Sara checked her omni-tool for the fourth time in ten minutes. Her Angarian contact Shena was late. Kadara wasn't the nicest of places to be stuck waiting for someone. She leans against the bar, dragging her nails through her long blonde hair, her ice-blue eyes staring bored as she sees the drunk Krogan move away from his drink.

"Hey!" Umi the bar's owner shouts as he turns from her. "You order, you pay," she demands.

The Krogan half turns around but sways as he does. "Piss off," he grumbles. Umi growls at him, the Asari was far from impressed.

"Pay up, Krogan," she says one last time. The Krogan was ready to punch her from across the countertop, though her Asari blade stabbing through the wooden bar top quickly changes his mind. He pulls his omni-tool out, paying her and stumbles away.

Ryder just shakes her head and turns to look out at Kadara. It was a beautiful planet, though it had horrid people living there. One side had the Outcasts, run by Sloane Kelly who was behind the uprising back on the Nexus and more hot-headed than Ryder herself. Then there was the Collective, near the opposite to Sloan and her thugs. The leader was only known as the Charlatan, no one knows who she, he or they were.

The Outcasts run Kadara port, after taking it from the native Angara. Fights happened constantly with them both and the Collective either protecting the Angara or just pissing off the Outcasts. Sloan wasn't a woman many liked to annoy. Though the Charlatan seems to get a rise out of doing so.

"You look like you're waiting for someone," a drop-dead gorgeous voice calls from behind her. Ryder rolls her eyes, this was the second time she'd have to tell some drunken fool to leave her alone.

She turns around to lock eyes with the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Her eyes pop out, her lips run dry and her palms go sweaty. It could be the horrid heat on the planet. The man was taller than her, a good four or five inches taller. He had neat swept black hair, shaven well at the sides. Dark brown, almost golden eyes and his face was just... gorgeous.

He doesn't wait for her to respond, patting his gloved hands on the bar for Umi to get them two drinks. He extends one to her, Ryder looks between him and the drink. His skin was just perfect a hot tanned colour, she thought. Then nearly slapped herself.

"Pathfinder, he is waiting," her AI best friend SAM calls from their private channel. Ryder quickly grabs the drink, licking her lips before speaking.

"I've got time for a drink," she says in her coolest voice. The man smirks as they both down the dry Whiskey. Ryder had to cough back the taste, punching her throat and instantly burning.

The man places the cup down, closing his eyes before extending a hand and speaking. "Shena, but you can call me Reyes. I hate code names," he says. Ryder raises a brow at him, well he definitely wasn't Angaran.

"Sara Ryder," she says, accepting his handshake. "I was expecting someone more... Angaran," she points out. Reyes smirks again, he turns towards the balcony overlooking Kadara.

"I supply the resistance with information... amongst other things," he quietly adds. Sara rolled her eyes, he loved himself so much.

"So you're a smuggler?" she asks, leaning against the railing.

"I'm a great many things," he shoots back. Leaning in next to her, their elbows brush together. Sara moves up slightly. "I'm here to tell you about your man Vehn Terev. Sloan has him locked up and well, she's a woman of the people."

Sara rolls her eyes, sighing to herself. "I'm a woman of the people, I can biotically punch a Krogan into next week," she confidently says. Reyes laughs, he then truly looks at her. Their eyes stay locked, not blinking. Then Ryder realizes she's gawking so she looks outside.

"Well, word spread about what he did to Moshae Sjefa. They are calling for his head, Sloan will follow through with it soon enough. Evfra wants him alive." Sara nodded, Evfra was pissed when the Moshae forced him to give up all the intel on Vehn and Kadara. Though, Sara had pointed out she's been constantly upfront with him and Angara, even telling him about SAM in a gesture of gaining trust.

"I need to get him out," Sara says. Reyes scratches his freshly shaven chin.

"She won't make it easy." Sara grins from ear to ear.

"I'm taking him whether she likes it or not," she says with confidence. Reyes chuckles at her, leaning in close to whisper.

"We are going to be friends, you and I," he says. Sara felt her spine chill as she leaned back away from him. Reyes taps the metal pole before pointing at her. "You work Sloan, I'll contact the resistance." He begins to walk away.

Ryder quickly turns around to try not to stare at his ass. "How do I contact you if things go south?" Reyes doesn't even reply, he just winks at her and walks off. "This fucking guy," she mumbles.

She is about to leave as well before Umi stops her. "Hey, you gotta pay." Ryder just grumbles to herself as she pulls her omni-tool up.

"Cheap ass," she mumbles. "Keep the change," she added louder.

"Always do," Umi shoots back. Ryder leaves the bar, heading through the stalked buildings and pop up shops towards Outcast HQ.

"SAM, what do we know about Sloan?" There was a pause as her AI got up Sloan's profile.

"Before the Nexus uprising. Sloan Kelly had served in the Alliance, she served with a near-perfect record." Ryder walks past a load of humans arguing with Outcast guards about some protection fees. She doesn't give it much thought.

