "….You could have—" As she brought her eyes down from those clouds, she saw Liara go to the rear of the skyrunner, open the trunk and pull out two heavy fur coats, "….told me you were prepared all along…." Liara put her coat on and held open Braith's….She walked the length of the skyrunner towards the trunk and Liara, and took the coat from her hands.

"You're welcome," Liara's eyes looked up from Braith's hands to her face, "….There are gloves inside the pockets….I couldn't have you put it on at the docks, then everyone would know where we'd be going."

"Maybe," Braith pulled on the coat, relishing the immediate reprieve from the abusive winds and cold air….She felt in the pockets for the gloves, and pulled them out to don them….In the cold air and mountainous backdrop of their surroundings, Liara's eyes appeared crystal-blue above the fringe of white fur under her blue, freckled cheeks above the coat's thick collar, and to Liara, Braith's grey eyes appeared whiter above the fringe of black fur she was snugging upwards towards her own freckled cheeks, pale and high of bone to Liara's scrutiny.

"Shall we go meet a reaper?…." Braith's countenance was impassive—and cold from the wind buffeting her hair, black lashes, and the fur of her coat.

She followed Liara to the entrance of the base in the side of the mountain….A great door set into the rockface opened, lifting its wide edges into the mechanism hidden by the mountain's surface….It was a thunderous sound, but blended with the howl of wind in their ears.

Braith and Liara went under the bottom edge of the vast door, and once on the other side of it, the door reversed course and banged down to echo in the cold, cavernous interior, "….Sorry," Liara looked at Braith's shadow in the darkness, "….I haven't figured out yet how to decrease the ominousness of this place."

"Some Mass Energy buffers would help with the dismal clang, Doctor…." Braith's words created puffs of calm steam rising from her lips and nostrils as her eyes adjusted from the brightness of the outside to the dimmer interior, and Liara's face a few steps away from her.