Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

That void kept welling up within her chest as the hours passed; she had maintained the routine of conversing with most of the members aboard the Tempest, excluding her angaran friend, who had extended the distance between them once more. She could hardly blame him after the decision she had made, but it stung whenever he referred to her by her surname rather than her given name once more. Lorelei simply bit her tongue, rolled with the punches, and pressed forward. 

No one would care about the turmoil within her – she was the Pathfinder and there was no time for that. 

Lorelei managed to bite down whatever irritation she held for the many unfamiliar yet hostile faces as she walked down the stairwell amongst the outcasts of the Initiative… The exiles. None of them harbored any love for her and they were obvious about it as she passed through, subtly taking note of an exile being beaten to a pulp in the middle of the square. Out in the open; a reminder and a threat to those who didn’t adhere to such horrid rules. 

The leash on her temper had weakened within the past few days, but she knew that it wouldn’t serve her well if she lashed out in a place where she was blatantly unwelcome. Instead, she mustered up whatever fraction of composure she still had and wore it like armor – she was being watched by every patron in the bar she had stepped foot in, whether she directly made eye-contact or they were keeping note in their peripheral vision. She was in no mood to defend or start a fight in a bar, even if that void within her roiled and cackled at the thought of letting loose for once. 

Lorelei’s gaze lowered to the countertop of the bar, taking in the peculiar scratches etched onto the wood and gnawing on her lower lip as she felt her thoughts beginning to wander. It was strange that she was the first to reach a rendezvous, rather than who she would be meeting up with, but she was hardly complaining as it gave her time to sort through her thoughts. 

Tension gathered underneath the scarf she threw on and gathered in her shoulders, the heather violet-black leather jacket easily covering the physical reaction, as she felt someone staring holes into the back of her head. Someone who hadn’t been in the room before her had stepped in and from the sounds she picked up on, they were quickly approaching her. Likely, her contact - “Shena.” 

“You look like you’re waiting for someone… Or, possibly hiding from someone.”

She froze and her pale blue eyes widened at the thick accent that rang through her ears and when she glanced over her shoulder, she was surprised by the individual who stood before her – a human male who practically towered over her. His sienna-hued skin was what she initially noticed, but it was those honey-hued eyes that watched her; he had a faint smile on his face, but it hardly reached those eyes that were subtly scanning her. He was also clean-shaven, which was likely done within the past day or so before they landed here on Kadara. 

This man likely had the resources to maintain his appearance and the fact that his hair was neatly styled back was also a dead giveaway to Lorelei – she would hardly be surprised if he kept in contact with a smuggler, or was one himself. She felt a slight strain on her neck having to slightly tilt her head upwards to maintain eye-contact, but it hardly deterred her since he was shorter than Jaal, who was also slightly shorter than Vetra. 

Lorelei didn’t have the chance to retort to his statement as a pair of mugs were slammed down on the countertop and a coy expression was worn on the asari bartender’s face. The man immediately grabbed ahold of the mugs and was quick to offer one to her; his gloved hands firmly held it, wiping away any possibility of it slipping from his fingers. She ignored the tug on her gut and swiftly took the mug from his hand, tapped the rim against his own, and immediately knocked it back without a second thought.

It had been a very long time since she had consumed alcohol and she had the perfect reason to break that streak now. 

She gently placed the mug back on the counter, finishing the smooth, savory liquid faster than her newest acquaintance, and she regarded him with a glint of wariness in her pale blue eyes. He noticed fairly quickly how she hadn’t said a single word and he uttered, “‘Shena,’ but you can call me Reyes. Reyes Vidal… I hate code-names.”

Lorelei nodded at his words, slightly amused by how blunt he was with his distaste at a code-name, but she softly cleared her throat and retorted, “Ryder. Lorelei Ryder. I’ll be blunt – I was expecting someone more angaran.” 

If Reyes was taken aback by her honesty, he made no show of expressing it, and he simply snickered at her words; he was hardly offended from what she gathered. Lorelei sneakily took note of the clothes he wore, noting the similarity of it to some of the shuttle pilots on the Nexus, but she quickly brushed it off for the moment. 

He had walked towards the railing on her left, quickly gesturing for her to follow, and as soon as she stood at arms-length from him, he countered, “The Resistance pays me to supply them with information – amongst the many other things they may need from me.”

She was right on the dot. He is a smuggler.

