A/N: Hooo baby, this semester is turning into a doozy! Luckily I have the events following this encounter planned out and written down, so I just need to write the actual chapters (sounds easy, eh?). And to anyone who watches NFL: Go Steelers!
Aila paced back and forth on the walkway leading to the airlock, talking under her breath and pausing every so often to strike a speech giving pose, only to sigh and resume pacing. Legion stood near the door, his servo's buzzing as his optical port followed her pacing, head flaps cycling periodically various run-times ran calculations and achieved consensus.
"Gerrel Captain. May this platform make a query?" Aila jumped slightly, twirling with a slightly bemused look on her face, an indicator that she had completely forgotten he was there.
"Uh. Go ahead, Legion. What's on your mind?"
Legion's head tilted slightly in confusion as he processed the term she had used, quickly returning to it's normal orientation as he spoke, "It is apparent that Gerrel-Commander is facing difficulties in choosing the proper communication while informing her crew that this unit is joining. The consensus has been achieved that Gerrel-Commander's crew will accept her decision in this matter with a 76.94% chance of concern, but a 1.46% chance of mutiny."
Aila looked slightly confused for a moment, mentally translating what Legion had just said from machine to organic, then laughed nervously and ran her hand over her head, "It's that 1.46% that I'm worried about. I mean, even I'm not completely sold on the idea of having a geth on board, but... I get the feeling the sooner this happens, the sooner things get better for everyone. It's just... hard... I've already subjected them to an alien A.I and now I'm bringing a geth?" She leaned back against the railing and hung her head slightly, "I should barely be eligible for first sergeant duties... not running an entire ship and making galaxy-changing decisions..."
The platform was silent, save for the humming of the bay's machinery and the buzzing of Legion's flaps, "This platform was intended to serve purely in reconnaissance duties, but has been utilized as a front-line combat and ambassadorial platform for the last 20,527,123 cycles."
She looked up, a disbelieving smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "Legion... did you just try to sympathize with me?"
"Yes." Legion's matter of fact statement caught Aila by surprise, "During this platform's time on the Normandy, it has observed many interactions between various organic races. A constant variable has been the act of comparing similar circumstances in an attempt to convey a commonality and encourage the individual experiencing difficulties." He paused for a moment, the lights on his head adopting a slightly greenish tinge, "This platform was attempting to communicate the fact that it has been forced to operate in a manner for which it was not designed. Similarly, Gerrel-Commander is being forced to perform duties she has not yet been designed for."
Something in Legion's last sentence caught her attention, "You said "not yet designed"... why?"
"Organic races posses the unique ability to change their function." Legion thought for a moment, "Creator-Tali'Zorah was originally designed for repairs and combat support duties, however she has since added ambassadorial duties. Anderson-Councilor was a combat unit, then became a command unit and is now a procedural unit. Geth are not able to change what they were built for. This ability is one aspect we seek knowledge about."
Aila processed what Legion said for a moment, then started laughing, "I'm getting sound advice from a geth? Keelah above, what have I come to?" she rubbed her face with her hands, still giggling slightly, "So what you're saying is that I might not be the commander the Illusion needs, but I can be?"
"Yes."
She groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Why can't anyone give me something other than "You've got it in you to be great, just follow your heart"? Just once I'd like to have someone say "Oh, here ya go, "Difficult command decisions made easy, 2nd edition!" and be done with it?"
Legion's flaps adopted what can best be described as a perplexed expression, "This unit has no record of such a text existing."
"It doesn't, Legion." Aila sighed, "It's just... everyone is telling me to follow my instincts, but... those will only get me so far. I don't have the experience needed to develop said instincts, right now I'm just going with what seems right."
His response was immediate, "The logical solution would be for Gerrel-Commander to seek those who do possess such experience."
"I would." Aila looked slightly mournful, "If I had anyone I could turn to. My mother is... gone... my father has to put his duties as an admiral first... my previous captain and crew..." she shuddered slightly, "The crew I served with on the Hudson have moved on, Shepard and Tali have more than enough on their plate already... I just don't know what to do."
"Observations of organic species and their societal habits indicated that an organic's offspring always take precedence over everything else. This pattern is observed in even undeveloped life forms."
Aila smiled and resisted the urge to pat Legion on the shoulder, "You know. You might want to add "psychiatrist" to the list of things this platform has performed." She stretched her neck and took a deep breath, "Alright. Here we go, cross your fingers."
