After the doors on Kesh's office closed, they decided to check out the ship the Nexus reserved for them. They were walking towards the tram station, descending at the flight of stairs when suddenly, Scott felt a sharp pain in his head. He yelped and put his hand on his temple.

"Scott? You okay?" Cora asked, stopping mid step.

"Headache," he muttered, massaging his temple. He dug his fingers in, trying to alleviate the pain in his head but it seemed to ran deeper than an ordinary headache.

Was he having a stroke?

He looked down at his hand and flexed it. No, then. He's still standing and his vision's normal so a migraine perhaps?

"Maybe you still haven't got over Habitat 7," Marcus suggested. Scott isn't sure if he meant Alec's death or any of the things that happened earlier. A lot happened at Habitat Seven. Or maybe that was his point.

"We should have Dr Lexi have a look at you."

Scott was about to agree, when SAM suddenly spoke. "Scott. Please see me on the Hyperion. Your implant need attention." Then he heard SAM in their private channel. "There is also a confidential matter we need to discuss."

That's weird, Scott thought, frowning at the secrecy. He looked at his companions but they just look worried.

"Wrong doctor," Marcus said with a grin and shrugged. "Well then. Lets walk you there."

"I'm alright," he assured them. "I can walk myself there. Go ahead to our ship and check if we're ready to go. I'll follow you later."

"Are you sure?" Cora asked.

"Yep."

Cora gave him an amused look then continued walking towards the tram. Scott swore he heard her mutter "men."

But he really was fine. The pain subsided and he stopped grimacing when they reached the tram station. They stepped into the tram and Marcus tapped separate buttons for both of them. The Tram moved forward and stopped at the deck nearest the Hyperion dock. The door opened and Scott stepped out alone. He waved goodbye at them until the door closed and his companions went ahead to the docking bay. With them gone, he walked leisurely to the SAM node. He passed people by the corridors either busy repairing busted circuits or welding the tears in the wall, putting the place back into order. They seemed less stressed now as the station was working a little better, courtesy of the Hyperion sharing its energy reserves with the Nexus.

He smiled to himself. There's still a lot to do and they've been though a lot but they will pull through.

SAM waited patiently for Scott to arrive at its node. The room was dark, its only illumination SAM's spherical projection of lights swirling lazily like fat fireflies. Then the door opened and Scott walked in. It did not speak until the door closed behind him softly. The room went dark, bathing Scott in the blue light of its holo, before it spoke. "Hello, Scott. Welcome back to SAM node. I've adjusted your connection to the implant. The headaches should not reoccur."

"Thanks. You asked to talk to me in private?"

"You should know certain facts before you leave for your expedition. It seemed best that we speak alone."

It saw Scott's face change. It read the positions of the muscles of his face and the activity of his brain and concluded that what he was feeling was intrigue. "Why?" he asked.

"It was your father's last wish."

It saw his brow rose and then he crossed his arms. Defensive. "And what does he want to keep secret?"

"My true capabilities," SAM revealed. "Alec overrode the implants safety protocols. It allows me unrestricted access to Pathfinder physiology."

Scott stared at him, then his lips parted slightly, remaining silent. "How?" he asked sharply, his brow starting to furrow while his eyes narrowed.

SAM detected from him an increased heart rate, increasing muscle tension and active sweat glands. But there was a conscious control of breathing that should have increased too. Curiously, there were also an increasing blood pressure and cortisol levels.

"The implant provides me direct access to your senses. I can see, hear, and hear the same stimuli you do when in the field. The data enables me to provide real-time feedback and analysis of the situation."

He continued to stare at it and it read that his heart was still beating fast. But the cortisol levels were dropping, with an increase in testosterone.

"So... you're not just a simple AI?"

"I am a new form of AI, drawing directly from the human experience. Your implant and experience are my window to the world."

"Why would my father design an AI learning from human experience?" he asked, his tone brittle.

"I do not know. He has placed blocks on my memory array, to be unblocked after a set time. I only know that my programming is currently set to assist you and fulfill the Initiative's goals."

"Does anyone know about this?" Scott asked irritably. "That there's an AI in full control of someone running around? The Initiative? Or even the Pathfinding team? Cora, Marcus?"

"No. Just him and myself. And now you." SAM paused. Its lights swirled faster, as if reflecting his feelings.

