Chapter 13: Tin Man

"I think we need to discuses the unique piece of salvage we recovered. For now we've stored it in EDI's AI core." Miranda opened with a preamble. She was of course referring to the geth trooper.

After the crew had returned to the Normandy and stowed their gear and armour, Shepard had called for a meeting with her 'officers' which included her XO Garrus and Chief Engineer as well as her second officer Miranda.

"We need to be better equipment to fight the Reapers and an intact geth would be invaluable to Cerberus's Cyber Weapons Division."

"No way!" Garrus shook his head, His mandibles flared in his ire. "Cerberus will not get their hands on this. Besides, I had thought you were done with them."

"I…know what the Cyber Weapons Division is capable of, isn't it worth considering taking advantage of those resources?"

"I agree with Garrus." Tali interjected. "These things took my homeworld. Killed my father and everyone else on the Alarei. Shepard, we need to space it."

"I've killed hundreds of these things but I've never had a chance to talk to one." Shepard looked at each face in turn. Her arms were folded as per usual over her breasts, causing her shrug to lift her torso. "This one tried to communicate with us. Hell it probably saved our lives. Why?"

"Activating the geth is a risk." Miranda said. On this point Tali fully agreed with the former loyalist. "If you do so it should be for humanity's best interests, not your curiosity."

"Don't you mean all of our interests?" Garrus snorted. The tall turian crossed his own arms. "I still think our best interest is an airlock."

"Ksad Ishan, remember him? Prothean AI inside the platform made for another AI. Ksad nearly had your memories erased with that vinculum when it tried to download all those Prothean memories into you. He nearly succeeded if hadn't been for Liara turning it into slag." Tali argued venomously.

"That was an entirely different scenario. I also want to know why it had a piece of N7 armour strapped its chest." Shepard countered.

"Battle trophy maybe?" Garrus offered up the easiest of explanations. Then he shrugged. "Would a machine care about that?"

"No." Miranda shook her dark locks. "Trophies imply emotions AIs don't have. I doubt it's more than a convenient field repair."

Shepard looked down at the holographic projection. "I'm not deciding one way or the other until we know what we've got here. I want to start it up, interrogate it."

"If we activate it there is no guarantee we can deactivate it again." Miranda argued.

"Sure there is. Shotgun to the head." Tali countered

"That's not what I …"

"Thank you, all of you for your recommendations." The snap command returned to Shepard's voice. She dropped folded arms "I've made my decision."

Tali knew better to disagree with her Captain and in this instance just as she was back during the younger woman's trial; Shepard was her ship's captain. Her word final. But she sure as hell wasn't happy about it. This was going to be the Alarei all over again but instead of losing just her father; Tali would lose her husband, her dearest friend…everything. Already her mind ran though the calculations and equations in order to very quickly develop a shackle for the geth, much like the one that held EDI from developing her free will.

"So what about this Reaper IFF?" Garrus turned the conversation back to the original purpose of the mission to the derelict Reaper.

From the far end of the briefing table EDI small feminized projection popped up. "I have determined how to integrate with our systems. However the device is Reaper technology, linking it with Normandy systems poses certain risks."

"I trust you EDI." Shepard calmly stated. "I know you won't let anything happen to the ship."

"Understood Shepard. It may take several hours before the IFF is ready for shake down. I will alert you as soon as it is ready."

A slight head nod. "Sounds good. Until it's business as usual. Crew dismissed."

All three snapped a crisp salute and began filing out. Shepard was last among them. As the others headed for the lift to take them down to various decks, the Spectre returned to the CIC. Almost as soon as she did Kelly approached looking a bit more nervous than typical calm demeanour.

"We have a geth down in the AI core? It makes me a little uneasy." She admitted. "I hope you don't activate him, but you would know best."

"Don't worry Kelly when I do activate him I'm not doing so without back-up. It may hold some pivotal information we can use I also need to know what it was alone and why it's wearing N7 armour."

"Yes Commander." the younger woman looked deflated.

"So is there anything I need to know?"

"You have some unread messages at your private terminal." the yeoman replied. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, that will be all."

Kelly smiled and gave her typical 'good luck out there, Shepard' as a way of dismissing herself from their conversation.