"The act of crossing extremities does not change the outcome of a sit-..." His flaps froze then lowered slightly, "Another organic "term of phrase" meant to convey nervousness and a belief that others can increase the probability of a favorable outcome."
"Wow. When you put it that way, it sounds mildly depressing..." Aila's head had tilted slightly a half smile playing across her lips, "In the future, once you realize the meaning behind one of our "terms of phrases", keep it to yourself."
They entered the ship and made their way down the hallway towards the holo-map area, where the crew was milling about, splintering off into their respective work-groups as often happens when a full-ship meeting is called. Regala was having an animated conversation with Jato, probably centering on his continued refusal to become a medic. Aila smirked slightly, musing on the odds of finding a krogan who actively avoided any situation where a fight could result. As she approached the group, the talking subsided, instead being replaced with gasps and a few nervous remarks as the assembled group laid eyes on Legion.
"What in Keelah's name is that thing doing here?" Reegor's voice cut through the crowd, followed closely by the sound of unpacking weapons. The crowd shifted out of the way, letting Reegor and the marines to move forward.
Regala approached quickly, pushing Reegor's weapon to the ground and addressing the assembled marines, "Stand down. That's an order."
Another wave of shocked murmuring rippled through the crew, the marines glancing around uncertainly, their weapons wavering.
Aila pushed Kal aside and jogged up to the commander's podium, "Weapons away. Now." That seemed to do the trick, as the marines slowly lowered and, for the most part, stowed their weapons. She noticed Reegor and his assistant kept their rifles in hand.
She turned her attention back to the rest of the crew, motioning for Legion to join her at the podium. She held up her hands to silence the hushed conversations that were filling the room, "Everyone. Quiet please. I have something important and... delicate to inform you of."
Glancing quickly to Regala and receiving a reassuring nod, she cleared her throat and continued, "First off, I want to state the obvious: our ship... this crew... we're on the front-line, as it were, of a new era for the Quarian people. It's been over 300 years since a non-human served on a Quarian military vessel, and even longer since a Quarian vessel actively operated in support of the Citadel Council. What we do right now, the legacy this ship leaves, could have a lasting impact in how all of our races interact with each other."
Pausing for a moment, she collected her thoughts, electing to take the blunt route and just say what needed to be said, "I'm sure you've all noticed the geth standing behind me... his name is Legion. And as of right now, he is the newest member of the Illusion's crew."
Aila braced herself for the ensuing uproar, but was caught off guard when only one individual spoke up, "You can't be serious, Ma'am!" Kal walked towards the lecturn, pointing an accusational finger at her, "Those metal bosh'tets have the blood of thousands on their hands! They are the reason our people have been treated like worthless vagrants for the past 300 years!" Aila could see him shaking with rage, "After all that, after everything his kind have put us through, you want us to work with him? I will never work with a geth!"
A few murmurs of agreement, mainly in the quarian crew-members, only added to the tension in the room. Aila let them die off before responding, "I haven't forgotten, Kal. The old ways have served our kind well so far, but as is the case with everything... the old ways need to change." Her hand shot up to cut off his retort, "Kal, I don't know why the geth attacked us. I know what we're told, but the elders have been wrong before. Our people are dying, Kal... and while that happens, our race focuses on finding a magical weapon that'll let us re-conquer Rannoch. That is a battle we will never win, Kal. You know this, you've seen what the geth are capable of. They are smarter, more numerous and more effective in combat than any race, especially ours! What is a 100 year old former turian cruiser going to do against a 10 year old geth dreadnaught, Kal? We can barely keep our live-ships from venting everyone inside into space, how in Keelah's name are we going to assemble a fleet that can stand toe-to-toe with the geth? We need to move on. We need to admit defeat, before it's too late for our race."
The mood was somber as everyone pondered what Aila had just said, even the non-quarian crew members seemed to be contemplating her words. Kal clasped his hands behind his back, standing up straight, "Ma'am, I'm not going to stand here and pretend I agree with this decision... but it's not my place to confront you about this. If you truly think having that damned thing is so important, go ahead. But I promise you, if I have to choose between putting your pet down and saving so much as a Vorcha, I won't hesitate."
