Mayor Kariste Archana emerged from one of the landed transport ships and stood still momentarily, taking glance of the Tempest frigate ship's chosen landing area upon the flattened sandy dunes in the distance. Her eyes shifted over to the site of the blackened shambles of the Nomad vehicle before fixing her gaze onto the human Pathfinder who had stood in patient waiting outside range of the transport ship's landing zone. Kariste walked forward, out loudly stating her surprise, "Wow! You weren't kidding, Ryder! That IS a wreck."

Scott spun around to walk in stride together with the Asari, starting the approach in direction of the obliterated vehicle. Volunteer outpost workers had previously arrived to aid in the recovery effort by spreading out across the site to collect the splintered metal fragments. The human man paid in respect, "And here lies the Nomad in pieces."

Kariste shot a brief narrowed look toward Pathfinder Ryder and injected, "In all seriousness, Ryder, considering that this type of weapon wasn't issued to the Initiative, it's very possibly that there were a large sum of these type of weapons illegally transported into Andromeda by a black market standard. The Andromeda Initiative made the RPG weapon illegal for all good purposes to avoid something like this."

Pathfinder Ryder corresponded, "This was not intended for the Kett, Mayor. Whoever brought or obtained that weapon has a personal vendetta if they are meaning serious business to take me down. There was a large lump sum of credits given out to these scavengers with the additional bonus if I was handed over to the person gunning for me. If it wasn't for Sky then I might have ended up as a wall trophy."

One after the other, Mayor Archana and Scott slipped between two buildings in order to appear within the circle of surrounding structures. Kariste turned her head side-to-side, making glimpses between the workers and the handful of Tempest's crew members spread out and sorting through the raider group's supplies that were left behind. The Asari stopped together with Ryder and returned focus onto the human, displaying a curious look, "Did you happen to find the weapon? Finding out who manufactured the weapons might provide us with a clue to who is assembling the black market establishment here in Andromeda."

Ryder slowly shook his head and supplied response, "I'm presuming whoever took the shot at the Nomad ducked out immediately after. My team and I couldn't find the body or the rocket launcher."

The Asari grimaced her blue lips into a frown. She acknowledged a disappointed sound, "I see." Kariste changed her direction to face the Pathfinder and implied formal respect, "Well, I'll try to help in any way that I can, Ryder. We're not hurting for capable volunteers, we have the Krogan on our side and we're making good time with a third outpost. I'll put some ears out there for you."

Scott nodded in gratitude, "I appreciate it, Mayor Archana."

Kariste planted her hands onto her hips while curling the corner of her blue lips into a smirk and expressed astonishment, "I have to say your crew member Zeemi'yanya is quite the surprise.. for all of us! I didn't anticipate that the Quarians would be so beautiful. That Nanotechnology is definitely worth dipping our research into."

Ryder crossed his arms over his chest and grinned to himself in response, "I have a suspicion that the Quarians might give Tann a hard push on the subject."

The female Turian's voice exclaimed, "Scott!"

Scott and Mayor Kariste Archana directed their attention onto Vetra Nyx quickly racing up to meet with the Pathfinder. Vetra excitedly boasted, "Scott, I've got some good news and some really good news! The good news is; I've forgiven you for getting the Nomad blown up. The really good news; our requisition order has been pitched through for a new vehicle! We're getting the new Nomad model vehicle! It's equipped with the all-terrain functions AND it can float in water! Now we can drive and travel through water! FREE OF CHARGE!"

The Initiative Pathfinder brightly smiled and offered appreciation, "No kidding?! Free? I'm impressed, Vetra. You're one wonderful woman that I can certainly count on."

The Turian's mandibles wiggled, displaying a bashful mannerism, "Having close ties with a Pathfinder has its perks." Vetra quickly added, "We'll have to leave Elaaden to make the pick-up. My supplier has it waiting for us at Kadara's port."

Ryder nodded acknowledgement and hailed the artificial intelligence, "Sam, get the crew rounded up. We're heading back to Kadara." Scott returned his focus to the Asari and offered, "Keep me posted on anything that you find, Mayor Archana."

Kariste Archana gave a nod, "Will do."

.

.

Doctor Lexi T'Perro had raised the orange light from her Omni-tool's scanner to shine over the human Pathfinder's head.

"There's no sign of internal link disruptions between your implant and Sam's connection, Scott. Everything is perfectly normal.. considering that Sam might have accidently zapped you. But more likely than not, this wasn't one of Sam's practical jokes. If it's true that the Artificial Intelligence scrambler device has something to do with this then we need to figure out a way to counter its interference frequencies to Sam's scanning systems. Those devices are going to become very problematic for the both of you."

"HA! Got another one!" Gil's voice chanted from the cargo bay.

