Chapter 7: Entanglements

"You thought I was dead?" Ryder stared at the holo of Cora.

"I've never been more relieved to be wrong," her second-in-command said. "When SAM was severed from you completely we feared the worst. I told him to keep trying to get to you anyway, even if just to ping your implant so we could find you. We will turn the ship around immediately to extract you, just stay at Daar Pelaav."

"No, no," Ryder said hastily. "There's no need and your mission is too important." She tried to suppress a wince as her head pounded from the quick motion; since SAM's reconnection everything had seemed to be set right, but the more time passed, the more Ryder realized that she still had a long way to go before she fully recovered. She closed her eyes for a long moment, trying to focus on stillness. "Wait, how come you didn't know where I was to begin with?"

"That dampener apparently also scrambles more than just your link to SAM," Cora replied. "We were looking exactly where SAM and you were last connected but it was nowhere near any Remnant ruin like he described."

"Well, that device is taken care of permanently," Ryder said grimly.

Pathfinder, you are in need of medical attention. I have already informed Doctor T'Perro about your condition and what needs to be done, SAM interjected.

"Damn it, SAM," Ryder sighed, putting fists on hips.

I apologize, Pathfinder. Special arrangements had to be made to treat some of your internal injuries, especially around the implant.

"Is everything alright?" Cora asked and even though her image was transparent Ryder could see the concern in her eyes.

"Everything is fine," Ryder said with a smile, but Cora didn't seem to be buying it. She sighed. "I… may have overextended myself down there. I promise I will get myself checked out the moment I get back, but we both have to prioritize." The ache in her brain was a poignant reminder that she might have to prioritize her health sooner than she would have liked, but her second didn't need to know that, not when their mission was so important.

"We wouldn't have left at all if we knew where to look for you," Cora said, not quite explaining herself to Ryder, but clearly wanting to reassure the other woman that they didn't simply abandon her on Havarl. "When we received that call I spoke with Tann immediately to warn him but he wasn't very… cooperative. He only seems to trust your word on anything and since we didn't know how to find you or find out what happened to you… we're the fastest ship out here, I didn't want to risk yet another attack on Eos. We're a tough bunch, but if a third colonization attempt failed there, I don't think we could bounce back again."

"I know, I know, it's not a problem, Cora, you did the right thing. The Roekaar are up to something and we can't let them get the jump on us… right now I just need to know where the Moshae was taken."

"Ryder, with all due respect, if what SAM says is true…" Cora began, clearly conflicted between wanting to save her and the colony at the same time, but she cut off as Ryder raised a hand to stop her.

"People may be in danger, you're already much closer to Eos than you are to Havarl, turning back now will only give the Roekaar ample time to wipe our colony out. Besides which, what safer place could I wait in than where both Initiative and Resistance forces are protecting the Moshae?"

"Fair point," Cora said with a grudging sigh. "I will contact you as soon as we find out what's going on in Prodromos and we'll head straight back to get you."

"That's fine," Ryder nodded impatiently.

"They took her to a place called Daar Toshaar. You might want to get a shuttle, it's not exactly close."

"Daar Toshaar," Ryder repeated, memorizing the name. "Thank you, Cora. Good luck on your hunt."

"Same to you, Pathfinder. Goddess guide you." She severed the connection.

"They took her to Daar Toshaar?" Akksul asked, stepping out from the shadows to Ryder's left. "That's almost right beside one of our base camps… Zivrel's base camp, unless she abandoned it for some reason," he amended.

Ryder jumped and she stared at him. "When did you come in?"

"There's a second door," Akksul said wryly, nodding behind him.

"Of course there is," Ryder sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. She wasn't sure she was comfortable with Akksul knowing everything that had been said, but she supposed he would have to find out sooner or later that the Roekaar were attacking human colonies; she just hoped it didn't make him nostalgic for his days as their leader.

It was a strange situation they were in, Ryder mused, studying the man. They had been close, more so than she would ever have believed possible and if his behavior that morning was any indication, it hadn't simply been to relieve stress in the heat of the moment, yet despite that she couldn't definitely say that they were allies. Whatever had happened in the bowels of Havarl seemed to belong to an alternative reality almost, although there were definite lingering feelings; at least, she certainly felt a jumble of emotions whenever she looked at him, the image of kissing him coming unbidden into her mind. Maybe it was just a physical thing and she was deluding herself that there was more to it, but the uncertainty of where they stood with one another made her itch inside.

"I missed part of the conversation," Akksul frowned and Ryder blinked, her train of thought interrupted; perhaps that was for the better, they didn't have time for her to nurse feelings. "You were… communicating with this SAM of yours?"

