PROLOGUE
Alliance turned bounty hunter turned mercenary Scott Ryder has been many things in his life.
But he didn't expect to be a prisoner
Yet here he was caught floating in a zero G chamber along with the other men, women and aliens of cell block 919 in the infamous purgatory ship. If that wasn't reminder enough of his situation his bright orange jump suit was and the stenciled prison number. Scott cursed his situation for what had to be the hundredth time as he scratched at the stubble on his face and tumbled through zero G. It was supposed to have been a routine mission protecting some exotic goods that the council on the citadel was currently taxing heavily. It would have been an easy mission to if said goods hadn't been explosive in nature and his team wasn't told of that fact beforehand. Scott winced as the memory of Jones face as he lit up his electronic cigarette bubbled back to the fore front of his mind. The tiny spark making just enough of a accelerant to cause a chain reaction around the volatile chemicals. With the cargo burning the ship was forced to call an emergency hail. Which of course led to the alliance patrol finding said illegal cargo and throwing everyone in purgatory.
Scott closed his eyes and sighed letting himself drift for a few seconds as he contemplated his fate and what would happen next. It was only a matter of time before word of his incarceration reached either his father or his twin sister. One or even both of them would then come intent on bailing him out and giving him a lecture to go with his freedom about his "duty". He would of course remind whoever was coming to get him this time of the many times they had had this conversation since his mother's death four years ago. They would then complain to him some more and then they would go on their separate ways his dad to whatever top secret project he was working on now a days and his sister back to the current squad she was commanding in the alliance.
Sure enough an hour later the doors opened and two Turian guards came in cradling Mattocks that they vaguely pointed at him. Even though their faces were covered by helmets Scott could feel the disgust for him dripping out of their pores. They both took one look at him and then the one of the left quickly keyed in a command code onto his omni-tool. Scott was ready for it before he even felt the subtle tug of gravity returning to his cell. His body began to drop like a rock and he turned landing on his feet at the last minute with a solid THUNK and all the grace of a cat.
A drunk cat at least
"And he sticks the landing!" Scott said winking at the Turrian guards.
They weren't amused, they were so not amused they came over and sent him to his knees with the butts of their gun. The dual force doubled the young man over and Scott gasped from the pain and the stars that exploded before his eyes. The pain was a welcome bolt of clarity through Scotts system clarifying his thoughts into razor shop focus.
"Can't believe a little shit like you is the son of an N7" One of the Turrians spat out as the other shook his head. Their disgust and their bringing up his dad position only made Scott laugh.
"Uh huh" Scott said coughing and shaking his head from side to side to clear the stars. He resisted the jab in his direction and instead smiled.
"I can't believe you two got so handsy with me without buying me a drink!"
"Why you little!" One of the Turrians growled raising the butt of his riffle ready to thrash him again.
"That's enough!" Came a sharp clear voice from the door/airlock.
"Ah good old dad" Scott murmured watching as the Turrians balked in fear and took a step back. Scott watched as his dad came into the cell wearing his usual black N7 armor. The man looked like he had aged fifteen years since Scott had last seen him a year ago. His eyes and face were heavy with the lines of late hours, grief, and stress. However his eyes shocked Scott, usually when his father came to pick him up there was a sort of weary resignation in his eyes. Scott was a screw up so it was expected but this time his eyes were alight and he seemed like he was laughing to himself about something.
"I will take him from here" Alec Ryder finally said waving the Turrians off. They spared Scott one last glare before nodding and leaving the cell.
"So old man" Scott said picking himself up off the floor and regarding his father
"What brings you to my section of the universe? Got a hot date?"
"Yeah with a prison warden" Alec said a small smile appearing on his face as he came over and clapped his back "You just can't help your self can you?"
"Guess not" Scott said wincing at his dads aggressive slap and blinking at his dad in shock "Are you okay? Usually you look like you got a mass effect relay shoved up your ass when you come help me with my…. Predicaments"
"Not today boy" Alec said leading Scott out of the small cell "Todays a good day"
"A really good day" Came an authoritive feminine voice
Scott groaned noticing his twin sister Sara leaning against the bulk head in her standard alliance armor.
"You to?" Scott said raising a suspicious eyebrow "This isn't an intervention is it?"
"Do we really seem like an intervention type family?" Sara said snorting "not even close Scotty boy"
"Come on I got us the wardens office" Alec said clapping both of his kids on the back "We can talk more in there about why we are here"
…..
"Alright something is up!" Scott said throwing his hands up in the air as he watched the two pace the wardens desk "You guys both look happier than the time you went to see the Vladivostok Bears play the Detroit tigers in the season opening"
Sara and Alex shared a look of barely repressed glee. Scott resisted the urge to glare at them both back. His mind flashed with memories of childhood jealousy over his dad and his sister's relationship. He had always been the distant dad to them both but he at least attempted with Sara during various moments in her life. Scott was to hot headed for him or as his mom was a fan of saying they were simply too MUCH alike for him to be anything more than what Scott liked to call a "passing" father. Oh, sure they had their brief moments of bonding but if his dad had to pick he always choose Sara to groom and play father to.
Finally Sara motioned for Alec to speak. He seemed to relish in that a wide grin breaking over his face as if he was about to impart some big secret.
"Do you remember Jien Garson?" Alec asked going over to look out the viewport.
"Yeah of course" Scott said scoffing dismissively "I may be estranged from the family but I'm not brain dead you think I would forget those long nights you her and mom talked at the dining room table? All the secret meetings?"
