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Weightlessness was the final feeling she felt before finally succumbing to sleep. There were no thoughts or dreams. No time to fear for the unknown. Her family had put her up to this. Encouraged wasn’t the word she would use. The forms had been filled out and all that was left was for her to sign her name. Her father and mother would be making the journey while her brothers would remain on Earth. Her father often liked to remind her that nothing would be left for her on earth if she remained behind. Her brothers were far too busy running the company to be saddled with her. The purpose for her journey would be to make sure the family name would continue on and secure that the business continued in another galaxy. Marry someone with a big enough family name. Power was money and money was power. The anxiety had gnawed away at her for months. To have no purpose or be given one without a choice? She signed in fear of being forgotten.Joining the Andromeda Initiative was not on her to do list. Her family were owners of a successful asteroid mining business. Alec Ryder had appealed to her father to join the initiative with a large donation to the company. Not that they needed it. But father did love money. She wanted to blame Alec for even suggesting the thought to her family. They had always been set in there ways and the idea of them being able to adapt in a foreign galaxy left her mystified. Trips to the Citadel had always been hectic enough. But she knew who the real culprit was. Her old college roommate. The devil on her shoulder. The person who would drag her to hell and back in one night. Her best friend, Sara.
How she even managed to talk her father onto the topic of her family was beyond her. The amount of times she had heard Sara curse her father’s name had always made her believe that they had little contact. Apparently it was enough to name drop her into the mix. That had led to a fight and their last conversation before she boarded the Hyperion for her long nap. The feeling she was experiencing now was one of great discomfort. Like she was drowning. It felt that gravity had increased and the pressure on her body was enveloping her. Suffocation in the dark. What a horrible way to die. Her mind considered who to blame in that moment for her death. Her parents for pressuring her into traveling to unknown worlds. Alec Ryder, the human pathfinder for influencing her family into a hasty decision. Or Sara throwing her family name onto the table for possible Initiative partners. Maybe she couldn’t blame anyone. She didn’t have a right to blame anyone for this. It was her who had signed the forms after all. The urge to breathe finally became too much and she forced her mouth open in a desperate gasp for air. Her lungs filled with oxygen and her eyes flew open only to be blinded by the sterile bright lights. “Ms. Amari? I’m Dr. Harry Carlyle. It’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?” The voice seemed to be disembodied as her eyes fluttered about and tried to make sense of where the man was standing. “I’m well doctor” Her deep but feminine voice was a scratchy mess from disuse. The man had been standing to her left slightly above her field of vision. “That’s good.” He paused scanning over his omni tool with a frown on his face. His hand moved to scratch his beard in a puzzled manner before making eye contact with her again. “You’ll be happy to know the Hyperion has successfully made it to the Nexus. I’ll just need you to remain still why I finish conducting these tests” He moved further down the side of the bed allowing for a better access letting the orange light glow over her body. “Are my parents present?” She asked while grasping at her throat sitting up and reaching for a glass of water a nurse had offered her. “I’m afraid not” he hummed. “Parents and guardians are only required to be here if the person is under the age of 18. Otherwise they are sent a notification. Don’t really have the man power yet to be making personal calls. Though by the looks of it your parents did receive the mail but seem to be off the station.” He paused before grabbing a data pad and sitting down on a stool nearby. “I’m going to ask you some questions. Try to answer to the best of your ability, and if you pass I’ll let you out of here.”“Of course” she agreed nodding her head.“Right. What is your name?” “Mona Amari”“How old are you?”“Twenty-six”“How many siblings do you have?”“I had six. I was the fourth born”Dr. Carlyle paused in his scrolling before taking a deep breath and continuing.“And your parents’ names?”“Karim and Samira Amari.”“And how many fingers am I holding up?” He asked as he held up two fingers with a cheesy grin.“Two Doctor” Mona smiled with closed lips, her eyes beginning to scan the room. It seemed like people were in varying steps of the wake up process. She had to do a double take
