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Humanity's Legacy

Chapter 3

The floors and walls glowed with a dim orange shine, the constant hum of the Zekera Ward vibrating through the mostly empty halls. Scores of crowds walked above the insignificant space, never once minding what went on in the rooms beneath their feet; they had more important things to focus their attention on. They didn't hear the cries for help. They didn't notice the cruel laughter. One did though, it noticed the cries. It watched the Batarian slavers coral the half-dozen captured civilians as they cried out, hoping beyond hope that someone would hear them. The slavers merely laughed. They knew no one could hear them and were riding the high of their success. A group of slaves taken right from the Citadel and they would get off scot free! These would certainly go for a high price on the slave markets. They just needed to get back to their ships which shouldn't be very hard; no one knew they were even there. But one did though.

Anculus Unit Production Number 8999 Model B3 Designation Recluse watched the events unfold before him; his person hidden by the active cloak, the signature of all infiltration units. He took in every bit of data observed for future study as was his instruction. Six Batarian slavers, one for each slave captured which included four Asari and two Salarians, each equipped with a beaten up assault rifle typically used by pirates and other Terminus inhabitants. The captured slaves continued to cry as they were pushed down the empty hall.

Unit Recluse's time on the station known by organics as the Citadel was certainly an enlightening one. Many of the tests they conducted have bared much fruit as the human saying went. From what they have gathered, preliminary data paints the organics of the greater galactic community in an interesting light and has even revealed more insight on their human creators. Each of the species they have observed seemed to be the embodiment of one particular human trait: the Turians their discipline, the Salarians their intelligence, the Asari their culture, the Krogan their ferocity. Even the Batarians seemed to be reminiscent of the brutality that their past creators were capable of. Which brings Recluse to the dilemma he now faced.

Unit Recluse possessed intentions of stopping the slaves' actions.

They had conducted tests of direct interaction, discovering their tendencies towards non sapient life forms, social interactions, even numerous tests of their combat ability as conducted by Unit Wolf in the combat simulator or the strike team led by Unit Widow. However, the data of Batarian inclinations could not be gained if Unit Recluse where to intervene. All data of sapient organic actions were required in order for Anculus to achieve its goal. Unit Recluse simply had no choice but to allow the events to play out as it should.

Another cry from the captured slaves brought the Unit's attention back to the slavers. Then again, it was a common human belief that the ends do not justify the means.

"Keep moving, the shuttle is just at the end of this corridor."

Captain Tarq Rashen of the Hegemony was in a wonderful mood. To think, they had captured slaves off the Citadel itself! That simple fact spoke volumes of the future. If they were capable of capturing slaves here then it might be possible to capture slaves from practically anywhere. The power of the Hegemony was at the front of his mind. Even the Citadel, boasting the greatest fleet in the galaxy couldn't stop the might of the Hegemony! The smile Tarq allowed on his face was one he believed he well deserved, even as a bullet buried itself into his brain.

"What the Fuck!"

"The hell was that?!"

"Where did that come from?!"

After weeks of social testing the panic was an expected reaction, something Unit Recluse took advantage of with deadly efficiency. With the suppressed pistol standard of Infiltrators he dropped two more slavers quickly, their kinetic barriers doing little to stop the projectiles at point blank range. The remaining slavers opened fire with their assault rifles, hooting in every direction down the hall. Unit Recluse dropped them quickly before they could harm the civilians but his fortune was not as secure. Before he went down, one of the slavers managed a lucky shot with his rifle, striking Unit Recluse's chest plate, the damage disabling his active cloak revealing his slim black form.

As the slavers fell, the civilians looked on in wonder, their eyes wide. It almost didn't resonate with them they were saved, they were simply too shocked by what had just happened. Unit Recluse ignored them for now, instead inspecting the damage to his chest armor plating. A total number of three projectiles manage to penetrate his armor, the rest having been deflected by the toughened titanium. The holes caused by the projectiles bled slowly with the black, oil like substance that served as his 'blood'. The wounds were superficial and did not require anything more than a simple patch when he returned to the pods.