"That's nothing for you to worry about," Ryder said stiffly. "Come on, let's go. We should have some shuttles at our disposal here, I know it's not a full outpost, but I can't believe everyone wants to go on foot out here. Especially with the local wildlife."

"No," Akksul shook his head emphatically, stepping closer. "They would never agree to work with me and I need to come with you."

"Not everyone knows your face," Ryder pointed out, wishing he wasn't standing quite so close; it was very distracting. "Besides, they will listen to me, I promise. I'm their Pathfinder."

"How long would it take to convince them? I have been your enemy for a long time, there is no reason for them to trust me. Nor should they," he added, grimacing slightly. "Your people could never understand how important this is."

Ryder studied him for a moment, feeling somewhere between exasperated and bemused. "You still despise us, don't you – and why wouldn't they understand something like that? It's our forces, working together with your people, who are keeping her safe as we speak!"

"I'm not changing overnight," he frowned. "I don't trust them to listen to you just because an angaran is in danger, even if she is revered by my people. What reason would they have to help me?"

She sighed. "I don't know why I expected any different from you," she muttered, folding her arms and she glared up at him, annoyed by the way his lip curling in amusement made her heart beat a little faster, those granite eyes threatening to swallow her with their intensity. She cleared her throat. "Do you have a shuttle?"

"Yes," he said, then hesitated. "But we will have to go to one of our bases. A Roekaar base."

Ryder smiled humorlessly. "Akksul, you realize if this Roekaar base is occupied by actual Roekaar they will kill me on sight?"

"Not if I'm there," he said.

She snorted. "I doubt they would trust you if you stopped them from hurting me at the very least. Not to mention that if Zivrel is as smart as I think she is, they're her people now and they will do anything to stop you as well."

Akksul grunted. "Perhaps there is truth to that. But I know of one base near here that I would be surprised if Zivrel was using, it's near a challyrion nest that caused us a lot of trouble. We ended up only using it for emergencies because they kept coming back to the place no matter how many times we chased them off."

"A nest, lovely," Ryder winced. "I still think my idea is better, but…" she bit her lip. "I suppose we can try your camp first."

Akksul smiled smugly. "There's no time to waste."

Ryder followed him out, already regretting going along with the plan, but she didn't complain. Akksul had acquired a hooded rofjinn somewhere to obscure his face just enough not to be recognized and he donned it carefully, though anyone who came close would be able to identify him; anything more than that would have been suspicious, though. They casually walked out the way they had come, walking wide of everyone they saw while trying to make it appear as though that every change in direction was what they had always intended. Thankfully the daar wasn't too large and in no time at all they were carefully making their way through Havarl's vivid jungle. Twice they had to stop and wait for small skirmishes between the wildlife to play out before they could move on unmolested, but they couldn't altogether avoid confrontations. By the time they had reached the border of the camp half an hour later, Ryder was feeling quite woozy from the dodging about she'd done avoiding scales and teeth from making mince out of her, but she was at full attention the moment movement ahead caught their eye.

"There's someone there," Akksul said in a low voice, crouching down behind a huge leaf to peer out just beyond it where a clearing offered a direct line of sight onto the camp.

"How many?" Ryder asked, imitating him. Scanning the camp revealed a small outlook with a handful of buildings behind it; on the far right from where they were she spotted their prize: three shuttles. She counted three guards on the ground and one sniper in the loft, but other than that the camp looked quiet.

"Not many, or there would be more guards," Akksul said. "I can still go in and simply bring the shuttle to you," he turned his gaze on her briefly to gauge her reaction and he began to stand up to do just as he said.

Pathfinder, there may be more Roekaar in the buildings, SAM intoned. However, it is unlikely that they would be helpful to our cause, those who supported Akksul have largely been reported as having abandoned the Roekaar cause.

Ryder caught his arm and pulled Akksul back down. "No! Akksul, Zivrel stuffed you down that hole to make sure that you wouldn't interfere – they might not kill you, but they will capture you and there are no do-overs here." Her grip was tight, but he seemed to be more responsive to her firm tone than anything else; she was sure he was more than strong enough to simply jerk his arm out of her grasp and do whatever he pleased, but he didn't. She suppressed a sigh of relief at that; it would have been more than difficult to break him out on her own if he was caught, but also she still wasn't sure she could trust that he would come back for her even if he succeeded.

Akksul let out a sigh of frustration. "I assume you have some other plan?" he didn't quite glare at her, but it was clear that he didn't enjoy admitting to needing her input in the slightest. Whatever had changed in him, he still was a proud man at heart.

"The challyrion nest," Ryder said simply.

"Explain," he tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing.

