Hey, Thatguy here, I'm letting ya'll know that I'm gunna try and push out a chapter a week, but it might not always happen.

Chapter 5

Consciousness slowly returned to me as my vision faded back into blue. A dull blue light behind me the only illumination in the dark room. The familiar voice of SAM brought me fully back to awareness, the blue light behind me flickering as it spoke.

"welcome back Scott."

Something was off though. Like I could hear SAM inside my head, not in my COMMs. "hey SAM, what happened?" I asked, leaning up off the medical bed I was laying on. The synthetic voice once again resounded in my head. "you were clinically dead for twenty-two seconds." I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to respond when Liam stood up from where he was sitting in the shadows. "hey, you're still with us!"

Liam walked over to me, a big smile on his face and keyed his omni-tool. "guys! Get to SAM node, Ryder's awake." He put a hand on my shoulder and I stretched my arms, looking back.

"Scott, who were you talking to?" I raised an eyebrow at him, again ready to answer then the door at the edge of the room opened. Dr. Lexi T'perro and Cora ran forward, Lexi immediately performing a checkup. "good to see you're awake. Look here, and here." She waved her omni-tool in front of my face, making me follow it with my eyes and head. When I looked left I noticed the black pathfinder helmet on the table next to me.

"fuck... did he make it?" Cora shook her head sadly. "it was your life or his, and he chose you, Scott." Tears welled up in my eyes for a second as more memories assaulted my frontal lobe, clearer than before. "I barely even knew him." I muttered under my breath as I struggled to keep my composure.

Cora took another step forward. "he once said that when he dies, he wants to go out under stars nobody had ever seen before." I gave her a weak smile. "well I guess he got his wish." I rubbed my eyes and tried to change the subject. "so, where am I?"

Lexi stepped forward, turning off her omni-tool. "we're in SAM node. SAM is now a part of you, Scott. In a way we don't fully understand. It played havoc on your brain." I looked around the room quickly, seeing the blue light was the holographic sphere that represented SAM. I made eye contact with it and it spoke over the intercom in the room. "Alec had Authorized the transfer of Pathfinder Authority to you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cora's features slump for a second before hardening to her usual military self again. "wait, wasn't that supposed to be Cora?" Cora responded with a nod. "in theory. Yes. But in reality... you're the new pathfinder, Scott." I raised an eyebrow, noticing her reservation in saying that. "Cora, I'm sorry. I wouldn't have had it play out this way." She nodded and Lexi spoke up as she walked over to one of the terminals in the room. "it's all academic anyways. SAM is connected to your mind on a deeper level now. Unravelling that could kill you." Great.

"well I guess this is a thing now." Cora nodded once more and decided this was a good time to give me a sit-rep. "Well Scott, this is the hand we've been dealt. I know it's a lot to take in, but we need to think about the people counting on us. The next step."

I took a second to think, remembering the dark clouds entangling the ship. "right. So, is the Hyperion still stuck?"

Liam jumped in. "that's the weird part. Whatever the pathfinder did on the surface, it cleared all that energy up. on our way to the rally point now, and we'll be at the nexus in a couple of hours." I nodded trying to get up as Lexi rushed forward to get me back in bed. "no, he needs to rest now." I waved her off, getting up on shaky legs. "It's fine doc. They'll need me for this. Just let me stretch out and I'll be fine."

Lexi nodded and the group started to leave SAM node. Liam turned around and walked back up for a second. "hey Scott. I checked on your sister while you were out. No change. But if you can pull through, she can too. Don't sweat it." I nodded once more and watching him leave the room.

As soon as I heard the door slide shut I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. SAM interrupted my moment of silence. "Your Father will be missed." Again, the synthetic voice was in my head, not over the intercom.

"Thanks SAM... but what's going on?"

The dull blue light pulsed as it spoke. "this is our private channel. I used to share it with him." I pulled at the fuzzy memories of the pathfinder but couldn't remember anything about that. "weird, don't remember him mentioning anything about it."

The blue light behind me pulsed again. "it allowed me to know him better. Alec wouldn't want us to lose sight of the goal. He once said pain emboldens our resolve. He'd insist we grow stronger from his passing." I nodded, and stood up slowly, leaving SAM node and exploring the ship for the next couple hours.

