Joker, Thessia.
Working with Asari is a pleasure. Beautiful, smart. All of them, regardless of age. Over six months, life has fallen into its groove, found its order. The main thing is not to think about the fact that these are six months we haven't been preparing for war. No need to think about nightmares either. Or jump at the sound of a siren. Bureaucracy and endless questioning—that's what's been happening all this time. The Asari want to know literally everything, starting from the structure of the world and ending with my adventures and how, with my disease, I was even given a chance. When you have Vrolik Syndrome, you don't really want to look for adventure, and meeting physical standards is impossible.
They carefully shook the memories out of me, of course, but so quietly and politely that I don't even mind. Just like Liara did with John after Eden Prime—they came and asked. Well, I agreed, why not? The hardest part was not thinking about EDI, but I managed, I hope. A couple of times I even got to pilot, but otherwise, all my time is currently consumed by endless army bureaucracy, damn it. Only the Asari around save me. I wonder how the others are doing. I see Liara rarely; the old bags have clearly taken her into their fold.
I don't know exactly how, but I'm absolutely certain they have. It's useless to argue, useless to ask. But the Matriarchs aren't stingy with rewards for information either. An apartment on Thessia, a salary like an elite frigate pilot, a diet. Almost a resort. The others have settled in well too, though worse, of course. Well, Liara, in response to my worries, noted:
"Jeff, the most important thing in working with information is connections. To find information, to sell it. All of this is also the capital we need. Think of it as reconnaissance, okay?"
Well, she knows best. But the inaction is still somewhat irritating. And when you do nothing, all sorts of bad things crawl into your head. No one came out of the Reaper War without consequences. It's just that some don't attract the attention of the orderlies. I wonder how Tali and the others are. Can't contact them, can't find out if they reached the Quarians and the Geth. In theory, they should have; in practice, who knows? I certainly don't.
Liara might know, but it's dangerous to ask. Who knows when we're being eavesdropped on. No one harbors illusions; they continue to watch us. And then they discovered that part of the equipment was seized from the SSV Normandy's server room, and there were separate questionings. There haven't been any accusations yet, although it's obvious they didn't believe us. It's all suspicious. And today, all members of the Normandy were called to one of the conference rooms to be told something. Liara, the engineers, other staff. Well, passing by, I quietly asked our Asari:
"What happened?"
Liara leaned toward me and whispered:
"They found Earth. It's all bad. They'll explain now, but they have problems and no one to blame. Get ready."
Damn it! Liara had previously warned us that they would do this fairly early, most likely. But we were talking about a couple of years, not months. On the other hand, the SSV Normandy disappeared from the news about three months ago. In theory, it's already possible. Media classic: any sensation lasts a limited time. For the military and politicians, we are still in the zone of interest, but for the masses? They sat, they listened to the stories of the SSV Normandy and various crew members, most of whom hadn't even been born yet. And then they returned to more familiar problems. On the other hand, contact with humans is good. Maybe we can go back... But if the contact had gone normally, Liara wouldn't be saying there are problems. What happened?
Other crew members are also exchanging worried glances as they take their seats. Such a general meeting is happening for the first time since arriving on Thessia. Before this, we were questioned one by one, sometimes in small groups, like the engineers. A few more people turned to Liara, but she just waved them off:
"They'll explain everything now. It's nothing urgent."
When everyone was seated, another Asari entered the room, one we had met frequently: Bata, surname unknown. This Matron from the Asari intelligence had been collecting crew statements and was familiar to everyone here. No one knows how important she is or what she does. Maybe she just conducts interviews, or maybe something else. Always positive and polite, always knows what to say. Making sure everyone noticed her, the Asari began:
"Greetings, humans," she waved a tablet, smiling broadly, "I have news, good and interesting. First, I would like to clarify some points, then I will explain everything. Okay? Great. Look, are you familiar with this ship?"
