[Recording Entry: 37-a]
Commander, look! It's another one of those beacons, like the one back on Eden Prime-
DON'T FUCKING TOUCH IT!
I wasn't-
I'm serious! You stay over there. Go on!
Commander, I'm not going to touch it...is this where the noise was coming from?
I don't know, but probably. Phew...for a moment there I thought I was going to be indoctrinated too.
You had us worried there for a while.
Yeah well, don't bother about it. Look, you know I have to go and activate the thing, right?
I figured as much, but be careful. We don't know what this one will do.
It should be fine...but hey! If this thing blows up you'd better not fucking leave me here.
...then I guess all we can do is hope that it doesn't blow up.
Right, what do we have here. Let's see...it's active, so all I should need to do is h!gd^&&8!sw3a#2- - -
[End of Recording]
[Recording Entry: 37-b]
Commander! Are you alright?
Shit, dude...I think I broke my ass...
Well at least you're conscious this time. What happened with the beacon?
Pretty much the same thing that happened on Eden Prime and Feros. I still don't understand any of this! It's like watching an experimental black metal vid...ugh.
I don't get it. There's got to be something you're missing. If Saren had this brought here then it must be important.
I know. I wish we had time to load this thing onto the ship...
I agree, but it's too big to transport through this warzone right now. Are you good to move?
Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just-
/ YOU ARE NOT SAREN.
What is that? Some kind of VI interface? An intruder alarm?
It's a bit late for an alarm to go off isn't it?
We should shut it down before it alerts any more of Saren's forces.
Duh! Like it matters. We've been shooting up this place for hours now. I'm quite sure they know we're here already. 'Sides, I'm getting sick of this place.
Fine, let's just leave it then. Ashley's team should be-
/ WAIT. I'M TALKING.
Ugh! What do you want!
/ RUDIMENTARY CREATURES OF BLOOD AND FLESH. YOU TOUCH MY MIND, FUMBLING IN IGNORANCE. INCAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING.
That is a serious accusation! I'll have you know that I touched no such thing.
/ THERE IS A REALM OF EXISTENCE SO FAR BEYOND YOUR OWN YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND IT. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION.
I don't know, man. I can comprehend a lot of stuff. I don't have to tell you guys but I was pretty smart in college.
/ WAS.
Oh, you know what I mean-wait, whatever! Shut up! Like anyone cares about what you think. You're just a stupid interface anyway-
/ I AM SOVEREIGN.
Hold on, what? Are you saying you're Saren's giant hand-ship?
Commander, I don't think Sovereign is just a ship... I think it's an actual Reaper.
So you're saying the Reapers are giant hand-ships?
/ WE ARE NOT GIANT HAND-SHIPS. WE ARE THE PINNACLE OF EXISTENCE.
Incorrect, I am the pinnacle of existence. Only like ten people even know that the Reapers exist and at least three of those don't give a shit.
/ REAPER. A LABEL CREATED BY THE PROTHEANS TO GIVE VOICE TO THEIR DESTRUCTION. IN THE END WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO CALL US IS IRRELEVANT. WE SIMPLY ARE.
So you're not Reapers? What are you then?
/ WE...ARE THE PINNACLE OF EXISTENCE.
Yeah, I got that already. But what ARE you?
/ WE ARE THE SUPERIOR CONSTRUCTS OF YOUR DESTRUCTION.
That's not telling me anything...
/ ...YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND US.
Well this is going nowhere.
Shepard, the Protheans died out fifty-thousand years ago. Sovereign couldn't have been around back then, it's impossible.
Wrex is right. I don't think that even a machine could last that long.
So he's not an organic?
/ NO. DETESTABLE. ORGANIC LIFE IS NOTHING BUT A GENETIC MUTATION. AN ACCIDENT.
A tasty accident. So you're not edible then?
/ STOP INTERRUPTING ME. YOUR LIVES ARE MEASURED IN YEARS AND DECADES. YOU WITHER AND DIE. WE ARE ETERNAL.
Commander, what is your deal with trying to eat everything lately?
/ BEFORE US YOU ARE NOTHING. YOUR EXTINCTION IS INEVITABLE.