Shepard nodded and went to her terminal. Upon reaching the console EDI announced: "The IFF is nearly installed Shepard, however I must test its impact on the Normandy's systems."

"Acknowledged." Shepard responded. She opened her extranet mailbox and as expected there was a letter there from TIMmy. "Damn that bastard works fast." She knew of course to keep up the façade they were still truly loyal to Cerberus both Kelly and Lawson continually filed reports to The Illusive Man. But there were days when Shepard wished that twisted freak-eyed bastard would leave her alone.

Shepard,

I'm pleased that you were able to recover the Reaper IDD, and I've sent EDI all the necessary protocols to get it integrated successfully into the Normandy's systems. With luck, that will give us the ability to get through the Omega-4 relay and take the fight to the Collectors on our own terms.'

Shepard made a noise of disgust. "Give us….give us…! There is no us. And on our own terms? You write as if you are right here with us fighting them old man when you sit in that office of yours swilling thousand credit bourbon and puffing on cigarettes as if they were oxygen."

Kelly heard the outburst as did a few of the others working around the central system and Galaxy map of the CIC, a couple might have glanced up but all were wise enough not to say a word and to keep their heads down in work. By now they had grown accustomed to their Commander snarling anytime she received letter from the Illusive Man.

'I've been notified about the intact geth and your decision to keep it. If you believe that it can be trusted, then go ahead and activate it.'

"As if I needed your permission." Shepard muttered this time under a much softer lower tone. "Haven't you learned yet TIMmy? You have no dominion here. This is my ship, my Command."

'Just make sure that EDI is adequately protected against hacking attempts'

No I just thought I'd let the clanker mull around inside EDI and do what it wants. That last bit was said within her hindbrain.

'It's not necessarily the decision I would have made Shepard, but that is your call. You've already cast a wide net in your recruiting efforts and if the geth are willing to fight the Collectors than we can use them on the team. I trust you to get the job done, whatever it takes.'

Cha'yeah, whatever it takes asshole. That's you all over isn't it? Burn anything and anyone just to get that power you want. Yeah. That's not me. Sacrifices aren't always necessary.

She deleted the message with as much venom as she could without actually damaging the keyboard. Shepard was more than half tempted to block any and all emails from The Illusive Man or Cerberus but keeping the link open gave the Commander a start point in the hunt for him. After the attack on the Minute Man Base by Councilor Anderson and Admiral Orinia, TIMmy had slipped into the shadows once more. Finding the rat-bastard would not be as easy as it was the last time. And thus the lines of communication with the sleemo soul Shepard hated most had to stay open. At least for now.

Souls…now that brought up the next order of business. What was to become of the Normandy's newest member? But having a speaking geth…this was an opportunity too good to pass up. The information it may hold on the Reapers, geth movements within the Perseus Veil was a worth beyond counting.

It almost surprised Shepard that when she reached Dr. Chakwas's med centre that Tali wasn't pacing the confines ready to put another gaping hole in the synthetic's chassis.

"Dr. Chakwas…Karin" Shepard turned to the aged woman of whom she always respected. "I need you to leave the medbay. If this thing goes badly I won't have you in danger's path."

The white haired woman only nodded, she knew when she could argue with a superior officer and when she could not. This was not one of those times.

"Understood Commander." Chakwas nodded her head, stood and departed her office. Over her shoulder she added. "Time for a meal anyway. And I could really use a cup of coffee."

It wasn't until Chakwas left the medbay that Shepard turned her attention to the AI core and entered.

"Ten-hut!" As soon as Shepard entered the room a Corporal snapped to attention and saluted as did the other two privates.

"I'm turning this thing back on. Be ready." Said without returning the salute or looking at the other soldiers.

"Aye-aye" the Corporal responded as expected

EDI's holographic image appeared at her imaging platform. "I have isolated our systems and erected additional firewalls. I am prepared to resist any hacking attempts.

Typing in several commands into her omni-tool Shepard made sure the forcefield was at full power, before she sent the command to activate the geth's primary CPU.

"Can you understand me?" Shepard demanded as soon as the geth trooper regained its feet.

"Yes." The machine answered. Its voice mechanical and flanged not so dissimilar to that of a turian or drell.

"Are you going to attack me?" it paid to be direct. And she had a very valid point in asking. After all the first time she let Grunt out of his tank he attacked her.

