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Chapter Text

The barely audible but reassuring buzz of the Tempest's static energy recyclers echoed through the walls of the silent vessel. After the grueling day the crew had spent, everyone was still asleep: it was the first time the ship had suffered an attack from a remnant architect during its landing phase on the planet.

Khallo had to make several perilous maneuvers to try to get rid of the giant remnant but unable to do so, the Pathfinder and her team had to drop in mid-flight aboard the Nomad to face the creature on the ground. After a hard fight, Vetra, Cora, Liam and Sara had finally reset it, it was now floating in orbit around the planet Sedele in the Anasa system, while the winners were enjoying a well-deserved rest. Well almost…

- "Pathfinder, I am afraid that there is an urgent situation that requires your attention".

Sara angrily clutched the pillow on her head and grumbled: "Sam, it's only been 5 minutes since I fell asleep!"

The artificial voice of the AI insisted: "In reality, it's been more than 8h15min 12sec".

- “Maybe ... but it's not enough! And if the problem is so serious, you just have to manage ... or Cora or Vetra… but not Liam please”

-“Sara! Suvi is in great danger!”

Sam didn't need to say more, the mere mention of "Suvi" associated with the word "danger" had made Sara jump from the bed. Under the influence of adrenaline, her heart rate had accelerated, the fear that something would happen to the young scientist had erased all traces of sleep.

-How is it that she is in danger? Where is she Sam?

Sara quickly glanced around, Suvi had slept in the bedroom but the space was now empty.

- Doctor Anwar left about 20 minutes ago with Miss B’Sayle. They are currently entering the vault that you discovered yesterday after defeating the architect.

Sara put on her clothes in total panic.

-"Sam, why? We decided last night that we would try to enter in the afternoon when everyone was rested. And that we had to strengthen the team because of the strong remnant presence. Did they really go alone? They are crazy!

She shook her head. “Wake up Cora, Liam and Vetra please. I want everyone near the Nomad in a maximum of 5 minutes”.

- "It's already done, Pathfinder, the team is waiting for you".

She climbed at full speed on the bridge and entered the room where her armor and weapons were stored. Kallo was at his usual seat and trying somehow to contact the scientific officer, but the numerous interference due to the magnetism of the planet made the task practically impossible.

Sara looked at him while she was taking ammunition. She had never seen the salarian so worried. He turned his big black eyes to her: "Please bring her back ... she's my best friend."

-"I know Kallo, I will give my life to bring her back if necessary. Did she say exactly what she planned to do and why this rush? "

The pilot seemed torn between wanting to keep his friend’s secrets and wanting to talk. Then he made up his mind (after all if Suvi was in danger it was a sufficient excuse to speak).

-Yesterday when you were on the ground fighting the architect, Pebee noticed that her remnant scanner reacted oddly. She asked Suvi for help with analyzing the data and it looks like this vault is unlike any you have encountered in the Heleus sector. Suvi said that the Gamma waves were different, similar to those of the scourge; although there is no trace of the scourge here… apparently she had a theory in mind but she had to go there to check and take more precise calculations. "

The Pathfinder shook her head in spite: "This girl and her scientific experiences! if need be, I prefer that she licks rocks, instead of going to confront an army of remnants! But why didn't she tell me about it last night”?

Then she took her helmet and kicked the closet door shut. "When I tell her, she put me after her love for science ... she thinks I'm exaggerating."

Sam spoke:

-Pathfinder, it seems to me that you were already asleep when Dr. Anwar returned to your quarters. If I may say so, curiosity and impatience are an explosive mixture most of the time.

- What do you mean Sam, I'm not known for being impatient?

- No, not you, but Doctor Anwar gets along very well with Miss B’Sayle. They are two brains with remarkable intelligence; with the flaws that accompany them: curiosity and impatience that push them to ignore many deadly traps that there may be on the way.

-“Deadly trap “? Thank you Sam, always comforting words at the right time” replied Sara a bit annoyed ..." In any case, curious or impatient, I will give them both a dressing-down! "

Then she strode towards the lower deck.

Fortunately, the entrance to the vault was not far from where the Tempest had landed. Sara threw the Nomad at top speed across the muddy path.

Cora looked at her while clinging to the seat

-Sara, it is better for Suvi that we arrive alive ... otherwise we will not be able to help her! "

-I know Cora but I'm so worried, besides she barely knows how to hold a gun! How will she do it if they are both attacked and Pebee cannot protect her?”

Liam clears his throat "If that can reassure you, I say that but I don't say anything, the last time I saw her with a Carniflex, she seemed to be doing very well and ..."

Vetra glared at him signaling him to shut up. The Pathfinder took her eyes off the road and turned her gaze to the central mirror: "Why am I the last to know about this?"

Liam said nothing and pretended to adjust his gun.The Pathfinder insisted :

-“Liam don't act like you don't know anything. You can't tell me something like that and play the ignorant like when you pretend to have to make ice cubes suddenly”!

-"No need to give me that look, it was not me who offered Suvi a red carniflex and who teaches her how to shoot, each time you are on a mission".

If Vetra could blush under her bony plaques, at least it couldn't be seen; but she spoke before the Pathfinder turned to her.

-"Ryder, I know you're here to take care of Suvi. But we are in an inhospitable galaxy, there is always something that wants to kill us or eat us. Suvi wanted to be able to defend herself on her own in case of danger, and she wanted to surprise you too. She asked me to get her a gun, I had 2 Carniflex Siphon that a contact had given me against a few remnants pieces... they were almost never used ... so I gave them to her. "

-What! 2 carniflex?! But she should already know how to handle one...

- 2 because you can never be too careful! You, humans have this proverb that says "forewarned is forearmed ... right"?

- "Yeah ... but I'm not sure it's the right meaning Vetra" replied Cora.

Vetra pouted ... "Whatever! You should see her shoot. I thought it would have taken her weeks to understand the basics. Especially since she is not a woman used to wielding weapons, she did not work in the alliance like you. Well; once she understands and incorporates notions like recoil, gun weight, target speed. It looked like her brain was doing a 3-D mapping of her position relative to her target, even in motion! I don't know how to explain it Ryder. You had to see it to believe it! And I lost quite a few training drones because I had not programmed them with their shield thinking that she could never hit the mark even once. Our dear Suvi, it looked like she is playing chess and that she expects to find her target in a very precise position even when she misses, or that you think she missed! She doesn't just shoot on sight, it looks like her shots are predictive.”

Sarah gave her a skeptical look: "Predictive? Does she know in advance where she should shoot?

-Yes Ryder, she is not as fast as us ... for now ... but the accuracy of her shots is impressive, she even manages to shoot with both hands.

-You mean she is holding the weapon with both hands!

-No! One in each hand… in opposite shooting!

Sam intervened: "It seems that Dr. Anwar's brain has a rare" kinesthetic "capacity. What we call haptic sense ...»

Sara frowned: "Apti what "?

- Her brain manages to operate simultaneously and in a coordinated way the tactile and kinesthetic receptors which provide a unique perception in 3 dimensions. She can locate herself in space faster than a normal human being and being ambidextrous allows her to do so by dissociating her right from her left. Such capabilities are rather found in combat fighter pilots where the numerous maneuvers require them to be able to quickly locate themselves in a 3-dimensional plan.

Ryder sighed "well ... maybe she doesn't need to be saved after all".

Cora looked at her.

- "Sara, don't be silly! Your science doctor is a badass with a brain well formed and an angel face... You should be happy instead of being jealous”!

- "I'm not jealous of Suvi ... it's just that". The young woman turned her head away.

Vetra finished her sentence: "You think she will no longer need you, right?" 

She turned uncomfortable again: "Yeah! Something like that ...”

The AI made his voice heard again: "It turns out that Dr. Anwar, Suvi, needs you as much as you need her. Your bonds appear to me as strong, if not more, than those between your father and your mother ".

- "And Ryder ... Suvi almost sent me through the airlock because I prevented her from leaving the Tempest when the archon cut your connection with Sam in Khi Tasira. I still have traces of it on my shoulder”. Vetra showed a long scratch on the top of her armor. "So she needs you as much as you need her. I would not want to find myself facing her again, if we were to tell her that you are injured or dead "!

These few words made the young woman smile despite her worries.

They were approaching the entrance to the vault; a cold determination shone in her eyes: she was focused on one person: Suvi. She grabbed her assault rifle, jumped out of the Nomad, and ran toward the entrance of the remnant structure, her teammates following her closely. Apparently; Suvi and Pebee were able to enter the compound because apart from a few creepers corpses, there was no one outside.

Cora spoke to Sam as Sara began to decipher the door opening algorithm: "Sam, still no communication "?

-No, Lieutenant Harper. Nevertheless the vibrations that my sensors perceive indicate exchanges of fire and the presence of several heavy remnants units.

- Heavy? Like "nullifiers"?

- Heavier Pathfinder! Several nullifiers and given the rate of fire at least one destroyer.

Sara went pale. "Do you get the gunshots from Suvi and Pebee”?

-No! But if that can reassure you, the fact that the remnants shoot at something, proves that this thing is still alive, Pathfinder!

-Sam, we will have to discuss seriously about your way to reassure people "! She retorted rolling her eyes. "By the way how did they get into the vault without your help?" This door is unlike any we have encountered so far. It even takes longer to open! "

The door which stood before them was a huge circle made up of 4 panels which joined in the middle. It seemed to be made of the same component as all the structures they had visited, it differed only in its shape. And unfortunately by the time it took to open.

-"After Khi Tisira's mishap, where no one could open the door to help you because your implant had been cut. Dr. Anwar asked me to help her develop an interface that would allow the crew to enter the vault if I or the pathfinder were unable to do so. "

-You could have told me about it Sam! I'm always the last to find out about things on this ship.

-Sara, it turns out that Suivi did 90% of the work by herself based on the information provided by Peebe’s remnant scanners…

The noise of the opening door prevented any further response. The four panels moved apart to make room for a large hall, of "remnant" size in the middle of which stood a huge ring. A structure similar to the impenetrable gravity chamber they had found when entering the first vault on EOS, stood in the middle of the ring. Until now no one knew what this inaccessible well was for. The team was not given the chance to make vague speculations because the noise of the Destroyer's shooting resounded from the back of the room.

Ryder rushed in the same direction, while Cora jumped on one of the columns which surrounded the room to have a better visibility. "Ryder! I see them, they're in a sort of alcove at the back of the room. The entrance is blocked by a force field. The Remnants cannot reach them; but they can't go out either. And you're not going to like it; it’s not a Destroyer but a Progenitor like the one we fought on H-047C with his whole family of observers and nullifiers! ”

- Oh no ... I'm really unlucky ... I hate Progenitors! Liam! tell me  you installed the cobra rpg on your omni-tool?

Liam raised his thumb towards the Pathfinder.

- Of course ... for once we have access to the requisitions for the Pathfinder

- Well listen, Liam and I take care of the Progenitor by attacking from the sides. Cora and Vetra you destroy everything that prevents Suvi and Pebee from going out. We never know what this place can hide, if we ever have to run away at full speed.

Vetra who was hidden behind one of the pillars lowered her visor "Cora, I'm ready when you are".

Ryder jumped towards the Progenitor while activating Zap; the combat remnant VI that Pebee had created. It would distract the giant robot while destroying the Observers that it tirelessly created. She asked Gil to strengthen Zap's defences, each ray of energy she received maintained her own shield, making her virtually indestructible.

It took them almost 15 minutes of hard fight to bring down the turrets of the Progenitor. Sara threw it a last biotic projection in order to unbalance it while reloading her rifle. She rushed behind one of the pillars of the room to avoid the cloud of reddish energy that occurred when the progenitor exploded. Her shields were flat, it would take a few seconds for them to recharge.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Suvi and Pebee coming out unharmed from the alcove where they had taken refuge. She was about to walk towards them when a scream rang out and echoed in the room. Before she even understood the reason, Sara was thrown on one of the pillars by the impact of the rays of two nullifiers that had come out of another alcove behind her. The Pathfinder collapsed on the ground; half-struck; her shields did not have time to recharge to absorb the impact.

Cora was the first to react; she launched a violent biotic charge against the first nullifier while Vetra helped by Liam emptied her machine gun on the other. The two robots had taken refuge behind their shields, it would take a few minutes to destroy them.

Sara was trying to get up painfully when she felt behind her the burning beam of several observers. Her shields, which were only charged to 20%, would not last very long. As she tried to reactivate Zap, she saw out of the corner of her eye Suvi rushing towards her. The scientist officer jumped using her jetpack over the Pathfinder while simultaneously shooting two of the observers. These collapsed in a heap of sparks on the ground; the third did not last any longer because she emptied the magazine of her 2 weapons on it as soon as her feet had reached the ground.

