(*Disclaimer from the author of this fanfiction: I've made my return, fellow writers. It's been a very long, long, while since I have written a fan-based story, although, I have not ceased from dabbling with pencil/pen and paper I have longed to write, and finish, my own creative story which is not a fanfiction work. Again, I dare delve into an already pre-existing story; the vast universe(s) of Mass Effect. Mass Effect (1,2, and 3) and including Mass Effect Andromeda I respectfully tip my hat and give thanks to the creators, developers, music composers, and story-writers, and all of the amazing work put into by the teams and voice actors included, for this incredible game series. I have no rights or entitlements to claim as my own any of EA 's (/and) Bioware 's ME game franchise and including the respective game characters brought to life in the Mass Effect games. I'm writing this fanfiction because I became disappointed that this game's project/content was going to be discontinued and it's in my hopes that Bioware is secretly plotting to either continue the Andromeda story with Ryder or at least rework/rewrite the story. Or as a fallback, having Shepard make a come back would be awesome. I'm also writing this fanfiction for my enjoyment and I will extend my hopes that the Mass Effect universe(s) will continue.

On a second note; there will be names of characters that do not exist in the Mass Effect Andromeda main story. These characters will make appearances within this fanfiction and will consist of names I have made up. These made-up characters will have representation taken from the pre-existing alien races in the Mass Effect game(s). Save for one character who has no relevance to the Mass Effect universe. He comes in on Chapter 3.

Third note; I based the main character's appearance by the in-game default option. I have watched the different romances and thoroughly enjoy all of the characters, so, it was a hard choice but I went with the romance option that I chose on my very first playthrough which was Vetra Nyx. I would enjoy input if anyone wants written alternative scenarios for Ryder's other romance options. There are two different outcomes in later chapters that are labeled with 'Alternative'. And I will provide warning that I supply both LEMONS and LIMES.

Final note; I am in the process of editing through the first couple of chapters to fix my missed mistakes.

Thank you, viewers and fellow creative writers. Please read and enjoy!*)

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The barrage of raining bullets zipped across the snow plain advancing with the sound of multiple shotgun blasts randomly going off. The view of silhouettes were traced under the heavily falling snow giving outlines of the figures placed on opposite positions on the battlefield. The small group began their drawback, moving between high-rise snow mounds and snow-drenched boulders that offered the resort for cover. The second group, a vast majority, progressed forward unleashing rounds of glowing zipping bullets.

"There's too many!" The voice of Vetra Nyx shouted over the communication transponder.

The veteran Krogan grumbled in demanding sound, "They're trying to surround us. We need to move NOW, Ryder!"

Scott briefly stood up from his hiding place behind a waist-height snow mound, raising the handgun in one hand and quickly braced the weapon with his second hand in order to steady his immediate aim and locked down the trigger under his index finger together with his middle digit. The outline of one of the boney-structured creatures became under fire by a short burst of red glowing bullets. The human Pathfinder quickly dropped down to one knee to avoid the string of bullets coming his way. He turned his head taking a glance over his shoulder and made a glimpse toward the large group of Angaran refugees that were huddled closely around Drack.

"Sam, where is the Tempest?! We need the evac! We're getting pinned down and we have unarmed civilians!" Pathfinder Ryder agitatedly shouted.

'The Tempest is on route to your position, Pathfinder.' The artificial intelligence's robotic voice replied in calm over the squad's receiver transponders.

Scott slightly braced himself upright and peered over snow mound but suddenly dived down in order to narrowly avoid a beam searing through the air just over his helmet. From the corner of his eye, the Pathfinder had taken sight of a strayed bullet slashing through the Turian Mercenary's shields and made a gash across the side of her shoulder.

Vetra loudly cursed, "OW, FUCK!" She quickly disappeared behind the snow-covered mound in the distance behind the Initiative's Pathfinder. The Turian braced the barrel of the assault rifle against her shoulder with its point passed her shoulder. She reached her free arm around her chest cavity to touch the area of the fresh wound. Vetra took glance upon slow drizzles of blue blood slowly running down. "Ah, shit!" Vetra growled.

Pathfinder Ryder called demand over his shoulder, "Vetra! Are you alright?"

Drack turned his head back and forth exchanging glances between the group of Angara and Vetra Nyx. He raised is focus onto the human's direction and raised his grumbling voice into a near shout, "Ryder! We're not going to last much longer. I'm running low on thermal clips and as much as I'd like to charge in for a head-butting contest with the Kett, I promised Kesh that I'd come back in one piece... mostly one piece."

Vetra winced in discomforting sound taking hold of the assault rifle into the grip of her hands.

Scott loudly asked, "Vetra?"

"I'm fine - it's just a scratch!" The female Turian quipped.

Sam's voice alerted to the Pathfinder squad, "There are Kett ships inbound to this location. I advise retreat to the Tempest. The Kett are making an attempt to surround everyone."

