"How much further?" Sara complained to the pitiable expressions now staring back at her from Drack and Vetra. They were all reaching the end of their tether, it seemed to Sara that she had won that race. It was dark and it was dirty in the tunnel they had dug and she wanted out.
Peebee glanced at her omni-tool screen and gave a non-committal murmur as POC floated past her and towards the opening to the surface with another load of dislodged rock and assorted geological detritus.
The sound of a bird trilling through the twilight they'd been living in for the past three days was little comfort. The alert system on Sara's omni-tool would go off long before any natural gases would kill the bird, though Peebee had insisted they use this method and Sara had to agree, having already learned the hard way that technology wasn't infallible.
For lack of anything better to do, Sara Ryder had inspected the little creature inside its cage multiple times throughout the lengthy dig. Calling it a 'bird' had been done so with a great amount of creative license. It looked more like a lizard with wings, both scaley and feathered and instead of a little beak it had a tiny mouth of minuscule but razor sharp teeth. The trader they'd purchased it from on Voeld hadn't told them where he got it from and the nagging reminder that this bird was likely the only living creature, other than themselves, on the entire planet became uncomfortable for Sara.
So far as she knew, Meridian only supported life, it didn't seed it. While it was likely there were microorganisms that were involving everyday thanks to that unnatural boost, it would be years before recognisable fauna roamed the planet. Or so the theory went. They still didn't really know enough about Meridian.
Sara shook her head pushing this thought away as well. The dust and dirt from the last three days had infested her hair long before it had occurred to her to cover it up. She was filthy and she was hot and her companions all stunk.
"I need some fresh air," she muttered in the same surly expression she'd had since Peebee had told her Scott had reprioritised their to-do list. She turned on them without another word and headed towards cooler, cleaner air.
She'd climbed out through the entrance of the tunnel and onto the billowing moors beyond. The greenery on the planet surrounding their landing site was very young but already in the three days, since they'd arrived, the shadow from their ship had changed the scenery somewhat. Plants that hadn't thrived in the sunlight were shooting up behind the ship while those on the sunny side continued their slow but consistent growth. It occurred to her that the shade caused by those faster-growing might set off a chain reaction, who knew what they might find if they came back to this exact spot in a years time.
"Who cares," she growled kicking an unoffending plant.
'You are in distress,' SAM's voice sounded via her implant and she almost jumped. This private channel had been opened up to her since arriving in Andromeda but she used it so infrequently it surprised her. Right now it surprised her that SAM seemed to be communicating with her, simply for the sake of talking.
"I'm fine," she grumbled betraying her claim.
'You are lying,' he responded simply.
"Did Scott teach you to speak to him like that?" she accused, "My father wouldn't have,"
'I have only one synthetic voice, but I can download a selection if you would prefer?' SAM responded dryly,
"Smartass," she hissed, though the anger was already leaving her. She knew she would need to get used to SAM if their plan was going to work, and she could already feel the influence of both her father and her twin on the A.I's personality.
'Would you like to talk about it?' it would be difficult had she not known SAM as much as she did, to hear his suggestion in this dry voice, and take it seriously. She did quickly feel that this was at the very least an earnest enquiry of concern.
"I was supposed to be taking point on this mission," she breathed, realising just now that her walk had already taken her a goodly distance from their shuttle and the entrance to Peebee's tunnel. "Not only is Peebee leading, but I also don't even know why - or how this is more important than securing SAM node,"
'Scott has not confided in me either,' SAM responded and she wasn't sure if this was a statement in solidarity, in defence of his lack of help, or if SAM was simply explaining why he could not answer her questions about her brother's motives.
"I've got to start figuring this stuff out for myself though, don't I?" she stopped, spreading her hands across her lower back as she stretched to breathe in the wild air of the moors that most likely covered the entire planet.
'You won't be alone,' SAM responded logically.
Surprisingly, the comfort these words brought her calmed her mind almost at once. A weight seemed to dissolve from her shoulders and fall away with the pleasant lick of the breeze that was picking up about her.
"When your father first integrated with SAM node, his first discovery was that, in fact, it means the opposite,' SAM continued dryly, 'It is unlikely you will be alone again for a very long time,'
"Is that why we're having this chat?" she asked him dryly, borderline sarcastically.
