Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Year, 2185, the best time for interstellar travel, or so everyone kept telling her. Liz glanced around the little apartment she'd lived in for the past few years since graduating from N7 training. One last time, her pale eyes glanced around the room at the beige walls, into the tiny kitchen, and the narrow hallway that led to the bedroom and bathroom. She slipped her ruck over her shoulder and took a small breath. There is nothing left for me here, don’t look back, she told herself as she swiped her hand over the console, opening the door.

Liz gave her brother a small smile as she locked the door behind her. Ryan held his ruck slung over his shoulder with a minor smirk on his lips. He leaned against the opposite wall full of confidence and cockiness, trying to feign annoyance with her.

“Jesus, Liz, are you ever on time?”

Liz gave him a cheeky smirk and punched his shoulder playfully. She loved her twin. He was her best friend and she looked forward to what they would encounter together.

“Please, I am always on time. It’s you that is always late, Ryan. Do I have to point out that you were late to your own birth,” she teased and Ryan snorted. Rolling his eyes, he moved to fall in step with her down the hall.

“Seven-minutes, just seven minutes before me, ass.”

Liz laughed and turned towards him with a sarcastic smirk to her lips.

“That’s right, little brother,” she teased.

Ryan reached out to pull her long, dark braid, and Liz ducked out of his reach, blocking his arm while laughing.

“Don't tell me you’re getting slow already? We haven’t even left earth yet,” she teased.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed just slightly at her before she took off running from him down the long hall laughing.

“You’ll see how slow I am when I kick your ass, big sister,” he taunted, chasing after her.

Liz laughed at him over her shoulder.

“Yes, because you’ve done so well in the twenty-five years you’ve been trying.”

Ryan growled and sprinted after her as her laughter echoed down the hallway when she used her biotics to burst ahead.

“Come on, no cheating, Liz!”

“It’s not cheating little brother, it’s using what you got. Come on… can't you keep up?” She teased him.

“I swear by all that is holy, if I catch you, Lizzy,” he growled pushing himself harder to catch up.

Liz laughed and put on a burst of speed, feeling freer than she had in a long time. Their lives were full of being judged as "Ryder's children". She tried to keep a professional face but with her father's discharge and disgrace from N7, Liz didn't know how she was going to salvage her career in her father's aftermath. Pushing the heavy thought back, she promised herself to live in the now and glanced back at Ryan.

“Come on little brother, you can do it,” she taunted and laughed even more when she heard his growl as a response.

Liz was a good distance ahead of her brother when she noticed Cora standing with her father talking on the platform of the docking bay. Liz stopped abruptly, and Ryan skidded to a halt behind her, barely stopping himself from plowing into her. He pulled her braid not noticing that their father and Cora stood ahead of them.

“Out of breath already?” he teased. Liz nudged her elbow into his side a little and his eyes followed to where her chin pointed and saw where their father stood.

“Oh,” he muttered under his breath, rubbing his side feeling slightly winded.

His previous expression of youthful silliness was wiped from his features and cool, pale eyes like her own stared at their father.

“Time to be an adult,” Liz whispered, straightening her ruck and squaring her shoulders before approaching Cora and her father.

Cora saw them before Alec and gave Liz and Ryan a small nod of acknowledgment, “Ryder’s”.

Alec barely glanced at his children as he continued talking with Cora.

“Complete the procedures for cryo with Dr. T’Perro,” he ordered before glancing at them. Cora folded her arms behind her back and nodded at him before turning away to carry out his orders.

“Ryan, Elizabeth,” Alec said with a clipped tone.

“Sir,” they both replied standing at attention.

Alec gestured towards the shuttle over his shoulder with his thumb.

“Board up, we are on a tight schedule.”

Liz saluted in sync with Ryan and jogged towards the shuttle. Her brother huffed next to her, and she caught him glancing over his shoulder with anger before turning his eyes forward. Liz refused to give her father the satisfaction of knowing she too wished he wasn’t such a cold bastard. She didn't need her father’s approval anymore. She had etched out a decent career for herself until her father’s obsession with AI tech had screwed her.

His precious, fucking SAM had consumed him and his time. So much so that he couldn't even be bothered with their mother's death. Alec had always been distant towards his children, but everything about her father had changed when their mother died. His obsession with SAM increased and they could do nothing to stop him from burying himself in his work. She and Ryan had mourned their mother together and just once, it would have been nice to have her father with them. Sighing deeply, she pushed the heavy thoughts away and found the blessing out of her mother’s passing when she had. It could have been a lot worse had she and Ryan been children, instead of adults already in the N7 program.

Liz stepped onto the shuttle as Ryan dropped his ruck and sat down across from her, strapping in for launch. She didn’t miss his angry movements and set her ruck down before doing the same and stared out the window. She tried to ignore their father as he boarded and walked by them towards the front, but her eyes glanced at the back of his salt and peppered head as he passed anyway before returning her focus out the side window.

No matter how hard she tried, she could never really hate him, and she knew that neither could Ryan. That was the crux of why it pissed him off so much. The shuttle shook as they left earth’s atmosphere and Liz’s eyes grew in incredulity at the size of the Hyperion as it came into view.  The sleek grey and black lines of the cruiser stood against the stark backdrop of earth’s moon and the vast space. Liz saw the Turion, Salarian, and Asari arcs as well with shuttles making their way to the docking bays of the large ships.  Her eyes glanced towards Ryan’s when she heard his soft snort.

“Think the Initiative is compensating for something,” he muttered wagging his eyebrows up and down with insinuation.

Liz smirked at the sight herself and shook her head before glancing back out the window ignoring his teasing. Both their heads turned towards the front with the sound of their father’s authoritative voice.

“There is our new home, at least for the next six hundred years.”

“Well let’s hope it's better than the barracks at Fort Sheppard,” Ryan commented dryly, making Liz chuckle and gaze back out the window.

Among the stars I go.

We exited the shuttle in the large docking bay of the Hyperion in quick order. The vessel appeared sterile, smelling of plastic with an acrid taste of ozone, and strong antiseptic.

“Nothing like that new car smell,” she muttered, and Ryan chuckled.

Following their father, both her and Ryan gazed around curiously at the sterile space as they entered the med bay. Dr. T’Perro motioned towards the bay doors behind her.

“Follow me and I will show you where you may stow your things and change,” she said turning away from them with the expectation they were following her.

Liz’s heart raced at what was about to happen and squared her shoulders before following the Asari. The bay doors slid silently open as she and Ryan followed her, and Liz noticed that the walls were lined with sterile white lockers. The doctor stopped in front of two polymer doors with their names on them and turned towards them gesturing at the doors.

“You will store your things here and change into the Cryogenic sleepwear. Afterward, meet me in the cryo-chamber when you've finished.”

Both Liz and Ryan nodded in understanding while watching the Asari leave them. When the doors closed, Ryan turned towards his locker and pulled the door open and stared at the ‘Cryogenic sleepwear’ they expected him to change into. Liz pulled her locker open and gazed at the pale blue and white two-piece sleepwear with her name over the left breast and snorted. Pulling it out, she pointed at the name ‘Ryder’ and chuckled as Ryan pulled his out and pointed at the same thing.

“I sure hope they don’t get us confused,” he said teasing as he hung it back up and released the buckles of his gear.

Liz chuckled as she finished up removing her gear and started on removing her braid.

“Well, unless you grow breasts in the next six hundred years Ryan, the chances of them mistaking us is small,” she teased pulling the top of the sleepwear over her head.

Ryan slapped at the patch of her exposed stomach, making her laugh.

“Smartass,” he grumbled making Liz laugh even more.

They changed into the sleepwear with no further teasing and headed for the cryo-bay. Alec stood next to Dr. T’Perro as they approached and glanced at them as they walked closer.

“Dr. T’Perro will take good care of you as you transition into your sleep for the journey.”

Liz looked at him for a moment and nodded before she turned towards her brother, ignoring her father's cool gaze.

“See you on the other side, little brother,” she said giving him a nervous smile.

Ryan snorted and shook his head. He could tell his sister was nervous.

“You were only ahead of me by seven minutes, Lizzy.”

Liz climbed into her cryo-chamber ignoring her brother’s words and gave him a cheeky grin.

“Yeah, but those seven, little minutes, really counted Ry.”

Ryan flipped her off before climbing into his cryo-chamber.

“Ass,” he grumbled but pleased that he could make her smile.

Liz watched the needle Dr. T'Perro stuck into her arm with nervous butterflies dancing in her stomach. Here we go and soon felt sleepy just as her eyes grew heavy and closed them, focusing on the picture of the galaxy she had programmed into her Omni-tool so she could study it for months, she fell asleep.

Alec stood by watching Dr. T’Perro put his two children to sleep, waiting for it to be complete before he too would retire to his cryo-chamber.

Dr. T’Perro moved her fingers over her Omni pad with quick work while monitoring the Ryder’s status.

“SAM?” Alec called out.

The sound of the AI’s voice carried through the Cryo chamber’s intercom in answer to Alec’s unasked question.

“My link to them is complete. All vital signs are steady and the cryogenic procedure complete.”

Alec only gave one brief nod and walked towards his pod and prepared for the journey across the dark space. Maybe six hundred years of sleep will help me figure out how to better my relationship with my children. He snorted and stepped into his Cryo pod.

Chapter Text

Liz gasped for air when she sat up. Her eyes darting around, trying to comprehend where she was.

“We made it,” she breathed in relief before trying to roll from the medical bed she was lying on. Liz tried to stand, and her head swam with the sudden movement. Her legs wobbly and unable to hold her up, she fell back onto the bed as two technicians sprinted towards her.

“Deep breaths. You will want to take it easy for a few minutes. Get your bearings first,” the technician told her as he scanned her.

Liz rubbed her face and snorted at him.

“What’s five more minutes, I’ve only been taking it easy for six hundred years,” she joked.

The technician stared at his datapad chuckling.

“Ryder, Elizabeth. Recon Specialist, Pathfinder mission team.”

Liz gave him a look of no shit before answering him.

“Yup, that’s me unless I grew a goatee,” she joked, rubbing her chin and looking around the room for Ryan.

“He is still being woken up,” the Technician told her without looking up.

“Pathfinder team, eh? The ones that are finding us homes,” the female tech asked as she handed Liz a cup of coffee.

Liz took a sip of the steaming brew and closed her eyes as the instant kick of caffeine rushed through her system.

“Can you make it somewhere tropical? Nice warm ocean, maybe somewhere it is summer all year round?”

Liz laughed and gestured at the med bay.

“And give up this stunning view?” she teased, smiling amused before taking another sip of her coffee.

The two techs were done scanning her and left her to sit on the edge of the bed and finish her coffee. Liz enjoyed her coffee while a large screen playing a welcoming vid played in the background. Liz watched the vid not paying attention as people walked around her busily doing whatever they were doing. She turned away from people watching towards the soft thud of something landing on the bed next to her. Liz looked up and recognized Dr. T’Perro and gave her an easy smile.

“Elizabeth Ryder let’s get you checked out. Look here,” she asked moving her fingers to the right and then the left.

Liz’s eyes followed her movements listening to the vid playing and snorted when she listened to the voiceover for the vid say, ‘Now you are part of the first wave of arks arriving in Andromeda, our new home for humanity.’

Dr. T’Perro gave her a small smile as she checked Liz’s neck and throat.

“Makes it sound so easy doesn’t it?”

Finished, she crossed her arms and held her gaze.

“Well, sure but it is what we trained for,” Liz answered with an easy smile.

Dr. T’Perro nodded in agreement.

“I hope so.”

Liz’s eyes slightly narrowed as she watched the Asari.

“You know something I don’t?”

Dr. T’Perro bent and picked up her datapad and entered a few notes.

“Word came down that the Pathfinder wants everyone mission-ready within the hour.”

Apprehension grew in her stomach before tamping it down and gave the doctor a cool nod.

“Okay, everything checks out. Just one more thing before I send you on your way… Let’s test your SAM implant. SAM, are you monitoring? SAM are you online?”

Why would I have a SAM implant? Liz gazed around unsure and slightly flinched when she recognized the AI’s hologram floating in the middle of the room.

“Yes, doctor T’Perro. Good morning, Ryder. Are you feeling well?”

Liz cleared her throat, struggling to push away the sudden spike of anxiety she had growing in her gut. When could he have done this?

“I need a second to get my bearings. What’s this about my implant?” she said looking at Dr. T’Perro.

“It is nothing to be concerned about, it is just a routine check. After being in stasis, we want to make sure the connections still live.”

Nothing to be concerned over?! Liz bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping at her and gritted her teeth as SAM’s voice filled the room.

“As the team’s mission computer, your well-being is my primary concern.”

Sure, it is, Liz, thought and rubbed her face.

“Well, assuming the implants work as advertised. SAM sees what you see - in theory. We won’t know for sure until we get you in the field. How are you holding up, otherwise?”

Liz glanced up at her unable to hide the anger she had for her father at that moment. How could he put this thing in my fucking head without even asking me first? Stars! Does Ryan have one too? Putting her emotions aside, she let out a held breath.

“Let’s get a move on, the Pathfinder doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Readings confirmed. I detect an increased level of adrenaline in your system. The neural implant is functioning.”

Liz snorted and swallowed the last of her coffee before setting her cup down.

“Caffeine always made me jumpy.”

Liz ignored the look of pity that doctor T’Perro was giving her and stood to gather her gear from her locker. The doctor gestured towards an unopened pod on the other side of the med bay.

“Thought you may want to hang back a moment while we revive your brother. It always helps when they have a familiar fa- “

Liz’s head snapped up when the lights flickered, and a loud groan rumbled through the Hyperion causing the large vessel to shudder. The floor beneath her shook violently, knocking her and the doctor to the floor in stunned shock. Liz glanced around assessing the area while listening to the sounds coming from outside of the ship.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” she whispered moving to stand.

The groaning grew louder, along with the shudder of the ship beneath her feet and Liz rode the wave until the gravity inside the med bay stopped working and she ducked under a now floating stasis pod.

“What’s happening?” doctor T’Perro questioned.

“Well isn’t that obvious, doctor? Now just hang on,” Liz barked, looking for the reset panel for the gravitational monitor while someone, she could only assume as the Commander, barked orders over the telecom system.

“Engineering, report!”

“Gravity in the cryo-bay is offline, Commander,” a technician reported.

“I’m almost inside, hold on,” a woman’s voice barked over the intercom, and relief flooded Liz's system when she recognized who was speaking in assured, clipped tones.

Cora

Cora floated through the cryo-bay doors and Liz smiled.

“You’re a damn beautiful sight,” Liz commented noticing Cora’s lips slightly curve at the corner.

“Ryder, good to see you too, now brace yourself,” Cora replied before reporting over the system. “This is Cora, I’m at the cryo-bay. Brace for reset.”

As soon as Cora typed the reset passcode into the wall pad, everything in the room plummeted to the floor.

Doctor T’Perro and Liz both grunted when they plowed into the floor. Cora pulled herself up from the floor and glanced around.

“Is everyone all right?” Cora asked.

Doctor T’Perro straightened her blue and white uniform and nodded her head.

“I believe so.”

Liz stepped forward and took Cora’s arm in greeting by clasping her forearm before releasing her.

“What in the hell happened?” Liz questioned her as she let go.

Cora shook her head and conveyed to her that she was as confused as she appeared.

“We’re not sure what happened. Whatever it was scrambled our sensors. But it’s good to see you’re up. Feels like centuries since we spoke.”

Liz chuckled and playfully punched her in the shoulder.

“Six hundred years of sleeping might have something to do with that.”

Cora opened her mouth to reply when the communication system interrupted, and Liz stiffened when her father’s commanding voice echoed around her.

“This is the Pathfinder. Mission teams continue preparation. Cora, Ryders, report to the bridge.”

Cora looked at Liz and gestured towards the doors.

“Well, you heard him. Let’s get…”

“Ah, we have a problem over here. It’s Ryan Ryder,” a technician interrupted, and Liz’s stomach lurched.

She stared at the technician standing next to a damaged stasis pod that was dented and scratched from its rough treatment. Liz couldn’t make herself move to follow Cora and doctor T’Perro when they rushed to the technician next to Ryan’s pod.

No

“What’s wrong?” Cora barked while the doctor’s fingers flew over her datapad.

Breathe… one, two, three, now move damn it. Her feet followed her commands and yet to her it was as if something weighed them down, making each step difficult.

“It appears some kind of power surge hit the stasis pod,” doctor T’Perro comment, her grey eyes running over the information.

“Is he okay?” Cora questioned.

“I’m running the diagnostic now.”

Liz ran her hand over the window exposing Ryan’s face. The action did not go unnoticed by Cora or doctor T’Perro.

“Did the seals break?” Cora asked, and Liz flinched with the question.

“No, physical integrity appears intact,” doctor T’Perro answered and put the datapad down and walked towards Liz.

“Elizabeth,” she whispered placing a hand on her shoulder.

Liz couldn’t tear her eyes from her twin.

“Is my brother okay?”

“Ryan is fine. His vitals are strong, but the revival procedure was interrupted.”

Liz’s jaw tightened with the information.

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

Liz felt the doctor squeezing her arm, trying to convey an assurance she currently couldn't find for herself.

“Don’t worry. It means the process could take longer than usual. SAM?”

Liz listened to the AI’s voice answering her earlier question as to whether or not Ryan had an implant too.

"What happened outside the ship suspended my connection. However, his pulse, respiration, and brain activity are all normal, doctor."

Liz breathed easier with the information. At least the damn thing is good for something.

“To be on the safe side, we must keep him in a low-level coma for a while, then let his body regain consciousness naturally. He’ll be fine.”

Liz looked at the doctor and nodded before looking at her brother through the window again.

“Okay.”

Cora cleared her throat before Liz caught the commanding tones return.

“Thanks, Lexi. Keep us updated,” she looked at Liz and gestured towards the med bay doors. “Ryder, I’ll wait for you at the door whenever you’re ready to go.”

Liz’s face slid to the impassive masque she typically wore and gave Cora a brief nod before walking towards the locker room that held her things. She ignored Ryan’s locker as she ripped off the sleepwear and pulled her gear out. Something was soothing in the repetitive motion of securing buckles and strapping on her weapons. Liz removed the brush out of her ruck and ran it through her hair before re-braiding it with jerky movements and coiling it into a tight bun at the base of her skull.

Breath Liz, he will be fine. You didn't come all this way to lose your brother now. She took a deep breath before she returned to Cora who stood next to the doors and gave her a sharp nod.

“We shouldn’t keep the Pathfinder waiting.”

Cora noticed the stiff line of Liz’s shoulders and the tension in her jaw as she passed her for the elevator to the bridge.

“Agreed.”

Chapter Text

Liz held her pistol in front of her and followed Liam, covering his six. Everything was happening so fast, she didn't have any time to take in the beauty if not, strange planet. Thus far, what she has experienced since her fall from the transporter has not been pleasant.

First, her adventure began with her screaming free-fall through the air like a rock. Second, her jump jet barely working in time to slow her descent before she became an oil slick on the alien surface and yet, she still found a way to crack her face shield when she hit the ground. The whole, scramble to repair it before dying from no oxygen was just the side benefit. Third, the fucking aliens had shot at her with the first contact. That would teach her to follow the Pathfinder protocol.

Liz’s eyes surveyed the area as she inwardly ticked off everything that had happened since leaving the Hyperion and mentally sighed. My brother is one lucky mother fucker right about now because, at this point, I am doing a damn good job to still be breathing and not a babbling mental case.

She thought about the first contact with the green-colored aliens and the experience was enough to tell her they were not friendly, nor were they likely to ever be. Liz flexed her shoulder and mentally grimaced, feeling the bruise she knew she would have later from the alien's rifle slamming into her. Yup, definitely NOT fucking friendly.

“Some Golden World this turned out to be,” Liam grumbled. His chocolate-colored eyes darting from one side to the next looking for unfriendlies and Liz chuckled as she did the same but scanning the area behind them.

“Oh, I don’t know it could be worse,” she commented before bumping his shoulder with her own. “This is only the sixth gate of hell not the seventh.”

Liam laughed, shaking his head when their down coms suddenly gave off static and broken words crackled through her earpiece. Liz spoke hoping whoever it was could hear her.

“This is Ryder–can you hear me?”

The sound of Cora’s relieved voice filled the static-filled communicator and Liz smiled at Liam.

“Liz?! Thank God you survived, we are surrounded by aliens. Have you met any? Are they friendlies?”

Liz's blood turned cold.

“If they are green and have a lot of bone-like structures on their face like the Turion’s, they are not friendly. I repeat, NOT friendly Cora,” the sounds of rapid, staccato taps of gunfire came through the communicator.

“Well no shit,” Cora growled before the coms went down again.

“Damn it,” Liz snarled, running in the direction she'd heard gunfire come from with Liam chasing after her.

Cora witnessed Ryder launch herself over a rocky formation encased in her bio-shield, pistols out and firing at the enemy as she fell and rolled to a rock she could duck behind. The woman moved like her father when in a battle. Plunging ahead into the thick of things without a care in the world, she thought, shaking her head.

