~Paige~
I laid on my bed and looked at the ceiling until I heard a knock at the door. I told them to come in and saw John. "Hey, what's up?" I asked him.
"I came to see how you were going…about Ashley," he said sitting next to me. I frowned and looked down.
"It's a little hard. She and I were friends and now she's gone. So, are we going to Ilos?" I asked him wanting to get off the subject of a fallen friend.
"No, the Council said we're needed at the Citadel," John answered. I sighed.
"They really like to waste our time, don't they?" I asked him. He chuckled.
"You have no idea," he muttered in agreement. I wonder what they want though. Once we docked at the Citadel, Kaidan and I went with John to talk to the Council. We made it to the tower and Marcus hugged me. I hugged him back and we went up the stairs, seeing the Council and Udina.
"Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren!" Udina told John.
"The ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel-as you believe-we will be ready for him," the Asari Councilor said.
"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems," the Turian Councilor added. I shook my head. That isn't enough.
"You think a blockade's going to stop him? He's on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now! What are you doing about that?" John asked.
"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander. It we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war," the Salarian Councilor said.
"Now is the time for discretion, Commander. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over," Udina said to John.
"Sovereigns' the real threat! Saren's just a servant of the Reapers," John stated.
"Only you have seen the Reapers. And then only in visions. We won't invade the Terminus Systems because of a dream," the Asari Councilor told him. I narrowed my green eyes at her.
"Secrecy isn't his greatest weapon. The Conduit is!" John told them.
"Saren is a master manipulator. The Conduit is just a distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel," the Salarian Councilor said.
"Oh? And do you know that for sure? Or is it just because you don't believe Shepard?" I asked crossing my arms. The three stayed silent. "That's what I thought," I sighed.
"One ship going into the Terminus Systems won't start a war. I can be discreet," John told them.
"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn't call that discreet!" The Turian Councilor told him. I rolled my eyes. If he had read the report, it was Captain Kirrahe's idea to have the nuke destroy the facility!
"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander. We recognize that. But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control," the Asari Councilor said. No they don't! I looked at Marcus who seemed equally as angry as I was.
"If Saren finds the Conduit, we're all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!" John said to everyone.
"Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go," the Turian Councilor said.
"There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth," Udina said to John.
"You son of bitch!" I hissed glaring murderously.
"You're selling us out!" Kaidan agreed.
"It's politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. We've locked out all the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded," Udina said.
"Are you insane? After everything I've done, you still don't believe me?" John glared.
"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Conduit can handle this. With my help, of course," Udina said.
"You bastard. Your jobs won't matter when we're all killed," I growled before stalking away. Marcus caught up to me and pulled me into his arms. "You believe John, right?" I asked.
"Of course I do, Paige," he told me. We looked over to see John walked angrily away to the Normandy. "You should go talk to him, Paige. He'll need you to help him through this," Marcus told me. I nodded and kissed his cheek before I went after John. Once on the Normandy, I changed out of my armor and went to find John. I found him in the mess hall by the lockers. He saw me and sat down.
"John, I'm so sorry the Council didn't believe you. You deserve better than that," I said softly to him.
"It's not your fault," he said to me.
"It's not right. You did everything they asked and more. Nobody else could have done all that you did! The Council owes you everything. And I mean everything! Instead, they strip you of your command and ground the Normandy," I said to him.
"I don't care if they ground me, but they refuse to go after Saren. If they don't stop him from finding the Conduit, we're all dead!" John told me.
"Maybe there's a way we can change their minds. There has to be something, John," I said to him.
"I pushed them as hard as I could! They wouldn't budge. You should know, you were there with me," John told me. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"So you're going to walk away? You will just give up and doom the entire galaxy to extinction?" I asked crossing my arms.
"We're out of the game for now. But I'll find a way back in," John promised. I sighed and let my arms fall to my side.