"You said they're a constant problem for this camp. We could provoke them, have them attack the camp, draw the Roekaar's attention away and while their occupied, we sneak over and grab a shuttle."

Akksul shook his head. "There is no approach on that side," he nodded to the jungle on the right.

Ryder looked out at the camp again. "We could still skirt it as far as we can and make a run for it." Looking back at him she could see the protest forming on his lips and she spoke before he could. "It's either that or we go in guns blazing. There's too much risk that they will capture you and we're still stronger together than separated."

His lips curled slightly at the notion. "Just how do you plan on getting them to attack the camp without attacking us instead?"

She chewed her lip in thought. "How good are you with a sniper rifle?"

"Good enough," he answered.

"We set up as close to this direction as we can, fire a shot into their cave without harming them. That will send them running out and seeking out the danger to eliminate it… which points straight here, because there is nothing else around here."

Pathfinder, the probability of this reaction is low, SAM advised.

"Or I fire a shot and they scatter in all directions because it startled them," Akksul said, sounding unconvinced; Ryder was irritated that he agreed with SAM's assessment, but she had to admit that it was a little far-fetched.

"You can herd them with the shots," Ryder suggested stubbornly. "Fire into the cave, then in the opposite direction to the camp."

"You assume that they will make an intelligent choice – they're animals, they attack what they can see and what they can't see will only drive them into a frenzy, they won't make the logical choice just because it's presented to them."

"Fine, then we rush in there and let them chase us to the camp."

I advise against this, SAM said.

"Again," Akksul said dryly, "they would attack us because we're the first thing they see and my men will also shoot at us because we will look like we're rushing at them."

"Zivrel's men," Ryder corrected and ignored his glare. "What if we lure one of the Roekaar to do that for us?"

A speculative look crossed Akksul's face. "That could work," he nodded, eyeing her. "We could use the sniper tactic to lure one of them, and they would follow the logical course of action."

The chances of this plan have a higher success rate, however it is still dubious, SAM said; Ryder didn't reply, but it was the first that the AI had even hinted at a chance and she was willing to take it.

She let out a nervous breath. "Now we just have to sneak up behind the nest without being noticed, fire a shot that will lure the Roekaar through a lot of jungle and somehow get out from behind both of them and circle around to the shuttles."

"Easy," Akksul said, then pointedly glanced down at Ryder's hand still on his arm then up at her face again.

Blushing, Ryder pulled her hand away and looked away. "Right, so… where is the nest?"

"Follow me," he said and crept back from the edge of the clearing before straightening fully and heading away from the camp at an angle.

Before long they reached what looked like a series of caves and niches on the side of a small cliff; circling wide so as not to be noticed by the challyrion roaming around, they found a pathway up the hillside opposite the steep drop. The place was overrun with jungle like everywhere else on Havarl, but the closer they drew to the cliff the more Ryder could make out that it was no natural phenomenon; the surface was too smooth in places and the twilight lights filtering through the canopy to shine on the surface produced a dull glow that was indication enough of its artificial nature, though as they began their ascent she didn't see any other indications of what stood here before earth and flora consumed it. The climb wasn't too difficult all things considered, but Ryder was still grateful when they finally reached the top and crept the remaining few paces up. Since Akksul would take the shot, she followed his lead as he roamed along the ledge, looking for ideal vantage point. When he found one that was suitable, he set up the sniper rifle and began to seek his target. Minutes began to pass.

"What if no one comes to investigate?" Ryder asked quietly after a moment and Akksul tensed fractionally.

"They will. We train our fighters to expect the worst at all times."

Ryder snorted softly. "I think we had the same teachers."

Without warning the rifle suddenly fired and Akksul's shoulders relaxed visibly, a small smile of satisfaction curling his lip, eye still to his scope to see the effect. After a moment he lifted his head and made to pack everything away, nodding to Ryder to indicate it was done. Once everything was packed, they didn't wait to see if anyone came, instead they headed back down immediately to make use of the time it would take for their ruse to work. Ryder briefly reflected that having to try again would have been beyond her tolerance at the moment, but thankfully they heard the first snarls and howls of the nest start to rise just as they scrambled to the bottom of the hill, along with something that might have been a shout of alarm or warning.

Moving more carefully than quickly, the pair snuck back to their original position and paused long enough to see how effective their tactic had been. Seeing no one lingering around the shuttles and the sniper in the loft firing shots off in the opposite direction, Akksul and Ryder exchanged one last look before carefully heading for the shuttles. Ryder felt sweat trickle down the side of her face and her eyes seemed to vibrate from the concentration she was exerting to move as stealthily as she could while keeping a more or less constant eye on the angaran in the outlook, but just as she reached the last quarter of the distance from the clearing's edge where they had entered a cry suddenly sounded and laser dots trembled around them on the ground; even the animal howls seemed to strengthen in force.