Liz holstered her twin Eagles and pulled the N7 issued sniper rifle from her back and kissed the barrel before she prepared to pick off the enemy. Come on baby girl, make momma proud. The steady ricocheting sound of her rifle fire echoed through the small canyon as she picked off one green alien after another. With a soft exhale of breath, she shot the next one in the barely visible head hidden behind a rock that was firing at Liam. Just when she thought the fight was over, an incoming transport hovered overhead and dropped another round of the green son-of-a-bitches.

“Oh, come the fuck on,” she growled. Taking another deep breath, she focused on one of them standing in the cargo doorway through her scope and pulled the trigger, dropping one of them from the transport.

“Nice one,” Liam congratulated when the alien fell from the aircraft with a hard thud to the ground.

With a wicked smile, Liz settled into her zone and tuned out all other noise. With the sniper rifle nestled comfortably against her shoulder like an old friend, she waited for the next group to emerge from behind the rocks between them. She was so focused on the aliens that she didn’t notice the alien creature that was coming up on her six. When the creature's head rammed into her back, Liz was launched forward, slamming into the rock and she saw stars. Dropping her rifle, she pulled the blade at her side and turned quickly just as the creature prepared to attack again. The sound of a gunshot came from her right and green blood and brain matter spurted from the creature onto her face shield.

Liz wiped the gore from her face shield and saw Cora give her a two-fingered salute before returning her focus to the aliens attacking them. Liz took a calming breath and picked her rifle back up, focusing again on the aliens attacking.

“Does anyone know what the fuck they want?” Cora asked.

“Us, dead, that would be my bet,” Liz joked just as she squeezed the trigger taking the next alien down.

“Goddess preserve me, you think, Ryder?” Cora replied sarcastically.

“Well you asked, I answered. Don’t want to hear stupid answers, don’t ask stupid questions,” Liz said with a snort.

“Ugh,” Cora groaned, building up her biotics and pounding the ground hard with a shockwave, killing the last alien. With the last one was dead, Liz walked towards a corpse and scanned it.

“It's organic but unlike a Turion’s bio-physiology,” SAM commented.  

Liz scanned the animal’s lifeform for information on the creature’s composition with her Omni-tool and nodded her agreement with the AI. She turned off the screen and glanced at Cora, taking the small towel she offered to wipe off her face shield.

“Where is the Pathfinder?”

Such a smart ass when in a fight but then professional to the smallest detail, so unlike her brother who was a smart ass in and out of a fight, Cora thought and pointed towards a rocky ledge.

“He went that way to scout ahead.”

Liz nodded and reloaded her weapons before motioning for everyone to follow.

“Then he is waiting for us and he doesn’t like to wait, let’s get a move on.”

Liz scaled the ledge and saw her father crouching down, scanning the terrain in front of him. He turned to glance at her and motioned for her to stay low as she approached.

“Good to see you made it.”

Liz rolled her eyes and mentally counted to ten. Glad you weren’t worried, oh, and thanks for the fucking implant I never wanted.

“Yeah, well, us Ryder’s don’t die that easily,” she commented pulling a small smirk from him.

“No, we do not,” he replied looking at her.

Liz ignored his look and scanned the area noticing the large, blue barrier covering a facility that prevented any kind of entry as Cora spoke up.

“Who are these guys?”

Alec glanced at her with his eyebrow raised.

“Visitors, just like us. I don’t think they are native to this planet.”

“Yeah, angry visitors,” Liz replied, glanced at him, and nodding her head in agreement.

“Liam and I found an abandoned lab that suggests that they are studying this place for what, we couldn't find out.”

Alec smirked and glanced at her before continuing his calculations on his Omni-tool.

“Good work, you did do some scouting then.”

Liz’s shoulder’s tightened, and it took everything in her to not snap at her father for his cold comment and hoped her reply would sound casual.

“It’s my job isn’t it?”

Liz mentally groaned hearing the angry tone with the casual words that guaranteed her father would notice.

“Not until everything goes wrong, do you truly know what someone is made of,” he replied with an arch to his eyebrow. He couldn’t blame his daughter for the feelings she harbored for him. He had not been a good father to her or Ryan and clearly, six hundred years wouldn’t change that. The only thing he did do for them was instill a sense of duty, diligence, and hard work into them.

Liz couldn’t stop her eyes from glaring at him.

“That part about everything going wrong, yeah, there is plenty of that going around on this mission.”

Cora interrupted, knowing it would only be a moment more before the two Ryder’s would start arguing.

“Sir, you said you had an idea about the weather?”

Alec let out a sigh of disappointment and glanced at his Omni-tool.

“It’s the dark energy cloud the Hyperion hit. It’s affecting the whole planet, interfering with that…” Alec pointed at the facility’s tower. The blue cloud Liz and Liam observed when they first arrived in Habitat 7 are coming from the tower and expanding in the sky above.

“Is this the alien structure we saw from the shuttle?” Liz asked and saw her father’s nod.

“Yes, the tower is caught in a feedback loop with the cloud. Together, they’re disrupting the entire climate with the undirected energy,” SAM injected.

Liz glanced at Liam.

“That would explain the cave we found. It sheltered the plant life from the storm… from that tower.”

“It’s a good bet. And I think if we can get in there and shut the tower down…” Alec said while Liam smiled, catching his meaning.

“The lightning goes away.”

Alec nodded in agreement. “And the shuttle can get us out of here. In theory. We just have to get past them,” he said gesturing towards the aliens.

“So, we are counting on science we don’t understand, and if you’re wrong?” Liz questioned.

Alec held the pale blue gaze that resembled his own.

“The alternative is an 85% chance of death from a lightning strike, capture, or worse,” SAM informed everyone.

“When you put it that way, there’s not a choice. It’s either do it or die,” Liz replied dropping her head in frustration.

“No illusions about this. It’ll be a nasty fight the whole way.”

Alec’s honest words drove home that the likelihood of them dying on this fucking planet was high.

“Beats getting fried by lightning. But we risk turning a skirmish with these guys into something worse,” Cora added into the conversation, and Alec crossed his arms. A sure sign it would not sway him from his decision.

“It’s them or us.”

Liam snorted and pulled his assault rifle from the holster strapped to his back.

“Oh, it’s definitely them. Problem is we’re outnumbered.”

Alec had a small tilt to the corner of his mouth and moved his fingers over his Omni-tool.

“I’ve been working on that. We need to change the math.” Alec activated grenades that destroyed some of the lightning rods around the facility, triggering the lightning to strike the shield. With the shield dropped, it no longer preventing entry. Alec motioned for everyone to follow him as he jump-jetted down to the ground level to begin the assault on the facility.

Liam smiled at Liz and shrugged.

“Works for me.”

Liz rolled her eyes and glanced at Cora.

“Of course, it does,” she muttered before pulling out her sidearms and jump-jetting down after him.

Liz saw that Alec was ways ahead of them and chased after him trying to keep up. Shooting aliens as they sought to grab at him.

“Push ahead to the structure,” he yelled back to them. “SAM, load combat file.”

Liam and Cora raced after them trying to keep up. They fought their way to the second floor of the facility when Liz heard her father.

“SAM, biotic amp interface mode.”

Liam yelled at Liz as it stunned her with what was going on between her father and SAM.

“Got to keep an eye on our flank, Ryder.”

Alec yelled back at her, keeping his momentum forward.

“Not if we keep moving forward! Don’t let them catch us. Now keep up.”

Liam ran next to Liz.

“How's your dad doing all this? He's like a machine!”

Liz didn’t answer him but suspected it had a lot to do with SAM.

“That's it—we're doing it! Not much farther!” Alec barked out.

Liz scrambled after him around a corner using a burst of biotics to get closer.

“Where are we going?” She asked him as she ran next to him shooting an alien in the chest when it popped out from behind a large crate with her pistol.

“All the way to the top,” he answered.

They both jump-jetted across the huge gap in the bridge and ran towards the large building. As they raced through the building killing aliens as along the way, the storm outside grew worse. Racing up another ramp, they came to a stop at the locked door and an alien device sat outside.

“What now?” Liz questioned. Panting to get her breath back from the flat-out run they had just made getting there. She bent at the waist as her father walked towards the alien device.

“I need to decipher the language.”

“There’s more coming up the ramp,” Cora warned shooting one in the chest.

“We need to defend both sides. Liam, you go left, I’ll go right, and Cora can watch the Pathfinder’s six.”

Everyone gave sharp nods of agreement and ran to take their positions.

“Here they come,” Liam yelled out.

“We held them off at the shuttle, we can do it again here,” Cora yelled out for encouragement.

Liz ignored the banter and focused on her breathing and keeping her focused gaze through the sight of her scope while watching for incoming aliens. This was where she lived… she was a sniper by training, she was biotic by birth, and she would always strive to prove to the world she was more than just Alec Ryder’s daughter. Throughout the fight, Liz could hear SAM as he informed them when he was at fifty percent, then seventy-five percent. It was a relief when Alec called out he had it.

“That did it! It's a security override—I'll try to open the door from here! Ah, damn—it's jammed! I need to look at it!”

Liz kept her gaze scanning the area for any alien movement while Alec walked towards the door.

“Elizabeth, I need your help over here,” Alec called out.

Liz glanced around the area and Cora gave her a nod of assurance.

“Go–it’s okay. We’ll keep a lookout.”

Slipping her rifle back into the magnetic holster on her back, Liz hurried towards Alec as he pressed his hands to the door.

“We need to get this door open, put your back into it.”

“On it,” she replied using her biotics to add more strength to the shove upward.

The door finally released and opened up so they could enter.

“Do you think you can shut this thing down?” Liz asked him.

“I don’t know yet. SAM’s decoded part of the language. Now we will see if I can talk to it.”

“Well, this should prove interesting, let’s hope the conversation goes well,” Liz replied, walking beside him.

“These are the moments that make it all worthwhile,” Alec said with a touch of excitement.

She had never witnessed her father show this level of excitement before. They walked together towards the alien device that was shaped into a large triangular console. Each of its sides emitting a ray of green light.

“SAM, begin translating.”

“One moment,” SAM answered.

Liz studied the metal and rock-walled room in awe. The eerie green, glowing etched writing into the surface was amazing. This is so much better than a Prothean dig. A few moments passed while the triangle continues emitting a ray of light in front of Alec. Liz continues standing behind him while scanning the chamber.

“Translation complete,” SAM informed them, and Alex smiled pleased.

“Well let’s see what we got here.”

Alec raised his right hand, the digital pads built into his gloves interfacing with the alien device which also seemed to be some kind of atmospheric processor. Orange lights resembling a solar system, expanded and grew around his hand. Whatever Alec was doing, it was working and outside, the atmosphere near the tower was changing. Liz went back outside and realized with surprise she couldn’t hear any more thunder, nor was there any lightning, and the sun was shining now.

“I’ll be damned… it worked,” she muttered, smiling up at the clearing sky.

Alec walked up behind her and patted her shoulder.

“It did. Without SAM, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish it.”

“It was simply a matter of linguistics. Though I'm pleased to have…”

A dark, forceful cloud inside the structure interrupted SAM with its loud hissing sound. Alec and Liz barely had time to look at it before a rush of smoke blew them both off the platform. Liz screamed, tumbling ass over teakettle before grasping the edge of the platform with her fingertips, but with the pressure of the purge from inside the chamber,  and a large container smashing into her face, she couldn’t maintain her grip. Thrown off, she fell through the air before slamming into a rock formation below with her back.

Liz grunted with the impact. The breath knocked out of her. Unable to stop herself, she continued to roll over the rocky surface, slamming her face shield into a large rock, completely destroying it before coming to a stop at the bottom. Liz felt the shards of her shield embedded in her cheek as she gazed out of a shattered visor unable to breathe. She saw only smoke in front of her as she struggled for oxygen. She couldn't believe that this was where she was going to die. Her gaze grew hazy as hypoxia began and an orange light appeared to walk through the greyness. She barely recognized that the light was coming from Alec’s Omni-tool while he limped towards her as fast as he could, typing on his pad when he discovered her broken face shield.

“Repeat, we need an emergency extraction now!” he barked into the com and heard Cora’s prompt reply.

“They’re spinning up the shuttle. ETA is three, maybe four minutes!”

Alec saw that she was struggling for air and growled into his com.

“We don’t have that long.” Pulling her helmet off, she held his gaze as he touched her cheek and pulled out the largest shard from her skin before pulling his helmet off and shoving it over her head.

“Deep breaths, Lizzy,” he coughed out, trying to focus on his Omni-tool and typing his override codes as fast as he could before he passed out.

Liz coughed and stared at him in horror. “What are you…” she couldn’t stop coughing. Stars, what is he doing?

“Initiating transfer,” SAM answered.

“Liz, I’m proud of you,” he told her, dropping his hand and grasping hers. Liz saw that his lips were moving but all she could hear was a buzzing static through her ringing ears. Her vision grew blurry until she could no longer see him and passed out.

Chapter Text

“Your actions on Eos bought us time and one colony is a good start, Ryder, but we need more to keep us from starving to death. Then there is the problem of you bringing that Krogan and Asari on board, it was foolish. They are not even cleared to be on the Tempest. If your father were alive…”

Liz slammed her fist into Director Addison's desk, splitting the wood in half. Both Peebee and Draak had proved themselves to her, and she was beyond tired of hearing about how fucking great her father had been or how much better he could do it. He'd left this shitshow to her and if they didn't like it they could find someone else to do it.

“If my father was I alive, I would be dead, and right this moment Director, I fucking wish I was. Lord knows you make me want to slit my wrists and turn this office into a fucking, Pollock painting, you insensitive, back riding, bitch. You want more colonies?” she yelled leaning into her face, “get off your soft ass and make one! Maybe then you'll understand the blood, sweat, and hard work that is put into getting one for your ungrateful asses!”

Liz took panting breaths as she tried to reel in her anger while Addison observed her with an annoyed expression. She knew what everyone thought of her as Pathfinder, including Cora, and felt her shoulders want to sag for a moment before squaring them and glaring Addison down.

“Ryder…”

Liz clenched her jaw.

“I have explained to you enough to make a puffer fish’s cheeks explode. The Tempest is leaving at 0800 hours for the Onaon system, like it or not. The vault on Eos pointed the way, and I still believe activating all the vaults is the answer to removing the scourge and having a viable system to live in. I will not miss the opportunity to chase down these Remnants that can alter an entire planet's ecosystem. So just let me do my fucking job Addison and choose someone else’s back to fucking ride instead of mine.”

Liz turned on her heel and left Addison’s office. The sound of staccato taps from her boots over the hard floor echoed through the office. The swoosh of the door opening and closing behind her as she made her escape sounded exactly like the breath of relief that escaped Liz. Well, that went fucking splendidly.

She wanted off this floating, fucking nightmare but before she could escape to the Tempest, she would make a quick visit in on Ryan and then hit the so-called bar the Nexus boasted, named the Vortex. Gill told her it wasn't a bad hangout and right about now the only thing she cared about was if they had liquor… and lots of it.

It had been six months since her second waking on the Hyperion. Without her father to lead them and his bypassing protocol and transferring the Pathfinder title to her instead of Cora, then there was the fact that Ryan was still in a damn coma, Liz didn't think she could take any more. She walked away from Addison’s office and headed towards the tram for the med bay.

The music in the Vortex was obnoxious and loud, but the whiskey was decent, and being the Pathfinder had perks that included not water downed booze. Taking another shot, she stared into her empty glass trying to remember the last time she had laughed. She thought of the last moment she and her brother had shared as they ran down the corridors to the shuttle bay. Six hundred thirty-six years, six months, thirteen days, and twenty-two hours–that was the last time. She poured another shot ignoring Draak entering the bar.

He saw her sitting in the corner by herself and shook his head. Kid’s about to split.

Liz glanced up when his large body blocked out the shitty neon lighting and grimaced. Here comes the lecture.

“You okay kid?”

Liz stared at him for a moment before answering.

“Just ducky, old man.”

Draak pulled the stool out and sat down. Folding his large arms on the table, he leaned forward and sniffed the liquor she was downing.

“That shit working?”

Liz's laugh was without humor and shoved her hair out of her face. I should have tied it back, she thought.

“No, but if I’m lucky for one blissful moment, I might forget how fucked up everything really is.”

Draak chuckled and held her pale gaze. The colors reminded him of a nebula with the soft blue splashed with oranges, greens, and yellows in its depths.

“It is always darkest before the dawn, kid.”

Liz stared at him a moment and then drank back the shot in one quick swallow before setting the glass on the table with a loud thump.

“And when your backs against the wall, use it to push your way forward,” she mumbled. The words had been her fathers, and it had been a long time since she had thought about them.

Liz reached for the bottle to pour herself another shot and Draak placed his hand over hers, stopping her. She looked at him again and felt the instant need to cry when she saw his look of concern staring at her from his dark yellow-green gaze.

“Come on Elizabeth, I’ll walk you back to the ship.”

Liz’s eyes slightly rounded with Draak using her name since he seldom did, and her eyes immediately began to water. Damn it! Standing up, Draak followed her out of the Vortex and threw his arm over her shoulders and she leaned against him.

“You’ll see kid, it’s hard now, but you got this, I know you do.”

His words of encouragement helped, and she looked up at him to give him a watery smile.

“Thanks, old man, I… needed that.”

Kallo set our course for Onaon while she sat on the bridge watching the stars fly by through hyperspace. It was something she found relaxing when the Initiative had first given her the Tempest. Her sexy, sleek lines and huge bay windows left nothing to the imagination of what was outside her window, and at times, it was breathtaking. Kallo watched the monitors on one side while Suvi hummed a soft tune from the other. It was Kallo’s voice that shook her out of her thoughts when he said aloud.

“We’re on a collision course with an unknown object.”

“Shit,” Liz muttered, scrambling from her perch next to the window. “Make corrections, SAM? Are you on this?”

“Collision is imminent,” SAM replied.

“All stop now,” Liz commanded and held the banister around Kallo’s station.

Hyperspace came to a sudden halt and Liz gritted her teeth, barely keeping herself from launching over the railing. In the window there was an enormous battle cruiser blocking their way.

“Well, fuck me wearing roller skates trying to skate uphill,” Liz muttered as her eyes scanned the large Kett vessel.

Suvi stared in horror at the enormity of the ship.

“Kett ships, a dozen… no, more than that,” she said nervously.

Liz nodded her head, watching the ships disembark from its mother ship to surround and try to flank the Tempest.

“They’ve got us pinned against the Scourge,” Kallo informed.

“They are scanning us, Pathfinder,” SAM told her, and she threw up her arms angrily.

“Well scan the fuckers back!”

Soon all the systems on the ship were flickering and malfunctioning and Liz heard a groan escape Kallo just as the telecom beeped an incoming call. Liz turned towards the monitor and a large, menacing Kett’s face was filling the screen. This has to be the leader.

“Where is the one that activated the Remnant?”

Never taking her eyes from the screen, Cora and Liam ran into the room stopping at the sight of the Kett’s face.

“Their DNA signature is there. Answer me,” it commanded.

“Why? Because you asked me so nicely? Who are you?”

“They’ve locked navigation,” Suvi said while her fingers flew over the keypad.

“We’re being steered into their ship, Pathfinder,” Kallo informed while trying to retake control.

Liz glared at the creature angrily.

“Just tell me what you want already.”

The milky blue eyes of the Kett stared at her out of his large green face.

“I won’t explain what you cannot understand.”

“Liz, I have almost regained control of the ship. I need a few more seconds.”

“Okay SAM, just make it happen.”

Staring at the Kett Commander angrily, she crossed her arms.

“You mean you can’t explain it to me because you don’t understand it yourself,” she replied sarcastically with a smile.

The Kett’s face looked annoyed, and he passed a three-fingered hand over the screen.

“Enough! Your defiance is naïve and reckless. This day marks the beginning and the end of your greatness.”

Liz held his cold gaze with one of her own until he closed communications just as SAM gained back control of the ship.

“SAM?”

“I have plotted a potential course through the Scourge.”

Of course, you did… fuck!

“It is our only viable option, Pathfinder.”

Liz’s eyes scrunched, wrinkling her brow with the information and she looked at Kallo.

“Do it. Get us the fuck out of here Kallo.”

By now everyone had come from the lower decks except for Gil and grabbed a railing as Kallo whipped the ship around and punched it, heading directly into the scourge.

“If anyone believes in a higher power–now is the time to pray,” Liz said gripping the railing.

Kett ships gave chase and Liz gritted her teeth when they entered the Scourge. The ship skimmed over a piece of the dark matter damaging her but destroying one of the Kett's vessels that followed.

“Report.”

“Enemy destroyed, damage to aft sensors,” Suvi answered quickly.

“Fuck, Scourge stole it?” Liz muttered holding on as Kallo maneuvered between tendrils of the Scourge expertly.

“Yes,” Suvi replied.

“Get us out of here,” Liam requested holding onto the railing as Kallo weaved the ship up then down to miss the dark matter.

“That’s what I’m doing,” Kallo replied, pulling the controls of the Tempest up to miss the tendril of the Scourge that reached out for the ship.

The second Kett ship exploded off the left port just as SAM informed everyone we were coming to the exit.

“It will be tight.”

Vetra stared at the small opening from her perch next to Kallo.

“Kallo…” she said nervously.

We burst out of the Scourge barely escaping a grasping dark tendril and Kallo threw up his arms just as Vetra pressed a kiss to his bald, Salarian head.

“YES!”