"I believe in you, John. I'm with you every step of the way," I promised him. I lent a hand out for him and he accepted it. I pulled him, but my strength pretty much pulled him to me. I looked at his blue eyes as his looked at me green ones. We started leaning in closer until…
"Sorry to interrupt, Commander. Got a message from Captain Anderson," Joker said making us move away.
"Are you spying on us, Joker?" John asked as I ran a hand through my dark hair. I was thinking of which bone of Joker's I should break.
"No, sir. Just knew you were on the ship and figured I'd pass the message on. The Captain said to meet him at Flux. That club down in the wards," Joker stated.
"You should probably go meet with him," I said to John.
"Captain Cameron also wants you there, Paige," Joker added.
"I guess we're both going then," John said. I nodded and we got ready. We then left for Flux were we saw my elder brother and Captain Anderson. Marcus shook John's hand before taking a seat.
"I'm glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened," Anderson said.
"They pulled me off the mission. Just like when they forced you to give up the Normandy," John said.
"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked. I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up," Ander to him.
"They all think this is over, but we all know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!" Marcus told him.
"There's only one ship that can get me into the Terminus Systems undetected, and she's grounded," John stated.
"Citadel control's locked out all the Normandy's systems. But if we override the ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the Normandy back on-line. You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone," Anderson told him.
"If we steal the Normandy, you two are the ones left holding the bag," John told them.
"And if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Humans, asari, everybody! You're the only one who can stop him, Shepard. So we'll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station," Marcus stated.
"Stealing the Normandy is mutiny. What if the crew won't help me?" John asked.
"The Normandy's your ship now, Commander. Her crew will follow you to the ends of the galaxy. We all know that," Anderson told him.
"I won't forget this, Captains. I promise," John said to them.
"I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel control center. You'll have a few minutes before anyone realizes what's happened," Marcus told us.
"Marcus, that's a restricted area patrolled by armed guards. How are you going to get in?" I asked.
"Leave that to us. Just make sure you're in the Normandy when the systems come back on-line," Anderson told us.
"You're going to get yourselves killed. There has to be another way," John said.
"Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into the computer in his office, maybe I can override it," Marcus said. We Camerons were always great at hacking.
"He's not going to let you just waltz into his office and use his computer," I stated.
"Hopefully, he won't be there. If he is, we'll just have to think of something," Anderson replied.
"Udina won't let this slide, Captain. You'll both be charged with treason, a capital offense," I told them.
"We don't have a lot of options. We break into the ambassador's computer, or we take our chanced with the patrols in Citadel control," Anderson said. John thought about it and stood up.
"You'll have a better chance if you go after the ambassador's computer," John told them. Marcus smirked.
"I was hoping you'd say that. The ambassador has made this personal," he told us.
"You ready to get the hell off this station, Commander?" Anderson asked.
"Let's do it," John answered.
"We'll take care of the lockdown. You get down to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by," Anderson told us. I smirked at Marcus.
"Cause Udina hell, big brother," I told him. He smirked back.
"No worries, little sister. I fully plan to," he agreed. We all then went our separate ways. We made it on the Normandy and waited for Marcus and Anderson to give us the heads up. I was waiting with John and Joker until we saw the button go green.
"Let's go. Get us out of here, Joker. Now!" John ordered. Joker smirked enjoying this. He then took off and we were no longer trapped at the Citadel. We then set course for Ilos and John went to his room. After I got my things ready for Ilos, I went to John's room and walked in.
"John, may I speak with you?" I asked him as he stood up. I walked over to him.
"I was just thinking about you," he told me. I blushed a little.
"I have been thinking about you, too. As well as what we're about to face. John, I don't know what's going to happen on Ilos. I hope that we stop Saren, of course, but a part of me fears that we're already too late. Also, there is something I need to tell you…in case we don't make it," I told him.
"We're not going to fail. I promise," John said to me.
"Please, I'm not looking for comfort. Saren might already have the Conduit. I think it's time to be completely honest with each other. You already know I harbor feelings for you, John. At first, I was scared about admitting it due to my last marriage," I said softly.
"I want you to be sure about this, Paige. I don't want you to regret anything," he said to me. I smiled softly.