She knelt near Sara, taking her hands in hers, the visor of her helmet touching that of her partner: "Are you okay?" I was really afraid for you… ”.

The Pathfinder got up painfully «Oh. I'm ok thanks. I am rather in shock”.

Pebee came running: "Suvi, what you did ... wow ... it was impressive. I never imagined that you, shy little scientist, could do something like that, you keep your cards hidden"!

- "Me neither" said Sara, crossing her arms, indicating that she was waiting for an explanation.

Suvi lowered her head while blushing "it's thanks to Vetra, I never thought I could hold a weapon in my life ... and when I saw you on the ground, I didn't think about it. You always make me want to rush into battle head down…”

Before Sara could answer anything, Pebee stood in between them: "Ok, loverbirds you will talk later. We came here to collect data on this console there. Ryder do your thing, and let's see what the scanner shows, while Suvi records the datas ".

The Pathfinder frowned pointing an accusing finger to two reckless vault raiders: "We still have a little chat to do... you and me"!

She went to the center console. "Liam! Cora! Vetra! check the room to see if there is anything interesting. And ... everyone, be ready to run away in case this place tries to kill us! "

Chapter Text

-Sam have you launched the program?

-Yes Pathfinder, the encryption used is practically the same ... except for a few characters that we have never encountered until now.

The AI voice continued: "Translation in progress... Please wait ... Integration into the database ... Please wait ... Attempt to connect ... Connection established".

Ryder looked at her teammates "Uh, Sam nothing is happening!" "

Suvi, who had approached stared at her datapad: "Wait, my counters indicate an increase in Gamma rays at the level of the ring"; she threw a startled look at Sara, while her omni-tech emitted a series of shrill beeps "Pathfinder, get away from the console!" The young woman threw herself back almost at the same time as a vortex of dark energy was powerfully released from the ring. Sara fell to the ground a few meters from Suvi, their eyes locked on the phenomenon which seemed as fascinating as it was dangerous. The ring had released a wave of energy having the appearance of a liquid of dark color with iridescent reflections, then the phenomenon returned to its initial position by filling the inside of the circle like the glass of an huge circular mirror .

Ryder, Suvi and Peebee came closer.

-Suvi, what is it according to you?

The young scientist was tapping on her datapad while trying to understand the flow of data that was displayed.

-At first sight I would say a portal, but a portal to go where ... I don't know.

-A portal ... it is made to be crossed, we only have to go and see where it leads Ryder! The young asari was about to touch the dark liquid.

The pioneer grabbed her arm: "You've really lost your mind! We're not going anywhere yet! We don't know what this thing is and if it's a portal we don't know where it leads. You will have to calm down; we cannot rush headlong without assessing the risks. "

The rest of the team came closer to contemplate the dark energy circle.

-We need to find a way to know what it is and where it leads," Liam said, crossing his arms. Then he said added with a sly little smile while looking at Peebee "As you are always ready to cross the wells, the gates ... I suggest that we put a probe on your back and that we push you inside ”! Peebee and Liam never really got along. Any verbal exchange between the two always ended in an argument.

She glared at the security officer, "Very funny Kosta! Why don't you go there yourself! So ; we’ll see if you’re the man you pretend to be! ”

Vétra refrained from laughing while emitting a small "Ouch".

Liam moved closer to Pebee.

-"You really want me to show you what kind of man I am";

The asari ostensibly eyed him from head to toe "if you were Ryder maybe ... but there is nothing about you that could interest me big boy, so you might as well avoid any disillusionment" she added, turning her back on him.

Pebee's words seemed to have achieved their goal; for Liam groaned and reached out to grab the young Asari's arm.

"Here we go !" said Vétra, leaning on one of the pillars. Sara lowered her head while pinching the bridge of her nose to try to contain her exasperation and the migraine she was pretty sure she would have if she had to dealed with Pebee and Liam.

-«ENOUGH! Shouted Cora, putting herself between the two protagonists, the blonde threatened "If you don't stop this NOW! I swear I will lock you both in one of these alcoves".

-"It's not a bad idea, after a week or two it might help them to support each other ... they say love begins with hate" Vétra said with a sneer.

Pebee scowled "Ryder, you know I came to this galaxy to discover new things. And it is not by standing there, arms crossed, that I will be able to do it. This portal has to lead somewhere and we have to find a way to get there”.

-" Yes I know”! Answered the Pathfinder firmly, "but you will not discover anything new by being killed, so you will calm down"! She looked up at the ceiling as if she was trying to see SAM. "SAM… any idea where this portal leads to"?

-"Pathfinder, in relation to energy flows there seems to be a resonance whose origin lies outside the planet, but I cannot say more without more data!»

-"Outside the planet? ..." The young woman nodded to Peebee with a look saying "You see I told you so"

Sam made his voice heard again. "Pathfinder, although the idea of specialist Kosta is highly dangerous for all organic beings, Dr. Anwar has developed a mini-probe for ground investigations, if you send it through the portal; I will be able to follow its movement and acquire the missing data ”.

Before Sara even reacted to the AI's suggestion, Suvi was already at the console activating the mini-probe. "Sam you are awesome! Why didn't I think about it? "

-"Dr. Anwar, excuse my honesty but you are more efficient when the Pathfinder is not in your immediate surroundings! Apparently her presence at your side, especially when she is wearing her armor, always causes your body temperature to rise as well as your heart rate to speed up. Your attention is mostly focused on her than on anything else. If it's any consolation, I noticed the same phenomenon in Sara, whatever your outfit Dr. Anwar! "

-"Sam, is it really necessary to talk about our private life? Sara said in a voice that pointed her frustration.

Cora put a compassionate hand on her shoulder "You know even if we don't have the exact rhythm of your heart rate when Suvi is around, there are outward signs which do not deceive ... you mumble, you repeat yourself, you're blushing… so why are you reacting as if Sam had just revealed the biggest secret ”.

Vétra joined the teasing : “And we don't even count the number of times you two shocked Khallo to the point  he had to leave the cockpit to go drink alcohol in the machine room with Gil ... Gil ?! This idea is already shocking by itself! What is really cute ... is that even after a year of" living together " they still have the same reaction ... as they did on the first day."

-"Ok ... said Sara with a sigh, I see that everyone is more focused on Suvi and me than on this damn portal ... can we go back to the main subject of the moment please? "

Suvi's face was still red from the embarrassment caused by Sam's remarks. She hastened to complete the adjustments of the drone then turned to the Pathfinder "it's ready"!

The Pathfinder spoke to Sam "Are you ready?"

-"Yes Pathfinder" .Moments later, the drone soared into the air silently surrounded by a halo of bluish energy.

-“Wait! You did not say "probe launched "? Suvi knew that Sara was teasing her, she did not bother to answer her, simply repeating the formula that had earned her jokes from the entire Tempest crew: "probe launched!".

The probe slowly approached the dark energy disc, the whole team watching the scene, holding their breath. It was now a few inches from the iridescent surface, when a tongue of energy grabbed it and made it disappear into the dark mass.

"Recovery of pending data ... please wait" Three minutes had passed and SAM had still not caught anything.

-"Sam still nothing?" asked Pebee.

-"It turns out that the probe dematerialized when it crossed the portal ... incoming data ... The probe emitted an echo ... in the vault on EOS at the very moment when we launched it here".

The Pathfinder came forward: "Sam it's impossible EOS is at the other end of the quadrant"

-"Incoming data ... ping from the probe received from the Remnant City of Khi Tasira at the same time coordinates"

Suvi looked at Sara. "Sam it's impossible, you would have to travel at a speed thousands of times higher than current FTL standards. The probe cannot be in 3 different places at the same time. There must be a variation… ”

-"Dr. Anwar, my atomic oscillator allows me to measure time with an accuracy of 1/9 192 631 770 seconds! The probe was precisely at these 2 points at the same time, down to the yoctosecond ”.

The Pathfinder raised her eyebrows and chukle "Sam, I didn't know you were so susceptible… down to the yoctosecond".

Suvi moved closer to Sara "Excuse me Sam, I didn't mean to upset you" then she turned her head while looking at the dark energy portal. "Yes, that's it! Dr. Aridana sent me her conclusions on the scourge ... the dark energy and the gamma rays that emanate from it alter the curvature of space-time, this portal is made up of dark energy … And I think it allows… time travel ”

-"It's impossible ..." said Sara softly.

-"Return of the probe to the launch coordinates ... now". The circular gate emitted a small wave of energy similar to the first one that had swallowed the probe and released the drone which seemed to be intact.

-"Sam, can we get it back, isn't it dangerous?" "

-"No, Pathfinder ... the probe is in the same state as when it left, except for the information recorded there."

Pebee approached Suvi to get a better look at the data the scientist was already uploading to her omnitech.

-"Why didn't it stay at EOS or the Remnant City? "

-"Apparently the EOS and Khi Tasira portals were not operational. The probe has therefore returned to its origin.”

Sara turned to her other teammates "I don't think we can do any more for the moment, I suggest that we get back on board the Tempest and give Sam and Suvi time to analyze all that ... I'm starving'. The whole team nodded, eager to return to the comfort of the ship. "Sam, ask Drack if he can make us a royal breakfast ... as he knows how to do it."

§§§§

A little later in the Tempête conference room…

Sara knew that Suvi and Peebee were waiting for her to speak. She lingered for a moment on the breathtaking nature she saw through one of the observation bays. "Even in beauty, there can be danger" ... she turned to look at the two young women, "You can't leave the ship without reporting it!" You have no idea how worried I was when Sam woke me up this morning. "

Suvi shyly looked up at her "You know science doesn't wait ..."

-"I know that, but you have to be more careful Suvi ... if something had happened to you in this vault ... I ..."

The Pathfinder looked away and looked at the branches of the trees that waved in the distance.

-"Ryder, that's exactly why ..." Pebee waved showing Suvi and Sara "you understand why I don't want to be in any serious relationship, I prefer to work alone, without any ties".

Sara felt the anger rising inside her "Pebee, please don't start with these nonsense:" I don't need anyone ... I work better alone”! You imagine on Pas-10 if you had been alone in this volcano after landing in the life pod. If we weren't there to destroy the pack of remnants that were waiting and if your swindler friend hadn't followed you with her shuttle, certainly you would have recovered the object but you would probably have died there! And we followed you there ! although we had no choice ... but we were there for you despite the low blow that you gave us! So please stop with this selfish functioning! We are a team, a family, friends and much more than that ... "She softened when she looked at Suvi then went on" but if you cannot take us into account in your decisions in the future, please, don't ask Suvi to come with you… ”

The young asari, lowered her head "You are right, I did not think ... I just go head down ... I'm sorry" She turned to the other scientist "Suvi I did not want to put you in danger… I'll be more careful next time. ”

Suvi gently strked her arm before she left the room "Don't worry about it Peebee, I don't hold it against you." She waited for the young Asari to leave the conference room and then approached her companion. "I'm sorry Sara, I didn't want to worry ..."

The Pathfinder took her hands in hers "Why didn't you tell me about it last night, I would never have forgiven myself if something happened to you ... it's my job to watch over you."

Suvi walked away and started pacing the room, which made Sara a little more nervous.

-"Suvi, please talk to me ..."

-"Sara, I don't know how to tell you that. I am an adult, able to make my own decisions… ”

-" But… "

-"Let me speak please ... I am an adult, I would not have come to Andromède if I knew I could not manage. It’s true that it’s cute when you put on your galaxy knight armor to save me; I’m not going to say I don’t like that. But too often I feel like a little bird in the golden cage of the Tempest I came here for science and I'm not going to be locked up while you are having fun! "

‘Fun’… Sara was still thinking about the word Suvi used. Above all, she especially did not want the conversation to worsen and end in an argument because the last time she had to sleep several nights on the couch, while Suvi barely spoke to her. She didn't even remember why exactly. It was after she understood that it was in relation to a joke that Liam had made about people who waste their time writing reports of several hundred pages on Dust. She had planned something special for the evening for herself and the young scientist. It had been several weeks since they had really had a moment together, the two of them. She didn't want to spoil the surprise.

-"Suvi, it's not" fun "what I do ... it's dangerous. But I heard what you said, I will make an effort, but next time, promise me that we will discuss it first please? "

The blonde approached her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek: "Thank you, let's meet for dinner ... I have to go to the lab to analyze all the data we got with Sam and Peebee".