"I remember that Dr. Lexi said my mind and you are connected so much that you can't be disconnected from me without killing me," Scott asked, the tone becoming sharp again.

"Correct. The transfer was not supposed to happen like it did but your father's death and the circumstances around it have forced my transfer to you," SAM answered and saw Scott close his eyes. He put his hands on his hips. He stood still like this for a few seconds, then he opened his eyes, shook his head and sighed.

"Don't be afraid," the AI consoled Scott with as much emotion as its electronic voice can give. "I will not harm you; it would end badly for both of us. Also, Alec taught me about trust, which is an important concept in any relationshi-"

"Oh really?" Scott snapped and glared at SAM. "So, he thought I'd just roll along to be inserted with something that have a complete control of my body without my consent or my knowledge?"

SAM paused. It began to be flooded with images of Alec uprooting his family despite Scott making friends finally at his new school, Alec saying sorry he's busy during family celebrations, news of Alec doing illegal research without informing his children about it, Alec deciding that all of them should move to Andromeda, Alec-

"Apologies," SAM answered, in its usual monotone. It was the only thing it can say but Scott's hormone levels had not gone back to normal. Instead, he now put his hand again before his eyes and the other on his hip. "I only know he strongly believed that my relationship to my host is beneficial," SAM added, hoping to calm him. It did not.

Scott stared silently at it again.

"Is this going to affect our working relationship?"

Scott looked away from it, clenching his jaw. "Honestly, I don't know," he answered after a long moment of silence, looking back to SAM. "And I can't care, since I don't have a choice, right? It's not like I can say no when I need you to stay alive because my father…my father thought it nice that his pet project is more important than me. His own son. That I should be made completely dependent on a machine in some goddamn project he can't bother to tell me."

SAM was silent, because it had not enough data to analyze this. It cannot draw from his mind right now, as his emotions are clouding all his memory and thinking centers to get a reliable analysis, and its attempt to explore his mind was met with an impulse it recognized as rage. Not rage against itself, but it seems to Alec.

Scott looked away, his lashes getting wet as he bit his lip. "I used to be comfortable in my own body. It was healthy and I'm happy with it because it was something I had control over. I could go and do whatever I wanted and no one can stop me. Now, I feel like a sick person and it was my father who made it happen. All for some tricks I wasn't asked to take."

SAM was about to answer but Scott cut it off. "We'll talk later, SAM. I need to deal with this alone." He turned away and walked fast towards the door. But he stopped before it and turned around where its holo was. "Or not, right? You're always with me. You'll always be with me," he said. He shook his head and walked away, the door shutting close behind him.

Those words were supposed to be comforting, but there was no doubt, even to an AI like SAM, that they were spoken with despair.

Scott did not know where to go. He wandered on the corridors of Hyperion and did not notice the greetings of his fellow humans as he passed by. Everything seemed surreal. He felt an urge to punch something or weep. Or both. Or neither.

He should have seen this coming. Alec only cares about himself despite their feelings. His job, his projects and his prestige comes first. He cares so much he insisted on moving everyone to Andromeda even when he was happy in the Alliance and his sister was happy digging around in ruins. Dragging them all with his obsession.

And now this.

Then he saw the familiar door of the med bay and knew where his feet had taken him.

He went inside and walked to the one who had drawn him.

"Sara," he said softly, looking fondly at her sleeping form. He took a chair and sat near her, listening to her soft breathing. If there was someone who knew him best, it was her.

It's different, having a twin. When he was a child, there was always a feeling; a sense of belonging that he was never completely alone. Whatever may happen to him, he knew that someone else was there for him. Someone else understands him. No one else knew him best than Sara.

But then, they grew up, encouraged to form their own life and have different circles of their own peers. It was time anyway. Sara had gifts he struggled to match and he did not think it right that he held her back just because he can't keep up with her. He was happy for her when she was recognized for her scientific discoveries and graduated top of their class in every level. And when she was going far away into the stars as a member of an intergalactic Prothean archaeology team, farther than he could ever be in the military, he did not begrudge her that.

And yet, even with the years where they lived separately, the feeling of them having each other's backs still remained.

But now she was going to be replaced with…with it.

Dr. Carlyle walked into the med bay, his head buried in a datapad in his hand. He looked up from his reading and saw Scott, bowed, his head atop his hands where his sister's hands were clasped between them.

