"Excellent work on Aya, Pathfinder!"

Why was it that Sara hated coming back to the Nexus? Was it Tann? It was Tann.

"Thanks," she muttered. "There was talk of embassies."

"Yes, Lieutenant Harper already informed me of that," the salarian replied.

"She did?" She would. "What did she say?"

"We've agreed to make space on the Nexus for angaran diplomats in exchange for similar treatment on Aya," Tann recited it in a way that made Sara wonder about the number of conversations that took place before she stepped into his office. "We hope to share in their knowledge of this galaxy and offer them our expertise in diplomacy from working alongside multiple species and cultures in the Milky Way."

Bullshit. That was a load of absolute bullshit. What Tann wanted was their planets and resources and all he really had to offer was warm feelings tied up with vague language in return. If Sara felt like being honest, the one thing the Initiative could actually provide the angara with, was more bodies to use against the kett. She didn't imagine the spin of, 'Why Murder Known Stuff in the Milky Way, When You Can Murder New Things in Andromeda' was what was used as a sign on ploy so long ago by the higher ups.

"Did Lieutenant Harper also inform you that we're going to Kadara, next?" Sara asked.

"Kadara?" So Tann had heard of it. "Why?"

"For diplomacy." Sara was good and did not add a flourish with her fingertips.

His pleasant veneer wavered. "Let me assure you whatever honeyed promises that riffraff may have given you will ultimately prove treacherous."

"That's what the angarans told me, too." She nodded. "But they need me to track someone down."

"I really don't think it's wise to risk our only Pathfinder for a show of good faith-"

"It's about more vaults," Sara told him. "There's a master switch that should simplify the terraforming process and possibly make it galaxy wide."

"I see." That shut him up. He stared at her with those large, glossy eyes unblinking. "That Spectre, Avitus Rix, was hoping to speak with you the next time you returned here," Tann said finally. "He's been following leads on Ark Natanus nonstop since his arrival."

"Yeah?" Sara smiled in spite of the company. It was nice to be caught off guard with a welcome surprise. "Absolutely. Where can I find him?"

"In the commons, just outside the docks." Tann grimaced. "The original blueprints were for a cafe, but somehow it got turned into a bar that proprietors are calling, 'Vortex'."

She nodded. "I could use a drink."

"Of course."

Sara didn't move to leave. "Hey, quick question."

"Yes?" Tann's voice maintained its chipper pleasantness, but his face had already moved on.

"Do you know if there's been any complaints about aftereffects of cryostasis?" she asked.

He paused only a second, but it was a second that SAM noted as significant. "There are always those who would complain if given the opportunity." Tann waved a hand and settled behind his desk. "I would think with all your visits to the med bay, you would be more knowledgeable about any cryo sickness than I would be."

She hadn't said it was a sickness. Sara smiled tightly. "Thanks for your time."

With that morsel of information secured, Sara did the responsible thing: she had SAM run a search and then download any medical files in the Nexus database that involved sickness or changes in relation to cryostasis. Grievous security breach and countless privacy laws disregarded (if they even still applied in this galaxy,) and then Sara made her way to Vortex and Avitus Rix.

Regrettably, Tann was right. She could immediately see what he meant about "supposed cafe." Small tables lined the walls of the little hole, while club music blared to the point of popping out of speakers built too small to contain the noise. A chirpy asari bartender egged on her grouchy human counterpart with more than enough enthusiasm for the both of them. The man appeared almost inconvenienced by Sara as she hovered by the bar area and he grew even more persnickety when she caught sight of Avitus in the corner and left without ordering.

"How's life on the Nexus been treating you?" she asked him as she plopped down in the seat next to him.

"Quiet," Avitus replied. "I don't like it."

"Tann said you wanted to see me," Sara told him. "Can't imagine it was just out of boredom."

"There's more than enough political intrigue and power struggles here to keep me busy. If I was still a Spectre, that is." He chuckled softly and flicked at the little straw in his drink. "But I can't care about any of that. Citadel, Nexus... the faces change, but the bullshit stays the same."

"Political intrigue?" Maybe she laughed a little too loudly for the serious expression on his face. "Tann couldn't maneuver his way out of his own cloaca."

That earned her a snort from the turian. "He doesn't have to if everyone's lined up for a seat inside. But that's not important."

Sara leaned in so as to not shout over the music. "Have you found anything on the missing arks?"

"Not anything I want." Avitus plucked the straw up and abandoned it on a napkin. He adopted a grim countenance as he finished his drink. "Scavengers on Elaaden have been found with Natanus debris."

"Any turian survivors?"

