Things were never simple, Sara needed to accept that. On a formal report, she could concisely say they arrived at Point A from Point B, but reality always required so much more dancing around.

She would ignore Cora fuming about Sara's abrupt and unannounced departure from Tann's office and Pathfinder Hall. She would ignore Drack's repeated calls for blood and Jaal questioning how this Nexus drama would impact his people and the war against the kett. She would ignore Liam's multiple invitations that inevitably led to her bed.

What Sara could not ignore, however, was Sloane Kelly's Outcasts stopping them at Kadara's docks. Vetra and Cora took to politely arguing over what items they could part with to effectively grease Kelly's greedy, overextended palm while Sara was treated to yet another rifle butt back massage on her way to their illustrious leader.

"I forgot how much it stinks here," she commented, gesturing to the sulfurous air and shipping exhaust. It earned her a sharp jab to the shoulder blade as she was led into Kelly's lair.

Headquarters? Building of Operations?

Sloane didn't bother to acknowledge her with even a glance up from her omni tool. "Why are you here?"

Sara used Sloane's lack of concern as an opportunity to take in her own surroundings, from the krogan and his rifle at her back to Kaetus steadfastly guarding the door. "You mean Reyes didn't tell you?" Sara hedged, her gaze settling on the other woman for any indication of deception.

"Oh please, that pissant lowlife doesn't work for me." Sloane rolled her eyes and finally gifted Sara with (an admittedly repulsed,) look. "You really think that as a Pathfinder with your fancy Nexus ship you can just waltz into Kadara Port unannounced?"

Whatever intellectual bluster Sara had thought she was gathering instantly deflated. "You got me there."

"So now you make me repeat myself," Sloane said. "Why are you here? Are you here to actually be useful, or are you just going to be a shit in my cut?"

"I'm here to implicate William Spender." That got the look she was hoping for.

"So they finally decided Bill was more trouble than he's worth?" Sloane asked with an eyebrow raised wryly. "Or is this more naive idealism from you? Expose him and they'll do the right thing?"

Sara nodded. "Something like that. He's been supplying exiles with arms and other Nexus goods to keep heat on the krogan. They can't ignore how far he's overstepped."

"And what about you?" Kelly shut off her omni tool and lounged back on her throne. "You're not the only Pathfinder in Heleus, now. You're suddenly less special and more expendable all in one go."

"I wouldn't go that far. You haven't met Avitus yet, I'm more charming."

"Doubtful." Sloane didn't laugh, didn't crack a smile on that stone face of hers, but she did appear to be as relaxed as Sloane Kelly was capable. "Bill Spender can rot as far as I'm concerned. Tell you what, since you're going into the Badlands anyway, if you happen to take out any pockets of kett where they're dug in, I'll call it even for you using the port."

Sara felt her eyes narrow. "But it's not your port. I thought Kadara was angaran."

Sloane nodded, unconcerned. "True. And I am but a hand of the people."

Sloane's omni tool lit up anew and her krogan lackey nudged Sara back out the door as Kaetus sidestepped them both. Sara double timed it to outrun the krogan's generous use of rifle butt and skirted out of the building just as her own omni tool alerted her to an incoming call.

"You won't believe all the chatter I'm hearing about some 'goddamned Nexus ship' in the port," Reyes chuckled over the frequency. "But I told them it couldn't be right; I'd remember if you were blonde."

Sara shook her head. "That'd be Cora Harper, my second. Is she being a pain in the ass?"

"A little bit," he admitted, "but I think they've worked out any issues. Your turian understands smugglers and pirates a bit better than your second."

"That doesn't surprise me in the slightest," she muttered. "I'm just finishing up with Sloane, she was excited to see that I was back- she says, 'hello,' by the way."

"I'm sure."

"Where are you?" Sara asked. "You still owe me a drink."

"Good thing I'm at Kralla's, eh?"

"Very convenient!"