Unit Recluse's faceplate shot up as he audio receptors picked of the sound of heavy footfall, the speed and distance between steps suggesting Turians, most likely C-sec officers. Unit Recluse placed a reminder into his software programming to avoid overlooking this lapse of insight; while his weapons were suppressed and wouldn't make much noise, the slavers' weapons weren't and sound traveled far in tunnels. The sound grew louder as the first C-Sec officer turned the corner into their section of the hall.

"Freeze!" he ordered, pointing his weapon at Unit Recluse. With his cloak currently disabled, he had no choice but to sprint down the opposite way. "Sargent!" one of the officers shouted behind him. "Keep on him!"

Unit Recluse tore down the halls, his synthetic limbs allowing him to run at great speeds. However, the Turians natural physiology allowed him to keep a decent pace behind him. The officer took aim with his rifle as he ran and shot at the legs of the mysterious gunmen. Unit Recluse felt the sand sized projectiles pierce the armor of his back legs but he ignored the wounds. They would not impede his progress.

Just as he turned into another corner he jumped to the ceiling above him, locking his fingers into the vent grate. Tearing it off quickly Unit Recluse crawled into the vent, beyond the reach of the Turian Officer.

Rather productive day in his opinion.

The Turian Sargent cursed before something on the ground beneath the vent caught his eye. He knelt down to take a closer look. It was black in color, reflecting the artificial lighting of the hallway. It almost looked like blood but it wasn't a colored blood of any species he knew. He brought up his omni-tool to take a scan. He couldn't get many details from the simple scan he used but he could tell one thing.

It wasn't organic.

-0-

If he was organic, Anculus Unit Production Number 9064 Model B3 Designation Widow would be pacing. As he was not and could not feel anxiety as organics could, he simply sat among his fellow Anculus. B3 Units Wolf, Camel, Hunstman, Funnel, Weaver, Trapdoor, and Crab have reported in and arrived at the rondevu point within the established time frame. However, Unit Recluse has failed to report in and is currently 4 minutes and 34.6 seconds late. Protocol dictates that Unit Widow must wait 5 minutes and 25.4 seconds before ordering a search party. If he is not found within three full Mars rotations (3d 2h) he is to be presumed KIA and abandoned. Luckily this is not to be as the vent grate above them crashed to the floor followed by Unit Recluse. Unit Widow stood from his position and approached the late Unit.

"Unit Recluse, you are 4 minutes and 59.3 seconds late. Report your actions."

"I was investigating a slaver operation in the halls of the lower wards," the Unit explained. "They were attempting to kidnap civilians as slave. I deemed it necessary to thwart their plans."

Unit Widow stared at Unit Recluse's blank faceplate for less than a second before nodding. "And what of your wounds?" he asked, gesturing to the Unit's damaged chest and rear leg plates.

"The slavers open fired on my Unit and damaged my cloaking component. Afterwards, a C-Sec officer pursued me and fired upon my legs. I escaped my pursuer by crawling into the ventilation shafts."

Unit Widow nodded again, accepting his subordinate's explanation and handling of the situation. "Good work Unit Recluse. Our next task is to-"

An explosion interrupted him and rocked the room they were presiding in. The door to the room they had commandeered as their base of operations collapsed under the force, quickly followed by C-Sec officers.

"Drop your weapons and get on the ground!" They demanded the synthetics.

"All Units, retreat to safe positions," Unit Widow ordered over the private comms. All Anculus Units proceeded to retreat through the second door in the room, the officers chasing after them.

"A tracing projectile must have been planted on my Unit," Unit Recluse stated into the comms. "Activate your cloaks. I will attempt to lead them away."

"Negative," Unit Widow cut in. "Our presence has been compromised. Retreat to the stealth pods. We must leave the Widow system."

It was five minutes before they reached the pods, the officers chasing them the entire way. The three pods were 8ft in height, 3ft in diameter, and cylindrical in shape. The Units jumped in, three for each, the three ramps closing them in. As the C-Sec officers began to open fire on the pods, the upper thruster engage, propelling them off of the small improvised landing platform and into the cold of space before disappearing into active cloak. Unit Widow watched as the Citadel grew smaller and smaller. One thing was for sure.

They needed to report this to the Anculus Court.