Lorelei narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her gloved fingers against her forearms. This action caught his attention until she hummed, “So, my assumption was correct. You’re a smuggler. It makes sense, especially from what I’ve already gathered.”

This seemed to surprise him as his eyes widened and that amusement finally gathered in his honey-hued eyes. He turned himself towards her, still leaning against the railing, and he continued, “Well, your man – Vehn Terev – was arrested by Sloane Kelly, who’s the leader of the Outcasts. Word has spread like fire about his actions and what he did to Moshae Sjefa…”

Word certainly spread quickly yet it was hardly a surprise to her. After all, she had supplied Evfra with the information and likely shared it with every single member involved with the Resistance – including his informant. Lorelei raised a brow at his dramatic pause, lips pursed as he snickered once more and added, “The people are calling and demanding for his execution and Sloane… she’s a woman of the people here in Kadara Port.”

Lorelei snorted at his words, ignoring the curl of his mouth at her reaction, and she leaned forward with her forearms resting against the railing. Reyes was watching her, intrigued by her response, and she replied, “Paint it or dress it up however you like, but I know exactly what she is. A criminal. There’s worse names I could think of after witnessing a public beatdown that was supposedly done in her name, but I’ll refrain. For now.”

The memory of it left a sour taste on her tongue and threatened to replay that horrific memory locked deep within her mind; she had quickly turned her gaze away as one of the female members hovered over the victim, nearly sitting on top of their chest. She was pulled from the darkest corner of her mind as Reyes gently bumped his shoulder against hers, that curl of his mouth raising as he muttered, “Interesting – however, you work for the Initiative, Ryder. Sloane was part of the uprising on the Nexus, so I am doubtful that she’ll willingly give up Vehn to you.”

This time, Lorelei smirked at the man standing before her; determination coursed through her veins, likely appearing in her pale blue eyes, and she hummed, “You make it sound as if I’ll give her the choice, Reyes. I’m either taking him or getting the information I need – with or without her permission. I won’t lie down and let her walk all over me.” 

That seemed to strike something in the smuggler standing beside her.

His smile seemed more genuine as he leaned closer, honey-hued eyes narrowing at her face, slightly shifting, as if he was counting all of the freckles on her face. He murmured, his gaze never wavering as he met her own once more, “We’re gonna be friends, you and I…”

A faint shudder traveled up her spine and she felt scandalized at the sensation, but managed to conceal it as she furrowed her brows at him. He had purposely leaned forward a bit more during their conversation, making it seem as if they were close in height and on the same level, but he suddenly pushed away from the railing – an action that she was silently grateful for, since she could feel her freckled face warming up. 

“There may be another way for you to get to Vehn – you work with Sloane, and I’ll see if I can figure something out with the Resistance…”

Reyes slowly began to walk away from her, unaware of the silent argument ensuing in her brain until she gasped and spun on her heel, nearly shouting with wide eyes, “Wait! How do I contact you if things go south, Reyes..?”

The second those words slipped from her mouth, he instantly halted in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder – a mischievous smile present on his face as he winked at her, an unfamiliar shadow in those honey-hued eyes of his. Once again, he was unaware of the warmth gathering in her freckled face and now they began to reach tips of her ears. 

It had been so long since her body had reacted in such a way and it left her flustered. Nervous.

Lorelei raised a hand up to her face, gently rubbing at her temples as she quietly sighed to herself. She flinched as SAM’s voice reverberated through her head, easily realizing that he spoke through their private channel, “Lorelei? Your heart rate has suddenly elevated after your meeting with Mr. Vidal. Should this be noted as a concern for Dr. T’Perro..?”

That garnered a groan from Lorelei and she internally scolded her symbiotic partner, but she hardly had the chance to gather her bearings as a voice echoed from the bar, “Hey! You’ve gotta pay for the drinks!”

In an instant, that strange sensation was wiped and irritation replaced it. She had been left with the bill and Reyes had gotten off, unaware of rendering her speechless and getting off with a free drink. Lorelei quickly swiped away on her omni-tool, swiftly paying off the bill with an extra tip, and stomped in the direction of the exit with her next objective in mind.

Hopefully this surge of frustration provided enough persuasion to get what she wanted from the woman who ran the damned place – she silently wanted this interaction to wipe away that unnerving sense of embarrassment that Reyes had wrought from her as well.