"Accommodating."

"On my way, now." She slowed her pace to a crawl as she cut the feed. There was a particular ebb and flow to these kinds of things after all, and she didn't want to beeline towards him and be too obvious.

In retrospect, perhaps she should have huffed it just a bit quicker. Or hurried fast enough to avoid Liam catching her eye, at least. He was hovering casually at the market and had no compunction about the unspoken etiquette of playing hard to get, so trotted over to her oblivious to the stream of obscenities SAM was cataloguing for future reference.

"Ryder!" He draped an arm around her shoulder and Sara left it there, because with the eyes of the Outcasts and Collective on them it would likely draw even more unwanted attention than the act of Liam just being Liam had already garnered. "Docking here's always interesting. I wonder how many people are kicking themselves, packing up all their credits before hopping into cryo. No one wants credits for docking fees; can't eat credits."

"What'd we part with?" Sara asked.

"Some ammunition," he replied. "Cora didn't like it, but Nyx had already completed the transaction before she could intervene."

"Huh." She laughed at that and his obvious confusion only made her laugh harder.

Hopefully, Cora would commiserate with Drack over Vetra playing them in an identical manner and take it graciously. Sara didn't bother explaining any of that to Liam and instead continued toward Kralla's creaky and exposed stairwell.

The bar's open windows overlooking the docks created a nice cross breeze that was intentionally deafening when combined with the background music. Reyes was pressed against the bar like he owned it, and chatting up the asari bartender. A single nod from the bartender had him glance, lazy over his shoulder, as Sara made her entrance.

Whatever opinion he may have had in regards to her arm candy he kept to himself outside of a single raised eyebrow.

"You look like you're waiting for someone," she called out to him.

"That's my line!" Reyes shot back, earning himself a groan from the bartender. He pushed himself away from the bar and sauntered over to meet them. Those hazel eyes gave Liam a bald one over and, as if approving, Reyes broke into a grin and offered a hand. "Reyes Vidal."

"Our angaran contact," Sara told Liam as he shook the other man's hand.

"Angaran, huh?" Liam returned Reyes's shake so warmly, Sara was going to end up with whiplash still ensnared beneath Kosta's arm. "A little pale for an angaran."

"I get that a lot," Reyes replied, his smirk shifting to Sara.

"You wanted to see me," she reminded him. "Are there more dead bodies piling up?"

"Nothing so morbid," he assured. "This is more of a personal favor."

It was Sara's turn to grin. "Personal?"

"Because we worked so well together last time," he added, "I thought you'd be willing."

"I'm usually pretty willing," she agreed.

"A business rival- Zia Cordier- lifted cargo I was moving for a client."

"What'd she steal?" Liam asked.

Reyes shrugged as he turned back to the bar. "No idea. Client paid extra for privacy. Considering my fees it must be valuable."

"You didn't check?" Liam's chest puffed out, like he was anticipating a shared laugh.

Reyes was quick to shut him down. "Honor's got a price," he said, "and the client paid it."

Sara craned her head out from Liam's arm. "How'd this rival get your cargo?"

"Her usual tactics," Reyes sighed, an air of cautious professionalism to his conversation. "She got my middleman drunk and then stole his ship."

Liam sniggered. "Sounds like you know from personal experience."

"Please, I keep to a three drink maximum when I'm on a job." There it was. A slight, annoyed flair to Reyes's nostril. She had SAM document it so she could perseverate and overthink on it, later.

"We cut the profits 50/50," Sara said.

"60/40." His smile was back as he settled along the bar. "Final offer."

"Deal." Sara shimmied onto the barstool next to him, and Liam and his arm sadly followed.

The bartender regarded them all brusquely. "You three want a drink or a room?"

Despite Sara's own growing irritation and mortification of their situation, along with Liam's nonplussed laughter, Reyes appeared unaffected. "Information, actually."

"That'll cost you," the bartender told him. "More than a round of drinks."