SAM either didn't seem to take the joke, or perhaps didn't even care, 'Yes,' was his simple, and truthful response.
*
"This isn't what I signed up for," Drack grumbled and Vetra glowing visor looked toward his direction.
"I'd have thought you were used to crawling your way through dirt," Vetra teased the ancient Krogan, "I heard Krogan used to bury their eggs back in your day,"
Drack grunted his disapproval of this remark, "Are you sure your father wasn't a Salarian?"
"Hey, if you want to dislike my personality, don't try and blame it on another species," she laughed at him and when he didn't find her comment anymore amusing than the previous, she almost had to stop another wave of laughter from bubbling up.
"Where did she go anyway," he grumbled, he was no less surly than Sarah had been but when she'd stomped out 'for a walk' he became even more surly, "Typical, everyone needs a Krogan when the real work needs to be done and than you squishy's all stuff-off"
Vetra raised an eyebrow at that. Turians had an exoskeleton that was very hard, she didn't really see how she could be lumped into the 'Squishy' category but decided to give it up as a bad job trying to pull this ancient Krogan out of his bad attitude. This hadn't been what she thought they'd be doing when they smuggled themselves of Meridian either, but Peebee seemed to think it was important, so she did what she does, she supported it.
The Turian moved forward to where Peebee was strategically blasting away shelves of volcanic stone creating piles that POC, Drack and herself were supposed to be shovelling out to the surface but the temperature was already beginning to drop, and she knew the day was in its final phase hour before the sun would go down and the newly terraformed planet got very cold at night.
"Are you about ready to call it a day?" she asked the Asari who had had her back to them almost all day.
Peebee looked around at her curiously as if she had forgotten they were even there. Vetra had to stop herself from rolling her eyes when she saw this expression in her eyes.
"Call it a day?" Peebee responded incredulously, "Why would we do that? We almost have it," she held out the holographic display on her omni-tool in proof, it's literally twelve feet that way," she said turning back around again and the drilling tool in her hand beeped its warning beep again before it pulsed again at the rock wall in front of her causing a new pile of dirt to be removed.
"Twelve feet?" Drack roared stomping forward, "Outta my way," if she hadn't been so agile he might have pushed Peebee out of the way but she moved and the Krogan started laying into the rock wall with his fists and larger chunks of rocks rolled away in front of him.
Peebee and Vetra stood back both of them eyeing the roof of the cave cautiously in case the conscientious Krogan brought it down on top of them. Vetra scooped up the cage with the little flying creature inside it as the hook that kept it dangling from the roof shook free and clanged against the rocky floor below.
"You want to take it easy, you're going to bury us," Peebee uttered sounding more annoyed than terrified and in Vetra's hands, the little bird-like animal was squawking and flapping about angrily.
The two kept hopping from foot to foot as rocks and boulders were now being pushed behind the Krogan. Vetra eyed the ceiling cautiously, but all the same, she couldn't argue with results and maybe, just maybe they'd be in the air again by sunset.
"What the hell is this?" Drack barked after several more minutes and this time it was him who had to be agile as Peebee scrambled past him and might have pushed him out of the way. Vetra craned her neck to look around the Krogan whose broad shoulders barely fit in the direct tunnel he'd just pounded.
She could see Peebee standing there with a round metal device in her hands. She was moving it around inspecting each side carefully, a fairly futile task given the diminished light this deep in.
"That's it," she said triumphantly, "This could hold all the answers,"
"Great," Drack turned on the spot and this time he did push past Vetra who promptly dropped the cage which broke open. The little creature squawked its protest as it flew towards the light at the end of the tunnel and out into freedom, "Sounds like a good idea to me," Drack grumbled, "Let's get the hell out of here,"
*
"That's quite an accusation," Ovas responded with a level expression that gave nothing away, "Your supporting evidence?"
"This is not a trial, my friend" the Moshae responded calmly, "the footage forwarded by the Initiative is troubling, the technology used is beyond anything we have previously seen,"
"Except with the Jardaan," Ryder added diplomatically,
"I see," Ovas moved his eyes directly to Ryder, remaining passive. "But if course, we have given that technology to you, Pathfinder,"