" No, no...if the radiation is that bad, the planet must be inhospitable," Sara argued with Tann over coffee in Tann's quarters. " If we can find the source of the radiation, if we could utilize the radiation-"
" It is too dangerous," Tann cut her off in growing agitation. After failing to hear a peep from her all day the moment they entered his apartment and he brought up how Eos was a complete failure, she turned on Pathfinder mode. " Too many people died for this,"
" And their sacrifices should mean something," Sara slammed her palm into the table and instantly regret it. " How many colonists are dead because we failed to provide proper protection? To account for an entirely different reality?"
" I hear you, Ryder, but no one - no one predicted this,"
" Then why are we giving up? Scientists don't quit if a theory is wrong. They conduct tests. Study life. Study change. Study structure. People are fallible. Science is not,"
Tann blinked and hung his head. Sara recognized the exhaustion. Everyone seemed to be at the breaking point lately. A lot of people regret coming to Andromeda. She felt for them but she already suffered rejection on a near universal level. This is nothing new to her.
" Tann, I'm not saying that life isn't hard here. What I'm saying is that we need to be chin up and press forward. Learn from the past, change the present, plan a future," Echoing her mother, heavens forbid her mother's memory actually heard her right now!, Sara almost believed herself. Almost.
" We are,"
" No, you aren't. You're existing. You're afraid. You've been burned and now are shy. As a man in your position, you need to shine and rain hope on people. Even if you're on death's edge. A pretty lie can make a painful death easier,"
Tann sighed. " Andromeda is your pretty lie,"
Sara shrugged. " Sometimes,"
" We are not as new to the darkness as you are," He whined.
" I know, which is why you need to put on the front. Pretend you know something. That the future is about to change-"
Tann leaned forward. " No one looks to me for hope, nor Addison for optimism or to the leadership as whole. Kandros and Kesh hold the people up and I need them to never falter,"
Sara nodded, biting herlip. Finally she checked the time on her omni tool. " I need sleep. We can start tomorrow on how to make people believe again. You need rest and you need to stop acting as if everything will shatter on a single small decision," Moving to stand, Sara leaned toward him. Tann reached for her hand and quickly grabbed it with an awkward gentleness. She pulled him into a hug and closed her eyes. " Everything can be fixed. You just have to believe,"
He stiffened.
She pulled away. " Sleep well, Director,"
Tann slumped down in his chair and remembered the hug. No one treated him as compassionately as Sara in a long time. He preferred it. It...touched him. For once he looked forward to another day in the Andromeda Galaxy. Moreso he wanted to make her smile and he didn't even know why.
The short walk back to her quarters gave Sara the opportunity to calm her nerves. She actually hugged Tann. He looked like he needed a hug and he didn't push her away. That was a positive, right?
She hummed to herself as she entered the apartment and called out to the nonexistent life partner. " Darling, I'm home," She kicked off her shoes and socks and dragged herself to the shower. Her clothes littered the floor behind her. Steam filled up the shower as she leaned against the wall eyes closed. Her palms pressed flat against the tile.
Resilience and Promise. Failed.
Countless lost to violent storms and radiation. No possible rebound plan. Pregnancy blockers still in place. Better that way until they found a prosperous home.
No escape from Andromeda.
What can she do except pray? And to what? God wasn't real. Science saved people. It gave them the ability to advance rapidly in many fields. Here they didn't have Mass Relays. Or Prothean technology to advance themselves.
" We can do this," She whispered in self-motivation. " We can be a hero. We can do this,"
It didn't feel like it yet and tomorrow she didn't expect anything to fundamentally change so soon. With a touch of hope she may be able to turn around people cynicism.
The hot water worked its wonders on still cryo thawing reflexes and she slinked off to the bed naked and exhausted. She fell asleep instantly.
Getting along without Sara to keep his steady, Scott relied on Cora and Vetra. Suvi and Kallo proved interesting to talk to, but neither really cared for weaponry or leadership. Kallo loved the ship as much as Gil, and Suvi prattled on about science as they scanned the planets in the current system before leaving the Nexus behind. It was Scott's way of making peace with leaving Sara behind without argument. No one bothered to press the issue of time to him even though Vetra informed him multiple times of the Nexus's dire position on surviving another year. Just how many times did Scott need to hear about the legendary Sarissa? At least in Dr. Lexi T'Perro he could chat medicine and her plans for her future whereas Vetra was secretative and uptight and Cora exuded military only talk aura.
Really, he was just disappointed that Sara needed to stay behind. Their careers separated them after school, and without a father or mother around, he wanted to ensure he didn't lose her either. Being an orphan did not suit either of them. The Tempest is a thing of marvel and beauty and to hear Kallo speak of it in nothing short of glowing terms assured him that it would serve everyone well. After all, if three drunk krogan and a c-sec battering ram failed to shatter the window between them and space, then he doubted much else would beside the scourge.
If he were honest with himself, he expected her to fall head over heels for Tann Jarun and he couldn't prevent it. Any salarian but Tann...Sara always had a thing for serious men though. The one time she dated a human it was a biotic who loved science and worshipped the Protheans more or less. Then she entered her career field and bye bye humans HELLO salarians.
Hovering at the research station, he reviewed his research options on the limited resources available to him. Better weaponry and armor is necessary, but Gil mentioned something about Mako's upgrade, Nomad. Nomad's ranked higher than the Mako according to the engineer and Gil wanted his hands on one.
" Pathfinder," Vetra moved past him carrying a datapad.
He glanced at its shielded contents, unable to make much out. She encrypted her datapad just like Sara. " Vetra...Does Sid...find Andromeda safe?"
" No," Vetra stopped in her tracks. She towered over him and yet he didn't care. She protected his back. He barely tolerated Kosta. Two people in an escape pod did not necessarily make a wonderful friendship. " She's never left the station,"
Scott would change that. He wanted even the most junior of colonists to feel safe. " One day she will, and when she does, you'll be begging her to stay off the station to start a new life," She tried to appear positive, except her shoulders stayed squared and her head returned automatically back to the datapad.
" Pathfinder, do you know when we'll be touching down on Eos?" Kosta jogged up to him. He twisted his wrist executing pull ups somehow and Dr. T'Perro warned Kosta to take it easy. Scott doubted the former HUSTL would and assured Dr. T'Perro another visit would take place soon.
Scott accessed the console. " Soon,"
" Yeah? How many people are going planetside?"
" Everyone except Kallo, Suvi, Gil, and Dr. T'Perro," Scott replied briskly. " Kosta, before we make it to Eos, try not to break anything. I need everyone on their toes,"
He put both his hands up, already grinning.
" I mean it, Kosta. We don't know what we're going to find down there, and Sara's email isn't reassuring. She made it multiple pages filled with emphasis on how awful the radiation is and how we need to be wary of the Kett. Too many reports of the Kett attacking colonists," Scott scanned down the list of weaponry that the Initiative brought with them and it current schematics. Even though they just arrived, he suspected people would make modications soon enough to the basic designs. Build prototypes. He needed to outfit his team with the best he could find as often as he could to stay on top and survive.
Liam Kosta backed away. " I won't break anything till we land on the planet," He promised before escaping to the cargo bay where he worked out and plotted his attempts at bringing people together. Scott acknowledged that Kosta did serve a purpose. He just wished that Kosta wasn't so reckless.
