-2185-Nexus

Scott stared profoundly at the woman across the atrium converted dance hall who was happily conversing with her asari companion and his father Alec. She looked radiant in the slim black dress that fitted her slender body well, showing those perfectly toned legs of hers. "That smile... those lips...damn."

Scott's mind pondered as he idly sips his whiskey. Jien Garson, the wealthy figurehead of the Andromeda Initiative, threw this little shindig for all Initiative personnel and their families as one final hurrah before everyone says "Bye bye Milky Way!" with her dear friend Matriarch Nuara who was looking ever so graceful in her long white gown, co hosting this fiesta. Scott could not keep his eyes off the both of them. This was his last night in this galaxy, the last memory to be shared here in the Milky Way. This needed to be a night to remember, for it was to be an estimated six century nap once they get into cryo. So what could go better than chasing for some action?

He was wearing his best get up, a black on black italian suit that complimented his athletic figure. His hair kept in a nice smooth brush back.

This party was coming along well, everyone in evening wear with strobe lights flashing and club music pulsing from the dj booth as if it was senior prom. The mood was nice and he was looking good by his standards thus confident that his conquest was to be assured. "You know you're like half her age?" spoke his sister Sarah, coming up to him wearing a nice cocktail dress with her in curly ponytail. Knowing her brother she knew whom he was ogling at.

Scott dawn a sly smile, "Her being older than me doesn't matter, fine is fine."

"And Nuara?" snorted Sarah smirking knowing that he was eyeing her too.

"Asari age like wine, the older they get the tastier they are."

Sarah rolled her eyes, laughing in disgust, "God you're ridiculous."

"Hey Garson and Nuara seem to always be in each other's company, you don't think they're more than just friends because if so then that would be...just….amazing"

Sarah couldn't find the words to retort only making more groans of disgust, shaking her head at brother's juvenility not wanting to even imagine what tawdry little image he was drawing up in his head. A server carrying an empty tray walks past them, Scott placed his near empty glass for the server's tray walking in the direction to where Garson was. "I'm going to have a chat."

"You're trekking in uncharted territory Scott." Sarah said. Scott stopped in his walk and turned to his sister smiling, "I'm an ex-marine trained in hostile warfare now turned interplanetary explorer. Conquering unknown territory is what I do."

Cora wasn't into to all this fanfare. In fact, she'd rather be back on the Hyperion finishing any final check-ups before the big launch tomorrow. Steadily holding her cocktail looking out to the sea of stars from the viewing glass her mind tries to compress on what was happening. "Damn this is really going to be it." Different galaxy, new worlds. After all these years of planning and organizing Garson had everything ready to pull this off and it took Cora just now for her mind to gather it all in. She had spent years going through all the training, from establishing protocol, to preliminary briefings all were set for her duty as the second to the human Pathfinder. It was hard, and training was vigorous but she was up for it. But if her old commando unit taught her one thing it was to be ready for anything now matter the stress.

But for tonight... no stress.

As to what Initiative's director wanted when she threw this get-together. It seemed nice for Cora, seeing all these masses of people around, humans, turians, asari, salarians, even krogan. All under one roof having a grand time, getting drunk, dancing, laughing. It would seem rather dumb if Cora didn't enjoy herself this one night. She put on her best attire, a nice dark blue short evening dress. She of course never thought she'd be spending her last night in the Milky Way in a dress but she decided to do something out of mind for once. Of course, her outfit did cause a few gazes from the unwanted eyes along with the occasional pickup lines from every simpleton who thought that since they had a few shots of vodka that they were in sudden liquid courage. Cora was quick to shoot down with a jabbing words not wanting to use her fist to speak for her even though she wanted to.

She of course to see what her pathfinder was up to. Cora had to admit that she was kinda eager to see what Alec Ryder would be like in a casual setting but looking over to find him chatting with director Jein Garson and Nuara even then he seemed uptight it was almost laughable. Walking over she is slightly nudged by the back of a male human, causing some of her drink to spill.

"Ah! Whoa sorry!" he says. But his face quickly turned from alert to attracted when catches a glimpse of her. "Nice dress." he continued, the dude was slightly taller than her, brawny shoulders, dark skin, and thick hair kept into a blow out style. Cora recognized him as crew on the Hyperion however the guy did not yet recognize her. A good time to tease him.

"Thanks Kosta, I'd try to look my best when given the chance." said Cora almost grinning to laugh.

"Yeah well…" Kosta caught his words as his brain finally catches up to whom he was speaking to. "Oh shit lieutenant Harper! I almost didn't...well….I mean you do look great….uh…."

"It's alright Liam, don't run your mouth off your face." Cora said, still laughing.