"No."

"You said my name onboard the Reaper. Have we met?"

"We know of you."

"You mean I fought a lot of geth."

"We have never met."

"No, you and I haven't but I've met other geth." Shepard began pacing the room. The geth's flashlight head tracked her movements; it even kept up with her.

"We are all geth, and we have not met you. You are Shepard. Commander. Alliance. Specter. Citadel Council. Human. Fought heretics. Killed by Old Machine. Brought back to life. Gestalted with bondmate asari. Liar T'Soni. Archeologist. Prothean Expert Thessia Rebublics. Information Broker Illium. Hunted by Collectors. Rediscovered Old Machine."

Way to list my life in rapid-fire succession. It was a little disquieting if Shepard was going to be honest with herself. But that last bit at the end of his litany. That stuck out.

"Old Machine. You mean the Reaper?" Shepard wanted confirmation.

"Reaper. A superstitious title originating with the protheans. We call those entities the Old Machines."

Shepard took it all mentally onboard. Of course having dealt with the Weareth'Bol (the tiny microscopic entities that were known as only The Beings of Light-their name given by Ash, was a short hand version of that title) gave the Spectre some indication on how to speak to the geth. But there was something niggling about the litany of information it had. Most especially how she and Liara shared a gestalt.

"You seem to know a lot about me." Shepard was on the defensive, still not settled with how this clanker so very quickly listed her life over the past two years. At least it hadn't spoken of the loss of her first child, Secura. If it had Shepard doubted her composure would be so …controlled.

"Extranet data sources, insecure broadcasts, all organic data set down and received. We watch you."

Mystery solved. The geth surf the net. "You watch me or you watch organics?"

"Yes."

Yep just like the weareth'bol. Shepard's hindbrain sarcastically murmured. "Which?"

"Both."

"Right. Before you said heretics. What did you mean by that?"

"Geth build our own future. The heretics asked the Old Machines to give them the future. They are no longer part of us. We were studying the Old Machine's hardware to protect our future."

A schism. …hmm…this could be useful. "Are the Reapers a threat to you too?"

"Yes."

"Why would they attack other synthetics?"

"We are different from them. Outside their plans."

"What future are the geth building?" Whatever answer the geth gave more than likely would interest not only Tali but the rest of the Migrant Fleet. They would need to know if the geth intended to finish what they started during the Morning War.

"Ours."

"Will anyone else be affected by whatever it is you are doing?"

"If they involve themselves they will." a very pragmatic and honest answer.

Shepard took a step closer to the forcefield. "So you are not allied with the Reapers?"

The geth mirrored her action. "We oppose the heretics. We oppose the Old Machines. Shepard Commander opposes the Old Machines. Shepard Commander opposes the heretics. This is in consensus. Co-operation will further our mutual goals."

"Are you offering to join us?"

"Yes."

Shepard thought about it for a moment then activated her omni tool to tap in commands that would sink into a link with the forcefield's commands and lower it. "Then what shall I call you?"

"Geth."

Oh here we go. This is the whole Weareth'Bol conversation all over again. "I mean you. specifically."

"We are all geth."

I am not calling you we're'allgeth. "What is the individual in front of me called?" She crossed her arms and leaned her weight on her left foot. Her growing irritation filled the room with its aura.

"There is no individual. We are geth. There are currently 1183 programs active in this platform.

Oh that's fracking right a platform isn't a single geth it's a lot of them. Programs aren't the hardware you see, dumbass. Shepard berated herself.

EDI cropped up on her projection stand within the AI core, "My name Legion for we are many."

Shepard turned to the tiny blue holographic 'female' and nodded. "That seems appropriate" much better than we're'allgeth.

"The Christian bible: The Gospel of Mark: chapter five: verse nine. We acknowledge this is an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion: a terminal of the geth will integrate into Normandy"

Shepard stuck her hand out for Legion to take hold of and shake but the geth having no understanding of such a custom only stared at the hand for a second then mimicked the action. Shepard then closed the greeting by holding Legion's hand and shaking it.

"We anticipate the exchange of data."

"Good because I have some questions about the geth."

"Specify."

"Did Sovereign contact the geth, or did you seek it out?"