His mouth twisted. "Unlikely. Most of the scavengers are krogan. Since the Nexus uprising, I guess they've decided Elaaden is their new home."

Sara didn't even blink now when someone passed her information that they assumed was common knowledge. Kadara. Elaaden. And yet she was considered the first contact. Avitus didn't need to hear her grousing, so she kept her face neutral. "So, you're going to Elaaden, then?"

"I was hoping you would," Avitus said. "You have the Tempest and more resources. Plus your SAM might spot things both of us would miss."

Like how SAM was insisting that between both time sensitive tasks, it was more important to locate the traitor with intel on the enemy's ship than countless turian civilians? Sara shook her head. "I'm obligated to head to Kadara, first. Would you want to wait for me, or go ahead without?"

"I can't wait." He looked like he wanted to. Or maybe what he really wanted was to drag her along kicking and screaming. "If some of that debris are stasis pods, I can't just leave them there until they lose power."

"Outside of going, is there any other way I can help?"

"Get me there," Avitus said without hesitation. "I've been stranded on the Nexus since you got me off Havarl. I need a ship, a pilot, anything."

"I'll see what I can do." Sara nodded. "I haven't looked at a map, who knows, it might be on the way."

"Maybe." The tone was practiced. If SAM hadn't detected Avitus' muscles contracted like tightly wound coils ready to spring into action, she could have easily mistaken him for agreeable.

"Come with me back to the Tempest," she suggested as she stood. "We can look at the galaxy map, see how to get you there. One of my crew is a krogan exile, maybe he'll want to tag along or offer some insight."

Avitus was to his feet in an instant, but the invitation seemed to do the trick and he had legitimately relaxed. "Sounds good. I'll owe you one for this, Ryder."

Sara smirked. "Two now, after Havarl."

"Sure, sure," he snorted. "But who's keeping count?"

"Not me. That's what SAM's for."

She left Vortex with Avitus and headed directly for the docks. In the past, Sara would comm everyone to make sure they were all ready to board and leave at the same time, but now she didn't bother. Peebee and Drack would never answer and if she got through to anyone at all, they would inevitably tell her that Cora had already reached out with a departure time of approximately fifteen minutes earlier than the one Sara had in mind. It was a bit freeing to just say fuck it, excluding the knowledge that she had no guarantee that anyone would fall in line and follow her to wherever she chose to fuck off to.

"That's her? That's the Pathfinder?"

"Please don't embarrass me-"

"Ryder! Pathfinder Ryder!"

Vetra stood by the Tempest's gangplank and shook her head into a hand while another turian flailed her arms at Sara. She shot a glance to Avitus who shrugged.

"Ryder, wow," the turian was saying as she ran up to Sara and offered her hand. "This is so cool, Vetra's told me all about you- I didn't realize you were so short!"

"I'm pretty average for a human..." Sara took the girl's hand and was rewarded with a shake powerful enough to give her whiplash.

Vetra groaned. "Sid, that's enough-"

"Shoot, that's right! Sid! I'm Sid, Vetra's sister, Sid."

"Kid sister, right?" Sara said, giving only a minimal attempt to hide her smirk.

"Yeah." Sid nodded. "How'd you guess? Wait, are you a kid sister, too?"

"No."

"That's enough, Sid." Vetra stepped in between them. "The Pathfinder is very busy, and your lunch break is nearly over."

"Yeah, yeah. I've got plenty of time." Sid waved her sister off, but took a few steps away from the ship.

"Nice to finally meet you," Sara offered.

"Yeah?" That got a grin from Sid as the girl began to casually trot away. "I usually comm Vetra, but maybe we'll have to keep in touch now, too?"

Sara couldn't hold back the smirk anymore. "Maybe."

As the girl disappeared, Avitus chuckled. "Kid's a long way from Palaven."

"So are you," Vetra snapped.

"I didn't mean anything by it-"

"Then I'd drop it," she replied. She turned to Sara. "See you onboard."

"Sure," Sara called to Vetra's retreating form. She shrugged a shoulder at Avitus who just stood there and frowned at everything.

Things reliably did not go as smoothly as Sara had planned them in her head. One glance at her salarian pilot and she could see he was having apoplectic fits over attempting to work out the logistics.

"No, no, no," Kallo was saying. "Eos is on the way to Elaaden. Elaaden is not on the way to Kadara."

"It is if we stop there first," Sara replied. It earned her a glare.

"Why don't we just go there first?" Cora asked. "I would think it would be a clear indicator of our intentions in this galaxy if we sought to help civilians immediately."

"We don't know what the debris is, exactly-"

"No! We need to find the traitor," Jaal insisted.

