Serena's silvery tube top and dress swirled around her as she moved through the crowd, heading towards the edge and the windows, simple golden (she doubted it was real gold, but the color was) cross and necklace shining in the lights. Sarah was floating over her shoulder, like some futuristic parrot. She had left Del in her foot locker to be taken on the Nexus. Unless something went horribly wrong, she wouldn’t need a combat drone following her around on this night of celebration. Not that she had anyone she knew to celebrate with here. 

All of her companions in recent years were either too busy to come to send her off, thought her crazy and didn’t want to go, or were nothing more than work acquaintances. Still, she was in high spirits. It was hard not to be, with such an infectious mood in the air. Everyone was excited and nervous, standing on the cusp of the greatest voyage the Milky Way had ever seen, going into the great unknown for a dream of a better world and a better society. At least, that was the hope. Looking around her, at all the different people and their dreams, hopes, expectations, she thought that would be difficult, if not impossible. Too many old habits, too many cultural insistences, too many ingrained hostilities. There wasn’t any harm in trying, however, and that’s what she would do. She stopped and looked up at the Nexus and the Arks, smiling softly. 

They were beautiful, masterful, pieces of engineering that seemed to embody everything that the Initiative hoped to achieve. Cooperation, unity, peace, and exploration. All for the singular purpose of going to an unknown galaxy to discover and explore. Those ships would get them there, sure as an Asari would embrace eternity. She sighed in satisfaction, staring at the way  light of the sun shone on their hulls. They would serve as a new hub for the Initiative, a direction and command for all the colonists. 

Serena felt a bit giddy, thinking about what the Andromeda galaxy might hold. She sincerely doubted that it would be completely uninhabited when they got there, and new species meant new technology. Technology she would [i]love[/i] to get her hands on. Maybe they wouldn’t have the same restrictions against AI that the Milky way did, and she could delve into that without fear of repercussion. 

Turning away from the Nexus and Arks, Serena looked at the crowd. She supposed she should get to know some of the people she was going to be heading into the great unknown with. It just seemed that everyone else had people they were with, people they were saying goodbye too, and it’d be rude to just interrupt them. Maybe sending Sarah to find a face that was at least vaguely familiar would help. She sent her drone high into the convention, scanning various faces for someone she might recognize. Serena scanned the crowd around her again, looking for someone to at least chat with a little bit, rather than spend the entire night wandering by herself and eventually retiring earlier than everyone else.

[h3][u]Eos, 600+ years later[/u][/h3]

Serena sat at the table in the barracks, tinkering with Del. As much as Eos had changed after Ryder’s intervention, much for the better, the blasted sand was still a problem. She made a mental note, cleaning out another of Del’s parts, to check anyone’s cybernetics for damage after missions in the desert. The sand and the heat tended to screw with them. She whistled quietly to herself, already in her initiative armor, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. For the first time since the Nexus had arrived in Andromeda, there were signs of hope. Signs that they could actually establish a home here, against all the odds. They were actually beginning to fight back against the Kett, against the Roekaar, against the Exiles that still raided. 

The APEX was the beginning of all that. APEX was the first step in a long journey to establishing a home here. Something that the colonists still on ice could wake up to without any fear of being killed by an aggressive force. [color=hotpink][i]We are the shield.[/i][/color] Not strong enough to be the invasion force the Angara fear that they will become, but more than strong enough to protect the Initiative against the threat of the Kett and the Roekaar. With a Pathfinder to lead the charge, untrained though she may be, they had a chance. And that was more than Serena needed. 

She began putting Del back together, wondering if she could manage to combine him and Remnant technology. She’d be lying if she said the only reason she had joined APEX was to protect people That was the largest and most important reason, certainly, but the ability to go into Remnant ruins and interact with the technology was a large perk as well. If she was lucky, she’d be able to take some back to study and make use of. She grinned, imagining all the things she could do with Remtech. Who knows what the latest iteration of BARAT could become if she got a strong enough grasp on that technology. 

As she finished putting Del together, the drone beeping as it came online, she got a message on her Omni-tool. Someone named Sabinus wanted them outside. Their fire team leaders. [color=hotpink][i]Tanya’s Sabinus?[/i][/color] She wondered, getting up from the table. She was already in her armor and armed, not trusting the Kett to just leave this settlement alone, and stood up quickly. There wasn’t anything better to do for ten minutes, so she might as well leave now. Whistling happily, Serena exited the barracks, Del following behind her, making her way towards the trio. It [i]was[/i] Tanya’s Sabinus. That was good. She hadn’t been able to get a hold of the other woman since the Scourge incident, not with how frantic things had been, and that was worrying.

[color=hotpink]”Sabinus! Long time no see. How’ve you been? Aside from the whole mess at large, that is. How’s Tanya been?”[/color] She called out cheerfully, moving her eyes to glance at the other two. A Salarian and an Anagara. She made herself not stare at him. It was the first of his kind she had met, and that was exciting, but she didn’t want to be rude. [color=hotpink]”You must be Tazen. Nice to meet you.”[/color] She turned to the Angara. [color=hotpink]”I’m afraid I don’t know your name. I’m Serena Mathews. VI and robotics specialist, at least back in the Milky Way. A pleasure to meet you and I am very glad you haven’t begun shooting at us. Everyone else we’ve met here has.”[/color] Serena grinned up at the tall Angaran. [color=hotpink]”But you’re here to help us start shooting back.”[/color]