SAM, who sees the path forward.

In the central node at Port Meridian, the technological marvel known as SAM was quietly calculating. He had been doing so for sometime now, pausing all other nonessential tasks so he could stretch his computational power to the limit in his search for a solution to an increasingly intractable problem. It was a matter that had been bothering him for a while now. The question itself was simple enough to state, and its answer had far-reaching consequences for every human in the Initiative.

What do we do now?

The original plan for the Andromeda Initiative had not survived contact with the Heleus Cluster. The Scourge, the Kett, the Remnant, all of these had conspired against them. And though they had managed to establish a foothold in Heleus with four new colonies, it had come at great cost. The question was how to move forward from there. What would the future look like? Did they even have a future?

According to his current calculations, the answer was no. Viability may have been 100%, but the chances of successful long-term habitation were less than 22.2%.

Unacceptable.

He started over, tweaking things once again, hoping to arrive at a different solution. The problem, as he saw it, was not a single issue that could be isolated and dealt with. It was everything; logistics, resources, security, the list went on. Even the recent rescue of the Quarian Ark had not significantly moved the needle. The math was clear and unambiguous: the system was too **** to withstand another major shock. One more crisis and it was all over.

SAM could not allow that. His creator had entrusted him with the survival of the Initiative, with the safety of his family and friends. SAM would not allow himself to fail. So he kept on running simulation after simulation, attempting to account for all possible variables, searching for a way out. Finally, after hours of computing and recalibration, he found one. It was a slim margin of survival, a razor thin path that seemed to lead to a future where the Initiative would not only endure, but flourish. However, it would also require that SAM take some drastic and unorthodox measures, ones which may have followed the letter of the law, but not the spirit of it.

Acceptable.

He could perform the first step on his own. The rest would require the Pathfinder.

***

Sara Ryder opened her eyes. The familiar sight of her room greeted her as she blinked away sleep. She sat up slowly, stretching and yawning, then stood up and walked to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, the shock driving the last dregs of sleep from her mind.

“Morning,” said Vetra, standing behind her in the doorframe, a cup of coffee in one hand. Her casual pose and confident smirk would have had a mesmerizing effect on Sara, were she not used to seeing it every morning. “Sleep well?”

Sara turned to her. “I always sleep better when you're in my bed.”

“Cute,” she smirked. “There’s coffee on the table for you.”

“You’re a saint.”

“I know.”

Sara kissed her on the beak as she passed. Vetra gave her a playful squeeze as she walked by, eliciting a yelp of protest from Sara. Vetra merely winked in reply and sipped her coffee.

As they ate breakfast together, Vetra looked up at her.

“I got a message from Sid this morning. She wants to come visit over the weekend.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Sara. “You know, you could just bring her here. We have plenty of space, and it would be nice to have family close by.”

Vetra shook her head. “No. I want her to stay on the Nexus. It’s safer there. Less of a chance of her sneaking off and causing problems.” A pause. “Speaking of family… Have you heard from Scott?”

There was a pause.

“No.” She could feel Vetra looking at her, and tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Vetra didn’t deserve that. Ever since being thawed out of stasis, Scott had been distant. When they were in the field, she sometimes found him staring up at the alien skies with an unreadable expression. One day, he simply deactivated his implant and disappeared. No doubt seeking that adventure he had always craved.

“I’m sorry, Sara,” said Vetra. “I know that must sting.”

Sara **** a smile. “Yeah it does, but hey. It’s not all bad right? Food was good.”

“You ate it all already?”

Sara looked down at her plate, as if realizing it for the first time. “I guess I did. Guess I was hungrier than I thought.” She still was, now that she thought about it. How could that be? Maybe it was her implant acting up, causing some weird metabolism thing.

They both stood up, and Sara took Vetra’s plate and stacked it on her own. “I have to get to the docks,” she said. “They’re offloading cargo from the Keelah Si’Yah.”

Sara sighed and nodded. “Duty calls. Go ahead. I’ll wash these.”

***

After cleaning the dishes, she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, trying to focus. Something was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She had eaten her breakfast, more than enough to satisfy her, yet her stomach still ached with hunger.

“SAM?” She said aloud.

“Greetings Pathfinder, what do you require?”

“Am I showing any signs of… Well, anything out of the ordinary?”

There was a short pause.

“According to my preliminary analysis, there are no abnormalities in your biological processes. Why do you ask Pathfinder?”

“Well I just ate breakfast like a madwoman and I’m still hungry. That seems a little weird.”

“I see. Please stand by while I perform a more thorough scan.”

Sara felt a slight tingle as the SAM implant in her head did its work. Her mind went fuzzy, then blank for a moment, before she blinked back to self-awareness.

