Hey there! Somewhere in the Jaal loyalty mission Ryder says: "Eos is my home." That kinda clicked and this happened...
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Chapter 16, Rainbow
She activated the Vidcon. "Talk to me Suvi, what is this signal?"
"It's coming from Podromos. Playing..."
'Pathfinder, this is Bradley. We're under attack. The skies are threatening, no ground assault yet. We need you.'
"That's it? That's the entire message? That's extremely vague."
Suvi confirmed it. "That's all. Now who would dare attack Podromos? Your first outpost..."
"It's like they're making a statement." Stephanie frowned. "And it's not Kett. Bradley would have mentioned if it was Kett."
She didn't hesitate. "Kallo, set course for Podromos. On the double."
"Yes Pathfinder."
OOO
"There's a signal coming from Blackrock tande. It worries me. A lot." Bradley had his arms crossed in his typical stance but his voice carried a hint of concern.
"I'm glad you called. Eos is my home. Whoever's threatening Eos will have to deal with me." Stephanie nodded at the Mayor.
"I knew I called the right person. Good luck Pathfinder."
Stephanie, Jaal and Peebee jumped in the Nomad and raced off, leaving Bradley in a cloud of dust.
During the drive she thought about her words. Eos is my home.
It was true. She felt a deep, warm connection to the planet. Yes, it was a place of tragedy, as so many settlers had died in horrible conditions. The first two outposts, Promise and Resilience had withered under the relentless Kett attacks and the uncaring, deadly radiation.
But Eos was also a place of hope. With great fondness she thought of unlocking her first vault, dramatically altering the climate and vastly improving the living conditions. Radiation gone. Lovely weather, lovely warmth.
The seismic hammers had triggered underground rivers, forcing them to the surface. The abundance of water, combined with the nearly magical effect of the vault were rapidly transforming a huge section of Eos into fertile soil. Director Addison had jumped on the opportunity and two more outposts, mainly focused on food production were being completed right now. Yes, farms on Eos. Plenty of water. Soon, plenty of food.
Addison had opened wide the Nexus' seed vaults. Wheat, corn, beans, potatoes, grapes, strawberries, pears and apples... the first sprouts were already peaking out of the ground, a stunning sight for those aware of Eos' history. The planet was primed to become the main food supplier for the entire Andromeda Initiative. Strawberries! Can hardly wait for strawberries!
And Eos had given her Peebee. Her eyes sparkled with appreciation as she thought of the young asari. Peebee had given her so many things. Friendship. Fun. Excitement. Peebee had given her an additional reason to excell in every single mission. She's awesome. I love being around her.
"I recognise this..." Jaal interrupted her thoughts, "it's a Roekaar signal. Ryder, I suspect Aksull is trying to test you."
"Test me? By attacking civilians? What a reckless idiot!" Growling with anger Stephanie put her foot down, pressing the pedal all the way to the floor. The Nomad shot forwards and Jaal and Peebee screamed, one with terror and the other with delight.
"Ryder! Don't kill us before we get there!"
"Faster! Come on!"
Stephanie laughed out loud. "Hang on!" The Nomad had received some upgrades and she nearly clocked 200MPH before jumping of a mountain.
"AAAAAHH!" Jaal's knuckles were turning white (which is remarkable if you consider his original color) from tightly holding on to his chair.
Peebee giggled, obviously enjoying herself. At the last possible moment Stephanie fired the thrusters, giving the Nomad a somewhat smooth landing before accelarating once more.
"If my mothers c-could see me now," Jaal cried, "at the mercy of a mad woman..."
"Relax, it's fine." Peebee smiled. "At least it's not a boring drive."
"I choose life!"
Fortunately for him they'd arrived at Blackrock Tande and Stephanie finally eased her foot of the pedal.
It turned out to be true. Roekaar had set up camp and after taking them out Jaal pointed to a spiky gadget. "Roekaar device, used to call dropships from orbit. It's their favorite tactic.
"Damn!" Stephanie couldn't believe it. Aksull was going to attack our outpost? "What the actual heck!? His war is with the Kett!"