"Why near?" she asks.

"Sloan had a problem with following some direct orders. She played a key role in the uprising before she was head of Nexus security." Ryder nods to herself. Make sense of how security had dropped so quickly when the uprising began. "Pathfinder, may I ask you a question?" Ryder hums to herself for him to ask it. "When you first met Reyes, your heart rate elevated and you became what humans call 'flustered'. Are you sexually attracted to him?"

Ryder almost choked on the air she breathed. She was nearly at the doors to the HQ and didn't want to have this conversation in front of people. "No... I don't know SAM. It's hard to explain, you were right. I was flustered, but I've got it under control," she explains. SAM pauses for a moment, he seems to understand the question was a bit too intrusive.

"I understand, Pathfinder. Thank you for clarifying." Ryder stops at the doors.

"No problem, buddy," she replies. Ryder hated SAM when she first met him, he was the reason she lost her job. But after her father's death and SAM being transferred to her, she became closer to him. They are both physically connected and only death can part them. He soothed her through much of the loneliness with her dad dying on their first mission here. Her mother died six hundred years ago in the Milky Way and her twin brother was currently stuck in a coma on the Nexus.

Ryder walks through the old, rusted doors to the HQ. Two Krogan bodyguards stood outside. "Wait, name," one demanded.

"Sara Ryder, human Pathfinder. I need to see Sloan." The Krogan pushes her up against the wall. "Hey, watch it, buddy," she shouts.

"Arms up, need to search you," he orders. Sara sighs but does as he asks. He quickly pats her down. There was a no-weapon rule unless you were an Outcast, so Sara had left all her weapons on the Tempest. Her biotics and SAM were all she could use to protect herself. "Follow me, no funny business or you'll be dead."

"Hmf," she replies. She's led inside to Sloan's throne room. It was a wide office, a bar in the corner and some ugly chair right in the middle where Sloan sits. Two more human officers are inside and a Turian stood right next to Sloan. He looked very protective of her.

"Concentrate attacks here and here. The Kett have been quiet for too long," she says as she swipes her terminal to shut it down. She leans over her seat, looking at Ryder as she's pushed with a gun to her back. "What do you want?" She then clocks who it is. "What brings a Pathfinder to our humble port?"

"Nice throne, should I curtsy?" Ryder mocks. Sloan rolls her eyes, waiting for an answer as to why she's here. "Vehn Terev, you have him. I want him back so the resistance can correctly charge him."

Sloan brings one foot to her seat, leaning back as she rests her elbow on it. "What is he to you? And don't lie," she adds.

Ryder uncrosses her arm. "Just point to where you've got him. Do you really want this trouble?" Sloan sits forward.

"You won't give me any trouble," she says as she waves for her Turian guard to move Ryder out. He approaches with his gun pinned to her. Sara's fight or flight mode kicked in and she easily disarmed and aimed the gun back at him. He puts his hands up and backs away. Sloan pulls her own gun out. "Drop it now!" she screams. Her guards all pointed their rifles at Ryder. She placed a biotic barrier behind her. Sloan would die before they shot Ryder anyway.

"You first," Sara calmly says. Sloan pauses for a moment, lowering her gun partly and narrowing her eyes.

"Get out," she demands. Ryder starts to back away.

"Gladly," she mumbles. She keeps her gun on her until she's finally out. "Fuck, that didn't go as planned." The guards all came to cover their HQ, Ryder quickly walks away.

"Maybe Reyes had better luck," SAM points out. Ryder hoped it did. She walked back towards the bar until someone called her over. Reyes stood behind a shop, waving her over.

"Have a nice chat?" he laughs as he crosses his arms over his chest. Ryder leans on her hip.

"Bitch nearly shot me," she shot in annoyance.

Ryder just laughs, then passes Ryder a metal door hacker. "I've got this that will eat through whatever they're keeping him in. You just need to sneak in, a cruiser will be waiting to pick Vehn up and take him to Aya."

"I guess we make a good team," she says as she looks at the device. Reyes smirks at her. "Though there is the issue with the tab you left me with."

He places a hand on her shoulder, but she brushes it off. "I promise to be the perfect gentleman. Come to Tartarus when you're done. I might have some work that will help you win favours here. I have a private room." He all but whispers that part.

"Drinks on you then?" she asks as he brushes past her to leave. He only winks at her again before swaying off. "His ass," she mumbles to herself. Slapping herself awake she rushes off to get to the cells. She was somewhat excited to see Reyes again, he was a massive sleaze bag, but she had a stupid thing for bad boys. Though it never did end well with her and her many exes.

A/N: Hi guys, welcome to my ReyesxRyder fanfic. Hope you're liking it so far. I don't really know what the outcome of this story will be. I'm just following the storyline for now, but I'd like to add some more scenes for the long gap between settling Kadara and finding Meridian. Let's see where this takes us.