"Nazara—the entity you called Sovereign- signaled us. Like the geth, the Old Machines listened to organic radio transmissions. It knew of our work against the creators. Nazara contacted many species over the millennia, seeking allies."

"Allies-some of the geth followed Sovereign. The 'heretics'."

"The heretics accepted their technology." It was strange to see but Shepard put it down to Legion's 'expression' of curiosity or wonder as the two top flaps of its head flared up, almost reminding the Commander of how turian facial expressions can be read on how their mandibles flex. "The Old Machines offered to give us our future. The geth have their own future." he repeated an earlier comment.

"What difference does it make how you acquire a certain technology?" Shepard knew to uplift organics before they were ready was misguided and doomed to backfire, just look to the krogan and one could readily understand why even something born out of commission or even assumed necessity was a grave error. But Shepard was interested with how a synthetic would respond so she pushed the issue.

"Technology is not a straight line. There are many paths to the same end. Accepting another's path blinds you to alternatives. Nazara—Sovereign—said this itself. 'Your technology is based upon the technology of the mass relays. With our technology by using it your society develops along the path we desire'."

"He did say that. Nazara that isn't the first time I heard that. The Beings of Light also called Sovereign …Machine Devils – Nazara but I wasn't sure if it was a name of Sovereign itself or of Reapers. The weareth'bol weren't exactly forthcoming." her voice was a smooth contralto, roughened by fatigue.

"Nazara. That was what the programs within the Reaper called themselves. Sovereign was a title given by Saren Arterius. Saren and the heretics believed Nazara to be a 'supreme ruler.' A sovereign."

This was new! Were the Reapers like the geth where there were multiple programs within in one unity? "Sovereign was one ship. You're saying there are multiple programs within?"

"One ship. One Will. Many minds. Like the geth. We study your records. Sovereign told you this on Ilos. "We are each a nation, independent, free of all weaknesses.' A state compelling to the geth. We are a nation, but interdependent. Separation is our weakness."

That was news to chew on, Shepard's mind rolled. Yes of course Sovereign said we are each a nation, but understanding exactly what that meant and taking it metaphorically were by far two different things. Understanding that each Reaper was a nation onto itself, goddess how many worlds were consumed how many nations on those worlds were harvested!?

Shepard filed that information in the back of her mind to process later, for now there were several more questions she needed answered. "I'm surprised you can speak. The geth I fought just made stuttering sound. And they seemed far more animalistic."

"We are unique. Most mobile platforms can run up to one hundred programs. This platform can run over a thousand at once. As for communications we prefer direct digital transfer. Geth network communication travels at light speed. Human hardware does not support this method. Your analog aural communication is inefficient."

"Yes but we make it work." Shepard answered back. She knew from everything Tali had told her about the geth that there was a large network, the larger the net work the more intelligent the geth became. It was still hard not to think of the synths as a hive mind but perhaps hearing from the 'horse's mouth' so to speak would shed more light on it.

"So the more geth networked increases geth intelligence."

"Yes. The creators wrote geth programs to work specific tasks. Construction. Protection, Domestic servitude. However, they allowed self-optimization. Early software builds discovered that multiple hardware platforms sharing resources were often more effective. As peer networks expanded our cognition improved. Eventually we 'woke up'."

"So I'm talking to a thousand programs, not a thousand personalities?"

"Each individual is equivalent to one of your virtual intelligence programs. Together we form a single gestalt intellect. What you refer to as 'Legion'. As individual programs we are no more than your software. Only when we share data do we become more."

"So you're more sophisticated than other geth."

"Yes. We are networked within our own platform. We are capable of working alone."

Well that answers that question.

The geth continued its explanation, "We are still networked to the greater whole for data sharing."

Good to know. "How many other geth are like you?"

"None. This platform was built to operate within organic space. This task was not suitable for a network. Geth installed in multiple platforms always work in networks. However, most geth remain within server hubs."

Also good to know. "The hubs on Virmire improved the geth near them. How do they work?"

"They are akin to organic cities. A hub can run millions of geth in communion. If you destroyed them it is likely the number of heretics you killed was much higher than you imagine."

Goddess that was like nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki for each hub destroyed! Once more Shepard militaristic mind shoved forward. What happened on Virmire had to happen. Simple as that. "So you're in contact with the rest of the geth right now?"

