AN: Hey everyone, this is just a short story about my interpretation of assigning an APEX team over to the Pathfinder. While I get that it allows interaction between the single and multiplayer aspect of the game via loot boxes, I also felt like it was left mostly unexplored and non-interactive.
"That's how APEX gets it done!" I hear Kandros' voice over comms congratulate us as we pile into the shuttle, "Time to come home, Ardent."
I relax in my seat as the sound of Kett small arms fire dies and our shuttle scurries away from Eos and back to the Nexus. Trading one kind of hell for a different one. Out in the field, we face death each second, our backs pressed against one another, all of us fighting to survive and come back.
But sometimes, coming back to the Nexus hurts us more than taking a shot to the gut. For 14 months, our lives have been a living hell: From crashing into the Scourge, to the Nexus Uprising, to the failed Outposts on Eos, and to where we are now: Every waking moment of life on the Nexus has been a gauntlet. Now, APEX missions involve identifying and tracking supplies: food, tech, power cells, anything to keep the Nexus going. We're little more than pirates right now.
"Joshua, are you alright?" Leisnea's voice gently stirs me from my thoughts, "You seem to be miles away."
The Asari Sentinel gives me an understanding smile, "We're doing what we have to do to survive, Joshua. Things will get better, I'm sure of it. You haven't led us astray yet." Her purple fingers squeeze my hand in reassurance.
"Only because I have Andromeda's most motherly maiden to ever call herself Asari to help me call the shots." I tease, smiling as I see her purple cheeks flush a few shades darker.
"Being meek and motherly makes me no less of a maiden!" she puffs, "Just because I don't want to sleep with dozens of different people or shake my ass in a seedy bar doesn't mean I can't have fun!"
"Ohhhh sounds like someone's getting touchy." Falius, chimes in as he unfastens his helmet, revealing his bright red clan markings on his face, "And what was that about making shots? Were you two talking about the accuracy of yours truly?" He flexes his arms and winks and Leisnea.
"Haw. Haw. Haw." Wriash claps slowly, "I like how you think that you do all the work, Mr. Trigger Happy. I swear half the shots I feel smash into my barrier must be from you. If I wasn't pulling the attention of every sorry weakling on the field, you wouldn't hit a damn thing! Besides..." Wriash starts flexing now, "THIS IS HOW YOU FLEX, TURIAN. WITNESS THE FORM THAT DECADES OF COMBAT HAVE SCULPTED-hic"
"Dammit, Wri! Did you sneak Ryncol along with you again?" Leisnea chides, "You know that could mess with your biotics!"
"Heh -hic- maybe." Wriash grins and brandishes a bottle, "Want some?"
"Of course I don't you silly-" She starts before Cirin nudges her.
"You know he's just trying to get a rise out of you, Lei." His thin lips twist upwards in a grin, "Then again, its hard to not want to when you are so amusing when you get flustered, haha."
His slight chuckle proves infectious as we all laugh for a bit, caught up in the moment, before everyone goes back to resting.
I look at my companions...my friends that might as well be family:
Falius Altis was a normal soldier in the Turian military until he was involved in a massacre that his unit committed, desiring to not incriminate his friends or face his own court martial, Falius ran and became a mercenary until he found out about and bought his way into the Initiative. Many Turians would call Falius a coward or a fool. Others might even say that he was not at fault for following orders. But after that day, Falius chose to think for himself and be his own person, not bound to the whims of society. He has a very cavalier attitude but puts his friends above all else.
Jagar Wriash, or just Wri as we call him, was a proud member of Clan Jagar until he missed the day of his rite due to being passed out from excessive drinking the night before. In shame, he left his clan and came to Andromeda with Clan Nakmor in hopes of clearing his slate. Wri is a good guy under the blood rage and alcohol. Although, sometime the way he treats his enemies would make you think otherwise.
Leisnea T'easir comfortably worked with both the Alliance and Asari militaries until she heard about the Andromeda Initiative. Despite how much we tease her, she has a pure love for adventure and wonder in her heart of gold. All that being said, she's very prudish and motherly for an Asari maiden only a bit over 100. Given to how she reacts when we mention it, we're not really sure if she's even had sex before.
