Chapter 4 – When Loyalty is not Enough

After a lot of back and forth, Zack was able to finish all the planetary scans he was originally assigned. They went through without a hitch. In turn, he was assigned more planetary scans by Tann. At least this would leave a lot of room to maneuver for whatever TIUO came up with. Still, he wasn't going to win any 'hearts and minds' by scanning random planets in the middle of nowhere. Something would have to be his claim to fame.

Zack was interested in recruiting additional squad mates, but wasn't given any dossiers by TIUO. The Ryders had suggested a few candidates, and Zack firmly declined. The Ryders had also suggested the defective sniper rifle, and Sarah left those standing in line images up for weeks in Pathfinder Hall. If those suggested candidates were so good, the Ryders could onboard them for themselves. In the meantime, it was just Killal and Sleeze.

It was soon time to pick up his new-esque ship. Zack had finally settled on a name. His newly refurbished ship would be known as the Vagabond. Killal and Sleeze both disliked the name, but it wasn't their ship. Vagabond he said, and Vagabond it would be. Good guns, good crew capacity, good squad mate capacity, extremely understaffed, and so on. Sleeze actually liked the way it handled, which didn't hurt anything. And it had nice guns-enough to take down a mid-sized Kett combat ship. It was not as stylish or as agile as the Tempest, which the Ryders used, but it didn't need to be. The Vagabond was ready, and it was time to make a name for her.

Sleeze docked the Humane Trap in the hold. The Vagabond was ready for her maiden voyage. It could go to the systems marked for scanning, but that could be done later. In the meantime, it was time to make some money. Zack purchased the Vagabond and its refurbishment with non-Initiative funds. Merchants would take non-Initiative funds as quickly as any other, but the Initiative would have no idea how he got the credits to buy and repair a decent sized ship. To be fair, Zack didn't know how he got the TIUO got the credits to give him, but Zack spent them just the same. Killal had no love to the Initiative, and Sleeze could be bought into silence through various means. But Tann or the Ryders would want more information on the budget, and that was unacceptable.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel: in an attempt to get Kadara to stop robbing the Nexus, Tann had introduced privateering to Andromeda. Many citizens – including the Pathfinders – were legally licensed to loot Kett ships. In turn, they were permitted to sell the spoils to the Nexus. A dangerous job, but potentially a rewarding one. Especially if you have a ship with good weapons and good sensors. The Ryder twins scoffed at privateering, seeing it as regressive and barbaric, but there was no reason to listen to a bunch of nepotistic hires anyway.

So, to create the illusion of legitimacy, it was time to loot some Kett. And with all that military access to intelligence, finding good targets was easy pickings.

"Salvo one! Grazing hit!" yelled Killal. He really enjoyed being gunner far too much.

"Moving to a good position to get a good broadside hit," said Sleeze.

"Salvo two! Kett freighter KIA!" Killal said.

Killal had a tendency to blow up freighters, and fully destroyed freighters could not be looted. Still, the revenue had been sweet. The loot from the Kett freighters was always interesting: weapons, ammunition, fighter parts, weird syringe-like objects, and more. Regardless, it sold. The Nexus and the colonies were hungry for Kett salvage. And Zack was hungry for money. It wasn't long before he made enough money privateering to cover the cost of his ship. Then he went back to Kadara to purchase a refurbished Kett technical, similar to the one he rented before. The crew decided to name it the Zucchini. A crap name, but it made the crew happy. Zack traveled around the settlements, purchasing weapons that weren't awful. The credits were coming in.

Until Killal Nao decided to leave.

"Look, I like you, I'm loyal to your cause, but I want to take a break," Killal said.

"You're not that loyal if you need a break," Zack said.

"Wolfe, I'm just tired. Nothing personal," Killal said.

"I'm taking it personal, Killal. And I want to make more money. What will change your mind?" Zack said angrily.

"I guess if you were able to win my dedication, I would be less likely to bounce," Killal said.

So, Zack had loyalty, but he did not have Killal's dedication. How could he win Killal's dedication? He sat in the galley and spoke to him. Why was he getting tired of killing Kett? Was he still disappointed with Gehtyu Fof? Was there anything else that Zack needed to know? Zack was fishing for information, and coming up with nothing. Killal could be a very opaque volus.