Chapter Text

The first thing that she did done was taking note of every single entryway that could be an exit, in case things went awry when meeting with the woman who ran the show on Kadara. She had been escorted by two krogan guards, armed to the teeth and attempting to intimidate her; she responded, or, didn’t respond and blankly stared at them. Lorelei knew that it usually disturbed those around her whenever she did such a thing – Magnus had always mentioned that it was how she scared off their peers, but it simply meant that they didn’t have the means to deal with her.

At least, that’s what she convinced herself to believe. 

“Focus our defenses here and here. The kett have been quiet for too long – I’d like to draw them out, if possible,” a posh voice echoed through the main chamber, likely because of the ceilings that were nearly ten feet higher than her. Lorelei fought the urge to glower at the woman who was seated upon a throne and instead took note of the older woman's appearance.

Scars marred her almond-toned skin yet it drew more attention to her heterochromatic eyes, hazel and light blue, but the lazy manner she sat upon the throne amused Lorelei. She was intrigued by the state of her scars; they seemed fresh and likely happened during the uprising, or even when they overthrew the kett on Kadara Port. 

“What is it?” 

Lorelei refocused on the woman sitting before her, taking note of the disdain on that scarred face, and she retorted with a frown on her freckled face, “I’m Lorelei Ryder – the Pathfinder that was aboard the Hyperion ark. I take it that you’re Sloane Kelly; the woman in charge of all of Kadara Port.” 

She blatantly disapproved of the older woman’s attitude and methods, but she gave credit towards the cunning and calculative manner that she carried herself with. It vaguely reminded her of herself, to which she inherited from her father. Cold, calculative approaches to every situation around them. Sloane leaned back against her throne, the disdain festering as she countered, “So, what brings the human Pathfinder to our humble port? I’m a bit surprised that an Initiative lap-dog has the gall to stroll up here, as if she has nothing left to lose. Yet, I’m curious.”

Honestly, she didn’t have much left to lose. Both of her parents were dead, her brother may never wake up after their recent encounter, and she felt as if she wasn’t close enough to those aboard the Tempest. However, she was anything but a lap-dog to the Initiative – to those damned politicians.

Lorelei shook her head, her lavender locks shaking from the movement, and she retorted with a hint of boredom, “I may be the Pathfinder, but I harbor no love or hatred towards the Nexus. If they stray from their line, I’m very quick to remind them that I have the final say in decisions. Many of them suggested that I steer clear of this place, but I came here of my own volition – I need information from your prisoner, Vehn Terev, and to explore the vault that’s underground on Kadara.”

Sloane seemed surprised that Lorelei not only retorted without flaring up with anger, but bit back at the attempt to rile her up; Lorelei easily concealed her amusement at how she managed to catch the older woman off guard, but simply crossed her arms over her chest. It seemed that she wasn’t expecting such honesty either. 

Lorelei noted the intrigue and wrath from the members present within the room; they were likely offended on her behalf at her blunt, direct attitude. Sloane, however, was quite entertained at the approach and hummed, “Honest and direct? That is something the Nexus sorely lacks because it seems you stole it from them, Pathfinder. Or, should I call you Ryder..? I must admit that I’m impressed at how civilized this meeting turned out to be.”

That was an obvious sign that their conversation had come to an end. Lorelei was quickly removed from the chamber, purposely ignoring the holes that Sloane was drilling into the back of her head with that glare, and she followed a turian male that led her down a hallway. She was close to the entrance, in case she needed to make a break for it. 

The only advantage she had while unarmed was the fact that she could use her biotics, but she wasn’t willing to push her luck – not after gaining the temporary approval from the woman at the top of the hierarchy and the chance to speak with the person she was after. Lorelei knew that if all else failed and Vehn Terev was unwilling to speak with her behind his steel bars, Reyes likely had something up his sleeve and could get him out of his prison.

She shook her head at the thought; the second he had managed to make her flustered and had the idea that she could convince Sloane, she was determined to prove that she could succeed on her own without the assistance of the Resistance. Well, specifically from the man she was trying to prove a point to in the first place. 

Both of the guards standing on either side of the doorway stared at her, watching for any shift in behavior as they ordered her to maintain distance from the prisoner, but Lorelei ignored them and frowned. Walking past them and drawing closer to the angaran sitting on the bench closest to the entryway of the cell, she gnawed on her lower lip. 

Hopefully Vehn Terev was easily swayed when compared to Sloane, but Lorelei could come up with something on the fly if need be. She was determined to gather what she needed and walk away with every single answer she required from the soon-to-be dead man.