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One minute Monet was plowing down one Kett after the other.
The next minute, things got very messy very quickly.
Ryder needed time and cover to hack into the security system of the Kett base, thanks to both Monet and Vetra, the Kett barely even caught sight of Ryder.
It was a single shot from a sniper; that was all it took to throw off the team’s focus.
Monet barely had time to react before the shot tore into her left shoulder. It was powerful enough to knock her back and force her hand to lose its grip on her gun. She clutched her shoulder in searing pain as the bullet found its place among her muscles and ligaments. Monet shouted in pain and both Ryder and Vetra turned their attention on her.
“Monet,” the two exclaimed simultaneously as they watched the N7 grab her gun off the ground.
“Shut up and finish what we started,” Monet shouted back, knowing that if they focused on her, then the three would be overrun with Kett.
After an exhausting battle, the three managed to take out the base and make it back to the Tempest in one piece. Monet tore her armor off as fast as she could, the material irritating her injured shoulder.
Ryder approached Monet, concern evident in the Pathfinder’s voice, “You need to go see Lexi.”
Monet examined her wound, “I’m surprised she didn’t call me into the Med Bay the second I stepped back on the ship.”
As if on cue, Sam’s voice came over the ship’s intercom, “Commander Hackett, Dr. T’Perro would like to see you in the Med Bay.”
“I’m not Commander Hackett anymore, SAM, it’s just Monet now,” she reminded the AI.
“Apologies, Monet, I will update my files,” Sam replied.
Ryder chuckled, watching Monet correct SAM as the N7 walked through the door and down the hall.
Lexi was waiting for Monet with a tired look on her face. Monet walked through the doors of the Med Bay and smiled at the doctor, “Lexi, long time no see!”
Lexi shook her head, “Very funny, Monet, sit down so I can look at that shoulder.”
Monet sat down and let Lexi examine her shoulder, “It’s really not that bad, a good night’s sleep and it’ll be good as new.”
“You’re right,” Lexi applied slight pressure to Monet’s shoulder and the soldier winced, “I’m sure it’s nothing but a bruise.”
Monet glared at the doctor, “That was dirty.”
“And you’re lying to yourself,” Lexi replied without skipping a beat, “your shoulder took a pretty bad hit.”
Monet knew what Lexi was going to say before it left the Asari’s mouth, “You can’t go on missions for at least a week.”
Monet smiled, trying to win the doctor over, “Come on, you’re exaggerating.”
Lexi gave Monet a stern look and started to patch up her shoulder, “I am not.”
“What the hell am I gonna do for a week while everyone else is out dodging bullets,” Monet asked.
Lexi finished with Monet’s shoulder and grabbed her data pad from the desk near them, “Perhaps you could visit Aya, I am sure Evfra would be happy to see you.”
Monet raised her eyebrows, “You’ve got to be kidding, if Evfra finds out that I’m injured enough to be off duty for at least a week, I’ll be surprised if he leaves me alone with Sara or back on the Tempest at all.”
“Well then, you better let our Pathfinder know,” Lexi smirked, “I believe she just had Kallo set us on a course to Aya.”
Monet narrowed her eyes, “The two of you are in on this, aren’t you?”
Lexi’s lack of a response was all Monet needed. The N7 quickly stood up and headed for the door, “Wait until I find Ryder.”
Lexi held back her laughter as Monet stormed off in search of Ryder. Monet and Ryder fought like siblings both off and on the battle field, something Lexi found endearing and a positive influence on Ryder’s emotional wellbeing.
Currently, Ryder’s emotional wellbeing wasn’t on the top of Monet’s list while she stalked through the ship in search of the Pathfinder.
“SAM,” Monet called for the AI.
“How may I assist you, Monet,” SAM replied.
“Where can I find our lovely Pathfinder,” Monet asked.
“Sara is currently down in the training area,” SAM stated.
“Thank you, SAM,” Monet headed for the training area, “Please let our Pathfinder know that our weekly sparring will be moved up to today, effective immediately.”
“I will let Sara know,” SAM replied.