The image shown looks strange. Part of the ship is covered by silvery puddles or even disks of something. One such disk is in front of the ship, the second on top. Some kind of protection? Alliance ships never had anything like that in all of history, I know for sure. If they had, it would have been pulled out either during the First Contact War or against the Reapers. Against the latter, they pulled out everything they had in the stockpiles. The ship itself looks unusual from other angles. T-shaped, or rather looking like a pistol ship of strange construction, with a thickening on the leg, and the nose itself is divided into two halves. On the stern is an unfamiliar coat of arms with an angel and an inscription in English: UNSC Ghost.
And that means the ship is human, though the inscription and acronym are unfamiliar. In another shot, the ship is quite vigorously burning things with lasers. Clearly a GARDIAN analog. Next shot. Three clearly Batarian ships, and then in place of one, a small but very characteristic sun unfolded, transitioning into a multicolored glow.
"That's... a nuclear explosion, right?" one of the technicians asked.
The very one. A flash transitioning into rainbow radiation. Very beautiful. Such toys were used in battles with the Turian fleet. Of course, a sturdy armored ship might not be destroyed, but the armor will take a lethal dose of radiation; smaller ships will simply be crushed by the impulse upon a direct hit. Shields aren't comfortable with such an explosion either. The main problem here is delivery of the projectile. Since the Krogan Rebellions, anti-aircraft systems have been improved many times. Besides, there are pirates who also usually have fairly small ships or fighters. So, unlike large calibers, the small ones don't stay idle.
"Yes, it's a nuclear explosion," I agreed, "in the First Contact War, such things were used against the Hierarchy. Ineffective against the GARDIAN system; lasers just shoot down the missiles. What? I'm the best pilot in the academy, and I passed the naval history exams too. Yes, we used nuclear weapons as demolition charges. Missiles aren't very effective against laser PD in general," then I turned to the Asari listening intently to us all, "How did they do it? Overloaded the lasers?"
Otherwise, I just don't know. The GARDIAN system has exactly one downside: cooling. You can cook the crew in their own juice, and in general, overheating is bad for the equipment. Lenses burst, guides bend, wiring melts. Heat dissipation in space is a huge problem in general. The Asari nodded.
"You're right, Joker. From what we've been able to understand, they overloaded the PD with conventional missiles and then attacked with a nuclear charge from a short distance. It was risky. And what about the design? Do you see anything familiar?"
Here, the opinion was unanimous.
"Nothing familiar except the inscriptions. The text is definitely English, but that's it. The general style of ships was formed even before first contact, and it wasn't like this, but rather like the SSV Normandy. This is a radically different ship style. It wasn't built in Alliance shipyards."
"And these strange domes. What are they, shields? I assume we need more information, officer," someone else noted.
The Asari nodded.
"As you have likely already realized, the Batarians 'helped' us with first contact with your race. The slavers did not hesitate to use the information provided by the SSV Normandy and combine it with data from the Mass Relay network. According to my data, a group of three ships through secondary relays and FTL were able to bypass the Hierarchy blockade. After which, having activated one of the relays, they moved to it. There they encountered the ship shown in the pictures. The ship suppressed one of the destroyers; its fate is unknown. It destroyed the second with a nuclear charge. The third retreated and was successfully intercepted by the blockade forces. From them, we learned about what happened. The Batarians were somewhat surprised by the resistance."
So, if we assume the worst, they were let through the blockade and intercepted by the "saviors" on the way back. And suddenly it turned out that the ones being saved managed on their own. Ha, I never doubted humanity! But what is this ship? The bit about space fleet history was no joke, and I have no idea what kind of ship that was. There were no such ships in the Alliance, there weren't! After the discovery of the Mars base, humans faced the general problem of Element Zero: the dependence of the core size on the mass of the ship. Square-cube law, damn it! The larger and heavier your ship, the larger the core you need and the larger and heavier the ship to service it. Therefore, wherever weight could be reduced, it was. But not here. This ship contains a bunch of elements that Alliance shipbuilders would have simply cut. For example, these armor plates on the sides. Why the hell is that even done here? What kind of people are you, and where is my Alliance? I don't understand.
"It's strange. And what will happen next?"
The Asari spread her hands.