Ryder sighed "Go on, go find your first love ...". She was about to leave the conference room when Sam's voice broke the silence.

-"Pathfinder, you have a holo call on hold ..."

-"Who is this Sam?" "Said the young woman, frowning " If it's Tann, you can direct the call to the unwanted "!

-"It's your mother Sara ..."

Sara hastily walked over to the console "Tell me she’s okay Sam…" concern could be heard in her voice.

-"The treatment started 2 months ago by the Angaras and Dr. Carlisle seems to have erased all traces of AEND from her body. The implant made it possible to repair the damaged synapses. She is like you Sara… ”

-«That is to say? "

-“I am related to her as I am related to you; if her implant is removed... Ellen Ryder will die".

Sara answered the call, "Mom, how are you?" "

"I'm glad to hear you Sara, I miss you, when do you come back to Prodromos? I’d like to invite the crw over for dinner… and then have more time to get to know my daughter… ”

The young woman smiles "Mom, what are you talking about ... you know me better than anyone"!

-"I was talking about my 2nd daughter, I didn't have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with her. Besides, how is she? "

Sara ran her hand nervously through her raven hair that she inherited from her mother. "It's a little complicated right now ... I feel like I can't protect her from everything. When you get to know her better, you will see how passionate and curious she is about everything… ”

-«But ?" inquired the older woman feeling that there would be an antithesis to all these qualities.

-"But she puts herself in danger because of her curiosity and afterwards she blames me for wanting to lock her in a golden cage." Sara told her mother about their morning misfortune, how worried she was that something would happen to Suvi.

"Sara, you look so much like your father on this point ... you want to be the protector of everyone but you don't lean on others."

-"Mom, I always rely on my teammates ...

-"That's not what I mean Sara! Yes you lean on your teammates ... but Suvi do you lean on her? Or are you going to do what you have to do with others "leaving her at home waiting for you"?

Sara said nothing, too busy giving meaning to her mother's words.

"Have you ever asked her how she feels when she sees you leaving for these dangerous missions?" How did she feel those 2 times when you literally died while she was helpless on the Tempest? The latter continued: "You told me that she asked Vetra for a weapon to defend herself? That Vetra had given her shooting lessons ... that everyone on the Tempest was aware except you. And when she left your ship to go to that vault, she did it with someone who trusted her, and who had no doubts about her skills. Honey, I think you need to trust Suvi a little more. She needs it ".

-"But I trust her mom ... she is a remarkable scientist"

-"Yes, but she is much more than a brain in a nice body, and given the way she saved your life this morning, you should give her a little more credit."

The young woman remained pensive for a few seconds, then looked up at her mother's hologram.

-"You are probably right ... I'm glad you are there"

-"I think you should take a moment to really talk about all of this. Your visit to Prodromos will be the perfect opportunity for you to spend a little more time together. I started to arrange the garden; as I know you, you’ll love sitting on the grass to gaze at the lake, and I think Suvi will enjoy it too. "

Sara looked lovingly at her mother, she thought she had lost her and because, thanks to her father's obstinacy, she had found her mother. She would not spoil this second chance and will take advantage of all the moments that she could spend in her company .

-"Thank you Mom, you must not tire yourself too much either, we will be in the EOS system in about 48 hours, we leave this planet tonight. "

-"Sara, you're not going to be like your brother. I can hear Scott enough already! I tell you both that I died, then I slept for 600 years, then I woke up almost a year after all the passengers in the Hyperion. I have time to catch up young lady ".

-"Ok ... Ok ... I don't say anything anymore. See you soon Mom ». Hélène smiled at her then the connection was interrupted.

Chapter Text

Before heading to EOS, the Pathfinder had an important meeting on the Nexus.

The representatives of each planet, the Moshae and her team, the leaders of the Initiative as well as a team of scientists specializing in ground-space weapon systems "had to agree" on an interplanetary defense system for Heleus.

Upon Sara's step, Cora knew that she was in a bad mood. She didn't need to play guessing games to understand that it had something to do with the evening with Suvi. She had literally persecuted Vetra for more than a month so that she would find in her unofficial circuits, the ingredients to prepare Suvi a special recipe from her home. Apparently Vetra had worked miracles, and Sara had been able to get what she needed.

However, on her last inspection tour of the night, Cora was surprised to find that the Pathfinder quarters were silent, no light filtered under the door, not a sound. Suvi was not one to hold alcohol, two or three glasses of wine hurled her into the arms of Morpheus faster than a shuttle passing through a cosmodesic relay. Sara should have thought of an alcohol-free dinner if she wanted the romantic evening to last a little longer, thought the Lieutenant, smiling as she climbed the ladder that led to the cockpit.

She glanced at the cockpit, all the systems were managed by Sam during the artificial night phases then she turned her back and quickly crossed the bridge which led to the research center. There was still light in the technical laboratory, Cora heard a few voices trying to whisper.

-It's really exceptional! I would have liked to be able to meet the engineers who designed this system! said a voice full of enthusiasm

- I would have preferred that we use it, it must necessarily lead somewhere ... added another voice

-We have to be careful, it’s a technology we don’t know… I may be a doctor in space surgery, I don’t want to have to patch you up…

Cora didn't have to open the lab bay to find out who was inside. Suvi, Pebee and Lexi were gathered around a console watching one of the 3D representations of the time ring they had discovered in the vault. A series of Jardaans characters scrolled across monitor screens as Sam deciphered them.

The lieutenant assumed her usual pose; hands crossed behind her back, waiting for the others to notice her presence.

-"What… Oh! Cora… you startled me" said Suvi nervously, bringing a hand to her chest

The soldier rolled her eyes "I'm doing my last inspection tour as usual! I'm curious to find you still standing after the day we had in this vault. "

Pebee, gave her an almost annoyed look "We can't waste your time sleeping Cora when we discover something like that!" 

Cora smirked "I had to reassure Drack, he thought you had voluntarily skipped his dinner because of his new recipe ... but when he will know it's for science; he will probably feel better”.

-I don't think I'm ready to eat anything based on Challyrion! I don't have the stomach of a Krogan "replied Lexi, making a disgusting face.

Suvi cried out at the same time: "Oh my god, our dinner! Sara will kill me! I totally forgot" she continued, rushing to the exit.

Pebee looked at Cora with a sigh "And we too will be dead, tomorrow may be difficult!»

-"For once I agree with you Pebee…. Sara will be in a foul mood and we are meeting Tann tomorrow. I hope it won't turn into battle! "

The Lieutenant returned to the crew quarters, thinking about the situation, tomorrow's meeting was important but given the tensions between the pioneer and the leaders of the Nexus, especially Tann; she had to be mentally ready.

Sara probably wouldn’t hold it against Suvi, because the young scientist had the art of defusing any offensive impulse of the young woman with her legendary sweetness. No, those who would be in danger, were sitting in the meeting room ... and in particular Director Tann especially if he made one of his derogatory remarks; which he did not miss.

The meeting of the day promised to be tumultuous because number 8 in the hierarchy of the leaders of the Initiave Tann would finally be informed of all that had been done ... without his knowledge. Sara entered the meeting room accompanied by Cora who wore a small smile in anticipation that the discussions would be heated.

As soon as he saw the Pathfinder, Jarud Tann started his show.

Cora leaned over to Sara and whispered, "Here we go, don’t kill him !".

-"Ryder!" He said condescendingly, “as usual you're late. If it weren't for the rest of the team, I would never have invited you to this meeting. You don't have to stay, your thing is to run from planet to planet, weapon in hand, not to do diplomacy ... we're not going to hold you back”!

Sara turned her head towards the Salarian bureaucrat and glared at him. Sara's voice was cold, projecting all the animosity she had towards Tann:

-Tann you seem to think that it is thanks to you that things finally worked out here? Do I remind you that your passive result in the Heleus system after 14 months was not very glorious; neither at the level of diplomacy, nor at the level of anything else! So don't make yourself more ridiculous, don't try to be the ruler you will never be!

Sara was taking a little revenge, because the first time she had said this sentence to him when arriving on the Nexus, Tann had replied that she did not pretend to be the Pathfinder that she was not. There, he could not say anything to him, her successes were the proof that shut his mouth.

Drack, who was part of the Krogan delegation alongside chief Nakmor Morda, snickered: "Well said Kid! It would be interesting if ridicule could kill him; We would be rid! "

Cora leaned discreetly towards Ryder "Try not to fall into Tann's provocation, I know you are furious, but spending your rage on Tann will not solve the situation with Suvi". The Pathfinder nodded, but said nothing, just went to sit next to the Moshae.

Tann gave her a bored look: "I see you insist on sticking up!" ok, I'm giving you permission to stay ... but that will have consequences ... know this ".

The brunette wasn’t ready for Tann’s outrage, she had a bad night, and even though Suvi did everything to apologize when she woke up, Sara was still angry. Of course, she hadn't really tried to speak with Suvi; she was hurt that the young scientist forgot the dinner that had taken so much effort. She tried to think about what Cora had just told her, but Tann's words enraged her.

-I don't need your authorization Tann! She declared without even looking at him. "I'm doing what I have to do for the good of Heleus ... and if you shut it down a bit, you will know that I was the one who asked the Moshae to organize this meeting. Because the Nexus should be part of the defense plan that we are preparing."

Tann opened his mouth "I already told you that the Kett threat is a thing of the past!" The last few pockets of resistance were cleaned by the Apex teams. "

Addison rubbed the bridge of her nose and counted to 5: "Tann, do you really think the Ketts won't come back to finish what they started? If it weren't for Ryder and the allies who followed her into the battle, by now we would all be exalted! You saw how easily they landed on The Nexus and hijacked the Hyperion. We couldn't do anything because we weren't ready ...I refuse to let this happen again! "

Relations between Sara and the colonial director had started badly from the first day, Addison was a real bitch. But little by little, she had finally recognized her mistakes and given credit to the young Pathfinder.

-We don't have to use all of these resources for a defense system ... I refuse!

Kesh entered the game: "You refuse Tann !? How do you plan to stop the Ketts? With words or accounting entries? The only danger that awaits them with you is to die of boredom."

All the audience burst out laughing to the chagrin of the Salarian.

Sara spoke up, "Although the Archon’s death has greatly reduced the activity of the Ketts, during our investigations into Voeld and Podromos, we have found indications that the invaders will attack again. The Ketts follow an expansionist policy, they are not from Heleus but they came here to exalt all those who live there or to kill them ... either; the result was the same. So either we do as director Tann suggests: we sit there quietly waiting for them to come back; or we’re putting in place an interplanetary defense system to protect people?" she looked defiantly at the Initiative Director.

-But listen to you Ryder! You want millions of credits to be spent on weapons that may never be used… that money could be used elsewhere. Tann insisted.

The Pathfinder raised a threatening finger to him: "You still don't understand that we have no choice!" She turned and pointed to a star still shining well beyond the Heleus system. The whole audience turned their eyes in the direction of her finger. "You see that star over there, it’s the planet Sarhesen. The recovered files indicate that this is the home planet of the Ketts. They have already exalted several areas of Andromeda. The archon was in charge of exalting the Heleus system, his government will send a replacement to complete the work he could not do ... And as they are aware of the threat, they will probably come more and more armed! Do you still want to sit there doing nothing Tann? "

Tann still had his eyes riveted on the luminous point that the Pathfinder had shown him in the sky. He swallowed his saliva "Ok! What are you offering? "

Doctor Aridana stood up and approached the screen. "We were able to develop with scientific teams and engineers a new model of Thanix cannon more elaborate than those which the Turians had started to develop after the battle of the Citadel in 2183… I don't know how but the Initiative got the plans”. She tapped on her omnitech and a 3-D materialization of the weapon appeared in the middle of the room. It can be placed on the ground for ground-space defences but also on ships.

Tann glanced disdainfully "Where will we find enough ammunition to operate these weapons, it's not like we have weapons factories in the area!" 

Doctor Aridana patiently explained “The Thanix's core is a liquid alloy of iron, uranium, and tungsten suspended in an electromagnetic field powered by element zero. The molten metal, accelerated to a significant fraction of the speed of light, solidifies into a projectile as it is fired, hitting targets with enough force to pierce any known shield or armor. This is not a gun that uses conventional ammunition ... he draws energy from atoms of minerals and element zero that is available in large quantities in the scourge. "

-"The strategic points of the Nexus are already equipped with it ... and the engineers are currently installing them on the Tempest" added Sara "several  are already being assembled on the various planets of the Initiative as well as at Angaras. Heleus is no longer willing to passively strain his cheek while being exalted; when the Ketts return they will be received with the honors of the new Thanix ”.

