[center][h3][u]Prologue[/u][/h3]
[color=#A5F2F3][h3]~|Ryria T’Vessi|~[/h3][/color] 
Location: Luna Convention Center, Initiative Orientation 
Time: Few days before Nexus [/center] 

As the crowd’s deafening applause died down, Ryria stood quietly among them. Silently she absorbed the speech delivered earlier and its worth. The upcoming changes both excited her and frightened her common sense, but she stubbornly refused to yield to the fear. Unlike many, she had little to leave behind. No mate, no children or family.  
 
The bitter truth slapped Ryria. Her fingers tightened about the white zinfandel wine she nursed close to her body as she stiffened, the sharp pain sliced deeply into the icy layer. She exhaled through her nose, dispelling its effect. 
Here wasn’t the place to become emotional, she chided herself.  

Casually her right hand drifted to her headscarf. It covered the top of her crest where it flowed down the back, the sides gently wrapped around her shoulders and neck. All of it was fastening neatly into place thanks to a decorative, blue rhinestone pin. The gems swirled about in its pattern before it ended. Casually she tugged it up, mentally ensuring all her flesh underneath was well covered. She didn’t want anyone to stare. 

This was the first formal occasion she had attended in… decades. For not having the best fashion sense, Ryria felt confident in her attire choice. Following her curves was a simple party swing dress. The neck was a solid V and her sleeves were long, the skirt bottom rose just above her ankles. High heels laced up her calves until they tied just behind her knees. Naturally, they remain mostly unseen because the slits ended midcalf giving her plenty of movability. The color was medium purple so not to overwhelm her skin. She was grateful most her leg scars were hidden or broken by the crisscross pattern of her heels, or she doubted this dress would’ve suited her. 
 
Once she was satisfied with the scarf’s position, she returned her hand to her drink. Her hard, grey eyes then cut through the crowds. It was time to go and she needed the easiest route to the exit. It slightly amused her to see the same pattern of socialization in this setting as in the wilds. At the heart of everything, she knew familiarity often brought comfort to all things. 

She saw her opportunity at the small appetizer table. Impulsively she turned on heel and strolled in a brisk fashion toward it. Her hips swayed with purpose while old habits reared up, part of her attention on her surroundings. 

Upon reaching the table, a recognizable turian purposely slipped into her peripheral vision. Ryria’s movements stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, the adrenaline poured into her veins then spread. Was that…? She shifted her priorities from escape to tracking, daring to seek out her answers. Ryria knew the odds of him being here, apart of this program, were slim. 

Cautiously, Ryria’s head swayed to her right. She didn’t expect him to be there, the turian’s behavior and manners slightly akin to a predator. Her eyes widened at catching the turian, carapace black as night and looking smug, wave back at her. His hand missing the last talon. Then he abruptly melted back into the crowd without a trace.  
 
Struggling to control the trembling in her hand, the asari set down her flute and quickly exited the center. She was certain it wasn’t the last time she would see him. 

A haunting question edged into her mind. 

Why did she save him? 

[center][h3][u]Prodromos, Eos- over 600 years later[/u][/h3]
with [@Mortarion][/center]

[color=orangered][B]FORM UP OUTSIDE: 10 MINUTES[/B][/color]

Ryria frowned at her Omni-tool’s display message. Her fingers paused in their tapping across the 3D pop-up keyboard then pressed into the message, sliding it into her spam mail fold. She will deal with this when her patient was attended to. Causally her icy eyes turned to the human woman holding her injured arm close to her body.
 
Already Ryria suspected it had gained some dangerous and infectious bacteria as she gestured gently for the human to turn its underside upright, exposing the wound to her. Her eyes scrunched tightly to examine the jagged scarring. Experience quickly told her the bite was done by a medium-sized creature with reptilian features, hints of the scales had imprinted on the skin. 

Before the message, she had originally been searching for the possible culprits.  