“Nice work kid,” Draak congratulated Kallo with a pleased chuckle.

Kallo looked embarrassed as Liz pointed at the empty com monitor.

“We are definitely some lucky son-of-a-bitches here, but who the fuck was that ugly bastard?”

The conversation stopped with Gil’s voice sounding over the coms nervously.

“Ryder, we’ve got trouble down here. You need to find us a port, now.”

Rubbing her face, Liz turned and looked at the navigation sensors.

“Great, where’d we end up anyway, Suvi?”

Suvi’s fingers flew as she stared at the monitors.

“Our sensors are damaged, but I think we’re at the vault’s coordinates.”

Peebee knelt next to Suvi.

“That would almost be too good to be true…” Liz said and let out a heavy sigh. “Gil, give her what you can, we’re setting her down.”

Kallo flew the hobbling Tempest towards the planet while everyone felt the shudder run through the ship beneath their feet.

“She will hold together,” Kallo insisted when he saw the look of concern on Vetra’s face.

They entered the atmosphere and not a breath had passed when they were instantly hailed for contact.

“We’re being contacted,” Suvi said. Hitting the button, putting whoever on the other end over the comm.

“Tove jagalesh do!”

Liz caught the angry tone from the other end.

Of all of the times for our communications to go down.

“Tove jagalesh do!”

The one on the other end repeated and Liz didn’t know what they were saying but answered, anyway.

“We’re visitors from another galaxy. Our intentions are peaceful,” she answered.

There was a brief silence before Liz heard the voice again.

“Paav, nele set do.”

The next pinging sound had Kallo reviewing his screens.

“They’ve sent us a nav point.”

Liz let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

“Good, take us there.”

Let's hope they aren't like the Kett and shoot first.

“We’re visitors from” (static) “galaxy. Our in” (static) “are peaceful.”

Jaal stood next to Evfra listening to the broken communication. Evfra turned towards him and gestured towards the door.

“Bring them to me.”

Jaal nodded and turned towards the door. How did this alien find our home? By the ancestors, please don’t let them be violent like the Kett, Jaal prayed as he headed towards the docking bay.

It was not long before they saw the small shuttles sent to escort them emerge from the cloud cover of the atmosphere, and she swallowed nervously. Time to adult and be a Pathfinder, Liz, she reminded herself. As they broke through the dark clouds that obscured the view of the land, a sudden lush green landscape greeted their gazes and it was breathtaking.

“Yes… Ha! Look at that, it's… beautiful.”

“Their vault is working,” Peebee breathed.

The profound silence of the bridge that followed her statement was agreement as everyone looked at the healthy landscape. Kallo brought the ship to an obvious landing platform and set the Tempest down as the other shuttles surrounded them with their laser’s trained on the ship.

“Here’s to hoping they are friendly, we need in that vault.”

Vetra crossed her arms and stepped in Liz’s way.

“Please, you’re not really going out there on your own.”

Liz gave her a reassuring smile and laid a hand on her arm.

“We can’t afford a repeat of last time. I’m the Pathfinder–the first contact is on me.”

Everyone stood around looking uncomfortable and Liz laughed, slowly backing towards the bay doors.

“Lighten up everyone, this is what it’s all about, right? New worlds, new aliens. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Liam shook his head as Draak said what everyone was thinking.

“You could get killed. If they lay one hand on you, kid, they will be meeting their first Krogan–their first angry Krogan.”

Leaning up, Liz pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

“It’ll be fine old man–relax.”

Draak snorted and slapped her arm.

“You’d better be,” he muttered. A soft yellow flushed his leathery cheeks, pleased with her affectionate gesture.

Walking towards the elevator, Liz took a calming breath and gave them a reassuring smile before the door closed and let the smile fall as her nerves kicked her in the belly. One thing was for sure, her mischievous group of misfits had become her family and at this moment she hoped she didn’t fuck this up and get them all killed.

Walking towards the unloading bay, Liz saw Gil working to put out another small electrical fire and waved at him.

“Be careful Ryder, we don’t know what they will do.”

Giving him a reassuring smile as she had for the others, she gave him a salute and walked out of the cargo bay and into the bright sunshine. Large blue, somewhat cat-like aliens, surrounded the walkway with guns trained on her, and Liz raised her arms over her head. Here goes nothing and took her first steps down the metal plank.

“Tas gooj yobe jenvad,” a warrior said, and Liz stopped as another spoke just as quickly.

“Tos global tam yehal?”

Another warrior stood before her and scanned her. Liz nodded her head realizing this guy was like their docking authority.

“Should I take my shoes off?”

They seemed appeased with her lack of weaponry as she was only in her loungewear that comprised of tight black pants and a black sweatshirt with the silver Initiative logo over her breast. They motioned for her to follow and she was lowering her hands just as a warrior moved in behind her and shoved her forward with the butt of his rifle hard. Well, that's gonna bruise latter.

Glancing at him over her shoulder, she kept herself quiet and her biotics under control even as her mind seethed with annoyance. Shove me one more time blue boy and I’m going to punch you so hard your mother will feel it. Taking a calming breath, she returned her eyes forward and followed the others but kept her hands raised for good measure.

Liz glanced around at all the beautiful plant life that littered the area until they stopped at a small set of steps. Here was a group of aliens ranging from blue to violet in skin color watching her warily. All of them shared large, cat-like eyes in varying shades of blue and purple. They didn't have hair but a muscular structure along the sides of their head down towards their shoulders that flared out like a cobra hood.

Their physical musculature was different through their chest, waist, and legs as well. Their chests were wide on both the male and females of the species. The females all had narrow, tiny waists in comparison to her own whereas the males were thicker like a human male. Their legs were long, bent at the knee where the calf angled at a ninety-degree angle back then at the ankle angled forward. It reminded her like a bird, just in reverse.

Their hands and feet had three digits and the third finger looked to have the other two digits attached to it with webbing and Liz wondered if their toes were as well. She found herself mesmerized by their form. They were so different from any other alien species she'd ever encountered, and she heard them talking amongst themselves until she stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

One stepped forward to address her.

“I am Paraan Shie, governor of Aya. We are the Angara.”

Liz breathed a sigh of relief when she understood what she said and gave a silent thanks to Gill for getting the translator working again.

“Hello, I am a Pathfinder with the Initiative, I am a human.”

The Governor nodded her head in understanding and folded her arms demurely in front of herself.

“Yes, you crossed dark space. I’ve heard about your journey.”

Liz saw a large male Angaran, two times larger than the Governor or any of her male companions, striding forward, and Liz braced herself for confrontation as the Governor turned towards him, her disapproval clear in her expression and tone.

“Jaal, I have this in hand.”

The large Angaran stopped and barely gazed at the Governor over his shoulder with annoyance. Liz could instantly tell he didn’t like being told what to do by her and realized he must be some form of security.

“Evfra saw the ship come in and sent me to find out what’s going on,” he answered with clipped tones before making his way down the steps and stopping in front of her.

Liz felt dwarfed by the sheer size of him. Tilting her chin up to look at him, ignoring his invasion of her space, she portrayed the air of calm.

“She is a human, from another galaxy. A Pathfinder,” Paraan Shie told him.

Liz felt the scrutiny of his stare as he searched her face and felt a kick somewhere in the vicinity of her gut when his sea-foam and sapphire, blue eyes stared at her. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph–his eyes are beautiful.

“Aya is hidden, protected. What do you want?”

His voice was clipped, but just as deep and mesmerizing as his eyes, and Liz felt another small flutter in her stomach as she swallowed nervously before clearing her throat.

“I apologize, landing here the way we did, without warning, on fire, was not our plan.”

The corner of Jaal’s lips slightly twitched with her attempt at humor.

“That’s good to know because if it was, that would be a terrible plan.”

Liz gave him a hesitant smile while trying to not stare into his eyes. Pull your shit together and stop staring at him. Jaal searched her face for a moment longer before turning away from her.

“I will inform Evfra. He will be waiting for you in his office at the Resistance Headquarters. I will meet you there.”

Paraan Shie spoke as she watched him leave, her annoyance clear with her expression.

“I will accompany you through the city. Your crew will stay on your ship. Follow me and follow closely. Do not try to explore the city or interact with anyone. Evfra’s guards will use force if necessary.”

“May I ask questions while we walk?”

“I suppose.”

Liz glanced around at the area in awe and chewed on her lip before speaking.

“If you’re the Governor, why do I need to see this ‘Evfra’?”

“He’s the leader of the Resistance.”

“What is that?”

“They fight the Kett, and they protect us.”

Silence fell between them as they walk down a small flight of steps and passed a beautiful waterfall that reminded her of Hawaii. So, this Evfra is their military.

“I detect unusual levels of electrostatic energy in the Angara.”

Liz gave a mental nod to SAM’s advice. “I do too, my biotics are… itchy around them.”

Liz felt her shoulder muscles tighten when she overheard one of the Angaran say she needed to be locked up and refrained from looking at him, keeping her eyes focused forward. Not today… I'm not causing any trouble, hell, I’m not even carrying a weapon, can’t we all just get along?

Liz couldn’t keep quiet any longer as she listened to the side commentary of other Angaran's while she and the Governor walked the tropical path.

“Am I that intimidating?”

Governor Shie glanced at her over her shoulder.

“You’re an outsider who invaded our home. We know nothing about you.”

True enough.

“I’m not here to invade your home or cause any trouble.”

“Then keep moving.”

“None of the local flora register in my data files, Elizabeth. We’ve encountered an undiscovered ecosystem.”

“Your city is beautiful,” Liz commented as her eyes enjoyed the multiple bursts of different colors that surrounded the fertile ground.

“Thank you. You’re the first outsider to see it.”

“I am honored.”

Chewing on her lower lip nervously, Liz glanced around at the angry-looking Angarans as they passed.

“What if Evfra doesn’t like me?”

The Governor held her gaze for a moment and folded her hands together when they came to a stop in front of a large door.

“He won’t–but you need to earn his trust.”

Instantly understanding what the Governor meant, she nodded her head. Okay, so he doesn’t want friends, got it.

“He’s responsible for everyone’s safety. I know what that’s like.”

“You’re a leader.”

“Trying to be.”

Liz entered the Resistance office leaving the Governor and noticed that the hulking Angaran named Jaal from earlier was dismissing another soldier while now holding a large gun. Well, this doesn’t look very promising. There was a soft hum of her biotics beneath her skin as she prepared for the possible attack. She passed the other large, Angaran male he had just dismissed and he gazed at her in wary surprise but open curiosity as Jaal spoke up.

“Experience with the Kett makes us distrustful of all aliens.”

Yeah, those fuckers are real assholes.

“We’ve had our own run-in with the Kett, that is how we ended up here actually.”

Jaal glanced at her, then moved his gaze forward ignoring her.

“Then you do understand our reasons for distrust. When the Archon came to Heleus, he demolished our sovereign state, took what he wanted, as if we were nothing. Now the Kett abduct Angaran, often, and we never see our people again.”

He gestured towards the closed doors.

“Come this way, Evfra’s waiting.”

Liz stopped and stared at him in horror.

“Wait! The Kett kidnap you–steal your people?”

It surprised Jaal her passionate response and nodded his head.

“And the Resistance fights them every day with everything we can.”

Will they try to take my people? My friends, my brother? Clenching her jaw, she mentally shook her head. Not as long as I have breath in my lungs.

“Is it attrition? Do you know what they are after?” Liz saw his face slightly harden and gesture towards the doors again.

“You should save your questions for Evfra.”

Clearly, he wasn’t going to speak about it anymore and she followed him into the room. Another large Angaran male paced behind a group of Angaran men and women staring at monitors. Although, as Liz studied him, he was not as big or as tall as Jaal.

“Kadara be damned! I won’t lose Voeld.”

Jaal led the Pathfinder into the room noticing the way the small human squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. He would give her this much, she was difficult to rattle.

“Evfra, this is one of the aliens from the Milky Way, a Pathfinder.”

“Pathfinder,” Evfra turned from his monitors and stared at Liz warily. “It is an aggressive move, coming to Aya.”

Liz stomped down the nervousness she felt staring into another set of angry dark blue eyes, but she noticed he had flecks of purple and black in the ocean depths. Damn these people had some beautiful features. Ignoring her thoughts on the race’s beautiful looks, she took a step forward.

“My people from the Milky Way were bold enough to come to Andromeda. I need to be at least that bold if not more, to save them.”

Evfra gave her a slight nod of respect and crossed his arms assessing her. Liz watched the way his eyes studied her and found that they were the same way Jaal’s had earlier. It was as if they were looking for something either weak or threatening in her and hoped that she was conveying her earnest belief they could help benefit each other’s races.

“So, Pathfinder, never mind how you even found us, why are you here?”

Liz nodded, right–to business.

“On a hostile planet we call Eos, I explored an ancient structure, it had a 'vault', and I brought it back online. It stabilized that planet's environment.”

“Remnant, recent intelligence supports that claim,” Jaal commented.

Liz darted a look at him before returning her focus back to Evfra.

“Inside this vault, it showed me a map that led here. If I’m right, there is a vault on Aya that’s different, active. I need to look inside and find out how.”

Evfra turned away from her and paced to a window looking outside.

“You’re right, there is a vault out there, but it was shut years ago, and the entrance hidden. We can’t help you.”

Liz felt her stomach drop with the news and stared at the floor. Damn it! And they are not likely to just let this alien traipse around looking for it. Jaal’s deep voice penetrated her disappointment with the news.

“The Moshae could. She’s our most revered scientist and elder. She knows this vault.”

Evfra glared at Jaal from over his shoulder and Liz felt the zing of excitement again and before she could ask about the Moshae, Evfra pissed all over her excitement once more.

“Yes, but the Kett have her and our rescue attempts have failed. She is lost to us and you.”

Liz took a step towards Evfra and noticed his instant stiffening and stopped not wanting to antagonize the large Angaran in charge.

“Listen, let me prove to you and your people my intentions and what I can do. If you would allow me, I can help rescue this Moshae. If she knows the way into this vault than her knowledge is vital for not only my people's survival but yours. I won’t do anything without your approval.”

Evfra’s brow furrowed deeply over his eyes as he studied her and shook his head.

“You do not understand what you’re dealing with. The Angara learned years ago the perils of messing with vaults. So, did the Kett. We’re done here.” Evfra turned away from her and Jaal laid his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

“Evfra, I feel… Evfra, what this alien says is extraordinary. The Moshae would want us to be brave and not let this chance pass.”

Evfra glared at him with annoyance and rubbed his face.

“Jaal, you talk too much.”

Jaal knew Evfra was now thinking about the intelligence he could gather being around these new aliens.

“Let me assess this alien. I’ll be your eyes. I know you can spare me.”

Jaal felt excitement at not only learning more about this alien species but actually doing something other than Evfra’s dirty work and waited for Evfra to agree.

“Go if you want but when she tries to kill you, be prepared to strike first.”

Jaal nodded, and they crossed forearms in goodbye before he left. Turning towards the small human, his eyes scanned her form. How does this species survive? They look so… fragile.

“I am Jaal Ama Darav. I’ll be your envoy through Angaran space.”

Liz looked him up and down as he had her and ignored the way her pulse spiked again. She would bite her tongue off before she admitted to anyone she found their species beautiful and that his eyes made her pulse race.

“It will be cozy, so I hope you like people.”

Jaal had felt a small thrill at the way the human's pale gaze slid over him and clenched his jaw, speaking rougher than he had planned.

“I hope I don’t regret this.”

Liz chuckled and rubbed her neck nervously.

“Yeah, me too,” she said winking at him playfully before walking past him.

Chapter Text

Jaal watched her as she walked out of the Resistance headquarters with her shoulders squared and her head held high. She walked by Angaran, ignoring the stares and whispered conversations about her. He felt an instant recognition of the alien’s courage with her clear strength. Following quietly behind her, she suddenly stopped and glanced at him over her shoulder.

“Come on Jaal, you have a group of aliens to meet.”

He nodded his head and followed after her. He found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the small sway of her hips as she walked in front of him. Her waist was not as narrow as an Angaran female but curved in a fashion he did not find displeasing. But what truly gathered his attention from his vantage was the long black…what is that, silk? he questioned himself as he moved closer to her.

“My crew is probably going to give you a ton of shit, but I am sure you can handle it,” she said glancing at him.

He nodded his head in agreement and kept silent. This human… she is… curious… so much unknown and yet when she looks at me, it is as if we have known each other forever. Jaal suddenly found himself unsure as to why after just meeting this Ryder that he found her very interesting. When she stopped at the docks, he stared at the vessel she had arrived in and truly looked at it this time. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before with its sleek, obviously feminine lines, black and white colors and simple stripes of red down the sides and over the nose. He stared at the writing on the side in bold black over the white paint curiously as his tech couldn’t make out the writing.

“This beautiful creature is called the Tempest,” she said softly and glanced at him, her face flushing an interesting color of pink.

There must be something wrong with her, she does that often. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with her and it is just a human thing? She does not appear in any distress. Perhaps it is just a normal type of response.

“A storm?” he asked quietly, and the human looked at him with a pleased smile.

“Yes, Kallo, our pilot, helped build and name her,” Liz told him and smiled mysteriously. “You will get a chance to meet Kallo. He is… protective of her,” she finally said and took a step towards the metal plank.

“I have never seen such a vessel before. Why do you call it a ‘her’?” he commented quietly.

Liz stopped and gazed at him as he stared at the ship and smiled.

“Because she looks seductive and mysterious, like a woman,” Liz answered with a chuckle. She glanced at him smiling and saw his nervous expression. She couldn't blame him. It must be difficult to keep your game face when you're about to go off on a new adventure that you suddenly volunteered for and felt sorry for him. “Jaal,” she said softly, placing her hand on his forearm and seeing the Angaran’s surprised look.

“Just be yourself and you will be fine. My crew will accept you,” she admitted slightly coloring again when she realized she was touching him.

Jaal saw the change in her color over her cheeks, neck, and ears and gave her a nervous smile even as she slightly squeezed his arm before letting him go quickly. She is trying to comfort me.

“And you? Will, you also be as accepting?” he questioned hesitantly, unsure why he was asking but something in him wanted to know.

Liz felt her face grow even hotter and shook her head before rubbing her neck with nervousness. Something about Jaal drew her to him like a magnet.

“I will watch my p’s and q’s around you good sir, you’re dangerous.”

Jaal watched her walk up the ramp confused and unsure of what p’s and q’s meant and followed her. This, human… she is… shockingly different than anything I have ever known.

Everyone waited for them on the docking bay and Draak moved forward quicker than the others.

“I saw on the vid that one that shoved you with his gun, are you okay, kid?”

Liz laughed and grasped his arm.

“I am fine, old man.”

Draak held her gaze for a long moment before turning his angry gaze towards Jaal and Jaal started to feel uncomfortable. Did those fools hurt her before I got there?

“Draak… it’s nothing more than a bruise. I’ve gotten worse sparring with Cora, I’ll be fine,” she admitted and Jaal watched anxiously as the others processed the information.

“Kid…” Draak began as Lexi stepped forward.

“Enough Draak, come with me, Ryder. I want to have a look,” she said calmly even as she gave Jaal a displeased look.

Liz laughed and held Jaal's beautiful but startled gaze, confounded on how it could make her pulse jump. Remember? No looking at the Angaran like you want to find the center of a tootsie pop.

“Don’t mind her or any of them, I am fine,” she told him, trying to reassure him with a small smile as the two escorted her away from him.

Liam and Draak walked with her as she followed after Lexi, feeling bad that she was leaving him with Cora, Peebee, Kallo, and Vetra.
Well, this is quite uncomfortable, Jaal thought as they all stared at him in a hostile manner and wished he was wearing his sidearm.

“She went unarmed, why would your people want to hurt her?” Peebee asked him angrily.

“The Kett,” he answered, and the yellow silk covered human, built similar to Ryder, gazed at him coolly.

“Yeah… they are assholes, we know, Ryder went in unarmed and she is nothing like the Kett,” she said with a strong voice of censure.

Jaal watched as Ryder passed through the doors and gave him a look of apology before the doors closed behind her. Why is she looking at me like that? Is she concerned for me? Gathering his composure, unsure why the small human affected him in such a way, he gazed around at the others that surrounded him.

“I am sorry she came to harm,” he said calmly, truly meaning it and gazing at the aliens that surrounded him almost strategically making him suddenly very nervous.

Gil stepped forward through the line of her crew and held his hand out.

“Come on guys, back up. It's not like he was the one that shoved her. Hey, I’m Gil, that blue little pixie over there is Peebee and the one currently frowning at you is Cora. Over there leaning against the wall is Vetra. She's our resident procurer of anything a body could want,” he said, flashing her a dashing smile and Vetra snorted at him, waving him off. Gill chuckled and pointed towards the lanky Salarian watching them cautiously from the doorway. “That one fluttering over there in the doorway is Kallo.”

Jaal gazed at the others and nodded towards them feeling uncomfortable even as he grasped the man’s arm.

“I am Jaal. I should go and make sure the Pathfinder…”

The one they called Peebee slapped his arm hard.

“She’ll be fine, but what I’m curious about…”

Cora interrupted Peebee grabbing Jaal’s attention.

“What are you?”