when she saw the flash of a red head laying two beds away from her. Grabbing the beds’ railing she threw her long legs over the side and struggled to get a better look.“Is that Sara Ryder?” She questioned as she stood swaying on her feet. Dr. Carlyle was by her side in an instant grabbing at her upper arm to hold her steady. “Ms. Amari please have a seat, but yes that is Ms. Ryder” He answered with a puff of annoyance as he tried guiding her back to the bed.“What happened?” She asked pulling her arm away from him. She could stand just fine.“Legally? I can’t answer that” He sighed pulling up his omni tool once more searching for something.“Then where is the pathfinder? Surely Alec could answer my questions. He knows she and I are good friends” The desperate undertone in her voice caused him to look up only to give her a look of sympathy.“I’m sorry… but Alec Ryder has passed away. The new human pathfinder is his son. Scott Ryder.” The finality of his words left her insides churning. She inhaled through her nose deeply and grasped at the railing of the bed. Maybe she should take the doctors advice and sit down. “How about we get you settled into your new apartment? Yeah? Nurse T’Vesa can take you there and you can get cleaned up. Isn’t that right?” Doctor Carlyle had waved over a purple tinged Asari over to their spot handing her a data pad. “I’m not a tour guide Harry, but sure. Follow me” She told Mona wavering her along. The doctor patted her shoulder in a comforting way before turning to another task. On her way out of the Medbay she took one long look at Sara as she continued to move through the doors. She looked like she was asleep but in a restless one. The urge to go to her side was great but she knew it would be inappropriate at this time. A frown settled on her face as she followed the Asari up the steps and into the tram. The ride was quiet and short as the doors opened to reveal another hallway.“Alright, so give me a sec to locate your room and initial lock codes.” T’Vesa mumbled as she stared into the data pad. Her face slowly seemed to lose color as her eyes started to dart between her and the data pad.“Is there a problem?” Mona asked her with uncertainly. “Mona Amari?”“Yes?”“Like the Amari’s?” With her question Mona’s lips thinned out. “My father is… or was the CEO of OSIRIS, if that is what you’re referring to” Mona answered in a neutral tone.“Oh! I’m so sorry Ms. Amari! ” The Asari gasped her demeanor changing. “That’s why the room number doesn’t make sense. I didn’t realize you were a Platinum passenger. They
are located on a completely different level! Follow me!” “There’s no need for apologies. It’s quite alright Ms. T’Vesa” She followed the fussing Asari back to the tram. Watching as she fumbled trying to copy the numbers into the tram panel. With one last click the car launched upwards, startling Mona.“So it looks like you’ve got a real nice spot Ms. Amari! It overlooks the launch bay and everything, it’ll be nice for people watching.” Mona only respond with a hum when the tram let out a ding. The doors opened and they both stepped out to see a short hallway with one door. As the Asari let out a whistle she handed Mona the data pad.“That’s the access code to get you to this level” She pointed to a series of numbers and letters on the screen, scrolled and then pointed again. “And that’s the key to get into your apartment. You’re gonna want to change up the codes and everything once you get in. I think your parents might live on one of the upper floors, but I’m not completely sure…” she said trailing off. “Thank you. I do appreciate you walking me here.” Mona replied with a genuine smile. “It’s really not a problem!” The Asari waved her off as she backed into the tram. “Your family is gonna help make Heleus a livable place for all of us. I’m Teelsa by the way. If you ever need help finding your way around don’t hesitate to call me!” The Asari beamed as the doors shut.Mona frowned at the sliding doors before turning around and copied the code into the apartment console. The door opened smoothly to reveal a pristine white entry way sparsely decorated with green plants. Moving into her new home she noticed to her left there was a large half circle of an archway. It led into a sunken living room and a kitchen overlooking it. The entire wall across from her was one large pane of glass from ceiling to floor. The spiral staircase tucked away in the corner led up to the loft. Where she presumed her bed was. The place was overly large for one person and she immediately felt somewhat guilty for the families that would be sharing a fourth of the space she currently occupied. Her gaze moved towards the window as she watched ships come and go, she considered her options. She still needed answers on what exactly had happened to the Ryder family and where her parents currently were. She figured the best place to start was with Director Addison, much to her dismay. Walking to her staircase she hoped to find a shower on the second floor.