"Scott?" Dr Carlyle called. He put away his datapad and walked toward him. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Scot said, rising to his feet, giving him a little smile as if to say nothing is wrong, nothing is wrong while his eyes say otherwise.. "Just wanted to see how my sister's doing and say goodbye. I'll be going on an expedition soon."

Dr Carlyle nodded sympathetically. "Of course. Your sister's condition is still stable, but unfortunately, we still can't get her out of coma. We'll let you know as soon as possible if her condition changes."

"Thanks, Doc," he replied. He turned back to Sara and smiled. "I'm going away now," he whispered to her. "I don't know how much time it'll take but I promise, I'll be back."

He nodded at Dr Carlyle then went out the door to go and fulfill his mission.

Marcus and Cora were satisfied with how the ship was stocked and had nearly done their flight checks with the pilot when Scott arrived. They started to smile, but stopped when they saw him unusually subdued. They did not call attention to it, giving him space thinking that he was still mourning his father and kept on as if they never noticed it.

They were all at the cargo bay inspecting the land rover with the Tempest engineer and the procurer when he entered. They dropped what they were doing and stood to face him. He stood in front of them and cleared his throat. "I'm Scott Ryder, the son of Alec Ryder, the previous Pathfinder," he said to the assembled crowd. "You should be meeting him but unfortunately my father and some of our team were killed in action at Habitat 7 to save the Hyperion. We greatly mourn their deaths, but still, we must continue our mission. We will honor them by continuing the goal they had lost their lives for. We will find us a home here in Andromeda." He paused. "In behalf of my father, I assume the role of Pathfinder, but I cannot do this alone. I need your help, and I will be greatly honored to receive it."

"The honor is ours, Pathfinder," a man with a reddish hair said.

Scott nodded then the crowd broke up for introductions.

"Hello, Scott. Good to see you're well," Dr. Lexi said, coming forward.

Scott smiled at the familiar face and felt relief at seeing the person who had been there during the tough times coming with them. "Same to you, Doctor. Glad you're coming too."

"As do I. This is going to be an interesting adventure." Scott smiled and nodded goodbye at her to meet the next member of his crew.

"Hello," the man who answered him earlier greeted. "I'm Gil Brodie. I'm supposed to be your ship's engineer," he said and shook his hand. Scott looked up from his hand to a tanned face with reddish brown hair going light at the tips as if kissed by the sun. Underneath a well-shaped brow were eyes of warm brown looking at him with genuine sympathy behind tinted lashes. "I'm sorry about your team. They were the best we have and now I'm just going to wing engineering alone."

"Is that going to be a problem?"

Gil chuckled woefully. "Only if I'm dead. You've got no one else to keep the ship working, unless you pull Kallo out. He's the pilot. You'll meet him later. I've requested for additional personnel, but the brass says they've got no one else to spare so," he spread his arms and cheerfully said, "you're stuck with me."

Scott smiled. He liked his upbeat attitude. "I think we're going to be fine, Gil."

"Ah. Well, if you say so, Pathfinder," he answered with a twinkle in his eye.

A tall turian nodded at him and held her hand for him to shake. "Vetra. Vetra Nyx," she said. "Initiative wrangler, provisioner, gunner, and everything in between".

"Nice to meet you," Scott said taking her hand. Her grasp was firm but still comfortable. He asked her a little about herself and as she answered, he looked her over.

She stood straight and tall among them all, her height projecting an aura of order rather than danger. Her replies were short and straight to the point and she looked at him clearly and directly in the eyes from behind a visor as she answered.

She doesn't look like the image he had on his head. He expected a smuggler to be a rogue-ish sort of person, rough around the edges, but she's clean and decent looking. Maybe because she is a turian, and the turians he met he found to be mostly law abiding, some even to the point of obsession. He knew military life is second nature to turians, being a sort of their class system where their rights depended on their rank. They were orderly and self-sacrificing. Service before self was their motto and so there was not much leeway in individual self-expression.

He was being unfair to her. She, an alien, can hardly fit the image of a rogue thought of by a human.

"Kesh spoke about you," Scott remarked.

She chuckled, which made her low voice sound even better by the flanging. "Yes. We go way back-back when the Initiative is being built actually. She's part of the construction team and I was mostly the procurer for her supplies. I've also been involved with the outfitting of this ship."

"I'm grateful. So you know this ship more than anyone, then? Tell me about the Tempest."