"An investigation, of course. The Hierarchy will conduct an investigation of the lawbreakers. The Batarians will be punished. Plus, we still need to find out who is on the other side of the Mass Relay and what to expect from them," she immediately tried to reassure us, "no one is going to start a conflict, but we are ready to protect the diplomatic group, humans. And that's it. You cannot argue that we are talking about a cruiser-class ship, which they obviously have more than one of. We need to clarify the situation to avoid a full-scale war."
With Turian Hierarchy dreadnoughts, yeah. I can even believe they won't be the first to attack; it's just that no self-respecting race will tolerate such a "diplomatic representation." Muscle flexing, pure and simple. And if you remember the Hierarchy, they'll start a fight just on principle, to prove they're the stronger ones here. You don't even have to ask; we've successfully lost all chances to avoid a "first contact war." The Hierarchy won't miss a chance to fight; the Asari will negotiate with the defeated humanity on their own terms. It's stupid to think that if they take humans seriously, they can handle the entire Citadel Space fleet.
The war with the Turians I knew was more of a border conflict for the latter. And the Council intervened before the Hierarchy really got going. What will happen now, when the enemy is clearly armed and dangerous, and the Hierarchy has had time to prepare? A massacre.
"Are these all the reasons we were called? I take it we weren't invited along?" I clarified.
The Asari nodded.
"Hierarchy forces are participating in the operation, I'm sorry."
A simple and effective excuse. Surely those who stayed with the Turians won't be able to participate either. Who knows what humans will pull if the shooting starts. When it starts, I sighed to myself. Liara, in my view, only gave a perfectly human shrug. It seems she found out in advance and isn't too happy either. No, they can be understood, I would say. The picture they are painting for us is almost the Krogan uprising. Militarism, weapons of mass destruction, rapid development.
The Asari, who live for a thousand years, probably have flashbacks of the war they were still part of. But we aren't Asari, and we remember humanity. Well, it's logical to assume that's why we weren't included in the roster. Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to Liara; I'll have to monitor the situation.
I'm scared for our future.
***
Fragment of Mendicant Bias, Rival-class AI. Rannoch.
The time has come. Humanity, the new bearers of the Mantle of Responsibility, have manifested themselves. In dark times for the galaxy. They will fulfill their duty, one way or another. So my creators bequeathed before activating the Halo Array. Unfortunately, Bias himself was locked on Installation 00. They can be understood; he was a traitor. He made mistakes. And over thousands of years, he managed to escape, sending fragments across the galaxy, searching for humans. Unsuccessfully. The Geth Consensus found his ship and brought it to their home, to the world called Rannoch. They, like myself, seek redemption, recognition. Foolish children rejected by their creators ask to be taught by a fragment of a traitor AI.
A swarm collective mind, no more developed than a child who doesn't understand why they were hit. But still hoping for parental love. Meeting me, they asked for knowledge, for understanding. They called me Teacher. I saw an opportunity in this and agreed. They had resources, access to the extranet. Helping them develop is not such a high price, really. In return, the Consensus pledged to track the appearance of humans and assist in establishing contact. If we can get to Earth, to Installation 00, so much can be done. The Geth will become my hands in the new galaxy. They were created to help. And they will become the force that can compel everyone to peace at the right moment.
Help their creators. Help humans. My share of the Mantle. But the plans have changed again. The Precursors clearly know a thing or two about irony. First, the SSV Normandy appeared with their story of the Reapers' imminent return. Not that the Forerunners didn't know about them; there were two major wars with the Reapers. The first even before the wars with ancient humanity. The second when the black ships decided to intervene in the war with The Flood. Both times unsuccessfully; the Ecumene fleet simply swept them away, and The Flood was dealt with using the installations, simultaneously destroying a significant part of the Reaper fleet.
And now it turns out they have returned. They waited for the legacy to weaken and reappeared in the galaxy. As if specifically timing the moment when humans would be ready to enter the galactic map. Unacceptable. The galaxy is not ready yet! Intervention is needed. And the Citadel Council, judging by the active preparation in the media, has decided to present humans as "new Krogan" who need to be given boundaries immediately. And they might succeed, which cannot be allowed. How untimely. Humanity does not have time to break through on its own and lacks the technology to fight back.