"John, I could never regret it with you. If I thought I was going to regret it, I wouldn't have come here. I want to do this, John…and this may be our last chance," I told him. He cupped my cheek and stroked his softly with his thumb.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked me. I held his hand and kissed his palm.
"More sure than I have been of anything. I love you, John," I said to him. He smiled as he pulled me close.
"I love you too, Paige," he told me.
(Lemon Start!)
I kissed him softly and he kissed back, each of us adding more passion as the kiss deepened. I let him slip his tongue into my mouth after he licked my bottom lip. We fought for dominance which he won. He explored my mouth as he lifted me up, my legs around his waist making me feel the bulge in his pants. He carried me over to his bed and laid me down as he crawled on top of me, neither of us breaking the kiss. His hands moved under my shirt and caressed my sides making moan into his mouth. He removed my shit and moved his lips to my neck. Kissing, licking, sucking, and nibbling making me moan softly as he made love marks on my neck. I slid my hand down to the hem of his shirt and started sliding my hands up under, feeling his abs and chest. He shivered from the touch and I pulled his shirt off. I then turned us over and started attack his neck with my lips making him groan softly. He removed my bra as I marked his neck. He sat us up so I was still straddling him. He took on my nipples in his mouth, sucking, licking, and nipping it making me moan from the feeling. He then switched to my other nipple getting the same reaction. I felt my lower regions start to heat up just from that. He laid me down and took off my shoes, pants, and panties. He kissed down my stomach, dipping his tongue into my navel making me gasp and moan a little. He then moved his lips to my thigh and kissed up. My breathing started to labor as I felt and watched him. He made it to my womanhood and licked my folds making me moan. He started sucking on my clit making me go crazy with pleasure. I gripped the sheets as I tried not to buck my hips. I moaned loudly thanking god no one could hear us. I then felt him slip his tongue in my entrance making me moan more. He held my hips down as I tried to buck up. I started to feel my abdomen tighten.
"J-John...I-I'm…" I tried to warn. I came in his mouth with a loud moan. After five years of not getting laid, I've become this sensitive…not that it looked like he minded as he licked his lips clean. I turned us over so he was under me. "Me turn now, love," I whispered in his ear making him shiver a little. I removed his boots, pants, and boxers before I kissed down his stomach, tracing his abs with my tongue making him shudder. I then reached his manhood and wrapped my hand around it making his breathing hitch. I smirked and licked the tip which rewarded me with a groan. I licked and nipped it getting more groans from John. I started to feel pity and stopped teasing him by taking his member into my mouth. I heard him moan as his fingers made it to my hair. I held his hips down as I began bobbing my head and sucking him. I kept going and started deep throating him.
"Paige, I'm going to…!" John came in my mouth and I drank him. I sat up with a smirk as I licked my lips. He grabbed me and laid me under him before he kissed me with passion. He suddenly entered me and I moaned into his mouth as he groaned. He stayed still for a moment until I moved my hips against him. He go the hint and started thrusting into me. He moved his lips to my neck and I moaned with each thrust. I wrapped my legs around his waist making him go deeper. He groaned and sped up making his movements harder and faster. My nails scratched up his back making him groan more.
"John! I'm cumming!" I moaned as I felt my abdomen tighten again.
"Me too! Paige!" He came which trigger my to cum right away after him.
(Lemon Over!)
John pulled out and laid beside me, both of us panty heavily. John pulled me into his arms and held me. My head rested on his chest over his heart that started to slow down. He kissed my head and smiled as I snuggled into his chest. He pulled the cover over us and we fell asleep. Later on, I woke up and John wasn't in bed. I looked over and saw John leaning against his desk with a smile and fully dressed. I smiled back.
"My, that was incredible," I told him.
"You were incredible," he told me. I blushed a little as I kept my smile.
"Five minutes ETA to the Mu Relay," Joker said over the comm. I sighed.
