Havarl had been designated a golden world; Habitat 3, a world of lush greenery and fresh water. Now it was completely overrun, choked by its jungles unprecedented growth as it mutated and swarmed across the planet surface. Ruined angaran cities and remtech fought against being consumed by the ever-spreading, ever-growing flora, and even the fauna hadn't escaped the insane growth patterns and hormonal changes caused by a malfunctioning vault.
Those same unsustainable mutations and patterns and changes would soon begin to stabilize after Sara had activated the vault, a feat that wouldn't have been possible without help from both the angaran sages of Mithrava, the sanctuary atop a remnant tower, and incredibly, after some persuading, the Roekaar commander Taavos.
Sara stood in the centre of her quarters aboard the Tempest feeling pretty good about a mission completed successfully. She tipped back her head and pushed her fingers through her long hair, scraping it back from her face. It was damp still, after her post-mission shower, but not noticeably so. She tied it back and smoothed a hand over the top of her head, making sure she looked presentable. She didn't want to give Evfra even a single piece of ammo to use against her. She would look the part of leader and she would earn his trust. With Jaal backing her up, Evfra would really have to be grasping at straws to deny her his aid.
"SAM, ask Jaal to meet me at the vidcon," she requested. "It's time to debrief Evfra."
"Yes, Pathfinder," SAM answered mildly.
Sara strode from her quarters and climbed the ladder outside, making her way through the ship towards the ramp that sloped up to the vidcon. She saw no one as she walked, the crew having dispersed to the showers or the galley after their latest mission. That was good. With no one in the tech suite it meant she had no witnesses to her potentially embarrassing conversation with Evfra. She knew that despite everything she had done, and despite Jaal's support, Efvra would find a multitude of ways to give her a tongue-lashing and, difficult though it would be, Sara knew she would just have to sit and take it without retaliating with her own brand of snark. Cora had sat her down often enough and drummed that into her. Sara had to learn when to keep her mouth shut to navigate through the politics of this bizarre new galaxy. She was the Pathfinder of an entire race of people. They were counting on her to sweeten up this prickly leader. No pressure.
Sara beat Jaal to the vidcon and queued the link while she waited for him. He didn't take long, she heard him climbing the ramp just minutes after she had arrived and turned to face him with a smile. Jaal's expression was unreadable, mainly because she wasn't yet used to deciphering angaran expressions, but she thought he seemed confident. That was optimistic, considering Evfra's thoughts on her during their first meeting. Hell, even Jaal had been frosty with her at first and he was a puppy compared with the resistance leader. She was, however, reporting a relatively successful mission.
"When you are ready, Pathfinder," Jaal said, halting just behind her so that he would be visible to Evfra just behind her shoulder.
"All right, opening the channel now," Sara said swiping her hand over the controls in front of her and connecting to Evfra.
His image appeared in front of them rendered in translucent shades of blue in all its scowling glory.
"Commander," Sara said, nodding respectfully.
"Pathfinder," Evfra sighed, as though already exasperated by her mere presence. Sara desperately fought the urge to raise an eyebrow in response. Cora would be so proud of her… "Jaal's been keeping me updated on your 'adventures', your... 'good deeds' on our behalf." She could almost see the air quotes. He didn't want to acknowledge those good deeds. But she had rescued angaran scientists and saved the birthplace of the angara by reactivating Havarl's vault. Maybe he could ignore the former, but the latter...?
"I meant them," Sara replied earnestly. "I want you to know you can trust me and my people. We're not like the kett." She knew how hard it was for the angara to accept the multitude of new species that had just shown up on their doorstep considering the Hell the kett had dragged them through. The angara had been much more welcoming than any of the Milky Way residents would have been had the tables been turned, and she appreciated that, she really did, but they needed to get into that vault. She was desperate to prove they were nothing like the kett, that they could be trusted but…trust took time to build. Time she suspected they didn't have.
Evfra was quiet as he studied her. His eyes looked almost black in the holo, and it was disconcerting. She felt her muscles lock with the effort to keep from fidgeting. "You went out of your way to free that science team. A selfless act," Sara smiled and nodded. Her actions had worked, then. However, Evfra had more to say, "but your true agenda is clear- to explore Aya's vault," Sara's smile faltered. Did Evfra believe she would turn her back on him once she had what she needed? That could make things…difficult. "Jaal says you want to help find the Moshae. Why should I let you?"