Monet reached the training area not long after her conversation with SAM, as Ryder happened to be headed in the opposite direction. Monet stopped Ryder with a hand on the Pathfinder’s shoulder, “Where’s the fire, kiddo?”
Ryder smiled nervously, she knew Lexi had told Monet about their set destination, “SAM told me you decided to move up our sparring to today and I just thought I should go get changed first.”
“Nonsense, the clothes you have on are fine, I don’t know if you heard, but I’m going to be out of commission for a little bit so I thought we should take advantage of time we have while the Tempest is headed to Aya,” Monet squeezed Ryder’s shoulder just enough to get her point across as she turned the Pathfinder around and walked her into the training area.
“Monet, your shoulder is hurt, you should be resting not sparring with me,” Ryder tried to convince Monet to let her off the hook.
Monet eased her grip on Ryder’s shoulder as they reached their destination, “Don’t worry, kiddo, I’m a righty.”
The hours that followed were the most physically exhausting hours of Ryder’s life. Monet ran Ryder through every training exercise she ever did in the N7 program back home, and Ryder hated every minute.
“Pathfinder, we will be arriving on Aya soon,” SAM came over the ship’s intercoms, Monet and Ryder both stopping to listen.
Ryder panted heavily, trying to catch her breath, “SAM, I have never been so happy to hear your voice before, thank you.”
Monet rolled her shoulders, breathing heavily but no where near the same as Ryder, “Good work, Ryder, hopefully you’ll keep this in mind for the next time you want to schedule me an unexpected shore leave on Aya.”
Ryder sat on the floor, happy to finally be off her feet, “Why is a trip to Aya such a bad thing, I thought you would be happy to see Evfra, the two of you haven’t seen much of each other since Meridian.”
Monet sighed and took a seat next to Ryder, “Not like this.”
Ryder looked at her, confused, “What do you mean?”
Monet looked at the callouses on the insides of her hands from all the years of handling guns, “After Meridian I had planned to call it quits, maybe get a desk job, the Kett were just about finished except for a few bases here and there, you have a solid team even without me, it would have been the perfect time for me to retire.”
“But what does that have to do with Evfra,” Ryder questioned.
Monet looked a Ryder with a small smile on her lips, “Evfra and I talked about it, well, I did most of the talking, I thought he wasn’t listening at first, he can be so indifferent about things sometimes, but he was listening, and he agreed,” she paused a moment, “I told him we were on a trip to the Nexus, not on a mission to eliminate a Kett Base.”
Ryder knew that Evfra had lost loved ones in the war against the Kett but never anything more, he wasn’t exactly the most open book. The Pathfinder rested a reassuring hand on Monet’s thigh, “I think, he would want to know if you got hurt on a mission, especially if it was a mission that you weren’t supposed to be on.”
Monet looked at the Pathfinder, knowing Ryder was right and knowing Evfra was going to find out one way or another, “You know, I hate when you’re right.”
Ryder laughed, “Doesn’t make me any less right,” the pathfinder stood up and held out a hand for Monet, “Now, let’s clean you up so you can go get punished by your Resistance Leader boyfriend.”
Monet took Ryder’s hand and hoisted herself into a standing position, “You make it sound like so much more fun than it’s going to be.”
Ryder winked, “You never know.”
Monet gasped and slapped Ryder’s arm playfully, “Sara Natalie Ryder!”
The two laughed as they made their way to the crew quarters, dried sweat wasn’t exactly Monet’s favorite feeling. A hot shower would give Monet time to mentally prepare before they landed on Aya and she would have to face Evfra.
Aya is still as beautiful as ever when the Tempest finally arrives. The entire city is buzzing with activity, it certainly helps that the Kett aren’t a looming threat anymore and families can finally breath for a moment.
Monet followed Ryder as the Pathfinder weaved through the crowds of Angara. She tapped Ryder’s shoulder as they passed the bar, “You know, I could really use a drink before we get to Resistance Headquarters.”