Despite Cora's approaching stature Liam still couldn't shake off the awkward rubbing the back of his neck "Again, sorry about the bump again I didn't see you."

"It's fine. With all the dimness along with strobe lights and mirror balls lighting up the place I find it hard to almost see myself amidst this crowd."

"Hey let me get you another one." Liam suggested that made Cora raise an eyebrow smirking a little. "Getting me drinks already Kosta? Is that your game, bumping into me like that and all?" she teases.

"What?!" Liam was back feeling the lowly pressure, "No I...I just wanted…"

Cora was laughing at him again "Relax, I was just heading to the bar anyway, this drink's gone stale we can go together."

Alec Ryder tried to look presentable wearing an average tux putting on what his daughter Sarah describe a vorcha undergoing colonoscopy to what Alec retorted was a smile. But all this partying wasn't much his style. However, he was the human pathfinder and putting on an appearance was what Jien wanted from him today so thus he'd obliged. He did all he could to this soiree mingling and stuff, only keeping the company with Garson and Matriarch Nuara a few other directors.

He had just finished telling Garson and the Matriarch a story on how he was once stranded on an asteroid back in his N7 days when he saw his son approach them and turned to greet him. "Ah! Scott!" He clasps his son on the shoulder to pull him in close to introduce him to the two elegant women.

"Jien, Matriarch Nuara, you remember my son Scott?"

Jien eyed the younger Ryder tentatively, he was almost as tall as his father but stopped short an inch over Alec's broad shoulders. She could see where the son favored his father in looks, the brow, nose, and almost the chin was slightly the same but everything else was different. The rest of the features from his mother perhaps? Where Alec had dark black near graying hair, Scott was a dark auburn and as Alec's eyes were brown, Scott's were a wide soft blue. In fact, those blue eyes were staring directly into Jien's black ones and it quite put her off for a moment with his intense stare. As if he was trying to stare directly into her soul. The kid knew how to make serious eye contact she had to award him a point on that one.

Scott extended his hand for a shake, smiling his bright smile as he was glad that his father did the first step for him. "Nice to see you, the both of you," he says in an ever so genuine tone.

"Scott here is the Hyperion's reconnaissance specialist. He's got the perception like a hawk. Perfect for when we get groundside to gather intel on what we need for settling." Alec continued. Scott continued to smile, thankful that his dad was being the perfect wingman in this little endeavor despite his father not knowing.

"As so I've heard, you father told me you were trained in what was it... tactical reconnaissance during your time in the Alliance." said Jien.

"Yes, ma'am. I also have experience training in advance hostile environmental warfare and received a commendation in combat engineering. Skills I can't wait to put to the test in Andromeda."

"No need for the resume Scott, I'm sure you're qualified for the assigned job." laugh Jien happily.

"I've got a whole lot to give Jien, and I'd be happy to show you." Is what he wanted to say but his father was standing next to him. "Just giving you the details ma'am." was what he really said trying to sound the ever so professional. "I'm letting you know that my skills will support our Pathfinder indefinitely as well as the Initiative's."

"Hostile environmental warfare?" Nuara spoke, "Combat engineering? That's something for battle not exploring."

"Well if I may explain myself, madam, I see a battlefield and a new frontier are alike in a way." Scott interjected "They're both unknowns as in you can't expect the exact outcome. When exploring a new world you gotta go at it like charging out of a trench, you gotta have heart and you gotta have guts. That's all the skills we going to truly need once we're in Andromeda."

Jien's full lips curved into a sly smile, "Gotta have heart, Gotta have guts." she said repeating it, "I like that." Her pearly white teeth flashing as she spoke, it made Scott's stomach lowly burn in a sense of desire. That smile and the low tone of her voice had set him off. Scott had to say something, he had to let her know just how he wanted to show his appreciation towards her on allowing him and sister to embark on this great expedition. He wanted to tell her what kind of woman she was to him more or less demonstrate it. He didn't care if his father was standing next to him the man was too blunt to notice anything sensual coming off of his son anyway. All that matter was Jien. "I…" His words slowed for he was still a little distracted by her radiance, "I never got tell you how much I appreciate you having me and my sister to come aboard the Initiative on short notice."

Jien waved a hand with a shrug, "Don't fret over it darling, your father speaks highly of you and you sister. And I wasn't about to drag him off to another galaxy and leave you two behind. It seems only right if you were to come along."

She called him darling that made the desire burned more, he had to engage her more give the woman subtle hints of an attractiveness and see she would pick on. "Yes well, I…"

A sharp slap of hand hit him on the shoulder stopping Scott in his words, his sister comes tugging him while still in her grasp. "Scott there you are!" She piped sounding ever so innocent. "They just brought out a new batch of those shrimp rolls you kept you asking for. Come on and get some before it's too late I overheard a krogan saying he could eat a whole platter in one gulp."