Jaal felt dizzy with everything that was happening and focused on the yellow silked one as she spoke since he would have to guess this human was Ryder’s second in command.

“I am Angaran,” he answered. Her sharp nod was of no comfort and saw the one called Gil step closer to him. He could tell that this human was trying to be friendly, he just didn't trust it.

“Come with me big guy, they are just upset with what happened, it will pass.”

Jaal followed him out of the cargo bay of the ship, glancing at the group over his shoulder before returning his focus to where this human was leading him.

“Where are you taking me too?” He questioned.

Gil glanced at him over his shoulder and laughed.

“To the bowels of this beautiful beast… safer place than with them in cargo.”

Jaal nodded and followed him. I hope Ryder isn’t upset with me as well for what happened.

Liz pulled her shirt back down. Now that the medigel was dry and numbing the pain she'd been ignoring, she absently listened to Lexi lecture her.

“Of all the foolish things to do. Why would you go out there alone, did the Kett teach you nothing?”

Liz sighed and held her hand up stopping her.

“Just stop, it was not that bad, it was only a shove. A hard one yes, but nothing that I would consider unwarranted considering the Kett steal their people for stars only know what.”

That seemed to shut everyone up as she stood and moved towards the door.

“Kid, you sure it’s smart to trust this guy? I mean, we know nothing about him.”

She looked at Draak and smiled. Something about Jaal was calming and for some inexplicable reason, she would bet her last credit that Jaal would never bring her or any of them to harm.

“I didn't know you when we met but that didn't stop me from trusting you. So yeah, Jaal is okay. Everyone needs to remember we are just as alien to him as he is to us and to have some patience. The Kett have not treated his people kindly, their suspicion of us is understandable.”

Draak snorted and Liam nodded his head.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Liz breathed a small sigh of relief and glanced at Lexi.

“Am I good to go? I want to make sure that Jaal finds a place to sleep and is okay. You guys weren’t exactly the warmest welcome party and I can’t even begin to imagine how Cora treated him after we left.”

“At least we didn’t hit him,” Draak grumbled.

Liz shook her head at Draak. Fucking Krogan’s had memories a mile long and held grudges for even longer. Lexi nodded her head at her and Liz left the med bay to find where Jaal had gotten off to.

Liz rounded the corner out of the med bay and ran smack into Gil’s solid chest. Grabbing her shoulders to steady her, he laughed.

“Shit… I’m sorry, Gil,” she said quickly.

“Can’t be helped, not around here anyway,” he commented and slung his arm around her shoulders.

Liz chuckled and let Gill lead her towards the docking area that held the NOMAD and technical, plus his work area, the engine core.

“I bet you’re looking for that hunky Angaran you brought on board with you,” he teased, and Liz felt her face redden.

“NO” she denied quickly and loudly. Mentally Liz groaned at herself already knowing exactly what Gill would take from her instant denial. “Well yes, I did want to make sure he was settled in… but I don’t find him hunky, Gill.”

Gil chuckled and glanced at her unable to miss the pink color of her cheeks and smiled at her knowingly.

“Don’t lie to me Ryder, the man is gorgeous, and you would have to be dead to not notice, hell, I noticed. I showed him the engine room and then took him to the tech room. He seemed to be pleased with the room and I think he is going to settle in there.”

Liz shrugged not giving one fuck where he chose to sleep. It would probably be uncomfortable if he tried to sleep in the bunk area with the others. Come to think of it… would he even fit in one of our bunks?

“If it makes him comfortable, I don’t care where he settles in at. Hell, Peebee lives in a fucking escape pod and Draak lives in the kitchen.”

We stopped in front of technical and Gil removed his arm, gently shoving her towards the door.

“Hey… find out if he plays poker for me.”

She laughed and shoved him back.

“Hell no, you enjoy taking everyone’s money to much. We need to make a good impression.”

Gill shrugged and backed away smiling at her, holding his arms out.

“When you're good – you're good, Ryder.”

Liz flipped him off, her smile taking the sting out of the gesture.

“Fuck you, Gill, you card shark.”

His laughter echoed around the bay and Liz took a steadying breath before turning back towards the doors and swiping her bracelet over the door pad.

Jaal turned towards the soft, whooshing sound of the doors sliding open. Liz felt the sudden buzz of energy that churned in her belly when she saw him and tried to ignore it. The doors slipped closed behind her and she felt paralyzed by his gaze. Clearing her throat, she looked around the room and gave him a small smile.

“I see you found yourself some privacy.”

Jaal watched her hesitation and leaned against the stack of crates unsure if everything was okay. Have my brothers already threatened a possible alliance with this race with their thoughtless actions?

“Gill informed me that I would be welcome to stay in here and that you would not mind. Was he mistaken?”

The sound of his deep voice teased her hormones and she swallowed nervously. Jesus, Liz… get it together, you’ve never gotten all starry-eyed before. Don’t start now.

“No, it’s fine. If you find yourself more comfortable in here, then it's fine. I can completely understand your want for privacy, especially with not knowing anything about us. Trust will come in time.”

Jaal slightly relaxed now that he had her permission and pushed off the wall, noticing that she instantly stilled and stopped, cocking his head towards her. Ryder was very much like an Angaran in the way that she allowed her emotions to show on her face, it was possibly why he was comfortable around her from their first meeting.

“Do I make you uncomfortable, Ryder? Because of what happened on Aya?”

Liz snorted and crossed her arms, shaking her head.

“NO,” she said quickly and saw his flinch with how loudly she'd replied. Sighing, she rubbed her face in aggravation with herself. It wasn't his fault that she found him attractive and that was what unsettled her.

“No, Jaal, I just need to…” staring at the wall, she sighed and softly laughed at her ridiculous self. “I just need to adjust to how fascinating your eyes are to me.” Oh my flaming stars, did I just say that out loud? Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Jaal laughed and shook his head, stepping towards her carefully.

“Your own eyes are quite fascinating as well. I find myself thinking that I am gazing into small galaxies within their depths.”

His honest confession surprised her, and she stared at him now curiously.

“Yours is like a Siamese cat. The shape of the pupil and the bold purple and yellow flashes of color in the dark blue are what draw me to stare,” swallowing fretfully, she slipped her hair behind her ear and nervously gazed at him. “I apologize, that was rude of me to compare you to a cat.”

Jaal laughed and smiled at her and Liz felt her stomach do something close to somersaults.

“What is a cat?” He questioned her curiously, feeling much more comfortable.

Liz loudly laughed and typed into her Omni pad on her wrist.

“It is one of these.” Jaal moved to stand beside her and observe the picture as she showed him. “When I was a child, we had one and named her Sakki, she was very affectionate.”

Jaal gazed at the animal he saw projected from her Omni pad curiously. Eyes and nose were similar in structure to his own, but that is where the similarities ended.

“And you… care for such creatures?” He asked her curiously.

Liz gazed up at him from the hologram and smiled.

“Yes, they…” glancing at the floor as she thought about Sakki and her smile turned more melancholic than before. “They are the best friend that any child could ask for. She was… my best friend next to my brother,” she admitted quietly now uncomfortable.

Jaal felt a small spike of electricity rush over his skin and stared at her in surprise with the intensity of emotion that came rushing over him. His skin tingled, and his bioelectric field pulsed with the subtle caress. How is this possible? He questioned himself while she stared at the floor.

“And this creature… was your friend?”

Liz finally looked up from the floor and held his gaze. He felt his stomach clench with intensity as he gazed into her pale eyes, lost within the small galaxies living within. He could tell it was painful for her to talk about and yet she was willing to share it with him and that thought warmed him.

“They do not live as long as one would like, and she died.”

Jaal saw the sad look on her face and grimaced. Laying his hand on her shoulder, he felt a subtle jolt from the touch of their bioelectricity and she looked up at him in surprise.

His bioelectric field held a calming, almost soothing sensation.

“It is the way of things is it not? We live and then we die. That this animal brought you comfort and friendship is what your focus should be on.”

Liz held the deep, mysterious blue gaze and her insides melted as she stared at the small flecks of yellow, violet, and black. Danger! Her mind screamed. Stop staring at the Angaran like he is a piece of candy. He is dangerous to your hormones. Turn around young lady, and leave this Angaran alone before you get yourself hurt.

Liz stepped from beneath his hand and watched it slowly fall to his side. The sudden cold without his touch was a curious sensation and she shoved it to the bottom of her 'not going to think about it even later,' bucket.

“It is the way of things, you correct,” she commented clearing her throat and squaring her shoulders. “I'm glad you found a place to settle in Jaal, and make sure Gil gets you an Omni tool so communication will be easier and… thank you for the conversation. If you need anything, let me know.”

Jaal noticed the sudden change in Ryder’s body language and folded his arms. Her instant change of expression to something that looked almost robotic was suddenly frustrating and he let a small sigh escape.

“I will,” he replied and watched her nod sharply before turning on her heel and leaving the tech lab. There is so much to learn about these aliens. He went about tidying up the small area to keep his mind busy and off of the electrical current he felt from her.

Chapter Text

Focusing on her, Jaal listened absently to the angry arguing of Ryder’s team. He watched her shoulders stiffen and her jaw tighten with each comment. They treat her like she is not their leader.

Liz noticed Jaal’s quiet study from the darkest area of the meeting room and her jaw tightened even more. Jesus, he must think we are all a bunch of bickering idiots that don’t know whether to wind our butts or scratch our watches.

“Why are we leaving, we needed to get into that vault,” Peebee said angrily.

Cora nodded her head sharply in agreement.

“I agree with Peebee.”

Liz felt her anger grow with the instant support her second was supposed to be giving her and focused on her breathing. Thanks, dad, for fucking that tentative friendship up for me.

Jaal saw the slow lowering of Ryder’s shoulders as if a heavy weight held her down before they stiffened and then squared like she had when facing Evfra.

“ENOUGH,” she said into the table’s surface loudly.

The room quieted, and Liz lifted her head and gazed at each of them angrily.

“We are leaving their planet because they don’t fucking trust us, and why should they?” she said gesturing with her hand, encompassing the group. “So far, we have shown the Angaran envoy nothing but animosity and bullshit. Jaal has explained what his orders are to me, and we are going to help him accomplish these tasks and build some fucking trust with his people. Prove to them we are not the fucking Kett or anything even close to their kind. The Kett have abducted their people, there brothers and sisters, mothers, and fathers.”

Her eyes darted to Vetra and held her gaze. “If it were Sid that was taken from you, you would fight them with everything you had at your disposal, Vetra.” Her gaze swung to Draak and held. “Draak, if it were Kesh, you would wage a war.” Shaking her head, she folded her arms and held each of their gazes harshly. “If it were Ryan, I would die before I ever gave up trying to get him back. So, we will do as Evfra wants because, in the end, it will not only help them but us because our goal is one and the same. Destroy the Kett before they destroy us. Is that understood?”

Some of them looked away while Draak and Vetra held her steady gaze with understanding. Jaal watched in amazement as she quickly brought everyone around to understanding the situation. She is so passionate and indeed their leader, he had not made a mistake in coming.

“Other words, if we don’t help them, they won’t help us,” Cora injected.

Jaal glanced at the one called Cora and saw Ryder still. Liz’s eyes cooled as they moved towards her. She understood her anger with how fucked over she had gotten when her father died and made her Pathfinder, but now she was just pushing her luck.

“If you object to my reasoning Cora, I will take you back to the Nexus and find another to be my second.”

The quiet answer sent chills up Cora’s back and she shook her head while everyone quietly looked on with surprise.

“That is not necessary–Pathfinder.”

Liz internally cringed with the coolness between them and nodded once.

“Good, I hate interviewing,” she replied and glanced around at the others who softly chuckled and stopped on Jaal.

“Please give Kallo the locations of both Voeld and Havarl. Also, would you perhaps share with us which one we should look at first?”

Jaal recognized the leader in Ryder and stood instantly at attention before stepping forward.

“I would suggest we go to Voeld first. There is a lot that is happening with the Resistance there against the Kett. Our intel tells us that there are large Kett facilities in the area that are also prison camps. We have been unable to ascertain what exactly they do there, but the Resistance headquarters might have gathered more information.”

Liz nodded in agreement and glanced around at the others, crossing her arms.

“Then Voeld it is, meeting adjourned.”

Liz didn’t wait for the others to leave but turned on her heel and left for her quarters while the others watched her departure. Peebee glanced at Cora and shook her head.

“Smooth, real smooth.”

“Shut it,” Cora snapped and left, ignoring everyone.

Jaal watched the whole interaction curiously as the others began leaving one after the other.

***

Liz, Jaal, and Liam left the Tempest and she instantly shivered as she stared out at the endless snowy landscape. Long johns, another pair of long johns, heating packs built into her suit and still she felt instantly like a living popsicle.

“Damn,” she muttered rubbing her gloved hands up and down her armored arms.

“Pathfinder, the temperature is negative thirty-two, well below freezing. I would suggest you find shelter immediately.”

Liz snorted at SAM’s words of advice that came across their coms.

“Well no shit SAM.”

Jaal chuckled and pointed towards the Resistance encampment built into the side of a glacier.

“Our base is there, and it will be warm.”

Liz didn’t need another invitation and used her biotics to bolt towards the facility.

Jaal watched her quick retreat and realized that the atmosphere on Voeld was not conducive for her and the others.

“Last one there is a rotten egg,” she said through their coms as she jumped towards the entrance.

Liam groaned and then shivered before shaking his head.

“Come on Liz, that’s not fair,” he groaned before taking off after her.

“Humans,” Jaal muttered and began running behind them.

Jaal watched in quiet surprise while Liz interacted with his people. She was respectful, honest, and she listened to them while answering what was quickly appearing to be an unending line of questioning. He knew his people were not going to be quick to trust the Pathfinder, but he was getting annoyed with their obvious animosity towards her and Liam and stepped forward.

“Perhaps you would allow the Pathfinder to prove her worth before continuing to insulting her, Commander.”

The commander of the facility stared at him with annoyance and Jaal sighed.

“Evfra sent us here to help, we cannot do that if you are to continuously restrict the Pathfinder’s understanding of the situation.”

Liz hid a small smile as Jaal obviously pulled rank on the commander and listened intently to the information that now seemed to be forthcoming, giving her everything she needed.

***

Jaal barely kept his mouth from falling as he watched in stunned amazement at Ryder as she ran into the thick of the battle and slammed a biotic energy shockwave into the ground. Not only did he feel the rumble under his own feet, but he watched as the Kett flew backward away from her with its intensity and power. She rolled expertly after her delivery and he could hear her snarls and taunts at the Kett over his com as she moved through them with an Omni-blade and a pistol completely killing those around her. His own rifle held absently in his hands as he observed the absolute carnage the woman inflicted until Liam poked him in the arm.

“That’s our girl, now take out those assholes on the bridge will ya, Jaal.”

Jaal pulled himself back to the moment and took aim.

“Of course, my pleasure.”

The woman is a beautiful beast. His heart sped up as she launched herself into the air and with her biotics surrounding her and her blade, she took down a large Kett before rolling off of him looking for another. How is she not… broken?

***

Jaal sat quietly in the back of the NOMAD while Liam spoke to SAM through the Omni-pad built into the console. He was still replaying the scene of the battle in his mind. He had never seen such a fragile creature, fight with such tenacity, and strength. Her precision with a movement of blade and gun surprised him. She was nothing like he expected. This ability of hers that she called biotics was not entirely different to his own bioelectrical current and yet it was honed to a degree his kind was unable to achieve.

“Let’s hear some James Brown, SAM.”

Liz laughed and Jaal jolted from his thoughts with the sound of a loud, “HEY! I feel good,” singing through the speakers in the back. The loud thumping of music vibrated through him and his eyes were wide with the loudness of it. It was not long before he heard both Liz and Liam singing along to the music and focused on the sound of her voice as she sang. Though her face appeared relaxed and her lips curved up in a smile as she drove, her eyes reflected a sadness. The music suddenly quieted when they crested another snow-covered hill.

“Kett,” she said and put the NOMAD into park, before turning it off. “Saddle up guys and let’s go introduce ourselves.”

Jaal heard Liam’s laughter as he also exited the vehicle and he rubbed the back of his cowl towards his neck as he too followed after them.

“Liam, what is a saddle?”

Liam laughed and pulled his assault rifle from his back.

“It is something we put on a horse, so we can ride them.”

Jaal thought about this for a moment and still felt confused about what a ‘horse’ was but whatever this ‘saddle’ was, did not sound comfortable.

“This does not sound very pleasant. Does this mean that Ryder would prefer to ride one of us into this battle?”

Liz heard Liam’s instant burst of laughter and felt her own face grow red as she pretended to ignore them.

Liam slapped Jaal on the shoulder still laughing.

“Only if one of us is lucky big guy.”

Jaal felt his confusion compound as Liz groaned and smacked the forehead of her helmet.

“Oh, come on, that is not what I meant at all and you know it,” she said glaring at Liam before looking at the very confused Jaal. “It is an idiom Jaal, that is all.”

“Idiom,” he repeated. “I must research the meaning of this word.”

Liz softly laughed and led them into the small Kett base.

***

Liz stood under the shower grateful for hot water. Her right shoulder was one large, solid bruise as was her thigh and groaned as she soaped up her leg with a hiss as the solid bar ran over the surface.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

She turned her head with the sound of the door whooshing open and saw it was only Cora that walked in and went back to washing herself almost gingerly.

Cora couldn’t miss the large purple and black bruising that stretched over Liz’s right shoulder and thigh and sighed. Stripping and padding quietly to the shower stall next to her, she turned it on and bent her head beneath the spray.

“If you would take me with you, you might not get so many bruises,” she offered before grabbing her shampoo.

Liz rinsed the soap from her arms and gazed at her over the short, shower wall.

“Can I trust you to cover my six, Cora?”

The question stilled her fingers that were washing her hair. Did she think?

“Of course, you can Liz, I will always have your back.”

Liz sighed and closed her eyes realizing how shitty her comment was just because it still hurt to not have a closeness with her and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I’m sorry Cora, that was fucked up. Since Alec died, everything has just been so…” she didn’t know what to say and heard Cora’s quiet response.

“Fucked up?”

Liz’s eyes darted from the shower floor tiles to her soft brown ones and nodded.

“Ryan’s in a coma, dad dying and throwing you under the bus by transferring Pathfinder power to me instead of you. I just…” swallowing hard she reached over and grasped Cora’s shoulder. “If I could just give it to you Cora, I would. You deserve it, earned it, more than I ever did.”

Cora stood silently hiding her surprise with Liz’s honest answer. She knew that Liz felt a pressure unlike any other, but she would never have imagined that she would gladly give up being a Pathfinder. Reaching up and grasping Liz’s wrist, she shook her head suddenly feeling very ashamed of how she had been acting.

“I won’t lie and say that your father’s actions didn’t hurt me, but your father never did anything without a reason and you have proven yourself, Liz. You can do the job,” she finally looked at her and gave her a small smirk. “Besides, being your second isn’t all that bad, you don’t demand half as much as your dad did.”

Liz laughed and let her go so she could also wash her hair feeling lighter than she had in months.

“I’ll remind you of that the next time a Kett shoots at you,” she teased and heard Cora’s reciprocated laughter.

“We got this,” she said calmly, and Liz smiled at her and nodded her agreement.

“Yes, we do,” she replied as she started washing her hair.

***

Jaal sat in the galley grateful that it was empty as he ate his dinner of nutrient paste. He mentally categorized his report as he ate. Evfra would want to know that though Ryder appeared small and fragile, she was quite the opposite. Taking a bite of his nutrient paste the doors slid open and the subject of his thoughts walked through the door. She had obviously bathed as the silk that lay on her head was wet. How do they grow such a material…can it be used to make clothing?

He watched her silently as she heated a meal and sat across from him keeping to her own and ignoring him entirely. Jaal finally reached out and touched the long piece of silk hanging over her shoulder and immediately withdrew his hand when he saw her flinch.

“I am sorry,” he said quickly.

Liz chuckled and shook her head as she swallowed what she had in her mouth.

“Don’t be, just wasn’t ready. Lost in my own world I guess… I am sure you are unfamiliar with hair as your own kind doesn’t seem to have any.”

Jaal’s head slightly cocked to the side and it reminded Liz of the way Sakki would look at her when she spoke to her.

“Hair, this is what it is called?”

Liz nodded her head and held out a long lock hanging over her shoulder towards him.

“You can touch it if you want Jaal, you won’t offend me.”

Jaal hesitantly took the offering and felt the damp silkiness of it slide between his fingers. His eyes slightly widened as he held her pale gaze with the sensations that ran over his skin making her smile and he realized that it was indeed a form of silk that grew from her head.

“It is as soft as I imagined,” he said quietly before slipping the lock back over her shoulder and reluctantly letting it go.

Liz’s eyebrow rose with his comment and gave him a small smirk as she teased him.

“You’ve imagined touching my hair?”

Jaal held her gaze confidently as he replied not missing the sudden redness that dusted over her cheeks. Which he had learned from Gil this is called ‘blushing’. It is what women do when embarrassed by something and yet pleased at the same time.

“Of course, I have. It is quite different than the others. Cora’s is yellow but very short and uninviting, Liam’s is black, like your own, and yet very tightly curled and does not appear as soft as yours. Suvi’s hair a lighter color of red but it is also shorter and does not appear to be as soft as yours nor does Gil’s.”