Her main one was a wild Adhis. It was common and ferocious enough to tear into the nearest stray limp, but they were easy to spot. She held her own theories over how this injury occurred to herself. Instead, she took scissors and snipped away the frayed fabric, exposing the bloodied wound. She applied sterilization liquid to cleanse it then followed up with medi-gel to suture it up. 

“Well, what’s the verdict? Will she ever be able to play the violin again?” Said an annoyingly speedy and cheerful voice behind her. 

Instinctively Ryria turned on heel and came about to face her colleague, a Salarian named Leova Telasurn. He was similarly dressed in the common orange and white uniform associated with the medical staff. Though she noted it was much better kept than even hers, something that secretly impressed and drew her disdain. Lips sealed, her eyes narrowed upon the salamander looking alien without a hint of amusement in them. 

He nervously blinked then spoke in his rapid tone, “Heehee, just a joke, Ryria. Why such the icy look?” 

His eyes fixed not to hers, but the headscarf wrapped around her head. Morbid curiosity laced his expression and spelled danger in her mind, a hint most individuals would easily miss. The unfortunate part she had been working with him for weeks. She often knew where his shenanigans led, a fact she was getting personally sick of. 

Deciding to ignore him, she flipped her back to him. She began to peel off the elastic gloves before she smacked them hard upon the metal table.  

[color=#A5F2F3] “Could you please finish cleaning up, I have to leave.”[/color] 

The Salarian’s large eyes squinted, his mouth opened to feed his mind. Ryria never gave him the chance to utter the question before she disappeared out of the medical tent. Her boots kicked the dark yellow dust across the white surface, marring it, as she pulled up the message again on her Omni-tool. She converted it to memory quickly before she popped it back down, then turned it off. No coordinates… Now, what the hell was she supposed to do? 

[color=#A5F2F3] “This day is off to a [i]lovely[/i] start,”[/color] Ryria grumbled under her breath. 

Her figured leaned against the nearest post, bitter at the lack of destination, as she inwardly debated over what to do.  

Tazen scanned the horizon for any signs of the missing members of Fireteam Echo. Four of them had managed to present themselves, but of the rest there was no sight in the nearby vicinity. He wasn't too concerned, having read their dossiers he knew that the vast majority of them had been in either military groups or the standing armies of their respective species and, as such, he was unconcerned of them potentially skipping the muster in front of the barracks. The only worry that he had was that concerning Dr. T’vessi, part of him worrying that her inexperience might mean that she could miss the muster due to bei unaccustomed to military life. 

As soon as he had that first thought, a second one hit him a millisecond after: the message that Sabinius had sent never specified where the muster would take place. Anyone with military experience would interpret the message’s meaning easily enough, but he feared that Dr. T’Vessi might only be confused by it particularly if she had been busy beforehand. Excusing himself, Tazen walked away from both Anjor and Sabinius and the rest of the present members of Fireteam Echo and went in search of Ryria. 

Luckily for him Prodromos’s, relatively, small size played in his favor and he was easily able to identify the Asari in question, thanks in no small part to the scarf that she draped over her head and that he easily recognized thanks to the portraits that he had been reviewing with Sabinius. “Dr T’Vessi, excuse me for bothering you but we are expecting you in front of the APEX barracks. Did you receive the message?” Asked the Salarian once he had approached Ryria, slightly unsure of what'd be the best way to broach the topic. 

Ryria’s thoughts detached from her issues as her eyes spotted the Salarian draw near. Her figure pushed off the makeshift tent, straightening her posture and seized up the individual. Her arms crossed over her chest while she listened to his question, considering her answer. 

[color=#A5F2F3] “I got the message, the whereabouts put aside. Why I got them is something I’m in the dark about. Mind enlightening me?”[/color] Her tone held a reserved, firm hint to her knowledge about the situation. 

She wasn’t about to beat around the bush as humans would call it. 