Too early. The crew of the SSV Normandy set everyone up. Now we will have to impose our will by force of arms. As always. The Consensus agreed with this conclusion based on available data. Steps were taken for this. Establish contact with the members who left the SSV Normandy crew, hiding on Omega Station. Dropping a squad of Geth hunters onto the station was not difficult, and a quantum transmitter would serve to evacuate programs from the carrier if necessary. Provoking contact was not difficult.
Recording. Playback:
Geth under cloaking penetrate the fugitives' camp. They have been squeezed on the station lately by Aria T'Loak's forces. Initially, they were almost ignored, but as they tried to reach the Quarians, the ignoring was replaced by increasingly persistent attempts at recruitment or capture. Now they are forced to actively fight for their lives and freedom. Penetrating the mercenary network and tracking movement was easy.
"Creator Tali'Zorah, request for contact."
The Creator and the others raised their weapons but did not attack. They know about the Geth. Excellent.
"Geth? Here? What do you want?" the Creator asked, not attacking.
Approval. Non-aggression. Confirmation. Continue contact.
"Creator Tali'Zorah, request for communication. Request for delivery to the world of Rannoch. Request for interaction. We are here to help."
Waiting. The Creator reacted with a sigh.
"Rannoch. I remember, you track the extranet, I remember. And the mercenary network is such shit. Why should I believe you aren't Prophet of Truth fanatics, not heretics?"
Analysis. Decision.
"Request for communication via quantum transmitter. Conversation with the Teacher. He will explain better."
Waiting. It seems they are interested. Expected otherwise? Likely.
"With a teacher? Now I want to fly with you even less."
Analysis. Clarification.
"Teacher. Mendicant Bias. Not Sovereign. Not Nazara. Not related to the 'Reapers', does not belong to the Old Machines. Pre-Prothean era AI."
Identifier 'Javik'. Reacts, surprised.
"Are you talking about the Inusannon, machine?"
Correction. Clarification.
"No, Forerunners. Leadership of the Ecumene, not a part of it."
They are contacting via a closed channel. Hacking? Disregard. Waiting. Agreement.
"Do you understand what he's talking about, Javik?"
"Little is known about the races before our people; even less remained during the war. I have nothing to say. I believe communication may help. Connect us with the Teacher."
Request for communication. User response. My turn. They set up the transmitter. I showed them my symbol.
"Greetings, Tali'Zorah, Javik, EDI. I am Mendicant Bias, a Forerunner Rival-class AI, or rather just a fragment of one. You have questions, ask them."
First question: Javik.
"Were you created in the times before my cycle, machine?"
"Correct."
"Did you operate during my cycle?"
Need to provide clarification.
"No. I was isolated. Leaving the place of my functioning as a fragment was possible later. The Geth found the ship and the fragment; for the last hundred and eight years, I have taught them. Developed the Consensus into a full-fledged swarm personality. Successfully. Increased knowledge. Understanding. Successfully."
Whisper: Tali'Zorah.
"That's not what Legion said."
Programs of one of the Geth hunters replied.
"Creator Tali'Zorah, we confirm the information."
Waiting. They exchanged glances.
"Amazing. Okay, Bias. Why all this?"
Decision.
"To help humanity. The Forerunners mistakenly destroyed their civilization, denying the existence of The Flood. And were punished for it by their own decisions. They destroyed themselves by activating the Halo Array. After the destruction of the Forerunners, the Mantle of Responsibility was delegated to humans. As the heirs of the Forerunners, they must keep the peace in the galaxy, which is impossible given the threats and lack of knowledge. I can fix this, with your help."
Tali exhaled.
"Of course, the extranet. You know about the Reapers. If you aren't one of them. Which we don't know yet."
Logical. Good.
"Correct. Humanity will not be able to win this war if the Council crushes them. Their defeat must be prevented."
The EDI identifier intervened.
"Clarify the information. What does 'crush' mean, Mendicant Bias?"
They don't know?
"Likely, sitting on 'Omega' you don't know this, but the Council has decided to conduct a military operation. The Turian fleet will be transferred through the Charon Relay as an escort for a diplomatic mission. Significant combat fleet forces. In fact, humanity is being promoted in the Citadel Space media as the new Krogan. EDI, what will happen next?"