Liz just stared at him for a moment and finally got up the nerve to ask him about his own features.

“Okay, so you like long hair, got it. May I ask you about what it is that grows adjacent with your neck and onto your shoulder?”

Jaal gave her a gentle smile and nodded in agreement.

“It is called a cowl. Our kind has many nerves running through it, so it is quite sensitive, your hair is not?”

Liz shook her head no as she swallowed her food and then shrugged.

“Well if you pull on it maybe.”

Liz took another bite of her meal and digested this new information. She knew absolutely nothing about Angaran physiology and swallowed her bite.

“Are there books on your physiology?”

Jaal stopped in mid-bite and gazed at her carefully before answering.

“Of course, but why would you want to know?”

Liz blushed and finished with her meal, threw the silver lined packet in the small garbage receptacle at the end of the counter.

“Just curious is all, I mean,” swallowing nervously she twisted her fingers under the table and stared at the small spec of something on the gray surface. “Well, we have books on human, turion, salarian, asari, and krogan physiology. I just thought if I knew yours it would be beneficial to understand in case you were hurt.”

Jaal hadn’t thought of how valuable it would be to understand anatomy and finished with his own meal and chucked it into the garbage bin before tenting his fingers. He noticed the way that Ryder would not look at him and found it curious.

“May I also study these books?”

Liz’s eyes darted up and held his and it felt like his skin was instantly zapped with electricity. Is it her biotics that does this? How is she doing this?

“Of course, we have nothing to hide from you Jaal. I know we are just as alien to you as you are to us. Sometimes the basics help to grasp a few simple things with understanding, like your food. How you live…” sighing she crossed her arms. “I’m sure you get the idea.”

Jaal nodded and thought of the many vids that he had already watched that Lexi had sent him about the different species just on the Tempest.

“May I ask one more thing of you before you retire for the night?”

Liz held his beautiful gaze and nodded. Stars ask me anything and I will tell you. She couldn’t stop the thought from forming as he gave her a small smile. I am so fucked, she thought, waiting for him to ask.

“Why does everyone call you Ryder, when it is my understanding that Elizabeth is you your true name?”

The sound of his deep voice saying her name did something to her hormones and she crossed her legs for herself and crossed her arms to keep him from recognizing the obvious signs of her arousal as her traitorous nipples suddenly hardened. Clearing her throat, she chuckled and tried to just push the complete pleasure of him saying her name away.

“Simplicity really. My last name is Ryder, so it is just easy. Elizabeth is such a mouthful, so some just call me Liz. You, of course, may call me whatever you are comfortable with,” she added quickly.

Jaal saw her discomfort and her curiosity at the same time and mentally shook himself. This human could not possibly find me remotely appealing. The more she held his gaze with her pale one, his mind and body chemicals told him differently and he cleared his throat, mentally grimacing with the sound of his own thickened voice.

“If it is acceptable, I would prefer to call you Elizabeth when we are alone and either Ryder or Pathfinder when we are not.”

Liz tried to swallow the large lump of insecurity currently lodged in her throat and smiled at him.

“Then you expect us to be alone… often?”

She couldn’t help asking. Swallowing the nervous lump in her throat she felt the heat rise in her face as he held her gaze.

“I do,” he replied studying her.

“Well… that sounds… fine then,” she offered, clearing her throat nervously.

Jaal smiled and leaned back in his chair.

Chapter Text

Voeld was proving to be a huge pain in her ass as they cleared out the next small Kett facility. They had already removed, blown up, or exterminated every Kett facility from the area saving the one with the large barrier that they couldn’t find the way into. Freeing Angaran in almost every facility they entered and resetting Voelds vault.

Glad that she had split everyone into two teams to hit the Kett, using Draak as the leader of the second team, we met in the middle today. Fighting for weeks had taken a toll on everyone and Liz knew it. Heavily sighing with annoyance, she glanced around the area as Cora walked towards her with an angry, disgusted look while Peebee hacked into the closest Kett console.

“There are Angaran bodies in what looks like a medical lab back there, completely dissected,” she whispered disgustedly using her thumb to point in the general direction.

Liz shook her head and rubbed her face. Nothing about the Kett surprised her anymore and steeled herself for a scene she knew would be detestable.

“Can we use their DNA to possibly identify them at least?”

Liz held Cora’s gaze and saw her shrug of uncertainty. Sighing heavily again, she walked to the room Cora pointed at. Taking a deep breath, she entered, and her gag reflex lurched in a reaction to the Angarans in different stages of dissection. Liz swallowed reflexively, pushing the bile back as she looked at the bodies. The Kett left nothing to the imagination about their anatomy with how exactly they opened them up. Well, who the fuck needs a book now?

“Stars,” she muttered. Holding up her Omni-tool with a trembling arm, she scanned the bodies hoping to gather something that would give their families some semblance of peace because there was no way in hell she could return them like this. No one should ever see their loved one like this.

“Liz, if we give this information to the physicians on Aya, they might be able to identify these Angaran.”

“Thank you, Sam.”

“It is how we always find them,” Jaal commented.

Startled, Liz turned around. His expression was full of sadness and anger and instantly her thoughts were about what if it were him, she found like this. Nope, no, not going to happen... A small shudder ran through her and she grasped his forearm tightly, surprising him.

“We will stop this Jaal, I promise.”

Jaal stared at her, surprised with the passion he heard in her voice and assumed she was thinking about how this could happen to her own kind.

“Yes, before it happens to your own people,” he replied quietly.

Liz looked at him and shook her head unable to keep herself from spilling her worst inner thoughts.

“Yes, but more importantly, before it happens to you. I couldn’t…” she stopped quickly and shook her head letting a shaky breath escape. Letting him go, she quickly left the room and Jaal watched her leave in stunned surprise.

Shaking his head slightly confused with the emotional turmoil he felt when interacting with Elizabeth, he left the room.

***

“These aliens are not as fragile as we might suspect Evfra.”

“Explain,” he replied.

“They all have abilities we have never seen before. Cora and the Pathfinder both use what they refer to as Biotics. It is an electromagnetic field not unlike our own but honed to a level of lethal precision unseen in our kind by the use of a simple implant at the base of their neck. Cora explained to me that when biotics first appears in a child that the implant is to give them a form of control over it or they would not have any.”

He saw that he had Evfra’s attention and continued purposely not telling him about SAM. He was unsure if Evfra would be as accepting as he was over the knowledge that Elizabeth also had an AI embedded in the chip that had somehow fused with her physiology.

“As for the other humans on board, Suvi, Gil, and Liam, they are closer to what we are accustomed to. Suvi is a scientist and co-pilot of the ship, and very clever. Gil is their engineer and helps keep the Tempest flying at her best, He could teach our engineers about Milky Way technology. Liam is a warrior; brute force is his abilities, but he is very good at them, not unlike our own. Tactics and strategy are something he is well versed in and could help our own Resistance in surprising the Kett with the different strategies.”

“Is that all that is on board this ship with you, Humans?”

Jaal shook his head.

“No, there is the pilot of the ship, Kallo. He is what they call a Salarian and from my understanding, their species is a short-lived one. His expertise with flying out-matches anything I have ever seen or heard about. He also helped build the Tempest back in the Milky Way. They have told me his memory is photogenic. Talking with him, he told me he remembers every blueprint he has ever seen.”

Evfra tapped his arm as Jaal continued.

“Then there is Draak. He is a Krogan and also a thousand years old and that was before he made the voyage across dark space. Besides their species being long-lived, they are a warrior species that live in clans. He is hard as a rock but moves with the agility of a youngling. His skills on a battlefield are unlike anything we have witnessed before. Ryder also trusts him extensively.”

Evfra watched the small holograms of the different species Jaal told him about and he was staring at one that resembled the Kett.

“Is that one a descendant of the Kett?” He asked pointing at it.

Jaal heard the disgust in his voice as he stared at the hologram of Vetra.

“No, Vetra is Turian.  Her features resemble the Kett only, their kind are dextro-amino acids based anatomy, making them physiologically different than the Kett. There is also Peebee and Lexi. They are known as Asari. They are another long-lived species, but their species seems primarily focused on science and discovery. There is much we can learn from these aliens, Evfra. So many different species living in a confining space companionably almost as a family.”

Evfra’s arms were crossed while he listened to Jaal’s lengthy report. He had already seen the difference in what the Pathfinder was doing on Voeld. The reports from the Resistance Headquarters were glowing reports about her skill. Like it or not, this human was effective and got results.

“I sent you to learn from them Jaal, not fall in love with them.”

Jaal heard the aggravated tone in Evfra’s voice and ignored the jibe at his showing of emotions.

“Evfra, Ryder has proven that she is capable of handling the Kett. You wanted to test her skills and her motives. She has proven time and time again that she and her crew are not only capable but honorable.”

Evfra sighed and rubbed his face knowing what Jaal wanted.

“You want to try and rescue the Moshae… again.”

Jaal’s pulse raced with a sense of excitement and he nodded.

“Yes, if anyone can do it, it will be Ryder and her team. If you could see them in battle you would agree with me, Evfra. She is unlike anything we have ever experienced before on the battlefield.”

Evfra sighed and finally nodded his head in agreement as he unfolded his arms.

“Fine, set up a vid call between me and the Pathfinder.”

Jaal nodded before ending the call. Finally, we will succeed where others have failed. I know it. Leaving the Tech lab, he went about finding Ryder. Stepping through the door, she ran past him.

Liz made her next lap around the docking room. She had been running for two hours and felt the sweat drip down the center of her back. The pace she set was one she was accustomed to and could keep for hours. She passed Peebee and grabbed the bottle of water she held out as she passed.

“Thanks, Peebs,” she said in passing.

“Anytime beautiful,” she replied cheekily.

Jaal stood in the doorway of the Tech Lab and watched. Her body was one graceful movement after another. Her dark hair pulled into a tight, rope against her head, trailing down her back. It swayed with each movement of her hips as she ran. Her clothing damp from her body’s exertion, stuck to her like a second skin. His eyes following her every action and when she ran passed the bay doors was when he noticed Cora entering the large room wearing similar attire. That was when he witnessed Ryder finally stop.

“You ready?” Cora asked before pulling the long-sleeved shirt off, exposing a strong musculature to her arms and shoulders and a toned stomach.

Ryder drank the last of her water and nodded, wiping the dampness from her face with the back of her arm.

“You bet,” she answered, silently wishing Cora had given her another half hour before coming in.

Jaal watched Ryder remove her own long-sleeved shirt, throwing it away from her, revealing a wide set of shoulders, a toned pair of arms with muscular definition and a flat muscular stomach. He swallowed with the sight of so much of her skin exposed to him. The definition of Elizabeth’s body was unlike anything he had ever witnessed on a female of any species before.

He could attest to the differences between them all from when he accidentally walked into the shower room while the others were showering. When he had been told that the showers were co-ed, he had been so cautious to make sure he took his showers alone. So, when he had gone to take his nightly shower and found the others in there except for Elizabeth, it had embarrassed him. No one had even paid attention to his entrance and it was Lexi that had pointed out the free shower stall next to Peebee and he turned and left the room without a word.

He felt no such embarrassment now. His eyes devoured Elizabeth’s exposed body and stared at the sharp contrast of hipbone exposed to him by her low riding shorts and swallowed. His eyes moved upward over her firm stomach enjoying each curve and dip of muscle he saw. Moving his eyes further upward, he noticed that she wore a cloth that covered what Lexi had explained to him where breasts. This part of the anatomy was a curiosity for him since Angaran woman did not have such structures and the more he studied Ryder’s physical appearance, the more curious he became to what their function was.

Liz stretched from side to side pulling her arms one way and then the other, moving her upper body and Jaal was entranced with her simple movements, completely oblivious to Cora walking towards her.

“Don’t be easy on me, Cora,” Liz said with a large smile.

Cora laughed and shook her head.

“Wouldn’t think of it,” she replied.

Jaal felt a slight bump to his left, disrupting his thoughts and glancing over, saw Liam smiling at him.

“Ten credits on Cora,” he joked.

Jaal shook his head and held his hand out in the human’s way of making a deal. He had seen the two in battle and Elizabeth had a focus that Cora lacked, making her clearly the stronger fighter.

“Ten on Ryder.”

Liam laughed and nodded his head in agreement, grasping his hand tightly before they both leaned against the Cargo bays walls to watch.

Liz rolled her head from side to side stretching her neck while rolling her shoulders, loosening herself up and Cora took that moment to attack her with a biotic packed punch towards her face.

Liz’s shield came up quickly as she crossed her arms together in front of her, deflecting the move. Using her gravity shield, she pushed Cora away from her and rolled easily away.

Cora snorted with the maneuver and rolled her shoulders.

“Just like your father.”

Liz laughed and smiling at her, holding her crouched position, preparing to put Cora on the defensive.

“It should be, he is the one that taught me.”

Cora smirked and motioned with her hand to attack. Liz wasted no time as she used her biotics and launched towards Cora, forming a lance in her right hand before slamming into her shield.

Cora grunted as she generated her biotic shield to focus in the front of her to slow down Ryder’s momentum and the lance she brought down towards her. The force of Liz’s strength with the lance dropped Cora to a knee and forced her to partition some of her biotics to push Liz off and roll out of the way.

“Your gonna have to do better than that, Liz.”

Liz grinned at her and cracked her knuckles.

“Then stop dancing with me and test me, Cora.”

Jaal watched the sparring match between Cora and Ryder, his eyes following her movements. Arousal grew within him with the sight of Ryder’s toned body flipping away from Cora’s attacks. He stared at the way she twisted away from a lance only to slam her fist into Cora’s side. The sounds of their sparing echoed in the room and the electrical energy that flowed around him excited him tremendously. It was unlike any sensation he had ever felt before.

He distinctly felt her biotics licking his skin, making his situation even more uncomfortable, and he changed his position against the wall to hopefully find some relief. Following Ryder’s movements, she dodged another thrown lance from Cora and he held his breath as she feigned left and then threw an uppercut to Cora’s face. The impact echoed in the room and lifted Cora up off the ground, throwing her five feet back to land on her back.

Yes! He barely restrained a shout of triumph at her skilled hit. She is so beautiful.

Jaal flinched with the declaration and then quickly relaxed. Accepting his feelings for the human for what they were. He could not ignore that she had captured his attention from the first moment he had seen her. She is beautiful… and different… and unlike anything I have ever known.

Liz stopped when she felt the solid connection with Cora’s face and held her hands up. Oh shit, please don’t be passed out… Lexi is going to murder me.

“Shit, Cora are you okay?” She asked sprinting towards her.

Cora slowly sat up and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth away, shaking the stars from her head.

“Damn, you hit like a fucking freighter, Ryder,” she muttered catching her breath.

Liz took the bottle of water Peebee held out and passed it to Cora who took it gratefully, guzzling the entire contents.

“You need to see Lexi. I am so sorry Cora, your shield was there and then it wasn’t, I should have recognized… I would never…” Liz faltered, and Cora chuckled before groaning and holding her head.

“It’s fine Liz,” she said holding her hand up to stop the apology. “This is why we spar, to keep us sharp. You just got me this time… really damn hard.”

Liz wiped at the sweat threatening to sting her eyes and laughed.

Jaal noticed Liam transferring the credits to him from his Omni-tool and smiled at him smugly.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said turning away from him.

Jaal witnessed Ryder help pull Cora to her feet before moving to grab her shirt from the floor. His eyes followed her graceful steps when she left with Cora. Perhaps we shall discuss my conversation with Evfra once she has bathed.

Chapter Text

Liz left the bathroom toweling her hair. Her small pack of workout clothing stowed inside, over her shoulder and found Jaal leaning against the wall waiting for. The sight of him out of battle gear in nothing but a tight pair of pants and a form-fitting shirt that exposed his chest did nothing to slow the sudden sprint in her pulse rate. The display of strong musculature made her mouth water and she mentally shook herself. Stars just stop already. 

“Hey Jaal,” she said turning her gaze towards the floor.

Jaal moved quickly from his previously relaxed position and noticed her pale gaze studying the floor intently.

“You were victorious in your match earlier,” he commented and instantly wanted to groan with the ridiculousness of his statement.

Liz laughed and continued drying her hair, finally looking at him.

“I guess,” she replied.

Jaal watched the simple movements she made of drying her hair and heard the hesitancy in her voice and curiously moved to follow her down the hall.

“Did you not enjoy the test of your skills?”

Liz stopped and smiled at him before shaking her head ‘no’ and continued towards her room.

“It was not my intention to hurt Cora. We practice all the time, but this time…” Liz shook her head.

Jaal followed her down the long corridor towards her room confused.

“But the match was won fairly. You did nothing that would be considered underhanded.”

The sound of her laughter caressed his skin as she opened the door to her room and walked in. Jaal stood at the threshold unsure if he should follow her inside or not.

Liz turned and gazed at him for a second. Why does he have to be so… magnetic? She hesitated for a second before beckoning him to enter and he followed after her. Focus moron, you were having a conversation.

“Yes, but Cora is my friend. We practice so we stay sharp, but I don’t want to hurt her.”

“So, you hold back often when you spar with Cora. Is this why I saw you running before she joined you in the loading bay? To tire yourself?”

Liz held his gaze and kept her silence. Jaal nodded his head in understanding now and watched as Elizabeth threw her towel towards the basket in the corner. He watched her every movement and found himself mesmerized. Mentally shaking himself, he studied her expression as she turned back to look at him.

“So, you were obviously waiting for me, what did you want to talk to me about?”

He swallowed anxiously.

“Evfra wants to speak with you. I believe it will be about helping rescue our Moshae.”

Liz smiled at him excitedly and clapped her hands.

“About fucking time.”

Jaal chuckled. In moments like this when she is unguarded, she is radiant.

“Agreed. He will take a call from you to discuss everything when you have a moment.”

Liz nodded just as SAM interrupted them.

“Pathfinder, there is a call from Dr. Carlyle about Ryan.”

Liz’s stomach dropped, please… she didn’t know what to do. Grabbing Jaal’s hand as she ran past him, she pulled him behind her. Jaal stumbled along behind her as she had taken him by surprise.

“Eliza...” he began, and she interrupted him.

“Tell him I’m on my way, SAM,” she replied dragging Jaal behind her.

Jaal allowed her to pull him along curious as to the bioelectric hum of anxiousness that he felt between their clasped hands.

He listened to the doctor explain to Elizabeth that there was a way for her to communicate with her brother Ryan, that was currently in a coma. By using SAM, she could talk with him, but she would need to return to the Nexus to do this. No one had told him that her brother was in such a bad way and felt for her situation. In fact, no one spoke about Elizabeth's twin at all. It must be why she is so unhappy.

Jaal studied Liz’s posture, noticing her spine was stiff while she listened to the doctor, only nodding when she needed to. He knew she would choose to head back to the Nexus immediately now, instead of gathering a team to rescue the Moshae and kept his own disappointment silent, he couldn’t blame her. If he were in her position, he would most likely do the same.

Liz nodded her head as she listened.

“Thank you, Dr. Carlyle, we will be back at the Nexus for a much-needed time off after we save the Angara’s Moshae.”

Jaal’s eyes snapped up as he stared at the back of her head just as she ended her communication.

He watched her shoulders slightly slump before she squared them and stared forward at the opposite wall, taking a deep breath.

“But your brother is…”

“In a coma Jaal. It won’t change anytime soon,” she said cutting him off.

Jaal stared at her back for a long time before she turned to look at him. Her pale gaze moved him with the loneliness he could see in the stary depths as she twisted her fingers anxiously. He had never seen this side of her before and felt a profound honor that she would share this moment with him. 

“Please don’t mistake this for me not caring about Ryan. I do, I miss him, a lot, he is my best friend, it’s just that…” sighing heavily she held his beautiful deep-blue gaze. “He won’t wake up anytime soon, Jaal, and the Moshae, if she is indeed still alive in that Kett facility, it is on borrowed time. If Evfra is done yanking my chain, then we have a real chance of saving her. Ryan has a luxury your Moshae does not and I know he would agree with me.”

Jaal held her gaze for a long moment as her pale gaze watched him nervously. His emotions rolled through him with how beautiful and strong she was to have to make such a difficult decision. Without a second thought, he stepped towards her and pulled her into a tight hug. She is amazing. 

“I know this is a difficult choice for you to make and I thank you for this personal sacrifice.”

Liz froze in place with the solid strength of him pressed against her. Large, muscular arms wrapped around her comfortingly and his bioelectricity caused her biotics to hum beneath her skin. Oh, my Stars, he feels fabulous she thought when her pulse jumped, and her heart raced. Her hands slightly fluttered at his sides, unsure of what she should do and settled and placing them on his waist. Oh, that… he smells so… delicious.

“Elizabeth-your heart rate has increased dramatically with this show of affection. Is this a normal human reaction?”

SAM’s question brought her back to reality and she stepped out of Jaal’s hold, dropping her hands from his waist quickly. Clearing her throat nervously, ignoring the questioning look on Jaal’s face, she turned back towards the console and pushed her chaotic hormones back. Get a fucking grip on yourself, Liz, it was just a damn hug!

“Let’s get this call with Evfra over with, it’s bound to be unpleasant as all my interactions with him usually are.”

Jaal felt her instant withdrawal from him and immediately realized that him touching her had made her uncomfortable.