Tann stubborn to the end remained pensive for a moment; "Who will coordinate all these defense systems? The command center should be on the Nexus." The director of the Initiative was craving for power. That the Nexus become the center of such a strike force, would force others to respect him.

He turned quickly when he heard a hubbub coming from the front door; it opened hinting loud voices.

-I told you that you cannot enter here! shouted one of the guards trying to detain the two new arrivals: a woman and a Turien. They didn't care and pushed him aside to enter the room. The woman swept the audience with her odd- eyes and walked confidently towards the pioneer.

-"Sara Ryder, the next time you invite me to a meeting, be sure to keep your guard on a leash."

Sara could not help smiling when seeing the new arrival; relations with the head of Port Kadara had been very tense at first, then gradually the two women had learned to appreciate each other and especially Sara had understood why the former security director had opposed Tann's decisions: "Sloane, I didn't think you would have accepted our invitation."

The former security official cast a nasty glance at the director of the Initiative, then she addressed Sara again. "Kaetus convinced me that it was in everyone's interest to be part of this defense system. … I do it on condition that I am responsible for it, at least for my planet… and I only work with you! ”

The pioneer looked at her frankly "I am glad to hear it, the Moshae and the Angara resistance have provided us with intels which shows that the system would be more effective if it were distributed by sector with planetary and space defenses. We discussed a division of responsibilities by zone: Evra for Voeld and Aya, Nakmor Morda for the Eladeen sector, Scott Ryder for Eos and Havarl, Kandros for the Nexus and you for Kadara… "

-What? Tann interrupted ... You have no intention of putting these weapons in the hands of this criminal or the krogans? Ryder, you are putting us all in danger ... I don’t...!

Cora, who was starting to be annoyed by the behavior of the Salarian, brutally cut him off: "You don't have to allow anything! This is part of the Pathfinder’s responsibilities… she must take all possible measures to protect the settlers from potential threats… That’s what Sara does! ”

Tann still sought support among his team members, but he found none. Tired of war, he swallowed his demands for a moment. And listened patiently to the rest of the meeting.

Sara, who hated these meetings especially with political representatives, finally seemed relieved to see it come to an end. She leaned over to Cora "well, it went pretty well afterall. I expected a sucker punch from Tann…»

The second in command nodded "Do not cry victory too quickly, here it is coming towards you, and seeing his face, I will say that you should expect the worst".

The pioneer plastered a grin on her face when she heard the Initiative Director say her name, "Ryder, I can't say I'm happy with the decisions you made; but apparently you have no account for me on this."

 "And I'm very happy about it ..." replied Sara ironically.

"But that's not why I wanted to see you ... I read your last report on this new portal that you discovered, I would like to add more scientific resources to study these devices". He looked at the young woman with his big black eyes, his arms crossed, obviously waiting for an answer from her.

Cora whispered discreetly behind her "there must be a trap somewhere ... Tann always refused to give us more resources" Her friend rolled her eyes "I'm pretty sure he's getting me a dirty trick" ...

The Pathfinder was still staring at the director of the Initiative waiting for him to finish. He stepped aside and introduced a young brunette woman in her twenties who was standing behind him. "I present to you Dr. Solhein Lawson, she studied cosmodesic relays and specializes in time travel ... she will explain all that to you herself". She will now be part of your crew and will have to report to me on your discoveries”.

Ryder tensed: "I don't think we need another scientist on the team."

Tann looked at her with obvious contentment: "It's not up to you to decide! Maybe we can replace Doctor Anwar if you think you have too many scientists...

Sara hastened to dissuade him: "No! 2 scientific points of view are better than one, I am sure that Doctor Lawson will integrate the team very quickly"

The bureaucrat was enjoying his little victory. He turned to Dr. Lawson "You will organize with the Pathfinder for your transfer on the Tempest"; then he took his leave without adding a word.

"Good luck with that!" said Cora discreetly with an enigmatic smile, Sara turned to the Doctor "Excuse me for a moment, I must speak to my second ..." She grabbed Cora's arm before she left and dragged her aside "Who is she? You know her?“

"I met her with your father the first time I visited the Hyperion. She was the protégé of Jien Garson. Very intelligent, she is really hot, very self-confident and aware of her beauty. "

Sara smirked: "We have to watch out for the boys"

Cora leaned toward her again "No, we need to protect girls who are very cute, intelligent and who love science».

-Do you think she might be interested in Suvi?

-Let's say that I think you will have competition...

The pioneer was starting to feel bad. She eyed Lawson's side. The young woman must have been around 26 years old, she had superb raven hair which framed a face with fine features. Her pale complexion was lifted by her deep blue eyes that caught the eye. Apparently Doctor Lawson must be a sportswoman, she was not frail and Sara was almost sure that she knew how to fight. She was the kind of woman who had to turn heads with her beauty and self-confidence. She was talking to one of the scientists, smiling at one of his remarks: the woman knew how to seduce her world… and she would soon be on the Tempest, much to Sara's dismay.

"I feel like this is going to be very interesting, maybe you should go talk to her ..." Cora walked away and left Sara standing there.

The Pathfinder had never been afraid or backed away from the door of a vault; but there with this young woman in her team, she thought back to her failed romantic dinner attempt with Suvi, or rather without Suvi ... she feared what the future held for her.

Chapter Text

Sara was pacing in front of her desk. She turned to the AI : "Ok Sam! What can you tell me about Miss Lawson, other than the fact that she is very interested in science "?

She winced as she remembered that the new scientist hadn't taken long to get used to Suvi. They were both already in great discussions, exchanging theories about time travel. But what displeased Sara the most, when she arrived on the bridge, was that the newcomer already had her hand on Suvi's shoulder while the latter, carried away by her legendary enthusiasm, showed her the 3D models. of the portal.

"I have the impression that Dr. Lawson's presence disturbs you greatly Sara." The pathfinder didn't want to answer the AI question. "Please Sam, just tell me what you know about her"!

She almost felt like Sam had just sighed before he started talking again in his unnatural voice. “Doctor Solheim Lawson was born in 2180 Australia on Earth and…”. Sara cut him off. "What do you mean, she was born in 2180? The arks left the Milky Way in 2185 ... she would only have 5 years old? "

The AI resumed its explanation, “She wasn't born naturally, she was genetically engineered by Henry Lawson, a powerful businessman invested in human genetics. Your father records indicate that he created 3 daughters : Miranda Lawson who was born in 2150, Oriana Lawson in 2166. The first two grew normally like all human beings.The last Solheim Lawson, had accelerated growth in a stasis pod until 2180 ".

The young pathfinder couldn't believe her ears: "But it's unethical ... it's inhuman!"

“According to the files your father collected, Henri Lawson was in contact with a Krogan scientist named Okeer who had developed a revolutionary technique to bypass the genophage by creating adult krogans. Lawson obviously used this same technique to develop his third daughter artificially. Solheim Lawson was subsequently freed from her tank by an Andromeda Initiative infiltration commando sent by Jien Garson. This commando was looking for information on stasis pods, some technological innovations have been integrated into the stasis pods in the arks. The group initially believed Lawson was being held captive, but it was after they brought her back to the Initiative base that Garson discovered the young woman had been genetically created by Lawson. "

"But how did she manage to become a Doctor when she spent her life in a module? » Asked the Pathfinder.

“Obviously Henry Lawson used the same techniques as Okeer to 'educate' his creation by accelerating its growth and learning during her time in this tank ».

Sara has mixed feelings. After everything SAM had taught her, she felt some sympathy for the new scientist. She was fortunate to have a family, even an extended family. Lawson had arrived in a world without knowing what a family was, then sent to another galaxy. It would have been easier to be able to hate her...

« According to the assessments that have been made by Jien Garson, Solheim Lawson has an above normal IQ. She has passed several tests aimed at evaluating her knowledge and has several doctorates: Mathematics, quantum physics, Astrophysics, Biology, genetics, human surgery… ”

Ryder chuckled worriedly "Wow… she's smart, she's a scientist… I think we're going to lose Suvi!"

The AI reacts immediately : "Sara, it seems to me that the relationship between Suvi and you has nothing to do with the number of doctorates or even with science. I don't see how Doctor Lawson could break that link ”.

The young woman let out a big sigh "you don't know human beings, there are always surprises ...". Sam's module flashed for a few seconds then he resumed "It's true that I haven't studied a lot of sentimental relationships between humans apart from the one between your father and your mother and the one between Suvi and you ”.

“It's okay Sam. I have to admit, things haven't been easy with Suvi lately; between missions and all the rest, it's hard to find the time " ! She paused for a moment contemplating the photo that had been taken on their first movie night.

"Maybe you just have to 'create' these moments Sara, so that you both can enjoy them regardless of your obligations."

Sara turned to the SAM unit on her desk with a smile : "Don't tell me that my father has also put love counselor among your profiles?"

"No Sara, it's just a matter of logic"!

§§§§§§

Doctor Ellen Ryder was especially delighted to welcome the entire Tempest crew into her home. It was important for her to know all those around her daughter, who watched over her life on each of the perilous missions her Pathfinder footsteps took her. She didn't need to know how many times Sara's teammates had saved her from imminent danger to show her gratitude - they were her daughter's friends, they were family.

These warm surroundings reminded her painfully how her children and her husband had been isolated when the Alliance decided to put them aside because of Alec's research on Artificial Intelligence. Even if they avoided talking about it, she knew they had all suffered from being treated like outcasts ; especially since they had done so much for the Alliance.

She shook her head, as if to chase away her negative thoughts, and walked to the dining room where her daughter was telling animatedly to her brother, how Liam had almost knocked them out into space with one of his questionable plans. Scott laughed and gave Liam a friendly pat on the back : "Father used to say when there was no more logical plan, you had to let Liam act ! He would love to know you haven't changed! "

The mother looked affectionately at her twins, then approached Cora who was sipping her beer quietly away. The blonde had always regarded Sara as her little sister, and Ellen knew she would do anything to protect her daughter. Over time the two women had developed for each other a mutual respect mixed with great affection. Ellen had always considered Cora as her daughter, this feeling had strengthened since their arrival in Andromeda knowing that Cora had no more family: the bonds of hearts were just as important as the bonds of blood and she always made sure to show to Cora how appreciated she was.

"So how is my oldest daughter?"

Cora looked up, smiling "Better than my little sister apparently ". Her gaze lingered on Sara who was gesturing to better describe the scene she was recounting.

Ellen sighed following her gaze : "She hasn't changed, when something bothers her, she is always very talkative to try to cheat her discomfort ... and I bet this discomfort is related to the young woman who is drawing a chemical formula on a napkin next to Suvi ?"

Cora leaned back a little to look in Suvi's direction and saw that the young Scottish girl seemed to be in the middle of a scientific argument with Lawson. The two were writing on the napkin visibly trying to find the solution to a problem that was holding their attention. She then turned her gaze to Sara, who at the same time was gulping down the glass of alcohol she was holding in her hand, while her gaze was on Suvi and Lawson.

The older sister pursed her lips : "Indeed ... there is a certain uneasiness between her and Suvi. And the arrival of Lawson didn’t help ”

"Well, I think we should act before we have to deal with another heartache ..." Cora could not help laughing "Yes, it took her 4 entire days without leaving her room when one of her kittens died ... so I imagine it will be worse if it is a real heartache "!

"Well, let's try to avoid that! I think it's about time you took your little sister to see this beautiful place where you sowed all those flowers last time. They have grown well with the activation of Meridiane, I have installed new things and I added something that will please you. I'm sure you'll love it! "

The younger woman turned to her mentor's wife with a questioning look : "Something for me?"

Ellen took her hand "I always told you that I considered you as my daughter Cora ... I don't see why that surprises you !" then she whispered to her "While you take your sister, take the basket that I left in the kitchen, I think you both will enjoy yourself !"

Cora glanced briefly at Suvi who had just burst out laughing at the other young scientist's words; she wasn't surprised to see Sara's eyebrows frown imperceptibly. "And Suvi ... how do you get her free from the pull of new comet Lawson?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it ! I'll let you enjoy your surprise with Sara a bit, and she'll join you" ... said the older woman, winking at her.

"I forgot the Ryders always have a plan " Cora stood up laughing and walked briskly over to Sara.

" Sam? "

“Yes, Doctor Ryder? "

"Can you send Suvi a private message in fifteen minutes?"

" "Yes, what should I tell her?"

" "You tell her that Sara doesn't look well, that she needs her, that she is sitting at the back of the garden and that her vital signs are showing some state of emotional distress ..."

