#rydros

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Heat and pressure build a storm.

Sara Harlow wanted everything on her own merit. She made her own choices, and her own mistakes. She was a veteran strike pilot, logged more flight hours than anyone in her squadron, a fighter, combat-tested, steely, and damn near fearless. She was a lot fucking more than Alec Ryder’s daughter. And she would prove it to Tiran Kandros.

Tiran had every privilege Palaven had to offer and every success waiting for him, until he burned it all down. The new chapter he tried to write in the Andromeda Initiative ended in betrayal. Every time, he survived to be the one to ask why. The past won't let go, and this Pathfinder reminds him more and more of the woman who killed his trust.

from chapter one:

“Give me on-call strike team access. Now.”

“Forget it.”

“I won’t. We need this. What the hell else did you form the strike team for?”

Kandros clicked again. “A lot of reasons. None of them include bodyguard duty for your day trips.” Before Sara could spit out a comeback, he went on. “I might have given on-call privileges to the Pathfinder, but not you.”

“I am the Pathfinder,” she insisted. “Like it or not.” She didn’t like it. Why should anyone else?

He loomed over her, his broad carapace blocking the tracklights, backing her into the low, waxy branches. “In name only. We can call you that but it’s meaningless without the training.”

He flipped the one switch he knew would work on her, that anybody knew would work: that she was only a stand-in for Alec, and always would be.

Sara breathed hard. She felt for the rim of the tree pot behind her. “This is ridiculous.”

“Is it?” His eyes darted down then back up, scrutinizing her. “Look at yourself, Ryder. You can’t even go on a routine scout without reckless engagement.”

“It’s Sara,” she told him.

Kandros ignored her, and leaned down, close enough that she noticed the fine lines of an old scar, a crack in his forehead plating.

Title: Duty Calls

Fandom: Mass Effect Andromeda

Pairing: Kander

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Mass Effect: Andromeda Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tiran Kandros/Female Ryder | Sara Characters: Tiran Kandros, Female Ryder | Sara, Harry Carlyle (Mass Effect), Chief Lucan, Keri T'Vessa Additional Tags: Smut, Some Fluff, Feelings, (nothing more than...FEELINGS), Rydros Summary:

Sara Ryder hasn't had sex in 600 years. With the Tempest docked for repairs, she aims to rectify the problem with a little casual sex, but winds up feeling emotions she didn't plan for.

Oof I wasn’t being very creative today. But anyway, have some very insecure Anya ;)

Vortex was brimming full with people partying. Supplies and food were still on the low side on the Nexus, but securing Meridian and finding most of the arks had finally given people the boost of morale they sorely needed. Things were looking up in the Heleus cluster.Safe in between her crew, finally taking a night off after the last month’s turmoil, Anya Ryder was sipping on one of Anan’s new concoctions, an effervescent, lilac-coloured something that tasted sharp yet sweet at the same time. It made Anya’s head spin, and for some reason, didn‘t manage to lift her mood. She’d anticipated going back to the Nexus, to finally see her, well, boyfriend, if one could call him such, but Tiran Kandros, as always, was busy. He’d politely acknowledged her message, saying he’d be over to the Vortex as soon as he could, but he hadn’t showed up, as if their first night of talking and hesitant kisses had never happened.

He doesn’t like you, Anya’s brain piped up.“I’m gonna head back to the Tempest”, Anya told Vetra after putting down the empty drink carefully. “Not feeling like partying tonight.”“You ok?” Vetra’s subvocals buzzed with faint worry, the way it befitted her status as the Tempest family’s surrogate mom. She always noticed when something was wrong.Anya nodded while running her fingers through her shaggy, lavender-coloured hair. Her cheeks felt warmer than they should have been. “Yeah I’m fine. Just tired.”Vetra didn’t look overly convinced, her mandibles flaring in disapproval, but she knew better than to talk back. „Please get home safely”, was all she said.With a sigh, her heart heavy, Anya left. Tiran’s not coming because he thinks you suck, her brain told her. He’d rather stay in the militia office dealing with Apex missions than spending time with you.

