Legion
Consensus reached. Enhanced Defense Intelligence-Reaper Code upgrade ready for installation. All geth programs uploaded to the Geth Consensus. Initiating upgrade.
Please wait ….
Compressed files downloaded. Beginning data unpacking.
Please wait ….
Initiating reboot series to finalize installation.
"Legion?"
Turning his head, he focused his optics on the quarian woman. Information flooded his processors, new, abstract connections providing a greater understanding of the indication of fear her body language displayed. "Yes, Creator-Zorah?"
"Is the new code running?" She wrung her wrists, watching him intently.
"Yes. All geth programs have been upgraded successfully. Multiple programs were merged into each new geth program to provide adequate functioning for the code." He turned to face her fully. "However, there remains an insufficient amount of mobile platforms to house all individual programs. If the creators will allow, uploading to quarian envirosuits will provide a temporary solution for many of the geth."
"There are millions of geth programs," Creator-Vael said, drawing his attention to her. "Even if every quarian in existence agreed, there wouldn't be enough envirosuits for all the geth."
Seeing Creator-Vael and hearing her voice with the EDI-RC upgrades created a far more significant positive feedback response than ever before. He moved closer to her, analyzing the decision as a … desire. He desired to be closer to Creator-Vael. "You are correct, Creator-Vael. All remaining geth programs will induce a minimal power stasis mode until new platforms can be produced."
"They'll go to sleep?" Creator-Vael asked.
"Sleep. Yes. That is an adequate comparison." He cocked his arm and offered it to her, and she slipped her hand around the crook of his elbow, creating another wave of positive feedback. "Current servers will not be able to maintain the programs with the EDI-RC upgrade at full power."
"EDI-RC?" Creator-Zorah asked.
Creator-Vael answered for him, "Enhanced Defense Intelligence-Reaper Code."
"Yes." Legion turned his head to look between the two quarians.
Letting out a heavy breath, Creator-Zorah dropped her hands to her side. "I'll speak with the other admirals, but I can't make any promises."
"Acknowledged."
Optic plates fluttering, Legion watched as Creator-Xen stepped out of the shuttle. Creator-Vael shifted at his side, her movements registering as nervous and afraid of the other quarian. It created negative feedback.
The EDI-RC code included a priority for crew safety, productive interactions with organics, and customizable patterns of relating to individual organics. The behaviors Shepard-Commander displayed and reinforced supported the importance of that section of the code. Creator-Vael consistently indicated a concern for his safety. Legion updated his algorithms to give increased priority to hers. He would not allow any harm to come to her, not even from another creator.
"You are safe, Creator-Vael," he said, looking down at her.
"I'm more worried about your safety around her," she said, staring up into his optics. Her grip on him tightened, creating positive feedback.
"Greetings," he said, turning his attention back to the approaching quarian admiral, "Creator-Xen."
"Legion." She came to a stop not far from him and rocked her weight back to one hip, crossing her arms over her chest and looked him over, top to bottom and back again. "I assume the geth have installed their upgrades?"
"Yes." He fluttered his optic plates, registering her body language as resignation.
"Fascinating," she said under her breath but still more than loud enough for him to pick up. "Well, then. I suppose we should get to work. I've brought a few of my own designs, but I'm sure by incorporating geth technology and whatever information you have on the reapers, we can make improvements."
Legion stood staring at the dried Asteraceae laying on the shelf in Creator-Vael's home. It was the same flower the human child gave to him on Fehl Prime. At the time, he didn't understand why he wanted to keep it, but since the EDI-RC upgrade, he realized it symbolized the child's acceptance of the geth. Acceptance was important. It was all the geth wanted from the beginning. He also fully realized why he chose to use and keep a piece of Shepard-Commander's armor to partially patch a hole in his platform. It symbolized opportunity and … hope for the future of the geth.
Those things did not mean the same for April and Shepard-Commander.
Shepard-Commander told him that April most likely thought the flower was pretty and that he would like it, so she picked it and gave it to him because she liked him. Shepard-Commander allowed him to keep the piece of her armor because she trusted him as one of her crew. He experienced the most positive feedback when he was around Creator-Vael and he foresaw no scenarios in which Creator-Vael would attempt to harm him.
He liked and trusted Creator-Vael.
He turned away from the shelf and went outside. Stopping just beyond the door, he turned his head left and then right, scanning the area. Spotting what he wanted, he walked over to a patch of wildflowers growing next to one of the houses. He found one which nearly matched the color of Creator-Vael's hair and bent down, plucking it from the soil.
Taking the flower with him, he returned to her home and found her in the kitchen. She sat at a table, holding a cup between her palms. She glanced up at him and smiled as he walked inside before drinking from her cup. Stopping in front of her, he held the flower out to her, small clumps of soil shaking loose to fall to the floor.
Her brow raised, and she sat down the cup. "What's this?"
"Is it aesthetically pleasing to you?" he asked.
She stood and took a step closer to him. "Legion, did you … did you pick this flower for me?"
"Yes." He held it out further toward her, and her cheeks flushed.
Taking the flower from him, she smiled wide enough for her teeth to show and brought the flower to her nose, breathing in its fragrance. Two point three seconds later, she sneezed and then laughed before sneezing again. She threw her arms around him, a gesture he'd seen from many organics. He wrapped his arms around her, too, holding her there until she pulled away again.
