Chapter 11: That bitch stole my bot…
The Pathfinder was already in the field when Peebee and Liam were walking together to the Kadara market. Peebee looked bored right away. She hated this filthy place. It was not that she was spoiled or what, but it just made her shiver. It reminded her too much of Omega. Why every system needed to have their own Omega? And Sloane was similar kind of a bitch as Aria was. She knew her fingers were everywhere around the Milky Way. Kalinda told her when she was still working as an ambassador. A memory of Kalinda made her hate this place even more. Pelessaria, a name she condemned and pushed herself to forget as her past.
"You know, Peebee, if you keep looking so annoyed, no one will talk to us." Liam had this smirk shaped from his lips as he was observing her.
"Oh, Kosta, as your years as a security force would make you here more popular than a pretty girl's annoyed face." She always knew how to turn the conversation away from anything personal.
"They already have a pretty Asari capable of crushing bones in the bar here. You don't stand a chance." Yeah, Liam was the same ass as she was. She was kind of glad Sara put her on this mission with him. He was full of jokes and she liked that. Today might be fun after all.
" No way, Kosta. You have a crush, don't you? I'm not pretty enough for your eyes?" They were near some shop and Peebee was looking at the goods.
"Sorry, Peeb… Your eyes are too dark for my innocence." He offered her Hollywood smile when she looked at him quite amused. "Peeb?" She asked about this new nickname.
"What… would you rather be the second duck on the Tempest? Peeb is cute. Reminds me of a hyperactive bird who doesn't ever shut up." Peebee punched him playfully and laughed. She remembered Massani calling Ryder a little duck when they were infiltrating the Kett base. She nearly got shot. That hard she laughed at that moment.
"Fiine you won. Peeb works for me. One duck is enough." She was still laughing when they finally focused their attention on work.
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Peebee was walking up and down in the bar that Umi, the owner, shouted at her to drink or get out. Liam bought some drinks and showed Peebee to finally sit down. She made him nervous too.
"Here Peeb. Drink before they through us out." She took that metal glass from him and sat near the window. She was so excited that she just could not wait to update Ryder about her discovery.
"You think that krogan, Kannit, is serous?" Liam tasted the liquid and moaned with pleasure. Whiskey. That was surely rare stuff.
"Dunno. Don't care. It's worth the risk. He has the last piece I need. I'm sure he has, because he was on our, well, on the remnant tale for quite long. I heard about him before."
"Still feels fishy… You rather be careful, hear me? Tell Ryder about this. Don't go alone. No one would dare to attack you when she's with you." She looked at him entertained.
"You think I can't handle one brutish Krogan, Kosta?"
"Naaah. You can but. there might not be only one you know. Aaand we need to play smart, remember? Diplomacy and all that bullshit. You don't know who you killed and we got hanged by Sloane. You got me?" Liam raised his glass up like trying to cheer to that and Peebee laughed. He was truly a nice guy. This whole crew started to get under her skin. Even Mrs Matriarch "needling" and scanning everyone.
"Yeaah, yeaah.. hear you Kosta. Everyone knows the Pathfinder. No one would dare to kill her under Sloane's watch. Got that." She raised her glass too and they cheered.
"Here you are, you drunks." They turned their heads towards familiar voice. Cora looked at them with strict eyes, although she was happy to see them got together so well. "Get your asses up. Ryder found the vault. Time to go."
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It was a tough one vault on Kadara. She felt super tired, but Peebee wanted to meet her right away. She needed to raise her voice to get at least shower and some sleep. I can help to brush your back, cutie. She remembered her saying and her anger was again somewhere in some distant black hole in the galaxy. How could she be angry with her for long? Peebee agreed at the end and promised to send her an email with all the details about her new contact. Sara read it on the data-pad in comfortable clothes and needed to smile. The message ended with smileys and kisses. Peebee was surely sweet. Sometimes too sweet. She wrote an email to everyone that they will prolong their stay on Kadara for maybe a week and went to sleep.
There was still some time in the morning before the meeting and Sara managed to get the package she ordered from Nexus. It was a homemade gift, actually a contraband. Fortunately, Vetra told her about a seller on Nexus who had his hands in some illegal business on Kadara. She stayed silent about it and the seller felt grateful enough to fulfil her strange request.
Peebee was already waiting for her. She was laying on the rail and watching the life at the port. Sara used this moment to observe Peebee for a while. Her body she already knew well was truly perfect. It made her red in face when she imagined her without that purple jacket. She looked so relaxed that it made Ryder forget that there was a business to do, not just a day off and fun. However, the whole day turned around when Kallo informed them that someone infiltrated Peebee's personal space, and worse, stole Poc.
"Ryder, it's Kalinda T'Reve, Pelassaria's... well, whatever she calls me these days. Please tell her thank you for the nifty bot. I trust the rem-tech piece my crew took will be adequate payment. Oh, and no need to wait for my Krogan friend, Krannit - he and his outlaws work for me. Ta."
She could see how Peebee's face changed. Her eyes were a mixture of pain, anger and frustration. Sara felt an urge to find that bitch herself and punch her head to some rock and make her apologise to Peebee. She did not know much about their past relationship, but seeing her so hurt filled her with urge to be cruel. Yeah, that bitch stole her bot. And Sara wished to steal Kalinda's life as well. She heard herself assuring Peebee that they were in this mess together. That she is not alone and they will find Poc. Even if it meant to use some cruel practices. But the last were only thoughts she did not dare to utter.
