With Arms Wide Open

Chapter 9

Ryder pushed through the door of Krallas Song, welcoming the cold of the night air against her heated skin. Her ears rang as she stumbled toward the docking bay door, ignoring the muffled whistles from stragglers still shopping the market. What a shit show. She thought, swaying from side to side as she punched the override for the door into her Omni tool, but the longer she stood still the more the world around her started to spin. "Dammit! Why does this door take so damn long?" She growled, kicking it, resting her head against the cold metal when it opened suddenly.

"Oh shit!" She yelped, falling forward. Her arms instinctively flung out before her, catching hold of a crate to keep her from falling. "Pfft! Reyes wasn't kidding." She giggled. "That shit was strrrooong!" Her mind floated in her skull, her vision blurring the world around her into doubles. She paused and propped herself against the crate, straining her eyes to focus on the door across the way, leading to the Tempest. Feeling confident she pushed off, making her way for the door. After a few minor bumps into random cargo crates and tripping only once over a terminal cord she finally made it to the Tempest lift.

She breathed deeply, mentally preparing to board. "Okay Ryder. Your objective. Get to your room, but whatever you do, DON'T get caught by Lexi." She whispered. With a firm nod and misplaced confidence she stepped forward when her toe caught on the lift door, sending her face first into the ramp. "Owww!" She cried, laying limp and unmoving.

"Jesus! Are you alright Ryder?"

She groaned, slowly lifting her head to see a petite white blur with a reddish blob for a head. "S-Suvi? Is that you?"

Suvi rushed to her side, pulling one of her arms around her shoulder and helped her to her feet. "Of course it's me." She said, eyeing her curiously.

Ryder held a hand to her nose, rotating the tip to test for damage before looking to her savior. "Heeey! Soooovi!" She smiled, pulling her in a side hug. "I- -hic- I need your help."

Suvi turned a nose to the putrid scent of alcohol on her breath and scoffed. "Christ Ryder! Are you drunk?"

Her head jerked back with a slight wobble. "Me? Pffft!" Suvi stared back unimpressed when she tilted her head back and laughed. "Alright, alright. I am, but only juuuust a bit." She said, pressing her thumb and forefinger together.

Suvi sighed, shaking her head. "Where is Jaal? How could he let you walk here by yourself like this? In Kadara no less!"

Ryder scoffed and pulled away slightly. "That galactic cinnamon roll? Pfft! He's too busy being all nicey nice with some Angaran horses ass! She has relics." She said, forming quotations with her fingers. "I know what she really meant. She can't fool me!"

"Wait, what?" Suvi asked, trying to piece together what she was talking about. "You know what? Never mind. Let's just get you inside."

They started to make their way up the ramp when Ryder pulled back. "No! Wait!"

"What is it?" Suvi asked concerned.

"We need a distraction. If Dr. Medusa finds me I'm done for." She whispered.

"Doctor what?" Suvi laughed.

"I mean it! She'll screech till my head explodes. Or worse, stick me. And she's not gentle." She shivered.

"Oh come on, she's not that bad. Besides if not now, you know she'll just get you later."

"Later's fine. Just not now. Please my head can't take it." Ryder pleaded with large glassy doe eyes.

Suvi hesitated under her desperate gaze. "I don't know, Ryder. I'm a scientist, not a field agent. Maybe I should grab Gil." She said, starting to loosen her hold.