Sara gave a wide yawn, screwing her eyes shut tight and feeling a little pop in her jaw as it snapped back closed. She blinked her eyes open and stared blearily into the cupboard in the Tempest galley as she rummaged for foil coffee sachets. Sadly the Initiative hadn't forked out for the real stuff. They were stuck instead with the slightly metallic-tasting instant brand. She grabbed one out of the box at the back, tore the top off the sachet and upended the contents into her mug while shoving the cupboard door shut. It closed without a sound, sealing itself magnetically. She poured freshly boiled water into her mug and stirred, praising every deity known and unknown that the galley was blessedly empty that morning. She hated people seeing her so groggy and out of sorts when she woke up, hoping instead to project an air of general baddassery, and that morning she was feeling particularly dire. It had taken her hours to get to sleep. Hours of lying in the dark, staring into shadows that gradually lightened with the steady passage of time as she knew she wouldn't sleep. Her eyelids didn't feel heavy as they should, her brain buzzed with activity. And she didn't know why. Sure, she had always been a light sleeper, but this? Maybe it was a residual effect of the cryostasis, or that... The air was different in Andromeda.

In the end she had snagged a couple of hours sleep, and woken feeling like her mouth was filled with sand and her limbs were made of lead. A headache was starting to make itself known too behind her eyes, a dull yet persistent throb. Nothing some good ole fashioned caffeination wouldn't fix.
She lifted the mug, her lifeline, feeling it resist slightly as the magnetic base clung to the work surface and headed out of the galley into the corridor outside.

Liam had once joked that they should flush out the medigel injectors in Sara's armour and replace it with coffee. The thought made her smile as she lifted her mug and tested the temperature of her drink against her lips. She winced at the sting. Still too hot to drink.

She zombied along the corridor and into the tech suite and almost walked straight into Cora, who was just leaving with her eyes glued to the data pad in her hand. Sara merely stopped walking and hoped for the best, lacking the energy Cora clearly had in spades as the blonde neatly sidestepped her and glanced up in surprise.

"Oh!" Cora looked startled at first, but then she smiled. "Sorry. Morning, Ryder." She was way too chipper and she knew it, Sara could see it in the soft playful light in her friend's warm hazel and very alert eyes.

Sara merely grunted in response. Her own eyes were still glassy with sleep.

"You look tired," Cora said suddenly, hazel eyes flicking over Sara's face worriedly, taking in the dark smudges beneath usually bright eyes, the almost slack expression. Cora lowered her voice, as though afraid the rest of the sleeping crew might overhear, "did you sleep bad again?" Sara met her gaze but said nothing, seriously regretting admitting to Cora that she had been struggling to sleep for a while now. Cora took answer in the silence. "You should talk to Lexi," she continued, reaching out a comforting hand and squeezing Sara's shoulder.

"Cora..." Sara groaned, closing her eyes and raising her face to the ceiling as though hoping to gain strength from the overhead lighting. It was an old argument, one that was a constant source of frustration for both women as Sara wouldn't budge on her stance, insisting she was fine, and Cora wouldn't shut up.

"I mean it. She might help," Cora urged, releasing Sara's shoulder to fold her arms over her chest, holding the data pad out to one side. Sara dropped her chin and scowled at her. "I won't bring it up with her, just think about it," Cora said, because she knew not even Drack could force Sara to ask for help. The more anyone insisted the more Sara would resist. She needed to do it herself.

"I know. I will," Sara promised, reaching up with one hand to push her bangs out of her face. "I'm sure it's just because everything is so... Different here." Not just here, on Eos, but here in Heleus. She just needed to acclimatize, that was all. She shrugged as though that solved it. Cora shot her a look that clearly stated she saw straight through the flimsy lie Sara was telling herself. It was something within the Pathfinder herself that had interrupted her sleep. Sara glanced away, not wishing to acknowledge that despite it being already in the back of her mind.

"Anyway," Cora thankfully changed the subject, perhaps sensing Sara had had her fill of friendly advice for the day. "I'm glad I bumped into you," she unfolded her arms and tapped at her data pad. "I don't suppose you've checked your messages yet-"

Sara held up a hand to stop Cora talking. Her lieutenant faltered and looked at her curiously, midway through scrolling messages on her data pad.
Sara lifted her mug and had a generous mouthful, closing her eyes in bliss as warm bitter liquid filled her mouth and then flowed down her throat, spreading heat and blessed caffeine as it went.

Cora heaved a resigned sigh and frowned at her friend. "Coffee really shouldn't be needed before reports can be heard, you know?" But, in all the time she had known Sara, she had never seen her without a mug of coffee to jump start her in the morning.

"That is where you are wrong," Sara replied, looking a little more human already. A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "Coffee is needed before all things. It is a magical fuel carefully crafted by the gods so that us mere mortals can achieve great feats such as talking to Tann without poking his eyes out with a spoon, or listening to Tann without frying comms, or looking at Tann without trying to punch him."

Cora nodded slowly. "Tann features a lot there..." She commented pointedly.

"Aha," Sara replied cheerfully enough, complete with angelic smile.

"Aggressively so," Cora needlessly added. She knew Sara had a... Severe dislike of Tann. She tried to discourage it as much as she could, as the director of the Andromeda Initiative was growing increasingly fed up with the Pathfinder's attitude towards him. She wondered vaguely if it was a position Sara could be fired from, decided she really didn't want to think about that.

Sara sipped innocently at her coffee, then said, "I have opinions."

"So I see," Cora replied drily. "Maybe you should talk to Lexi about that too?"

Sara lowered her mug and stood tall, shoulders thrown back, chest puffed out, brow furrowed as she regarded Cora. "You think Leonidas could have held off the Persians at Thermopylae without coffee?" She challenged.

Cora blinked in surprise. What…? "I, uh... Don't think they had coffee..."

Sara waved off the comment with a sharp flick of her free hand. "You think Boudica could have taken on the might of Rome without coffee?"

"Um..." Cora shifted her weight awkwardly, one eyebrow climbing slowly towards her hairline. Had Sara gone mad...?

"You think Grissom went through the Charon relay without coffee?" Sara clearly hadn't finished.

Cora shook her head, looking exasperated. "Ryder-"

"You think I'm being serious?" Sara interrupted and flashed a wicked smirk. Cora gave the mother of all eyerolls.

Of course, Sara was playing with her. "Sometimes I hate you," she shook her head in mock frustration.

Sara's lips quirked up on one side. "Only sometimes?" She asked playfully.

"I can only roll my eyes at you so much before I risk permanent damage." Cora folded her arms over her chest.

Sara laughed at that. "Okay, I'll stop, I don't want to risk breaking my favourite lieutenant!"

Cora fought a smile, instead fixing Sara with a severe look. "I'm your only lieutenant."

Sara grinned. Cora twitched an eyebrow.

"You like coffee too much," Cora said after a pause.

"No such thing as too much!" Sara scoffed.

Cora shook her head and looked back down at her data pad. "There really is…"

"Anyway, what were you going to tell me?" Sara said before that senseless mock-argument could start. She gestured to the data pad in Cora's hand, lifting her mug to drink and watching the blonde over the rim.

Now it was Cora's turn to smirk. Karma was a beautiful thing, however small and insignificant. "Tann wants to talk to you."

Sara choked on her coffee.

A/N: so, I'm still alive! Life has been mental of late. Stand by for more Tempest shenanigans :)