The Asari doctor rolled her eyes together in the motions of a head shake. Lexi heavily sighed, "Sounds like Gil's lured in another victim. I'm not the slightest curious to know who's been stripped down to their underwear this time." Lexi clicked off the Omni-tool's medical scanner and lowered her arm to her side. She spoke in earnest, "Scott, if you experience another jolt of unexpected pain you need to address me immediately. We might have to make a trip to SAM Node on the Hyperion to run a full diagnostics scan."

Ryder hopped down from the medical table and half-turned to the medical officer with a sly grin, "I've had worse things happen than a shot of pain in the head, Lexi."

"I'm serious, smart ass." Lexi momentarily narrowed her eyes into a glowered look but had also displayed a devious smirk of amusement. "When you go out there don't be surprised if you find everyone stark-naked. Gil has made the cargo bay into an exhibition of nudity."

Scott muttered under his breath, "I really shouldn't investigate but it's become part of the babysitting duties.." Pathfinder Ryder lined for the cargo bay and made his appearance known once he had come through one of the door sets into the bay. Scott quickly raised one of his hands to cover over his eyes and shouted, "WHAT THE FUCK?! SARA! PUT A SHIRT ON!"

Sara Ryder grumbled dismissal, "I still have my bra on, dummy. It's not like you've seen me like this before."

The human man turned his head away while shielding his eyes in the effort to avoid stumbling over crates in his approach toward the makeshift poker table. The other figures that sat around the table included Gil Brody, Lamees dus Conta, and Sky.

Scott protested, "This is different! You're.. a.. girl with.. um.. what girls have.. This is leaning toward an awkward moment.." Scott had chosen a place to stand to keep his hand as a shield from the sight of his half-dressed sibling. He narrowed his eyebrows to glare at the engineer. "Gil? Really? I thought you were going to turn over a new leaf."

The Tempest's engineer shrugged, "Ah well, I'm investing my time in as much as possible before Meri and Dian are born."

Sara warily quipped, "Playing poker is what you consider investing time? Shouldn't you be learning how to change diapers?"

Gil cocked an eyebrow as he looked toward Sara and made polite retort, "Agreeing to participate isn't exactly helping me along now is it, Sara?"

Sky injected, "You have instigated the match, Gil."

The chief engineer glanced up to Sky and protested in a hurtful sound, "Aw, Sky, why do you have to be like that? Ratting me out to the Pathfinder.."

Scott raised his attention onto Sky, whom still retained his full dark silver armor without a helmet that had, at last, provided the unveiling of Sky's head.

The both sides and the back of Sky's head were covered with short-trimmed raven black-colored hair while the top of the humanoid's head was covered in thick locks of longer medium-length wavy hair. A thick wave of shimmering hair dropped over the right side of Sky's face while escaped strands hung above both of his sea green-colored eyes.

Scott Ryder made his surprise known, "Whoa, Sky! I never imagined you with a full head of hair. Cyborgs are capable of growing hair?"

Sky responded in monotone, "I will insist that Peebee give Jaal coffee."

Lamees raised a curious look toward Sky's direction and asked earnestly, "Coffee? What is coffee?"

The Ryder siblings exchanged anxious looks. Scott provided the reply, "Um, it's.. As long as you don't drink it there shouldn't be any problems for us to worry about."

"Is it poisonous?" The female Jardaan made a worried expression.

The human Pathfinder started to turn away, offering a gentle shrug, and called out, "Just don't drink it.. for all our sakes. I'm heading off to my quarters if anyone wants to find me." Scott Ryder casually jogged making the return course for one of the cargo bay doors leading into the long corridor. He passed under the door's metal framework and began approach for the Pathfinder's private quarters but had suddenly been grabbed onto by a strong grip before being forcibly pulled into the crew's quarters.

"Wha-" Scott yelped out of surprise as he was dragged further into the vast room and pulled out of range for the doorway to seal shut.

The female Quarian quickly released Scott's arm and took a step back.

Ryder fixated his surprised expression onto the Quarian berserker. Zeemi had dressed down from the green and black environmental suit into a dark green bodysuit with a low front that showed the top of her bust. The middle-top of Zeemi's hairline was hidden under a wide overlap of gradually darkened green skin that smoothly contoured over the top of her head into the shape of a short-length horn made of flesh. Her long locks of ocean blue-colored hair were strung into a loose ponytail and brought around to lay over one of her slender shoulders. The various areas of Zeemi's bare skin were also consistent with the deepened green hues of vertical striping running on the outsides of her thighs and the both sides of her shins. The Quarian's short pointed ears were slightly flattened against the sides of Zeemi's head while the earlobes directly connected onto the back of the jawline.

"Ryder, we need to talk-"

The Initiative's human Pathfinder hastily injected with a gaped expression, "Zeemi?! Is that you?!"

