Kadara: La Tierra Del Amor.

Apologise

Reyes was meant to be celebrating. He was now King of Kadara, the new ruler. The Outcasts either put their weapons down or disappeared. Keema was confident they'd be back, but those who surrendered joined the Collective instead.

The first major change was the protection fees were all scrapped, and no one had to pay to safely live on the port. Keema had done most of the work, Reyes locked himself away in Tartarus and drank his depression away.

He couldn't celebrate, he'd lost the only thing he'd loved. He sent Sara multiple messages, but she didn't reply to any. The Tempest was still on the docks, he saw it each morning in the days following the takeover. But none of the crew had been seen, even SAM ignored Reyes's calls. Though Sara probably forbade him from speaking to him.

"Reyes?" Keema calls from outside the door. Reyes grumbles, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He unlocks the door and downs his whiskey. "Jesus, Vidal. You look like shit," Keema says walking in. Reyes did look like a hot mess. His hair was in all directions, dark stubble had grown through his chin and upper neck. His eyes had dark circles and his eyelids barely stayed open to acknowledge she was standing in front of him.

"Keema," he drunkenly greets. "Want a drink? Or smoke?" he offers her one from the packet he holds out. Keema shakes her head, he shrugs his shoulders and lights the cigarette. He stopped smoking months ago, but it was the only thing that kept him calm. That and whiskey.

"Reyes, your people need you. We need to start sorting Kadara out." Reyes waves a hand in her face.

"I'm not running Kadara, you are," he slurs. Keema puts his hands on her hips, looking more than confused. "I don't need or want the spotlight, I'll still be your beloved Charlatan, but I need you to be the face of the Collective," he explains.

"But, don't you want the people to know who saved them?" Reyes shakes his head.

"I can't save myself as it is," he whimpers. He sits back in his seat, kicking the empty bottles by his feet. Keema looked him over, he needed help.

"Why don't you go see her?" she suggests. Reyes laughs out loud.

"I can't, SAM isn't answering my calls and the crew has locked the ship down," he replies. Reyes tried getting into the ship the same way he did last time on Elaaden, but SAM warned him that it wasn't wise and to leave before he'd alert Drack of all people.

"Dammit, Vidal. You're gonna drink yourself into an early grave," Keema shouts. She pulls the cigarette from his finger, stomping it into the ground and moves the bottles from his reach. "You have to try!"

"I have!" he shouts as he stands up. Keema may be taller than Reyes, but even she knew not to double-cross him. "Enough about her," he mumbles. "What has been done with Kaetus?"

"We captured him just after Sloan was killed. He won't talk, we've tried everything. Much more and he'll just die. He's already tried to kill himself twice." Keema saw Kaetus, the Turian was a walking corpse, starved, beaten and bloodied. "We had to tie his feet and wrists together to stop him from trying again."

"He loved Sloan," Reyes whispers. He understood the feeling. He shakes his body out, looking at Keema with a haunted look. "I'll come down, tell him to expect me soon."

"I don't think-" He cuts her off.

"That'll be all, Keema," he says before sitting back down. Keema sighs at him, nodding and walking out. She had to do something.

---

"Director Tann. I understand we have an objection here. But the Pathfinder is not fit for duty right now," Lexi explains over the vid call. Ryder had completely shut herself off from everyone. Lexi forced medical leave for a week on Ryder and Tann was pissed when he found out.