Zack decided to take a more relaxed mission profile, and returned to doing his planetary scans. Rather than viewing this as a break, it seems to further frustrate Killal. Zack was unsure what the deal was. But a break did not seem to be the solution. There had to be another approach, but what was it?

Zack remained observant. He was confident he would find a way win Killal's dedication. But what would it be? He sat in the mess hall with a meal. Come to think of it, this whole skeleton crew thing was getting tiring, and hiring a cook would be great. The prepackaged field meals were a bit gross. He looked up at the screen in the mess hall that was playing the news. Zack nearly dropped his spoon.

"We would like to congratulate the Ryder twins, the best Pathfinders in Andromeda! They have just successfully hit a Kett military settlement and greatly reduced Kett presence in system!" some Asari on the screen said.

Those pretentious assholes, Zack thought. He picked up his spoon and returned to his meal. Killal then barged into the mess hall. He looked frustrated.

"Look at those pricks! Why aren't we doing things like that? We are running around the middle of nowhere scanning planets that no one will care about!" Killal shouted.

"We'll do something like that then."

Zack walked up to the CIC. The mechanics on Eos had down a good job refitting the ship, but the lack of crew was bringing down his spirits. At least he had a lead on securing Killal's dedication.

"Sleeze! Bring up the star charts. We're looking for Kett bases," Zack said as he entered the CIC.

"Can do, Wolfe!" Sleeze responded.

The Nexus's military intelligence was never perfect, but it was pretty good at finding medium to large scale Kett installations. Zack looked at the diagrams. There were many bases. It had to be close enough to be a threat, far enough away to not draw attention, and -most importantly-had to be larger than the base the Ryders hit. It was definitely not one-upmanship; it was asserting his dominance as a Pathfinder.

And then... the perfect target. A Kett observation post in the Togassen star system. Zack wouldn't miss out on privateer income if the base were destroyed, and he would be able to get away if things went sour. A bit out of the way: Kett would be slow to reinforce it. The Pathfinders hadn't targeted it because they thought it wasn't a threat. To be honest, the observation post probably wasn't a threat. Zack took a glance over the intel logs. The observation post may not be an immediate threat, but perhaps it could be an immediate path to glory. There was just one problem: he had no idea how to assault a Kett base.

Kett were wily bastards in regards to base design. Sometimes they used fancy shields, sometimes they did not. Sometimes they used elevators and sometimes they used large ramps. Regardless, that base was going to the way of the dodo, and Zack was deploying intel drones to capture footage to give to the press.

"Sleeze! Is the Humane Trap ready?" Zack shouted. Under Nexus law, he was not permitted to rename the ship. Tann apparently named it that for some reason. Prick.

"Yes sir! The Vagabond will remain in orbit on autopilot."

"Killal! Are you ready!"

"Ready, Wolfe! Let's kill some Kett!

A short time later, they were aboard the Humane Trap en route to the mission. Zack went to his omni-tool. The drones were ready. It was time to prove his mettle. And the Ryders would not be able to interfere this time. The base was still a good few hundred thousand kilometers out, but his heart was pumping. Battle fever. His body was getting ready to fight. Sleeze appeared a bit nervous. Killal was thrilled. Zack felt somewhere in between. Was he excited or anxious? He couldn't be sure, but either way, the fight was coming.

Sleeze landed them about half a kilometer away from the base. According to Nexus intel, the Kett had approximately somewhere between 30 and 50 soldiers in and around the base. The base did not have any mechanism only communicated with Kett command regularly. The only radio sent by the base were to deliver intel data packets once every two weeks or so. Other than that, the base maintained radio silence. Apparently the Kett were trying to hide this observation post, and apparently it hadn't worked. He motioned Killal to advance on the base, and started walking with his sniper in hand.

This was not the Pathfinder hand-me-down sniper rifle, mind you. This was one he purchased from a reputable Angaran arms dealer. It was a Kett model, and it worked beautifully. There were two Kett patrols circling the base. Standard foot soldiers, nothing special.

"Alright, Killal, you ready?" Zack asked over the radio.

Killal looked at him and nodded.

Zack looked down the sights fired. Miss. Fuck! The Kett looked alerted. Zack aimed down the sights, took a deep breath, and fired again. One down. Zack lifted his face away from the scope, and saw Killal running towards the Kett that remained. Zack took aim again, and saw Killal lighting two of the three remaining Kett on fire. At least he was in full space apparel, and wouldn't get a whiff of that horrid smell. Zack fired again, and took down the last Kett. He radioed Killal.