I dunno, I just feel like I should try more things, widen my horizons a-
/ SERIOUSLY. SHUT UP. WE ARE THE END OF EVERYTHING.
You are the end of decent conversation! Whatever it is that you think you're achieving here, it's pointless. I will stop you. Nobody fucks with my galaxy but ME.
/ CONFIDENCE BORNE OF IGNORANCE. THE CYCLE CANNOT BE BROKEN.
What cycle? What are you talking about?
/ THE PATTERN HAS REPEATED ITSELF MORE TIMES THAN YOU CAN FATHOM.
Now you're just being pretentious! I can fathom basic numbers you dick!
/ ORGANIC CIVILISATIONS RISE. EVOLVE. ADVANCE. AND AT THE APEX OF THEIR GLORY THEY ARE EXTINGUISHED. THE PROTHEANS WERE NOT THE FIRST.
Yeah? Isn't that fascinating.
/ THEY DID NOT CREATE THE CITADEL. THEY DID NOT FORGE THE MASS RELAYS. THEY MERELY FOUND THEM. THE LEGACIES OF MY KIND.
Wait - I thought those were Prothean inventions?
/ NO. THEY ARE OURS.
Yeah, but the way I hear it, the Protheans are kind of famous for creating both of those.
/ I'M SERIOUS. WE INVENTED THOSE THINGS.
Okayyy...well, uh...good for you then. Those are very handy things and we enjoy having them.
/ YES. YOUR CIVILISATION IS BASED ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE MASS RELAYS. OUR TECHNOLOGY.
Thanks, I guess.
/ YOU ARE WELCOME. BY USING IT YOUR SOCIETY DEVELOPS ALONG THE PATHS WE DESIRE. WE IMPOSE ORDER ON THE CHAOS OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION.
What the fuck? You're herding us?
/ YOU EXIST BECAUSE WE ALLOW IT AND YOU WILL END BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT.
That's a bit flighty of you isn't it! Why even bother at all? What exactly is it that you want from us anyway? Are you raising us for resources? Credits? Slaves?
/ YOUR QUERIES ARE IRRELEVANT. MY KIND TRANSCENDS YOUR VERY UNDERSTANDING.
What? You want our sweet loot?
/ EXTRANEOUS. WE ARE EACH A NATION. INDEPENDANT. FREE OF ALL WEAKNESS. YOU CANNOT EVEN GRASP THE NATURE OF OUR EXISTENCE.
But you're a machine right? So you must have a creator! Who built you? Where did you come from?
/ WE HAVE NO BEGINNING. WE HAVE NO END.
Well that's obviously not true! Metal doesn't evolve-
/ WE ARE INFINITE. MILLIONS OF YEARS AFTER YOUR CIVILISATION HAS BEEN ERADICATED AND FORGOTTEN WE WILL ENDURE.
Alright...when you say 'we'... Is that is a royal 'we' and not an actual 'we'? Because that would-
/ WE ARE LEGION. OUR NUMBERS WILL DARKEN THE SKY OF EVERY WORLD.
- damnit.
/ YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR DOOM.
Ooh drama! I'm getting sick of you! I'm not scared, you know. You're not even alive! You're just another useless machine, and machines can be broken. Two of my toasters actually set on fire. What hope do YOU have for survival?
/ THE TIME OF OUR RETURN IS COMING.
Whoah! Look at all the cares I'm totally not having about anything you just said.
/ YOUR WORDS ARE AS EMPTY AS YOUR FUTURE. I AM THE VANGUARD OF YOUR DESTRUCTION AND I AM NOT TALKING TO YOU ANYMORE.
What a little bitc-AH! THE WINDOWS!WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? !
I think you made it mad, Commander!
IT'S NOT MY FAULT IT'S SO EMOTIONAL!
~~ Commander! We got trouble! ~~
You've got trouble? You think you've got trouble?
~~ That ship, Sovereign? It's moving! I don't know what you did down there but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half! It's coming your way and it's coming hard! ~~
Oh. You meant I've got trouble. Yeah, that sounds more like it.
~~ You need to wrap things up in there fast! ~~
What're your orders, Commander?
I guess this means it's time to set off the big kaboom. Let's go set some dudes on fire...
[End of Recording]