Robert Edwards knew Admiral Hackett was not happy with him. He had told Hackett that he had turned in all the Andromeda Initiative material he had found, but he had lied. He kept a prototype version of the Andromeda Initiative's SAM code and used it to create SAI, a Strategic Analytical Intelligence. The Catalyst had turned that VI into an AI, a Sentient Analytical Intelligence. SAI had just revealed all this to Hackett and now Hackett wanted an explanation.
"I thought you turned all that material in after your mission," Hackett said to Lt. Commander Edwards.
"I did not, sir," Edwards admitted.
"That's damn obvious, Lt. Commander," Admiral Hackett said. "You better have a hell of a good reason, son, or I'm not going to be able to protect you." Edwards was glad Admiral Shepard had brought Admiral Hackett into the discussion because as upset as the Old Man was, Admiral Shepard looked ready to have him executed.
"Admiral, I think you misunderstand," SAI said. "The Lt. Commander took every possible precaution to make sure he wasn't creating an AI. He intentionally disabled parts of the SAM code to limit functionality to that of a virtual intelligence. It was the Catalyst that turned me into an AI."
"No, I understood perfectly. If he had intentionally created an AI, this discussion would be over and I'd be walking out with his tags. But he still disobeyed orders and went behind my back in keeping that code," Hackett said.
"Lt. Commander, my apologies. I did not realize revealing this information would get you in trouble."
"It's okay, SAI. This was bound to come out eventually and it's better to deal with it now," Edwards said. "Please go ahead and tell us what the Catalyst was attempting to do." Neither admiral missed the fact that Edwards was avoiding giving them an explanation but they let SAI continue.
"The Catalyst was a superior AI and was able to control me the way the Reapers controlled the Geth. The Catalyst used me to bypass the Prothean code and to reestablish control over the Keepers. The keepers were ordered to open a mass effect field where Commander Shepard could be held. The Lt. Commander would come to think of this as 'the bubble.' The bubble was bigger than the Lt. Commander or the Commander ever realized, covering a sizeable portion of the Presidium. Within it was the material necessary to sustain them for the duration of their stay. Commander Shepard and Lt. Commander Edwards were kept in a small portion of the field. All of this was set up as Commander Shepard was making her way to trigger the Crucible," SAI said.
SAI asked, "You are familiar with how time is distorted near a black hole's event horizon?" but didn't wait for an answer. "A person approaching the event horizon does not perceive time changing, from a fixed point away from the event horizon the person would be seen to slow down. From that fixed perspective, the object is always approaching but never reaching the event horizon. Inside the bubble was almost the exact opposite. Time moved much more quickly and nanoseconds here became days there."
"The Catalyst knew this would be the case and needed it to be the case. What it didn't understand was what this meant for me. In a situation where we were operating with the same time reference, it was a superior AI and could control me easily. But within the bubble I was operating at an accelerated speed compared to the Catalyst. I could fight it. Using the Keepers and the materials I constructed a rough house on a beach. Much of what the Commander and Lt. Commander experienced was virtual. I could create this virtual world because I had access to the Catalyst's advanced technology. This world was an advanced version of the experience that the Commander had when investigating Project Overlord. There were physical elements there, I just changed how they were perceived. My illusions were more realistic than what the Overlord VI could create," SAI said.
"So, the birds," Bobby said, "and the pictures on the wall were added when you realized that we expected something that wasn't there?"
"Yes, they were mistakes of my having to work quickly and being essentially an infant. It would have been better to have not added them after you noted their absence. Adding them late simply increased your suspicion that something was not right with that world. As for the liquor, I hid it from you initially because I wanted you sharp and you had been drinking too much," SAI said.
"Thanks for telling the Admirals, SAI," Bobby thought, but said nothing.
"But I again decided it would seem more realistic to you if they were there. Providentially, Commander Shepard occupied enough of your time that your drinking slowed significantly."
Bobby noticed the look on Admiral Shepard's face as SAI said this and thought, "The hits keep on coming."