"Killal? All clear?"

"All clear, Wolfe! The road is clear to the base!" Killal yelled into the radio. Killal was as happy as ever.

"Any signs of shields or alarms?"

"Nope! We still got them by surprise- "Something cut Killal off.

At that, lights on the base began blaring in the distance. Kett shuffled out of the base. A lot of Kett. He and Killal had more than enough firepower to neutralize a few Kett, but not dozens at a time. One of the things they planned to avoid was a large Kett counterattack. All that Kett standing in rank in front of the base looked a lot like a large Kett counterattack.

Zack called the Humane Trap over the radio.

"Sleeze, can you tell me anything?" Zack asked.

"Some kind of alarm went off! A Kett warship has responded, but I don't know what they said. Either way, it'd take them some time to get here."

"How much time, Sleeze?" Zack asked again.

"I don't know, Wolfe," Sleeze replied in a worried tone.

"Give me something I can work with, Sleeze," Zack said, looking downrange at the enemy.

"Best guess, we have to be out of the star system in 3 hours," Sleeze replied.

Well, shit.

"Sleeze, can you find an LZ for the Humane Trap! Seems we have to abort," Zack said.

"Can't sir! A few anti-air emplacements went online around the base, and I have to back off! You have to take one of them out so I can pick you up! Marking it on your map!" Sleeze said.

Zack began to break out in a cold sweat. This was not going well. Time to change the mission parameters. Zack switched his radio channel.

"Killal! We need to change objectives!" Zack said.

"We are kickin' ass Wolfe!" Killal said, somehow ignorant to the situation.

"A Kett warship is on its way here! We got to go, Killal!" Zack said, concerned.

"Let stay and beat these pricks, Wolfe!" Killal said, tenaciously.

"Killal, we got to go!" Zack insisted.

"Fine, I'll withdraw like some pansy ass with you!" Killal said, frustrated.

The two of them began advancing towards one of the AA emplacements. A wave of Kett reinforcements was following them at a distance. They were well out of range, but they could easily close the distance if he and Killal were pinned down. They both had explosives – they originally planned to blow up the observation post, after all – but the mission had changed.

After about 30 minutes of a rapid on-foot advance, they closed in on the AA emplacement. During the movement, Sleeze had assured him that this AA emplacement needed to be destroyed. If they could do that, the Humane Trap would be able to pick them up. The AA emplacement was only about half a kilometer away when a Kett transport flew overhead, dropping several Kett around the AA emplacement. The Kett had figured out what he and Killal were doing, and were cutting him off.

Something blocked out the starlight for an instant. Zack thought for a second, and then realized what was going on. Something else had just flown overhead. Zack looked around.

The Tempest.

Fuck.

The Nomad flew out of the cargo hold. Both of the Ryders dismounted, and rapidly advanced towards the AA emplacement. The Tempest must have been able to use its stealth tech to dodge the Kett's AA defenses. The Kett would not have enough guards to handle this two-pronged attack.

His omni tool lit up, showing a blip. The Tempest was trying to open up a channel. Zack rolled his eyes, and turned it on.

"What are you doing here, Wolfe?" Scott Ryder yelled over the radio.

"Taking out this AA emplacement!" Zack replied defiantly.

"Advance, and we'll take it out!" Sara said.

It only took about 5 minutes to take out the recently deployed Kett. The Kett tried to deploy a second wave of reinforcements to the AA emplacement with their transport, but it was too late. The charges were set, and both parties were clearing the blast zone. The second wave of Kett reinforcements landed just in time to be incinerated by the explosion.

About five minutes later, Zack and the Ryders were standing around the conference table on the Tempest. They were heading towards the Vagabond, and still had some time. An Asari approached the table. She looked like... a reporter? What the fuck?

"Hello, Pathfinder Wolfe! I believe this is the first time we've met! I'm Keri T'Vessa, a reporter for the Nexus!" She activated her camera drone. "Please introduce yourself for the camera."

"Hello, my name is Pathfinder Wolfe. I was recently promoted into the Pathfinder program."

"Pathfinder Wolfe, how does it feel to be heroically saved by the Ryder twins? Isn't good to be rescued from your own incompetence by such amazing people who keep the Nexus safe?" the Keri continued.

"Uhhhh…" Zack said. He was caught a bit off guard. This reporter was not holding back.