"I'm not hungry." Scott spoke through gritted teeth.

"Sure…." Sarah trailed eyeing him...no….glaring at him giving the look to move his ass as she tries to pull him away. "Come on, you've been whining about them all night." She says jerking him into stumbling steps with enough might to give, she looks to the other adults to give a farewell, "Ms. Garson, Matriarch Nuara. Dad." Before dragging him away.

"The hell Sarah?!" Scott spoke now that they were out an earshot.

"They're together." said Sarah plainly.

"What?"

"Nuara and Garson. They're together, I was speaking to one aides that work for the Matriarch, she told me."

Scott looked over back into the direction where Garson was. "Aw shit."

"You did call it. But I wasn't about to let you make a fool of yourself in front of the director especially with dad standing right next to you. I mean really!? Come on!"

"I thought I was rather smooth," Scott said, straightening the lapel of his suit. Sarah rolled her eyes, "Please. I could see you drooling from here."

"Look around Don Juan there's plenty of other girls to go around." teased Sarah. A leering grin printed her brother's face, "Who was the ginger I saw you talking to earlier?"

"Huh?"

"The one with the accent."

"You mean Suvi? She works with the science team, they're set to be stationed on the Nexus."

Both of Scott's eyebrows raised, his eyes beaming that exciting glow of his, looking to the crowd of people to as if to scan for her. Sarah only shook her head giggling a little. "Don't get your hopes up, you're….not her type."

"Oh please." Scott huffed, "I'm everyone's type."

"NO." his sister boomed trying to sound serious. "You lack something that she's interested in."

"Ummm…." Scott's mind was a on a race trying to figure out what Sarah meant but then it finally clicked. "Oh…" he said, his eyes wide. "Perhaps you have a better chance with her then?"

Sarah only glared at her brother, she swears she could slap that damn evil smile of his off his face. He always could be annoying with his teasing. "Perhaps you're right." Sarah said defiantly, "Better chance than you." she muttered walking away.

Cora found herself back out looking at space again this time isolated from the crowd in a small parlor of the ballroom. She couldn't understand why but the stars kept drawing her away from everything and everyone. She had gather drinks with Kosta earlier and then wound up at a card table with him, a few people stationed to the arks Hyperion and Leusinia, after losing, of course, she grabs a cocktail glass of those delicious shrimp rolls and found herself in this quiet corner of peace and oblivion.

"It's surreal isn't." said a voice.

Cora looked over her shoulder to find that she was joined by one of Alec's kids, Scott as she remembered. "Yeah." sighed Cora looking back out.

"I'm sorry, I hope I wasn't disturbing you." said Scott. Cora shook her head patting the empty cushion of the sofa she was sitting on. "You can sit if you want."

Scott plops his bottom in the chair, a whiff of his cologne coming into Cora's sense of smell. Soft lavender with a thick smoky touch of vanilla. "Hmmm, nice." Cora pondered, "He can clean up pretty well."

It was hard to wrap around that Scott was the son of Alec Ryder. After the years of knowing Alec and the year and a half of getting to know Scott, she could see that both Ryder men were the exact polar opposite.

Alec was gruff and small spoken, a letting his actions speak for himself than his words, kind of guy. While Scott was very open about himself, a person to be first to engage in conversation. She remembered Dr. Lexi T'Perro's medical evaluation of him: "Like a puppy who just learn to walk but chooses to run instead." As she recalled. Their sense of style was different too, while Alec clumsily wore that basic tux of his, Scott was wearing a well fitted swanky Italian suit who was no doubt getting a few side glances.

"Anyone you're leaving behind?" Scott asked.

Cora popped a shrimp roll in her mouth while shaking her head. "No not really." she says with a mouth filled with food. She could say her parents, but she left them behind years ago. "Anything you're leaving behind? Even though your father and sister are coming along."

"My mom…" Scott spoke a low and somber tone. Cora sharply swallowed her food, feeling almost as if she offended. "Pardon?"

"Her grave." Scott continued, "Who's gonna put flowers on it when I'm gone huh?"

Cora felt as if she crossed a line, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean-

"No. You only asked." Scott caught her in between words, sounding a bit more upbeat. "This is going to be it eh?" he says gazing at the stars, an ocean full of bright orbs with a soft mix of gasses of orange and red churning in together. He could a feel a little hurt in his heart. The Milky Way, the place of Earth his homeworld, the seed of his birth.

