With Arms Wide Open

Chapter 17

Loyal, determined, assertive. All characteristics Ryder would proudly list for every member of her team. Well, when they weren't too busy using said assertions on each other, causing almost every mission meeting to break out into a screaming match. She always found herself being mentally pulled back an forth while they all argued their point on what was more important. What needed to be handled now, against what could wait until later, but it always ended the same. The pressure would finally cause her to snap, forcing her to pull the Pathfinder card. However, this time around she was hopeful, but like her brother always said, hope was for the naive. And this time, he was right.

"No Peebee! We have wasted enough time galavanting around the cosmos for your stupid RemTech!" Liam shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

"As well as waste time doing other things." Cora said, eyeing Drak and Vetra.

"If we didn't go to Elaaden the future of the Krogan would have been lost." Drak growled.

"And if we didn't go to H-047c, Sid would have been killed." Vetra included.

"Your sister got herself into that mess!" Cora scoffed. "Even you can't deny that."

"You're right." Vetra said, leaning against the table. "But still, it doesn't change the fact that we were needed, in both situations."

Cora sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. "That's beside the point! The point is that we could have found Meridian by now if it weren't for all the side crap we've had to clean up along the way!"

"Agreed." Liam said, standing beside her.

" You're one to talk!" She scoffed. "Your mess was the most idiotic of them all! Honestly, all you had to do was keep your trap shut!"

Liam stepped back, raising his hands in yield. "Hey! I'm on your side!"

Ryder and Jaal entered the room as the uproar began. "HEY!" Ryder bellowed, waiving her hands for their attention. Once every eye in the room was focused on her she asked calmly. "What is everyone's deal?"

"Deal!?" Cora huffed, marching toward her. "We've been putting our main objective on the back burner while you and Sam go play fix it to every other problem in the universe that comes up! We should have defeated the Archon by now, not to mention we still have to find the Salarian ark!"

Ryder sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers when she realized she had forgotten a characteristic. One she saved specifically for her uptight, former Asari commando. Debbie downer. "It's a real shame the blockers don't block PMS." She said under her breath, earning a choir of snickers to break out from all present, but one.

Cora's eye twitched with irritation when she leaned back, crossing her arms with a wicked grin. "Oh I'm sorry Ryder, I didn't quite hear you. I'll need you to say it LOUDER. Or do you only follow that order when Jaal is giving it?"

Ryder's mouth fell to the floor along with everyone else's, her face instantly burning with embarrassment. "I-I...did you...hear?"

"Of course we heard you two, it was a little hard not too." Cora huffed, rolling her eyes.

Ryder scanned over everyone, catching their gazes as they tried to avoid hers. She shrunk back, bumping into Jaal lightly when Gil approached her with a warm smile. "Hey, I for one am happy that you have been able to find moments of peace during this mess. If anyone deserves it, it's you." He said when he leaned in and whispered. "To be honest, it sounds like someone else could use some roughing up of the sheets, yea? It'll probably help loosen the stick up her ass."

"I heard that!" Cora hissed.

"Good. Perhaps you wouldn't mind having Lexi look into it then for you." He said, looking over his shoulder. "Anyway, I believe THIS is the reason we're all here." He finished, handing Ryder the Kett transponder.