She smiled. "I'm afraid I'm second only to the engineers, but I'll do my best. I can talk about it but it'd be better if I show you while I do it." She gestured for him to follow her. "Everything's state of the art," she explained as she led him further in. "Labs sensors, exploration gear." They entered the elevator and arrived at the second floor. She led him onto a room and opened the door, revealing Engineering. The engine core is based on the ODSY drive. Ask Gil if you want to know more about it, because I know practically nothing about it except how expensive it is," she said, as blue light from the drive core shone on them.

He smiled at her quip and she led him to the next room at the back of the elevator. The doors opened to a more spacious deck, with a series of consoles arranged in a circle in the middle of the room.

"This is the research room," she said, gesturing to their surroundings. "It's mostly for doing research and gathering intel." Scott smirked at the turian layout of the ship, where the CIC was at the back and not on the bridge like in human ships.

"Router engaged. Securing connection to the Tempest," SAM spoke.

He looked over his shoulder and saw two stairs curving up to a deck above them.

"That'd be the conference room," Vetra said, following his gaze. "Aside from the usual furnishings, it also has equipment for long distance vid conference."

"So, I could report immediately to the bosses. Yay," he said dejectedly.

Vetra smiled. "Of course. We're hardly here to play after all."

"You're not helping my mood. I hope you stocked some drinks up there to make up for that."

"Surrendering already?" she teased. "I'll have to apologize. I hadn't thought of that. But I installed something better. A hang-up button."

"You know, you're my favorite already."

She chuckled. "Try not to let the others hear that. They'd just keel over with envy."

She led him onto the next room, crossing a glass walkway as they did so. "Your quarters are below as well as the crew's cabins and the med-bay," she said, nodding at the rooms below them. "There's plenty of space to get everyone up here together."

They reached the other side of the room and the door opened, revealing the helm. There were two rooms on each side, leading to the escape pods. There were two people, a woman and a salarian, seated on the front with a space between them. They rose up as soon as they entered. Vetra gestured for him to move forward to the front. When he stood there, a screen sprang up before him, showing the cluster.

"This is the bridge. I'd better let the pilots explain," Vetra said and turned to the salarian on the right.

"I'm Kallo Jath," the salarian said, extending a hand to shake as he looked at him with his big liquid dark eyes on a red and white face. He thought it best to adopt human customs on a ship filled with humans since he figured the hassles were less. He had enough of accusations of being cold-blooded, which is an inaccurate insult, since, even though he was of amphibious origin, he's actually warm-blooded.

"Nice to meet you, Kallo," Scott said, shaking his hand.

"I am truly sorry for the loss of your father and your team mates. I'm told your team were great pilots but I hope my skills will be enough."

"So you're our new pilot, then," Scott remarked at the salarian towering over him.

"Yes. I was part of the team that built the Tempest so I'm supposed to be just the assistant to the chief engineer. But it happens that I also have flight training and I knew the Tempest better than most so Captain Dunn decided to make me your new pilot."

"Who's your co-pilot?"

"That would be me," the red-haired woman beside Kallo said with a strong Scottish accent. Her green eyes were striking on her tan skin. Or is it grey? "My name is Suvi Anwar. I'm the science officer with a specialization on xenogeology but like Kallo, I have been flight trained. Captian Dunn assigned me to be Kallo's co-pilot."

"Nice to meet you, Suvi. Are you two going well with each other?"

"Suvi and I work great together, Pathfinder," Kallo assured him. "I have no complaints regarding her skills. I assure you that there would be no problem from us." Then he pointed to the screen in front of him. "That is a navigational system synced specifically for you." Scott played a little with it, testing its features.

"She's light, she's stealthy, and she's the fastest ship in her class. All yours," Vetra finished.

Marcus and Cora followed behind them and saw Scott officially taking command of the ship, and thus, his role as the Pathfinder. "So, Pathfinder," Marcus said, grinning to see him grinning. "Where are we going?"

Scott stood on the platform between them and hovered his hand forward. A holo sprang in front of him, showing him the map of the cluster. As each world glowed under his touch while he searched for the planet they need to go to, a memory of his father doing the same thing on this same platform sprang on his mind. It was surreal, almost as if his father's ghost was holding his hand, guiding him. He missed those times that Alec actually was, and even if he knew this was just his imagination, he felt just as comforted. Then he remembered what Alec had done to him and he banished that feeling quickly from his mind.

He found Eos and then they were gone.