Sara inhaled deeply through her nose, thinking fast to find a response that would convince Evfra to trust the Tempest and its crew. "It's true I want to see inside your vault," she replied carefully. "But I'm not just helping you because of that. I would have done the same even if there was no vault. I help people, that's my thing. Plus, I have a pretty good track record of getting shit done," she gave a faint smirk, the professional facade dropping to give way to the usual playful spark in her eyes.
Evfra grunted a sound of amusement and nodded his head once in approval. "Keep your promises and little by little our bond might grow," he told her. Then he became serious once more, "we've managed to track the Moshae to a special kett facility on Voeld."
Sara felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach. It wasn't quite an invitation on the mission, but it was a start at least. She fought to keep her features neutral and instead cocked her head to one side curiously. "Special?" She repeated.
"These facilities are protected by a dynamic shield tech we haven't been able to crack. We're close, but it's ability to adapt outstrips the speed of our current processors." She could hear the frustration in his voice. It seemed an impossible thing, to break through an unknown tech and into an enemy stronghold. But he refused to admit defeat.
"Pathfinder," SAM broke in on their private channel, "adding my processing to their program would no doubt make the difference."
Oh, Evfra was going to hate this... Sara cleared her throat. "Evfra, I can help," she offered in a carefully gentle tone. She knew he found her offers of aid to be condescending and arrogant. "Respectfully, you need me for this one." She gave him the most sincere look she could muster.
"Respectfully," Evfra spat the word back at her, "the angara don't need anything from you. We take care of our own." He shot her a look of disdain.
Sara grit her teeth and fought to keep her expression neutral. He was proud and stubborn, but surely she could make him understand. She realized, with a faint flicker of surprise, that she was much the same. She hated to accept help, even when she needed it. But even she was able to admit when she was wrong. When she needed something the other person had. Like, say…an AI capable of busting through an impenetrable shield network. "With the processing power of my AI I can guarantee the shield breach."
"AI? Of course, that makes sense," Evfra murmured, the wheels turning as he realized an AI was exactly what he needed.
"He's physically connected to me so I kind of need to come too," Sara said fairly.
Evfra looked at her, his gaze roving her face as he reassessed her. "It was risky to be honest about your AI, and honesty makes you different from the kett."
Sara arched one eyebrow, feeling a flicker of annoyance at that statement. "That's... Not the only difference..."
"Hm," Evfra grunted in response. Sara hoped it wasn't meant with quite as much scepticism as it sounded. "You're welcome on the mission."
She smiled warmly at him, trying to reign in her glee. "Thank you," she said appreciatively.
"A team will meet you at our base on Voeld. They'll take you to the kett facility. Stay strong and clear. Goodbye." Evfra cut the link and his image instantly disappeared.
"Bye..." Sara spoke to dead air, cutting the link on their end.
"So," Sara turned as Jaal finally spoke, "you've gained Evfra's trust. No easy feat." He looked pleased. Or, at least, Sara thought he looked pleased. The angara were very open with their emotions, unfortunately Sara had no clue how to read most of the cues.
"I still don't think he likes me," she smiled wryly. Evfra, however, made his feelings on her very obvious. She never seemed to get on with figures of authority. She was sure Cora could give her a hundred and one plus reasons why that was.
"That's just his way," Jaal cuffed her shoulder with the back of his hand. He definitely looked pleased. "Well done."
"So, now we just have to infiltrate the impenetrable kett facility and rescue the Moshae!" Sara said brightly, clapping her hands and rubbing them together eagerly. Evfra's trust felt like spun glass in her hands. One false step, one tiny mistake, could destroy it, but that was something she refused to let happen.
Jaal smiled at her, giving a low chuckle. "I think if anyone can do that, it's you," he told her honestly. He kept her gaze a beat longer, then nodded his head once and made his way down the ramp, back into the tech suite.
She watched him make his way into the tech lab, where he had apparently made himself at home surrounded by tools and electronics that he could tinker with. Across the room the door of the hydroponics lab whispered open and Cora stepped out, glancing up at the vidcon and catching Sara's eye.
"How'd it go?" She called up, pausing as Sara jogged down the ramp towards her.
"Well," the Pathfinder began with a grin. "We're not at war with the angara so I'd chalk it up as a win." She halted before Cora and crossed her arms over her chest, looking pleased with herself.
