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Tiny red mountains formed from the sand sifting through Ryder’s fingers as she sat staring out across the aptly named Big Lake in the early morning twilight.
Only a few months ago, the shore was still too irradiated for anyone to sit here safely, suit or no, and here she was in sneakers and a hoodie enjoying the feeling of the cool air blowing in off the water.
SAM had been kind enough to give her a moment alone. Of course, when you have an AGI for a permanent roommate, there’s only so “alone” you can ever be, but SAM was getting better at negotiating boundaries while still monitoring the Pathfinder’s vitals. They still had some kinks to work out, like turning off SAM’s preemptive cardiac alerts when Vetra and Ryder managed to squeeze out some alone time, but otherwise, they were managing.
The sky shifted from warm purples to a pale and brighter green that reminded her a little of Vetra’s eyes. Dawn was coming, and with it the inevitable email from Gil ranting about whatever Kallo had had the audacity to install in the Tempest this week. The two were finally working together, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t friction.
Not like she and Addison were any better. The search for the remaining Arks was in full swing, and Ryder and the Nexus administrator butted heads at every turn. Still, it was a vast improvement over their initial relationship. They were all growing together now, trying to make a home in the new cluster while the looming threat of the kett cast a shadow over every sector they came across. They were gone, but definitely not forgotten.
Ryder let out a long sigh and pulled her knees in under her chin, feeling suddenly very small in the universe. They’d come so far, and not just across galaxies. The Initiative had a home now - several of them, clumsy and small, but surviving. The people had a future, thanks in no small part to what she and her friends had been able to do. And still she felt like she was making it all up as she went along, drifting rudderless from one challenge to the next.
The soft crunch of footsteps behind her drew Ryder out of her momentary funk, and she turned to see the tall, familiar figure of her turian smiling back at her. “Hey, little duck.”
“Hey.” Ryder unfurled, getting to her feet and dusting off the back of her pants. “Gil and Kallo at it again?”
“No, not yet,” Vetra chuckled. “I, uh…I made breakfast. Tried. I tried to make breakfast, anyway. I think I may have mostly gotten it right this time.”
Ryder tried to stifle a laugh, not wanting to hurt the girl’s feelings, least of all when Vetra was clearly trying so hard to master human cuisine. But the sound welled up inside Ryder until she was bursting at the seams, laughing until her side hurt and she needed to lean on Vetra just to stay standing.
To her surprise, when she caught her breath, Ryder found Vetra smiling, looking practically on the verge of tears. Happy tears.
“What…what is it?” Ryder asked.
“Been too long since I heard you laugh, Ryder.” Vetra’s long arms pulled her into a tight hug. “I was starting to miss it.”
Ryder leaned against the turian, holding her tight and feeling all the uncertainty wash away into Big Lake and disappear, at least for now. She pulled back just enough from the embrace to look up into Vetra’s eyes. “Breakfast can wait,” she said. “Walk with me a while?”
Vetra happily agreed, falling into step beside Ryder and looping an arm around her waist. They had only taken a few steps when Ryder paused, looking down and kicking off her shoes. She smiled as she wiggled her toes, feeling the cool red sand between them. Vetra pulled her close, and together the two started off again around Big Lake as the sun slowly rose over Eos and the colonists preparing for another morning in Andromeda.