"Run!" Ryder yelled at Akksul and somewhere found the energy deep inside her to pick up her pace to a speed that made her fear a sudden stumble, shots hitting rocks and ground around them and practically snapping at their heels, eyes fixed on the nearest shuttle looming ahead closer and closer.

"Yes!" Akksul said in triumph as they finally reached the shuttle, slapping a hand on the controls to get the doors open. A split second after he ducked in Ryder arrived with a roll, but by then he was already reaching for the controls and in what seemed like seconds they were in the air and soaring away, although once or twice the shuttle rocked from Akksul's hasty handling.

"We did it!" Ryder gasped, feeling stunned. She didn't bother trying to get up, instead pushing herself to a sitting position and clutching the nearest seat as if for dear life, but her fingers were weak with the relief washing through her muscles.

"That shouldn't have worked," Akksul said, but he was grinning over his shoulder at her.

Ryder, you must limit your physical exertion until your body has had a chance to recover from its ordeal, SAM chided in an expressionless tone, as always, though by now Ryder could make out what SAM's version of concern was. I am repairing what I can, but I am afraid Doctor T'Perro's expertise will be needed.

Ryder hesitated as she glanced at Akksul, still all smiles as he steered the shuttle towards Daar Toshaar, though his eyes were focused on flying and not on her anymore. Still, she felt uncomfortable communicating with SAM in front of him all of a sudden; perhaps it was the interest he had shown in that connection. Not many people knew just how intertwined they were and it felt like exposing a weakness to an enemy, yet… how could she still consider him an enemy? Her speculation deepened, and the time for replying passed. After a while she absently pulled herself up carefully onto one of the seats, finally relaxing into cushions and an uneasy sleep gripped her.

It seemed as though she had just closed her eyes, but Ryder was forced to open them again from the shakes; blinking up sleepily she suddenly realized that the shuttle was still and Akksul was standing over her, a curious expression on his face. He didn't seem annoyed as she might have expected, but either way she brushed him off hastily and shook her head to regain some sense of focus; little sleep or no, everything was still fuzzy enough and her body felt relaxed enough that she knew she'd slept at least a few hours. Climbing out after Akksul she blinked as dawn pearled the horizon in the distance, blinding her for a long painful moment before she could focus her eyes properly.

"We've reached the daar," Akksul said, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant.

Ryder followed his eyes and gasped. A large wall closed off the largest daar she had ever seen, by all rights it would have passed for a small city on Earth. The gates looming at the center of the wall looked like it belonged on an ancient ruin, streaks of discoloration striping its pockmarked surface, vines creeping up its length and even through it in some places. She couldn't help but stare as they drew closer, barely noticing when Akksul's hood came up around his face again, hanging behind her a step as if she were the leader between them. She decided not to question him about it, though she thought it rather odd that a human would just stroll into a daar who happened to have an angara escort, as a clear subordinate of some sort no less, but she tried to radiate that she found this perfectly natural. Now that they were closer, she noticed a smaller gate within the gate and she headed for it; it piqued her interest, remembering datapads with pictures of ancient Earth ruins that – apart from the alien design – might have been brother to these gates.

Once they stepped inside, Ryder couldn't help but stare at the fusion of city and encroaching nature everywhere around her; metal ramparts were so overgrown with vines that the angara traversing its length appeared to be walking on horizontal trees, and the walls were illuminated with dozens upon dozens of glowing mushrooms of all sizes. What appeared to be a center square was dominated by one enormous tree that seemed to be made up of a myriad of smaller trees, branches intertwining into a complex canopy of lush green that would shade half the square once the sun was overhead. Each step they took swirled with a sparkling mist that bathed everything in an enchanting blanket; in short, the daar was stunning.

"Hold a moment," a voice spoke from Ryder's side and she tore her eyes away from the towers and squares of the daar's buildings, each seeming different from the rest and all of them sporting some manner of creeping life or another, in several hues that blended into a tapestry of colors. The man who spoke was fully armored to the point of even wearing a helmet, though he did not appear to be guarding the gates exactly as Ryder might have expected from a man with a weapon in hand. "Identify yourself," the man spoke again.

"Pathfinder Ryder," she said hastily, preventing herself just in time from glancing at Akksul. She wasn't sure if she should say something about him or let the man introduce himself. "Are you with the Resistance?" she asked instead, hoping to divert his attention.

"Welcome, Pathfinder," the man replied, surprise clear in his voice. "Yes, the Resistance answered your suggestion to guard the Moshae in a secret location. Has anything changed?" he asked cautiously.

