SSV Normandy SR2
War Room
The Assassin and Marine duo arrive to find the Quarian Admirals arguing, something which, according to Shepard, happens quite regularly. Admirals Shala'Raan and Daro'Xen stand in the middle of the room challenging Admiral Han'Gerrel, loudly shouting at him for abandoning the retreat plan.
"Your unilateral strike endangered us all!" Raan declares. "I should charge you with treason!"
"I was within my authority as Admiral of the Heavy Fleet." Gerrel counters.
"And what of Captain Shepard?!" Raan gestures to the Commander as she steps out of the Comm Room. "And Tali'Zorah?!" The young Quarian stands behind Gerrel, her arms crossed and tapping her fingers on her shoulder.
"They escaped unharmed." Gerrel glances at Shepard.
"Shepard, the mission parameters changed. You're military, you understand that." He says somewhat arrogantly, as if nothing happened.
The Commander steps towards him.
"I understand you wasted your chance to withdraw safely." She leans in close, getting into his face with a narrow-eyed glare.
"The Dreadnought was a perfect target." Gerrel replies, seeming unfazed, as if he's experienced Shepard's intimidation style before.
"This is exactly the type of shortsighted, bloodthirsty behavior I was worried about." Jane growls at him, the heat from her breath slightly fogging the Admiral's mask.
"If you could retake Earth with a little friendly fire," Gerrel retorts, wiping his mask defiantly. "You'd do it in a heartbeat."
The Commander shakes her head and steps back slightly.
"You're lucky I need your ships, Admiral." There is a noticeable bite in her words.
"Well if you're quite finished, I've got to get back to the Fleet." The Admiral says. "Raan, we'll talk later." He turns to leave, leaning over to give Tali a shoulder check.
"Bosh'tet." She says under her breath. "He nearly got us killed, Raan."
Admiral Gerrel reaches the exit of the War Room, where Ashley and Abby have been watching the exchange. The two don't move for a moment, and the Quarian glances between them. Eventually, Ash slowly steps aside and gestures to the door, which opens with a quiet hiss. Gerrel shakes his head at the humans and brushes past them.
"What an ass." Abby comments as the door closes. "You ever met him before?"
"Other than Tali, I've never met another Quarian period." Her sister replies as they head towards the Commander. "But after what we just saw, that's all I need to know about him."
"You must understand." Admiral Raan begins. "The Geth inflicted heavy casualties until you disabled the Reaper signal."
"You said they have a Planetary Defence Cannon?" Shepard asks.
"Had." Raan corrects her. "Admiral Koris sacrificed his own ship to destroy it."
"Farewell, Qwib Qwib." Jane says quietly. Tali facepalms behind her.
"He crash landed on Rannoch."
"The Normandy can assist with the rescue effort." The Commander replies.
"Thank you, Commander. I'm pleased to see your time with Cerberus didn't change you. I believe the worst is over. The Geth no longer have the programming upgrades given to them by the Reapers."
Suddenly, a computerized voice announces its presence in the room.
"Shepard-Commander." It says. "We are here to offer assistance."
Everyone turns to see a Geth unit standing where Ash and Abby came from.
"What the hell is this?!" Raan demands. The Assassin instinctively draws her blades.
"Wait!" Shepard calls. "Everybody calm down. Legion is a friend." She explains. "The Reapers were using him as a signal booster to broadcast commands. We freed him."
"It." Tali clarifies. "We freed 'it'." Abby retracts her blades as the Geth unit approaches.
"Fascinating." Admiral Xen finally speaks up. "With some study, I may be able to use it to find weaknesses in the Geth consensus."
"Legion helped me in the fight against the Collectors." Shepard says.
"So did your rifle." Xen replies indifferently. "Should I be worried about its feelings as well?"
"I don't think you want to continue with this line of thought, Admiral." The Commander shoots her down. "Legion is my friend. More importantly, it's our best source of information on the Geth."
"The scientific benefits…"
"Are off the table."
Admiral Xen shrugs in defeat and steps behind Raan.
"What can you tell us about the Geth?" Raan asks. "How will they react without Reaper upgrades?"