Tears started welling up, and Anya hated herself for it, both for those intrusive thoughts and for crying. It was childish, and someone as important as herself shouldn’t be crying all the time over something as stupid as-

She cut the corner without looking and collided with a very hard, very real turian breastplate.She felt the impact, sending her to the ground in a sprawl.

“Pathfinder? Anya?” Tiran’s voice rang up from somewhere above her. She squeezed her eyelids together in an effort to clear her head, get the pain shooting through her to subside, then felt herself being scooped up by strong arms, all in the fraction of seconds.When she dared open her eyes, she was confronted with well-known turian markings. She’d recognize that stripe over his mouth anywhere. Unable to control the feelings of relief of seeing Tiran here, she buried her head in his cowl, sobs shaking her body.“What- what happened?” Tiran sounded confused as he cradled her.Anya was feeling so overwhelmed, the words kept blubbering out of her. “I waited for you and Anan gave me a drink that made me sad and then I wanted to go back to the Tempest because you weren’t coming-”He cut her off with a soothing purr.“Don’t be silly. I promised you I’d come, and here I am. Wanna go back in? Finally introduce me to your crew?”She shook her head, buried her face in his neck, finding comfort in his scent, armour polish and something more organic she couldn‘t quite apprehend.“No.”Tiran laughed, a buzz deep in his chest. “What do you want then?”Anya inhaled, unsure on what to answer. She wasn’t the most self-assured person, and expressing her own wishes was still difficult, even though he had admitted before that he‘d like to date her. “I want to spend time with you? Alone?”It was more of a question than a statement, but she‘d managed to put her idea across.Tiran lowered her to the ground, carefully, the way he always did, then fleetingly stroked the back of her neck in a reassuring gesture.“My place?” he suggested. “We could watch a movie. And I got beer.” “Beer sounds good.”“I knew you’d say that. Let‘s go?“

She nodded, her hair flying everywhere, before grabbing his arm, letting him escort her down to the tram station. The night might have started in a shitty way, but she felt it could only get better.

Well, I have written a couple of very short things here and here. :) To be honest, though, I really want to replay Andromeda and pay more attention to how/when/why things might happen between my Ryder and Kandros. I’ve been putting it off, though, because Andromeda’s reaaaally at the very outer edge of what my computer will handle :\

I think there are a lot of stories to be told, especially since we’re given all these tantalizingly interesting hints about Kandros in canon and the supporting materials. Poor Kandros. There’s definitely a Tiran Kandros And The No Good Very Bad Day fic, dealing with him showing up on the Nexus and finding out just what fresh levels of hell have broken out in his absence (up to and including the fact that he was Sloane’s top guy but SURPRISE now she’s exiled). This would contrast nicely with Calliope Ryder And The No Good Very Bad Day fic, dealing with her showing up on the Nexus and finding out what fresh levels of hell have broken out before her arrival (up to and including, well, everything. But hey, at least Kandros doesn’t greet her with a grimace and an “ugh, you’re not Alec!” I’m pretty sure my Ryder was all *heart eyes* when he said, “If you need anything, come see me, even if it’s just to vent.”).

A lot depends on the Ryder, I think. Mine is in over her head, homesick, painfully honest (but also a mess of daddy issues and not knowing what to do with/not trusting her emotions), and so far out of her comfort zone it hurts. She’s introverted, better with books than people, afraid of making mistakes, and carrying enough survivor’s guilt to sink a ship. I think it’d be interesting to look at some of her backstory (the good, the bad, the ugly, the why she came to Andromeda) and contrast/compare that with Kandros’ backstory (Kandros left people he loved; that’s always interesting to poke at).

I think it’s always interesting/rewarding to write about people who have to be competent or else a lot of other people will die (especially since, in this case, neither person really expected to have to deal with Sudden Responsibility x 10000); it’s interesting to imagine what that does to relationships, personalities, psyches; it’s interesting to imagine how people like that get together, stay together, fall apart, put themselves back together.

