Ryder,

I'm sorry you won't be stopping at the Nexus soon, but I do understand. There are a lot of people counting on you, and there is so much to be done.

Your message said you are headed to Kadara Port, to speak with Sloane Kelly. We hear only rumors on Nexus, so I don't have any information about Kadara that you do not. You asked me what Sloane Kelly is like, and I am not sure what I can tell you that will be of use.

She is very intelligent and resourceful, but I'm sure you could tell that just by what she has accomplished with the Exiles. As a leader, and head of security here on Nexus, she was focused, determined. I was not here for the uprising, but my understanding is that it was not her idea. She has a very strong commitment to the people she protects; in this she is very like you, in fact. However, when it came to the uprising, that commitment led her to side with the people, and against the rules and her duty to Nexus.

I have no doubt she will continue to prioritize people over rules, as long as she controls Kadara Port. She will see nothing wrong with her actions, and be completely convinced of the rightness of her decisions; completely convinced that no sane person could act otherwise in her position. People with convictions held as strongly as hers, always do.

I hope you will find time to tell me about your meeting with her, and how you find her and Kadara Port.

Be safe out there.

- Kandros

Ryder was reading Kandros' message for the third time, as Kallo and Suvi brought the Tempest in to dock at Kadara Port. There was something… odd… about it, that she couldn't quite put her finger on. The tone? The content? She shook her head in frustration, it was subtle, whatever it was. Perhaps she was simply reading her own emotions into Kandros' message.

Standing, she headed toward the airlock, interested to see Kadara Port.

Kadara Port was at once impressive and disgusting. Impressive that the Exiles had come here with next to nothing, driven out the kett and held them off, and made a place for themselves. Disgusting that crime and violence were rampant and permitted, even encouraged. Trying to form an opinion was dizzying as she was presented almost instantly with wildly varying perspectives.

Further exploration of Kadara did nothing to dispel this oddly fractured opinion of the place.

She had the same opinion of her angaran contact. His smooth self-confidence was equally off putting and tempting. Sara was well aware that her own tangled relationships left no room for even casual flirting, so she allowed annoyance to win. Still, for as many times as she rolled her eyes at Reyes' ridiculous claims and smug confidence, she found herself smiling or even laughing outright at his over the top flirting.

When she finally made her way to Outcast Headquarters to speak with Sloane, she found herself even more confused and unsettled. Sloane was certainly not the most welcoming of hostesses, but there was something almost familiar about her. Her severe hairstyle was flattering to her hard features and emphasized her startling eyes. The tickle of familiarity about her was stronger there, making Ryder wonder if she had met the woman before.

That first visit was brief, and tensely polite on Ryder's side; subsequent visits relaxed slightly. She came to respect Kaetus quite a bit, and enjoyed speaking with him. He reminded her of Kandros without much effort, carrying himself with the same assurance and granting her the same bland acceptance that had first attracted her to the militia leader. That he was Sloane's second in command, as Kandros had been, stood out starkly to her.

After her main task in Kadara Port was accomplished, she thought it wise to avoid the city for a time, and focused on getting Kadara's vault back online. This proved to be an incredibly long task, since Kadara seemed to support all the people who had reason to interfere with her.

Finally, though, it was done. She headed back to Kadara to let Sloane know what was happening. Lounging on her throne, the leader of the Outcasts was as pleasant as ever, until Ryder mentioned that she would be leaving soon.

"You're headed back to Nexus, I assume. Bunch of idiots, the lot of them." A pause. "How are they doing?"

Ryder arched an eyebrow curiously, but answered readily. "Well enough. We got a colony started on Eos, and that has raised everyone's hopes."

"I'm sure you're a big favorite with Tann and Addison." Sloane said sneerlingly.

This startled a laugh out of Ryder. "I doubt Tann will ever be pleased with me. I'm not my father, and I'm not doing everything Tann says without question. He isn't arguing - too much - with the results, though. Addison is pleased, enough. I don't really trust either of them, though."

Another, longer pause, before Sloane spoke again. "I'm sure Kesh is still trying to beat sense into them."

"Oh yes, Kesh has more than enough stubbornness to stand against Tann. She's doing good work."

"I don't suppose you know who they put in charge of security?"

"They formed a militia after the uprising." Ryder smiled slightly. "Kandros is doing an excellent job of leading it, and making sure I have the support I need in the field."

Sloane leaned back, the shadows from the window behind her hiding her face. "I'm sure he is." She seemed about to say something else, but then shook her head once sharply. "That's enough chitchat."

The conversation apparently over, Ryder tossed her an ironic salute, and turned to leave.

It may have been a movement of Sloane's, or just a flicker of sunlight through the window behind her, but suddenly Ryder knew what was so familiar about the woman.

Her hair, her armor, her demeanor. It wasn't just "stripped down to necessities," not just "life on the edge of survival," that had given that sense of familiarity. It was deliberate. Ryder spun back to face Sloane, bits of information falling into place like one of those infernal Remnant locks. Her mouth opened to give voice to the question she already knew the answer to, but the look on Sloane's face stopped her.

She saw a familiar ache there, bitterness with a known cause.

Ryder had seen that look on her own face often enough. She would imagine that her father had seen it on her face the morning he found her sitting on her bed, contemplating a large knife.

Everyone deals with loss differently. Her mother had told her that. Some people were devoured by it. Some people pushed on and ignored it as much as possible. Some people allowed it to fuel an inner fire, and went on to accomplish amazing feats, both terrible and wonderful.

She suddenly knew how Sloane had managed to drive the kett out of Kadara Port and claim it for herself.

Respecting that pain, Ryder didn't say anything, just turned and walked out of the room. As soon as the doors closed behind her, she pulled up her omnitool and opened a channel to the Tempest.

"Kallo, get everyone back on the ship, right away. As soon as everyone is aboard, I want you to set course for Nexus, best possible speed."

She waited for Kallo's slightly surprised acknowledgement before signing off and jogging back to the docks. She was due for a very pointed conversation with - she smirked as Liam's new favorite phrase came to mind - a very weasling adhi.