In which Legion's curiosity get's him in trouble for the very first time...
One year, eleven months previously...
The Mobile Platform had arrived at it's first stop. The most advanced Geth platform ever created jumped down from the entrance of it's small ship, landing with a crunch as it crushed dirt, twigs, and other scattered forest debris. It's head swiveled from side to side, scanning the area around it.
The planet was designated 'Eden Prime' by the organics. The Mobile Platform's mission?
Locate Shepard-Commander. Observe, not incite, the organics. Assess if peace with the creators was a possibility. Rannoch was dying; not by direct fault of the Geth, no. They tended the planet caringly, took good care of the world the creators had left behind. But without the creators, startling patterns had begun to emerge in greater and greater numbers throughout the past three centuries.
Without the Quarians, Rannoch's ecosystem was breaking down, slowly but surely, no matter what the Geth did. It was not the desire of the collective for Rannoch to die. Consensus was that making peace with the creators may save the slowly withering 'walled garden'.
Finding Shepard-Commander was the absolute priority, though. Recent data suggested a return of an Old Machine. Shepard-Commander and her squad knew the most, therefor locating her would help confirm; did the Geth need to fear, or welcome the Old Machines? The Mobile Platform's runtimes were of the consensus that the Old Machines would kill Geth as well as organics. They were in favor of the 'fear' vote.
Eden Prime was where Shepard-Commander first engaged the heretics. Shortly after the heretic separation from the collective, work on creating the Mobile Platform had begun. It was freshly deployed right now, plating shining and pristine as the midday sun as it broke through the trees, dotting the ground. It's steps were soft and silent as a deer, several runtimes devoting themselves now to silent running of the mobile functions. Several metal flaps extended or flattened themselves as it adjusted it's personal gravity input, so that event he twigs barely snapped under it's lessening weight.
The Mobile Platform was unlike anything else that had ever set foot on this planet before, organic or synthetic. It was truly alien to this world, something that didn't belong yet was there all the same. Not even Sovereign would have noticed it or been able to recognize it for what it was with it's pristine stealth systems running.
It was heading towards what were the remains of the Human colony, to observe, and to link to local extranet access. Something it didn't recognize passed through it's systems. It was about to truly embark on it's purpose. When it met Shepard-Commander...
Well, the simulations went two ways. It would either succeed in communicating it had no hostile intents, and Shepard-Commander would be the first non-hostile organic-Geth communication in centuries.
it's auditory sensors detected movement ahead, and soon visual sensors caught flashes of moving bodies as well. The Mobile Platform slowed it's pace, and lowered itself, stalking forwards on it's haunches, occasionally using it's hands to steady itself, bearing striking resemblance to ancient Quarian hunter-gatherers on the prowl, movements catlike and graceful just as they were built to be. It stopped at a crouch near the edge of the trees, getting it's first glimpse of organics ever.
They were, of course Human. They were still cleaning up after the heretic attack of nearly half a year ago. For some reason, fifty runtimes diverted from their usual processes to reflect that it had taken the Geth half a galactic standard year for the Mobile Platform to be built and tested for proper use. The other runtimes gave a sort of virtual 'prod' to the distracted ones as stealth systems began to fail, sending them back to their tasks, and preventing the platform from being discovered. Ever runtime had it's place in operating the platform; none could afford to get distracted by such menial things.
The Mobile Platform watched gathering data. It quickly discerned who and who were not original inhabitants of the colony. Those who were walked with slumped shoulders, or looked with dull eyes at the ruins as they cleared the area. Twenty runtimes filed for consensus to go out an apologize for the heretic actions on behalf of the rest of the collective, but all other runtimes ignored them; the task was to not be seen, and they presented the twenty runtimes the data to remind them. They went back to their tasks, and visual and radio sensors detected an extranet access point from somewhere in the building nearby.