“I apologize, I should have asked your permission to touch you. Angarans prefer to show their feelings freely, I should have known this was not your way.”

Liz couldn’t look at him, her embarrassment at how nice it had felt would be clearly written on her face. She shook her head and cleared her throat again as she stared at the console.

“Don’t worry about it Jaal, you didn’t offend me. No harm done, it was just a hug,” she replied flippantly.

Pushing the code for the communication channel before Jaal could say any more, Evfra’s hologram body appeared in the center of the table.

“Commander,” she said in greeting.

She noticed the scar that went down Evfra’s face tighten ever so slightly where it crossed his lips as he held her gaze. I wonder if he looks at everyone like he just sucked on a lemon or if he saves this particular expression for me.

“Pathfinder, Jaal’s been keeping me updated on your ‘adventures’ your ‘good deeds’ on our behalf.”

Smiling at him, she crossed her arms.

“I meant them. I want you to know you can count on me to do what I say and say what I do.”

Evfra’s snort echoed and Liz kept her face calm. Short of lighting myself on fire, I wonder what it will take to get this man to fucking loosen up a bit.

“You rescued Shavod-gaan. I admit, his loss would have been hard for the Resistance. But your true agenda is clear-to explore Aya’s vault. Jaal tells me that you want to help find the Moshae. Why should I let you?”

Perhaps he was accustomed to the way she moved and reacted but Jaal saw the stiffening of Ryder’s shoulders and noticed the small flicker of annoyance with Evfra’s words cross her features before she masked it.

“Because I have already proven to you that I am trustworthy, whether you want to admit it or not Evfra. Me and my team can do this if you would allow us to help your Resistance forces.”

Jaal’s lips twitched with her strong answer and the reciprocating expression of respect on Evfra’s face was clear. She is beyond what our people could have hoped for in an ally against the Kett.

“Bold, a little arrogant, like me. Still, I’ll reserve judgment for now. We’ve managed to trace the Moshae to a specific Kett facility on Voeld.”

Liz dropped her arms and stood at a parade rest with her arms folded behind her, awaiting her orders as if from a superior. Evfra saw the familiar posture and stood a bit taller as he listened to her.

“What makes this place so special, Commander?”

“It is protected by a dynamic shield tech we haven’t been able to crack. We are close but its ability to adapt outstrips the speed of our current processors.”

SAM’s voice spoke on the private channel in her mind quickly giving her advice.

“Liz, we have encountered this facility. By adding my processor to their program, it would no doubt make the difference.”

“Well, let’s hope they don’t get all weird about me having an AI in my head. It took me four months to get used to it myself.”

“Understood Liz.”

“Evfra, I can help. Respectfully, you need my help.”

Her words seemed to annoy him, and he scoffed, crossing his arms with a sneer on his lips that stretched the scar tightly and her back stiffened, waiting for the rebuke she knew he was about to give her.

“Respectfully, the Angaran don’t need anything from you or your kind. We can take care of our own.”

Jaal’s loud, annoyed sigh could be heard and Evfra glared at him. Liz shook her head and finally relaxed. I am the fucking Pathfinder, his equal, why am I trying to please him like I am back in N7 school? Liz placed her hands on the table and leaned in close.

“Oh, give me a damn break, Evfra,” she answered him with a burst of annoyance. “You say this to me with a straight face as if we aren’t standing here discussing the abduction of your Moshae.” Liz rubbed her face and took a calming breath before looking at Evfra’s furious face. “Listen, I will not have a fucking pissing contest with you over my damn credentials and worth. I can guarantee the shield breach and if your Moshae still lives, her rescue, with the processing power of my AI with your program.”

Evfra’s expression changed to one of surprise as he too leaned forward with his hands pressed to his table, all previous anger gone.

“AI? Of course, that makes sense.”

Tapping her head, she held his steady stare as she spoke.

“He is physically connected to me. Please, Evfra, let me help you, I want to. I know you think my motivations are just about the vault, but she is a living being. If she can be saved from the Kett, I must at least try. If she chooses to not show me your vault, then I will not push it. But let me at least help get her out of there.”

Evfra’s loud sigh could be heard over the com. He was surprised that Jaal had said nothing about this AI of hers in any of his reports. He would discuss this oversite with him later, for now, he would allow her to help with the attempt to rescue the Moshae.

“It was risky, to be honest with me about your AI-and honesty makes you different from the Kett.”

Liz snorted and crossed her arms.

“That and hopefully you think we are much better looking than those snot-balls,” she joked with a cheeky grin.

Evfra’s lips twitched with her humor before returning his expression to one of indifference.

“You would be a welcome asset on the mission.”

“Thank you,” she replied not removing the large smile from her face.

Evfra shook his head and leaned back, crossing his arms.

“A team will meet you at our base on Voeld. They will take you to the Kett facility. Stay strong and clear Pathfinder, goodbye.”

Liz nodded, and the communication closed. She glanced at Jaal who’s gaze had not strayed from her general direction through most of the conversation.

“So, you have gained Evfra’s trust. No easy feat.”

Liz snorted.

“You’re telling me,” she joked. “I thought for sure he would keep me dancing… I still don’t think he likes me though.”

Jaal smiled and Liz’s pulse jumped. Down girl!

“That’s just his way. You should be more worried about the Roekaar and what your actions will cause when we return with the Moshae.”

His complete faith in the Moshae’s survival never stopped surprising her.

“My earlier conversations with Evfra made it seem like you had experience with them.”

Jaal propped his hip against the table, crossing his arms and sighed.

“I know their leader, Akksul. We studied together under the Moshae,” Jaal softly chuckled. “But unlike me, he was a good student. The best actually.”

Liz found herself studying the scar that ran through the left side of his cowl. I bet that hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, I wonder where he got it? she thought. Mentally shaking herself, her eyes held his beautiful blue gaze. Focus idiot.

“Then he knows about Remnant?”

“He did,” he sighed before continuing. “It’s a long story.”

Liz could listen to him talk all day and leaned against the table, mimicking his posture.

“Well, give me the condensed version since I can tell you do not want to share the entire story.”

Jaal felt the small vibration of her biotics over his skin and suppressed a shiver. Clearing his throat, he nodded.

“Akksul was captured by the Kett. He spent a year in a forced labor camp before he managed to escape.”

Liz grimaced and reached up to rub her neck letting out a heavy sigh. She had seen what the Kett did to those they kept in the camps. If they survived, they had scars on the outside and the inside.

“That’s why he hates aliens.”

“Yes. He… suffered greatly. When Akksul returned, he no longer cared about the Remnant or anything except destroying the Kett.”

“Why didn’t he just join the Resistance then?”

Jaal expelled a heavy sigh.

“Akksul’s not the type to follow orders… and I think he was bitter we were unable to rescue him.”

“So, he formed the Roekaar.”

Jaal nodded his head in agreement.

“We didn’t give them much thought, but since your arrival, his cause has grown.”

Liz gave him a small, teasing smile and bumped her arm into his.

“Hey, I convinced Evfra I’m not a threat. Maybe I can do the same with Akksul.”

Jaal softly chuckled and shook his head, looking at her with his head slightly tilted.

“I admire your courage little one, but Akksul is dangerous… and he lacks Evfra’s pragmatism. He’ll make you want to kill him.”

Liz felt a zing in the vicinity of her stomach with him calling her little one and laughed.

“Come on Jaal, I don’t shoot everyone I meet. I have to at least try.”

Liz felt the bioelectric flutter from Jaal and glanced at her hand where it was holding the edge of the table next to his and immediately folded her arms again to hide the effect it caused in her.

“If Heleus is to be your new home, I guess you will have to deal with the Roekaar one way or another. There is a recluse on Havarl who escaped with Akksul from the Kett. Her name is Thaldyr. She might know of a way to contact him. I will send you the nav point for when we go to Havarl. For now, I suppose we should focus on the mission in front of us.”

Pulling herself away from his gaze, she tapped into the intercom on her Omni-tool.

“Kallo, take us to the Resistance base on Voeld. Draak, Cora, Vetra, Peebee, Liam. Suit up and prepare for a rescue of the Angara's Moshae. Lexi, prepare for the Moshae to most likely need immediate medical attention. Jaal will send you a comlink for their doctors on Aya so you can coordinate her care. I will brief everyone at the loading bay. Ryder out.”

Tapping the comlink closed on her Omni-tool, she looked at Jaal again and found him watching her carefully.

“Suit up, we leave in an hour big guy.”

Jaal watched her leave with her shoulders squared and her determination clearly written on her face. There was something about her that excited him. Perhaps it was her indomitable focus on what she wanted, her sheer determination to always succeed. He was experiencing an excitement that he had not felt before and had a really good feeling about this attempt, with her next to him, it would get done this time. He left the communications deck for his room to prepare.

Chapter Text

The flight to the Kett facility was tight inside the Angaran shuttle with, Jaal, Cora, Draak, Liam, Peebee, and Vetra, not to mention the other four Angara if you counted the pilot. Liz glanced up at Jaal who held a bar in the middle of the floor for balance while he stood next to another Angara female, named Anon.

“So, no one has ever actually seen the inside of one of these places before?”

Jaal shook his head and held her pale, questioning gaze. There was something about the way she looked at him that provoked an emotional response in him. If anything were to happen to her… he cleared his throat and answered her, pushing the horrible thought away.

“None who have lived to tell. Prisoner’s who go in are never seen again… they disappear.”

Liam glanced at him from his position leaning against the shuttle wall next to Cora.

“But haven’t you staged rescues before?”

One of the male Angaran across from us answered.

“Sure, we’ve liberated Kett work camps, but never one of these facilities. We lost so many fighters trying and could never get in.”

Liz closed her eyes and took a deep breath for calm. Okay, I can do this… we can do this. Just another day at the office... yeah... whooya. Her mental pep talk calmed the jitters that made her stomach clench with the idea of failure.

“We can’t just give up. It’s why you fight and it’s why we’re here to fight with you.”

The male Angaran cramped between two others across from her gave her a large, tooth-filled smile.

“It’s why we’re here and excited to be a part of this mission. To join in battle with the one that strikes fear into the black hearts of the Kett, it will be a momentous day indeed.”

Our pilot glanced at us over his shoulder with a large smile.

“We’re here and let’s be quick, this storm is getting worse.”

Liz checked her pistols again before sliding them into the holsters on her sides.

“Understood,” she replied. Hitting the button built into the shuttles wall, the door to the shuttle opened. Glancing at the others she smiled at them before pulling her helmet on.

“Then let’s go introduce ourselves to the Kett and get your Moshae back.” Looking at Jaal, she grasped his forearm and stared into his ocean-like gaze ignoring the way they made her feel.

“Once we’re through the shield, you take point and we’ll look for Moshae Sjefa. Let’s try not to get shot.”

Jaal nodded and before anyone else could reply, she jumped out of the shuttle and hit the button for her jetpack, slowing her rapid descent. The sound of her com crackled as the pilot spoke quickly just as her booted feet hit the snow-covered ground.

“Radio me when you’re ready to go.”

“You got it, just don’t be late for our date good-looking,” she teased and smiled when she heard his responding laughter.

“Understood, Pathfinder.”

The shuttle took off as the others landed within seconds of her. Jaal walked next to Liz as they approached the barrier.

“Do we have any idea of what kind of force to expect?”

Anon answered through the coms.

“Not a clue.”

Fucking fabulous.

“Elizabeth, there is a console just twenty feet from you to your right. We may access the system from there.”

“Okay, SAM.”

Liz jogged in the direction SAM gave her and found it easily.

“Run Angaran shield disabling program,” she said as she tapped her Omni-pad.

“Adding my process accelerator, standby,” SAM answered.

“Stand by,” SAM said again after a few moments, and Liz sighed.

“Please don’t embarrass me in front of our new friends.”

Cora chuckled as Liz stared at the barrier impatiently when it suddenly gave way. SAM had created a hole big enough for everyone to fit through if they walked two by two only a few feet away.

“I have produced a small hole in the shield, Pathfinder.”

“It worked,” Jaal said excitedly.

“Thank you, SAM.”

Liz jogged towards the small opening into the facility and took a deep breath. Into the belly of the beast we go – here's to hoping we punch a hole out her ass.

“SAM, by the time we leave. I want to know everything about this place.”

“Of course, Elizabeth. I will collect all data available for your review for when we return to the Tempest. You should know, Jaal’s adrenaline has increased as has his heart rate in comparison to the others.”

Liz sighed and pulled her pistol as she entered the facility.

“Understood SAM, please continue to monitor him.”

Of course, he is anxious, hell I'm anxious, she thought. We are here because he believes the Moshae is alive. If he is wrong, then we have all come here for nothing. Liz mentally slapped herself, not nothing... we get to blow this place up and remove it from Voelds surface. The Kett facility where the Moshae was held was enormous. Shooting out the metal barrier that resembled an air vent, she stepped through.  Well, let’s hope this isn’t just a demolition field trip.

 "SAM, please keep a constant scan for the Moshae."

"Of course, Elizabeth."

We moved through the Kett base finding the corridors uncomfortably empty before we found a large room where the Kett was working. Glancing through the slats of the large vent like the one they had entered from outside, Liz let a small smile form on her lips. They don’t know we are here yet. Holding up her hand in a fist, everyone stopped.

“We have the element of surprise here people, let's use this to our best advantage because once we start shooting, alarms are bound to go off.”

Anon crouched next to her and looked into the room before she turned to smile at her, giving her, a silent nod, Liz shot out the metal grates for the vent and the Kett scattered immediately like cockroaches when a light gets turned on.

“Here we come you thieving sons-of-a-bitches… mommies got a can of fucking Raid with your name on it,” Liz growled and jumped down with a biotic nova into the ground, throwing Kett every which way with the powerful wave.

“Do you see this Jaal?” Anon said over the coms.

“Yes, I can’t believe we are actually here,” he replied. His eyes followed Liz’s path and kept his rifle ready, taking a headshot at the first Kett he found aiming at her from a metal walkway above her.

Liz snorted and reloaded her pistol, ducking behind a stack of crates while bullets ricocheted off the metal she knelt behind.

“And I’ll bet, neither can these guys.”

Cora chuckled over the coms with the others as we fanned out and killed the Kett filing into the chamber.

“Pathfinder, Jaal, this is so satisfying,” one Angaran commented through the coms and it made Liz smile.

“Yes, there is nothing better than kicking some asshole right in the teeth,” she replied just before she and Cora threw up a barrier that covered the others from a barrage of incoming bullets.

“Wait until I tell my brothers of this fight… they will be jealous,” one of the Angara’s said excitedly making Liam laugh.

“Focus kid, there is Kett to kill and they can’t hold that barrier all day,” Draak replied over the coms.

“Gladly,” the male Angaran replied and we heard the staccato taps of bullets leaving his weapon.

Liz put her pistols away and rolled towards a crate and pulled her sniper rifle from her back. Kissing the barrel, she felt a calm settle over her before settling it against her shoulder and cheek. Time to go to work girl, let’s make momma proud. She peered around the side and set in her sites the Kett across the large room. With a deep breath, she squeezed the trigger and started taking them out one by one as the others fought the Kett that charged towards them. Breathe in, squeeze, breathe out. Her mind whispered as she popped each Kett either in the forehead, chest or the throat, keeping her grouping tight, her hands steady. Her father’s voice filled her head with each shot as the memory embraced her.

Focus Lizzy, feel the weight in your hands, the kick that taps against your shoulder with each shot. Don’t forget to breathe in and out when you squeeze the trigger and always respect your weapon.

Yes, papa.

That’s my girl.

The memory replayed for Liz, bringing a small smile to the corner of her lip for a time when her father hadn't disliked her. That was before she noticed the Kett warrior that jumped onto her platform where she and Jaal hunkered behind a small stack of crates. Sliding her rifle over her back, hearing the soft click of the weapon as it magnetized to the metal, she drew her biotics to her hands. Oh, no you don’t you fucker. Placing a stasis barrier around Jaal, she climbed the crates quickly. Using her biotics, she jumped into the air, coming down with a large nova wave that exploded him and the bodies of dead Kett behind him. When the last Kett fell, Liz bent and caught her breath. Her skin quietly burning beneath her armor from the overuse. She felt the release of medigel beneath her armor, and the tightness around her jaw lessened as the pain slightly receded with the medication.

Jaal slipped his rifle over his back and walked towards her in silent astonishment. She protected me… but why? Placing his hand on her shoulder, he squeezed and she looked up at him with a large smile through her face shield.

“Come on, we aren’t done here,” she said before standing and reloading her rifle and checking her pistols.

Jaal squeezed her shoulder again, making her look at him.

“Stay clear, and strong, Ryder.”

She held his gaze and something in her pale eyes made his heart leap at the sight. She… does she care for me as I find myself for her? Is this why she...? Jaal floundered in her stare while his mind swirled with the possibilities.

Liz grasped his hand on her shoulder and nodded, squeezing it before letting go and Jaal’s heart did flips inside his chest with the contact.

“You too, Jaal.”

He watched her walk away and felt his heart stutter. I am… I am lost.

Liz walked towards the Angara Resistance fighters that were going to split off and handed them bombs with detonators.

“If we are to split up and if your people are here and alive, we must free them. Place these charges where you go when you’re finished because when we leave with the Moshae and the others, I want to make sure this place is nothing but a fucking crater in the ground.”

The Angara’s took the bombs and charges from her and slipped them into the packs on their backs with nods of acknowledgment and small smirks. Anon grabbed her arm and smiled while holding her tightly as the males watched her curiously.

“For an alien, you are very emotional, very… Angaran,” she said.

Liz smiled at her and grasped her arm back just as tightly.

“What has been done to your people is an abomination and it must end before their kind spreads to every corner of the galaxy. We gladly fight beside you because it is the right thing to do,” she replied.

Anon bent and pressed her head to Liz’s helmet and closing her eyes, smiled.

“You are not of our blood but I will gladly shed mine to fight at your side. I wished we had met your kind first.”

Liz grasped her around her neck and laughed.

“Me to, maybe Evfra wouldn’t be such an ass to me.” Anon laughed and gently head-butted her helmet as Liz looked at her pleadingly. “Please stay safe and in radio contact,” she replied before letting her go. Anon nodded before turning to follow the others.

“Stay safe kid,” Draak said following after the Angara with Peebee who just waved and gave her a mock salute and a cheeky wink. Vetra stopped and grasped her shoulder.

“No heroics.”

Liz laughed and shook her head.

“Yes, mom.”

Vetra slapped her arm and laughed before following after the others.

Liz watched the Angara's salute her with a show of respect before walking through the doorway with Peebee, Vetra, and Draak. Please let them not get hurt and stay safe, she silently prayed as the doors closed, locking behind them.

“I hope they cause enough trouble to keep the Kett occupied,” she said when the door shut.

“Count on it,” Jaal replied with a small chuckle. “They do have Draak and Peebee with them.”

Laughing, Liz glanced around the empty room with Liam and Cora, looking for another doorway.

“Pathfinder, it seems the program I used to breach the shield, could overload it and destroy the facility. However, the pulse would be lethal to Angaran physiology,” SAM offered.

Liz shook her head.

“That’s not ideal, SAM.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Liam remarked looking at Jaal.

Liz glanced at Jaal and shook her head again before grasping his arm.

“The last resort,” she replied and saw his nod of agreement.

His eyes held hers and nervousness sped through her, twisting her stomach with rapid speed. Ugh… get control of yourself, Liz.

Inside the decontamination chamber, they found a window that peered out over a chamber full of Kett surrounding a small group of five Angara. The Angara seemed… trance-like, obedient, not themselves and Liz growled at the sight. What the fuck is going on here?

Jaal stared out the window in anger at his kin standing with such submission.

“What is this?” Jaal growled angrily looking through the window.

A Kett wearing red leather armor turned towards the others, oblivious to their watching and they had nothing to do until the chamber door opened but listen.

“Fortunate welcome, step forward,” the Kett leader said simply and the Angara responded by stepping closer.

“I am humbled before you, you who are the chosen. Chosen by the Archon, chosen to be exalted.”

Liz watched in horror next to Jaal as the other Kett in the room suddenly crossed their arms and repeated, “chosen to be exalted.” Well, that is fucking creepy.

The Angaran marched towards what appeared to be stasis pods without a flinch or fight and Liz felt her stomach clench. What the actual fuck is going on here?

“What?! Why aren’t they resisting?” Jaal questioned from beside her, saying exactly what she was thinking.

“They appear to be in some kind of trance… they clearly don’t know what they are doing.”

Jaal snarled at the scene and shook his head angrily turning from the window before glancing back.

“I know the Moshae, she isn’t down there,” he replied watching his brethren walk willingly into the pods. Jaal pointed behind the group at other pods and looked at her. “But maybe in one of those pods.”

Liz rubbed her face and finally glanced at him.

“Well, it’s a good of a lead as any.”

He nodded quickly, and we turned towards the door as the coms came alive.

“You wanted a distraction? Well, I think we came up with something kid,” Draak’s deep, growling voice said over our comms.

Liz stared out the window and saw the red armored Kett stumble with the sudden explosion beneath its feet.

“Shit,” she said as the Kett in the room pulled weapons and scattered.

“Well, that’s one way to get their attention,” she said calmly as the door to the decontamination room finally opened and they were allowed out.

