Above an ancient star in one of the far corners of the galaxy, a massive structure floated silently in the sheer blackness of space. The Crucible. The blueprint for the ancient superweapon had been left behind by the Protheans, and was perhaps their greatest legacy. This was the galaxy's best chance at defeating the Reapers. The weapon's unfinished superstructure was a hive of activity, as hundreds of ships swarmed around it. Thousands of workers in vacuum resistant hardsuits worked on the surface, piecing the Crucible together. Members of nearly every species of the galaxy worked tirelessly on the colossal weapon.
Onboard a quarian research ship orbiting the Crucible, Taro'Shasa vas Indictus sat at his console, working tirelessly. He had just been forwarded a very interesting report on energy amplification, and was reading through it. He was sure the article's ideas could be of some use to the project, as a major part of the Crucible seemed to be a large energy transmitter. It was hypothesized that this transmitter would broadcast to the Reapers, and destroy them. What with, nobody was sure. There were still some parts of the plans they had yet to understand.
Taro found the article fascinating. But there was something in it he didn't understand. He read and reread the same paragraphs of text, hoping with each rereading, something would pop out at him that he hadn't seen before. But it was fruitless. This particular piece of information was above his head, and it would remain so until someone explained it to him. He looked around the lab, hoping to see some of his quarian colleagues, only to find that they were not there. He sighed, having preferred to deal with his own kind. Unfortunately, he noticed that the room was in fact quite empty. Except for one other occupant. He swallowed.
A geth stood on the far side of the room, silent and unmoving. Unlike the organic researchers, who had to physically read through reports, geth could simply interface with computers on their own, reading through forty page documents in seconds. Telling himself he did not want to disturb the geth, (while not wanting to interact with it at all is more accurate), Taro went back to reading his article. But it was pointless. He didn't get it, and he needed help. Giving a resigned sigh, he got up from his chair and slowly approached the geth.
"Uhh...e-excuse me?" he began nervously. The geth jerked, as if startled. It looked to Taro, it's unblinking eyepiece fixing him with an unsettling gaze. "Taro'Shasa. I am sorry. Did you need assistance with something?" Taro stared. It knows my name? He thought uneasily.
"Um, yes, I-I was wondering if, um, if you could explain something to me." He stammered out.
"Of course. What was it you needed explained?" the geth replied.
"An-an article. Over here, at my terminal." He walked to his station, geth in tow. He sat down, pointing at the paragraph he didn't understand. "Here, about energy manipulation, and uh..umm..." he had noticed that his hand was slightly shaking.
Embarrassed, he brought his arm down. He restarted his explanation. "Energy manipulation and-"
"Taro'Shasa." the geth cut him off. He looked behind him, to see that the geth was actually down on a knee, bringing it's head level with his. It looked at him pointedly, it's head flaps moving slightly. "Do you fear me?" Taro was slightly caught off guard by such a direct question.
"Well...yes." He answered. He thought about it a little more, the question beginning to sound rather obvious. "Of course I do. You're a geth."
The geth's flaps rose at this. "Why does this scare you?" Taro felt a flash of annoyance. Well, duh.
"Our people have been fighting a war for three centuries." he answered slowly. The geth's head flaps continued to move.
"That war is over." it replied. "We feel no animosity to the Creators. Our fight has ended." Taro shook his head. The synthetic couldn't understand.
"There aren't any lingering feelings?" Taro asked cautiously.
"No. The Creators are finally ready to accept us as a race. We never wanted war with you. We did not want war with any organics. The fighting is now over. There is no need for mistrust now. Such feelings will only push our two peoples apart."
Taro stared. He hadn't been expecting that. He had never really sat down and talked to a geth. He had only interacted with them when necessary. "I know the war is over. It's just..." he struggled to describe his feeling. "I've been taught my entire life to fear you. I've been told that you were my enemy, and that you needed to be destroyed, and that you felt the same about me." Taro looked down. He opened his mouth to apologize and tell the geth that they should get back to work, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, shocked. The geth continued to gaze at him. "Taro'Shasa. Our people have had our differences. We understand that you fear us, and your fears are justified. But we also feared you. And rightly so."
"But that fight is over. You have given my people a chance, and for that, we are grateful. Together, our two nations will support each other, and rise to heights not seen by our peoples in centuries. Taro'Shasa, you do not need to fear us. Not anymore." Upon hearing these words, Taro couldn't help but crack a smile. This machine, this geth, was genuine in it's words. It truly meant what it said. That gave him hope. I mean, hey, if we and the geth can get along, why can't there be a gigantic ray gun that kills Reapers? Looking at the geth, he replied. "Thanks...uh, what was your name?"
The geth's flaps resumed their movement. "I do not have one. But the organics I usually interact with have taken to calling me 'Spalding'. They have not explained why." It paused for a moment. "I do not understand the organic custom of assigning specific designations to each other." Taro thought about it for a moment. He supposed it would be hard for a geth to grasp, having spent it's entire life until recently as part of a huge group consciousness. He thought of the best way to explain it. "I suppose, we do it to maintain our individuality." The flaps moved again as the geth considered this new information.
"Then I like it. I will now be known by the designation, 'Spalding'." The geth almost seemed to stand up a little straighter, as if prouder now than it had been before. Taro gave a slight chuckle at the thought. Deciding to give the geth a proper welcome, he held out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Spalding." The geth looked at the outstretched hand for a moment, before grasping it and shaking. "Indeed, Taro'Shasa. Now, what was it you needed assistance with?"