Dr. Leynomi Aridana was the astrophysics lead for the Andromeda Initiative.
She was proud of her role, and her title. As for why someone as renowned as she was willing to leave her life of accolades behind, well, the opportunity to examine another galaxy first hand was just too much to resist.
Despite the unexpected complications of the Scourge, the kett, and a mutiny, she had been able to perform a remarkable amount of research during her time in the Heleus cluster. On a professional level, she was having the time of her life.
In fact, the majority of the problems she faced were among the most banal. At the moment, she was yearning for her days at university, when she had had a multitude of graduate students at her disposal.
She sighed. It might be centuries before she had the luxury of such assistance again. Today she was the head astrophysicist of a team of six, but five of them were still in cryo. Working without her team was inconvenient, to be sure, but the moratorium on waking perceived non-critical personnel could create issues that as of yet weren't even being considered, let alone addressed. The delays had been unanticipated. What would happen if these postponements stretched even longer? Years? Decades? Families in the shorter lived species might suddenly find themselves separated from their mates by generational gaps. Frightening thoughts for a population that was already on the low side of viable.
For now, she toiled on, uncomplaining. There was enough research her to keep her occupied for the rest of her life, if not far longer. Fortunately, although she didn't have the grad students she had become accustomed to, she instead had the human pathfinder.
Her musings were brought home to the moment, as said pathfinder strolled into the lab, her customary ten minutes early. Aridana didn't allow herself to smile. She imagined that a young(er) Dawn Ryder had probably been the kind of student that any instructor would love to have. Although the young woman only had an undergraduate degree, Aridana could easily imagine her in a maiden's research jumpsuit, trying in vain to keep track of dozens of OSDs while also seeing to the needs of her professor.
Wanderlust and the call of the Alliance had been too much for the young woman. Although she would likely have been excellent at pursuing the career of a researcher herself, she had instead maintained her scientific edge wile working in a support role for more established scientists in Prothean research.
"Dr. Aridana?"
Aridana did allow a small smile this time, as she turned from her console. The human had delayed exactly ten minutes before interrupting, having waited in silence like the respectful maiden that the scientist so often saw in her. "Good morning Pathfinder," Aridana made a point to always be respectful in turn. Both of them benefitted from this arrangement, but Aridana never lost sight of the significance of the woman in front of her. Privately Aridana suspected that the work Miss Ryder performed for her was as much to take refuge from the role of pathfinder as it was for her overt love of research.
"Please, Doctor, I've asked you to call me Dawn, or Ryder. Everyone else does."
Aridana's smile widened at the familiar dance. "It seems to me that most people I hear address you as 'Pathfinder', but I suppose I can make an exception."
"Thank you, Doctor," Dawn murmured in response, making no effort to use the scientist's name in return. "What will you have me working on today?"
"We had an excellent run overnight. We might have improved the celestial model by nearly three percent. There are several hundred possible…" the asari paused as she sniffed. "Is that halspree?"
The human suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't think it would bother you."
Aridana looked closely at the human, trying to ferret out cues, yet afraid that she might find some she wouldn't like. Goddess knew that she as focused as she was, she still missed the obvious on occasion. "It caught my attention. It isn't often that one encounters the smells of home on the Nexus. Especially one so difficult to come by as halspree. Still, this would be the time and place for it, correct? 'Halspree for hope' as the saying goes."
The human's fair skin gradually took on a redder shade, as her apparent discomfort grew. "I only thought that it smelled nice, Doctor. I should have looked up any cultural connotation. That was a stupid miss. I'd never do that on Aya, I don't know why it didn't occur to extend the same courtesy to my own people."
'That was probably a lie,' decided the asari. Interesting, as the human pathfinder had never been anything but almost painfully truthful in their past dealings. Halspree was just too rare, too expensive to have been purchased on a whim. It also had too specific a place in asari folklore. She also noticed the mention of Aridana being "her people". That was one benefit of the Initiative. Asari, human, turian, it didn't matter. They were one people, different races. They were all refugees together in Heleus. Aridana considered. She had seen few habits in the young pathfinder what could be considered a purely human mannerism. However, the young woman had displayed an odd mix of asari and salarian behaviors in her time at the science lab. Aridana had caught Professor Herik looking at the human oddly on more than one occasion. Her willingness to embrace other cultures was likely a significant part of her success as a pathfinder.
The pathfinder was still looking at her expectantly, possibly anticipating being told to leave. Ah, how she loved this young human. If only all of her students had been such a joy to work with. For now, it was best to put her mind at ease.
"No matter," she said while maintaining her smile. "As I started to say, we have an excellent batch of data from last night's run. I'm certain that you're looking forward to reviewing it as much as I am. Between your SAM and the Tempest's sensors, we're collecting data on Heleus faster than I ever hoped."
