The Firefly (Mass Effect Andromeda)

Chapter 19

Olivia had needed a significant amount of rest after reaching Mithrava. The Sages had kindly allowed her to sleep, and her dreams had been fitful, marred by her headache. Lyora wanted to run some tests on her, but she refused. "I'm fine." She insisted, ignoring the knowing looks they all gave each other.

"You're being an idiot." Nina said bluntly, "If your friends won't say it, I will. Mum and Dad would kill me if you end up having an aneurysm."

"I'll be fine." Olivia reiterated, "After we find the heirloom, you can scan me to your heart's content."

They made their way back across the jungle with their Angaran escorts, camping out beneath the stars until they reached a ramp descending into the earth. They took out the Remnant surrounding it. She managed to activate the gravity elevator and they dropped into the ruins. Her stomach plummeted, ponytail flying upwards.

"I'm never going to get used to this." Nunok groaned, looking nauseous as they dropped.

They made their way through the ruins, battling Remnant as they went. Olivia crouched behind a platform, firing off shots from her pistol one after another. She was shaking but the terror that she'd felt fighting the Kett wasn't there. For a time a Nullifier had them pinned down, but they persisted. A blast from the machine knocked Vee flying but her shields protected her.

Finally they stumbled on some Angaran remains, buried shallowly in the ground. Lyora picked through them, finding a gauntlet of some kind. She held it gently, almost reverently. "Well, we found it." She murmured.

Nunok knelt down beside her, examining it, "The inside is studded with contacts. Could've been used for some kind of input."

"Fun." Vee laughed, "Let's go make someone touch it."

"So what's next?" Lyora asked, glancing around, "You can't seriously be suggesting we storm a Roekaar camp?"

"Why not?" Olivia said.

"Do you have a death wish?" Vee rolled her eyes. "Those guys do not mess around. And they're very much, 'shoot first, ask questions later'."

"So these Roekaar are the angarans who hate humans?" Nina asked. She was still struggling to get up to speed with life in Andromeda.

"And Kett and Asari and Turians and Salarians." Vee added, "So anyone who isn't an Angara basically."

"You need to go and rest." Lyora told Olivia. "I'm not taking you anywhere until I've checked you over."

"I'm fine." She grumbled.

"You're limping, you keep touching your side and you've gone really pale." Lyora pointed out. "You are going back to the ship."

It was a long walk back to the ship. She was silently grateful for her friend's insistence. Her leg was starting to wobble beneath her. Nina shook her head, tousling her little sister's red hair. She linked her arm, taking some of her weight as they crossed the uneven ground. "You'll be the death of me one day, Liv." She remarked lightly.

They climbed into the ship provided by Tann. She lay down the bed, Nunok and Ly standing over her, checking her blood pressure, her breathing and then scanning her head. Her leg wound was looked over, and the one to her side. "What's the verdict?" Olivia grinned, "Are you satisfied I'm not dying?"

"You're not dying today." Ly replied. "But you need to rest up before we do anything else."

Vee sat down beside her while the others headed off. "So what's the deal with you and Ryder?"