Every great moment in our history began with a dream. Each bold leap forward was achieved by those willing to do anything to attain it. We are, all of us, leaving behind families… homes… the very birthplace of our species. Some for discovery, to see the unknown; others for a new start. But today, whatever our reasons, we take the first steps toward a new future for humanity. Today… we begin to make our dream reality.
- Alec Ryder, Human Pathfinder of the Andromeda Initiative
The vast emptiness of space and void can only be matched in its extremity by the tenacity of humanity's drive to overcome it.
The other species had their own respective strengths, of course; turians were soldiers, salarians were scientists, asari were biotics … but humans were pioneers. They were dauntless, unrelenting, and utterly defiant. Where others may see an obstacle, humans saw challenges.
So it wasn't with any great surprise that Vetra Nyx learned of the Hyperion's arrival.
That wasn't to say she wasn't shocked as a whole- the very fact that any of the Arks had been contacted was a monumental moment, one that the survivors of the Nexus hadn't believed they'd see since they'd arrived in the Heleus cluster over a year ago. But as far as which Ark had arrived, she'd have been lying if her bet hadn't been on the Hyperion.
How it got here was another question entirely. Maybe it was that obstinacy most humans possessed that propelled them forward. Maybe it was a miracle. Maybe it was simply dumb luck.
"Move it, move it!" she ordered her underlings, watching them bustle hastily to make preparations for the newcomer's arrival, moving with an energy she hadn't seen in over a year.
Whatever it was, she intended to be a part of it.
26 Hours Earlier, The Hyperion
With shaking hands, Ryder lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and drank deeply.
To his right was a large monitor that kept reciting the promotional video for waking colonists, showcasing visions of paradise and various idylls. He tuned it out, finding the forced cheeriness of the voice narrating the images to contrast too heavily with his current mood.
To make a long story short, he was in no way, shape, or form, a morning person. And he'd just awoken from a six-hundred year long nap.
"Recon-Specialist Ryder?"
He looked up to see a familiar asari approaching him; Lexi T'Perro, one of the many doctors assigned to the Hyperion.
"Let's get you checked out. Look here."
She began waving a small scanner equipped with a green light in front of his face, simultaneously testing his cognitive functions while analyzing him for potential anomalies. He sat there patiently, understanding the need for such procedures but still not quite fond of them all the same.
As the monitor began to speak about golden worlds and their potential, Lexi turned to look at it with a look of distaste similar to the one he'd expressed earlier. "Makes it sound so easy, doesn't it?"
He chuckled lightly. "I don't think we came here for easy."
She sighed worriedly. "Certainly seems that way."
He caught something in her tone, something that put him on edge. "You know something?"
She shrugged nonchalantly, but he could see the tension in her shoulders as she did so. "Word came down. The Pathfinder wants you all mission-ready within the hour. Look this way …"
He grudgingly complied and followed her fingers with his eye movement while continuing to press her for information. His father had asked for them to gear up?
"Why the rush?"
"He didn't say. But something's up," she replied quietly, evidently trying to keep this information from the ears of other patients in the cryo bay.
In turning his gaze, he inadvertently saw another member of the Pathfinder team on a nearby bed; Liam, his name was. He was darker-skinned, a year or two older, and far more idealistic. Ryder hadn't worked with him too often, but he seemed like a decent enough guy. As the other man noticed him watching, he grinned and gave a friendly wave to Ryder which the latter reciprocated.
"Okay, everything checks out," Lexi remarked. "Just one more thing before I send you on your way … let's test your SAM implant. SAM, are you monitoring?"
There was a beat of silence, and her brow arched upward in curiosity. "SAM, are you online-?"
A blue hologram of abstract shape suddenly appeared in the cryo bay's and cut her off midsentence. "Yes, Dr. T'Perro. Good morning, Ryder. Are you feeling well?"
He smirked at the monotonous intonation of SAM's voice. "Might need a few minutes to clear my head- but I'm ready to get to it."
"Readings confirmed. I detect an increased level of adrenaline in your system. The neural implant is functioning properly."
He began to work off some of that pent-up energy my rotating his shoulders in circles. "Yeah, caffeine always did make me a little jumpy."
Lexi seemed satisfied at last. "You're all done. Let's get you on your way."
She extended a hand with which to help him to his feet. He gratefully accepted, and she directed his attention to another stasis pod a few feet away near another bed. "Though you may want to hang around while we revive your sister. It always helps to see a familiar face-"
Without warning, the lights began to flicker. An ominous rumbling noise could be heard throughout the ship, as well as a faint vibration that reverberated in the floor.
"I don't like the sound of that," Ryder muttered, looking around to make sure that it was over.