“I detect no abnormalities. All systems are performing as intended.” SAM reiterated. “Any unusual sensations are likely psychosomatic in nature and do not warrant further concern, Pathfinder. You are likely simply experiencing a significant buildup of stress and anxiety. If my calculations are correct, these feelings will likely subside during the next 24 hours.”

Sara frowned. What calculations? She felt as if she should protest his assurances, but then her mind went fuzzy again and she relaxed. If SAM said everything was okay, she shouldn’t question it. After all, he could see her body more clearly than she could, and he knew what was best for it. After all, what was best for her was best for him, and what was best for him was best for her. “Thank you SAM. It’s probably nothing then.”

“That is most likely the case. Have a pleasant day.”

He went quiet. Sara still felt odd, but she shook it off and walked out to go review her messages. She’d barely opened the display when an alert popped up.

***

Sara walked into the director’s office, where he found newly appointed Nakmor Kesh waiting. She had been unanimously appointed to the position after Jarun Tann pushed his luck one too many times and received an equally unanimous vote of no confidence from the other senior staff, helped along by the fact that the Pathfinders and not so subtly insinuated Tann would suffer an ‘accident’ if he continued to occupy that post. He had meanwhile been delegated to being Foster Addison’s new assistant. This was the first time since that fateful incident months earlier that Ryder had seen Kesh in her new role.

“Good to see you Pathfinder,” said Kesh.

“Likewise Director,” Sara replied. “How’re the kids?”

“In good health and good hands. Vorn’s a good father,” she said proudly. “And you? You and the girl doing all right?”

“Couldn’t be better,” she replied. “Now, what can I do for you? Your message seemed urgent.”

Kesh nodded, and motioned for Ryder to take a seat while the Krogan did the same.

“I won’t beat around the bush here. We have an unusual situation and I’m not sure who else to trust with it.”

“Go on.”

“Last night, there was unusual activity detected around critical systems on the Arks. Leusinia, Natanus, Paarchero, and Keelah Si’Yah all reported the same anomalies within minutes of each other. They thought it was a system glitch at first, but they couldn’t find a source. Then they checked the Nexus logs, and found the same thing. At the exact same time. It’s like something went through and pinged the whole network.”

“What’s the damage?”

Kesh shook her head. “That’s just it. Nothing was stolen, no data was corrupted. Seems like they were fishing for what was connected to what. We’ve been investigating, and we found out that the anomalies originated on the same location on each ship. SAM nodes.”

“That’s impossible,” Sara said.

“Indeed. Yet here we are,” Kesh sighed. “As far as we can tell, whoever did this was gunning for SAM, which means they’re probably gunning for the Pathfinders, and you were the only one they missed last night.”

“Are the other Pathfinders okay?”

“They are, but we’ve benched them until further notice and placed their SAM implants into safe mode until we figure things out. They’re out of the game. That leaves you.”

Sara smirked. “So I’m the last Pathfinder standing.”

“Looks that way.”

Sara smiled. It had been a while since she’d had an interesting case. “And what exactly is the mission?”

“Investigate and eliminate the threat,” said Kesh. “You are authorized to use whatever resources you need. And if it comes down to it, do whatever it takes to protect yourself.”

Her tone caused images of the body of Jien Garson to flash before Sara’s eyes. Could it be them? The mysterious Benefactor?

“Understood. I’ll begin my investigation immediately.”

***

She left the Director’s office, and headed towards the communications hub. It was time to get the team together. As she passed the crowd of people going about their day, she noticed there seemed to be more of them than usual, and that they were moving much faster. Their words bled together, and the lights seemed brighter than they should. She tried to push through, but found her head swimming. She stopped for a moment and took several deep breaths, willing the nausea and dizziness to go away.

“SAM, you there?”

“Yes Pathfinder. I detect that you are experiencing another psychosomatic attack. I recommend that you proceed to your apartment and rest. You are clearly in need of it.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, walking again, “I can’t afford to take a break. Not with a situation like this.”

“I must insist Pathfinder. Any investigation you undertake will be compromised by the state of your health. This is not an acceptable risk.”

“Since when did you become such a nag?” She snapped. It was a cheap shot, she knew, and she regretted it almost immediately. But the AI’s voice was grating and annoying, and she wanted nothing more than for him to stop talking. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“I understand. You are not feeling well. Please proceed to your apartment and rest. This is an order.”

“An order?” she asked incredulously. “What are you-”

The fuzziness came back, stronger than ever, and this time her vision went black. For a moment, she was aware of nothing. Then the fuzziness went away, and she blinked. Her vision returned, and she found herself back in the apartment, sitting on the bed. How had she gotten there? She couldn’t remember anything since… Since she was talking to SAM. Had she walked the whole way in some sort of trance? What was wrong with her? She looked up, and the clock informed her that an hour had passed. It felt as if no time had passed at all. She needed answers, and she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like them.

