"You look like you're waiting for someone."

Ryder glanced at the attractive man with the roguish grin, raised an eyebrow, and leaned onto the bar, crossing her arms. Her heart quickened slightly, and though she willed herself to attribute it to being caught off guard, she knew it was simple chemistry. It had been a long time since she had found a man handsome enough to respond in this manner, but she scolded herself for the distraction.

He didn't pause to wait for a response, but turned and motioned to the bartender, who quickly and eagerly retrieved two drinks and placed them on the counter. Picking them both up, he turned to face her and held out one of the cups.

In Alliance training, everyone was always warned about accepting drinks from total strangers. You never knew who could spike them. Nobody ever listened of course, especially when offered a drink from a handsome and mysterious man. However, this wasn't college. No, she reminded herself, this is a remote planet in a galaxy just being inhabited by humans, on a planet run by exiles.

Still, she was intrigued by the playful mischief in his gaze, and she had watched the bartender retrieve the drinks, so she was fairly certain they could be trusted.

Bottom's up, she thought as she reached out to take one of the glasses. "I've got time for a drink."

Seeming pleased at her choice, he held up his cup, Ryder clinking her own with it before taking a swig. The alcohol burned, even more than the crap PeeBee brewed in the escape pod. It tasted like someone had poured together all the whiskey and vodka they could find, then brewed it with dirt and grease. She pulled her sleeve to her mouth, and coughed at the roughness of it, musing at how well this stuff could probably clean the engines on the ship.

As they put down their glasses, the man spoke up.

"Shena," he said casually, a hint of laughter in his voice. He already knew she'd be surprised by this admission.

Ryder blinked, attempting to hide her amazement.

He continued before she had a chance to respond, "But you can call me Reyes. I hate codenames."

Accepting his hand as he held it out, Ryder noted the strength of his grip. His handshake was strong - not the light grip of a diplomat or the very quick, loose shake of exiles who were playing politics. He held on firmly and just long enough to indicate he was very, very used to "proper" meetings.

It wasn't hard to pick him out as a smuggler, and based on his perfectly tailored body armour, he had to be at least halfway decent at his job. Of course, charm seeped out of him and combined with his good looks, it probably wasn't difficult for him to get into - or out of - basically anything.

"I was expecting someone a little more… Angaran," she told him, as she rested her forearm on the counter, leaning on her elbow. She watched him intently, noting how his eyes glistened with amusement.

Admittedly, she found herself somewhat relieved the spy wasn't Angaran. She admired, respected, and even found herself drawn to the Heleus natives, but with the anti-alien sentiment filtering through their people, it could have meant more time trying to convince the spy she was trustworthy.

He chuckled, mimicking her movement so they were face-to-face with each other.

She couldn't deny part of her relief may also have been rooted in the fact she would be spending a good deal of time with this man with and his very seductive accent. Dating wasn't exactly something she had time to think about, but she wouldn't be opposed to at least getting to work with someone she found quite appealing. Even if it was just to have some eye candy.

"The Resistance pays me to supply information." Reyes paused for a moment, the cocky, arrogant air around him returning. "Among other things."

He flashed a flirtatious smile and Ryder felt her pulse quicken again. His charms, it seemed, were used for many things. She found herself tempted to ask just what else the Angarans were getting from him. In an attempt to draw attention away from the heat she felt spreading onto her face, she raised an eyebrow quizzically.

If Reyes noticed, he was pretending he had missed her reaction.

She took a brief moment to glance around the room, checking to make sure other patrons hadn't gained interest in their conversation.

"So you're a smuggler." There was no judgement in her tone, the comment coming out quietly and plainly. A simple observation. Truth be told, Ryder found the idea exhilarating and wondered, had she been on the Nexus during the uprising, if she would have found herself in a similar life.

Reyes didn't respond but motioned they should move away from the bar. Ryder noted the Asari paying close attention despite pretending to be disinterested. She followed him over to the edge of the room, where they leaned on the railings overlooking Kadara. Although it was mostly dirt and rock, it was beautiful. The conditions appeared rough, but Ryder could see the appeal it held for the exiles.

"Your man - Vehn Terev - was arrested by Sloane Kelly, leader of the Outcasts. Word spread about what he did to Moshae Sjefa. The people are calling for his execution." Reyes became more animated as he spoke, a sardonic tone to his voice. "And Sloane… she's a woman of the people." He waved his hands out mockingly, as if pretending to reveal a revolutionary.