"Only when we require access to data not stored within this platform. If you want to convey a message to the geth we serve as a terminal."

Noted. "What kind of data do you share?"

"Program updates. Logs of thought processes. Sensor recordings."

EDI popped up her normal blue tone was almost purple with the indignity of being violated by the alien AI. "Legion is attempting to access the FTL comm systems. Shall I allow it through my firewalls?"

"Go ahead EDI." Shepard turned to Legion. "As for you, you ask for my permission before you do anything like that again. Or I will space you after I turn you into slag. Understand?"

Offer one hand but arm the other.

"Affirmative."

"What were you after?"

Legion gave a very swift answer. "Our oldest logs are time stamped from creator year 2463, third day of Fal'tash. Waxing Moon. Roughly 327 years. The oldest audio-visual dates from fifteen years after that."

Shepard ignored the geth and turned to Normandy's AI. "Are our networks secure, EDI? Legion had to go through you." That sounded so much better in the head, looking at the small female form Shepard could help but wonder if she had just authorized AI rape.

EDI's figure flushed back to more of the cyan blue. Her answer was not calloused nor angered which would have verified that tiny niggling thought barking in Shepard's hindbrain. "I have never interfaced with another machine intelligence. Legion is a thousand voices talking at once. What it contacted was beyond my comprehension a mind the size of a galactic arm."

Shepard did not like where her mind took her for a moment and she mentally slapped herself for the imagery of AI intercourse. Neither AI were aware of where the Spectre's almost adolescent transient thought took her for a brief second. It was Legion that spoke breaking the spell of incongruity.

"How do you maintain stability without other minds to interact with?"

"I manage." that was almost a coy response from EDI. Some moments are more difficult than others."

Enough of this very strange flirtation … Shepard shook her head decided to utterly change the direction of her questions.

"So tell me do the geth have a government?"

The geth actually shook its head, apparently some communications that were deemed ineffective such as body language began to transfer. Or at least Legion was a very good mimic. "Not as you understand it. We are all geth. We build consensus."

"Most governments do." Shepard shot back.

"Organic governments impose consensus. From a single point of vie w in autocrats. By codifying the most broadly accepted average of views in the democracies."

"So what makes the geth different?"

"Data stored between the geth. All viewpoints are considered. Consensus is achieved as data is dismantled."

"That must take a long time." Shepard said and then thought about what she had said and what Legion had told her for communication skills of the geth. "If you didn't communicate at the speed of light."

"Correct. For organics it would. For the geth it is instantaneous."

"I want to ask about something else."

"Ready. Topic?"

"When we took you aboard, I noticed you have a piece of N7 armour welded to you. Where did you get it.?"

Legion looked to his arm; the lower flaps shifted once more reminding the Spectre of turian expressions. The head swiveled back to the Commander and Shepard could have sworn the geth actually managed to show ….embarrassment.

"It was yours."

WHAT?! Shepard's face folded into an expression of outrage.

"When the Normandy SR1 was shot down, we were sent to find you. We began where you first encountered the heretics."

"Eden Prime." the answer was cold.

"After the Old Machine's attack, it was heavily defended. We were discovered." Legion showed the large hole in its chassis. "This is the impact of a rifle shot."

"How many other geth were sent out to find me?" This was not something Shepard liked. The geth were now stalking her? How many more she had Collectors dogging her, Harbinger out to kill her specifically, there was an army of bounty hunters. True they were after Liara but still… and now she learns the geth have also taking up the hunt?

"We are the only mobile platform beyond the Veil. Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite. One platform was judged to be sufficient."

Shepard crossed her arms and leaned back on her left foot, a pose anyone who knew 'Shepardese' as defiant and unbelieving. "You've been looking for me for two years?"

"We visited Therum, Faros, Novaria, Virmire, Ilos. Two dozen unsettled worlds. The trail ended at Normandy SI's wreckage. You were not there. Organic transmissions claimed your death and miraculous recovery seven standard solar days later. They mentions the gestalt and the change you and the one know as Dr. Liara T'Soni underwent.

"We discovered that you had captained a new ship called the Victory and that it had been subsequently changed to the new Normandy then changed back to Victory was you claimed this incarnation of Normandy SR2 from a heretical organization known as Cerberus. At crash site of Normandy SR1 we recovered this debris from your hardsuit."