Scott expressed a disgruntled sigh but quickly called out military order, "We need to move! I'll cover everyone! Drack, get the Angara out of here!"

Vetra began protest, "I'll stay-"

Pathfinder Ryder injected retort, "No! Get everyone out of here! That includes you, too, Vetra!"

Vetra's green eyes glimpsed upon Scott with an anxious look, slowing making a hesitant nod, and gained into a hunched-forward position. Vetra Nyx swiftly turned away making a crouched run toward the slope of solid rock where the Nackmor Krogan had firstly sought cover.

Scott half-stood with bent knees lifting the scope of his favored handgun. He marked his targets with accurate precision before unleashing steady strings of bullets upon the first targeted Kett before turning to the next visible silhouette and unleashed a short burst. The human Pathfinder devised as a distraction as he exclaimed a shout, "Go! GO!" Ryder had continued to exchange return fire.

Drack had motioned for the frightened group of Angara to follow through the heavily falling snow. One after the other the figures vanished. Vetra remained in reluctance and staring upon Scott's backside with a worried expression. She carefully stepped back before spinning around and sprinted after the Nackmor Krogan.

Scott unloaded another round of flashing bullets while taking careful steps backward to begin following the trail that was left behind in the snow. He quickly lowered the gun's barrel and made a swift whirl around in order to start the pursuit after the squad mates but suddenly froze in place as a Destined Kett quickly emerged from the dark blue shroud blocking the man's way.

'Pathfinder, the Kett have enclosed upon your position. There's no clear path to outmaneuver them.' Sam lowly spoke through the Pathfinder's private channel.

"No shit." Scott murmured under his breath. He slowly turned his head taking a glimpse around to find a quickly forming circle of armed Kett surrounding in a wide circumference. "Um, yeah, I think I got that info a little too late, Sam. Thanks, by the way. At least the Angara are okay, right?"

Sam's voice answered calmly into the private transponder, 'Pathfinder, I theorize that this circumstance was intended as an ambush plotted for the Angara to be used as a method of decoy tactic.'

"For what?" Scott asked in a whisper. He lowered handgun's point toward the snow-covered ground but made no immediate move to relinquish his weapon.

'The Kett have not fired upon you. The ending result appears meant for your capture.'

"Do not resist us, human! Lower your weapon!" The Destined One's growling voice commanded in cold bitterness.

Scott offered very slow motions in his movements as he cautiously raised his free hand into the air. He gradually bent his knees, slightly tipping his posture to lower the firearm into the snow. Ryder regained into a full standing posture and raised his second arm into the air as he prepared himself for surrender.

Pathfinder Ryder spoke in mockery tone, "So, does this mean that I'm being recruited? No offense but I never found the uniform colors very outstanding. Kett just isn't my thing." The Pathfinder narrowed his bright blue eyes through his helmet's visor to glare at the tall slender Kett.

The creature disregarded Scott's snide remarks and explained in a low growling sound of voice, "You have taken the Archon from us. Your people, too, will also suffer the loss of having their beacon of power seized from them."

Scott silently swallowed forcing himself to hold military composure. He threw out the thought of the worst case scenario and questioned with a stern demeanor, "Are you going to kill me back for killing your leader? I believe I did you guys a favor. He's dead, so, why not do your own thing now that you're not under his control anymore? Like.. the thing that Kett do in their free time. Do you like surfing?"

A forceful blunt struck the back base of Scott's head instantly on setting a blinding haze to overcome the human man's vision. The human man momentarily stumbled forward before dropping down onto his hands and knees. Scott's sight rapidly dimmed into darkness prior his body's full collapse into the snow.

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Vetra raced behind the group Angara as the refugees were guided by Nackmor Drack. The squad raced together for the direction of the Tempest's lowered boarding ramp. The Krogan quickly stepped aside and motioned the refugees to go up the ramp. He glimpsed toward the Turian gradually slowing from her swift sprint into a dragging walk.

Vetra abruptly stopped and whirled around looking into the direction of the path of foot tracks imprinted into the snow.

"Ryder?" The female Turian hailed the communication's transponder and waited for a response. Desperation began to ride in Vetra's words, "Ryder? Scott, are you there? Come in."

Sam's voice replied in the human's stead, "The Pathfinder has become incapacitated, Miss Nyx."

"WHAT?!" Vetra shouted and suddenly turned down her exclaim into softened despair, "Sam, is he... is Scott..."

Sam quickly gave response, "I am able to detect the Pathfinder's life signs. He has been rendered unconscious and luckily remains alive, Miss Nyx. However, this outcome's circumstance was predetermined by the Kett for the capture of Scott Ryder."

"What?! No! No, no! This is impossible, Sam! We need to go back!" Vetra angrily protested.