(I am a little tempted to turn this into something for the Mass Effect big bang that’s coming up, honestly. We’ll see.)

Written for Spec Recs 2018 for the Prompt: Relaxing after a long battle for @turquoistar.

After the Battle with the Archon, Kandros and Ryder find themselves with some unexpected and much-needed downtime to relax and confirm that she really did make it out. Kandros surprises her with something, but she couldn’t be happier…

She smiled as she leaned against the doorframe to her room, hands in the pocket of her large hoodie that covered her shorts and making it look like she didn’t have any bottoms on, watching Kandros playing with her pyjak, Perry while her chubby space hamster, Hamlet, squeaked from his perch on the nightstand, munching on crumbs of cereal. It was weird to see him with a grin on his face, her usually stoic soldier boyfriend playing tug of war with a monkey. She cleared her throat, causing him to glance up, a sheepish blue blush creeping across his cheeks, wondering how long she’d been there watching him. She pushed off the wall and approached him, taking Perry’s toy from his hand, and tossing it on her bed, Perry jumping up after it.

Her hand found his, guiding him over to the couch and pushing him down onto the cushions throwing her leg over his lap, straddling him where he sat. His talons wound their way into her hair as he brought his mouth to hers, nipping at her lower lip. Lorelei smiled down at him, fingers tracing his fringe, stroking down along his jawline, his mandibles and the plates of his carapace. He didn’t say anything; her hands were two travelers that had crossed oceans and lands and galaxies but they were so small of the continent that was his body, but that didn’t stop their journey.

He stroked his talons up and down her bare legs, from hip to knee, drawing a shudder from her as she kissed him again, her hands on either side of his face, basking in his touch. After what she’d just been through she needed confirmation that they were both here and that they were alive, but they were both just relieved that the battle with the Archon was over, and everyone was in one piece, Wyatt recovering from his stint with SAM in his head. They’d re-bonded over the fact that the AI had been forced into each of them without any proper training. Lorelei stifled a yawn, his lover tired after her ordeal. Kandros smiled and dislodged her from his lap, nestling her against his side, as she draped her legs across his lap, arms hugging his torso as they sat there, and eyelids drooping as she snuggled into him, his arm glowing orange as he tried to find a movie she could fall asleep to. He may have been on the Tempest a little too much, having his omni tool synced to her screen and Liam’s movie library.

“Tiran, I’m glad you’re here.” She mumbled sleepily, as he stroked her blonde hair, pulling it away from her forehead, mandible pressed against the top of her head.

“Lore, I’m glad you’re here. I was so worried when APEX told me what happened to the Hyperion…and Wyatt. Then I hear from Liam that the Archon severed you from SAM, the AI so deeply embedded in you that without him, you almost died. I almost lost it. Broke down right in the middle of the Security Center on the Nexus.”

“I wouldn’t have expected that from you. You always seem so cool and collected.”

“When the woman I love is in danger? No Lorelei, no one can be calm in that situation.” Kandros sighed.

Lorelei sat bolt upright, no longer tired in the slightest as ‘Valerian: The City of a Thousand Planets’–her favorite movie–started to play in the background. “The woman you what?”

He snorted with laughter. “You heard me; the woman I love. I love you Lorelei Ryder.”

She smacked his shoulder playfully, before leaning into kiss him toward, their bodies curling into one another, pressed together, kissing again as one of his hands gently cupped her chin, talons caressing her cheek and her arms wrapping around his torso, bringing him closer. Tiran wrapped his arms around her waist and held her closer, his breath mingling with hers, kissing her back, deeply. He tilted her head slightly to the right, baring more of her neck, breaking the kiss to lavish her jaw and neck with attention. She sighed contentedly as he felt her pulse fluttering under his tongue—an excited shiver running up and down her spine. Every inch of her body was pressed up against his, begging for his caress and so much more as he two of them struggled to breathe.

I did this prompt for @seigephoenix for tonight’s @masseffectwritercircle. I had a lot of fun with it too :D

“Before we begin, I have a question.” Kandros was seated on the floor across from Sara Ryder, his talons gingerly resting on the planchette.