Tazen stayed silent for a few seconds when Ryria revealed to him that she was in the dark as to why she had received Sabinius’s message. Once more he was unsure on how to breach the topic but, if Ryria was as much in the dark as she seemed to be and as Tazen feared, it'd be best to be blunt and get to the heart of the topic as quickly as possibly. “Because you've been chosen as the field medic for Fireteam Echo, Dr. T’Vessi.” Said the Salarian after taking a second to compose himself “Your predecessor in our Fireteam perished in her cryo pod as a result of the damages sustained by the Nexus on account of the Scourge and you were the best candidate on account of your background.” He said, hesitating for a second to add the next bit before deciding to go through with it “We, that is to say me and the man who sent you the message, believed you had been already informed, my apologies for the confusion Dr. T’Vessi.” 

Ryria’s silent stare stretched for an unsettling length of time. Her eyes narrowed on the Salarian, inwardly unsure if he was a jokester like Leova or something worse. After turning his words over and over, she finally accepted he was speaking the truth. She exhaled her held breath before she addressed him. 

[color=#A5F2F3] “Yes, I remember the report well because I filed it. The woman’s head was crushed in and her pod was ruptured, making resuscitation impossible. I’m also the one that did the autopsy to ensure the cause of death fit then placed her into the morgue.”[/color] She clipped giving more detail then she knew was necessary, but she felt frustrated at the situation she was placed in. 

Her hand reached for her nose bridge causing her to press it tightly. After a few moments, she then dropped her arm and turned her attention back to Tazen. 

[color=#A5F2F3] “I was likely not informed until last moment due to my duties and fact I would have fought against it. Since it appears I haven’t much of a choice, could I get an update on my role in this team? I’m not in the mood for hazing by my senior officer.”[/color]
   
Tazen gritted his teeth at Ryria’s words, particularly at her comment about pushing back against the APEX posting if she had been informed about it beforehand “I'm sorry that you feel that way Dr T’Vessi.” He said after a second, keeping his temper in check “As I said beforehand your role within the team is to act as our field medic. Most of the perils lying in wait in the cluster are unknown to us, not to mention the Kett themselves, so injuries will be most certainly a common occurrence in the team, hence the need for an individual such as you.” Commented the Salarian.

“If it's any sort of consolation, everyone in Fireteam Echo has ample experience in military matters, be it either due to time spent as a mercenary or as part of the respective military organizations of the various species from which the different individuals of the team hail from.” Spoke Tazen “Now, it'd be best if we hurry back to the barracks. We are coordinating with a liaison from the Angaran resistance and are currently mustering the rest of the fireteam so that he can meet the team.” 

[color=#A5F2F3][i] ‘You wouldn’t exactly be happy if you were drafted into something you viewed to be less beneficial to this project, now would you?’[/i][/color] Ryria thought, but not a word slipped through her lips. 

She wasn’t a fool. It was easy to notice the tick of irritation at her opinion, but she held to her ground. No one liked being trapped, their opinion soured by the fact, so why should she be content with it? The asari found it hard to believe it was only her medical skills needed for this team because she could list about six individuals that be suitable for field medic. This included her Salarian pain in the ass. 

When Tazen mentioned perils, it snapped into place. Not many had the hostile environment experience she had or knew how to treat unexpected wounds by unknown species. Mentally she cursed herself for not considering an ark instead of the Nexus. At his mention to leave, she nodded her agreement then began to step toward the barracks. 

[color=#A5F2F3] “Barely. It will likely bring back unpleasant memories.”[/color] Ryria stated sharply. 

Tazen nodded at Ryria’s words, his only acknowledgment of her words being a brief “Understood” before he began walking towards the barracks. Once they had reached there, he motioned discreetly towards the group of gathered individuals in front of Anjor and Sabinius to indicate that was the spot where Ryria was supposed to be before he rejoined the latter two in their spots in front of the gathered  fireteam. 

Ryria needed no second bidding. She crisply moved into the indicated spot, her hands snapped to the small of her back and straightened her figure into an upright posture. Her eyes stared forward as she fell into the familiar motions from her huntress training. Ignoring the shenanigans erupting around her from the Engineer and Krogan, she knew the best way to survive a military operation was to shut up and follow orders to the letter. Since the message said nothing about introducing herself, she merely quietly waited until she was ordered to.