The door opened and Cora, Liam and I walked onto the Bridge of the Hyperion. Captain Dunn smiled at me as we walked up to her. "good to see you on your feet Ryder. We're coming up on the nexus now." I turned and looked out the observation port to see what almost looked like a prototype for the citadel. Two wide semi-circular blades connected at the center by a large ring with a docking bay for the arks in the middle. "hopefully the Salarian, Turian and Asari arks are there as well." The captain said, the sound of hope in her voice. I turned and gave her a smile. " well we'll have one hell of a story to tell them."

One of the crew below us reported to the captain. "ma'am. We're beginning our approach but I'm only getting their automated response, not a live person." Captain Dunn swore under her breath. "doesn't matter. We're here, take us in." Our docking protocol began and I turned to Cora and Liam. "hey, when we board the nexus, I want us armed. Side arms at least. Head down to the armory and I'll meet you by the airlock." They both nodded and headed to the Tram.

"construction should've been finished by now." Captain Dunn mumbled. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "don't worry, I'll go find out what's going on." She nodded and turned back to the observation port. A small shudder rolled down the ship as maglocks were engaged. Dunn turned to me. "well, I got us here. Head on down to see what the hell is going on. Good luck, Pathfinder." I gave a mock salute and headed for the tram, meeting up with my team as we loaded up.

I sat on the tram and gave my predator a once over before stowing it on my hip. The lack of sleep was catching up to me. Being dead for 22 seconds didn't help much surprisingly. I stood up and walked to the door as the tram slowed to a stop, nodding at Cora as I walked through the doors. In front of us was nothing but blackness. The only light was coming from the silhouette of the Avina VI standing a few feet away. "looks like everything's still on standby." Cora said, walking over to the VI.

I followed her lead and activated the VI, her silhouette brightening as she came to life. "Welcome to the nexus, gateway to andromeda. I'm Avina, a VI designed to assist you with immigration." I raised an eyebrow at the irony of the chipper attitude surrounded by the inky blackness. Liam butted in. "yeah, can you tell us where the welcoming party is hiding?" Avina flickered for a second, processing the inquiry. "I'm sorry, my code is limited to information and simple interaction simulations. Please select from one of my pre-programmed inquiries." A small blue screen came to life in front of her, listing a couple dozen basic questions about immigration and housing. Nothing that could help with our current situation. "that's all Avina, log off." I said, turning to my team. "she's not going to be much help. Let's scope this place out and see if we can fi-" the sound of a blowtorch interrupted my orders, and I instinctively grabbed my sidearm. Cora, put a hand on my forearm before I could draw, and I relaxed. "let's check it out" I whispered.

A dull orange glow flickered from behind a large stack of boxes, and we moved slowly, peeking around the corner. A man was bent over an open panel, welding a replacement part into place. I walked up behind him, calling to get his attention. "hey, we're from Ark Hyperion. Where'd everyone go?" The man stood up, mouth agape, backing away slowly. "d-did you say an ark?" I raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed. "I did, is that a problem or something?"

He shook his head, his face taking a friendlier tone. "no, it's just that... we thought you were all dead." I crossed my arms and Cora blinked in surprise as if not hearing him right. "what?" The man looked down at his hand, extending fingers as if counting. "or...y'know, captured, lost in dark space, stranded... you get the picture. But you're here now. You have no idea what this means!" Heavy footsteps caught my attention and I turned to see a male Turian walking towards us, the lights in his armor illuminating his distinctly avian features and the blue colony markings on his face.

His strangely synthetic voice echoed through the empty space. "I don't believe it." I gave the dumbfounded technician a smile and walked over to the large alien, extending a hand in greeting. He took it in his large three fingered hand and gave it a good shake. "I'm Tiran Kandros, leader of our militia here on the nexus." I finished the handshake and stepped back, introducing my team. "this is Cora harper and Liam Kosta of the pathfinder team. I'm Ja-err Scott Ryder." Goddammit, your name isn't James here, its Scott.

Kandros raised a brow plate for a second before continuing. "sorry for the confusion. Our sensors told us there was an Ark arriving, but the Heleus Cluster is known for scrambling equipment. We thought you were just another malfunction."

"I got a ship parked in the docking bay that says otherwise." I chuckled. Kandros's mandibles flared in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, it's just you're the first ark we've seen. After a year of no signs we shuttered the area and stopped looking. "

Liam butted in again. "you've been stranded for a whole year?"

"longer" Kandros replied. "I'll fill you in on the way to the OPs Center." With that he turned and headed for the Tram station, motioning for us to follow him.