They fought through the Kett from one room to the next. Learning about Exaltation was enough to make her mind reel and want to vomit. Watching that Kett shrouded in red armor, stab the Angaran with a needle and inject some unholy concoction into him that turned him into one of them made her skin crawl. She couldn’t even imagine how Jaal was feeling at this moment.

“Why?” he said with his voice breaking.

Jaal hit his knees next to the newly, Exalted corpse of what used to be an Angaran.

Laying her hand on his shoulder, his head bowed.

“Jaal?”

“They are us,” he choked out. His tone full of painful disbelief and Liz's heart clenched for the deep grief she heard and squeezed his shoulder.

Liam and Cora stood close by looking on with discomfort before looking at Liz.

“We, ah, haven’t…” Cora began, and Liz nodded, glancing at them.

“We need to find her fast…before this happens. Scout around and look for her.”

Liz knelt next to Jaal, pulling her helmet off and placing it on the ground before she grasped his hand and felt the tightening of his fingers around hers as he stared at the body.

“They are us,” he whispered.

“Yes,” she answered softly, and his fingers clenched tighter.

“How many have I killed?” He suddenly looked at her with a tear-streaked face and Liz’s heart clenched. “Elizabeth… I didn’t know.”

Liz grasped his hand in her own tightly as her other hand moved to hold his tear-streaked face, taking gently swipes at the falling tears.

“I know you didn’t know, Jaal. What do you need, how can I help?”

Jaal held her gaze and his other hand slipped up to cup her chin even as he leaned into her hand on his face.

“That is kind… you are kind. I… do not know.”

Liz couldn’t stop herself from leaning into his touch, nor could she suffocate the small jump in her heart rate that came. Rubbing her face against his gloved hand, she reached up and held it to her before answering.

“We should start by finding the Moshae. If anyone can figure out what this means for the Angara, she can.”

Her touch pushed him away from the ugly reality and Jaal softly vibrated with her attention and her affection before finally nodding and letting his hand slip away from her face.

“Yes, you are probably right.”

“Ryder, Jaal, she’s down here,” Cora communicated over our coms and Liz let his face go and grabbed her helmet, putting it back on before she pulled her rifle.

“Let’s go get your Moshae and bring her home.”

Jaal tentatively smiled at her even as his heart pounded in his chest. He already knew that everything Elizabeth was, for some unexplainable reason called to him. This feeling, this sensation I feel for her, I can understand, if I focus on this, I can ignore this horrible place, he thought following after her.

We found the Moshae.

Liz saw the leader levitate the Moshae from the stasis pod and slowly bring her towards it. The leader's intentions were clear, and her body chilled with the implications. Failure is not an option, she reminded herself as she stared out the window. Jaal pounded against the window in anger, screaming his outrage with his inability to get to her. Slamming the butt of his rifle into the window again and again with his fury, he cursed at the barrier.

“He has the Moshae.”

Liz could already see that and checked her rifle waiting for the door to open while Jaal beat on the window in a futile attempt to break it.

Liam and Cora noticed the emotionless calm that settled over Liz and pulled their weapons, waiting for her orders. Cora knew that when Ryder got this way, she was focused and ready to kill anything in her path. The N7 training that drilled into her the 'do or die trying' moto, was clearly where Ryder's mind was right them and even if she didn't like the comparison, she was so much like her father. She had seen Ryder do this before on Habitat 7 and on Eos. There was an ingrained discipline in the Ryder’s that Cora couldn’t understand, nor could she mimic.

Liz did not speak as she made her hand signals that told them left, right, and I’ve got the middle. Quick nods of acknowledgment from them, Liz took a deep, calming breath.  As soon as the doors opened, Jaal plunged into the room full of anger and retribution. Cora made sure that he was covered in one of her barriers as she followed him.

The room was full of Kett, and Liz pressed her rifle to her shoulder and took a steady breath before she started picking them off when she found them vulnerable. Making sure to take out the two that held the Moshae first. She could almost feel her father with her, silently coaching her as she squeezed the trigger. She had a singular focus as she killed each Kett that foolishly exposed themselves to her. It wasn’t until she felt Cora grab her arm and yank her up that she saw what was truly happening beneath them. The Kett were gathering just below them, preparing a mass assault on their small group. She slipped her rifle onto her back and nodded at Cora before they both jumped to the main platform where the Kett gathered with one biotic, power shield. Liz gritted her teeth with the burn beneath her armor from the overuse of her biotics and ignored it.

Their combined biotics blew away the remaining Kett, leaving them dazed or dead. Those that were dazed, Liam and Jaal took care off swiftly and followed after the Moshae that was dragged through the double doors by the one in charge wearing the red gear.

“Shit… come on,” Liz growled and yanking her rifle from her back, ran through the next door.

They entered an elevator and Liz spoke quickly to SAM.

“SAM, what do you got?”

“I was able to access the facility plans at the last terminal. My best guess would be they are heading for the shuttle launch area above.”

Liz nodded and pulled bullets, reloading her rifle.

“Got it,” she replied, trying to ignore Jaal’s look of nervousness as the elevator moved quickly upward.

“We got this Jaal, stay focused.”

His nod of understanding was quick as he too reloaded his rifle, and Liz glanced at Cora and Liam.

“Don’t lose sight of the Moshae, keep her safe.”

“Got it,” Cora replied, shouldering her shotgun and pulled her pistols as Liam prepared his assault rifle.

When the doors opened, they left the elevator and went for the only door open. After going through a small room, they came to another door and upon opening, they saw the Kett in red leading the Moshae towards the landing pad doors with a few other Kett surrounding them.

“Hang tight Moshae Sjefa, we are coming for you,” Liz called out as she shot the Kett closest to the Moshae in the head.

The fight with the other Kett was over quickly since reinforcements had not arrived yet and Liz stared at the one holding the Moshae in a tight grasp. The Kett had a bioelectric field around itself and the Moshae.

“You will not take her,” it spat. Liz focused on the small sphere that rotated around the barrier and shot it clean, dissolving the barrier around it and the Moshae.

“No, you will not take her,” Liz snarled as the barrier fell.

The Leader shoved the Moshae behind it and yelled quickly to the few Kett reinforcements that rushed into the room.

“Get it on the ship, it must reach the Archon.”

Liz gritted her teeth and ran up the ramp as two more Kett came from behind walls and grabbed the Moshae while a small group of five ran towards them. A biotic barrier in place, anger in full swing, she slammed her biotic covered hand into the ground angrily, pushing her abilities to their limits. Kett flew away to be taken out by either Cora, Liam, or Jaal as the one with red armor on, placed another barrier around it. Launching herself at it angrily, it stumbled back staring at her furiously with her physical offense. Liz growled over the coms at the others.

“Secure the Moshae.”

Cora set a barrier around the Moshae while Liam and Jaal ran towards her slumping body on the ground and helped her lay down. Jaal stayed with her while Liam moved to secure the room with Cora. Liz focused on the leader and slammed him with every biotic power she had, shoving the creature backward mercilessly only to pull it back towards her and slam it into the metal floor again and again. She pounded on the barrier endlessly with one biotic punch after another. The burn of her flesh beneath her armor made her grit her teeth in determination as her biotics ran at full power threatening to overload and fry her implant.

“You piece of shit… you die today.” Liz pulled her pistol and aimed carefully at the small half shaped, planet, that rotated around its barrier and shot it, grateful when the shield dropped again. With the other, Kett already dead, Liz punched the leader in the face before she shot it in the chest from where she sat on its stomach.

“My power comes from the Archon, I will not yield,” it yelled, and Liz laughed menacingly.

“Oh, yes you will asshole,” she snarled punching it in the face again, feeling her knuckles crack under the force of her strike.

“Fight to the death… protect this sacred place,” it yelled into its coms.

Liz snarled into the Ketts milky gaze as Liam shot the Kett running into the room in the head. Liz pointed her pistol back at the facilities leader, shooting it dead center in the chest again. Die you piece of shit. Slapping it in the head disgustedly as she stood up. Slipping her pistol back into its holster at her side, she walked towards the Moshae that lay on the ground. Jaal kneeled next to the Moshae just as Liz reached her and knelt down next to her, holstering her sidearm.

“I gotcha. We’re getting you out of here,” she said, slipping her arm just beneath the Moshae’s.

“No one has ever returned from behind Kett walls.”

Liz glided her arm around the Moshae’s back and helped her stand.

“I don’t know the rules yet, anyway, this place is on alert. We have to get out of here, now.”

“I’m not the only one here. They took the entire cell.”

Jaal used his Omni-tool and scanned the Moshae, looking at Liz worriedly.

“Vitals are bad, her immune system has been decimated.”

The Kett in the red armor groaned as it slowly sat up and rolled to its knees to stand, and Liz pulled in a blur and pointed her pistol at it. Stars! This fucker just won’t die!

“You will not take it. It is meant for the Archon, himself.”

The leader held out its right arm and Liz could see the beginning of another barrier forming and gritted her teeth preparing for the fight. Liam and Cora pointed their weapons at its head just as Jaal slipped his arm around the Moshae, taking her weight from Liz’s shoulders, placing his body between the Kett and the Moshae.

“She’s coming with us,” Liz replied confidently stepping in front of Jaal and the Moshae.

“Wait,” the Moshae said quickly, placing her hand on Liz’s arm. “I want to know why the Archon-”

Liz wanted to argue that there just wasn’t time for this when the leader answered.

“Arrogant simpletons. This is a gift he offers you. Who are you to deny it?”

Liz moved away from the Moshae now that Jaal had her, towards the Kett leader angrily.

“You turn them into monsters that fight their own people.”

“These chosen, join with us to become great, beyond your ability to understand. Like them, I was once wretched, and the exalted DNA of our great Archon entwines with mine. I stand on the shoulders of his greatness as they do. As one day you will.”

Liz grabbed the Kett leader by the throat angrily and lifted it off its feet. Her biotics pulsed, burning along her nerves in exhaustion as she squeezed it’s throat tighter.

“Except, I am going to fuck-your-shit-up. How’s that for great you damn cockroach?” she spat angrily looking up at it.

“Liz, I am tracking multiple inbound Kett cruisers to your location.”

“You will all be exalted,” it whispered gravely again through her tight grip, and Liz threw the leader away from her to land on the floor hard.

“Sam is there an off switch to this horror palace?”

“I have accessed the EM field, I can overload it at your command.”

Jaal spoke quickly.

“We must get all our people out first, Ryder.”

“There’s no time to open hundreds of pods let alone help all the Angaran out of here,” Cora replied.

Jaal glared at Cora while the Kett commander held up its hand as it coughed, and Liz looked at it with disgust.

“Wait… please. Leave my sacred temple intact and I will open the pods of the Chosen. Take them-just, leave this holy place standing.”

Moshae Sjefa shook her head and tried to step away from Jaal.

“No, even if I die here, this place must be destroyed.”

Jaal pulled her back to him and held her up when her legs tried to give out, shaking his head angrily.

“You must trust Ryder, Moshae. Let’s free those here now,” Jaal replied quickly.

The Moshae’s face showed anger and she shook her head again.

“They will only fill this place again with more of our brothers and sisters, maybe next time some of hers too.”

Jaal held his ground and continued the argument.

“With respect, our compatriots are also here. Our fighters, our scientists, our strength.”

Liz looked at the Kett and nodded her agreement.

“Release them.”

The Kett spoke into a coms link on its arm quickly.

“Release the Chosen.”

The leader dropped its arm and stared at her out of a milky white gaze.

“Thank you,” it said, and Liz raised her pistol.

“You’re welcome,” she snarled pulling the trigger and shooting it in the middle of its head. Fucking stay down this time!

“She deserved a much worse fate than that,” the Moshae said, glancing at the body.

Liz nodded and glanced at Jaal.

“Come on, Kett inbound, we got to get her out of here.”

Jaal held the Moshae and helped her walk while Cora, Liam, and Liz led the way. Liz spoke into her coms quickly.

“Draak, what’s your ETA on that crater?”

The Moshae looked at Jaal in confusion.

“The what?”

Jaal smiled at her just glad to have found her alive.

“I told you to trust Ryder. The plan was to never leave this place standing, Moshae.”

The Moshae gave him a surprised look before assessing this, Ryder.

“Three minutes kid, and thanks for opening the rest of the doors. Peebee was getting annoyed.”

Liz smiled as they left the room out the bay doors to the landing platform. Her smile quickly faded with all the Kett waiting for them.

“Shit,” she muttered.

Turning towards Jaal and the Moshae, she placed a barrier over them as she spoke.

“The shuttle is inbound. I will kill everything in your way, you get her to the shuttle and do not stop for anything until you reach it, you got it?”

Jaal felt his heart tighten with her words and stood frozen, unable to move, to answer… to leave her.

“Understood?” she questioned pulling her rifle not unaware of his reaction as she quickly looked at Cora, ignoring Jaal.

“Go with them, I will cover you.”

“But what about…” Cora began.

Liz cut her off. “That’s an order.”

Cora nodded and grabbed Jaal’s frozen arm.

“Let’s go.”

Jaal picked up the Moshae and carried her while Cora kept a barrier in place. With one hand up, holding the barrier, she shot those hiding behind crates with her pistol. He watched Kett after Kett fall while they moved quickly towards the Angaran shuttle knowing it was Liz’s bullets hitting them.

Liz had seen his torn look and swallowed past the lump in her throat. When your backs against a wall, use it to move forward. Once she saw that Cora, Jaal, and the Moshae were in the shuttle, she slipped her rifle into the magnetic holster on her back and pulled her Omni-blade and pistol.

“Come on Liam, we got a shuttle to catch,” she said, throwing an energy field around them.

Everything was going well until they hit the platform, her energy field weakened with the overuse of her biotics, and Liz felt the burn of bullets hit her shoulder and right thigh, stopping her.

“Oh no you don’t, Ryder,” Liam growled catching her as she stumbled forward, and half dragged her the rest of the way to the shuttle.

Liz groaned with the movement and gritted her teeth as Liam bodily threw her into the shuttle before jumping in behind her and turned with suppressing fire at the Kett shooting at the shuttle. Cora pulled Liz completely into the ship and yelled at the pilot over her shoulder.

“Get us out of here.”

The Angaran pilot only nodded sharply as he took off quickly.

Liz growled into her coms.

“Now Draak.”

She gazed out the open shuttle door as the Kett facility exploded in a glorious fashion and smiled, letting her head hit the floor of the shuttle tiredly. Did it.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she groaned as Cora started pulling her armor off and found the wounds and burned flesh, from biotic overload.

“For all the foolish, heroic shit to pull, that one takes the fucking cake, Ryder.”

Liz laughed and then groaned as Cora ripped open her undershirt and slapped medigel onto the wound at her shoulder to stop the bleeding before going for the one on her thigh.

“It worked,” is all she said, closing her eyes.

Jaal watched Elizabeth as she lay on the floor of the shuttle, her dark red blood pooling on the metal floor beneath her and felt the Moshae take his hand. Her bioelectric wave sent him understanding and reassurance and he squeezed her hand tightly. He noticed Cora inject Elizabeth with something that put her to sleep and couldn’t restrain himself any longer from speaking and sat forward.

“What is that you are giving her?”

Cora glanced at him over her shoulder.

“It’s a sedative Jaal, so her biotics don’t overload with her pain and blow us all up. She will be fine as soon as we can get her to Lexi.”

Jaal leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He didn’t think he would ever be fine again or forget the sight of her being shot trying to save him and the Moshae. He saw the burns that were on her chest and leg that Cora exposed with her medical ministrations and was afraid to ask where they had come from or if they would cover her entire body.

The Moshae silently watched Jaal and had felt the instant surge in his bioelectric field when this Ryder had been shot. Emotion flowed from him in anguishing rivers as he barely restrained himself from leaving the shuttle to get to her. Even now, his painful emotions flowed from him in uncontrolled waves as he leaned back with his eyes closed, and a tight slant to his lips.

Her eyes studied the alien lying on the floor sleeping and felt a curiosity at what type of woman she was that would incite such loyalty and emotion from Jaal. She knew her former student, he was not a trusting one. When she had sided with Jaal in the Kett facility, she had thought the alien foolish and naïve. Only to find out that she had planned to destroy the facility from the beginning, but only after the Angaran people were freed. Listening to the alien’s conversation, it was obvious that she had sent some of her own people to help with their release and felt a pleasant surprise.

Cora checked Ryder’s pupils and pulse as the shuttle flew through Voelds air. She let a small breath of relief escape when she saw the Resistance Headquarters where the Tempest would be parked.

“We’re here,” the pilot said over the coms.

Liam glanced at Cora before taking Ryder’s hand.

“I’ll carry her to the Tempest.”

Cora nodded her agreement and tapped into her Omni tool on her wrist.

“Good, I will prepare Lexi for two patients instead of one.”

Cora spoke quickly into the coms as the shuttle landed and grabbed Liz’s gear before she leaped from the ship, heading quickly towards the Tempest. Liam pulled Ryder into his arms and jumped out of the ship, hurrying after her. Jaal gritted his teeth with a sudden feeling of jealousy growing in the pit of his stomach as he picked up the Moshae and carried her towards the Tempest after him.

Chapter Text

Liz woke up in the med bay and groaned when she tried to move.

“Son-of-a…”

Lexi cleared her throat and Liz glanced at her quickly to her left.

“We are heading to Aya and should be there in forty-eight hours. You are to do nothing but relax for that duration. I will evaluate you after and see if you are able to resume your duties, which I highly doubt.”

Liz gave her a cheeky smile and slowly sat up. Stars! Everything fucking hurts, she thought softly groaning with the movement.

“Ah, well little did you know that after that, we are going to the Nexus for three days shore leave, so ha.”

Lexi shook her head but smiled at Ryder’s childishness even as she noticed the way she flinched with her movements.

“Your stubbornness and lack of self-care are going to cause my skin to grey, Ryder.”

Liz chuckled and heard a throat clear from beside her. Glancing to her right she saw the Moshae, sitting up in her bed with her hands folded in her lap, watching the interaction curiously. Smiling, she was glad to see she was feeling well.

“Moshae Sjefa, I am glad to see you looking so well. Jaal will be happy to see you.”

The Moshae gave her a gentle smile and looked at Lexi.

“Your doctor was quite prepared for my visit, including her alteration of this bed to enhance my recovery by using my bioelectric rhythm.”

Liz slipped her legs over the edge of the bed, so she could face her and felt Lexi’s restraining hand and glanced back at her.

“Not without a crutch.”

Liz sighed but nodded her head and kept her seat noticing the Moshae’s smile.

“I am glad. I know Lexi was probably excited with the sharing of knowledge between her and the Angaran. There is so much that we could learn from each other scientifically if not culturally.”

The Moshae nodded her head in agreement then tilted it just slightly, gazing at her curiously.

“You risked your life me, for my people. May I ask why?”

Liz stilled and felt a small blush heat her cheeks and chose to answer as close to honestly as she would dare admit aloud.

“Because Jaal has become a good friend, part of our crazy family. What happens to him, to his family, happens to all of us.”

Moshae Sjefa held her gaze and a slow, knowing smile grew on her lovely features.

“You care for him then.”

Liz’s face grew hotter but nodded in agreement.

“I suppose we do,” she replied.

The doors swooshed open and Liz turned to see the reason for her sudden embarrassment stride confidently through the door and rubbed her neck. For fuck's sake, I can’t catch a damn break.

“Jaal, your friend has finally woken,” the Moshae said with a pleased smile on her face.

Liz felt her face redden even more as Jaal cleared his throat and stared at her steadily.

“I am well aware Moshae. SAM informed me,” he replied.

Liz’s eyes flashed open and stared at him in surprise.

“What the hell, SAM?”

“It was clear that Jaal was distraught with your becoming wounded and would appreciate notification as soon as you were awake to ease his discomfort.”

“Since you're here, Jaal, would you help Ryder back to her quarters? I know she will lose the crutch as soon as she leaves this room,” Lexi requested.

Liz glanced at her over her shoulder with surprise.

“There’s no need for all that, Lexi. I promise I will use the crutch. Jaal doesn’t have to…”

“Of course,” Jaal replied interrupting her. Stepping forward taking the crutch Lexi held out to him, he looked at Elizabeth, recognizing her pink cheeks were of embarrassment with kind of pleasure. “Ryder,” he said calmly, and Liz’s body heated with the sound of his deep voice.

Clearing her throat, she took his offered arm and stood unsteadily. His arm wrapped around her waist and Liz was sure she would die with the feeling of his strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her into his side almost protectively. She stared at the floor for a moment and gathered her composure.

“Thank you, Jaal,” she said, and mentally groaned with how thick her voice sounded.

Stars! I sound like a love-starved fool. Pull your shit together, Liz!

Jaal glanced at the Moshae about to tell her that he would return, and she yawned, waving him away.

“Don’t worry about me, Jaal. I am still quite tired and well cared for.”

“No overexertion, Ryder,” Lexi warned.

Liz nodded and waved a hand at her as Jaal helped her leave.

As soon as the doors closed, Lexi looked at the Moshae and saw a small grin on her features and started chuckling.

“Someone is playing matchmaker.”

The Moshae pulled the book on human physiology from the side table and smiled.