"Yeah I guess it is." said Cora easing back into the sofa, "Better drink it all in now, cause tomorrow there's no looking back."

"Only forward right?" said Scott.

Cora nods her head, "Right."

Scott smiled his mind trailing back to all this and how he got here. He then ponders off back to the thought of his mother's gravestone. It almost felt like he was leaving her behind. He remembers bringing that topic up with his father shortly after joining the Initiative, "Your mother's with you. Always. You'll be carrying her to Andromeda in your own kind of way." His dad had told him and his sister.

"Yeah." Scott spoke softly to himself. "Always." His eyes popped up to see a server gracefully holding a platter of wine. "Drink it all in huh?" Scott said looking to Cora.

Cora was wondering what the Ryder was trying to say. "I did...so?"

Scott rose from his seat brisked his way to the server, "Who are these drinks for if I may ask?" The server a salarian smile and gleefully answered, "They're edible for asari, salarian and human guests. Levo based. Ms. Garson wants to have a toast."

Scott took two, "That's all I needed to know." he said walking back over to Cora.

Cora saw Scott coming over with the alcohol and laughed. "I cannot drink another drink." she says shaking her head palming her face.

"Come on." Scott begged handing her a glass.

Garson waited until she found everyone holding a glass of wine. "Alright everyone!" she beamed, "I like to say something before we toast!" The hall set their focus on her, Garson had a way of doing that drawing a mass of people to silence a room. She held her glass tentatively and smiled, "Tomorrow we make the greatest sacrifice we have ever...or will ever, make." she began. "The message I left with the Hyperion is similar to the one I'm saying to you now. You are about to embark on a journey unlike anything ever attempted before. And make no mistake…

This is a one-way trip. What all those politicians, naysayer, and threats don't understand is that we are here together, because we believe in something they don't. We put our effort and our faith into something those people can't imagine, can't even begin to understand. In other words, they are wrong."

A few bit of "Hear! Hear!" were heard along with some encouraging clapping and cheers. Garson waited for them to simmer down then continued. "The circumstances that have led to the creation of this magnificent station are vast and varied, that much is true. We all know some of these reasons. None of us can know them all not even me. Yet they are only part of the equation. You and I...are the other part.

Each and every one of us has our own reasons for volunteering to go and those too are legion. Some of us feel a sense of duty. Some of us do indeed fear what the future has in store for the Milky Way. We flee our past, we seek a future. We wish to begin anew. We crave the unexplored wonders that no doubt will reshape all that we know."

The crowd roars with encouraging cheers again, quieting themselves once more for Garson to continue to speak. "All equally valid in my estimation but that's not important here. What is important as we depart, what I want to be sure you all know as you prepare to cross this ocean of time and space, is this…

None of those reasons matter anymore. Not for us. What matters now, for you and me, is what we do when we arrive. Who we become .and how we carry ourselves in Andromeda. We journey in one of the most incredible marvels our species have ever created. Built in a spirit of cooperation that is without precedence in our galactic history we with us, collectively, centuries of culture, millennia of government, beliefs, of languages and art, incredible knowledge and incredible sciences. Hard won things, the result of endless work, unfathomable suffering and, most importantly, the efforts of countless billions of sentient beings over millennia and across dozens of worlds."

Garson treads on, "We carry all these things like the honed tools of an artist to our empty canvas. To Andromeda, We go to paint our masterpiece." she says, people doing a small clap. "So I say to you now what Pathfinder Alec Ryder just said to me. I will see you all on the other side...When the real work can begin." The people laughed and cheered, roared with praise. The speech was phenomenal.

Garson raised her glass as did everyone else, with wine high in the air, Garson smiled her perfect smile and spoke once more "So here's to you, for as another Ryder told me the two things you've gotta have for this venture of ours and I myself see it here in this very room, you all got heart and you all got guts!" The hall raises their glasses then taking a sip to their toast.

Cora did as well taking a small sip, "Not bad." she said savoring the taste. "Here's to not looking back." Scott said wanting that to be their own personal toast. Cora obliged, "Here's to not looking back." She clinked his glass on his.

"Cheers." said Scott sipping down his wine in one gulp.

A/N: HiIII! THX for reading...I'll try to keep this updated regularly as I try to finish up school for the semester (damn finals). So a little note, the speech Garson gave is actually originally from the novel Mass Effect: Nexus Uprising by Jason Hough and K.C Alexander(good read btw), so all credit goes to them. In the book, it was stated that the Initiative did throw down the day before journeying off and Garson did do that little speech. If there are any grammar errors I will look back on them to fix so please be mindful. Criticism is welcome as long as its constructive and please give a review, I like to see how this is going so any input or pointers would be great. THX Again xoxo! :)