"I better get going. Duty calls. Also, you don't want to keep Joker waiting. And John…whatever happens on Ilos, I love you and try to be careful," I said to him. He walked over and kissed me.
"I love you too. You better be careful," he told me. I smiled and pecked his lips before getting up and getting dressed. We then made our way to the deck and up to Joker.
"Uh…Commander? We've got company," Joker said to us.
"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" I asked.
"Stealth systems are engaged. Unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea we're here," Joker told me.
"Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface," Navigator Pressly told us.
"Take us down, Joker. Lock in on the coordinates," John ordered.
"Negative on that, Commander. The nearest landing zone's two klicks away," Pressly told him.
"We'll never make it in time on foot. Get us something close!" Kaidan told Pressly.
"There is nowhere closer! I've looked!" Pressly exclaimed.
"Drop us in the Mako," John said.
"You need as least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that. The most I can find near Saren is twenty," Pressly told him.
"Twenty meters? We'll never get in close enough for a drop," Kaidan said.
"We have to try!" I persisted.
"Find another landing zone!" Kaidan told Pressly.
"There is no other landing zone!" Pressly told him.
"The descent angel's too steep," Tali stated.
"It's our only option!" Liara said.
"It's not an option! It's a suicide run! We don't-!"
"I can do it," Joker said cutting Kaidan off.
"Joker?" John asked.
"I can do it," Joker confirmed.
"Gear up and head down to the Mako. Joker-drop us right on top of that bastard!" John ordered. Kaidan, John, and I then got ready in our armor and got into the Mako. Joker dropped us off, but the door closed.
"We have to get inside this bunker before Saren finds the Conduit! There's no way we're getting passed that door with brute force," I said.
"Saren found some way to open it. There must be some kind of security override somewhere in this complex," Kaidan told us.
"We'll have to find some way to get it up and running again," I mused. We got going and took down some geth while looking and hacking control panels. We managed to find our way inside an area and found a Security Panel. I hacked it and finished. "Come on. Saren already has a head start. We have to go find him before he reaches the Conduit," I said to John.
"Unless he's already found it. Then we're just walking into a trap," Kaidan retorted.
"Unfortunately, that's a chance we'll have to take," I told him.
"Hold on…something's happening," Kaiden said looked at a messed up hologram. The hologram said something, but I couldn't understand it.
"Sounds like some kind of message. But I don't recognize the language," Kaidan said.
"It's probably in Prothean. This recording must be 50,000 years old. No wonder we can't understand it," I told him.
"The message is all broken up, but I recognize some of the words. It's a warning against the Reaper invasion," John said making me blink.
"That's incredible! The Cipher must have transferred an understanding of the Prothean language into your mind," I said amazed. The damaged hologram started again.
"What's it saying? Can you make out anything useful?" Kaidan asked. The hologram spoke again.
"It said something about the Conduit, but it's too degraded to help. We should go," John told us. We made it back to the Mako and the door opened.
"Who votes we take the vehicle into the creepy, underground bunker?" Kaidan asked.
"Good idea. The firepower will come in handy," I said to him. We drove down the tunnel for a minute.
"I thought Saren would have set some kind of trap or ambush for us. They must have been in too much of a hurry," Kaidan said.
"Or we just haven't run into it yet," I retorted. We kept going and saw something on the walls.
"What are all those things on the wall? Some kind of containers?" Kaidan asked.
"They look like stasis pods. The Protheans probably tried to keep themselves alive through cryogenic freezing. Something must have gone wrong, though. This bunk became their bomb. The pods are dead…and so is anyone inside," I frowned looking at them. We kept going until we saw a force field and stopped. There was then one behind us as well. "What's happening?" I asked.
"It's a trap! Saren must have set an ambush," Kaidan answered.
"I don't think Saren's behind this," I mused. We got out of the Mako and went to the elevator that was next to us. "If this were simple and automated trap, Saren would have triggered it. What do you think this is?" I asked.
"I don't know. I just hope that whatever's down here is friendly. We've got enough enemies at the moment," Kaidan answered. We walked over and saw a hologram.