"This is a false assumption." Legion explains, it's voice almost perfectly monotone, flanging more than Garrus' does. "You disabled long-range control, but the Old Machines built a base on Rannoch for short-range direction."
"The Geth still have Reaper upgrades?" Raan exclaims.
"Correct. They are currently disorganized, but once short-range communication is established, they will recover."
"Keelah… We need to warn the Fleet. Xen, coordinate with Gerrel. Move!" The younger Admiral hurries off.
"We need to find the Reaper base." Shepard declares. "Where is it?"
"Unknown."
"Find it."
"Acknowledged. We do know the location of a server where Geth fighter squadrons are controlled." Legion turns to the holographic display table and it zooms in on Rannoch, highlighting a spot on the planet. "These squadrons are currently targeting Creator Liveships. Disabling them will limit casualties. We offer assistance."
"Thanks." The Commander says.
Abby approaches Legion, curiously looking it over. The Geth swivels it's head after a moment, looking down at her.
"I've never seen a friendly Geth before." She says. "Let alone spoken to one."
"Few Organics have." Legion replies. "Shepard-Commander was the first since the Morning War, when the Creators attempted to destroy us. The only others are the crew of the Normandy, including Creator Tali'Zorah." Legion looks past Abby in the Quarian's direction.
"All things considered, it's good to see you again, Legion." Tali says somewhat hesitantly, as if she can't believe the words are coming out of her mouth.
"So we're going to be working with the Geth now?" Ashley asks. "And I thought the partnership with Cerberus was pushing it…"
"You misunderstand, Williams-Lieutenant Commander." Legion clarifies. Ashley appears surprised at the Geth's knowledge of her name. "We are not aligned with the programs who serve the Old Machines. We oppose them in the same way you do."
"We?" Abby asks.
"There is no individual. For example, there are currently 3577 programs active within this platform. This platform is their window into the world. It is how they see and experience things. When this platform encounters something new, the programs within form a consensus, or a decision on how to respond."
"Sort of like a vote?"
"Correct. The decision with the most support is the one that is followed. For example, this platform first encountered Shepard-Commander aboard the destroyed Old Machine. At first, she was considered a target, but she was clearly opposed to the heretic Geth who served the Old Machines. We were opposed to the heretic Geth as well. The consensus decided that cooperation would benefit mutual goals. Shepard-Commander later accompanied us to the heretic station and hijacked the heretic Geth consensus, convincing many of them to join us. Some are still here. As a result, the number of Geth who currently serve the Old Machines and fight the Creators is greatly reduced. We repaid Shepard-Commander for her help by joining her in fighting the Collectors, who also served the Old Machines."
"That's...quite the tale, Legion." Ashley says.
"As we stated before." The Geth machine concludes. "We offer assistance in taking down the Heretic server. The operation will begin on your go-ahead, Shepard-Commander."
Jane Shepard nods, looking back at the map of Rannoch. Everyone else disperses, leaving Abby standing alongside the Commander.
"I have the feeling you've dealt with Admiral Gerrel before, Shepard." She says.
"That I have." Shepard replies with a nod. "Just not to this magnitude. According to Hackett, he and his Heavy Fleet have been causing trouble with the Turians for quite some time." She steps away from the holographic display, Abby following, until they arrive at Legion's side. The Geth steps back from the terminal it was poking around in.
"Shepard-Commander. You opposed Creator Admiral Xen's attempt to confiscate our platform."
"She's done enough already." Shepard replies, crossing her arms.
"Your assistance continues to be noted."
Abby politely steps away as the conversation continues, instead turning back to the display and pulling up an image of Omega. As she studies it, her sister arrives at her side.
"I need to get in there." The Assassin growls, quiet enough that the Commander likely won't hear,
"You will soon enough." Ash replies. "There's a galactic war going on, and Cerberus doesn't have many holdouts left. Petrovsky isn't going anywhere, Sis."
Abby looks down at the deck, then back up as a portrait of the General in question appears next to Omega. She glares at him, a flame igniting in her eyes. The Marine is taken aback.
"I've never seen Abby this angry before." She thinks to herself. "Hopefully her 'Brotherhood' friends haven't turned her into anything like me, or there won't be much of Omega left after she's done."
