6.

"No Drack. You can't hurt the human." Ryder pinched the bridged of his nose with one hand while he pressed the button on Kadara's lift that took them down to the lower level with the other. "For the tenth time, we're only going to talk to Reyes."

Drack grumbled. "Then why'd you bring me along?"

Vetra turned to the krogan. "Because you intimidate the shit out of most humans. Including Reyes."

"Huh. So can I at least break a few chairs?"

"Yes, Drack," replied Ryder. "You can break a few chairs."

When Drack walked through a crowd people tended to scatter. It was no different in Tartarus. Drunken patrons scampered left and right to avoid a trampling as he, Ryder, and Vetra crossed the upper bar.

At the door to Reyes's private lounge, Drack paused, rolled his neck. "Should we knock or…"

Ryder kicked the door open. Which sent the Charlatan on the other side scrambling to his feet. "Oh. Hey. Hi there, Pathfinder. How have you been?"

"How have I been?" Ryder clenched his jaw, took a deep breath. "I woke up this morning running cold after draining myself fighting kett yesterday. Drank cold coffee, blech. Had my biotics run haywire… my body beat to a pulp. Had my favourite armour broken in the process. Killed an innocent turian doing your dirty work. And lost two months pay to Umi for destroying her bar, which I broke while hopped up on minigen X3. I still haven't gotten the manifold. And on top of that I broke my ship! Should I go on? Cause that's only today. And it's not finished yet!"

Reyes backed up slowly. To which Ryder followed him step for step until the Charlatan's back hit a wall.

"So you heard about Charybdis Point?" asked Reyes in a meek voice. "Sorry 'bout that. But I swear, I didn't know anything about the minigen! You're not still hopped up on that, are you?"

Ryder leaned in close enough to smell the Charlatan's breath. "Wouldn't you like to know? Either way, you're coming with me." Ryder grabbed the Charlatan by the back of his neck and dragged him out of the room.

Behind him, Ryder heard Drack knock over a chair. "What?" grumbled the krogan. "You said I could."

In the nomad Ryder remained quiet while Reyes sat squished in the back between Drack and Vetra. Ryder didn't want to take any chances. Reyes was a slippery devil. He'd pop in and out of places without you knowing he was ever there. And with the shenanigans he'd pulled today- having Ryder dispose of the refugees so as not to taint his own name- Ryder wanted Reyes as uncomfortable as possible.

Charybdis Point had been a bane in Ryder's side since he'd first laid eyes on the place. Murder. Corruption. Foul play. And all too close to the Initiative's outpost for his liking. It was time something was done about this place.

"So where are we going?" asked Reyes.

"Shut up," snapped Ryder.

Reyes squirmed as he eyed his two bodyguards pressed up against him. "This could be considered kidnapping, you know? The Initiative wouldn't look too kindly on their hero Pathfinder involved in something so low and despicable. It would break their altruistic hearts."

"Low and despicable?" Ryder glared at Reyes through the rear-view mirror. "You had me kill the leader of a refugee camp so you could have the land for yourself! Kandros told me everything so don't talk to me about dirty deeds!"

"Why you want that place anyway?" asked Drack.

"So I can spy on the Initiative," Reyes replied with a shrug. "There is an excellent vantage point from up there."

Vetra chuckled. "At least he's honest."

Reyes huffed. "I never lie."

Ryder's head spun. "You lied to me this morning when you said Crossfire was one of Sloane's cronies!"

"White lie," replied Reyes. "Crossfire is… ahem, was… an exceptional sniper. And a member of the Outcasts. I may have suggested he was starting up the ole gang, but I…"

"You implied nothing!" Vetra's shoulders shook, her mandibles fluttered. "You explicitly stated Crossfire was trying to re-establish the Outcasts."

Reyes shrugged. "Okay, one little lie."

"Can I hurt the human now?" asked Drack.

Ryder pictured Drack's fist pounding the Charlatan's face into a bloody pulp. He smiled, then shook his head. "No Drack."

"But in my defense," quipped Reyes, as he leaned between the two front seats. "Crossfire was still a very bad man. Very bad man. He killed plenty of Initiative members. Not to mention many of my Collective agents when he was with the Outcasts."

Vetra slumped her shoulders. "He does have a valid point. Also, according to Kandros, Crossfire was dealing minigen X3."

"To raise money for the refugees so they could start new lives," added Ryder.

Reyes held up his hands in supplication. "See, you did a good thing today, Ryder. You removed a drug dealer."

Ryder gritted his teeth. "Shut up."

For the rest of the trip everyone remained quiet. When they arrived at Charybdis Point the suns lay low on Kadara's horizon. The pinkish and orange hues from that afternoon were more brilliant then before. Ryder marvelled at the watercolour masterpiece before letting Drack drag Reyes out of the backseat.

"What are we doing here?" asked Reyes. "Ah, you're giving me Charybdis Point? That is so thoughtful of you, Pathfinder."

Ryder circled the nomad, brushing shoulders with Reyes with extra purpose. From a back compartment he removed a crate and carried it back to the others and dropped it on the ground. It was time to end this day with a bang.

Vetra's gaze shifted from the two buildings to Ryder. "So really, why are we here?"

"Everyone seems so interested in this place," said Ryder. "Especially you, Reyes. And it's been nothing but trouble since it started. So I thought you should bare witness to this."

Drack grumbled, flexed his shoulders. "I still don't understand why I'm here."

Reyes looked in the crate. "Wait! No! You're not seriously…"

"Drack," Ryder said, tossing him a grenade from the crate. "Blow this shit up."

Drack smiled. "Heh. Heh. Heh."

~MEA~

The fireworks still burned like Armistice Day in Ryder's mind as he crossed the loading bay of the Tempest. It was one hell of an explosion. Ryder figured no one deserved an outpost that close to an Initiative colony. Furthermore, he knew Reyes wouldn't stop trying to acquire it. Blowing it up solved all problems. And it was fun watching bits of debris falling from the sky like tiny burning meteors. But there was just one thing left to do before he could end this horrible rotten day.

He approached Gil ready to spout words of apology. After all that happened today, he never managed to get Gil his manifold.

Gil turned from his station in engineering at Ryder's approach. "Hey there."

Ryder dropped his head, stared at the grated floor before meeting Gil's gaze. "Sorry, but I never got your manifold. It's been buggin' me all day. But with Reyes, the fever… minigen… I never got around…"

"No worries, mate." Gil patted him on the shoulder. "I picked one up myself when you went to deal with Reyes."

Ryder stared at him. "Oh. So, uh, we're good?"

"Always, Pathfinder."

Ryder left engineering flabbergasted. "Got it myself," he mused into the air. "No worries mate."

Forgoing a shower, which he assumed would run cold, Ryder headed for his cabin where he undressed and climbed into his bed. Every bruise he acquired that day throbbed. His head still hurt and his skin felt warm, but the sheets he crawled between were cool and soft. He fell asleep within moments to the quiet hum of the Tempest's engines.

He woke the next morning stiff yet invigorated. "A new day," he said as he sat behind his computer. "SAM, what have you got for me?"

"There is a lot on your plate, Scott," replied the implant.

Ryder scanned through yesterday's unanswered emails to find many many more had arrived since. He hung his head. "And so it begins again."

End.