I sat down on the tram as Kandros typed our destination into the computer. A small headache had begun pounding in the back of my skull, but now wasn't really the time to complain. Kandros sat down opposite me as the tram started moving. "everything that could've gone wrong has. Fourteen months ago, we hit one of those clouds of dark energy that knocked us off course. We call it the scourge. Lost whole sections of the station, Lot of people died. No power or food for months. Lots of chaos. All ending with a mutiny, more people died. We banished those responsible after the fights. Exiles we call them now."

I stared at him wide-eyed, unable to speak. Cora broke the silence. "are things back to normal?" Kandros turned to face her, shaking his pronged head. "not even close, but now that you're here maybe the worst is over." I nodded and stood up as the tram opened, Kandros leading us out. Liam tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention. "I'm gunna go check out the security situation. I'll catch up with you later." I waved him off as he ran towards the militia headquarters. Kandros lead us up a series of stairs and ramps to Operational Headquarters. There was a bustle going on.

"systems are green across the board. Preparing to filter power from the Hyperion to the Nexus Grid." A woman told a Large Krogan in a science uniform. Everyone stopped and turned when they saw us approach. A Salarian broke the silence stepping forward. "the crew of the Hyperion..." As he approached, Kandros patted me on the back before walking away. "good luck" he mumbled under his breath.

The salarian got closer and stopped a couple steps from me, followed by a human woman. "I am Juran Tann, director of the initiative. You have no idea how much your arrival means to us." I studied him for a second before responding. "well it was a hell of a trip. Glad to see some friendly faces, Tann." The woman stepped forward. "hungry faces, any supplies you can spare would be a huge boost to moral."'

The salarian shook his head slightly and continued. "this is Foster Addison, she oversees colonial affairs." He stopped, looking around behind us for a second. "where's the pathfinder?"

I took a deep breath. "you're looking at him. Alec died during an accident on Habitat seven. I'm Scott Ryder, his son." Addison took a step back, eyes wide. "Alec is dead? You have to understand. The entire initiative is at risk. All the golden worlds were a bust. And the other Arks are all MIA."

"what happened to the other arks?" Cora asked, her arms behind her back.

"unknown. Our supplies are nearly depleted. Rationing bought us some time but even that's running out." Tann relayed, sadness in his voice. Addison finished his statement. "we need resources. But that takes people, and we can't wake them up until they have somewhere to live. A golden world. Now more than ever we need a pathfinder."

Tann took a long look at me and seemed at least satisfied in what he saw. "that now falls to you Scott Ryder. Are you up to the task?" I nodded, putting my hands on my waist. "Of course I am. That's why I'm here, right?"

"youthful enthusiasm will only get you so far in andromeda." Addison talked down to me. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I was about to respond to the negativity when the Krogan beat me to it, stepping forward from the consoles. "that's no way to talk to a guest." A female krogan? I've never seen one of those before. "I'm Nakmor Kesh. Superintendent of this station. Hope they haven't scared you off already." I turned to face the large alien. "don't worry, I've had colder welcomes. Scott Ryder. Pleasure to meet you. "

Addison Cut Kesh off before she could respond. "Sorry, but now isn't the time for on-the-job training." Fuck you too, lady.

"well the new pathfinder seems willing to try. We could use a fresh perspective." Kesh fired back. At least someone is on my side. "you've heard my concerns. I'll leave you to it." Addison almost spat before walking off. Tann shook his head and motioned towards a door behind him. "we're all feeling the pressure. Let's have a private talk in my office Ryder. See about getting you a scout ship. Ill work out the details with your associate." He pointed towards Cora, who gave me a nod and followed Tann.

Kesh watched them go before turning back to me. "welcome to the nexus. Sorry for the less than stellar first impression." I gave the krogan a smile. "don't worry. I'm just glad you had my back there."

Kesh chuckled, turning to the large viewport in front of us. "hope is in short supply here. What little we have should be given a chance to bloom. Let me show you something." We both walked over to the viewport and looked out over the dark station. Lights began flickering on down the large fin, turning it from a hunk of metal into a veritable city of light and color. "Youd did this, just by showing up you kept the lights on. Now go see director Tann about making sure they stay on." I nodded and started towards the office.

Sorry about the lack of action in this chapter, but I wanted to get the intro to the nexus out of the way. Next chapter will have The first trip to Eos and the starting of the monoliths. Review or PM me with any questions, comments or concerns.