"You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventually was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent out warning through the beacons," the VI said.
"Looks like some kind of VI program. Pretty badly damaged," I said to the others.
"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination up any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope," the VI told us.
"Wait a minute. How come I can understand you? Why aren't you speaking the Prothean language?" Kaidan asked. Now I was curious to know.
"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe," Vigil said to us.
"Are you some kind of artificial intelligence program?" John asked.
"I am an advance non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility," Vigil said.
"Why did you bring me here?" John asked him.
"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed," Vigil told us.
"How come nobody ever noticed the Citadel was an inactive mass relay?" I asked.
"The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers. The keepers maintain the stations most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade," Vigil answered.
"How do the Reapers survive out in dark space?" John asked.
"We have only theories. The researchers here came to believe the Reapers enter prolonged states of inactivity to conserve energy. This allows them to survive the thousands and thousands of years it takes for organic civilization to rebuild itself. But in this state, they are vulnerable. By retreating beyond the edges of the galaxy, they ensure no one will accidently discover them. They keep their existence hidden until the Citadel relay is activated," Vigil answered.
"The Reapers can wipe out the Council and the entire Citadel fleet in a single surprise attack!" John exclaimed.
"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under stack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out," Vigil said.
"The war was lost. If you had surrendered, they might have let you live," John said to him.
"No offer of surrender was ever given. Our enemy had a single goal: the extinction of all advanced organic life. Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all out records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refuges by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough," Vigil informed.
"I don't understand. Where did the Reapers go after they conquered your people?" John asked.
"Our worlds were stripped bare, harvested by the indoctrinated slaves. Everything of value-all resources, all technology-was taken. Certain that all advanced organic life had been extinguished, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel relay into dark space, sealing it behind them. All evidence of the Reaper invasion had been wiped away. Only their indoctrinated slaves were left behind, abandoned. Mindless husks no longer capable of independent thought, the indoctrinated soon starved or died of exposure. The genocide of the Protheans was complete," Vigil answered.
"What do the Reapers get out of this? Why do they keep repeating this pattern of genocide over and over?" I asked.
"The Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves or resources. More likely, they are driven by motives and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend. In the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them," Vigil told us.
"You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to do," John said.
"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a mass relay. Once that linked directly to the Citadel: the hub of the relay network," Vigil explained.
"The Conduit's not a weapon. It's a back door onto the Citadel!" Kaiden explained.
"How did you manage to stay hidden?" John asked.
"All official records of our project were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. While the Prothean Empire came crashing down, Ilos was spared. We severed all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling," Vigil told us.
"You should have fought!" John told him.
"We were a few hundred against a galactic invasion fleet. Our only hope was to remain undetected. I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. Once by one, their pods shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay," Vigil informed. I narrowed my eyes.
"There were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?" I asked angered.
"You were programmed to protect them! Not kill them!" John agreed.
"This outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation," Vigil said to us.
"I bet they didn't tell the 'non-essential' staff about the contingency," Kaidan told him.
"I saved key personnel. When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains. When the researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key," Vigil explained.
"I still don't understand what's going on here. Why is Saren trying to find the Conduit?" John asked.
"The Conduit gives him access to the Citadel and the keepers. The keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the Reapers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alto this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space," Vigil said.
"Saren must have some plan to undo everything you did," I mused.
"The one you call Saren will use the Conduit to bypass the Citadel's defenses. Once inside, he will transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin again," Vigil told us.
"Is there any way we can stop them?" John asked.
"There's a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign," Vigil told him.
"Wait. Where's the Citadel's master control unit? I've never heard of anything like that," I said to Vigil.
"Through the Conduit. Follow Saren. He will lead you to your destination," Vigil told him.
"If the Reapers are trapped in dark space, how did Sovereign get there?" I asked.
