An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Ryder wakes to find her father is dead and he named her Pathfinder. She must navigate a strange, new galaxy whilst undertaking a task she had no preparation for. No big deal. It's not like she's got entire species expecting her to find them new worlds, delivering on the "Golden Worlds" promise that the Initiative sold them. And it's also not like she's got new aliens to deal with and Kett to kill. She can totally manage. No problem, whatsoever.
A retelling of Mass Effect: Andromeda with heavy focus on the Jaal/Ryder romance.
Her stomach groans so loudly that it's impossible to ignore.
Ryder's hands land on her stomach, massaging it as if that would help, even though she knows it's desperately in need of food. She tries to recall the last time she ate, and when she realises it was well before they landed on Meridian, she alters course and heads for the galley.
She had planned on getting some reports done, especially after listening to Kallo say that he thinks the salarian ark was given to the kett, and having a debriefing with Tann about Meridian. She had been a little bit glad that the salarian leader had finally come around, even though Meridian didn't go the way she had planned… but now she's too damn tired and hungry to deal with anything else.
When she arrives, she quickly pours herself some cereal, and sits down at the table, pushing a shotgun out of the way. She shakes her head and fiddles with her omni-tool, bringing up the ship-wide comms. 'Do we need to have a talk about basic house rules? No guns on the table!'
'Sorry about that Ryder,' Peebee's voice quickly comes. 'I was starving but working on a new mod for my pistol.'
Ryder pauses, spoonful of cereal halfway to her mouth. 'It's… it's a shotgun, Peebee.' She frowns, dropping her spoon. 'Wait a minute, are you all mod'ing your weapons on the kitchen table?'
When the few murmurs of agreement filter in through her mind, Sara feels her frown deepen. 'What the hell guys, we have a Tech Lab right there! That's what it's for!'
'Yeah, and we used to use it,' Liam replies and even though Sara can't see him, she can damn well hear the grin on his lips. 'But none of us really wanna walk in on you and Jaal… doing stuff.'
Even though the memory of an hour or so ago is still fresh in her mind, Sara sputters with indignation. 'Look, Jaal and I are not going to be doing stuff in the Tech Lab,' she declares, sending a quick message to Jaal, warning him not to contradict her. 'I mean, I have a perfectly good room right there if we were doing things.' Her words come back to her. 'Not that we are! I mean, damn, just no more guns on the dining table! People eat here!'
A few snickers come as Sara stands, shoving her half-eaten cereal into the sink. She goes to start to washing it when she notices the crumbs. 'And remember, keep this place clean. There's crumbs everywhere.'
'Nah, I think something's eating our stores, Ryder,' Drack's gravelly voice declares. 'I've found them before. Keep cleaning them up even when no-one else is around.'
Pursing her lips, Sara nods. 'Right. Okay. I'll see if I can find something. If you need me, I'll be following the breadcrumbs.'
'Just don't let a witch eat you,' Gil declares. 'We kind of need you.'