Only we few shall see what lurks beyond those terrible passes and beyond those dark and glittering gulfs. Be it death or ancient majesty, we shall tread the void and see what lies that little further.
- Rogue Trader Aleana Howsian, Warhammer 40,000
The first breath upon waking up wasn't pleasant, nor was the bout of nausea that struck out of nowhere as he was being guided to a cot from his cryo pod, his legs feeling as if they were made of rubber. Thankfully, though, all those sensations were gone, leaving only a mild sleepiness, a brain fog that was being chased away slowly by the strong aroma and bitter taste of processed coffee.
He pondered that as he sipped, the warmth coiling in his belly and spreading throughout his body. Here he was, awake six hundred years in the future, wearing six-hundred-year-old clothing, drinking six-hundred-year-old coffee, and watching a six-hundred-year-old briefing on a six-hundred-year-old wallscreen, on board a six-hundred-year-old space station.
That was a lot of sixes and hundreds.
The selection process saw the Andromeda Initative evaluate thousands of potential habitable planets within the galaxy. After discovering an unusually high ratio of potential candidates for habitation, or "Golden Worlds," within, the Heleus Cluster was selected as our destination.
Now, you are part of the first wave arriving in Andromeda, our new home.
He wondered which Golden World the Nexus would be landing on first. Putting boots on the ground, setting up outposts, building new lives as they explored their surroundings. Of course, they'd have to assess planetary conditions first, and that was a job for the Pathfinders. But once all that was over, when crops could be planted, and there was plenty of food to go around, the Initiative establishing a firm foothold, then… anything's possible.
The thought sent a thrill through him: this was why he joined the Initiative, amongst other reasons. Surveying, collecting data, exploring, pushing the envelope on the final frontier, helping others. A new beginning, a fresh start for a lot of people on the Initiative, him included.
He took a deep breath. Time to let go.
Around him, the recovery bay bustled with activity: cryo techies checked on disengaged pods, prepping, initiating and monitoring the awakening processes, then handing off the newly-defrosted personnel over to the Medical folk, who performed a thorough post-cryo medical checkup on each person before signing them off for assignation.
There were others like him on the cots around him, who were were awaiting their medical checkups; he nodded in acknowledgement at an asari on his right who was tightening up her boots, clad in the standard grey-white Initiative jumpsuits they all wore, hers bearing the dark-green piping of the Security Division.
His jumpsuit bore the maroon piping of Engineering. Running a thumb along the embroidery on his wrist, he suddenly realised the coincidence: the uniforms of the Engineering Corps were the same shade of maroon, too.
He smiled softly at the memory. Take the good, leave the bad. He was getting there; he hardly felt any distaste towards his old life compared to before…
'They make it sound so easy, don't they?'
He blinked - he was staring at the wallscreen while deep in his thoughts. The familiar voice brought a smile to his face as he stood and turned, feeling a surge of warmth that was only partly due to the coffee.
'Dr. T'Perro.'
The asari physician returned the smile, her fingers gentle on his arm. 'Jonathan. Good to see you up and about.'
