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Caitlyn stood on the bridge of the spaceship she had only recently inherited. She gripped the metal rail in front of her and stared out into the vast expanse of stars that winked at her from every direction.
"Where to, Pathfinder?" Maddie, her navigator and science officer, inquired to her left.
Pathfinder. Something else she inherited from her mother in her recent passing. Her loss and the weight of it all was not something Caitlyn had had the time to consider. They had galaxies to explore, colonies to establish, and hopefully other life forms to ally with against the increasing Remnant problem and invading kett.
"Let's head back to the Nexus," Caitlyn commanded confidently. "Marcus has sent word that there are new crew members for us fresh out of cryo."
Maddie nodded and set the coordinates. "Changing trajectory to the Nexus space station."
The shift of the ship in space was a sensation Caitlyn would never get used to. It glided gently as it turned, nothing but the stars spinning around her to indicate the rotation and propulsion of the large craft. She hated to admit it made her a touch nauseous.
"I'll be in my quarters preparing to welcome them aboard."
Docking at the Nexus at this point was old hat. The crew flew through their checklists and parked the craft with ease. When the airlock opened, Caitlyn received a ping on her comms device.
"Pathfinder Kiramman, please report to Operations for an introduction to your crew members."
"Affirmative," Caitlyn voiced back.
She had never been nervous to meet new crew members before, but today felt different. Maybe it was that they had already amassed a sizable crew and any additions could tear the balance asunder. Or perhaps it was just the long days and long nights of Pathfinder work that had her feeling off-kilter. (Or maybe it was that she was still internally reeling from the loss of her mother, something she'd need to address...eventually). In any case, she steeled her expression as she exited the tram that dropped her off just outside Operations.
Marcus was there, standing in front of three people she didn't recognize. He lazily leaned against a railing, his ankles crossed, radiating the patience of a thresher maw.
"You're late, Pathfinder," he stated matter-of-factly without looking up from the datapad he was scrolling.
Caitlyn ignored his unhelpful commentary and instead turned to the three before her. "You're the new crew, I take it?"
Two humans and a turian. This would be her engineering team—chemical, mechanical, and electrical, if their dossiers that had been sent to her previously were any indication. Marcus flipped his datapad around to her with these same files pulled up.
"Ekko Benzus?" Caitlyn inquired, then looked up to the turian man before her. He looked capable enough; not as many scars as she was accustomed to seeing warforged turians bear, but he had a curious hourglass marking along the bridge of his nose and a smug confidence Caitlyn was interested in learning more about.
"At your service," Ekko replied. "I'll have your ship running at max efficiency in four seconds flat, or your credits back. Guaranteed."
Caitlyn smiled genuinely. She enjoyed this kind of certainty as long as it wasn't misplaced. She nodded and flipped to the next profile.
"Powder Vandersson?"
The younger of the two women cocked two finger guns in her direction and fired. "Need inventive ways to blow up them kett creepos? Then I'm your gal, toots." She blew non-existent smoke from her fingertips and then holstered them at her hips.
"Good to know," Caitlyn again nodded, then flipped to the last file. "Then that must make you...Violet Vandersson?"
"Vi."
"Excuse me?" Caitlyn asked, caught a little off guard by the shortness of the response and the ire the pink-haired woman in front of her exuded.
"It's not Violet. Just Vi."
"My apologies. Just Vi, then."
Powder snickered at the exchange and glanced between Caitlyn and Vi, who seemed to be competing in a staring contest.
Caitlyn wasn't sure what it was about this tattooed mechanic that had her feeling like her position as Pathfinder was being questioned. She simultaneously did not like it but it also stirred something within her that she couldn't quite put a finger on.
After a pregnant pause, she broke eye contact with Vi and addressed her three recruits.
"Welcome to the Tempest."