Rannoch, 1895 CE

They had spent the last week planning their escape from Rannoch. He and Ket had scouted out the local transport station and found a shuttle with minimal security guarding it. Ket believed he could pilot it and that was the best they would get, it wasn't like they could find a better pilot anyway.

Zi had been determined to lead there little group as it was her plan but she was just a kid, his baby sister, he didn't even want her involved in this. They were already outlaws, hunted for housing rogue Geth, he never wanted this kind of life for her. He had gone so far as to ask one of the Geth to protect her, no matter the cost.

Now they gathered around a small table scattered with datapads, all their plans carefully encrypted and secured within. They would do this thing tomorrow and this would finally be over, one way or another. He sighed and Ziera came over to him, "Daro? What's wrong?" He couldn't tell her. All their work could be for nothing, they could all die tomorrow and there was nothing they could do. Instead he pulled her into a fierce hug.

"I love you, Zi, you know that don't you?" She hugged him back just as tightly and tears began to sting his eyes.

"I love you too" she sniffed, "It will be okay, you worry too much." She pulled away and smiled then wiped his tears away.

"Tomorrow everything will be better, you'll see." She got up and looked over to the Geth on the far side of the room, 0402. "We are doing this as much for ourselves as we are for them."

He wasn't sure he understood but she was wiser than most kids he knew. "What do you mean?"

"Our people. Look at what they are doing!" She walked away towards the unit, "Somebody has to stop them before it's too late to save themselves."

He was left alone to think on what she had said. Did she believe that the Geth would wipe out the Quarians if they didn't stop? It was possible. He looked to her and smiled. She was holding the Geths hand and talking to it, she seemed so happy and carefree. He wished she could stay that way forever.

The Geth's optic narrowed then it pulled her into itself and turned. He only had a split second to process what it was doing before there was a loud noise and pain everywhere. A sharp ringing threatened to deafen him as everything went black.

"Everything will be better once we get off this planet." The younger Creator Mal held it's hand and smiled up at it. "You will be free, we all will."

The unit focused it's hearing on the east wall, it was faint but it could hear someone setting up explosives, it thought to warn the others but the older Creator Mals words echoed through its databanks, "I don't care what it takes, keep her safe." It pulled the young Creator into itself and turned away from the blast to protect her.

The blast knocked it back, shrapnel tearing its synthetic muscle as it heard the cries of fear and pain from the other Creators and its platform filled with the programs from the other units who were 'killed' in the blast. It didn't take long for the screams to fade into silence. Young Mal was crying in its arms, she pushed it aside and ran towards the impact zone.

"No!" She cried, franticly moving rubble, her cries becoming louder each time she found the body of one of the Creators. Unit 0402 shifted some rubble, "Creator Mal?" he didn't respond. The young Mal ran towards him, and collapsed by his side. "Daro?! No... no." She held his lifeless body and sobbed. "Please... please don't leave me."

For the first time 0402 picked up a rifle, it had been damaged in the explosion but it was still functional. Each program within the platform came to consensus. The Creators deaths would not be in vain, it would protect her, it would get her off world.