"Scott, Scott Ryder, can you hear me?"
Scott opened his eyes to find a dark asari and human standing over him.
He felt slightly disoriented and confused, like he had been woken up in the wrong stage of sleep. But he remembered Andromeda.
He was alive, against the odds!
"Yeah...I'm awake," he said hazily. "That's it, we're here?"
"Yes, Scott, we're in Andromeda. You're lucky to be alive."
"Lucky to be alive, what happened?" His mind flooded with worry.
The human spoke up. "About an eighth of our passengers didn't survive the journey, some of those who did aren't in great shape."
"Really? What about Sara, my dad, are they okay!?"
"Your dad is fine," the asari said. "Your sister is in the medical bay. She awoke from a coma just an hour ago. Her mental faculties appear to be completely preserved, but her body will take some time to heal."
"That's...good. I guess. What about Chao-Ming Ye? Melissa Abrams? Liam Kosta? Do you know what happened to any of them?"
"I'm afraid Melissa was one of the casualties. I'm sorry, Scott."
A sadness settled in him. He had hardly known her, but he had been charmed by her. If only he had had her in this scary, lonely, new galaxy.
"And Chao?"
"I believe Chao-Ming Ye was one of those who never came aboard," the human said.
So Chao had died on the space station, starving his last days away. Or he had found an escape, and died valiantly in humanity's futile fight with the Reapers.
Or, possibly, he fought and lived to see a triumphant galaxy, where had spent the last of his happy days. That was the least likely scenario.
Either way, that was all more than a half a millenium ago. So surreal.
"And Liam?"
"I don't recall that name," said the asari. "That means he likely survived and awoke without incident."
"Humans were relatively fortunate," the other doctor said. "We had the highest survival rate of any species."
"Who got it the worst?"
"The salarians," the asari replied. "Almost one in five of them were dead on arrival."
What a tragedy. Those poor aliens.
She continued, "Regardless, let's get you standing."
Scott put his hands on the sides of the opened pod and rose. "How do you feel?"
"A little dizzy, but considering I haven't stood in six-hundred years..."
"That's to be expected." Then she extended her hand. "My name is Dr. Lexi T'Perro. This is Dr. Harry Carlyle. We are two of the six medical personnel on this vessel."
"There were originally supposed to eight of us," Harry said. "One of us died on the journey, another refused to come aboard."
"That's terrible. I'm sorry," Scott said.
"I think your father would be elated to know you're fine. He's there familiarizing himself with the ship, reading up on the documentation Jien Garson provided for him."
They turned to walk away, but Scott intercepted them, "Hey, did the rest of the Abrams family make it? I'd like to tell them I'm sorry for their loss."
"They survived. I believe it was Peter Abrams who suffered minor complications. He and his family are in the medical bay right now."
"Thanks," Scott said. "I guess I better make my rounds."
"I think that's a good idea," Lexi said. "You can access the Tempest through the airlock, down on that side of the hall." She pointed to Scott's left, where the escape pods reached the end of the alphabet. "Alternatively, you can take the lift and follow us to the medical bay. Just don't expect a check up. We're far too busy right now."
"Right, I understand."
The doctors walked off. This was his new home now, in a new galaxy. It was peaceful, but spartan. Not that McCandles or Outpost 12 in Zimbabwe were luxurious, but...
He stepped out of his pod. A few humans were chatting among the stasis pods, none of whom he recognized.
He started heading for the airlock. To think he had not used his legs in over six centuries. The world back home was probably dead and decaying. They were safe here, but with so little.
The tunnel connecting the two segments of the vessel, or perhaps two vessels, was made of the same tarp like fabric as the tunnel back in Ossof station. He noticed, however, that there was a sizable scar on the wall. It looked like a tear that had been repaired, vertical and roughly as long as a man.
It was hard to believe this quick and bizarre design had survived the history's first journey through dark space. If only the stasis systems had been as successful.
He went through the second airlock, transitioning into the "Tempest."
Turning the corner, he found himself in an ovular hall with a glass walkway. At the end of the walk way were a few steps with ladders flanking them, leading to some area down below. And there was, of course, a door ahead.
He got to the door and touched the console.
When the portal opened, he was stunned by the beauty he saw. The front of the ship was but a giant window, showcasing the splendor of a new galaxy. His father stood in the center, on a railed off little platform, flanked by two computer stations (one was manned by a human, the other was manned by a salarian).
"Dad..." Scott said. "Hard to believe its been...six-hundred years."
"Six-hundred twenty-five. And we actually arrived here a bit early. We've been orbiting the planet for quite some time."
He gestured out the window. "That's our first stop. Habitat 7."
Scott walked over beside his father to get a look.
"That's it? Habitat 7? It looked...different in Jien Garson's briefing."
"Two and a half million years of light-lag will do that. We have to get down there and see what it's actually like. I think I want you on the team."
"I'd be honored."
Alec leaned on the railing of his post with a distant gaze.
"I figure we want some guns on the ground, just in case, but enough civilians so we won't be perceived as a hostile force. I'm figuring four and four. I'd like to get the opinion of at least one scientist and farmer as well. Liam, who you met back in the Milky Way, is going to be on our team."
"We're expecting to find intelligent life?"
Scott thought he could detect a bit of discomfort on his father's face. "We have to take precaution."
He rose from the railing. "In the mean time, let me introduce you to the others. This is Kallo Jath." He gestured to the salarian who had approached him from behind.
"Ah, time for introductions!" the salarian said eagerly, shaking Ryder's hand vigorously. "You must be Scott. Your father has told me all about you. Pleasure to be here! And to meet you, of course!"
He certainly was adjusting well to the next galaxy.
"I'll be piloting the Tempest for your father. Quite the ship! But it'll take a Pathfinder's guidance to see us through Heleus!"
"Pathfinder?"
Alec spoke, "That's what the official documentation, and NaSRI, calls the leader of the expedition."
"NaSRI...the...VI. How's it been treating you?"
"It seems a little advanced for a VI, but, well...NaSRI, come introduce yourself to my son."
"Hello Scott Ryder," the rough, mechanical voice said. "Welcome to the Andromeda galaxy. I am NaSRI, the Navigation, Sustenance, and Restoration Intelligence. I have been subordinated to pathfinder Alec Ryder, but will answer any question you have about this mission or the Hyperion vessel, provided this information has not been classified."
"Classified?" Scott said, turning to his father. "You're keeping secrets from us now?"
"It's a feature."
The human, a red-haired, blue eyed woman, stepped in next.
"Ah, Scott, so wonderful to meet you! I'm Suvi Anwar, the Andromeda Expedition's lead science officer."
She spoke with a strange accent Scott had never heard before, and looked pretty young to be head of anything. Scott felt a hint of jealousy.
"Pleasure to meet you. Learn anything interesting yet?" It seemed like a bit of a dopey question, but...
"I've been going over some planetary scans but...well, I'm eager to see what you bring back from your expedition to the planet."
The door Scott had entered through opened, and they all turned. It was Liam.
"Scott! Glad to see you made it to Andromeda in one piece."
"One piece?"
"Intact, I mean. A lot of people weren't treated so well by the stasis pods. I'm guessing you heard the two of us are going to be touching down on Habitat 7."
"Once we can get the shuttle interface sorted out," Alec said. "Scott, why don't you check on your sister? She's in the medical bay. She'll be glad to know you're awake and healthy."