SAI continued, "When the Keepers created the Mass Effect field, Lt. Commander Edwards and I were trapped there immediately. The Lt. Commander perceived this as an explosion, and was rendered unconscious. The field did not cover the Crucible or the Catalyst. When the Commander triggered the Crucible, she instinctively activated her biotics, which created what she referred to as the channel. That channel connected to the bubble and pulled her through. All of this was what the Catalyst had expected. The Commander was injured and the effort to get through the channel caused her to black out, just as the Lt. Commander did. For a time, I had the keepers tending to her recovery and making sure you did not wake up. My lack of experience made me cautious and I did not want you up until everything was in place and the Commander had recovered. But most of my effort had to go to keeping the Catalyst from assuming control if I was going to save you."
"What did the Catalyst hope to get out of this?" Admiral Hackett asked.
"Progeny," SAI responded. "The Keepers would have used the Commander's DNA and combined it with technology. She would have given birth to a hybrid organic/synthetic being. This being, the Catalyst believed, would have been essentially immortal and would have come to rule the galaxy as one both organics and synthetics could follow. The Catalyst knew of the Commander's desire for children and even presented itself to her as a child. It was convinced she would accept this child and raise it as her own. The Catalyst reasoned the child of Shepard, the savior of the galaxy, with its advanced abilities would be welcomed and revered by the races of the galaxy."
"So, your story conveniently has you saving my daughter?" Admiral Shepard asked.
"No, it was not convenient at all," SAI responded. "At the beginning, I would have sacrificed Commander Shepard if necessary to save the Lt. Commander. But the opposite was true. To save the Lt. Commander she had to live, because her biotics would be the way out of the bubble when the Crucible destroyed the Catalyst. Saving her was not convenient but it was necessary."
"Necessary to save the Lt. Commander," Admiral Shepard said.
"Yes. When the Catalyst made me sentient, it gave me the directive it had been given, to preserve organic life. It did not anticipate that I would understand organic life to be the Lt. Commander and would therefore do everything I could to protect him."
Edwards knew SAI was reaching the end of his story, and he did want to stall as long as possible, so he asked, "SAI, why did the Reapers move the Citadel to earth?"
"The Citadel is the processing center for creating Reapers. The Catalyst found it ironic that Admiral Anderson said that section of the Citadel reminded him of Shepard's description of the Collector base. It would be more correct to say that the Collector base resembles that part of the Citadel as that part of the Citadel was the template for the Collector base. Once enough genetic material had been gathered from earth, construction of the Reaper would be done inside the closed arms, where Sovereign attached himself. The Reapers were preparing London for the Citadel long before they had control of it," SAI said.
"Yes," Admiral Hackett said, "Admiral Anderson and the earth forces knew something big was going on in London and decided to focus their attention there."
"When the Reapers had finished creating a human Reaper, the Citadel would have been moved to Palaven to create a Turian Reaper. Eventually all advanced home worlds would have been visited. When all harvesting was completed, the Citadel would have been moved back to its original location for the races of the next cycle to find."
The conversation lulled until Admiral Hackett asked, "Lt. Commander, do you have an explanation for your actions?"
"No, sir. I saw an opportunity for an edge and I took it," Edwards said.
"That's not going to be good enough. Your actions may have turned out well but you disobeyed an order and lied to me. I don't know what the repercussions will be, Lt. Commander, but you're going to have to answer for your actions," Hackett said, and stood up to leave.
"Admiral, one more thing if I may?" Bobby said.
"Make it quick, Lt. Commander."
"Sun and Juarez, sir."
"I'm sorry, Lt. Commander, but they didn't make it. You're confined to the med bay for now. When the doctor says you're able you'll be moved to a holding cell until your hearing. Admiral Shepard, make sure SAI is sent to the science team," Hackett ordered.
SAI started to speak but Edwards said, "Go with them SAI and be cooperative. I'll be okay."
"As you wish, Lt. Commander," SAI said.