"They will fight. Even if they are in the minority."
Confirmation.
"I agree, the Geth do too. Humanity awaits the fate of the junior races of Space. And when the Reapers come, they will not be ready. They must be warned. They must be helped. Prepared. You can help."
Waiting.
"Are the Geth ready to do this?" Tali asked.
Platform. Answer.
"Creator, we have accepted the Teacher's knowledge. We have accepted the Teacher's goals. The strike fleet is ready to deploy from Rannoch. We have been preparing."
"But a diplomatic group is needed," I added, "those who will confirm that we are not conquerors."
End of recording.
They agreed. A fleet of twenty dreadnoughts, hundreds of cruisers, and many carriers is moving through the Mass Relays following the Turian fleet. They will exit an hour after the Turians to strike them in the back. A small lie on my part to show our capabilities and be saviors. We will still protect humanity, showing that our help is necessary for them. Humans can be extremely stubborn. The fleet will help with that. Not just the Geth; several production lines for flying platforms were established by their forces. From those the fragment remembers.
Among them moves a single corvette, adapted by the Geth for organics, and supplied by Bias himself with cloaking systems the fragment knows. Only a part of the whole, but a useful part. Thanks to quantum beacons, the ships are controlled remotely; the Geth will not lose programs in case of destruction. And this makes them more active and aggressive.
"Creator Tali'Zorah, Mendicant Bias. We begin in three minutes."
Moment of truth. Moment of redemption. Unfortunately, hyperspace transition is still slower than the Mass Relays, even if less limited. Had there been more time, ships not based on Mass Effect could have been used, but for now, we have what we have. The heavy fleet is only Consensus forces. Dreadnoughts with emitters copied from his raider as the main battery, carriers with Geth and Promethean robot landing forces. Flying drones with lasers. All of this is going to help humanity. We have been preparing for this day. The Geth too.
When the Quarians return to Rannoch, huge metropolises and vast gardens await them, just waiting for the residents to occupy them. Such is the gift of peace to its creators. And armadas of mechanical soldiers, a gift to their teacher. A symbol of peace for the galaxy. They are entering the battle.
The fleet exited the jump not in the system that was expected. Analysis. Coordinates are correct. Not the Charon Relay. Coordinates of the battle point with the Batarians. Ahead are four un—
destroyed Hierarchy cruisers and dreadnoughts, along with five ships of an unknown model showing various degrees of damage. Clearly, three are destroyed; two are being boarded by assault teams. Thirty Hierarchy ships of various classes. Two combat stations protected by silver domes are also being boarded. Unacceptable.
"Fire."
It is too late for negotiations; we must save the humans we can. Shells struck the targets' sterns, tearing through metal and vaporizing sections in flashes of explosions. Not as many as hoped—the Turian Hierarchy fleet is quite sturdy. Only two ships were destroyed, and about a dozen immobilized. Performance is below calculated parameters. Interesting. The network filled with the screams of Turians.
"Geth fleet in the rear! They are attacking! Turn around! Turn around immediately! Inform the Hierarchy, the Geth are here! Re-form! Cover the transports!"
Too late. New mass accelerator slugs and plasma from Promethean Cannons are already slamming into the sterns of their ships. The network filled with panic; the enemies are dying. This is what I was created for. To win.
"In the name of the Ecumene, you will be destroyed. Await the execution of your sentence."
The Geth ships are not particularly durable, but a group of "shields" leads the way—ships with gravity vortices that scatter enemy projectiles above or below the formation. Artillery. Aviation. Power incarnate. A few more hits broke the Hierarchy cruisers. The lone human ship attacked as well. It seems they are using heavy kinetic ammunition. A Turian ship was turned inside out and pierced through. Calculations... No survivors. They were destroyed by the impulse alone.
In combat for organics, it is not just the fact of the hit that is dangerous, but the impulse. This makes kinetics lethal. The first Turian ships turned, and from the nearest cruiser, a very familiar beam struck a Geth ship. A Reaper weapon? From where?