Why attack Podromos? He wants to provoke me?
She clenched her hands into fists. Sensed a fiery rage swelling within. Well he's got my attention. Let's see how he likes it...
She turned to Jaal. "Why does Akksul hate us so much? Why doesn't he understand we're very different than the Kett?"
"I'm sorry Ryder," Jaal sighed, "he hates all ousiders. Remember, he was imprisoned and tortured by the Kett."
Stephanie grinned painfully. "I'm sure that was rough on him. But the Initiative just wants to help."
"I know that." Jaal stated. "But convincing Aksull may be impossible..."
She was thinking. Aksull had his eyes on Podromos. She couldn't linger here, just waiting for him to attack. How could she tackle this threat head on?
Trap!
"Aksull wants an outpost... so we'll give him one."
"Ryder...?" Jaal frowned.
"We'll place the beacon at Resilience, site 2. And we'll wait for him."
"...good thinking."
Stephanie was already on the move. "Everyone got that? Roekaar welcoming party at Site 2!"
The rebel Angara had brought a heavy mech with them but they were still no match for her Vanguard charge and Jaal and Peebee's swift attacks. They got their victory but it felt hollow as Aksull himself did not show.
"That bastard! Having others die is of no concern to him. He didn't even leave his shuttle. Now I really want to take his head off!"
"At least the threat to Podromos has been averted." Peebee tried to calm her.
"Good point. But we'll have confront him soon. Who knows what that moron will think of next."
'Soon' proved to be an understatement as Jaal informed her that 3 of his brothers and sisters had joined the Roekaar
"Aksull has poisoned them with his lies... and I promised my mothers I'd get them back."
"Then let's go get them." She decided.
"You're a true friend Ryder. I'm pleased to know you."
OOO
Their shuttle landed at the Forge. Stephanie had hoped for a peaceful talk but the Roekaar were making that impossible. As soon as they noticed an Alien the enraged Angarans grabbed their guns, making for a extremely bloody path to Akksul.
"So much violence." Peebee breathed.
Stephanie winced. She despised taking angaran lives but they were not giving her a choice. "This is stupid! The angara and the Nexus should work together."
"How can we, if you are such monsters?" Aksull finally revealed himself and Ryder raised her gun.
"Martyr me. Please. I dare you." He chuckled like a dog.
In a flash she understood. He was a madman, hoping his death would cause a war between the Angara and the Nexus.
Don't shoot.
Still, his arrogant smug attitude was rrreally getting to her. Her finger twitched on the trigger.
"It's very tempting."
Aksull laughed in her face before turning to the gathered Roekaar. "The aliens take our planets. Our resources. Make us weak."
"No." Jaal stated. "Ryder has activated Vaults. Making our planets habitable."
"To what end? So they can push us out?"
"She is a friend to the Angaran people. She has rescued our beloved Moshae. The Moshae trusts her!"
Aksull was losing it. He pointed his gun at Jaal, "Why do we have to listen to this traitor?"
It took all of Stephanie's willpower to not squeeze the trigger. Trust Jaal.
She couldn't believe it when Aksull actually fired. Jaal's head whipped back but it was only a flesh wound.
Total silence.
The Roekaar stared at Aksull, doubt in their eyes. A few of them threw away their guns in disgust. Soon most of them simply turned their back.
Excellent. He's losing credibility... this is a significant victory!
"We're done. It's clear who the monster is." Jaal turned to his brothers and sister. "Let's get you home."
Back on the Tempest she quickly checked on him. "How's your face?"
He laughed. "I think my scar will be impressive."
"Now you're gonna look even more badass."
"And more appealing?"
"No doubt. Just look at all the dates Drack is getting."
"Come to Podromos. We owe you Pathfinder. Again." Bradley was as cryptic as ever, "our colonists wish to give you something."
So she had selected Drack and Peebee to accompany her, the two crew members who'd originally joined her on Eos. Since it was a lovely hot day with not a Kett in sight she decided to leave the armor at home and go with a frivolous attire. Peebee joined her example but no-one dared to guess what Drack's street clothes would look like. Probably something with skulls.