Scott watched the reflection of his father's smile in the viewport. For a second his father was lost in the memories of a happier time and place. Mom had been dead for three years now yet the way he wore his grief always made Sam feel like it had just happened. The look made him uncomfortable and he turned and noticed Sara looking away as well as the pall of the Ryder clans inched into the room and bared its icy teeth.
"Happier times" Alec finally said turning back the look gone and jester like humor back in his eyes "But anyways…."
"Jien's project" Sara said cutting Alec off "it's ready"
"You mean the mysterious project her and dad have worked on half our life but refused to tell us anything about?" Scott asked raising an eyebrow before turning to his sister. She starred back her eyes flashing as she tapped her foot. Realizing dawned on his face and the confused look turned into one of incredulous anger.
"You know what it is don't you?!" Scott snapped his voice cracking with anger like a whip.
"Your sister got into the project through Alliance channels" Alec said snapping to her defense as Sara looked away sheepishly "Before today it was need to know only for civilians"
"And what makes you think I even want to know?" Scott countered his tone indignant crossing his arms as he pouted.
"Oh don't be a baby Scott" Sara said rolling her eyes at his antics "we have been trying to guess what this was since we were kids"
Scott turned giving her sister a glare. So now she was dads side kick? Telling all their secrets? The memory of their late-night discussions of the secret project bubbled to the surface of his mind now tinged with the sting of betrayal. The hurt bubbled to the surface causing him to look down as his fingers balled into fist. He was used to being alone in the Ryder clan even more so now that their mom was gone.
"So what is it then?" Scott asked finally glancing up and eyeing them both.
And so they told him
…..
"Your fucking crazy!" Scott said blinking in shock as he fell back in his chair "You can't really be…."
"Taking a six-hundred-year journey?" Alec said a cocky proud grin on his face "You better believe it son"
"The andromeda initiative is leaving in three months Scott" Sara said coming over to him "Were going to travel six hundred years in cryo sleep all to take a stab at colonizing a whole other galaxy"
"Unbelievable" Scott said shaking his head as his mind scrambled to come to term with the entire thing. The idea of traveling six hundred years to a whole other galaxy was enough to make his head swim. The logistics of such a trip alone! Then the unknown of what they would find their…..
Then understanding hit him as hard as a punch from a Krogan
"We" Scott said looking at both of them "You guys are both going?"
Sara and Alex both shared a look for a few seconds before finally looking back at Scott. Scott suddenly got the sense that they were finally reaching the heart of their coming to bail him out.
They couldn't possibly?
"Not just us son" Alec said the smile on his face growing wider.
"But you to Scott" Sara said nodding her head "We want you to go with us become a part of the initiative, join our survey team"
Scott blinked and starred at them in shock. They couldn't possibly be asking him what he thought they were asking him! I mean they had hardly even talked in the years after mom's death. Oh sure they knew of his escapades and his work with Omega but those were the marks of a bad boy and rogue not someone who was the best of the best and a "bright star of humanity" as his dad had so poetically put it. He was more of a shoot first and ask questions later guy! Not a man of peace and discovery.
"So what?" Scott finally scoffing at their invitation
"Am I getting in because of you guys? Is this your guys way of giving me a greater purpose?"
"What's wrong with a greater purpose" Alec shot back his contracting with the sparks of anger "Were giving you the chance of a life time son! A better option than getting blown up by your own damn cargo!"
Scott felt the red-hot anger shoot through his veins. He vaguely remembered his mom telling him not to let his dads brash words get to him but he couldn't help himself. Scott jumped up before he could control himself he was on his feet and stomping towards his dad his fist curling tightly into a fist. The man himself simply stood there his eyes daring Scott to come over and punch the arrogant bastard right in the….
"Scott!"
Sara was in between them her biotics flaring to life as she raised her palm up to stop him. For a second he froze his entire body stopping its forward motion as her biotics enveloped him. Scott focused and his own blue glow traveled up his body before he shrugged off her stasis hold.
"Come on sis" Scott said his biotic powers amplifying his voice as he squared off against her "You and I both know how this ends"
"Stand down" Alec barked to Sara shaking his head in aspiration "The both of you!"
Sara and Scott looked at him for several minutes sizing one another up before finally lowing their hands. He closed his eyes letting his powers fade with an audible snap pop. When he opened them Sara had done the same and they both shared a smile with one another before reaching out and grasping the others forearms and giving the other a shake. It was… Something of a tradition with them, when they both discovered their latent biotic capabilities they would always push test and ultimately fight one another. Most of the time Scott would win but they'd always come back stronger from the practice. Stronger and even closer due to their biotic bond.
"You would have been a candidate for the Andromeda Initiative even without your family ties" Alec told Scott gaining his attention as he moved to stand in front of him "The Andromeda Initiative takes the best of the best at what they do and no one has a better reputation for handling the unknown and adapting to a bad situation fast this is uncharted territory we are about to enter we need someone who can handle the unknown we need you"
Alec placed a hand on his son's shoulder looking him square in the eye. For the first time in a long-time Scott really saw his father. His happiness and excitement about the journey he had spent so long working to see come to fruition, his pride, and more importantly the desire for Scott and his sister to take the journey with him. They had never been close (the running joke of his mother was that the Ryder clan was all but impossible to get into one room) but the love of adventuring was apparently a familial gene. Scott had been resisting it but his mind was already swimming with what might be found in a whole new galaxy.
"Okay" Scott said sighing and smiling at them both not bothering to hide his excitement.
"Sign me up"