"Returning to the previous location will prove counterproductive- the Pathfinder has already been taken aboard one of the Kett's transport vessels. I've already informed the Nexus and the rest of the crew of this incident. Kallo is waiting for you, Miss Nyx."

Vetra quickly whirled around and charged toward the boarding ramp. Drack followed up after the enraged female Turian and came into the cargo bay. Vetra rushed through the cargo bay, deterring around any and all obstacles, including living ones, as she made a line for the front of the ship.

"Kallo! Follow that Kett ship! NOW!" Vetra's angered shout carried through the transponder connection into the bridge.

The Asari gunslinger's voice briefly mocked over the Tempest's communications, "How the hell did this happen? Wasn't this supposed to be a rescue mission to save the Angara? I don't remember the Kett having to put much thought, or any kind of thought, into the complexity of a plan into capturing Ryder. This is really bad, isn't it?"

"Shut up, Peebee!" Vetra snarled. She started the ascend to climb the ladder well and came up to stand upon the connected base beside the closed bridge door. Her feet loudly stomped across the metal flooring as she rushed toward the door, almost slamming herself into the door in an effort to forcefully pry them open. "Kallo, you better be following those Kett!" The Turian's voice expressed an undeliberate sneer.

"I am, Vetra! It's become complicated because there are more than one Kett ships and most of them are firing at us!" The Salarian pilot's response was brash.

Sam's voice eased the tension by his calm suggestion, "I can provide a relay signal from Scott Ryder's implant depicting which of the Kett ships that the Pathfinder is presently onboard."

"Do it, Sam! We can't lose him!" Vetra demanded in desperate sound.

"What the fuck would the Kett want with Ryder, anyway? You'd think after being freed from the Archon's brainwash that they'd finally grow some balls and realize that they're better off now without that Archon ass-hat. What would they want with Ryder anyway? He's not really worth much as far credits go." The Asari known as Peebee emerged from her hiding hole in the escape pod room.

Vetra disregarded response and stomped toward the starboard console between Kallo and the Science Officer Suvi Anwar.

Suvi turned her head to a express a worried look toward Vetra and anxiously spoke, "I'm afraid of what they'll do to Ryder. If they planned to capture him then that only means..."

"Suvi, please don't... just don't say it. I don't even want to think about it." Vetra growled but forced herself into a calm state of mind by releasing a sigh and evenly spoke, "We're going to save him."

From the starboard view window a barrage of flashing bullets were swiftly coming upon the frigate ship. Kallo's quick reflexes steered the stealth vessel, maneuvering the Tempest to suddenly wave out of the way from the path of deadly projectiles and immediately directed the Tempest to suddenly sway narrowly avoiding another rain of glowing bullets that promptly followed.

Vetra gripped both of her hands down onto the starboard console and cursed under her breath, "Why haven't we equipped this bucket with ANY weapons?! I'd so like to shove a missile up every Kett's ass!"

The Salarian retort, "This bucket wasn't built to-"

"Focus on the Kett, Kallo!" Vetra snapped reopening the display of Turian agitation.

"They're surfacing through the atmosphere!" Suvi broadcasted.

Sam offered warning, "The long range scanners have detected a Kett flagship. The turrets are locking down the Tempest's point of emerging through the final layers of the planet's atmosphere. The missile launches are on standby."

"No, no, no! We have to push our way through! If they get Ryder on that fucking thing..." Vetra trailed off. Her hands hard gripped onto the starboard console quickly grinding her talons across the metal framework.

"Vetra, we will do everything that we can to make sure that doesn't happen." Kallo assured.

The Turian narrowed her eyes into a glare toward the pilot and muttered, "Kallo, you better pull this off or I'm going t-"

The Salarian pilot quickly injected, "Hold on! We're coming through the atmospheric layers! Everyone, hold on!" Kallo's voice broadcasted over the Tempest's speakers.

The stealth ship momentarily shuddered in the transcend passage through the burning trajectory and lastly settled down the sputtering vibrations as the view of pure darkness had appeared over the starboard window.

Suvi suddenly gasped and beckoned, "Evasive maneuvers!"

The Salarian pilot quickly programmed the Tempest's trajectory to swiftly advert into another direction in order to escape from a shower of missiles that had been launched from the massive scale flagship.

Suvi rang out, "There's more coming at us, Kallo!"

"I can give her all that I've got, Kallo! Keep it up! Show these bastards what our baby can do!" Gil's voice received from the engine room's communicator.

"She's not a baby... and why do you presume that the Tempest is a she? It has no reproductive organs to distinguish-"

Vetra infuriated at the Salarian, "FOCUS, KALLO!"

The Tempest's thruster engines ignited a sudden burst propelling the ship forward and flew its belly over a dozen of the projectile missiles. The propulsion systems inverted the helm's direction to take charge toward the Kett flagship. Vetra watched, in relentless rage, as a vast armada of Kett fighter ships were immediately launched.