“Evfra already knows the Tempest is docked, I’m sure he’s expecting you to be at Resistance HQ any minute,” Ryder replied.
“C’mon, Evfra’s protective, not clingy,” Monet whined, “Just one drink.”
“Monet, stop acting like a child and act like a soldier, if you can go toe to toe with an Asari Commando and not blink an eye then you can tell Evfra why you’ll be off duty for a week,” Ryder chastised the N7.
Monet chewed her lip, she hated how right Ryder was. They might not lightyears away from Alliance space, but she was still an N7 through and through; and N7s didn’t drag their feet like children when a situation got a little messy.
As they neared the Resistance Headquarters, Monet let out a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She had been through Hell and back more than once; hopefully this would be easier.
They were greeted by the Moshae when they entered the building, “Pathfinder, I’m glad to see you brought Monet back in one piece, who knows what I would have had to hear from Evfra if she was brought back any different.”
There was a knowing smile on the Moshae’s face as she spoke to them and Monet practically yelled at Ryder, “You told the Moshae?!”
Ryder put her hands up in defense, “It slipped!”
“How does something like that just slip,” Monet exclaimed.
The Moshae rested a hand on Monet’s shoulder, “No matter what state you return in, Evfra will be happy you are here.”
Monet sighed, defeated, “I should’ve stayed in The Milky Way.”
The Moshae and Ryder both chuckled as they watched Monet walk towards Evfra’s office like a child that had just been chastised.
The low murmur of voices could be heard outside Evfra’s office when Monet reached the door, meaning he was probably in a meeting. She raised her hand to knock on the door just as the door opened to an Angara that was more than surprised to see her standing there. She quickly lowered her hand and moved to the side to let the Angara out, murmuring a soft “sorry” as she did so. Monet walked into the room quietly, only the noise of the door closing and her footsteps entering the room alerting Evfra to her presence. Evfra looked up from the data pad on his desk, surprised; he was expecting to see another Angara, not Monet.
Evfra eyed her injured shoulder, it wasn’t obvious, but he wasn’t dense. He could tell she was anxious about something by the way she chewed her lip and averted her gaze.
Monet couldn’t help but fidget when Evfra looked at her and zoned right in on her injured shoulder; she could swear he was psychic. She rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke, “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No, just reading a correspondence from your Pathfinder about one of the few remaining Kett Bases that she has taken care of,” Evfra replied.
Monet walked over to stand beside him and looked at the data pad on his desk, “What did Ryder say, anything interesting?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Evfra replied.
Monet hummed in response, hesitating before she continued, “It was quite the fight.”
She finally turned her gaze away from the data pad and met Evfra’s piercing stare. Monet knew that he had figured it out, and she knew he wouldn’t say anything until she did. He would wait until she told him, Evfra is a patient man. She turned so that she was leaning against his desk and facing a window that looked out onto the city, “I went with her to take out the base, it sounded quick and easy, but I’ve got an injury that begs to differ.”
Evfra stood in front of her, “Are you alright?”
Monet met his gaze, his face had the same indifferent look on it, but his eyes told a different story. She could tell he was worried, “I’m fine, I’ll be off duty for a week, but I’m still kicking.”
Monet tried to lighten the mood by brushing off her injury but Evfra wasn’t about to let her off that easily. He was annoyed that she didn’t tell him, frustration lacing his voice, “How did it happen, and why didn’t you tell me?”
She looked away, “It was a rookie mistake, I saw the sniper too late and he got my shoulder, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you.”
He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him, “You should have told me.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” she replied.
Evfra rested his forehead against hers, neither saying a word as they stood in each other’s presence. The silence was comforting for both, they were just happy to be close to each other. Monet was the first to break the silence, “What am I gonna do for a week off duty?”
Evfra chuckled, pulling Monet closer and resting his chin on her head, “I’m sure we can find a way to pass the time.”
She pushed away enough so that she could look up at him, “What did you have in mind, Tershaav?”
He smirked, “It is only your shoulder that is injured, after all.”
Monet was certain she had died right there and then, “You’re going to be the end of me.”