"It is logical to assume the Reapers would leave one of their own behind after each extinction, a sentinel to pave the way of their inevitable return. Like those in dark space, Sovereign probably spent most of the last 50,000 years in a state of hibernation. Periodically, it would wake to analyze the situation. Keeping its existence hidden, it would evaluate the state of galactic civilization. And, when the time was right, it would signal the Citadel and usher in the next Reaper invasion. But this time, the signal failed. The keepers did not respond. Sovereign's allies were trapped in the voice. Alone, it was forced to try and discover what had gone wrong," Vigil answered
"Sovereign's the largest ship in the galaxy. Why all this secrecy? Why not just attack the Citadel?" John asked.
"Sovereign is not invincible. Revealing its true nature would have united the forces of every organic species against it. Even a Reaper couldn't survive such odds. But the Reapers are patient. They will not rush into the unknown. Sovereign could have been planning this for centuries, moving deliberately gathering allies. Slowly, it has assembled the pieces of the puzzle, working through agents to keep itself hidden. Saren is the most visible pawn of the Reapers, but I doubt he was the first. Now, Sovereign has grown bold. Whether from confidence or desperation, I cannot say. But it is determined to reopen the portal to dark space," Vigil stated.
"What about the beacon on Eden Prime? And the one on Virmire? What were they for?" John asked.
"At our apex, the beacons spanned the breadth of our empire. We used them as a single galaxy-wide network, to transmit data and communications rapidly from world to world. Virtually all the beacons were destroyed during the invasion. But once the Reapers were gone, the survivors here on Ilos decided to risk sending out a message. We knew it was unlikely there were other survivors. But if there were, we wanted them to know about Ilos. We wanted to give them hope. So a message was sent across the network," Vigil told us.
"You could have exposed yourself to the Reapers," I mused.
"In truth, we didn't expect any of the beacons would still function, but we had to try. If there were survivors, we had to reach them. The message was meant for our own people. It was coded so only organic beings could interpret it. We still didn't understand the power of Reaper indoctrination. We never realized it could lead an agent of the machines-like Saren-to this word. But it has also led you here. So perhaps we did not fail after all," Vigil said.
"So when the Reapers created the Citadel, they created the keepers as well?" John asked.
"A more likely scenario is that the keepers were one of the early harvested civilizations. Perhaps the very first. Perhaps the responded well to indoctrination or the Reapers simple bred them to be obedient. In any case they were left behind to operate and maintain the Citadel. But the keepers are no long directly controlled by Sovereign or its ilk. They evolved so that they only respond to the signals emitted by the Citadel itself. When the Protheans altered the Citadel's signals, they broke Sovereign's hold over the keepers. Now they are completely harmless," Vigil informed.
"Sovereign must have realized organic races were difficult to control," John noted.
"A likely hypothesis. The keepers evolved in an unanticipated direction. Non-organic servant like the geth would be more predictable," Vigil said.
"What happened to the survivor from the Conduit Project?" I asked curious.
"They used the Conduit to gain access to the Citadel, but the Conduit is only a prototype. The portal only links in one direction, so they were trapped on the station. I do not know what became of them. It is unlikely they found any food or water on the station. I fear they suffered a slow, grim death. I only know they succeeded in their mission to seal the relay. Your presence here proves their sacrifice was not in vain," Vigil told us.
"Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!" John told us.
"The one you call Saren has not reached the Conduit. Not yet. There is still hope if you hurry," Vigil told us before going offline. We grabbed the data and hurried back to the elevator.
"It's tragic. For all their great achievements, the Protheans lost everything they worked hard for. Even their last plan failed," I mused with a frown.
"Not entirely. They've given us a weapon. They've given us a chance…if we can just get there in time," Kaidan said. We got in the Mako and made our way the Conduit, having to use the guns on the Mako to take down the geth. After going through the tunnels, I saw it.
"There! The Conduit! It's incredible!" I exclaimed.
"We don't have time to admire the view. We have to get through that relay…and these geth aren't going to make it easy on us," Kaidan stated. John kept driving and we saw some geth armatures. We had to avoid them if we wanted to make it to the Conduit which we did. Now, off to find Saren.