Zeemi's eyebrows narrowed into an annoyed look while expressing her agitation, "Would you shut up and listen?!" She stepped away, crossing her arms under her medium round bust, in silent waiting for Scott to nod his head before she continued, "I need to talk to you about the Nanotechnology. This is going to be the breakthrough for my people to FINALLY have a solution to our problem! I've sent my blood test results to Valinn to show to Director Tann that the Nanotechnology will benefit the Quarians! We can live our lives without worrying about a small scrape turning into a fever! Ryder, we have to push this through."

"You don't need to convince me, Zeemi. It's Tann that we have to worry about."

The Quarian briefly turned her head away expressing a soft sigh, "My people need this technology. I need your help on this, Ryder." She lifted her oval-shaped face, diverting a stern look up to Scott, "There was something else; it's about Lexi- she won't get off my case about my anger management problems. Unfortunate for her; this is who I am!"

Scott cocked his eyebrow into a worried look, clearing his throat to softly ask, "And just who are you? I thought you were part Krogan."

"Bosh'tet! If you're not going to take me seriously-"

Ryder offered a gentle chuckle and quickly added, "Take it easy, Zeemi! I was being sarcastic.." He took in a deep breath and slowly corresponded an evened temperament, "Why don't you tell me a little bit about what made you into you, Zeemi? I've not had the chance to get to know more about you."

Zeemi huffed, bringing a calm demeanor upon herself, and shifted her weight onto the other leg.

"If you must know my pilgrimage wasn't the most happiest fairytale to be told. I was young and naïve when I took station upon a space colony shared between Turians and humans. The system was a hot spot for pirates and other such assholes that liked to plunder for whatever supplies they could get. I lived on the colony for only a few months, offering help and generosity to everyone in order to earn my keep. One of the unexpected days came, when I was in the middle of taking inventory for the supply crates that came in, the sound of gunfire had started coming from outside of the depot. I quickly sealed myself into one of the supply crates to hide.. So happens, this specific supply crate was included into the hijack." Zeemi gradually spun her head away and stared at nothing in particular. "The pirates didn't expect to find me in their stolen supply cache. I had no weapons, or any other means, to defend myself. They took it upon themselves to make it into a sport of torture.. They took my vaccination supplies and nutrient paste, my hands were bound together and my suit was punctured before they threw me back into the supply crate. It was hell, Ryder."

Scott quickly asked in worry sound, "That's fucking barbaric! They had to know that Quarians have weak immune systems! How long were you trapped?"

"I don't remember how long I was trapped in that crate but during the time I had become very sick. No one took pity on me, so, I either would be faced with death or try to find a way to get out. One of my hands came loose out of the bind for me to use my Omni-tool. I managed to hack the crate's lock and broke it open from the inside. The next challenge was sneaking through the pirate's spacecraft without getting caught while enduring through the state of sickness. They probably didn't expect that I would survive and escape the crate but I had to learn quick how to survive without being found. Learn how to kill without being killed."

"How did you overcome your sickness?"

"My immune system struggled to adapt but I managed to pull through it until I found first aid supplies. Luckily, there were Turian smugglers on board for me to make the most out of their food supplies. After that, I decided to pick them off to gain control of their ship.. without realizing that I was in their territory, it turned into another quick shit storm... Yet again, I was captured but this time they decided not to torture me. Their leader, a Krogan named Zarn, was impressed by a lone Quarian picking off an entire crew of smugglers. When I came within close proximity I stabbed him right in the fucking balls!"

Ryder gritted his teeth and instinctively dropped one of his hands down to cover his groin.

"Ahem. You know, that's a very fragile place to be stabbing someone."

Zeemi answered in cold bitterness in her glowered look toward the human Pathfinder, "Yeah, well, when you're faced with uncertainty, you're only option is to go for the nut shot.. I wonder if the Kett have-"

"Let's not go there, Zeemi. And, no, they don't. Hence, the exaltation process." Scott cleared his throat, "Continue."

"Right. Zarn didn't seem phased about his nuts being injected with my knife. He removed the weapon and started laughing about the situation.. I was commended for my efforts and then offered a job.. I didn't know what to make of it at the time but.. opting out of the offer probably would have meant impending doom. From then on, everything that I've learned and know has come from Zarn."

Scott noted out loud, "That explains your Krogan-like personality and why Morda likes you."

Zeemi shrugged and brought down her arms to place her hands upon her slender hips. The female Quarian gloated, "I have battle scars to prove how awesome I am."

Ryder's expression showed a nonchalant appeal as he replied, "Uh huh."

"Ryder," The Salarian pilot's voice hailed over the Tempest's broadcast communicator, "can you come to the bridge? We.. we're having some abnormalities showing up in the Tempest's systems."

Suvi's voice spoke in addition, "I wonder if that AI blocker had something to do with it."

