The Firefly (Mass Effect Andromeda)

Chapter 58

Kendra was clearly planning her own cult, Olivia thought bitterly, sitting on the bed she'd been given. The room was simple, plain, the bed comfortable. She'd been given several changes of clothing and there was something akin to a bathroom nearby.

Scott was in separate quarters, likely seething. There was little they could do. Kendra firmly had the upper hand with the absurd number of people and supplies she had managed to get Sara to pull through into the Remnant Base. Their allies were sealed away and Sara was not herself.

This would take every ounce of creativity and cunning they possessed. For now, she would have to play the part of reluctant cult member.

Her door slid open, revealing a young woman with heavy scarring down her face and neck. Her dark hair was braided down her back tidily. "Excuse me? You're the Firefly, am I correct?" She smiled sheepishly, the movement pulling the scar tissue, "I'm Amira Sandhu."

"Just Olivia please." Liv winced at the nickname that was becoming ever more like a title. "What do you want?"

"Dr Croasdale asked me to bring you to dinner. She thought you'd be hungry." Olivia's stomach rumbled at the thought of food. Amira smiled broadly.

"I'm fine." Olivia muttered, folding her arms.

"Nonsense." Amira flashed her another smile. "Please?" She added, when Olivia didn't move, or smile back.

"Very well." Olivia snapped, "But this pretence is ridiculous."

"Pretence?" Amira asked, falling into step.

"That all is well." Olivia muttered, looking for Scott as they moved down the hallways. They were armed guards lurking but fewer than she had expected. Their eyes lingered on her as she passed.

Amira led her into the dining hall she had seen earlier. It was full, the tables crammed with people eating dinner. Curious eyes followed her. There was no sign of Scott, or Sara or Kendra as her guide took her to a hatch where two men were piling food on plates.

As she sat, people greeted her. "This is Olivia." Amira announced. "She's the Firefly."

"Oh." A bearded man seemed impressed. "Dr Jim Raleigh. I'm an archaeologist. This place is...remarkable. I heard you're adept at using Remnant technology."

"Yes." Olivia answered shortly. "Where's Scott?"

"The Pathfinder?" A man replied.

"He's eating in his room, I think." Amira told her. "He needed time to calm down." Olivia's mouth trembled. After seeing Sara in such a state, it was no wonder that he was livid. He was likely in a cell somewhere, guarded with guns. So why was she roaming free?

Though she wasn't free, she mused. This was all a ruse. She knew Kendra's game. Let her wander around with these people. All of them were nice, all kind to her, lulling her into a false sense of security. If they surrounded her with this for long enough, perhaps Kendra thought she would come around to her way of thinking.

"I want to see him." She said, a little too loudly. People were looking at her.

"You'll have to talk to Dr Croasdale about that." Amira said quietly. Her eyes were nervous. Don't make a scene, they seemed to beg.

"I'd love for you to come to my lab." Dr Raleigh said into the awkward silence. "There are so many machines and I can't get them to function. Dr Croasdale can't spare Specialist Ryder for our every whim."

"Maybe in the morning." Olivia said cautiously. "I'm tired now."

"I'll take you back to your room." Amira smiled.

"Of course." Olivia muttered. As they left the bustle of the dining hall, she glanced at the other woman. "Why are you here?" Olivia asked. Amira seemed nice, normal even.

"I was caught up in gang wars on Kadara." Amira said quietly. "I did plenty of things I regret. I was just a lackey really. I got injured in an explosion and they all just left me there. Dr Croasdale was the one who patched me up. She helped a lot of us trying to get out, told us to wait. She always promised there'd be a better place, a better rule under her."

"That doesn't sound like her." Olivia said dryly.

"It's true!" Amira's eyes were wide. "She's wonderful. She brought us all here, she saved us. She's protecting us. We just want to be left alone!"

She's delusional, Olivia thought irritably. Kendra certainly knew how to trick people. Amira was so convinced of Kendra's apparent goodness that she ignored the brainwashed Sara, the fact that Olivia and her friends were prisoners, the fact that Kendra was a traitorous madwoman.

"Goodnight." Olivia said, hearing her room lock behind her. She could probably override the locks but it was perhaps safer not to test them.