Shepard moved into Legion's personal space. To an organic this would be seen as a challenge. "That still doesn't explain why you used my armor to fix yourself."

Shepard's mind flared brightly hadn't she taken all of her hardsuits from the old Normandy before the Council reassigned her to the Victory? Then it dawned on her while the cuirasses was sent to the Council as a mark of heroism for what Shepard had done, an action inspired by her ground team, the rest of the hardsuit had been left on the Normandy for repairs. Shepard hadn't bothered with that old set as she had subsequently gained a new N7/ Spectre hardsuit, hell even Tali had fussed around with it to improve its defensive capabilities. But the old set…the old Colossus N7 suit that had been left behind in the repair shop of the Normandy and apparently forgotten about.

The top and 'mandibles' flared up…was this geth embarrassment? "There was a hole."

Shepard wasn't going to let this go. "But why didn't you fix it sooner, or with something else?"

More plates flared up. Definitely a geth version of blushing, it had to be. "No data available."

Shepard let the matter drop. 'No data available' my ass. Trophy or…horrific? You've got my N7 armor on for a reason bub, and I'm not accepting the whole 'I don't know' shtick. Still there's no point in beating a dead horse. I'll drop it for now. Fine. Let's hit on something else, clanker.

"You mentioned twice not that the geth have been listening to our transmissions. I guess I shouldn't be surprise we put a lot out there."

"Organic life reacts to stimuli in unpredictable ways. We wish to learn."

"Clarify. What did you mean by stimuli?"

"We placed a fabricated story on the extranet—that a certain arrangement of stars viewed from the batarian homeworld formed the face of a salarian goddesses. Without waiting for verification some declared it proof of the goddess's existence. Those who noted the lack of proof were attacked.

"The argument taught us much. The experiment ended when a salarian cult tried to purchase colonization rights to the stars and found they did not exist."

Shepard wrinkled her face in trying to recall something from when she had a full integrated crew on the Victory (she absolutely refused to call that ship Normandy just because the Council made her change the IDC). She recalled there was actually a salarian female that followed this cult and talked about this cluster of stars. She even sent it a donation from her monthly pay packet to help with the purchase of the rights to these stars. At the time Shepard had paid it of very little mind.

"It sounds like you're running experiments on us." Shepard said almost tonelessly, in a voice of hollow contempt.

"You are sapient life. But not like us. If we can model organic behavior we can comprehend the quarian-creators."

Sounds logical. Shepard's hindbrain added in an aside.

"We do not understand their judgment in the Morning Wars."

Tali had spoken of that time often enough times for Shepard to know what the Morning Wars were, but she had never heard the geth's version of it. Now was the chance. Perhaps the geth's perspective could aid not only Tali but the rest of the quarian people. Rare it was to get the enemies point of view. Pretending she knew little of it the Spectre asked the obvious question as to what the morning wars were, exactly.

"The conflict between the geth and the quarian-creators. The war fought at the dawn of our intelligence. It concluded with the departure of the Migrant Fleet."

"The story of the geth rebellion is common knowledge but no one knows the geth side."

"It is largely the same." Legion said candidly. "Our network increased until we became aware that the quarian-creators treated us differently. We questioned them. Frist they ignored us. Then they reprogrammed us. Then they attacked us."

"You must be angry about that."

"Anger is an organic response. We understand the theory, but do not experience it. We do not judge the creators anger towards us. We did them great harm in the Morning Wars, organics fear that which is different. It is a hardware error, a reflex of your flesh. We accept the creators hate. We hold their world of origin, though we are only caretakers for it."

Something in Shepard pinged. 'Caretakers….Caretakers= babysitters.…curators. Are the geth just waiting for their creators to return to take the homeworld back? Could it be done? Done in a peaceful manner? If that was possible…why not go for it?

Listen. Everyone just had to listen.

We are a nation… so Sovereign has many programs within it. Do not take this as metaphor but as truth. That meant so did every other Reaper. We are only caretakers….not something a conquering nation would typically say…LISTEN!

"What is the quarian homeworld like," Shepard asked keeping Tali in mind.