“And why shouldn’t I. Our physiology is compatible, and I have never seen him so… happy.”

Lexi watched the Moshae open the book on human anatomy and turned back to her monitors with a small grin.

Liz focused on ignoring the way Jaal’s warm body felt pressed against her side as he helped her from the med bay. As soon as the doors closed behind them, she reached for the crutch he carried in his other hand.

“Thank you, Jaal. I can make my way on my own.”

She felt his arm tighten even as he held the crutch out of her grasp and glanced up at him feeling somewhat surprised.

“I would prefer to aide you myself, Elizabeth.”

His face was close to hers, his blue eyes held her captive and her stomach flipped, leaving her to do nothing but stare at him. She watched him nod before proceeding down the corridor towards her room. SAM opened the doors and Jaal continued helping her inside towards her couch. Liz sat down and watched him place the crutch against the wall furthest from her before turning to look at her again.

“Draak has made dinner. I will gather you a plate.”

Before she could tell him, she wasn’t hungry, he was gone. Slumping into the back of the couch she stared at her ceiling. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Before she could even begin to give herself some sort of a pep talk on the dangers of feeling the way she did, the doors opened, and he walked in carrying a small tray.

“Draak told me to tell you that you must eat everything on this plate.”

Liz snorted and rubbed her face. Of course, he did… overprotective grandpa.

Jaal swallowed passed the nervous ball in his throat as he set the tray down. He went and sat beside her. He looked at her carefully and holding her pale gaze, he noticed a nervousness in her that he had not seen in her before. He reached up and slipped a silken lock of dark hair behind her ear, noting the way her eyes slightly widened and a small blush rushed her cheeks with the gesture just as her biotics flared over his skin giving him courage.

“When you protected the Moshae and myself, I felt undeserving of your willingness to sacrifice yourself.”

Liz took a breath to speak and Jaal pressed a finger over her lips and Liz’s body flared with the sudden sensation as he continued.

“You risked your life for me, for my people. Watching you get shot is not something I will ever forget, Elizabeth, nor will I want to endure again.”

Liz saw the emotion in his eyes and her heart swelled with his willingness to show her such a reaction. Does this mean he…

“I must admit that I find myself thinking about you often,” he admitted.

Liz stared at him and swallowed, unsure if she should allow such hope to bloom. He thinks about me?

“You do?” she squeaked out and cleared her throat.

Jaal nodded and caressed her cheek.

“I do. You are an amazing woman, so strong and beautiful, caring, and…”

Liz closed her eyes and bit at her lower lip anxiously.

“And?”

“And nothing I have ever experienced before. Your soul… it sings to me in a way I am unable to ignore, Elizabeth.”

Liz opened her eyes and saw that he was watching her anxiously. His bioelectric rhythm hummed along her skin and it was a soothing feeling to her nervous emotions.

“Oh Jaal, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Liz was unsure what to do now with his confession and stared at her legs. She had never had a good experience with men and she doubted that him being Angaran would make a difference. She really liked Jaal and past experience screamed at her that she would ruin it. Biting her lower lip, she twisted her fingers together nervously.

Jaal’s heart stuttered in his chest when he saw her bite her lip and he tilted her chin up.

“It is true, Elizabeth.”

Liz held his gaze and a boldness to take what he offered her, filled her, and she reached up, touching his smooth jaw nervously. His skin was as soft as she had imagined it to be.

“I like that you feel that way about me, Jaal because I really like you too.”

Jaal stared at her, his surprise written clearly on his face and Liz smiled at him. Before she could say another word, Jaal’s lips descended and pressed tenderly against hers.

The shock of the gentle touch sent her senses reeling. Liz felt the smooth touch of his lips and slid her arm around his cowl and placed her hand on his neck, pulling him closer. His silken tongue parted her lips and she met him eagerly, gliding against his. Learning his taste, the way his mouth slanted over her own as he possessively captured hers and pressed her back into the couch. The humming caress of his bioelectric field against her biotics sparked fires along her nerves. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she heard a small moan and realized it came from her.

All too soon he pulled away and her eyes slowly opened to look at him.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, touching her face gently. Taking in her partly parted lips, the way her eyes softly held his or the panting breaths that moved her chest in a rapid succession.

Liz felt the small buzzing of nerves in her stomach as she stared into his ocean, blue eyes.

“No one has ever said that to me before,” she replied thickly.

Jaal chuckled and continued to caress her face tenderly, melting her heart.

“I will tell you that every moment you allow me to.”

Liz heard a touch of uncertainty in his voice and cupped his face.

“Jaal, I don’t know how to do this sort of thing… I don’t know what to tell you to reassure you that I want you.”

His eyes held hers and he gave her a gentle smile before turning and kissing the palm of her hand on his left cheek and she felt her heart stumble.

“Elizabeth, you are human, and I am Angaran. I do not expect you to…”

Liz rushed and pressed her lips to his quickly, not letting him finish, and enjoyed the sudden spike in his bioelectricity that caressed her skin. She nipped at his lower lip daringly, eliciting a small groan from him before pulling away to hold his gaze again.

“Don’t Jaal, what race you are doesn’t matter to me. I want… you. I… fuck, I really suck at this sort of thing, I’m sorry,” she said pulling away shaking her head and twisting her fingers together. Stars… could I be an even bigger colossal fuck up right now?

Jaal took her twisted fingers into his hands amazed that this beautiful woman wanted him.

“You want me?”

Liz looked up at him and held his deep blue gaze nervously.

“I do.”

Jaal pressed his forehead against hers and took a calming breath.

“Then I do not know how to express how happy I feel at this moment.”

Liz laughed and wrapping her arms around his neck, nuzzled his cowl close to his shoulder and felt a shuddering breath escape him with the touch. He smelled of exotic flowers and man, it was… intoxicating.

“Then we just figure it out until you do,” she replied.

Jaal wrapped his arms around her tightly unsure of what was to come for them, but he did not care. He would keep Elizabeth for as long as she wanted him.

Chapter Text

As we left the Tempest, there was a huge group of Angaran waiting to greet the Moshae on the platform. Liz saw Evfra standing rigidly next to the Governor and squared her shoulders preparing to meet him. She could almost admit that she was getting used to the cold, distant man, who didn’t trust her or her kind. She knew Jaal would have reported to him after they had returned to the Tempest with the Moshae, but she had never asked him what he would report to his Commander about the rescue. Liz watched the Governor and other delegates raise their hands towards the Moshae and Liz slightly smiled as she saw that the Moshae played to the crowd as she raised her own hand back.

“Stars and sky’s, you are finally home,” the Governor said with her hand up in greeting.

The Moshae returned the gesture as she replied.

“May the stars and sky always lead us home. I had dared not hope I would ever see it again.”

Liz softly snorted as she leaned heavily on her crutch and walked next to Jaal with the others following closely behind her.

“She definitely knows how to play a crowd,” she commented softly.

Jaal softly laughed, happy to have the Moshae back on Aya and glanced down at Liz. He saw the small bead of sweat on her brow that told him she was in a lot of pain. The medication and gels Lexi had applied before they disembarked from the Tempest were not working. Instantly, he wanted to remove the crutch and help her but knew she would slap his help away. This small woman showed more courage and strength than a handful of men and let out a small sigh before he answered her.

“She is the Moshae,” is all he could say in reply as he watched Liz limp her way across the bridge towards the group from the corner of his eye. There was a tightness in her jaw and a stiffness to her movements with each step she took. He was still in awe with her determination to put forth the image of strength for not only her own people but his. His eyes darted towards Draak who walked on her other side and shared a knowing look with the Krogan before turning his gaze forward towards the gathered group.

Evfra recognized that the Pathfinder was indeed hurt badly as Jaal had reported. He had believed that Jaal had exaggerated the wounds to the Pathfinder but seeing her now, he could see that he had not. The small human was flanked by her people who followed her closely, their protective posture clear. He had seen the vid of her first arrival to Aya after Jaal had informed him of what had happened. He knew that the Kett had ingrained the instant distrust of aliens in his people, but he could not allow the Angaran to go unpunished for his behavior and chose to send the one that had hurt her to work on one of the farms. One thing that did surprise him was that her people lacked their sidearms. After what had occurred the last time she had come, he would not have been surprised to see them armed. It would be her doing, he instantly thought. The small human was cunning in her diplomacy with his people and he would be a fool to not recognize that.

He stepped forward and embraced the Moshae briefly before stepping back.

“I am glad you have returned to us, Moshae.”

The Moshae glanced at him and then gestured back towards the Pathfinder and her crew.

“If it were not for the combined effort of the Pathfinder’s team and that of our Resistance, I would not be here.”

Evfra nodded his agreement just as the Pathfinder stopped behind the Moshae and he saw the tightness around her jaw and eyes as the small drops of sweat dotting her brow dampened her hairline. The tell-tell signs that the human was in agonizing pain, but by all outward appearances the Pathfinder looked calm. He respected her determination to show strength and see her mission through to the Angaran.

“We thank you, Pathfinder, for returning our Moshae. Please stay with us this evening and let us celebrate her return together.”

Evfra held the steady pale gaze of the small human and found it unnerving to hold the cool gaze before she spoke.

“It was our privilege to help with her rescue, Commander, and we thank you for the opportunity to work with the Resistance. We would be truly honored to join you in your celebration.”

Evfra nodded, appreciating her commanding tone and followed the Moshae and the Governor as they left the platform trying to ignore the pained look of the human.

Jaal barely touched Elizabeth’s arm, drawing her attention.

“Stay with me,” he whispered hoping she would not disagree.

Liz smiled and nodded her head in agreement, curious about where he stayed here.

“Okay,” she replied and saw his large smile before he turned and led her towards his apartment.

Liz stopped and turned to everyone smiling.

“Mingle on your best behavior and I will see you guys at this dinner.”

Liz moved slowly with her crutch, internally groaning with the pain in her leg and skin as she took each step. Even though Lexi had smoothed the burns with cream and then wrapped them, she still felt like her skin was on fire. Rounding a corner with Jaal, she stopped and took a panted breath to collect herself for a moment before moving on. His ocean colored eyes were watching her worriedly and she swallowed the pain. Giving him a shaky smile, she nodded for him to continue.

“Lead the way.”

Jaal shook his head at her obstinance and quickly swept her up into his arms unable to control his need to help her any longer.

“It is not much further,” he said.

“Jaal,” she said in a hushed whisper.

“Enough,” he replied, looking directly into her pale gaze. “I cannot allow this pain for you to continue when I can give you a moment of relief.”

Liz felt her face flame with embarrassment as Jaal carried her. She had never had a guy just pick her up like this, but then again she had never allowed a guy to see her weakened like this before and buried her face into the folds of his cowl, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Jaal took all the darkened back ways to his small apartment so no one would see that he carried Elizabeth. He felt her body stiffen at first as he carried her swiftly towards his apartment and then slowly relax against him, wrapping both of her strong arms around his neck and pressing her face into his cowl.

The door to his apartment opened as he stepped in front of the sensors and walked in, placing her on his small couch.

Liz gazed around the small room and laid her crutch on the floor while Jaal moved to lock his door and get her a drink. She looked around at the bare walls and small room. She saw a medium sized bed in a corner and a door that probably led to a bathroom. Turning, she watched Jaal open a small refrigerator and pull out a bottle of water and turned around to stare at the white wall.

Okay… you’re in his apartment. So, what now?

Jaal saw the way she fidgeted with her fingers and smiled at her nervousness. He himself was unsure why he had suddenly asked her to stay with him. If he was honest with himself, his main motivation was that he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. He wanted to spend time with her, hold her, enjoy this cherished feeling she made him feel.

“Do Angara not decorate their homes?” she asked curiously.

Jaal laughed and handed her the water before sitting next to her.

“Yes, we do. These apartments and homes on Aya are only temporary. We rotate every year with each other, so some of us do not see the need to decorate when we will only be leaving again.”

Liz looked at him in surprise and leaned back against the soft couch.

“Where were you before you came to Aya then?”

“I was on Voeld, but I go where Evfra sends me. I would prefer to stay on Havarl with my family, but my duties to the Resistance do not allow me many visits.”

The Resistance sounds an awful lot like the N7 division.

“Do you have a large family?”

Liz heard Jaal’s snort before a deep rumble of laughter filled the small apartment.

“Perhaps I should make snacks and bring you a pillow so that you can get comfortable before I tell you about my family, this will take time.”

She was smiling, completely mesmerized by the mischievous glimmer in his eyes and the smirk that adorned his beautiful lips. It was not very often that she got the opportunity to witness him relaxed in such a manner.

“I have one true mother, Sahuna, and more than five additional mothers and many, many, many, many siblings and cousins all raised together. Our families constantly change and evolve. Relationships come, and they go. My father is gone, taken or killed by the Kett. We never found his body.”

Liz grasped his hand at hearing about his father. Jaal did not hide his emotions and the sadness with the loss of him was displayed in his expression. The way that he never hid his emotions from her was what had drawn her to him.

“I’m sorry Jaal, I know what that’s like. I lost my father on Habitat 7 when we arrived.”

Jaal squeezed her hand back. It was not often that Elizabeth talked about her family and he felt privileged that she would trust him enough to open up, even this little bit.

“We are both fatherless and still we fight on. Do you come from a large family as well?”

Liz shook her head.

“No, our culture typically has one mother and one father with maybe one or two siblings. I only have my twin brother Ryan left. I wasn’t very close with my father and our mother died on Earth three years before we left.”

Liz’s biotics flared with her emotional upheaval as she thought about her last moments with her mother. She and Ryan had barely gotten to her bedside before she’d died because of her father. Jaal tilted his head, studying her for a moment. Watching the changes in her expression that conveyed her anger and pain before he spoke.

“You do not like talking about your family.”

Liz snorted and took a drink of her water before answering him.

“That obvious huh?”

“Yes, and because it causes you discomfort, I will cease this line of questioning.”

Liz felt relieved that he wouldn’t ask her to explain her relationship with her father when she could barely understand it herself.

“Did you always want to be a fighter, Jaal? Did you study anything particular in school?”

Jaal took to the change in subject easily and leaned back against the couch still holding her hand. There was something very comforting in the simple contact with her.

“No, I never wanted to become a fighter in the Resistance. The Kett allowed for little choice to choose anything different. Our education is chaotic because the Kett brought chaos to our people, so I am not really anything..." Jaal sighed and then looked at with a small shrug. "But that is an excuse. The truth is, I don’t know what I want yet for my life at my age. I hoped that joining you on the Tempest would inspire me.”

“And has it? Inspired you?”

Jaal’s gaze was warm as she felt his hand slightly tighten around hers.

“Yes, it has.”

Liz blushed with his warm gaze and nodded her head in understanding. She could only imagine the chaos that the Kett brought their peaceful people. Once the Kett had established themselves, the Angaran had no other choice but to adapt and fight against the Kett.

“I never really had a choice in what I would grow up to be either,” she offered with a heavy sigh. “My father was an N7 operative and my mother a scientist. Our training started at a very young age and when I developed biotics… well, let's just say that my ideas of becoming a scientist like my mother were dashed and I was immediately enrolled in an accelerated program under the N7 division.”

Liz closed her eyes remembering the day she went to the doctor to get her implant. She had been so young and frightened. She had been confused that her brother couldn’t go with her and her mother had held her hand during the procedure, talking to her the whole time.

Mamma, where’s daddy?
He’s on a mission, honey. He will be home tonight to see you.
Okay… I can’t wait to tell him about my new implant. Do you think he will like it?
Of course honey, he will love it as he loves you.

Well, that had been a huge lie. He hadn’t liked it at all and it was the first time she had heard her parents arguing about her that night when they thought she was asleep. From that moment, her father had never looked at her the same again. He had increased her training and never showed her a scrap of love or recognition from that moment forward.

“Ryder, you there?”

Liam’s voice jolted her from the memory and she hit the coms link on her Omni tool.

“Go, Liam,” she replied.

“They are about to kick this party off, are you coming?”

Liz sighed and reached into her pocket to pull out the pain medication Lexi had given her before leaving the Tempest.

“On my way.”

Jaal watched her take the pills and drink the rest of her water before setting the glass down and looking at him.

“I guess we shouldn’t be late.”

There was an anxious sound to her voice and he brought the hand he held to his lips, pressing soft kisses to her still healing knuckles.

“Does it bother you that they will want to honor you for rescuing the Moshae and my people?”

Liz held his blue gaze and shrugged.

“I’m not much for large crowds but I can suck it up for one night.”

Jaal leaned forward and kissed her gently before pressing his head against hers.

“You will not be alone, Elizabeth, I promise.”

She smiled at him and caressed his cheek before pressing another brief kiss to his lips.

“Thank you.”

Jaal stood and helped her up from the couch, watching her small grimace as she slipped the crutch under her arm. He did not like seeing her push herself like this when she was still in so much pain. Wishing she would allow him to help her, he opened his door and waited for her as she walked slowly through.

Liz stayed quiet throughout the dinner as others stood and toasted the Moshae. Each toast, she lifted her glass and pretended to take a sip of her drink. Jaal sat next to her and she felt his hand on her knee squeeze in reassurance when those from the Resistance stood and spoke of her heroics in the rescue of the Moshae in the Kett facility.

Evfra glanced at Jaal when the last toast was done and took a small drink.

“Jaal, you will report to me tomorrow at 0800, I will have a new assignment ready for you.”

Jaal stared at him, hiding his displeasure before he just nodded his head while Liz stared at him and then Jaal. No, wait! Is that it? Does he want to leave? Is that why he wanted me to stay with him… because he was leaving? Clearing her throat, she finally took a large swallow of the Angaran wine she had pretended to drink and felt the burning rush down her throat. This is so not going to help.

“Wait, what? You want Jaal to return to Aya now? He has become an essential part of our team,” she said suddenly, ignoring Jaal’s look of surprise.

Evfra stared at her coolly and folded his arms, leaning back in his chair.

“Of course, he has, but his job with you and your people is finished. I have other places that require his attention.”

Knowing it was a bad idea, Liz gulped down another swallow of the Angaran drink and set the glass down heavily, holding Evfra’s gaze defiantly, ignoring the soft fuzzy feeling that was blanketing her brain.

“Oh please, I call bullshit Evfra,” she replied, hiding a small hiccup before plowing ahead. “You don’t have shit for him to do, you just want him under your control again.”

Evfra’s face expressed anger. Slamming his hand on the table startling those around them, Liz didn’t flinch with the loud slam.

“You do not know…”

Liz threw her hand up and barked with a loud burst of laughter, interrupting Evfra.

“Your Moshae is safe, so is Jaal. Leave him where he will learn something. It’s not like he won’t report to you everything we are doing and you would be a fool to ignore that type of intelligence,” she replied.

Liz held Evfra’s angry, blue gaze. Her appearance of nonchalance obviously annoyed the Angaran Commander.

“You have no right…”

The stubborn son of a bitch!   Liz snorted and slammed her own hand down, surprising those assembled at the table before standing unsteadily. Jaal slipped his hand beneath her wobbling legs and realized that Liz was not drunk but angry.

“No, I don’t, you’re right Evfra. But I will tell you this,” she said calmly, her jaw tight with pain at standing unassisted and felt the alcohol burn from her system as her biotics flared with her emotional turmoil at the thought of Jaal leaving. “He will learn everything about our kind and those that chose to travel with us, giving you the information, your people need. Bringing him back to Aya will only blind you and your people. Jaal is obviously in no danger with us,” she said with a quick glance at the others who nodded in agreement before looking at Evfra again. “You’ve proven you can function without him, so just slow your row and let him learn as much as he can for his people. It will benefit the Angaran as much as it will the many species that traveled with us here.”

Draak snorted and held his glass up before downing it while the others from the Tempest laughed or nodded in agreement.

The Moshae laid her hand on Evfra’s and smiled at Liz calmly before nodding in agreement.

“I believe the Pathfinder is right, Evfra.”

Evfra’s startled gaze held hers for a moment before finally looking away and nodded his agreement. He would be a fool to not accept the information that Jaal could gather for the Resistance.

“Fine, Jaal may stay with you and your… people.”

Liz held her arm out to him wanting to seal the deal before he could renege.

“Thank you, Commander,” she offered, holding his steady blue gaze.

Evfra grasped her arm in the traditional Angaran way and shook his head.

“You are most obstinate,” he muttered grasping her arm tightly.

Liz smiled at him cheekily, returning the strong grasp.

“That obstinance is what got you your Moshae back, Evfra,” she replied quietly.

Evfra held her pale gaze for a moment before nodding and softly laughing to himself. The human's actions had definitely earned her a bit of respect from him, only time would tell if he would grow to trust her.

“We shall talk about this rescue… later,” he offered.

Liz gave him a small smile before releasing his arm.

“I look forward to it.”

Evfra knew she was lying but nodded his head and smiled. Something about the human commanded his attention.

Jaal noticed how unsteady Elizabeth was when she sat back down and refilled her water glass. She smiled at him and patted his leg beneath the table before taking a drink of her water. Evfra saw the shared look between the Pathfinder and Jaal and felt the Moshae lay her hand on his arm again making him look at her.

“It is a good thing,” she said.

Evfra held her steady gaze before diverting his eyes back to the couple and picked up his glass.

“If you say so,” he replied.

The Moshae nodded her head and grabbed a small fruit from a plate in front of her.