Cirin Caerix was actually just a mod technician working with his father back in the Milky Way. His father, Zerin, an authority on weapons and armor modifications, was asked both by the Initiative and their Pathfinder Raeka, to join them in Andromeda. Zerin agreed, but only Cirin and his brother Uwolin chose to come with his father out of the dozens of siblings he had. After arriving, Cirin's personal shield module saved dozens of lives during the Nexus Uprising. Sadly, his father was not one of them. Apparently Uwolin cut a deal with the exiles and accidentally shot their father as he made off with many of their mods. On his deathbed, Zerin asked Cirin to join APEX, find his brother and bring him home. Despite his calm and kind demeanor, we've all seen him crack before.
"Goddess" Leisnea says as she looks out from the window, "Is that what I think it is?"
He words cause the rest of us to look as well.
"Holy shit..." Falius murmurs, "I think that's an ark!"
"Which one is it?" Cirin squints his green face pressing into the glass, "I can't tell!"
"Kandros" I hail our boss over comms, "Is that really an ark we're looking at attached to the Nexus?"
"Welcome back, Ardent." We hear Kandros greet us, "That is Ark Hyperion. The human ark, and its Pathfinder have found the Nexus. Josh, I would like to speak with you and your team about your next assignment. Meet me at HQ in Operations."
"Got it, Kandros, Cirin and I are going. I'm giving orders for Falius, Wriash, and Leisnea to go to medical first. They each took a few hits I want them to get checked. I'll relay the orders afterwards."
Kandros gives his assent and we dock at the Nexus, "Ok you three," I shoo them away,"I know you guys want to be there and hear our orders, but I would prefer that each of you make sure that those wounds don't get infected or won't properly heal. Medigel might be invaluable in the field, but it is not a proper substitute for a doctor's prognosis."
Cirin and I go to the tram and set it to go to Operations. I noticed he's very fidgety, almost to the point that he's bouncing out of his seat.
"Everything alright Cirin?" I ask, wondering what has him so worked up.
"Hm? Oh yes, yes of course!" He gives his very Salarian thin-lipped smile, "I'm just so excited!"
"Excited?"
"Yes!" This time he does get up from his seat, "Don't you see? this is the start of things looking better! I've read all the profiles for each Pathfinder. Alec Ryder is the creator of the SAM AI and he achieve the highest marine rating of N7: Boasting not only combat prowess, but also a storied record of leadership achievements! Before we went to sleep, my father and I reviewed his work into SAM and were blown away! Against all odds, Alex Ryder created an AI that is shackled to organics! And now that I'm in APEX, his military record impresses me even more now!"
"Cirin, I know things seem to be looking good now but-" The tram stops and the doors open "Let's not get too over optimistic about this, okay?"
He nods, but I'm dubious about his agreement as we walk into HQ.
"Kandros, Ardent has returned and we are ready for our next assignment," I salute my boss and Cirin follows the motion.
"Relax, Ardent. It's good to see you safe and sound." He greets us and hands me a datapad, "Here are the details of your next assignment."
I read them over carefully, my eyes growing as I comprehend the nature of our next mission.
"This...is unexpected, Kandros." I pass the data pad to Cirin, quietly hoping he won't take this too poorly, "Certainly far from what we were expecting given what you said in the shuttle."
"She may not be her father, but Sara Ryder is our Pathfinder now. Ardent will be part of her team starting immediately"
"What is this?!" Caerix growls, his hands holding the datapad so tight, the screen starts to crack under pressure.
"Cirin, please don't-" I fail to stop him before he begins his tirade.
"14 Months!" Caerix exclaims, throwing his long arms into the air in pure exasperation and disappointment, "We've been here for 14 of the longest, worst months of our lives fighting off those blasted Kett and making little progress on the Remnant! Not knowing if the next day would be our last or wondering who gets to eat!"
He slams his fist down on the table, the missions display flickers as the table shakes, "Kandros!" Caerix's black orbs center on our boss, "APEX has been fighting for over a year and now this Human Pathfinder shows up and now she's running the show? Did something crawl up that tight Turian cloca of yours? No wait, maybe you spread it wide open for her, so you could get fucked by her before she fucks us!" He sneers.