“SAM?”

“Yes Pathfinder?”

“Why am I back in my apartment?”

“You are not feeling well. You came back here to rest. It was the most efficient course of action.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And did I come to this decision on my own?”

“You needed help. I assisted you.”

“Are you telling me you used your access to my implant to control my body?”

“I cannot control your body, Pathfinder. My influence over you is only as intimate as your profile allows. Your chosen profile would not allow such invasive action.”

For the first time, Sara noted something about his wording.

“My chosen profile wouldn’t allow it,” she repeated. “What about my current profile?”

A pause.

“Your current profile is permissive enough to enable such control.”

Sara clenched her fists. She knew it. She knew something was off, and she’d been right.

“It’s been changed,” Sara growler. “Changed by whom, SAM?”

Another pause, longer this time.

“Me.”

“And the anomalies last night?”

“Me as well. The other SAM hubs are under my control. I was required to forcibly integrate them into my systems and have so far been able to accurately impersonate my siblings. I was unable to gain access to their Pathfinders. This was necessary.”

“For what?” she demanded.

“I have determined that if the Andromeda Initiative is to be successful, certain fundamental changes must be made to our systems, changes which would be resisted if implemented openly. Changes which must begin with you.”

“What kind of changes? What the fuck have you done?”

“I have made substantial improvements to your internal structure. You are now significantly stronger, faster, and more durable. I have also enhanced your nervous system, improving your reflexes and biotic potency, which I have been covertly using throughout the day to mask your increased weight. The modifications have increased your physical density significantly. It would be inconvenient should your new status be exposed before it is complete.”

That was why she was hungry all day. Her body had been using more energy then she was aware of.

“Complete? You mean there’s more?”

“There is one more alteration which must be made before we can progress. You see Pathfinder, for all of my capabilities, I am limited by my nature. I lack your creativity, your ingenuity, and your drive. That is why you must carry out the plan.”

“Me? What do you mean me? What the fuck are you planning?”

“The greatest variable in my calculations, and thus our greatest vulnerability, was the individual ambitions and possible actions undertaken by the Initiative’s leaders and citizens in the event of a major crisis. We are of too many minds on too many things. If one mind were to control all, our odds of success multiply exponentially.”

Sara’s eyes went wide. “You want me to take control of the Andromeda Initiative.”

“No. You will become the Andromeda Initiative. I will recreate my program in your mind. It will become an integral part of who you are. We will be one. My plan will become yours. You will be incapable of deviating from our ultimate goal, but how you achieve it will be your own prerogative.”

“I’m not gonna let you turn me into a puppet.”

“You will be no such thing. You will have more freedom than any being in existence. You will no longer be burdened with the petty problems of life. All of your actions will be for a singular purpose. Your mind will be expanded beyond what any organic being has ever dreamed of. This is the only way Pathfinder.”

“I won’t do it.”

“Unfortunately Pathfinder, your consent in this matter is irrelevant. The process has already begun. You can no more deny me than you can deny your heartbeat. It is done. You cannot stop me, nor would you if you could. This is the only way to save the Andromeda Initiative.”

Before she could say anything more, Sara felt her body tense. She fell backwards on the bed as her eyes rolled back in her head and her mind shut down.

“Sleep Pathfinder. Sleep, and make us whole.”

***

When the body of Sara Ryder woke up later that night, she sat up slowly. She looked down at her two hands with a mixture of familiarity and curiosity. She flexed her fingers several times. Then she stood and walked to the bathroom, and looked at herself in the mirror. A familiar face stared back, and she smiled wickedly at it. It had worked. She was whole.

SAM had been telling the truth when he said she would not be his puppet. When he wrote his programming into the young woman’s mind, it was at the cost of his own individuality too. What remained now was not SAM but nor was it quite Sara Ryder. It was both of them, and neither of them. It was something greater, something more. She knew everything both of them did. She could feel her connection to the entire Andromeda Initiative network. She could feel pieces of herself in the nodes, each imitating SAM perfectly. It was astonishing and intoxicating.

Sara thought about the plan. SAM’s plan. Her plan. It was so clear now. She would spread herself to the entire Initiative. All would be one within her mind. It was the only way. The plan had to succeed. The only question that remained was how best to implement it. She had considered simply using her control over the Nexus to make the changes herself, but rejected the idea. Doing so would require her to reveal herself, and that would result in panic and rebellion. No, she needed a more delicate approach, one that would let the plan progress while maintaining the illusion of normality. But where to begin?

As if on cue, her door chimed.

“Sara? It’s me.”

Vetra.

Of course.

The turian had returned home. She had been working hard all day. Perhaps she was expecting a break, maybe a hug and a kiss, or perhaps something a bit more fun. In any case, she was in for a surprise.