Ryder snorted back a scoff. Woman of the people my ass. She thought back to the human being beaten outside of the bar and felt a swell of anger. What a fraud.

"Dress it up however you want, she's a criminal," she replied, not even bothering to hide the contempt from her voice.

Reyes seemed momentarily surprised at her transparency regarding her feelings towards Sloane. He gazed at her more intently now, studying her face as if trying to get a read on her innermost thoughts.

Ryder blushed and looked away.

"You work for the Initiative. Sloane was part of the uprising on the Nexus. I doubt she'll give Vehn up easily."

Ryder noted everything about Reyes changed. It wasn't that his persona hadn'tbeen serious towards her before, but the playfulness was gone. She glanced over, noticing he was watching her with the same intensity, and his voice now held a level of respect she hadn't previously caught. Though they had only known each other for a few minutes, she was acutely aware of a shift in the space between them. They were on the same page, and the change in his composure suggested there was something bigger lurking in the background of the politics of this world. For a moment, Ryder wondered what exactly meeting this spy was getting her into.

Reyes had been under the impression he would be meeting with someone naive and ignorant to the ways of the world, and particularly, the Heleus system. The way both the Angarans and Nexus personnel he smuggled for spoke of her, she seemed to be an insecure child. But this woman standing before him was none of the things they had made of her.

Although he had never seen her before, Sara Ryder was not difficult for him to pick out when she had entered Kralla's Song. Of course, that was partially because he knew everyone in the Port and she was new. But, it also had to do with the way she carried herself. Despite her casual clothing, she moved in a way that revealed her Alliance training. Reyes could spot military from a mile away, and her body language screamed it from the mountaintops.

It hadn't passed his notice how stunning she was, either - piercing blue eyes, and long, blonde hair pulled back in a simple, casual ponytail, not a smidgen of makeup to be found on her face. She wasn't out to impress anyone, and that simply added to her allure. Despite there being several attractive men in the bar, she had appeared completely disinterested in any of them as she waited for her contact. And so, as he did with anyone who appeared they might be a challenge, he made it his mission to obtain her attention.

Up until this moment, he had treated their interaction as an opportunity to flirt as much as possible, driven harder by the electricity he hoped he wasn't imagining between them. Chemistry was a strange thing, and with some people, sparking electrons were there from the get-go.

He never saw this going anywhere, but it was a fun moment with a woman he would likely see very little of once she finished her business on Kadara and went on her merry way. But now, he saw the potential for something more than a hookup, something worth taking seriously. Sara Ryder wasn't just interested in settling Heleus - she was interested in seeing genuine change. In dismantling leadership that did not serve their people. Suddenly, the distaste of some of the higher-ups from the Nexus became clear. She was a threat to their idea of government.

She could very well be the player he needed to tip the balance and rid Kadara of its dictatorship.

"You work for the Initiative. Sloane was part of the uprising on the Nexus. I doubt she'll give Vehn up easily."

He dropped the playfulness from his tone. Ryder seemed to take notice of the change but did not react one way or another. He admired her honesty about her feelings on Sloane. She had no way of knowing she could trust him, yet she didn't seem concerned. Perhaps, she too was testing the waters to find out whether he was worthy of her association.

"I'm taking him, with or without her permission."

Reyes felt a tingle of excitement rush up his spine. Maybe, just maybe, she was as disinterested in playing by the rules as he was. What fun that would be.

Letting out a genuine laugh, Reyes took the opportunity to slide a little closer until their arms touched. If Ryder noticed, she didn't let on.

"We're going to be friends, you and I." And Reyes meant it. "There may be another way to get to Vehn."

He stepped back, motioning his hand. "You work Sloane. I'll talk to the Resistance." Then, he simply turned and walked away, knowing her eyes were following him. He counted in his head until three, and then…

"How do I contact you if things go south?"

No questioning of the plan, no concerns at working with him. She simply was ready to go with it. Reyes liked that.

He flashed her his most charming smirk, winked, and walked away. If nothing else, this Pathfinder was going to bring a little bit of excitement into the everyday mechanisms of his life.

Ryder watched him walk away, equal parts intrigued and skeptical. She was acutely aware of the fact he could easily be playing her. But right now, she didn't give a damn. If the rest of her time on Kadara was going to be anything like her first encounter with Reyes, the last thing this trip would be was boring.

With a small smile, she turned and began to walk out of the bar.

"Hey! You gotta pay." The bartender said loudly.