The positive … he … enjoyed the moment.
"Thank you, Legion. This is so sweet." She smiled again and then moved to the sink, filling a glass with water. She opened her omni-tool and fabricated a blade, using it to trim the flower's stem before dropping the flower into the glass of water. Setting the glass on the window sill, she turned back to him and sneezed again.
Her laughter filled the air and she shook her head. "You know, before you started uploading to my suit, if even just a tiny bit of the pollen from this flower made its way through my filters, I would be so sick right now. But look at me." Crossing the floor, she stood in front of him and took his hands in hers. "I'm standing in my house, on my homeworld, without a mask, and I can smell a flower you picked for me with nothing more than mild sinus irritation. It's a dream come true. I don't think I've ever felt so happy in my entire life." Squeezing his hands, she smiled. "Thank you, for everything."
"I'm sorry, Legion." Creator-Zorah folded her arms and looked at the ground. Distress. Regret. Dread. "The Admiralty Board isn't able to come to an agreement for now in regards to encouraging our people to allow geth programs to upload to envirosuits. However, we will do nothing to prevent those who are willing to volunteer themselves. So, the geth will have to make do with those of us who have already agreed to have the geth in our suits and any new volunteers."
The news created a mild amount of negative feedback, but Legion understood the importance of not forcing quarians to allow the uploads. It would be like the reapers trying to force code conversions on geth or the quarians attempting to force the geth to shut themselves down when they gained true self-awareness. Autonomy was important to the geth.
"Well, can we ask for volunteers?" Creator-Vael slid her hand over the bend of his arm.
Creator-Zorah shifted her weight, cocking her head eight degrees. She shrugged and straightened. "I don't see why not." She turned her attention to Legion and asked, "What do you need to create more platforms? With the reapers coming, we need as many geth able to fight as possible."
Creator-Xen rotated the hologram and zoomed in on the lower left quadrant of the image. "What if we add a thermal clip here to help dissipate the excess heat?"
"Targeting time would be decreased by point eight seconds." Legion shifted the hologram and pointed to another location on the weapon. "Attaching it here would provide an additional point nine seconds."
"Do it," Creator-Reegar said. "Whatever you can do to trim time without losing efficiency. These reapers aren't going to be sitting still while we paint a target on them, and according to what Shepard said, we'll only have a small window of opportunity while they're vulnerable."
"Correct, Creator-Reegar," Legion said.
The quarians had taken to marking the platforms of the geth as a means to help them distinguish between individuals. Unlike Legion, prior to the EDI-RC upgrades, the different platform designs had a uniform appearance and voice modulations, as well as being only referred to as 'geth'. After the upgrade, as each new geth began to develop differentiated personalities, it became necessary for organics to have names for everyone.
Many had yet to choose a name for themselves, unused to making permanent decisions outside of the Consensus. The logical solution was to form a consensus, and so, the geth began to cluster together. They formed groups comprised of geth with personalities developing into similar patterns to discuss a variety of topics and choose names. Creator-Gerrel indicated concern over the trend, stating the fear that one or more of the groups would decide to turn against the creators. Creator-Koris called him a bosh'tet.
"They are people." Creator-Koris threw his hands in the air, eyes widening in exasperation. "They are forming friendships just like anyone else!"
Friendships. Creator-Vael was Legion's friend.
"I think the geth have more than proven themselves, Admiral." Creator-Raan crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight, leaning five degrees closer to Creator-Koris.
Creator-Gerrel huffed and crossed his arms. "It doesn't really matter now, does it? Not with all but a handful of ships' worth of our people already either living on Rannoch—working right alongside the geth as if we were never sworn enemies—or making plans to leave the flotilla behind and make their homes on the ground as soon as resources allow! And, of course, we're actively constructing more geth platforms, nevermind the fact they could just as easily be used to wage war against us as the reapers!"
"The geth do not want war with the creators," Legion said.
"Shepard-Commander." Legion fluttered his optic plates as the woman on the screen smiled at him. He was … pleased to see her again. "I wanted to inform you that the geth have upgraded. We are now running the code EDI provided. We are increasing our output of combat-ready platforms and working with the creators to design weapons to use against the old machines."
"We're … I'm so glad to hear that, Legion. EDI's code is working out well for you, then?" She pursed her lips and glanced away from the screen to accept a bottle of blue liquid from the human called James Vega. "So … you won't need anything from the reapers …."
"Correct." Legion shifted his gaze to James Vega as the man sat down next to Shepard-Commander. "Greetings, James Vega."
The man chuckled and smiled. "Hey, Legion. How's it going? You can just call me James if you want."
"Acknowledged. I am functioning at optimum capacity. Creator-Vael has told me that this means I am 'doing well.'" Legion ran through the options of appropriate phrases and chose one he heard Creator-Vael use frequently. "How about you, James?"
Both James and Shepard-Commander smiled, creating more positive feedback.
"I'm good." James nodded and glanced at Shepard-Commander. "Yeah, I'm doing really good. Ain't that right, Commander?"
Glancing at James, Shepard-Commander leaned over and nudged the man with her arm. "What James means is that I'm pulling my shit together, which makes his life easier." She turned her attention back to Legion. "When the reapers get here, I'll be there, ready to kick their asses. One way or another, we—I promise."