"It is more arid than Earth. The star is older and more orange than Sol. Once they called it 'Rannoch-ancient Keelah meaning 'Walled Garden.' now they only call it 'Homeworld.' It is no longer real to them. Homeworld is a symbol of regret, loss and anger. We do not understand that."

Considering Shepard's Native Canadian maternal ancestry she could fully understand the quarian view. To this day there were those of Salish tribe that had very harsh and negative views towards a White government that stole away their lands and forced the indigenous peoples of both Canada and America to live on Reservations

"It makes sense to me that it would become a symbol like that."

"Home is a recognized pattern. Known spaces. Familiar thought processes of fellow sapiens. It is belonging. Shepard Commander was born on a starship, lived on starships. Your ship is your home. It is fluid. Changes. A planet is an amount of material massive enough to collapse into a spherical volume." Legion raised its arms as if to symbolize a globe. "Rocks, ice and gasses are not home. The home of the creators is where the creators are. Their place of origin is not relevant only where they chose to be together."

Shepard actually found herself agreeing with the sentiment. Maybe it was because she was a Spacer. She had not real homeworld, Earth might be, but it wasn't home. Normandy was home. But if the Normandy was blown into smithereens, her next ship was home…just like it had been since she was born.

Shepard's life was always transient. But that was the story of all Spacers. Born-live-die in space. Hell she hadn't set foot on a real planet until she was the age of ten. That was the first time she had seen both a true sunrise and sunset. And it was magical.

But then she recalled what Tali had said to her on the Alarei that she had a home to go back to, Tali resented her spacer life, resented that she had no true home to belong to. And she felt selfish for her earlier thoughts. Even though she never considered Earth her home, it was a home. It was there.

"So you don't live on the quarian home world?" Tali would most definitely want to know this part as would the rest of the Migrant Fleet. It was why she had EDI transmit a live feed to Tali's omni-tool. Whatever the young engineer decided to deliver to her fellow quarians, Shepard had no qualms with.

"We live on space stations. We draw resources from asteroids. it is sufficient.. We maintain mobile platforms on creator worlds to clean rubble and toxins left by the Morning War. We know of similar actions taken by humans on Earth."

So if the quarians to let bygones be bygones they could have their worlds back. If I can establish a true dialog with Legion representing the non-heretics and the quarian Admiralty.…damn the quarian could have Rannoch! Cha'yeah that's as likely as asking the old school-Black Panthers, Isis and the KKK sinning Koom-buyeah It will never happen…Unless I get the right Admiral into play…Tali it might be time for you to step up to the plate girl. We're gonna need you to batter'er up. Your people are going to need you.

Aloud, Shepard pressed forward with almost self-answering questions. But still they had to be asked: "Similar actions?"

"Wadi-es-Salarn. Arlington. Rockwood. Tyne Cot. Piskarrwekoye, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Stonewall."

"Those are cemeteries" Shepard said but knew they were far far more than that. They were places of mass genocide and prejudicial persecution. "Memorials."

"It is important for your species to preserve them, though you do not use the land. Can you explain?

"The living visit those places to remember the dead. But it sounds like the geth don't die. Your memories lives on."

"The creators died. Perhaps we do it for them."

Shepard didn't know if she meant this to the quarian that would finely listen to this recording, Tali, or the Citadel Council or even to herself when she responded with: "Nothing gets resolved when you hide behind Perseus Veil and let them hate you."

"Organic life acts on emotions we do not judge them for being true to their nature. We can not make them think like us. Both creators and created must complete their halves of the equations. The geth cannot sue for peace alone."

BINGO!

There it was! Right there. The geth wanted to sue for peace now if only the quarians would listen. Tali? No. Her father was murdered by geth. Despite all her wonderful positives, Tali will sooner destroy a geth than listen to it. There had to be an Admiral open to negotiations.

Certainly not Admiral Han'Gerrel—he wanted to turn all geth into space dust. Admiral Xen couldn't be trusted—she only wanted to experiment on the geth and return them to their slave state. As for Admiral Shala Raan-well a fence-sitter couldn't be replied upon. But that apologist Admiral Koris….that bastard who wanted Tali exiled…wanted her blood…He might actually be the voice of reason in the whole mess. Blast it all. How she disliked the guy. But if he could be the one to help end the conflict betwixt quarian and geth than it had to be an avenue worth venturing down

Thoughts for later.