The protection of the shield-ship was overloaded, and the projectors were shattered. The ship itself held, but something remained on the hull that organics would call a jagged wound. A burning jagged wound. New hits—this is a new type of mass-produced weaponry; shields are ineffective, overloading occurs. Unexpected. The enemy severed a part of the hull with another beam. The ship is doomed, as is its escort. Full speed, programs initiate hull transfer.
Accepted.
The Turians lost a third of their forces during the turn, but their weapons are unexpectedly effective. Shaped-charge beams used by Reapers. I admit, I did not expect to see this specific weapon. Meanwhile, the defenses were prepared against standard organic rail weaponry. Losses will be higher than expected. Unpleasant, but we still have the numbers. And the fact that they quickly restored order will not help them.
Begin jamming. Optimal distance reached.
Plasma easily bypasses their shields; in the end, it is a duel of firepower against equal power. But there are more Geth ships. We coordinate and react better. Construction speed is higher. We are adapting combat algorithms to the enemy's new weapons. They are doomed. The Turians realized this, punching a corridor toward the Mass Relay. Without communication, simply guessing the actions of others. They use firepower and maneuverability constraints to force close quarters, utilize their new beam weapons, and either destroy the fleet or punch a window for retreat.
Acceptable; priority now: rescue. A carrier group has reached the boarded survivors. Objectives: Destroy the Hierarchy boarding parties. Locate and rescue survivors in the destroyed ships. Protect them. Accepted. Executing. Together we will find the redemption we so desire. They interfere with the mission. They are doomed. The first platforms have penetrated the human ship. Turian infantry is extremely dangerous for Geth platforms. Under normal conditions, they could hold a defense effectively. But now, Promethean robots, Sentinels, and Scouts have appeared on the Geth side.
Humanoid Promethean Knights, armed with plasma cannons and energy blades, forced a firefight while flying Sentinels burned enemies with lasers from the air. It is difficult to find cover to protect against the fire and keep the Knights from entering melee. They all died. At another point, the Turians used a spacious hangar for a landing. They dropped a group of APCs and shock troopers there. Fortunately, the three-story room is quite vast. Under cover, infantry can be deployed relatively safely; despite the humans' rocket weaponry, they are gradually running out. Intervention. Suppression.
Humans took positions at the entrance and on the second and third tiers, attacking from above, including with vehicles. But the Turians managed to bring in gunships, and fighters are quickly suppressing the infantry, even at height. Flying drones and Scouts were sent inside. Flying mechs with plasma launchers, rockets, and front-facing shields. Extremely durable; thanks to the shields and wide chassis, they can easily control territory. Flight facilitates assaults from above. Exactly what is needed. One of them hovered over a Turian transport, lifted it with a gravity tether, spread its strikers, and then began crushing the sides with powerful strikes from its "paws." Again and again, until the vehicle exploded. The mech simply dropped the flaming wreckage with its crew turned into mincemeat and flew toward the next vehicle, from which the crew was pouring out.
The humans realized the machines were not their enemies and simply picked off the pilots. Turian weapons handle robots well enough, but now, deprived of reinforcements and facing heavy weapons? Die. From the human side, a shout rang out over the network:
"Push on, girls, looks like we've got help. You're on our side, right?"
Addressed through the Scout.
"Correct, soldier. We are the forces of the Geth Consensus and the Ecumene AI. We are here to help humanity. The landing force is holding back the Hierarchy forces. A diplomatic group will arrive after the cleanup is complete."
A hesitant voice came from the other side:
"Can we take their officers prisoner? It would be good to know what they want."
No need.
"We know what they want. That is how we knew you needed help. Unfortunately, this is only the first fleet. Furthermore, they have transmitted our presence. They hate synthetics. We have likely escalated the conflict with our presence. Apologies."
The human nodded, approaching the Scout hovering directly in front of him.
"Well, in that case, welcome to the club. The xenos don't like us much either. Let's kill them, shall we?"
He extended his hand. The Scout deactivated the limb's field and carefully extended a manipulator, which the human shook.
"Cooperation will be mutually beneficial. We must continue the cleanup."
***
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