The AI responded with a dubious intonation that would make a monotonous elcor turn green with envy : "I'm currently monitoring Sara's constancies, she doesn't appear to be in a state of emotional distress, she is even rather cheerful and very talkative ... which is unusual ... perhaps due to the alcohol !"

"Sam do as I tell you ! I don't think Alec has implanted in you the ability to analyze deep emotions. Sara is rather reserved by nature. When she is so extroverted; it's either because of too much alcohol or because she's not doing well and trying to hide it ... "

"Indeed, the amount of alcohol in her blood is not enough to trigger a state of surrexcitation ... I noticed that Sarah seemed stressed out lately because of her relationship with Dr. Anwar. The arrival of Miss Lawson in the team seems to have aggravated this emotional state ! "

This time it was Ellen Ryder's turn to express her astonishment: "You are more insightful than I thought ... Alec has managed to convey to you what he has missed for years! Anyway if you don't want to see Sara even more stressed, do what I asked you in fifteen minutes !"

"Alright Ellen! "

Ellen checked that Cora was out of the house with Sara, then walked over to Suvi with a dessert tray she had specially prepared for her stepdaughter. "Hello Suvi, we haven't had much opportunity to speak tonight ..."

The red-haired young woman was about to answer when her gaze fell on the tray Sara's mother had just placed in front of her. "Is this Cranachan? " Helen looked at her smiling "I think that's the name Sara gave me" !

Suvi couldn't help but cry out in joy : “This is my favorite dessert! It's a Scottish specialty ... ". She reached for the plate and took out a huge spoon. She closed her eyes as she savored "Oh my God Helen thank you ! it's as good as I remember ... where did you get the ingredients, the raspberries and the rhubarb?"

"It's been a long time since you came back to EOS ! With the teams of agronomists there are a lot of plants that we manage to grow in greenhouses and now we have more and more varieties that we manages to adapt to the particular soil of Prodromos ... for the rest Vetra helped me ”.

Ellen handed her a cup of tea.

Just the scent of the tea, Suvi looked at her with a look of astonishment and awe : "Is that sumatra tea? How? I haven't drunk it for over 8 months, tried to grow it without success and Vetra even searched through all of her contacts ... there aren't any "!

"Sara had saved a few flowers from the package you had, it took us months but we managed to fertilize a grain of pollen which allowed us to develop a first plant of this cultivar from Sumatra that you had brought back."

Suvi held the cup of tea in her hands as if it were too precious to drink : "Sara went to all this trouble for me?"

"Don't tell me that surprises you; seeing how inexhaustible she is about you, it's something that doesn't surprise me coming from my daughter. She even..."

Ellen realized that Suvi was no longer listening ; her attention turned to a message she was receiving in private. The young woman stood up hastily: "Excuse me...Hmm, Ellen, you don't mind keeping Solheim company ... I ... I have to go !"

Sara’s mother tried to hide her smile while nodding to Suvi "No problem, we'll get to know each other". She watched the Scottish girl rush out of the living room and turned to the young brunette for the first time: "Can I offer you some dessert? A cup of tea ?"

Solheim smiled and leaned thoughtfully over the tray and picked up an apple pie.

"So Miss Lawson, I heard that you are particularly good at biology and genetics maybe you could join my team? "

The young woman slowly tasted the tea that had just been served to her. If she enjoyed the taste, she had no memory allowing her to refer to it; everything was almost new to her. The short time she had spent with the one she considered as her adoptive mother had not allowed her to find out everything. Now she was alone, Jien was dead, and the only person who seemed to have any interest in her was her fellow scientist: Solheim possessed knowledge that matched Dr. Anwar's passions. If it weren't for her scientific knowledge superior to others, she wondered if Suvi would have paid attention to her, if Tann would have requested her or if Doctor Ryder would be currently proposing to her to be part of her team of biologists.

She pulled back one of her black locks "I wish I could, but for now Tann has assigned me to the Tempest. I don't really see why, as I don't think they need a new science officer on board ... "

Everyone seemed to think that her superior intelligence made her infallible; some thought she was pretentious. She knew she didn't leave people indifferent; her designer had endowed her with physical and intellectual traits that were supposed to give her an edge ... for the moment it seemed more of a stumbling block in her relationships with others who only saw her through it.

Ellen immediately noticed the young woman's embarrassment, she squeezed her hand warmly. "Let's leave work aside, tell me about yourself, what do you like here?"

The latter took a confused expression "What I like? that’s a question that I've never been asked? "

Sara's mother frowned at her response, "Has anyone ever asked you what you like?" Even when you were a kid? Your parents ? "

Solheim took a deep breath, she felt good among those people who had made a place for her within their team, their family ... and when she looked at Ellen Ryder, she found in her eyes that maternal affection that she found in Jien Garson. She seemed to genuinely want to get to know her and not be satisfied with what her «pedigree» said about her.

"I didn't have a childhood Doctor Ryder, my father conceived me genetically, much like you did with this cultivar from Sumatra. I was created in a tank and I was released at the biological age of 21 when I had only existed for 5 years. He transmitted a certain number of knowledge to me through the tank; but I don't know if these are things that I really enjoy… I haven't lived long enough to find out. ”

Ellen had heard of Henry Lawson's work on the human genome while working in biotic implant research, the businessman had repeatedly tried to get her to join his team of researchers for his work. She had always refused despite the huge sums he was willing to offer her. Her intuition was right, before her stood the creation of Henry Lawson: a beautiful young woman with no past, no attachment, who now had to create her own future.

She put a loving hand on the young woman's shoulder: "Look around you, here is a big family made up of people of diverse origins and you belong there. Now it's up to you to create the rest of your life, based on what you really want, not what you've been taught in this tank. There will always be a place here for you if you want to be a part of it ” !

Solheim did not answer right away but relished with delight her first sip of this new tea. She lifted her head, then looked at Ellen confidently "I would like that very much".

Chapter Text

" So how are you ? "

Cora walked beside Sara as she made her way to the part of the garden that bordered the lake.

The place had changed a lot since the time they had come for her project. Settlers had settled in the surrounding area, this part of Prodomos was more and more welcoming. She loved the way Ellen had transformed the place ; the one who had literally sacrificed her life for her research on element zero and biotic implants, now devoted herself to her first passion: botany.

The old vestiges of the previous sites had been removed, the whole area which surrounded this part of the lake was now dedicated to botanical tests. On almost three hectares of sandy land grew various plants of the Milky Way, which had undergone genetic modification to adapt to their new environment. They were walking on the path that led down to the shores of the lake. The sky was clear, the lights of the solar lamps gave a magical atmosphere to the place: the lights were reflected on the petals of the colorful flowers which were planted harmoniously along the path. The trail ended in a grassy area where a bench had been set up.

Cora stopped dead and looked around, her mouth wide open : “Sara, are these roses? » She walked over to the bouquest of flowers cascading around the bench. " That's wonderful ! How did your mother know ... "

She fell silent then looked suspiciously at her friend.

Sara looked around, also looking in awe. "I have to tell you that the last time I came, it didn't look like this yet. Mom was looking for an idea to furnish the place, and I told her it would be nice to make a garden for my big sister ... with roses. And it became that! "

The blonde covered her mouth in wonder : "it's so beautiful, it's like a dream ... thank you for thinking of me."

Sara winked mischievously "You are always there for me, good times and bad. You supported me during those times when I thought I had lost everything. And I wouldn't have dreamed of having a better sister than you. "

Cora wasn't the demonstrative type, but she couldn't help but hug her friend, and Sara hugged her back. Heleus had given them a hard time at the start, but things were starting to go back to normal: their life was starting to get normal.

"Ellen gave me this basket, we can improvise a little picnic in the moonlight."

"Great idea, I haven't eaten much all night ..."

"I noticed, you were busier talking and drinking ... which is not your habit. How is it going ? "

Sara seemed taken aback by the question, she took the opportunity to unwrap one of the sandwiches that were in the basket. She took a first bite "Oh my god ... this is pastrami." My favorite sandwich. It's too good ! "

She handed her sandwich to Cora "taste this!" 

The blonde was amused to see the "pathfinder" so formidable on the battlefields behaving like a child sitting on the grass. "It is indeed very good, I had never tasted it" she hastened to take a second bite, this time bigger than the first under the dumbfounded gaze of her friend. "

"Cora, you do realize you just ate my favorite sandwich in 2 bites? "

Cora smiled at her as she ran her tongue over her lips ; "At least that shows you that I really liked ..."

"Yes, but the pastrami sandwich cannot be 'devoured'! You don't swallow it, you have to taste it, you have to take the time. If you swallow it up in a flash, you miss everything! "

The big sister burst out laughing "I'm pretty sure there are more, I promise to take a little more time for the next one", she held out her hand for the basket, which earned her a slap from Sara "No, you don't ! You have no respect for culinary delicacies ... I'm going to give you!"

“Our mother gave the basket to me; it's up to me to manage! » She snatched the basket from Sara's hands and placed it in the grass next to her.

The two sisters were so caught up in their bickering that they jumped when they heard someone clear their throat.

Remembering immediately of the plan that had been put in place by her adoptive mother, Cora was the first to react. "Suvi, it's good that you are here ... sit there to watch the basket, don't let Sara eat everything in it. I'm coming back, I'm going to get a corkscrew ”. With that, she got up and strode towards the house.

§§§§§§

Suvi approached Sara and looked intently at the young woman, "Sam, told me you were in emotional distress ... I don't see why."

The brunette was still sitting on the grass "I don't see why he said that, I'm fine, I don't need anyone! "

The remark hurt the young scientist more than she wanted to show; she nervously wiped her hands on her jumpsuit, then stepped back, waving towards the house, "Well, I… I think I'll go back there."

“Really Sara? »The pathfinder thought she heard a sigh of disappointment in the private channel she shared with SAM.

She stood up promptly, "Wait Suvi, that's not what I meant". She put her hands in her pockets and lowered her head shamefully to the ground "I'm sorry, I didn't want to push you away, it's just that I am ... there is this thing between Lawson and you"

The Scottish girl walked over to her, and lifted her chin with her gloved hand "it's just that you're a little jealous of Solheim and you think she's going to take your place ; because we like to talk about science ”.

The pathfinder didn't answer but just hugged Suvi against her. The latter sighed, "You remember what I always told you ... science is my passion, but you are my home, my heart is yours Sara. You have nothing to fear from anyone! "

The brunette looked up at her partner who was slightly taller  "sometimes it's so annoying to see her all the time with you, it looked like she took up all the space ".

Suvi scolded Sara affectionately, "Put yourself in her shoes, that’s all she has ! Other than discussing science with me ... she has nothing, no friends, no family; no reckless pathfinder that makes her heart beats ». She found her partner's delicate lips and kissed her.

Sara grumbled, smiling, "she just has to find a scientist's love ... Dr. Aridana for example".

Suvi stopped dead "I didn't do all this drama when you were shamefully flirting with that asari reporter Keri whatever; nor with the head of the Aya museum ".

"I wasn't flirting with them"

"It seemed to me that Avela couldn't help but put her hands on your arms, and that made your heart rate increase according to Sam."

"It was a little intimidating and disturbing ... and then nothing happened! "

"Nothing happened with Solheim either"

"Ok, I'm sorry ... maybe I'm a little possessive, what if we pick up where we left off?"

Suvi looked her up and down, then grabbed Sara's face and kissed her passionately. "Yes, you're a little possessive ... but you have no idea how possessive I am! But I never had any cause for concern whatsoever with this Teri whatever her name or the other. Try to ensure that this does not change; because I risk to switch to the dark side of the force! "

The young pathfinder chuckled "Hmm ... are you serious?" Is that a Jedi thing? "

Suvi bit her lip and whispered in her ear. Her voice went down several octaves; it was no longer the shy scientist who spoke : " Sara you have no idea how serious I am! So as long as you are happy to discover vaults and you keep your hands in your pockets, you won't have to see it. You are mine, you are my home. I want everyone to know you're taken. The day you 'discover' someone other than me Sara Ryder, I'll let you imagine what will happen! "

Sara couldn't help but smile: "It sounds like a threat ... but it's terribly hot"

The redhead pulled her down to the ground, while removing her jacket. "It's not a threat, Sara, just a promise!"

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

This was the first time the team had returned to the Vault of Eos since its activation. Things hadn't changed much since the last time they'd been there and had to flee for their lives.

"Sam is the air breathable at least? no evil cloud that will kill us? "

“No, Pathfinder, you don't need a respirator right now. Everything seems to have returned to normal, I would even say that the conditions are excellent compared to your last visit ”.