Ryder couldn't stop herself from giving Akksul a look of satisfaction. "No," she said aloud. "However, we wish to speak with her, and to personally ensure that the Initiative upholds its commitment to giving her our protection as well."

"She's in the library," the man gestured behind him to a circular building covered in dark red vines with purple leaves; it was close to the center tree, prominent between the squarish buildings to either of its sides. He didn't sound all that pleased to hear about the Initiative's involvement in this joint plan, the Moshae was beloved to them more than to her people after all, but Ryder didn't have time to assuage his doubts.

"Thank you," she said politely as the fighter stepped back to his post, which was apparently to lounge and radiate threat by a water fountain. Any other time she would have stopped to admire that fountain, but she could feel Akksul's impatience on the back of her neck, so instead she gestured for him to follow and started towards the library. Before they took a dozen steps however, a woman abruptly stepped out into the street before them, surprisingly glaring at Akksul, a heavy bag slung over her shoulder.

"You! Don't think I don't recognize you, Roekaar scum," the woman said, and every eye in the square went to them, a ripple of silence spreading outward.

After a long moment, Akksul stepped up beside Ryder and lowered his hood. "What of it?" he asked proudly. Immediately the Resistance fighters that peppered the crowd stood at attention, a few even training weapons on him.

"Wait, stop," Ryder said, holding her hands out to the fighters to implore them to lower their weapons. "He's here to help."

"Help," the woman spat, directing her glare onto Ryder this time. "He took my son," the accusation in her voice cracked with pain and she took a threatening step towards them. "Now my son will never come home again because of him!"

"Your son died fighting the noblest cause," Akksul retorted, hot-eyed as he glared right back at the woman.

"He died fighting your people," the mother said to Ryder. "Are you defending someone who would throw away my son's life to kill your people?" Abruptly she put her burden down and opened the mouth of the sack, pulling out paripo fruits. Before anyone could protest, she smashed the fruit at Akksul's feet. "There's your payment back you sent for my son's life! I want nothing of yours!"

Akksul opened his mouth to speak, a disturbed expression on his face, but Ryder cut in. "He's here to help save the Moshae," she said firmly. Her heart went out to the woman, but she couldn't let this situation escalate; she spoke so that everyone could hear her clearly. "He is no longer a part of the Roekaar!" Akksul winced at those words, but he said nothing, eyes fixed on the broken fruit.

"That changes nothing," the woman said, eyes burning.

"Of course it does!" Ryder said, trying to inject more conviction than pleading into her voice. "What the Roekaar stand for is division and Akksul no longer believes in that."

"Why would a human vouch for the leader of the Roekaar?" the same fighter who had stopped them a moment ago asked, stepping forward. He wasn't one of those aiming his weapon, but anyone with half a brain could see he was tensed and ready to leap into action if necessary.

"Because he has proven himself to me," Ryder answered calmly. Beside her she sensed her companion stiffen slightly, but she didn't look at him to read his expression. "He has helped me get here safely and if he would do that for me, you can believe that he is a changed man."

The fighter nodded slowly. "Let them pass," he called out to the rest. Perhaps he was a man of rank, though Ryder couldn't tell. In a lower voice he added to Ryder, "He is your responsibility here. If he spreads his Roekaar poison to anyone, be sure that we will find out."

"Thank you again," Ryder said, keeping tight control over her voice. She grabbed Akksul's sleeve and dragged him away from the crowd, trying to avoid eye contact with the mother standing among the broken shells of the paripo, but she only had eyes for Akksul as he passed. Thankfully the former Roekaar leader didn't need any prodding and they made their way unmolested to the library, where Ryder shut the door hastily and leaned against it.

Akksul frowned at the ground for a long moment before he turned to Ryder. "You defended me," he said, sounding puzzled, but also intrigued. He reached out and ran a gentle caress down her cheek with the back of a finger, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Ryder's breath caught, but before she could muster a reply, Akksul turned away, that troubled look returning into his eyes, a blue-gray sea of turmoil; but at that moment all she could think of was the ache in her heart that was an uncomfortable surge in hope that maybe she hadn't lied to everyone in that square about him. More importantly, perhaps their entanglement hadn't been a fleeting dream after all; she hated how easily she was fulfilled by the idea that perhaps there was a chance of finding that surprisingly warm connection to him again, but worse was that she knew there was no turning back from those feelings now that he had unleashed them.

"Let's find the Moshae," Ryder said weakly, hoping she wasn't blushing too furiously.

"You have found her," a familiar voice preceded the woman herself, emerging from the inner chambers.