The murmurs and bits of conversation Aila could overhear indicated that most of the crew felt the same way: They hated it, but they'd go along with it for the time being. Sensing that the meeting was over, Regala promptly dismissed them, majority of the group finding some reason or other to get as far away from the geth as possible. Only Carti remained behind, her body-language as unreadable as always.
Aila's eyebrow quirked slightly, "Have something further to say, Dr. Noria?"
"Only a word of caution: whether or not this is the right course of action, the current leaders are not going to see things with the open mind you do." Her body barely moved as she spoke, her tone conveying worry without a hint of disapproval.
"I..." Aila paused and looked at her hands, wringing them slightly and sighed, "I know." She made a fist and looked up, her eyes narrowing, "And I don't care. They're stuck in the past. Someone has to take the first step, or we'll never survive. I know they're going to loathe this, but they have to be smart enough to realize when an opportunity presents itself, regardless of how... distasteful the opportunity is."
Carti nodded and glided over, laying a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it slightly, "You've got your mother's tenacity, Aila."
"You knew my mother?" Aila spun slightly, her eyes filling with curiosity and anticipation.
"To an extent. We both went through our preparation for our pilgrimage together. She was my partner during the first half and we bumped into each other once during the pilgrimage. Even as a teenager, she caused trouble and would've argued with our instructors until the ship fell apart around us if they had let her." Carti laughed slightly, then shook her head, "I think it was that attitude; her unwavering stance on whatever issue she was faced with... I think that's why she was targeted." She stood up straight and looked Aila right in the eye, "People don't like to be proven wrong. Sometimes they find it's easier to attack an individual, rather than their argument. Don't waiver from your beliefs, but be careful."
Eva's voice cut off any reply from Aila, "Commander? We're in transit. The Ain Jalut is almost in position and the Normandy will be following shortly. ETA 2 hours."
"Understood Eva, thanks." She nodded a quick farewell to Carti and jogged to the cockpit, settling into the seat to the left of Veetor, Reg settling into the one on the right. Aila triggered the ship-wide intercom and cleared her throat, "Crew. We've entered FTL drive and will be in the target system within 2 hours. I suggest you take this time to catch some sleep and prepare yourselves as we'll be going to combat-readiness the instant we arrive. We're most likely only going to get one shot at this, let's make it count. Lieutenant-Commander Gerrel out."
She turned to Eva's hologram and tilted her head, "Eva... this ship we're up against, presumably, has the same sensors that the Collector ship did, right? I thought the collector vessel was able to detect the original Normandy, won't this one see us and the Jalut as well?"
Shaking her head slightly, Eva continued to manipulate various projections in front of her, "This is, from the data I've seen, a scouting vessel. The systems needed to detect one of your ships would be massive, even with our level of technology. It'd be impractical to put it on a ship of this size."
Aila nodded and stared out the window at the blue hue of FTL travel, "Let's hope so. Otherwise this trap is going to be a disaster."
"Heat-sinks at 70% capacity, Aila. Normandy's estimated ETA-" the flash of a decelerating ship appeared directly ahead of the Illusion, causing Eva to pause a moment, "Uh... right now."
Aila could feel the tension on the bridge raise; the 'bait' was in place... now all they needed was the target to trigger the trap. The seconds ticked by, Aila's heartbeat filling her ears and causing her vision to pulse slightly. She looked at the digital display on her console;
One minute...
Two minutes...
Three minutes...
She checked all of the Illusion's systems for the hundredth time, once again getting 100% operational status from the primary, secondary and tertiary systems. Four minutes...
Five minutes...
The red flash caused Aila to yelp and jump in her seat, her eyes quickly focusing on the beam as it slammed into the Normandy's barriers, causing them to glow an angry blue and hold off the onslaught. The Normandy spun and lashed out with her Thainx Cannon, a faint red glow indicating she had at least grazed her target.
Her display beeped and a red bug appeared on her display, opposite the Normandy from her. She grinned tensely; there you are, you bosh'tet...
The Normandy and her target continued to dance, blue and red beams arcing across the black void to graze and flirt with the barriers. As the enemy ship closed in, her display beeped again, indicating the Jalut had dropped out of silent running and joined into the fray, her mass-effect cannons unloading on the target and catching the enemy off guard.
Aila snapped her fingers, "Eva! Are you familiar with that ship? Any weak spots we can take advantage of?"