"Is that because of his potential information or because of what he did to your Moshae?" Liam wanted to know.

That got a derisive laugh from Jaal. "Does it matter?"

And Sara could remember a time she bemoaned no one utilizing the meeting room. She smoothed her hair back away from her face.

"I'm going to Kadara," Sara told them. "It makes the most sense."

Cora's smile was so tight it was going to split her face in half. "Don't you think as Pathfinder-"

"I am the Pathfinder," Sara snapped. "Meridian means a future for everyone, turians included. If you feel that strongly about it, Avitus could use help on Elaaden."

"I just-" Cora shook her head, fashionably lopsided fringe sweeping across her one cheek as she did so. "No. I go where you go."

"I could use a small team," Avitus said. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "If anyone is willing to let me borrow them."

Sara turned to Drack, who up until that point appeared to be trying his damndest to nap. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Drack?"

"Elaaden," he grumbled. "No thanks."

"What?" That was unexpected. "But isn't that the krogan exile stronghold?"

He scoffed. "Who cares? You're going to Kadara."

"Yeah..." Vetra sidled up next to him. "I've got a few business associates on Kadara. I could certainly use this old codger while I square up a couple of things."

"I'll go to Elaaden," Liam announced. "Because somebody needs to." The way he stared past Sara made her wonder if he really wanted to do it or was anticipating that she'd argue the decision. He stood up for good measure, so that the lighting along the wall backlit a halo around him for his sacrifice.

"Okay." Sara turned to everyone else.

Peebee twisted her mouth. "Yeah, I'll go too," she sighed. "Going through debris will be a good test run for POC."

As Sara opened her mouth, Cora cut in. "Great, we have our teams." She nodded at everyone. "Dismissed."

Huh. Everyone was already dispersing by the time Cora had issued the command, but still. Sara gave her second a gesture that only moderately resembled a salute and chased after Peebee.

"So, POC is..?" she began after she trailed the asari to the escape pod.

"You met her." Peebee pointed a thumb to the Observer bot. "POC just sounded cuter than Proof of Concept."

"And Kalinda?" Sara asked as she shared a look with POC. Not that POC had eyes to look back. "Feel like talking about her?"

Peebee gave a flippant shrug. "Not sure what there is to talk about. I knew Kalinda for about fifty years prior to Andromeda so yeah, maybe I rushed into things, but that's just me."

"Fifty years is rushing?" Sara snorted.

"When you live for a thousand years, Ryder, people come and people go," Peebee declared. "Salarians have died in the time it's taken me to choose an outfit. Entanglements are silly."

"When you say it like that, I feel like I'm talking to myself," Sara replied. "Did Dr. T'Perro peg you as having daddy issues, too?"

Peebee shook her and laughed. "The only thing Dr. T'Perro wants to peg is Nakmor Drack."

"What? Really?"

"Oh boy and here I just thought you were turning a blind eye to be polite."

"Guess I was too busy making my own entanglements." The comment was meant to be sarcastic, but fell flat almost as quickly as Sara said it. She flicked at one of POC's tentacles. "You really want to go to Elaaden without me?"

"I can't put POC through her paces on Kadara surrounded by a bunch of people." Peebee paused for effect before she mock gasped. "Ryder! Are you saying you'll miss me?"

If she was fishing for embarrassment, she was using the wrong bait. Sara lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah. I'll have to stand on my own two feet now without you there to save my ass."

"You'll be fine," Peebee sighed. "People underestimate you a lot, I think. That's a failing of theirs, not yours and you'd be wise to use it to your advantage."

"When you say it like that..." Sara let the words trail to imply that there was a clever end to the phrase that she had not yet thought up. It didn't work and Peebee just stared her down. "Okay, sure, maybe you have a point."

"I do!"

"Which is?"

Peebee stuck out her tongue and just like that, whatever glimmer of wisdom she had disappeared into the organized chaos of the escape pod. "Fuck if I know, Ryder. If you want something spoon fed, talk to Harper. I've got my own shit to sort."

"Okay, okay." Sara backed out of the chamber that led to the pod until she was standing in the central hallway. "I'll leave you to it. Try not to have too much fun without me."

"Or!" Peebee declared. "I will have all of the fun, of which I will describe to you in gratuitous detail over drinks the next time we meet up."

Sara shook her head. "You know what? That actually sounds pretty good."

"I thought so!" The asari said, grinning broadly as she shut the door.

Sara had to laugh as she slouched off. She needed to learn what the weather was like on Kadara so that she could dress appropriately and avoid another sweaty wardrobe snafu like on Aya.