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Sara was walking towards the escape pod. She was hiding something behind her back in her pants and covered by the jacket. She came in the room and it immediately felt very lonely without Peebee's bot.
Peebee was furiously looking through some information on her data-pad. Surely, she was searching for names, places, anything on Kalinda and her outcasts.
"Hey you." said Sara and Peebee nearly jumped. She looked disturbed. It was obvious she did not expect Ryder to show there. The doors closed behind her and Sara looked at her worried.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes… Well .. no. I hate imagining Kalinda tiptoeing around here, with nosey eyes and sticky fingers." Every word she uttered was filled with anger. Ryder had never seen her so out of her usual cool. Ryder was thinking whether this was a good time to ask, but it was hard to help it. She needed to know more.
"Peebee. You know you can talk to me, right? Maybe it's a good time to tell me more about you two. I want to help, but I need to know more." This sounded bit like a blackmailing, but it was too late for that. She really needed to know what was going on and Peebee owned her at least that. She sighted.
"You know… I'm just pissed that my prior association with her has become a problem, again. For me, and now for you"… she stopped for a moment "well, us." Peebee herself did not realised what that "us" really meant. "She's like a… wart that you freeze of, but " She grouped her fingers into a fist looking like wanted to smash something near. "DAMN IT! theeere it is agaaain… popping to the surface."
Ryder felt her urge to kill Kalinda coming back. "I'll rid you of that nasty wart. I promise, Peebee."
"Please do, because, it's…. it's unsightly and… and.. stupid, and .. warty." She suddenly hugged her chest with her own arms and sighted again. Anger was exchanged by sadness.
"I can't believe I ever thought I was close to her." Sara came a bit closer to her and touched her chin. She wanted Peebee to look at her and see that she cared.
"What really happened?" Peebee made a contact with Sara's eyes for a while and started to walk around, disturbed.
"Which time, hm? She'd thrown me aside sooo many times. I felt like a yo-yo… Each more cruel than the last." The pain of the encounter was even more obvious now. "then," Peebee shook her hand and looked at Ryder.
"She'd come back with sweet talk, apologize profusely, tell me her feelings were soo intense, she got scared, yada yada… nice huh?" She leaned by both her hands on the table and looked at the ceiling.
"Nice, well, until she disappeared again, right around when I found my first Remnant ruin." Ryder was quietly biting her lower lip.
"Soo, I threw myself into that." She was so wrong about Peebee. This was a serious shit she needed to go through. She escaped into her work to forget about this betrayal. Suddenly alone in a distant galaxy. It was not all about fun, that was just a coping mechanism, and Sara could understand that. Peebee noticed Ryder's worried look and get silent for a moment.
"Don't get me wrong Ryder, she was not a total bitch. After she woke me from stasis, I was living off-grid, right? She set me up, got me ID cards, access to resources…. I just, maybe, overestimated our relationship. I thought we were a team." Peebee looked at the empty space after Poc.
"She was the society lady – proper, established, powerful… living vicariously through me. She introduced me to her circle. Showed me off – called me her little rogue. I…. I felt special…" There was a shadow over her face which looked like a memory of love and care. No, Peebee was not completely out of that bound they had. Ryder was sure of it.
"I had no idea that she was all that time working for the exiles. It blows my mind she was leading a double life. Nexus aristocrat by day, thrill-seeking outlaw boss by night…" She turned her attention to Ryder completely. "I realize now how little I knew about her. Makes me question everything…. and everyone."
"The string thing, right?" Ryder smiled with sympathy. She was looking at Peebee in a very different light now, after she opened to her.
"Yeah…" said she nervously. "Exactly that…. you know, Ryder. I .. I appreciate you understand and don't push like others…and even care. I feel you truly do.. It means .. a lot." She looked at the floor. Sara did not try to ask her again to look at her.
"Well, anything for a family with benefits, right?" She smiled and tried to ease the tension. It worked and she heard a silent chuckle coming from Peebee. Sara knew that Peebee did not wanted anyone to see her cry, so jokes were necessary for her survival. Her laugh was the best thank you she could give to anyone.
"We will find Poc and kick Kalinda's ass. Don't worry. We will stay here for a week so let's gather some intel. They could not get far with an octopus like robot." Peebee looked at her again. She was smiling. That was enough for Sara to search with her hand behind her back where was Peebee's gift waiting.
"Aren't you a cutie…" Said Peebee. "What are you hiding there?" her eyes went dark like expecting some ball of water coming at her in any moment. Ryder just wanted to laugh at that sudden suspiciousness.
"Easy, babe… Just a gift.. to thank you.. for everything. nothing nasty or stinky. " She grasped the toy and brought it on a light. It was a handmade plush Geth toy. "Here." She nearly bumped it in Peebee's hands.
Peebee was surprised. A fluffy toy just appeared in her hands and was staring at her with big eyes. She thought Ryder considered her only as a nerd freak obsessed with machines, with whom she had occasional sex, but, she truly listened. When she raised her eyes up, Ryder was already gone. She smiled for herself and hugged the toy intensively. Sara's smell was still attached to it.