The two human Initiative operatives Liam Kosta and Lieutenant Cora Harper rushed into the bridge area. The human Biotic took placement behind the Turian mercenary and demanded, "What's the status?"

Liam impatiently paced back and forth and made proclaim his annoyance, "I can't believe this! I thought the Kett couldn't sink any lower but this tops the cake!"

Suvi's fearful-sounding voice shouted, "Kallo! LOOK OUT!"

"Brace yourselves! This is going to be close-" Kallo anxiously muttered. The Tempest swiftly flipped over into a lopsided positon which provided as the means of narrow escape from the brink of collision from the wave of sweeping missiles.

Cora hailed the artificial intelligence, "Sam, is there any way to hack through their systems?"

The robotic voice supplied calm response, "I am attempting the hacking sequence, Lieutenant Harper. May I offer my tactical prognosis? The best result for the crew's survival would be the alternative course of retreat. The Tempest's fuel capacity will inevitably diminish if we con-"

The Tempest violently shuddered causing an intensity to rock the artificial gravity systems, forcibly throwing the occupants from their placements. Both Liam and Peebee were tossed toward the bridge door. Cora Harper was tussled up and dropped behind Suvi's chair. The female scientist suddenly jerked forward and bashed against the console directly in front of her. Kallo was suddenly forced out of his chair and lay motionless upon the cold metal floor.

The rapid blare of red lights flashed throughout the Tempest's interior as Sam's voice initiated warning, "The Tempest has received critical damage. The left wing's hull has been breached. Retreat is highly advised.

The Salarian pilot weakly pushed himself into a half-sitting position and reached one of his hands over at a time making a grip around the pilot's seat to pull his slender body into the chair. Kallo annoying quipped, "I know, I know, Sam! We... we have to get out of here."

"I have plotted the course for an escape route. Autopilot has been engaged to return to Voeld's surface. The Tempest will be landing down at the nearest outpost to receive immediate repairs." Sam patiently answered.

The Salarian murmured defeat, "Do it, Sam.." He bowed his head and slowly closed his large black eyes.

The human Biotic quickly came to. Cora's motions staggered in her movements to sit upright and reached her hands up to grip onto the metal starboard's framework. She braced her weight into the metal barrier and leveraged to pull herself into a wobbling standing posture. Cora grunted quietly in her movements to approach Suvi's body. The Lieutenant reached one of her hands out to gingerly place two fingers together onto the side of the liaison's neck to feel for a pulse rate. Cora Harper sighed relief and directed an emergency call directly to the medical bay, "Lexi? Lexi, are you still there?"

The Asari doctor's voice expressed a groan prior a tired response, "Yes, I'm here, Cora. A little shaken up but I'm alright. What happened?"

"The ship's been hit... we have wounded.. Suvi is unconscious but alive. We need you up here as soon as possible, Lexi." Cora quietly replied. The human Biotic carefully turned, maintaining strength to brace her weight against the metal framework next to the starboard control console, and directed her attention toward Liam Kosta as the human man regained his full senses and carefully rolled himself onto his front side to push very gradually push himself upright onto his knees.

"Wh.. what just happened?" Peebee quizzically asked, turning her head side-to-side. The Asari used the wall behind her to leverage against and propped herself to standing up. She limped away from the wall's surface but suddenly stopped. Peebee turned her head looking toward the starboard to find the Turian's talons clinging onto the metal framework. Vetra hesitantly released her grip from the barrier and heavily slumped down onto her rear. Vetra slowly raised her head shifting her gaze toward the view window as the Tempest's autopilot systems were engaged for gliding flight.

Vetra whispered sorrowfully, "S...Scott." She dipped her head down and clenched her teeth together.

Sam's robotic voice spoke over the Tempest's communication systems, "Long range scanners have detected that the Kett are retaining a draw back to the flagship."

Peebee muttered in slight annoyance, "They're obviously not interested in exalting us. I feel a little offended."

"Really, Peebee?! This isn't about whose in line to get exalted first. They have Ryder!" Liam retort coldly.

Cora quickly injected, "Enough! Liam AND Peebee! Let's just get back to outpost and determine the damage.. Gil? How's the Tempest?"

The engineer's voice expressed a sneering response through the opened communications, "Those Kett bastards hurt my baby! She's still got enough left in her to touch down, at least. Her systems don't do so well in space head-to-head combat, need I remind you."

Cora Harper rolled her eyes and huffed a sigh, "Right.. At least we're alive which gives us another chance." The Lieutenant lowered her gaze toward the female Turian whom began to weakly rise and start for the door.

"Vetra?" The human Lieutenant worriedly sounded.

Vetra Nyx softly responded with silent curses.

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(*Edited 8/8/2017*)