"My friend's good for it." Eyes on her, again. Hopefully, she wouldn't disappoint.

Sara propped her chin up on a hand. "I'll expect a favor in return."

"You're one person I'll happily owe something." Reyes gifted her a flash of white teeth, his face close enough to rest his forehead against hers.

As she leaned forward, she felt Liam's arm slacken and fall from her shoulder. "Keep it in your pants." He stood abruptly and tried to soften his scorn into a snort. "Or don't. Whatever."

"Well!" Reyes clucked softly, a smirk plastered tightly across his face as he watched Liam storm out. "So much for that."

"I am so sorry you had to deal with that-"

"It happens." He shrugged and turned that grin to her. "Though, it is pretty impressive how quick you are to spend the favors you're owed."

Sara frowned. "What do you mean?"

Reyes shot her a look before he leaned back to a less intimate distance. "For someone who was blatantly ignoring your body language, he picked up on ours real fast."

"That doesn't count as a favor!" She examined the bar to see if drinks were included with the price of their information. No such luck. "Look, ship rides are long and boring, but that is it. I have no idea what that little display was about."

"Sara, it's okay." Reyes cast a lazy glance to the bartender who had her back to them as she poured a drink for a nearby krogan. "Don't worry about it."

"It's over at any rate," she grumbled and in an attempt to change the subject, blurted, "you really don't know know what the cargo is?"

He stared at the doorway, with Liam long gone and shrugged again. "Technically, no," he said. "But knowing Kadara and knowing the price, I can hazard a guess: food, ammunition or drugs."

"Drugs?" Sara asked. "Like medicine stolen from the Nexus?"

"We have a very resourceful doctor here on Kadara." Reyes shook his head. "Ryota discovered a strain of bacteria similar to penicillin and was hoping to use it to help. Problem is, it's very addictive and causes hallucinations in high doses. So Sloane's been pushing it for less magnanimous reasons. She calls it Oblivion."

"Yikes."

He sighed in response and turned back to the bar. "Umi! Zia Cordier. She been around recently?"

The asari didn't miss a beat. "You mean your ex? Yeah, she was here."

"Ex?" Sara flashed her own teeth, straight and white, up at him. "As in girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend's such a strong word. We had drinks occasionally..." It was hard to tell with Reyes if his stumbling was sincere or just another calculated step in their dance, but she still appreciated seeing him off balance. It didn't hurt that Sara found the way his cheeks darkened endearing. He straightened his back with a cough and returned to the task at hand. "She was here?"

"Yeah." Umi nodded, but her blue eyes were flat and bored. "Met with a salarian. Shifty guy I'd never seen before. Maybe it was the Charlatan."

"Anything's possible," he snorted. "You overhear their conversation?"

That gave the other woman pause as she mulled it over in her head. "They were planning to meet someone at Spirit's Ledge."

"Thanks, Umi."

Her back was already to them as she collected empty glasses. "Whatever. You didn't hear it from me."

"I can follow up on the Collective lead," he decided. "I doubt Zia was meeting up with the Charlatan, but you never know."

And back to business so soon. It made Sara's head spin. "Is this job about getting your cargo back or one-upping an ex?" She tried (and likely failed,) to stare him down sternly.

It amused him, at least. She had Reyes's full attention now, those dark knit brows framing thick lashes as he stared right back. "Why Ryder, are you jealous?"

"Only as jealous as you were about Liam," she quickly replied.

There was a slight widening of his eyes- she wasn't crazy, SAM saw it, too. Maybe Kosta still had a use beyond the occasional bedroom romp, after all. "It's about the cargo," Reyes said in a way she took to mean a little bit of both.

She wouldn't push it, though. It was what he got for not being able to differentiate business from pleasure. Pros and cons to all kinds of methodologies. "Send me the meeting coordinates," Sara told him. "I'll see you down there when you're done chasing after the Charlatan."