The Pathfinder called over the transmitter, "Hold on, I'll be on my way up!" Scott whipped around prior his charge out of the door and proceeded through the Tempest on direct course for the bridge's location.

The lighting systems rapidly flickered, turning from vivid brightness to dim red color, briefly flashing the yellow-colored caution lights, and slowly returned to normal glow.

Peebee's voice rang out from the escape pod room, "Who's messing with the light switch?! I like to see where I'm going! Thanks!"

Scott demanded out loud, "Sam?! What's going on?"

The artificial intelligence provided calm answer, "I am unable to detect the cause of the power grid's fluctuation. My scanning systems provide a normal read out on the Tempest's systems. I can process an in-depth system defragment and conduct scans for computer system viruses."

Lieutenant Cora Harper charged from the bio lab to hastily pursue after the human Pathfinder toward the bridge's opening doorway. Cora proclaimed with military composure, "Ryder, this needs to be fixed otherwise it might integrate into the Tempest's networking systems! What if we try scanning around the ship? Maybe there's a fault or virus that is forcing Sam's systems to ignore whatever it is that is causing the problems."

The two Initiative personnel rushed through the opened doorway leading into the bridge room, Scott raced for the starboard control while the human Biotic turned toward Kallo's direction.

Pathfinder Ryder worriedly demanded, "Where are we at, Kallo?" He briefly glimpsed through the viewing window finding that the frigate ship was in the process of warp traverse.

"We're coming upon the Govorkam system. I'm inputting the landing coordinates for Kadara." The Salarian whipped his head's direction to look up to Scott and expressed obvious worry, "Ryder, this has never happened before! The bugs were all worked out before this ship was prepped for its first launch here in Andromeda. Sam can't possibly be malfunctioning, either!"

Ryder nodded in agreement toward the Lieutenant, "I agree with Cora. We need to scan the ship to find the problem but let's first get on solid ground before running diagnostics.. I'm not particular about the life support systems accidently shutting down while we're traveling in space."

Suvi announced, "We've come out of warp. Approaching planet Kadara. Ryder, shall we head for Kadara's port or head for the Ditaeon outpost?"

"Let's go to the port. We'll pick up the new Nomad while we're there."

Kallo quickly implied, "We're receiving a hail from Kadara's port. Accepting transmission."

The voice of Keema Dohrgun pitched urgently over the broadcast speakers, "Ryder, just the right Pathfinder I was looking for!"

Scott questioned, slightly hinting suspicion, "Keema?"

Keema hurriedly spoke, "We've got a problem, Ryder. Do you remember Jyarra Vonx? The new Roekaar resistance leader?"

The human man murmured his disdain, "How could I forget.." Scott crossed his arms over his chest, making a worried look, "What's the problem?"

"She's escaped just moments before your ship showed up in the star system! She took out some of the guards and has taken the rest of the Roekaar prisoners with her. Reyes is trying to track her down. Jyarra is exceedingly dangerous and must be stopped, Ryder! I'm afraid of what she'll do if she catches Reyes off-guard."

Scott responded diligently, "You're in luck, we're here to pick up a big package. We'll be coming down into the port soon, Keema. Send us Reyes' last coordinates. I'll get a team prepped."

Keema applauded gratitude, "Thank you, Ryder! Sending you the coordinates. Please be careful!"

After the transmission had switched off Lieutenant Harper came around from behind the pilot's seat and stood at attention in front of Pathfinder Ryder. The human man gradually spun to face into Cora's direction.

Cora began elaboration, "Ryder, I'll remain on board to moderate the Tempest's systems and run the scans. I insist that I have Sky's help on this. Whatever is messing with Sam's systems I believe that Sky's interfacing capabilities can locate the source of the problem. That Nanotechnology can do a lot more good than just repair blood vessels - it works on computer systems, too. That computer chip in Sky's brain is a whole different level of tech compared to our Biotic implants. Sky can create a direct link into our implants- the augment that kept you alive, for example. Sky will be able to have a pin-point on your exact location and give you power boosts. He has also allowed you to have access to some of his abilities."

Scott cocked an eyebrow into wide surprise and conveyed demanding sound in his inquiry, "Why didn't I get this information sooner?"

The Lieutenant respectfully quipped, "Reading his dossier may provide more insight, Ryder."

Kallo muttered under his breath, "It'd be easier for Ryder to just have a picture book."

"Kallo!" Suvi suddenly gawked, displaying a shocked look on her face as she spun her head to look upon the Salarian. The science officer lowered her voice to a lecturing whisper, "Kallo, that's not very nice! And he can hear you."

The Salarian pilot gently shrugged with reply, "I'm just being facetious, Suvi."

The human Pathfinder lightly shrugged in dismissal, disregarding the conversation at hand. Scott slipped passed the Lieutenant starting his way toward the armory and announced the order, "Get the team suited up."