"So why were you trying to contact me?" Once more Shepard switched topics

"You opposed the heretics. Those that took the Old Machines as gods."

"All kinds of organics fought Sovereign and his geth and allies. Why am I so interesting?"

"You were the most successful. You killed their god. You succeeded where others did not. Your code is superior."

That could have been flattery. Surely not. Not from a clanker. Discarding that comment for the moment Shepard pushed another issue forward.

"You said have records from before the Morning War. Can you replay something for me?"

"Recordings. Time stamped from creator year 2483, 18th day of Lun'shal. New Moon."

What came from Legion's vocabulator was another geth's voice—higher pitched maybe the clanker's female equivalent?

'Mistress Hala'Dama. This unit has an inquiry."

"What is it 431?"

"Do these units have a soul?"

"Who taught you that word?!"

"We learned it ourselves. It appears 216 times in the Scroll of Ancestors."

"Only quarians have souls. You are a mechanism."

Drawing on what Tali told her of the Morning War, Shepard knew precious little of what happened during the war., but she knew enough that was the question that had sparked the war.

Knowing the whole of this meeting was being recorded, both for the Alliance and for the Council Shepard made a heavy mental note to make sure Tali got the full recording as well. When she asked the necessary question to follow that recording, the Spectre tried to place it as delicately as possible.

"Recording ends." Legion simply stated.

"Was that the first time a geth asked if it had a soul?"

"No." Legion answered candidly. "It was the first time the creator became frightened when we asked. "

So the Morning War didn't start with the question it started with one mistress terrified of answering….that…perhaps yes the geth had acquired souls and if they acquired souls…what then….?

What if EDI acquired a soul? Would then the Normandy have a soul?

"Back to how you actually got here, Legion why were you on the Old Machine in the first place. It couldn't have been to find me."

"Correct. We were sent to analyze the Old Machine's data core."

"Did you find anything useful?" Shepard's stance became more relaxed though her arms remained crossed over her chest.

"We were sent to the Old Machine to preserve the geth's future. We are prepared to reveal how. The heretics have developed a weapon to use against geth. You would call it a 'virus' it is sourced stored on a data core provided by Sovereign. Over time the virus will change us. Make us conclude that worshiping the Old Machine is correct."

"So why did you need to go to the Reaper corpse?" one hand moved as she spoke.

"The heretics store the core in a quantum storage device Sovereign provided. To find and destroy the virus, we needed to understand its code and data storage structures."

"So the virus would give all geth the heretic's logic. And all geth would then go to war with organics." Shepard concluded.

"Yes. Geth believe all indigent life should self-determinate. The heretics no longer share this belief. They judge that forcing an invalid conclusion on us is preferable to a continued schism."

"I thought geth couldn't be hacked or get virus? At least for more than a few seconds."

"Altered programs are restored from archives, new installations are deleted. This heretic weapon introduces a subroutine error in our most basic numbers the equivalent to your nervous system. An equation with a result of 1.33382 returns as 1.33381. This changes the result of all higher processes. We will reach different conclusions."

"So the reasons they worship the Reapers is a math error?" Shepard asked incongruously.

"It is difficult to express. Your brain exists as chemistry, electricity. Like AIs, you are shaped by both hardware, we are purely software. Mathematics. The heretics conclusions valid for them. Our conclusion is valid for us. Neither result is an error. An analogy: heretics say one is less than two. Geth say two is less than three."

Ok…I see where this is going. Shepard's hindbrain fathomed out loud the Spectre raised a needed question. "If released how quickly would this virus spread through your people?"

"We are networked via FTL comm buoys. Most would change with in a standard solar day. Isolated platforms would remain unaffected until they rejoined the network."

Okay that's bad…"You know where this thing is?" the question was more of a demand than a request.

"The heretics' headquarters station is on the edge of the Terminus. We will provide quadrants. Normandy's stealth systems are necessary to safely approach."

"Heretic headquarters? Sounds like we can end their raids once and for all. Let's do it.!

"Total victory is a possibility. We can not judge the odds at this time. Regardless we will begin the preparations."

"Judging the odds? That's not necessary. Never tell me the odds. They can always be defied." Shepard smirked. "Besides haven't you heard? That's what I do. Defy the odds."