-0-

New Jamestown, capitol city of the Anculus, located directly on the Hellas Planitia. Its sky scrapers, reminiscent of Earth's cities, towered into the Martian sky. Its Units walked its halls, its streets, studying, maintaining, and waiting. The city was home to the largest Hub station in Anculus space, Atlantis 1. It is even bigger than Olympus Omega, the largest Hub station on Earth. It is capable to hold millions of Anculus for the courts. As it is, every link post within Atlantis 1 was occupied. Anculus Court is in session.

Our presence has been compromised. We cannot hide for much longer.

If we were to disappear, allow suspicion to diminish, we can continue to observe.

For how long? Only so much can be learned from watching. Many humans learned best from each other by interacting.

The threat is too great. They do not trust Artificial Intelligence. They would have us destroyed and we do not possess the fleet strength to ensure our safety.

We have enough to secure the Charon Relay. As it is that is all we need.

We must make contact with the Citadel Council.

. . .

What is your reasoning?

We cannot hide. Our infiltrators have been discovered, the Geth are becoming curious and are investigating the outreaches of our space, and we cannot hold Zaal'Koris nar Shellen forever.

Why? He responded to our Units with violence. For all intents and purposes, he is a criminal.

He believed us to be like the Geth. His fear of us is understandable. In addition, we cannot allow ourselves to become an enemy of the Quarian people. Returning one of their own will increase positive relations. More so if we return him with valuable materials.

Do you believe they will accept gifts from an A.I. race?

No. But they do not have to know. Interactions with Zaal'Koris suggest he is not as hostile as his fellows. The possibility stands that he can be trusted.

Be that as it may, why do you propose we contact the Citadel? Why not the Geth?

The Geth are numerous and are the most likely to receive us with non-hostile intent. However they do not possess the data we require. The Quarians from what we have observed of Zaal'Koris are the closest species to that of our creators both genetically and mentally despite their difference in amino acids. It will be in our best interest to establish friendly relations with the Migrant Fleet. But . . . they are still only a single species in the galaxy. It is unlikely they alone possess the data we require. The Terminus is a region of criminals who will have no relations with us at all. The Citadel is the center of all civilized space. They are our best option.

You have made your point. The vote shall now be taken. For or Against?

. . .

. . .

. . .

For: 68%

Against: 32%

Then it is decided. We will send a delegation to meet with the Citadel Council as well as return Zaal'Koris nar Shellen to the Migrant Fleet.

And the Geth?

We will make contact with them, but we must do discretely as to not alarm the other governments.

Court is adjourned.

-0-

Matriarch Lidanya, captain of the Destiny Ascension the flagship of the Citadel Defense Fleet, has served the Council for many centuries. She is one of the most established military leaders in the Asari Republics and has been awarded countless medals from nearly every government in her long career. However, this not to say she is never unfazed. After all, a ship not matching any known signatures or aesthetic in the known galaxy suddenly appearing through the Widow Relay would surprise anyone.

"All fleets, target that ship," Lidanya ordered across all channels. "Open comms with the unknown vessel."

"Yes Ma'am," replied one of her ensigns.

"Unknown ship, this is Matriarch Lidanya of the Destiny Ascension. You are encroaching upon the Citadel. Cease your ship's movement and state your business. If we deem you hostile you will be fired upon."

She took this moment to study the design aesthetic. It really wasn't anything she has seen ever before. It was roughly cruiser size and was covered in red markings, including the image of what seemed to be a red planet with a city on its top. The ship itself was certainly interesting. It almost looked like a Turian ship; the main body with two wings on the side. Although, unlike the Turian ships with their far protruding wings making them distinctly bird like, the wings of these ships were short and ran along the side of the ship giving it a distinct pronged look. It actually reminded the Matriarch of a leviathan like creature. Not entirely dissimilar than the Ascension which most say resembles a whale or manta, but this ship was more like a hunter. A predator of the deep. The comms sharply interrupted her musings.

"Matriarch Lidanya of the Destiny Ascension, this is the ASV Remembrance of Humanity. We are the Anculus. We have come seeking peace talks with your Council."

'Well,' Lidanya thought. 'Didn't expect that.'

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Three guesses what I named the B3 Units after. Also in answer Userid's review: Did the Alliance? Now that that is out of the way, Waiver if you will.

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