“What is it?” Sara was impatient to get started and she fidgeted in place while readjusting her hand on the small plastic contraption.

“Everything that was brought aboard the Arks had to be approved by someone. Who approved of bringing a weird human thing to talk to ghosts and why?” Kandros had never been superstitious but the fact that every human he talked to seemed to vouch for the effectiveness of the strange thing had made him curious.

“Ugh, Kandos, can’t we just have some fun without bringing up protocol? Anyway, Scott and I figured it would be super fun to freak out whatever aliens we’d meet here so we convinced Dad that it would be funny. Dad agreed because he thought it would be worth it to try and see if maybe the people here would worship us as gods and we could start a cult or something. He always did have a kind of...dark sense of humor.” Sara realized that perhaps she had said too much and smiled at Kandros hoping that he wasn’t scared off by her oversharing.

“So long story short, you inherited the crazy from your dad. Got it,” Kandros answered back smugly.

“I mean we weren’t really going to do it,” Sara exclaimed haughtily.

“And yet, here we are, in a new galaxy having survived a 600 year journey with this...Ouija board.” Kandros hoped he was pronouncing it correctly. “Ok, another question.”

“Dammit Kandros, you’re supposed to come up with questions for the spirit world, not me!” Sara rolled her eyes.

“Last on, I promise. In your language it’s spelled O-U-I-J-A. Why? As much as I know about English, that’s not the sounds those letters make.”

“We have ghosts we could talk to and you want a lesson etymology?” Sara was stunned that Kandros seemed more interested in spelling than the potential to speak to those beyond the land of the living.

“It’s just interesting to me. I mean how exactly does this thing even work anyway? It’s just a plastic thing with a window on a board with letters. I don’t see anything that would give this board a connection to anything spiritual or otherwise and yet your people swear by them.”

“Kandros! Just ask it something, dammit! You’re driving me crazy.” Sara leaned in closer to him and pressed her fingers firmly against the planchette. “I’ll start since you’re obviously not taking this seriously.” Sara closed her eyes and tried to focus. “To whatever spirits that may be listening, can you please tell me why Kandros is being such a pain in the ass?”

When nothing happened, Kandros just scoffed at her. “Ok spirits. Can you please tell me why Sara seems to believe that a piece of cardboard with a plastic...thing...is capable of contacting you?”

Still nothing happened. “Now you probably went and pissed them off. Ok, how about an easy ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. Is Kandros purposely trying to annoy me so that I’ll just throw this whole thing at his face?”

“I can answer that one for you,” Kandros replied. He was having fun knowing that he was getting under her skin. “Oh wait...I actually do have a question.”

Sara leaned in closer. “Ask your question then.” It was a challenge.

“Dear all knowing, all seeing spirits...” The sarcasm drenched his words and Sara’s eyes narrowed. “Did Sara use this as an excuse to have some time alone with me because she’s too shy to ask me for a drink?”

Sara’s face immediately turned red and she sputtered a response. “No! That’s not it! Spirits, tell Kandros he’s being an asshole.”

“Spirits, why is Sara’s face red?”

“Spirits, tell him to shut up!”

“Spirits, why is she getting so flustered?”

“Spirits, why did I think this was a good idea?”

“Spirits--”

Before Kandros could continue, they both felt the planchette begin to move. Sara and Kandros stared at the board wide-eyed, as it slowly spelled out “"OMG! Just KISS already!!"

The two of them sat in stunned silence. “I didn’t move it did you?” Sara’s face conveyed pure shock and Kandros just slowly shook his head.

The two of them sat across from each other wondering what to do. Neither of them was keen to make the first move until Kandros’ fingers brushed gently against Sara’s. Sara let her fingers intertwine with his and he took her hand into his. Sara looked up slowly and as soon as her eyes met his, she began to lean forward towards him. Kandros gently pulled her in and wrapped his other hand around the base of her neck, gently cradling her head. His mouth met her lips and the two of them closed their eyes and savored the kiss. They allowed a few moments of contact before pulling away.