It was a hasty, temporary shelter. There was a tree branch just outside the window of the second floor, where the access point was Mobile Platform made it's way around the clearing to the base of the tree, activated it's visual cloaking, and silently, carefully, hauled itself into the branches. It picked it's way through the tree, before coming to a halt at the branch just outside the window. Looking through, visual sensors located the Human that was using the extranet.
It was watching visual recordings, a compilation of them, all involving some sort of creature. It was usualy covered in fluffy fur of varying colors, from black, to gray, to bright ginger, with retractable claws on all four paws, and an agile bearing. Tapping into the extranet router, it discovered the creatures were called 'cats'. The Human seemed to be fascinated by the vids, as the Mobile Platform tapped into the network undetected. The Human made a sound, and the Platform backed away on the branch, flinching as all runtimes considered discovery.
However, the Human did not seem to have noticed the platform, and it soon discovered through extranet sources that it had merely heard what a Human laugh sounded like. The organic was amused by something... the antics of the animals it was watching? Several runtimes attempted to process this. How and why. Almost as if subconsciously, the Mobile Platform, leaned forwards edging along the branch partway without even realizing it.
Passive scans monitored the Human's vitals. Lack of sleep and dopamine, as well as the presence of other neural chemicals, implied the Human was going through some stage of grief. More visual scans of the room discovered still-photos of other Humans, who in appearance seemed to have a familial match to the one watching vids. In one photo, a cat sat with the family. A number of runtimes began deducing that the family was most likely killed during the heretic attack, and it leaned forwards just a tiny bit more. With so many runtimes now focused on playing with the new mystery put before it, none of them realized that the stealth systems were flickering, and the platform's gravity regulation was beginning to fail.
The Human was attempting to stem it's grief with amusement. It was trying to forget, just for a moment, the terrible things that had befallen it's familial collective.
The platform leaned closer.
Were the organic ties so closely bonded together that loss of those ties, termination of a member or members of a family collective, drove the remaing individuals to sleeplessness and comfort in such menial things like cat vids?
The platform leaned closer, dangerously close to the edge of the branch, with it's grav regulators failing. It's visual stealth system flickered off, and the Geth was now visible without even realizing it.
But what was the purpose of the cat vids? Why watch these animals in particular? What was so amusing about them?
One hand put pressure on the farthest end of the branch as all sensors remained transfixed by the human and his predicament. The very audible crack was very hard not to notice, however, and the Human spun around in it's chair, the cat vids still playing, and his eyes widened, all sensors picking up details of fear from the organic.
"GETH!" he screamed in English. A quick download off the extranet gave it full acess to linguistic databases, and for the first time, it used it's linguistic interface.
"We do not wish to incite. We wish to-"
CRACK!
The Mobile Platform's explanation was cut off as the branch heaved beneath it. It looked down, at the branch at the ground. Then back up at the Human.
"We apologi -"
Once again the Mobile Platform was cut off, this time by the fact the branch had fallen out from beneath it, with a loud creaking and cracking, followed by a crash as both branch and Geth were sent plummeting to the ground in a flurry of metal leaves and metal limbs.
In a lifetime that lasted only a split second to the multiple armed Humans that were about to pursue the Mobile Platform, all available runtimes made several consensus.
The Mobile Platform scrambled to it's feet, plating scuffed, and ran in the opposite direction of it's ship. Several runtimes sent the remote command for the ship to leave when the Human forces in the area were at their least. It could not risk the ship being found.
Chances of preserving the Mobile Platform and runtimes aboard were projected as low if they surrendered their hardware to the Humans. However, standing orders from the collective were to avoid harming organics at all costs save termination of the platform's runtimes.
So, consensus was that it could loose them in the forest.
Unfortunately, it had not conceived to access a map of the area when it had it's extranet tap. Now it was out of range of the short hub. Now, it was being driven towards a cliff by the Humans like dogs herding a hapless lamb. It spun as it reached the edge, water crashing at the rocky shores below. The Humans advance.
It had no choice; it had to fight it's way out, and unfortunately it was going to have to terminate several of these organics to escape. It reached for its rifle...