"SAM's a treasure, to be sure," replied the diminutive pathfinder. "But he and the sensors are both about to be unavailable. Kallo tells me that repairs on the Tempest are nearly complete. We should be ready to head out again tomorrow afternoon." That she would also be unavailable was understood by both. Aridana was glad to get as much of the young human's time as she did, given her mission as the human pathfinder, as well as the number of mysterious errands she was always running on the Nexus.
"If I only have you for today, then we should both get started."
.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.
Aridana finished first, of course. She had been reviewing astrometric data for over thirty times the age of her human assistant. The asari had learned that it bothered the pathfinder, so she'd stopped helping Ryder with her dataset once completing her own. Instead, she would work on other projects as to provide the illusion that the pair worked at a near equivalent speed. Before she'd learned to do that, the poor dear would forgo meals and rest in a futile attempt to keep up with the asari researcher's pace.
Today however, she watched the young human as she meticulously reviewed the datasets the computer had compiled the night before. Such review might seem redundant, but one thing computers had never managed to achieve was intuition. Even AI had difficulty with the concept, and of the four they had available, she only had access to the human SAM.
So, work complete, Aridana allowed her inquisitiveness to temporarily override civility, as she clandestinely observed the human pathfinder. Dawn's lips were moving. Not, as some might expect, as an assistance in focus, but in subvocalized conversation with her SAM. Although Aridana found the human's interchanges with the AI to be fascinating, Herik did not, and the human had learned to keep her exchanges silent out of respect for the professor. She was obviously deeply engaged in her data, her legs swinging from the tall stool she commandeered when working in the tech lab. Amazing that such a small human had such a large impact on their lives here in Andromeda. Sometimes Aridana forgot that the human had been considered an adult for over a fifth of her life. She seemed so young. The pathfinder was a curious mix of fortitude, strength, intelligence, and childlike wonder.
So focused was the young human, that she entirely failed to notice that her omni was flashing an incoming comm. Aridana waited for her to notice, but from the human's abrupt response, her SAM had finally alerted her to the waiting connection.
Curiously, the pathfinder sat abruptly upright, and pushed her copper hair behind her ears, as short as it was. 'Interesting,' thought Aridana. Another maiden-like behavior. The scientist couldn't count the number of times she's seen a maiden surreptitiously check that her crest wasn't overtly asymmetrical before allowing video. Honestly, she might have done it once or twice herself.
"Ryder!" Burst from the omni as soon as the call connected and projected the face of an asari that Aridana recognized but didn't know.
Dawn quickly lowered the volume even as she answered. "Peebee, what's up?"
"Where are you?" Came the wheedling question in response to the human's own.
"Still in the tech lab. Maybe a few more hours," Dawn answered the anticipated followup question.
"Oh." The response seemed subdued. "What are you doing for dinner tonight? Heading to the Tempest, or are you going to the pathfinder's quarters on the Hyperion again?"
Aridana would have loved having either of those options. Although no longer on minimum rations, the Nexus commissary left a great deal to be desired. Even the arrival of the asari ark and the opening of a handful of restaurants had not met demand for palatable foodstuffs.
"…were you doing?" Aridana brought herself back to the moment, having already missed most of the human's question.
"Well, the rest of the crew is going to Vortex tonight."
"And?" Ryder seemed to understand that her caller wasn't interested in a group activity.
"And there are some amazing leftovers from Drack's last turn in the kitchen back on the Tempest." There was a pause this time. "I was wondering…"
"I'd love to," came the response, almost too fast. Aridana found herself smiling again. She turned away quickly, as the human turned to her, muting her omni. "Dr. Aridana, something's come up. Would you mind if I…" the question trailed off, unfinished.
The asari turned to the human as if she had been fully absorbed in the data on her console. "I'm sorry, what?"
"No, that's fine," she replied when Dawn attempted to ask again. "Duty calls, I know. I'm grateful for any time the pathfinder can spare."
As if on command, the human's pigmentation started to change again. "I understand if you need me…"
"Nonsense. I appreciate all you do. I'll see you the next time you're on the Nexus. I'm sure we'll have many new findings to discuss."
"Thank you Doctor," the human unmuted her omni. "I can be there in five minutes."
"I'm already here Ryder."
The human made for the door without another word.
"Odd," came the Salarian voice behind her. "Usually you have to remind her to leave. Is there a problem?"
She turned to her colleague. "No problem at all, I suspect."
"Then why are you smiling?" It was almost an accusation, as if smiling in science was not allowed.
"I was just thinking that I might get those graduate students after all."