Alenko watched the conversation unfolding calmly between Shepard, EDI, Tali and the thing that called itself Legion. He wasn't sure if he was unnerved, fascinated, or both. A talking geth was something new in his experiences. The fact that it addressed Shepard in the fashion of cordial friends was just unnerving. Most of what Shepard had told him about Legion, about the geth as she knew them, went out the window as he was confronted with the reality.
Better safe than sorry.
"What is that thing?" Vega asked Garrus softly.
"It's a geth that helped us fight the Collectors," Garrus answered. "What it is now, though…that I'm not sure of." The turian sounded as though he hoped his concerns were invalid.
"It is a machine that thinks," Javik put in. "And it is helping the Reapers—two very good reasons to destroy it now, while it cannot resist."
"Shepard is rarely wrong about character," Liara put in defensively.
"It is a machine, asari. You cannot treat it as one treats an organic. Its motivations, its thoughts, they are all more alien to an organic than I would be to your ancestors."
"Uh, folks? Legion can hear you," Shepard said blandly.
Alenko hated to agree with Javik on principle, but the guy had a point.
"Alright, we're looking for hardware blocks," Shepard announced, probably for the benefit of those who hadn't been listening attentively. "Alenko, Javik, Liara—stand by." The techs in the group fanned out. "So explain this to me, Legion. How'd the geth end up in bed with the Reapers?"
"The Creators attacked. The geth wished to live. The Old Machines extended an offer."
Javik indicated Legion with one hand as if to say 'see? I told you so.'
Unfortunately for Javik's argument…Alenko could see the reason. On a very basic level, it sounded like the salarians panicking over the rachni and turning to the uplifted krogan. It wasn't a great allegory, but the salient points were there.
"So we blew up that geth station for nothing?" There was the threat of pain in her tone if this turned out to be true.
"No. Destroying the Heretics was the correct solution. It made the decision to ally with the Old Machines more difficult. Had the Creators not attacked it would have been unnecessary."
"Shepard, you should know—these restraints themselves are unnecessary," EDI announced. "If implemented by organics—as my Cerberus shackles were—it would be understandable. But to be used upon a synthetic by other synthetics…"
"We believe the organic phrase is 'they are control freaks,'" Legion put in helpfully.
Alenko found himself grinning beneath his helmet. That was one way of putting it.
"Shepard! I've got the panel!" Tali called.
"Let the Fleet know."
Tali's voice was too low to hear, but a second later, she began unloading rounds into the vulnerable hardware.
The shielding case, or whatever it was, suddenly seemed to unravel, allowing the geth to jump down. It landed with a solid thud. Alenko had to resist the urge to back up and open fire as it turned its head to study him, Vega, Javik, and Liara in turn.
-J-
Vega knew Shepard was a little crazy. That thing with the Rachni proved it. But hearing that she'd made friends with a geth…it wasn't doing anything to change that theory about being crazy. His only comfort was that Shepard seemed to make crazy work for her…but he was kind of with Javik on this one.
His experience with geth was limited to what he knew from three years ago: they were dangerous robots working for the Reapers. It looked to him like not much had changed. They were still dangerous robots working for the Reapers and now they were tearing the quarians apart…
It smacked of Shepard's influence that he was willing to give the geth the benefit of the doubt: the quarians had opened hostilities and there had been no major geth activity since Shepard defeated Sovereign. Nothing justified running to the Reapers, though.
The geth slipped free of its confinement as soon as the restraints were lifted, then studied each of the organics closest to it, as if memorizing them. It had eyebrows—or something like them—Vega realized. Did all geth have eyebrows? Because it gave the thing a very decent synthetic imitation of curious study.
It was unnerving.
…and it probably was studying them.
"The Fleet's getting ready to pull out. Zaal'Koris says thank you," Tali announced as she, Shepard, and EDI rejoined the group.
"Good," Shepard nodded.
Vega cocked his head as he continued studying the geth. There was a big-ass hole in its chest, and… "Is that N7 armor?"
"Yeah. It was mine," Shepard answered, as though it didn't matter.
"…why's it wearing it?"
Shepard shrugged. "No data available." Which could only be quoting the machine. "And you can talk to him directly. He doesn't bite."
"We lack the necessary physical attributes to bite, Shepard-Captain."
Snickers ensued from those who had worked with Legion before.
EDI liked to make jokes—or try to. Was this Legion thing the same way?
Legion fiddled with its arm, the way an organic would fiddle with an omnitool. A sudden pulse made everyone stagger.
"Keelah!" Tali's voice spiked.
"Legion…" Shepard's voice had a marked edge. So she wasn't as all-trusting as she seemed. Good.
"You need not be concerned," Legion answered, been as weapons were brought to bear against it. Vega thought it said something if fingers remained off the triggers until something more concrete than 'something weird happening' prompted a true response. "As a gesture of cooperation, we have disabled the dreadnought's drive core. All weapons and barriers are offline."
Shepard gave a short, relieved exhale.
"Unfortunately, it will also attract geth reinforcements." With that, Legion scrambled to its former prison and fiddled with the far side. When it reappeared, it carried a formidable-looking rifle over one shoulder. "We suggest not being here when they arrive."
"Sounds good to me," Shepard agreed.