"Pathfinder Wolfe, according to Nexus finance records, you are the greatest privateer on the Nexus. Why were you assaulting this Kett outpost?" Keri continued.

The greatest privateer on the Nexus? Impressive, Zack thought.

"The elimination of this station will keep the Kett blind and allow for greater maneuverability for the Nexus privateering effort," Zack replied. A shameless fiction, because the truth was a bit embarrassing.

"Pathfinder Wolfe, when Tann legalized privateering, he founded a privateering tax," Keri said. Apparently she had multiple angles.

"Taxes are nothing new, Keri," Zack replied cautiously.

"Yes, but this tax is unique. There is a blanket tax for the Nexus, but then there is a 2.5% revenue tax which goes directly to Director Tann himself. Do you think this is a fair use of resources, when people such as yourself risk so much for the salvage? Should Tann have a personal tax when the Nexus is desperate for resources?" Keri said.

Zack did not know about this. He wasn't much of an accountant.

"That's enough, Keri," Scott Ryder said. "Return to quarters."

Keri pouted for a second, and then walked away. Not a moment too soon, either. Or was it? Scott Ryder looked concerned. Sara Ryder looked livid. Sara Ryder walked over to Zack, stared at him for a moment, and then punched him in the arm.

"What are you doing, Wolfe?!" she shouted.

"Taking out some Kett," Zack replied, doing his best to keep his tone casual.

"No, you were surrounded, and nearly got wiped," Sara shot back.

"When we signed off on your promotion to Pathfinder, this isn't what we had in mind," Scott said. Scott paused for a moment, as if he were expecting a response. Zack said nothing.

Scott and Sara were technically chief Pathfinders, in charge of the entire Pathfinder organization. That said, Pathfinders were almost fully autonomous when in the field, and choosing their own objectives was nothing new. At least for the experienced Pathfinders anyway.

"We thought you'd only be doing deep space scans. But you're privateering Kett supply lines and attacking random bases. This observation post you attacked is on the outskirts of the Heleus Cluster. What business do you have here that is so important?" Scott went on. "We thought you'd be discreet and consistent, and it turns out you're a wild card."

"We want you to know that we spoke to Tann about pulling your Pathfinder credentials, but Tann and the colonial representatives refused," Sara said. "You might have supporters, but you are on thin ice."

"It's hard to be a self-funded Pathfinder, Sarah." Zack responded. "I have to take in funds from somewhere."

"Look, we shouldn't have given you a salvage shuttle, ok?" Sarah said. "What else do you want me to say?"

"I want you to take me back to my ship. That is all," Zack replied.

"About that ship," Scott said. "It's one of the better armed ships that isn't a Kett ship." His tone was skeptical.

"Is that a compliment?" Zack asked.

"It's a bit large, considering the initial funding you were given. Who are your creditors?" Scott said.

"I don't have any creditors. I was able to pay them all back with the gains from privateering," Zack replied flatly. This was only partly true, but it was all Scott needed to know.

"Your attack was either glory seeking or desperate. Something is going on," Sara followed up.

"Look, it's been pleasant, but I'm going back to my ship now." Zack responded firmly. He was getting tired of all the Ryder's do-gooder busybody behavior.

Sara looked at Scott frustratedly, but Scott simply nodded. Zack walked away from the conference table and towards the hangar.

About an hour later, the Vagabond was underway, and well out of the Toggesan system. Zack needed a breather after all the drama, so he decided to do a few more of the scans. He had actually run behind schedule on the scans, but Tann had sent him a message that he was happy to extend deadlines as long he kept privateering. Regardless, it was best to try perform all assigned tasks. At least the Ryders would have something less to cry about.

Zack sat down in the mess hall. He drank some surplus military coffee. It was a bit gross, but at least it kept you alert. Killal walked in and sat across from him.

"Those two are total fucking tools! They act like they're better than everyone just cause the Nexus kisses their ass!" Killal shouted. "How did you put up with them?!"

Zack shrugged quietly.

"I say, we recruit up, and show them both!" Killal continued. "I know some people on Kadara who would kill to crew a ship like this one!"

At this Zack had an idea.

"Killal, are you now dedicated to the mission?"

"I am dedicated to mission, Wolfe. We need to put those nepotist babies in their place."

Zack was still frustrated, but couldn't help but to grin. Mission accomplished.