"Very funny..." Cora replied dryly, lifting one eyebrow. After the kett disaster she would be unlikely to find such jokes amusing for a while.
"Evfra has agreed to include us in a mission to infiltrate a kett facility on Voeld," Sara explained, expression somewhat serious though she still smiled. "That's where the Moshae is. We'll be getting her out, back to Aya. And then..."
"She'll take us to the vault," Cora finished with a grin. "Nice work, Pathfinder." Finally things seemed to be going their way.
Sara brushed off the praise with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure it's all those lectures in diplomacy you make me sit through that broke him down, rather than my wily charm."
Cora chuckled at that. "Yes, well. You can't sass everybody."
"I know," Sara sighed melodramatically. It was a conversation they had a lot, with Cora scolding her after almost every conversation she had with Tann or Addison.
Cora gave a faint smirk as she regarded her friend. "And you're not half as charming as you believe you are."
Sara heaved a world weary sigh. "You know, sometimes I wonder what it might be like to have a second in command who isn't rude to me..."
"You'd hate it," Cora replied decisively. Sara looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "If I didn't insult you every so often you wouldn't get to be snarky, and I know how much you love that."
"Aw, Cora, you do care," Sara pressed both hands over her heart and gave her friend a wide grin.
Cora rolled her eyes and nudged Sara playfully. "Tell Kallo to plot a course to Voeld."
Sara sighed and dropped her hands from her chest to thumb hook her belt. "You know... Scott would hate Voeld."
"yeah, he hates being cold," Cora nodded, smiling faintly at Sara. Sara met her gaze, recognizing the look of barely concealed worry in Cora's hazel eyes. It was the same look she knew her own eyes held. The thought of Scott, still locked in cryostasis due to some technical malfunction, made her feel sick. Her brother, her twin, her partner in crime, alive but unconscious. And for how long?
"I know they say he's okay," she said, feeling her chest ache with his absence, "that they can wake him soon and we don't need to worry, but..."
"I know," Cora replied gently as Sara trailed off. "It's natural to worry." She knew how close the Ryder twins were. However much they infuriated each other, they also had an unshakable bond. Scott's current predicament must have been killing his sister. "He really is in the best place he can be right now."
"I know, but-"
"No buts," Cora interrupted. "He's being looked after by the best doctors the Initiative has to offer. Plus," she added with a teasing smile, "would you really want to listen to him grousing about how cold he is if you had to take him to an ice planet?" She arched one eyebrow, already knowing the answer.
Sara snorted. "Hell no." They both knew that, despite the comfortably warm temperatures their armour could keep them at in sub-zero environments, Scott would complain as though even the slightest snowfall would give him frostbite.
"I'll let the Bridge know we need to change course," Sara said, brushing a finger against the scar beneath her eye as she smiled at Cora, grateful for the distraction.
"You know you can just comm them, right?" Cora asked, watching Sara as she turned and walked away, out of the tech suite and towards the bridge.
"I know," Sara replied over one shoulder. But she wanted to deliver the message in person.
Sara strode onto the bridge with her hands stuffed into her hoody pocket and paused in the middle of the room as she always seemed to do, eyes flicking around the room.
"Pathfinder," Kallo greeted her, leaning out to the side of his chair to look at her. Sara nodded in acknowledgment and noticed a distinct lack of delightfully Scottish-accented greetings. She glanced towards Suvi's work Station and felt an inexplicable disappointment at seeing it empty.
"Suvi's on a break," Kallo said after noticing Sara looking. He watched her carefully for a moment, black eyes studying the now awkward expression on her face as she squirmed under his stare.
"That's fine," she said when the silence began to stretch.
Kallo grunted and turned back to his console, long fingers gliding over buttons Sara could only guess at the function of. "How can I help you, Pathfinder?" He prompted.
"Set course for Voeld," she answered, lifting her arm and typing on her omni tool. "These are the coordinates."
"Right away," Kallo said, feeding the information into his computer. "Will that be all?"
Sara lifted her eyes to meet his gaze again, finding him unreadable though she suspected he read her as easily as a neon billboard. What he saw in her though, she couldn't say and wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know. "Yes, thank you." she murmured, nodding once then turning on her heel and leaving the bridge.
She headed for her quarters to begin preparing for the mission to Voeld.