"It's... familiar..." Eva mumbled, "But... 'familiar' in the sense 'it looks like a scouting ship'. The last time I saw a ship like that was a few million years ago, Aila. The odds of that ship having anything even remotely similar to what they had when I flew them is, well, pretty near impossible."
"I know it's the longest shot in the history of long shots, but try. " Aila begged, "Why would they bother changing anything, they were already 'the pinnacle of perfection' in their minds?"
"Hmmm..." Eva's hologram appeared, one hand raised and levitating a wire-frame which she manipulated with her free hand, "Assuming it's still what I think it is..." she double-tapped a point in the center of the triangular hull, zooming in and revealing a small cylinder attached to the hull, "This is the shield projector. Our shields operated in such a manner that the projectors on smaller ships were usually unprotected or, in later designs, had a weak layer over them. Our tactics at the time would've kept the projector facing away from the battle, hence not bothering to protect it as much." She shrugged, "Like you said, it's a long shot. Even the lowest ranking member of our military knew this was an exploitable weakness."
Aila uploaded the data to the Jalut and Normandy, shaking her head slightly, "Long shots sometimes pan out, couldn't be worse than targeting any other part." She watched her screen and saw the Jalut and Normandy adjust their trajectories, forcing the enemy ship to turn it's back on the Illusion. The vessel, as predicted, rotated it's dorsal section towards the assaulting ships, exposing it's vulnerable ventral section to the hiding Illusion.
Aila felt the ship shake and shudder, sub-light engines flashing it life and the heat-sinks venting their contents into the cold of space. As Veetor broke silent running, Reg was sending the first slugs downrange from the Illusion's twin mass cannons. The enemy vessel attempted to maneuver, but was unable to avoid the first pair of rounds which slammed into it's vulnerable spot. As the ship rotated, it inadvertently exposed itself to the Normandy and her powerful cannon, the blue arc of molted plasma colliding with, then punching through the weak shielding over the projector.
"Shields are down!" Eva reported, blipping out of existence.
Two rounds for the Jalut found the ships sub-light engines, rendering the vessel helpless and drifting, it's maneuvering thrusters firing wildly in an attempt to bring it's primary weapon to bare on any of the three ships, but was unable to match their maneuverability
Aila punched the air, "Huzzah!" she spun to Regala, still staring intently at the helpless ship, "Okay, prepare the squad. I'm sure Shepard is going to want to board thi-"
Her order was cut short by a blinding flash, followed by slight shudders as debris impacted the ship's barriers. She blinked a few times, clearing the blueish imprint from her vision.
Eva's avatar re-appeared, looking somewhat "He activated his self destruct system. Must have known he was defeated and didn't want us to finish mining his data-banks."
"You were mining the data-banks?" Aila was still blinking, trying to regain her vision and leaning against Veetor's chair.
Eva shook her head, "EDI did the data-mining I was... otherwise occupied keeping his defense systems at bay. And..." she paused, an expression that mixed worry and concern on her features, "There was something else... I'm not sure, but I felt-"
"Normandy to Illusion, this is Captain Shepard." Eva blinked and shook her head quickly, gesturing for Aila to answer.
"Captain Shepard? Looks like we got the bosh'tet. How does it feel not being hunted anymore?" Aila joked, having finally cleared her eyesight.
Shepard laughed, "I'm still hunted, but at least now it's just batarians and Cerberus. EDI said she managed to get some data form the ship before he threw in the towel, hopefully she gets something useful."
"I haven't finished fully analyzing the data, but I did find something you should be aware of Captain." EDI's always calm voice replaced Shepard's, "I am patching the Jalut into this conversation as well. While analyzing the data, I came across a record of the ship's travels. While most of the data is corrupted, I was able to determine it's origin point. Specifically, this ship did not come here from dark-space."
"That's understandable." Shepard mused, "Probably a scouting vessel that was left here after the Protheans to monitor the galaxy. It could've been this ship that finally awakened Sovereign for all we know."
"That is partially correct. This ship was left here, but not alone." EDI continued, "Shepard, if my analysis is correct... this ship originated from a mother-ship. There is another Reaper in our galaxy."
A/N: To quote iRobot: "Aw hell naw." That's right folks, there's another of those big insectoid bastards chillin in our galaxy. Luckily, Shepard's kicked Reaper ass twice before, so he's got it more or less down to an art form.