Unfortunately, his instincts were right. The Hyperion suddenly shook violently as it seemed to hit something, and sent both people and equipment crashing to the floor. Lexi and Ryder were no exception, and found themselves trying to push themselves off the floor. He looked up in shock to see his sister's pod beginning to slide along the floor towards them, quickly gaining speed-
A moment before it would have crushed them, the artificial gravity ceased to function and the pod lifted from the ground. Ryder reached out and grabbed Lexi's head to force her down as he ducked, barely managing to keep the two of them from being decapitated by the rogue pod as it soared by them and impacted against the far wall. Unfortunately, Newton's third law ensured that they bounced off the floor and began to float upwards as well.
"What's happening?" Lexi asked urgently, her voice maintaining that steady calm that doctors used when under pressure.
"Just hang on!" he called back, a little less calm about the situation. He was already disoriented from being awoken from stasis, and the lack of gravity was only complicating matters. He was trying to keep a level head, but it was hard when the very concept of 'level' had been thrown away.
From the loudspeakers in the room, he could hear the Captain and repair technicians trying to get a hold on the situation.
"Engineering, report!"
"Gravity in cryo bay is offline!"
"I'm almost inside- hang on!"
That last voice struck a familiar memory with him- another member of the Pathfinder team. Sure enough, he watched as Cora, second-in-command of the Pathfinder team, floated through the open entrance of the bay and maneuvered to access the control panel on the wall. Though she was several years his senior, she was still on the younger side to be next in line for command- her youthfully styled and blonde-dyed hair was enough indication of that.
However, she'd certainly proven herself to be quite capable- her actions at hand were showing just that. "This is Cora, I'm at the cryo bay! Brace for a reset!"
With a flip of several switches and the press of a button, gravity suddenly returned to the room. Ryder was ready for it, holding his hands out in front of him to catch himself. It seemed that Liam had not been so lucky- he'd been turned on his back, and so came down with a painful yelp without any means to break his fall.
Ryder couldn't worry about that now. He quickly stood up and focused on Cora. "What happened?"
"We're not sure, sensors are scrambled," she replied frustratedly. Her voice became lighter as she smirked at him. "But it's good to see you're up- feels like centuries since we spoke."
Ryder rolled his eyes at the small joke, but couldn't keep himself from reciprocating the smile. "At least your awful sense of humor seems to be intact," he jabbed, eliciting a small chuckle from her.
The moment didn't last. "This is the Pathfinder. Mission teams, continue preparations. Kosta, Harper, Ryders, report to the bridge.
At the mention of their names, Cora and Ryder became professional once more. As a recon-specialist, his mind was practically hard-wired to be tactical at this point-
"Uh, we have a problem over here. It's Sara Ryder."
They both froze at the mention of his sister's name, and turned to look at the stasis pod which had nearly crushed him and Lexi. The asari was already rushing over to get a diagnostic.
"Is she okay?"
"It looks like the impact caused a power surge through some core systems," Lexi answered Cora with a furrowed brow. She looked at the technician who had called out the issue. "Did the seals break?"
"No, physical integrity looks good- there, the power cycle is green."
"No structural damage to the pod … all connections check out."
"It's just bad timing then. An interruption in the respiratory cycle, maybe?"
Ryder had just about enough of everyone discussing his sister as though he wasn't there. Stepping forward, he grabbed Lexi's attention. "Is Sara okay?"
"She's fine," the doctor assured him, though her expression was sympathetic. "Her vitals are strong, but the revival procedure was interrupted."
He nodded, placing his emotions aside to deal with the problem objectively. "What's the prognosis?"
"The revival process could take quite a bit longer than normal. SAM?"
"My connection to Sara's implant was suspended. However, her pulse, respiration, and brain activity are all normal."
Ryder breathed a sigh of relief- less than half an hour awake, and he'd been close to losing a family member. If the rest of the Heleus cluster carried on like this …
"To be on the safe side, we'll need to keep her in a low-level coma for a while," Lexi continued, "then let her body regain consciousness naturally. She'll be fine."
"Glad to hear it," he replied gratefully, and let his mind gradually shift focus to the mission at hand once more. Cora noticed the look, and waved thankfully to the asari. "Thanks Lexi, keep us updated. You ready, Ryder?"
"I'm ready," he confirmed, and walked with her to the exit. He didn't know what had caused such a chaotic incident- maybe it had been a miscalculation in navigation, and they were stranded adrift. Maybe they were under attack from an advanced native race. Maybe it was simply bad luck.
Whatever it was, he intended to be a part of it.
A/N: Been wanting to write something about Mass Effect for a while, needed to get it out of my system. Not sure how often this will update, but I'll be sure to get around to it when I can. Got a number of other projects like GND to take care of.