As they exited the Tempest they found a slender young man waiting for them. "My name's Colt, I'm Bradley's asistant. It's an honour, Pathfinder. I'm going to show you our gift."
"Call me Steph," Ryder nodded, "where are we going?"
He pointed to the cliffs in the West, close to where she'd planted the transmitter for the HNS. "It's about two miles. Ready for a walk?"
Making their way to 'the gift' was a joy by itself. Eos was baking in the sun and the lovely heat was getting all the way to their bones. Good thing they'd decided on summery clothes and shorts. The planet was literally breathing a new beginning: The special smell of Petrichor, combined with the grey clouds in the distance told the story of rain. Rain on Eos.
Stephanie looked back at their footprints in the wet sand. Unbelievable!
Peebee sensed it as well. "That smells terrific!" The young maiden was eagerly inhaling through her nose, taking in the unexpected smell. "Eos is changing so fast... super!"
"Super is right. In less than two months Eos has become a different planet."
"Indeed." Colt nodded. "I've been here since the beginning. This weather is... remarkable."
"You were part of the first outpost?"
"Correct. For 6 weeks I was a junior science assistant at Resilience. I lost my aunt to Kett attacks and my uncle to radiation." As he spoke weariness crept into his voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother you with sad stories."
"Oh no." Steph gave him an honest look, "There's a lot of hurt in Eos's past. We should not forget that. We should not forget the sacrifice made by the first settlers. We have to remember them."
"My aunt and uncle... I wish they could see Eos today. Rain. Water. No Kett. No radiation. I would like t-them to see that their efforts were not in vain."
Something in his voice made Stephanie pause. She embraced the fragile boy. "I'm sorry about your family."
"T-Thank you..."
"Do you have relatives on the Nexus?" Drack asked.
"My mother, sister and brother. He looked at the ground, "but they're still in Cryo. Director Tann says they're nonessental. But I miss them so much..."
"Pfft!" Drack snorted. "Director Tann..."
Stephanie made a mental note but remained silent for now. They walked a good distance, with the Sheartop to their right.
"This is the place," Colt finally stated as they approached a rock formation. Around the corner they found a standard outpost house, but what was that sound?
"Super!" Peebee awed, "a waterfall!"
"Wow!" Steph wowed.
Even Drack looked impressed.
About 20 feet high and a few feet wide, the falling water was an unbelievable sight. A vivid rainbow hung over the large, inviting pool at its feet.
Colt gave them a few seconds to take it all in, "The river comes above ground about a mile west from here. It slows down just before your waterfall. And on the other side..." they followed the stream around the house, "is where we constructed a hot tub. We filter the river's water and heat it."
Stephanie couldn't believe her eyes. A hot tub! They wanted to give her a house? With a waterfall? And a hot tub! "No way! This is too much... I don't deserve this."
"Bradley told me that's how you would respond." Colt grinned. "His exact words were 'Just ignore her objections'. So there."
She felt her omni-tool vibrate.
"I sent you the entry code for the house. That concludes our business. Goodbye Pathfinder. And... thank you."
"What... what did just happen?" Stephanie felt her mouth hanging open and used her hand to close it. She looked at the waterfall once more, listened to the soothing sound. 'I can't believe..."
"They gave you a house." Peebee giggled. "With a waterfall. And a rainbow!"
"That's a lot of water..." Drack mused.
They slowly walked around the house again before arriving at the front door. Stephanie hummed cheerfully, "...let's give it a name. Every good house needs a name."
"You give names to houses? Humans are weird." Drack snorted.
"We are," Ryder giggled, "how about sunshine? or waterfall? or rainbow? Too simple?"
Peebee touched her lip in a cute thoughtful gesture. "I like rainbow! But that smell after rain... what was that called again?"
"Petrichor."
"Would that be an ok name?"
"I like it. That would be a nice name. But almost nothing can beat rainbow."
"Then rainbow it is."
Steph smiled at the young asari. "Check."
"Let's stay here for a while..." Drack rumbled as he waded into the water, "I smell fish!"