"Ok" Sara walked down the hall and the team soon found themselves in front of the mysterious well they had discovered on their previous visit. The energy structure seemed to have stabilized, the elements were no longer in motion as before.

Suvi approached, Solheim standing by her side, and they took the first readings with their omnitech. “The numbers are not similar to those in the vault on planet Sedele. I think it leads somewhere else into this vault, but it doesn't work like the gravity wells you're used to seeing. It looks more like a ... "

"A beam of teleportation" finished Doctor Lawson; while looking at the data that was displayed on her datapad. "But for greater certainty, we should send the probe ”.

"This is your discovery Dr Anwar ..." Suvi couldn't help but blush at the Pathfinder's words. She bent down to prepare the probe, while Solheim stood aside to type in information on her omni-tech.

"Cora, Vétra, check the surroundings to see if there is anything dangerous, weird or ... interesting. Pebee, maybe you will find other remnant tech in this new portal ".

The asari gave her a flirtatious smile : "I always said you knew how to talk to women like me Ryder! "

Vétra shook her head, "You really have a death wish, don't forget the Doctor is nearby and she can hear you!"

Pebee laughed "Don't worry Suvi, Ryder is all yours !"

The doctor didn't even bother to raise her head from the equipment she was adjusting. “Oh, it takes more to worry me! And if I had to worry, it’s mostly for Sara that you should be afraid ... ".

Cora looked at her little sister with a smirk. "What happened to your shy scientist?" Fierce isn't she? She knows how to mark its territory ”. Sara couldn't help but blush as she walked over to Cora and whispered in embarrassment "literally too".

The blonde  burst out laughing : "Is that why you wore this scarf this morning?" Did she bite you? "

“No need to speak so loud! I didn't want my mother to see that ... and the others too ”

“Pathfinder!" Sam's voice was heard over their private channel, "it looks like you have company, 6 gunmen ..."

By the time Ryder waved to the others, 6 men in commando gear were already in the room. Each of the Pathfinder team members were held in aim; which in itself was not original, considering the number of individuals who had tried to kill them since they had settled in Heleus. No; which made Ryder's blood run cold; was the scarred soldier who was forcibly restraining Suvi while sticking a syringe in her neck.

The man soon realized that the young Pathfinder was going to attack him. "I imagine you don't want my finger to slip off the trigger of the syringe that's stuck in her neck. I can assure you this is neither water nor saline! Maybe you want to test? ". He pushed the needle deeper into the Scottish’s neck, who didn't dare to move because of the pain.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you, all of you ..."

Another man came into the room, apparently the commander : "Immediately the threats. You know that not everything is resolved with violence ”

Sara glared at him "What do you want? "

“I knew you could be reasonable. You see, my employer pays me to hear about your findings. And the best way to do that is to get there before you do. So for now I'm borrowing your 2 scientists. If you behave they will be returned to you ... "

The pathfinder took a step forward, her fists glowing with biotic energy. "I don't think so, they won't go anywhere!" "

"You are unable to negotiate my dear ... unless you want to say 'goodbye' to Doctor Anwar? "

"You are going to die for sure"

"Threats ... always threats ! I am a scientist, an opportunist, but not a murderer! Do what you're told and they'll be fine. "

"I can assure you it's not a threat but a promise!"  Sara looked threateningly at the new scientist on the team: "Did you know? "

The young brunette turned to Sara "No ... I didn't do anything...". She didn't have time to finish the sentence as one of the men grabbed her and put a mask on her face as he led her towards the well. "Wish your friends a good nap Doctor Lawson."

By the time Sara realized what was going on, one of the men pulled out a grenade and threw it at the Pathfinder's feet. Greenish gas came out and spread quickly around her, Cora, Vetra, Pebee were already on the ground. Half conscious, Sara saw the well activate as the men stepped into the beam of light as they dragged Suvi.

Taken ... She sank into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

“Pathfinder wake up!”… Nothing ...“Sara you have to wake up!”

This time the young woman stood up, grumbling. “Sam how long have I been unconscious? Where did they take Suvi? ”

“Less than 10 minutes. Thanks to my access to your physiological functions I was able to counter the effects of soporific gas.”

The Pathfinder turned to the other members of her team ; she tried to wake Cora but was unsuccessful. “I'm sorry Sara but the others will not be able to regain consciousness for about forty minutes.”

“Sam, I don't have time to wait for them to wake up. Suvi is in danger. I'll go alone!”

“I already warned Tempest, the rest of the team is coming in a shuttle.”

The brunette picked up her gun from the ground and quickly checked her magazines. She strode over to the teleportation beam. "You will tell them to join me there ..."

“Is it safe to go alone Sara ? This commando is well armed, it is better …"

“No ! I wouldn't wait another minute ! Suvi is I don't know where, I'm not going to sit there and wait quietly. Have you seen where this teleportation beam leads ?”

“Yes, the probe that Dr. Anwar launched indicates a vault several kilometers from here, below the surface. According to the records, expect a strong remnants presence, it is practically a suicide mission to go alone Sara.”

There was worry in Sam's voice. The human understood what he could be feeling. Even with her upgrades, she would find herself alone against a commando heavily armed; who was holding her girlfriend hostage and surrounded by all kinds of remnants creatures.

She nevertheless tries to smile while typing some codes on her omnitool "You know me Sam, I was born for suicide missions ... it started as soon as we arrived in Heleus".

The pathfinder activated ZAP, the green remnant appeared making its usual noises. She looked at him: “This time my old Zap, it's you and me. Let's go save the princess ”. The observer emitted a series of beeps that sounded almost like approval. Sara even wondered if that wasn't his way of communicating, she would have to ask Pebee; then she entered the beam of teleportation.

§§§§§

The first thing Suvi noticed in the room they had been teleported to, was the huge ring that was similar to the one they had discovered a few days earlier on the planet Sedele.

The commando leader, a certain Goran, a dark-haired man in his forties, grabbed her by the arm and pushed her towards the console in front of the ring. “Now Dr Anwar make this thing work!”

Suvi looked at him with a frown. “I don't think you know how dangerous this is”

“No, but you are there; and you are used to going through the entire Heleus cluster with your team so I imagine you have gained some experience with this stuff.” He pointed to the console with his gun and removed the safety. He took a few steps towards Suvi, his gaze threatening.

“You and your pathfinder have delivered secrets to the Angaras that could have established our ascendancy throughout Heleus. You could even have become rich by using this knowledge wisely. No, you had to play good Samaritans: barely discovered Meridian, you ceded our political domination to the Moschae, you made an agreement with the krogans! You have become embarrassing and my employer no longer intends to let you get away with it. "

Suvi felt the anger rise within her. “You ungrateful stupid glaikit if it weren't for Ryder, you would either be dying or being exalted by the Kett! I don't understand how they let such vile beings as you join the Initiative! ”

The man stared at her with a look of lustful desire; he ran a finger down her cheek and parted one of her red locks. "So fierce ... I like you more and more Doc. Maybe when this is all over, you, me and your friend can find a quiet place to have some fun ”.

The other members of the commando began to laugh loudly. He moved a little closer to the Scottish scientist, his mouth inches from her face. "I can't wait to hear that Scottish accent moan under my body."

The young woman could not restrain a grimace of disgust; and she pushed the man who had pressed against her away. Surprised; he stumbled and almost fell from the platform where they were standing, but he held back just in time to one of the pillars. One of his henchmen, apparently his right arm, grabbed him and helped him regain his balance while chuckling; "Sure, you're a killer with women, but not in a good way!"

The joke sparked hilarity among the entire commando, which greatly displeased their leader. Annoyed he walked towards Suvi again. “No more joking my dear, you are going to turn on this console for me ... and I hope your beautiful little mouth can do something other than talk. I hope you swallow too”

Suvi glared at him and couldn't help suppressing a grimace of disgust "I rather die!"

He looked at her, shaking his head "So be it" then he turned to Solheim and fired his gun.

The brunette screamed and collapsed to the floor. In panic; the redhead rushed towards her, wondering if her stubbornness had not cost the life of her scientific colleague "You killed her!".

Fortunately, the brunette was alive, holding her leg trying to catch her breath despite the pain. “It's… it's nothing. I think the bullet went through but it really hurts! ” The Scottish woman quickly opened one of the pockets of her uniform and then applied medigel to the wound: "It should slow down the bleeding ..."

“Doctor Anwar if you don't come t …"

Goran did not have time to finish his sentence, several remnants had just appeared near them alerted by the gunshot. He emptied his magazine on an observer who had targeted him and rushed to take cover behind one of the pillars.

As for Suvi, she saw that Solheim was trying to get up which would only attract their attention. In her condition, without a weapon, she would never be able to escape the remnants. The Scottish girl got down on all fours on the ground and walked towards her quickly, then while supporting her they took cover at the foot of the console.

§§§§

The room that was silent when they arrived now looked like a battlefield. Gunshots and cries echoed from all sides. The muffled impact of a nullifer sent Goran to the ground, he yelled "I'm hit" but none of his men were able to come and help, each too busy fighting for their own survival.

The remains of an assembler practically fell at the feet of the two young women which startled them and attracted the attention of the nullifier who was near Goran. He shifted his position, his large arachnid head tilting towards them, ready to launch his destructive beam.

Suvi knew they had no chance of sheltering as the shock wave sent by this remnant passed through all walls. Lawson looked weaker and weaker; to survive the Scottish had to abandon her; which she refused to do. No matter the winners, the two young women would not survive if help did not come soon.

She squeezed the young woman's hand and closed her eyes waiting for the destructive impact. When she saw that nothing was happening, she opened her eyes again and saw the nullifier spinning in a spiral of dark energy. She knew what that foreshadowed; Sara was finally here!

But at the same time the dark energy vortex would soon explode which was just as destructive as the nullifier ray. She tried to pull Lawson to the other side of the console, but the young woman had passed out. When the singularity was about to explode; Sara stood in front of her throwing a biotic barrier to keep them both safe.

Once the energy blast was over, Sara leaned down next to Suvi, her eyes worried, gently running her hand over her girlfriend's cheek: “Are you okay? Are you hurt? ”

“No, I was rather worried that we would not make it out. Solheim was shot in the leg, I'm afraid she's bleeding, she needs to be treated right away”.

Sara threw a hard look at the unconscious young woman, for her, she was partly responsible for this fiasco. “Sam can you watch? ” She said, activating her scanner.

“Yes Pathfinder. The femoral artery was not affected. But there is a risk of bleeding, the medigel will not last long.”

Shots continued to ring out in the room. Several remnants were blocking their access to the teleportation well. The Pathfinder activated her omnitool again and programmed Zap to defend the area where Suvi and Doctor Lawson were.

She was about to stand up when Suvi grabbed her hand, "What are you doing?"

The brunette looked at her "I'm going to clean the passage, we can't go out with these remnants blocking our access especially if we have to carry Lawson ..."

“Sara please be careful. Take Zap with you!”

“No! You don't have anyone to defend you here, by the way, take that!”

She unhooked the M37 Falcon which was in her back and placed it in the hands of her partner. “It's not your favorite weapon; it's a bit heavy but once you get it stuck against your shoulder it does the job "... she showed Suvi how to hold the assault rifle " especially since I know my girlfriend is a badass ! ”

"Hold on ! The Scottish girl held her girlfriend's arm, pulled her to her, then kissed her: "Come back quickly and be careful please".

Sara couldn't help but smile: "You sure know how to motivate me ... see you soon!"

The pathfinder activated her jetpack and leaped towards the bridge. She threw a singularity at the three nullifiers that protected access to the beam. As they whirled around the mass of dark energy, she rushed at an Assembler and sliced it in half with her Asari sword. She turned and saw that the singularity would soon explode, she launched a second attack in order to increase the force of the explosion: the spiral of dark energy detonated which knocked all enemies within its radius into the void.

This attack had emptied her shields, she tried to take cover when several observers surged above her. She grabbed her assault rifle, threw herself to the ground and began firing at the nearest one. She rolled on the ground and destabilized the second with a concussive shot. Unfortunately, hershield was still down and her biotics was still not recharged. As she squished the second Observer, a nullifier appeared a few feet away from her. "And shit ..." she thought as she activated her jet pack to jump into the air to avoid the impact.

The third observer focused on her, as she tried to take cover to recharge her shield. She started by emptying her magazine on him and then primed the energy drain to recharge her own shields. The Observer crashed from the impact and fell at her feet. She sighed "it was close!"

“Pathfinder… there are more coming” said Sam quietly

"More? Are you kidding?"