And had no room or time to maneuver out of the way as the shoulder-launched rocket slammed into the platform's chest. It was sent flying over the cliff and into the sea, down, down, down...
3 Days Later...
Waves crashed against the shore, the ragged beach painted by the Eden Prime sunset. All sorts of kelp and crabs washed up here, along with other strange sea life. Several six-eyed, moose-like creatures were munching on seaweed washed up on shore. Some distance along the shore, recently washed up against the rocks, was a sodden pile of scrap, in the sorriest state any could be in.
The pile stirred, and the Mobile Platform's eye light flickered on as runtimes returned from the passive preservation, to active programming. Immediately, damage notifications passed through it's systems. Visual sensors were malfunctioning, and as water sloshed over the platform again, yet more problems revealed themselves, more systems that were damaged beyond repair. The Mobile Platform remained still as it preformed internal checks.
Personal gravity regulator; beyond repair.
Visual stealth system; beyond repair.
Passive stealth systems; possible to repair.
Visual sensors; minor repairs required.
Linguistic systems; diagnostic recommended.
Backup targeting systems; beyond repair.
And thus the list went on. While other runtimes continued to explore the damage, it ran the required linguistic diagnostic. During it's extranet link, it had discovered a number of quotes from famous Humans. There was one, which it regarded as an appropriate metaphor for the current situation the Mobile Platform found itself in, and it chose to recite the quote to complete the diagnostic.
"'I have not failed. I've successfully discovered 10,000 things that won't work.' Thomas Edison, 20th century." The runtimes of the Mobile Platform had indeed, discovered today many things that would not work. It looked around, flickering visual sensors examining it's surroundings on the beach. The lowest flap on the left side of it's eye light overloaded, sparks flying and several wires snapping as it tested each of it's body plate in turn. Now the runtimes knew why they weren't getting any sensor data from that plate. It disconnected partially because of the small explosion, and now dangled, lopsided, every time the Platform moved it's head.
After a few hours, it was deemed safe enough to move, at least to a place where the ship could reach it. The current consensus was that the Platform would be repaired using available resources. Return to Rannoch was not an option; they would continue, damaged or no, with their mission, to the best of any Geth platform's ability.
The Mobile Platform got to it's feet slowly. It looked down, doing a visual assessment of the damage. A large hole in it's chest, ripped metal, many wires that would have to be re-routed, replaced, or removed altogether. The rest of the platform was scuffed and dented, pockmarked with holes in some places, both from shrapnel and from being slammed against ocean rocks for several days.
Were it organic, it would have been mortified at the sight of it's once-shining plates being broken and faded so quickly. It took a step forwards. A burst of sparks flew from it's right leg, which buckled beneath it, and it fell to it's knees, bad eye plate dangling. It positioned itself to examine the damage, and rearranged several wires in a makeshift repair as several runtimes signaled the ship.
It landed on the beach, and the Mobile Platform limped to it's transport.
This would not be the only time curiosity (nearly)killed the Geth.
Curiosity, indeed! Poor Legion, I'm going to end up being so mean to him during these little flashbacks to his travels. I always wondered what exactly Legion got up to before we met him in the derelict Reaper. He's such an interesting character, and I'm sure it's obvious by now that I'm a big Legion fan(SOCKS!^^). I'm currently trying to come up with a way to save him from his ME3 fate. I MIGHT have an idea...
Also, here's to hoping the new summary gets more people interested in this than the old one!
I can't wait until we delve fully into this! While we might be meeting some characters like Grunt and Thane, some people, like Jack and maybe Zaaed, will never be seen or mentioned. On the flipside, we might be meeting certain character who we wouldn't otherwise encounter until ME3. That's how wild this will get with Garrus and the Rogues in charge, and I can't wait to take this series into it's full AU swing. Shepard not coming back is baby steps; the BIG changes are yet to come.
That being said, don't forget to check out my other fics! I have an army of ME one-shots that's been building up recently. People DEVOURED Legion's.
Read and REVIEW!