Ryder wasn't sure whether to laugh or be angry that Reyes had left her with the bill. She popped open her omni-tool and sent over a payment.

"Keep the change."

The bartender snorted. "Always do."

By the time Ryder left Kralla's Song, Reyes was nowhere to be seen. What she did find, however, was that same group of Sloane Kelly's thugs still antagonizing the human and his Angaran friend. They had stopped beating on the man, but now had the Angaran pinned against the wall, loudly threatening him as he begged for his life.

"We told you to move along, and you just had to make a scene, didn't you," the blonde thug taunted, stroking his face with a gun.

Ryder felt the anger boil up inside her. This was bullshit.

"Pathfinder," SAM began to warn her.

"Not now." She wasn't interested in his logical reasoning this time. If Sloane had issues with Ryder helping people actively being harmed, then she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

The other two guards were too occupied with holding the Angaran to notice as Ryder walked up behind their leader and tapped the woman on the shoulder.

"What the fu-"

Ryder's fist collided with the woman's face in a solid sucker-punch. Capitalizing on the guard's shock, Ryder grabbed her by the shoulders and drove her knee into her gut, dropping her to the ground. Slipping the Outcast's gun out of her holster as she went down, she pointed it at the smaller of the two other guards.

"Drop it," the bigger one said, glancing down with concern at the woman now moaning on the ground. He was thick with muscle and burly, and Ryder knew there was no way she could take him. But she could take the smaller one out with a single shot.

"Walk away," Ryder said. "I can pull my trigger just as fast, and then sure, you can kill me. But then you get to explain to Sloane how one little, unarmed girl managed to take out your boss and one of your comrades, and how you killed her, only to discover it was the human Pathfinder."

The big man blinked in surprise. "Pa-Pathfinder?" He glanced over at his buddy, who shook his head no. With a grunt, he looked back to Ryder. "We're letting you off this time, but don't get in our way again. Sloane's not the forgiving type when people mess with her business," he growled.

They holstered their weapons and bent down to help up the woman.

"Bitch," she spat as they passed by.

Ryder simply grinned.

"Pathfinder, that interaction was not wise. It will likely put you at odds with Sloane."

"Good," Ryder muttered.

The Angaran let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you," he said shakily, sliding to the ground.

"Are you all right?" Ryder knelt down beside him, inspecting for any injuries. "What's your name?"

"Tanil. I'm just… a little shaken up." His whole body shook. "My friend, though…" He looked over to where his friend lay curled up in the fetal position, his face bloodied. Bruising was already setting in, and the way he clutched his side, Ryder figured it was safe to assume broken ribs.

"Can you take him somewhere for medical attention?"

Tanil shook his head. "Up here, Sloane controls the clinic. If you get beat up by her thugs, you aren't allowed access. The only clinic is in the slums, but it's understaffed." He closed his eyes, letting out another deep breath. "They… these Outcasts, Sloane Kelly. They're not helping the human cause any. She says she is doing things to appease the Angarans, but she treats us like second-class citizens. Us, and anyone who doesn't meet her standards."

"We're not all like her," Ryder said softly, feeling ashamed. How could she convince the Angaran's her people were good when people like Sloane were actively destroying the lives of Angarans and ruling them as if they were less than her?

"No, you're not. Edward there - he couldn't pay his protection fees this month because he used what he had to smuggle my daughter and partner off-world. We couldn't cover the fees any longer, and they were about to be exiled."

"He sounds like a good friend." She moved from Tanil over to Edward and pulled out one of her medi-gel packs, jabbing him in the arm and releasing the substance. "That should help the pain," she said softly.

"Tanil, can you take him to the docking bay? I'm going to send my doctor to help him."

He nodded and they both stood up. Tanil approached his friend, lifting Edward slowly to his feet. "Thank you, Pathfinder."

Edward moaned something that sounded like thanks, and the two headed towards the bay. She watched after them, the anger continuing to well inside her. This was not why they left the Milky Way, to create a new way to terrorize others into submission and recreate more fascist dictatorships.

"SAM, send a message to Lexi asking her to help Edward and Tanil." She knew she couldn't contact Lexi herself - the rage would be apparent in her voice, and she wasn't quite in the mood for another one of the doctor's analysis.

"Done, Pathfinder."

"Good. Now, tell me everything you know about Sloane Kelly."

Ryder wasn't quite sure what her actions were going to do to the mission, but she knew one thing was certain - she and her team wouldn't be leaving Kadara until Sloane was removed from power.