“Ten Nullifiers. And I don't think this is the time to laugh Sara"

The young woman crouched behind one of the pillars and quickly reloaded her weapon, activating additional shields on her armor. "Now you can call that a suicide mission !"

She was about to launch a Cobra RPG attack from her omnitool when she noticed the teleportation beam activating. Appearing just behind the enemy lines, Drack, Liam, and Jaal rushed on the attack: in less time than it takes the dozen remnants disappeared under the fire of theirs combined explosives.

"Guys I'm so glad to see you"

Drack grumbled over and grabbed Sara's arm, "Kid you have to stop keeping all the fun to yourself! You have to invite me when there are party like this! " Sara just shook her head “you really came at the right time !”

The krogan looked around the area, hissing in admiration at the corpses of remnants and commandos littering the ground. "You're sure you don't have Krogan blood running through your veins, kid, because with all these kills I'm pretty sure you're a descendant of the Nakmor clan ..."

"Thank you, but my father was American and my mother was Brazilian ... they never mentioned a Krogan ancestor. And as for the kills, most of them had already killed each other before I arrived."

Drack let out a big burst of laughter “No need to be modest” then became more serious again. “Where's Suvi? SAM said the commando abducted her. We know how you are when you don't have your sweetheart near you !”

Sara turned and pointed to the promontory in the middle of the room: "She's safe there."

The four of them headed towards the area where Suvi was. The Scottish face lit up when she saw the rest of the team and she rushed over to Sara, “You're safe and sound. I was so scared hearing all these explosions, I almost came to join you but I couldn't leave her like this ... " The redhead bowed her head as if she almost regretted her decision.

Sam's voice was heard again: “Fortunately Dr Anwar stayed by Dr Lawson's side, something caused her anaphylactic shock, and without Suvi's intervention and the adrenaline injection she would be dead! ”

Then the  pathfinder grabbed her hands with a shy smile: "you are the hero of the day my love, my hero"

"What happened to her leg?" Liam asked pulling out the first aid equipment.

Tears welled up in the eyes of the Scottish woman "that dirty pig over there, he shot her point blank because I refused to activate the door." Just when she was done speaking, all the adrenaline from the events wore off and she began to sob against Sara's shoulder.

She hugged her,"You're safe, I'm here ... and you were exceptional ... you saved Lawson." Then Sara pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes, "What did he do or say to make you call him a 'dirty pig', is that not common in you?" It’s quite simple, Suvi never swore.

Suvi bowed her head and couldn't hold back her tears “what, what… men like him can say to a woman. He did not touch me luckily you arrived on time. I'd rather not talk about it Sara please .”

Meantime, Drack approached Goran's body and noticed that he was injured but alive. He shouted at the pathfinder: “ Ryder ! that scum is still alive. It's time to take out the trash before it stinks." The krogan grabbed the commando leader by the leg and hung him upside down in the void above the promontory. The unconscious man seemed to come to his senses. His injury was not serious but he had visibly passed out from the force of the nulliefer's attack.

Drack tossed him in the air for a few seconds, he chuckled loudly "I'm sure the fresh air will help him come to his senses ..." Indeed, this one opened his eyes and then shouted “let go of me!”

Drack looked at him with an evil grin. “Are you sure you want me to let go? Think hard !"

Goran turned his head and noticed in horror that he was suspended above the void, he shouted even more loudly "No, no, no ... pity"

“Ok now, are you going to tell us who sent you?”

The man who had so much confidence began to stammer "I, I… I can't".

The old krogan turned to the pathfinder: “Ryder, this shit bag is quite heavy and I'm starting to be tired. You know Lexi told me not to overwork myself too much… so either you hold him or I let him go."

Ryder looked at him, as if seriously considering the question “He's too heavy for me Drack. And then I'm tired. You can let him go; I'm sure his men will talk more easily ”. The bluff worked wonderfully, the man unaware that none of his commando survived the attack.

"OK. Ok ... I'll tell you everything if you put me down. I kept all the evidence in my hideout ”

Drack brought him back to the edge of the promontory. "Go on spit vorcha, we want to know everything except your underwear size !"

Chapter Text

The scarred man recounted how he had been approached by someone from the Nexus. He had never met him because he had been contacted by an intermediary whose name he did not hesitate to give: "Dahl Patson"; the man in question was smuggling in Port Kadara. All their exchanges had been recorded, the movements of credits, the audio, the holos, the messages ; it was all in a safe house in Draullir. He even gave them the exact location.

For the time being; there was nothing to verify his statements; Other than a piece of information Sam passed on to the Pathfinder on their private channel: “There is a certain Dahl Patson who is actively wanted by Sloan Kelly's men in Port Kadara. Apparently he tried to steal several millions of credits from her ! ”

"We have to find him quickly before Sloan puts his head on a spike !" She then turned to Drack "We will have to hurry".

He nodded, then turned to the man while playing with his hammer: "Hurry up scum, we don't have all day!"

While Drack continued with the interrogation ; the pathfinder stepped aside from the group.

"Sam hands me the recording of Suvi's omnitool from the moment she was kidnapped by the commando."

"Dr Anwar did not give her approval"

Sara rolled her eyes, a little annoyed by the words of the AI ; “Since when does that kind of consideration stop you? Do it; period !"

As Sam replayed the audio of the conversations on their private channel, Sara the pathfinder; the lover ; heard all of Goran's abject words to her girlfriend. Trembling with rage, her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword.

"Pathfinder your heart is beating too fast and your blood pressure is exploding ..."

She hissed through her teeth "You have no idea how bad !" Her fists were itching "I'm gonna kill that bastard"!

“Sara, I strongly suggest not to give in to violence. He's unarmed and I've never seen you act like that; even in the worst situations “

The young woman stopped and took a deep breath, "Ok, ok ... but if he does or says anything offensive. I'm not going to hold back ”.

Liam called her at the same time when she ended her private conversation with Sam. She was fuming, but she didn’t want Suvi to realize that she had unwittingly listened to her mission audio.

The security specialist took her arm: “I tried to stabilize her but something's wrong. We need to get her back to the Tempest as soon as possible ... "

SAM confirmed Liam's concern “Pathfinder, something is triggering an allergic reaction in Dr. Lawson's blood. I think the bullet she received contained a toxin. She must receive appropriate treatment as soon as possible ”.

The young woman suddenly seemed to regain her senses. “Suvi while you get your things, try to find the weapon that Goran shot Lawson with. It'll help Lexi find this toxin and antidote faster.

The scientist looked around "It's not difficult, it's a pistol like Pebee's, except the hilt is ivory." She found the gun a few feet from the console and handed it to Ryder.

"Keep it there, you will analyze it with Lexi as soon as we get back."

The pathfinder turned to the rest of her team “Let's go”. She approached the console to reactivate the walkway that led to the teleportation well, but it seemed out of order. "Sam what's going on?"

“Apparently the remnants have disabled this console; to reactivate it you have to go down to the lower level of the vault. ”

Sara looked around annoyed; “We don't have time for that. Do you think we can use the jetpacks by jumping on the two pillars on the right? ”

“If the thrusters are set to maximum capacity. Yes. On the other hand, as Doctor Lawson is unconscious, I recommend to synchronize her jetpack with that of the person who will be carrying her. ”

The brunette nodded to Liam "See what you can do to carry her with Jaal"

"OK. Let's get started now " Liam deployed a composite stretcher, which looked more like a beach chair except that it had harnesses and adjustable mini thrusters at each end. He settled the unconscious young woman there, activated his omnitool, then motioned for Jaal to do the same.

At the same time, Ryder approached Suvi "Are you feeling better?"

The redhead turned and looked at her colleague lying on the stretcher; "I'll feel better when I'm sure she's out of the woods; I feel responsible for what happens to her”,

"You had nothing to do with it, it was Goran who shot her"

Then she sighed “I'm ready to go whenever you want”.

§§§§

As the couple approached the edge of the promontory, Goran shouted, “You are not going to leave me alone with the krogan after all. He almost killed me! "

Drack thumped him on the back. “Shut up, you little shit. Your jetpack is out of order, so either you jump with me… or you stay here. As I told you earlier; think hard! ”

The guy didn't have time to add another word because the pathfinder jumped up and grabbed him by the top of his armor, she hissed through her teeth: “You have no idea how much I want to kill you, I assure you it is better for your own survival that you stay with the krogan! . She released him and the scarred man fell heavily to the ground.

He stood up painfully and cocked his head arrogantly. “I didn't do anything to you Pathfinder , I just borrowed your two scientists, I even offered your doctor to have some fun with me after the mission, I .. . ”

Sara, who was already moving away from him, turned at lightning speed, threw herself on him in a violent biotic wave, the blade of her sword stopping a few millimeters from the offender's jugular, she growled in anger. “This is where you were wrong Goran, you attacked someone who is very precious to me; and you even imagined yourself raping her! Do you really think I'll forgive you for this? ” She pressed the edge of the sword harder against the man's neck, a drop of blood beading under the edge of the blade.

One would have thought that 600 years of cryogenic sleep would have given some individuals a little more insight ... but Goran was clearly not one of them. He was a bastard who only saw women through his macho prejudices; he couldn't stand the thought of Sara dominating him and so convinced that Sara would refrain from killing him, he sneered: “Oh, I didn't know the Scottish was yours Pathfinder, but I'm pretty sure I make her moan in bed more than you! ”

Eventually, the sleeping monster awoke full of fury; no longer able to contain himself in front of this last provocation. This time nothing could hold Sara back. She punched the man in the face, smashing his nose in the process. Then she pounced on him determined to end his miserable life. She didn't hear the screams of the others asking her to stop, nor even the voice of Sam in her head.

Only one thing saved Goran from certain death as her fist glowing with biotic energy prepared to deliver the killing blow: Suvi's hand firmly gripping her arm. She turned around with bloodshot eyes, her rage dissipating instantly. “Please Sara, whatever that man told you, he's not worth it. You're not a murderer, don't let him provoke you! "

The brunette let herself be taken away reluctantly, she turned one last time to the commando leader "I give you my word, next time you will die for sure !"

This time, he didn't answer, he contented himself with getting up painfully, giving the pathfinder a look full of hatred. Drack looked at him with growling: "You should be more afraid of the kid than me because I've never seen someone so frail have such a blood rage. I think she's really half Krogan! Without the doctor's intervention, she would have beat you to the pulp and I wouldn't have stopped her! "

§§§§

The group walked back to the edge of the bridge. Liam and Jaal waited to see if everything was all right with Ryder, they checked Lawson's stretcher harness one last time and then waved to Suvi.

“Go ahead, don't wait for us, we've wasted enough time here. Lawson needs care ”.

Suvi then turned to Sara while holding both her hands. “Are you sure you are feeling better? Swear you won't let him provoke you again? ”

The young woman shook her head, "No ... well if he stays quiet."

“We can go together, I don't want to leave you with him… he will try to provoke you again! Besides, I don't understand what he's trying to prove ”

The latter became more reassuring, "I have no intention of giving in to his provocations again". Then she patted the jetpack hanging on her partner's back. “On the other hand, I didn't know you knew how to use this equipment”

The Scottish girl gave her a provocative wink, "well, Vétra has taught me how to do a lot of things you still don't know !"

"Lots of things I don't know? And what exactly? ”

Suvi laughed at her partner's half-worried look, "I have to admit, I love it when you worry about me ... you're so cute." She didn't give the brunette time to answer because she activated her jetpack and jumped easily on the first pillar.

She was about to repeat the operation when she heard a cry. She turned around and saw in dread Goran holding Sara tight against him, a pistol pressed to her temple - preventing any further intervention from Drack. He grumbled, “Goran don't do anything stupid because you will die for sure ! “

The commander of the commandos replied with a sneer; “You won't do anything Drack because your precious Pathfinder is in danger of falling into the void!”

It was then that Suvi realized that Goran had been really playing with them. Like a chess player, strategizing, he taunted Sara just to get her to knock him down and give him the opportunity to pick up the weapon. The group were so focused on the young pathfinder that they ignored the prisoner for a moment. Which gave him plenty of time to hide the gun.

And, if there's something the redhead hated most of all ; it was to be taken for a ride ; whether in a game of chess or in real life !

Goran was so focused on the pathfinder and the krogan that he didn't suspect for a moment that the danger could come from elsewhere. It wasn't until he heard the sound of the jetpack's thrusters a few feet away that he turned around. “Doc?”

The young scientist was aiming at him with his own pistol, the ivory-butted sidewinder she had picked up earlier near the console. "Checkmate asshole ! ” she said as she landed on the ground.