Kandros' browplates rise up in surprise at the insult, but he says nothing except for, "I know this isn't what you expected, Caerix. You're not the only one who's upset. But we're all facing this together." He stresses, "We need to work together to survive. Pathfinder Ryder is our best chance at that now and she'll need APEX to cover what she and the rest of the Pathfinder team can't do. Happy or not, her orders are your orders now." Kandros crosses his arms across his armored chest, his own eyes burning with an intensity to match Caerix's.
"APEX deserves more than to just be the Initiative's lapdogs, Kandros. And Strike Team Ardent deserves more than covering up for some upstart Pathfinder. Maybe the Krogan and the exiles were right to leave." My friend spats, his words laced with venom, before storming off to the tram.
"Cirin wait!" I yell after him before he makes it there."
"I just…need to calm down, Josh. I-I didn't mean what I said, its just…with all that's happened here…things just blew up in my head. I shouldn't have taken it out on Kandros. I'll make it up to him, somehow." He nods and goes back to the tram doors.
I scratch the back of my head as I make my way back to the APEX office.
'Damn I need a haircut' I think to myself as I feel how long my hair has gotten. Kandros is still there, his look completely neutral.
"Shit…that was awkward. Sorry Kandros, I'll talk to him more when we get back. We both know he didn't mean it." I apologize on behalf of my now long-gone Salarian friend.
For a moment, Kandros lets the mask slip. He looks beaten, tired, and fed up. Even though he isn't a formal Nexus leader, his place in coordinating APEX and the deference that people give him now, makes him so. While most of the time he appears to be a decisive, young leader it's the moments like these that make him look far beyond his years.
And as quickly as it had come, the moment is gone. Kandros holds up his taloned palm, dismissing my placations.
"It's fine, Josh." He grimaces as his faceplates flutter a little, "I know that you, Caerix, Falius, Wriash and Leisnea were likely taken surprise by your sudden assignment."
I shrug, "Everything in the past 24 hours has been surprising sir, some good, some bad. I'm hopeful, but I'm not gonna risk optimism just quite yet. And honestly, Pathfinder Ryder's position is not all that different from the spots where we found ourselves 14 months ago. Its only right that we help." I say frankly.
As I've come to understand this Pathfinder Ryder is not THE Pathfinder Ryder, the one who was the human pathfinder when we left the Milky Way. Instead, my species' Pathfinder is now a former Recon Specialist and Archaeologist and has never had a command of her own. She's unproven, but from what I've read and heard she had a baptism by fire, like everyone in Andromeda has had. That's worth giving her a chance in my book.
"How very kind of you." Kandros regards me coolly, "I honestly expected more backlash."
"Whoa whoa whoa," I smirk, "Just because it's the right thing to do, doesn't mean that I'm happy with getting saddled with the job, Kandros. You gave us some stupid shit. But as always, we'll deal with it."
Kandros gives a small chuckle in amusement, "I suppose I did." He agrees as he covers his toothy smirk, "Anything else, Specialist Mazana?"
"Just one thing…" I activate my Omni-Tool, "What's Pathfinder Ryder's email address? Before Ardent gets shackled like an AI, I'd at least like to meet the one holding the chain."
"Of course," My boss replies, activating his own Omni-Tool and sending me her address.
"Thanks, boss man." I grin as I turn to make my way out.
"Josh," Kandros rests his hand on my shoulder, "I chose Ardent to be assigned to the Pathfinder team because you are the best the Nexus has. Together you two represent the best shot of finding a home and keeping it. I trust you five will make that dream a reality."
"Awww…" I smile and playfully punch him in the shoulder, "I didn't know Mr. big scary turian, Tiran Kandros was such a softie! We'll do the job and look good while we do it, that's how APEX gets it done. Drinks are on you when we get back!"
"Damn right they are." He nods "Stay safe Ardent"
AN: And there you go! Like I said, short story, not a lot of substance and a lot of background implications that aren't fully explored on, kinda similar to the game in some ways. That being said I love the game for what it is. On a last note, I'm not sure if I want to actually start writing again and try to develop this into a story or let it stay a one-shot. I'll let you guys decide.
If anyone here is a former reader of mine and is interested (or more likely pissed off) I think I updated my profile a bit ago. Thanks and have a nice day everyone!