The man had no time to react as Sara took the opportunity to nudge him hard in his already swollen face. He released her in pain, which allowed the pathfinder to free herself while the doctor, without the slightest hesitation, shot him in the leg ; giving him a taste of his own medecine: "This is for Solheim !"

The scarred man screamed in pain and fell heavily to the ground while holding his knee “you almost tore off my leg, bitch ”; he pointed his gun at Suvi but the pathfinder reacted first, sending him flying with a biotic blast.

The brunette approached the spot where the man had fallen, he had been lucky to be able to hang on to the edge of the promontory. He was trying to climb, but there was no way he could with his injured leg. He looked up at Sara "Pathfinder help me ! Please !"

She stared at him coldly well aware that he wasn't going to last long : "Have a good trip to hell son of a bitch!" She turned her back on him and walked away leaving him alone to face the inevitable. Finally, there was justice.

Drack's urgent voice snatched her from her thoughts. Sara quickly approached her two friends. And her blood froze when she saw Suvi remove her hand from her chest, a stain of blood quickly spreading across the white of her uniform.

The Pathfinder caught up with her before she collapsed. Panicked she looked desperately at her partner. “No, no, no !… scan ! Sam tell me what you see ...hurry ”

“The bullet stayed in the top of her shoulder. No vital organ is affected. Applying the medigel should help her until the projectile is removed. She just passed out in pain "

Sara sighed and grabbed a pocket of medigel which she emptied on the wound of her companion who began to cry out in pain. She waited until Suvi opened her eyes again!;

"Please wake up my love"

"It really hurts this thing. How do you get shot like this all the time ? ”

Sara, relieved, couldn't hold back her tears as she hugged Suvi: “Doctor Anwar, you have to stop putting yourself in danger because I don't know if my poor heart will hold out ”.

The Scottish girl looked at her intently. “I know the feeling because most of the time you're the one in danger. And then dear pathfinder, it turns out that every time I've put myself in danger; it was to save your life. “

Chapter Text

Another sigh was heard from the back of the cabin "I'm bored".  Suvi had her shoulder immobilized with a splint, which restricted her movement. Lexi had recommended total rest for her for at least 24 hours.

Watching her change positions on the couch every 5 minutes, Sara knew she was dying to resume her normal activities. She continued for a few moments to read the message that Vétra had given her then turned to her partner.

"Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?" "

"It's nice, but I can do it on my own, my shoulder is immobilized, I'm not totally disabled ..."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, "It's just for 24 hours, you'll be back at your post soon." Plus, we're still at EOS, it's not like you're going to miss any part of the adventure! "

She whimpered, "You know I don't like sitting around doing nothing. Lexi doesn't even want me to touch a datapad… ”

Sara sat down next to her and put her arm around her waist pulling her to her, "And I totally agree with her."

"Yeah, yeah, she gets really, really bossy when she pulls out her chief medical officer badge"

The brunette gave her a smirk; "If you want, you can take Lawson's place, she's stuck on a bed in the medical bay with Lexi for at least another 24 hours. Although she is feeling better, there are still traces of polonium in her blood and Lexi doesn't want her to move a nail. "

"No, no, all things considered; I'm fine here with you ” she snuggles up to Sara.

Then she straightened up as if she had just been thinking of something "I thought we would immediately go to Port Kadara to try to find this Dahl Patson; knowing that his head is wanted "

“Yes, I thought about it, but Lawson's health was too much of a concern at the time. We were much closer to the Nexus if her condition required more serious intervention. However, I asked Kaetus, Sloane Kelly's right-hand man, to go with Drack and Vétra to this hideout in Draullir. "

"Are you sure you can trust him ?"

“Yes Keatus is a serious guy. He's a little rough around the edges but he only has one word and then he owes me some favors "

"So… have they found something?" "

The pathfinder frowned. "Yes, they found everything Goran said, all the evidence except Dahl Patson…"

Suvi turned to look at her, "If we've found the evidence that's great. But I don't feel like you're happy ..."

Sara sighed "Sam shows my work screen in front of us"

"Immediately Pathfinder"

Then the brunette added; without taking her eyes off Suvi; "All the elements that have been recovered incriminate one and the same person: Tann !"

Suvi jumped "Tann? the director of the Initiative? "

"Yes, himself ..."

"I understand better why Goran said his employer was against this deal with the krogans or against your political support for The Moshae's candidacy ... he was always opposed, and he never hid it"

The brunette stood up and took a few steps around the room, "There is something wrong with this story and I can't quite put my finger on it."

"So you think it's not Tann who is behind all of this? "

Sara pouted skeptically, "It's true that I hate him, but now I find it just too easy. It's like he’s waving a flag under our noses to say "I'm the culprit, come get me!"

§§§§

The Scottish woman lowered her head and ran her fingers through her hair as she liked to do when she was in deep thought; "Sam please reset the screen to a dark background." She stood up and then grabbed a glowing marker.

"What elements do we have? "

Sara replied, "First Goran who said he had an employer he didn't know because he had been recruited through an intermediary Dahl Patson…"

"He also said he had evidence in his hideout in Draullir and…"

"And all the evidence that we've found in the holos and audios clearly shows that it's Tann the employer" the brunette added.

“On the other hand, there are several weird things in this story: 1st- Why did Goran say he didn't know his employer when the evidence he told us directly incriminates Tann ? 2nd- Who is Dahl Patson ? and 3rd… ”

Suvi turned to Sara before continuing to write on the glass screen " 3rd- I find Goran giving us his information a little too easily, it's true that Drack was holding him above the void to threaten him; but seeing how he played with us by provoking you to the point of risking death; it doesn't fit with the guy's personality… I think it was all part of his plan… ”

The brunette chuckled, "Well his plan didn't work out so well since he's dead; but I think you've put your finger on what bothers me. Why did he say he didn't know his employer when everything in his hideout related to Tann? "

Suvi nibbled at the pen. "Maybe the plan is to push us in the wrong direction, giving us evidence that incriminates Tann!"

" “Yes, but we are at an impasse; Goran is dead, we don't know who Dahl Patson is and everything relates to Tann! how to sort fact from fiction? "

"Well, the lick test like in geology"

Sara frowned in confusion; “Err Suvi; I can't see what's in there to lick? "

The scientist couldn't help her smile "my father told me that to differentiate a fossil from a simple pebble, you had to put it on the tip of your tongue: if it stuck a little, there was a good chance that it was a fossil; because of the porosity of the bone. If it fell immediately ... well it was a rock "

"Yeah, that's all nice; but don't tell me you want me to go lick Tann " she made a face in disgust " although I'm pretty sure he's a fossilized salarian"

Suvi laughed "you're too dumb… and if you ever think of putting your lips on Tann, you'll never put them on me again!"

"Ahhh, please don't put that kind of picture on my mind; it's disgusting "

Suvi turned back to the screen: "Sam plays back the holos and audio recordings and applies the reverse Alpha-Alpha protocol."

"It's done Dr Anwar"

"What do you get ?” She said looking at the ceiling

The AI played back the audios; the voice was no longer Tann's but a female voice.

The Scottish woman turned to her partner with a smirk "Lick test negative these are fakes! "

Sara shook her head "no need to brag about Dr Anwar".

"Pfff ... you boast a lot when you compare your score of remnants shot with Liam or Cora ... I don't see why I should abstain"

"Dr Anwar you don't need to brag ... there is no brain brighter than yours right now in the galaxy"

The scientist sat on her partner and kissed her on the cheek "Flatterer !"

"I try" the brunette replied, smiling.

The pathfinder looked at the screen again, "So someone is trying to mislead us into blaming Tann ... why? "

Sam replied in a monotonous voice, " Either it's to distract you; or either that person is really trying to get rid of the Initiative Director "

“This is an idea to explore; maybe Tann is the target. But how to know, our so-called proofs are useless. We don't even know who this woman is on the audios… ”

“Maybe we should focus on Dahl Patson, who is he really, and what is he doing in this whole thing? "

Sara sighed, "Until we find him I'm afraid the mystery remains unsolved!" "

"But maybe Dahl Patson is as non-existent as our famous evidence ..."

"It's not possible, everyone is looking for him in Port Kadara"

Suvi spoke to Sam "Show us a picture of Dahl Patson !"

Several pictures of a man in Initiative armor appeared on the screen. "I'm sorry Dr Anwar, that's all I found"

"So in the end, we don't even know what he looks like, maybe it's a pipe dream! ... What is this a mug’s game?” The doctor exclaimed, half pissed off.

"If he didn't exist, why would Sloane Kelly's men be chasing him? "

Suvi bit her fingernails as she stared into space "That's a good question ... why is all of Kadara chasing a man no one has ever seen?" "

"Apparently he tried to steal Sloane's money…"

"How did he get past Sloane's security? And we don't have any pictures of him when no one is allowed to wear armor or guns in town? "

Sam spoke up, “It appears that was not a normal burglary; but a hacking attempt ... several thousand credits were taken from Kelly's accounts the day before our arrival in Eos. Otherwise there is no record of Dahl Patson in the Kadara archives before that .

" "Why that doesn't surprise me ! " Suvi quipped; "Coincidentally the same day of your meeting with Tann and several leaders..."

The pathfinder interrupted, "Maybe it's not a coincidence… maybe this was all triggered by what was said at this meeting. Tann did not agree with any of our decisions, he was desperate to prevent the establishment of Heleus' defense system ... and I suspect he will try again in the future "

"So maybe someone is really trying to kick him out of his position as Director of the Initiative ... Sam displays the credit moves that incriminate Tann ..."

Several lines of alpha numeric data appeared on the screen. Sara shook her head, "Other than the amounts and the information from Tann, I don't see what more can be learned from this."

Suvi got up from the couch "We need to contact Sid"

“Sid? Vétra's sister? "

"Yes, she is used to this kind of operation, maybe she will see something that we missed"

The pathfinder straightened up "Sam asks Kallo to bring in the whole crew. Set a course to Nexus "

§§§§

Shortly after their arrival on the Nexus, Vétra showed up with her sister on the Tempest deck. "Please Sid, don't embarrass me. You know you like to ask weird questions ... "

"Oh stop , Ryder is my favorite pathfinder…best pathfinder ever! and I won't embarrass you, I promise! " Vétra sighed as she led her into Sara's quarters.

She immediately set to work alongside Sara and Suvi who showed her the credit transfers that had been recorded.

The young turian frowned "Tann really passed these sums on to Kadara?" "

"This is exactly what we are trying to find out ..."

"It's weird because there is something more", she took the pen from Suvi's hands and underlined on several lines 3 letters which came back regularly 'nxs'. She explained "These letters were put in place by the merchants systems to help define the origin and destination of credit transfers. For example Port Kadara is "pkd"; Port Méridiane ‘pmn’; the Nexus 'nxs'. These codes normally appear at the beginning of a credit line and at the end to help identify the direction of the transaction ."

Suvi's face lit up "except that there they also appear in the middle, showing that the credits went out of Tann's account and were transferred first to the Nexus and then to Kadara"

" Yes that's it; there was an intermediate step right here. Which doesn't make sense ! " added the turian.

" Why ? "Asks the Pathfinder.

"What doesn't make sense is that a Salarian like Tann, these labyrinthine-brained guys, be so careless at that level. In his shoes I would have made the credits go through Eos and Meridiane; before Kadara, so as not to arouse suspicion”.

She added with her melodious voice, despite the metallic intonations “Besides, he's a former accountant so he knows the system, that doesn't make sense! "

"This confirms our hypothesis, someone is trying to frame Tann"

" Yes ! " Sid added " plus it's someone who has a high level of access to the banking center and to Tann's biometric data "

"How many people have this access?"

" Nexus leader plus about twenty department heads".

Sara looked at the ceiling, "Sam can you display the Nexus organization chart; and show us the detailed list of everyone who has this precious sesame. About thirty people appeared on the screen: human, salarian, asari, turian… and only one krogan Kesh.

Sid took her leave, unable to add anything more; after having promised her big sister to not speak to anyone and especially to stay away from this affair.

The Pathfinder stared at the screen for a moment and let out a weary sigh "as if this matter weren't complicated enough, each of them will have to be investigated."

However Suvi did not answer her gaze fixed on  the names that appeared, then she stood up and circled an asari on the screen. "You won't have to… it's her!" "  

 " The brunette looked at her blankly "Shanta D’Lop? Why? Do you know her ? "

The scientist began to write under the asari's name "Dhal Patson" ... "it's an anagram!"

Ryder turned to the screen, then turned to Suvi again "wow !"

She patted Sara's leg with a barely concealed smirk of satisfaction : “Elementary; my dear Watson! ”