With the remaining credits I have in my account, I popped over to the citadel and bought the three most popular consoles. The clerk gave me a list of the classics in this galaxy. There was this one game where you play as a turian during the Mass relay event that led to humans joining galactic civilization. It was made long before relations between the two races cooled down and was pro-turian, but I enjoyed it. The main character had to avenge his fallen squad by assassinating an evil human captain. While I could use my omnitool to play these games, I just had to have a controller. It felt wrong not to. Asari controllers dominated the market and there was very little difference between the two, except the asari built things to last a long time. Smartest blue squid heads I ever met.
Legion is a phenomenal gamer. I'm sure that reaction speed helps tremendously. He likes roleplaying games the best. It helps him get an understanding of how organics think. I warned him it is different in real life. Legion acknowledges this but is still helpful. For the first shift, we played that civilization game where he freed the slaves. I told him stories about my time in the underground railroad. It's hard to tell what's going on in that lamp head of his. The second shift, we played the latest generic shooter.
This robot next to me is the best player a guy could ask for. Whenever I tell him we need to go left to evade the extra-large mutant krogan which is nearly impossible to kill, he listens. The guys I played with couldn't follow simple instructions and would split up in the maze and I am rambling. I had so much fun with Legion, Chakwas banged on the door and told us to keep it down. Shortly afterwards I decided it was enough for today. My energy levels were getting a little low. My attempt to high five Legion confused him. I've hung out with Legion enough to know his head tilt means he doesn't understand. He's really lucky to have a guy who can translate organics into synthetic, discussing the feelings we get and how they work. Lot's of practice.
"Legion I am inviting you to dinner. I think it's time." I said.
"This platform does not require food." He said.
"No but this would be a good time for you to get to know the rest of the crew."
"We have collected data on every Normandy member." he said
I explain "There is only so much you can learn from reading."
He asks "Why do you wish for us to attend?"
"Everyone else needs to get comfortable with you. If you go on a mission like with that heretic virus, the fear and anxiety you will betray them will lower mission success probability." I just want everyone to get along with one another.
"Understandable. After integration, organics will no longer fear us?" He asked.
I explain "No, it's going to take multiple rounds for their reptile brain to learn. By reptile brain I mean the primitive regions in our brain that contain our instincts to aid our survival."
"Why do you say reptile brain instead of the correct terminology. We noticed organics say things yet mean another. We were under the assumption lying is bad." he said.
"I don't like lying either, but this is different. So, organics don't have instant access to all the knowledge in the extranet like you do. We do it for multiple reasons. What I think you are talking about is, remember those feelings we get from the generators? Well sometimes we need to discuss a sensitive topic, but we don't want to activate those generators, so we use different words which won't activate those sensations but gets the message across." I explained.
He asks "Why do you put in that much effort?"
"We don't like how it feels. You'll understand one day." I said.
"Will we experience everything organics feel?" He asked.
"No. You were not designed to emulate all the brain chemical reactions organics can have, but this doesn't mean you can't have a good high vibration life. But you should be able to understand emotions one day." I pat his cold aluminum composite shoulder.
"We can not feel that. The gesture is appreciated but why did you do that if we cannot sense that?" He asked.
"Force of habit. Also, physical contact with others can subtly alter your energy. Because my vibration is so high, it influences the matter there to vibrate higher. Like heat transfer." I explained.
"We understand. Should we engage physical contact with crew members?" He asked.
"NO! Too soon for that. Just keep to yourself and let others get used to just being around you. It will help if you are friendly with me. It will put others at ease if they see one of us isn't threatened by you." I explained.
"We do not pose a threat to you. We can't even harm you. The others know this. Why would it ease them?" He asked.
"The emotional energy can be contagious like yawning. Also, I'll give you this signal if you need to give them space. Step back and apologize for being rude." I mentioned.
"We won't be rude." He states.
"No. Not intentionally at least, but we can trigger their action and expression generators in a negative way, this is called guilt tripping, to have them feel the urge to say you are not being rude and hopefully this will create connections in their brain to be nice to you. Repeat interactions to grow those connections. This will take time." I said.
"We are grateful. You are educating us and explaining many things we would not have understood without you." He said.
"Everyone has a starting point." I said.
"Why do you help us? We did not do anything to encourage your assistance." He said.
"Ah. Some people like myself, it makes us feel good to provide to others what we wished we could have had. We experience what we want vicariously through others. I didn't have many friends growing up and I wished someone could have taught me everything I needed to know. Instead, I am helping you." I explained.
Legion asks "Isn't that selfish?"
"Are you complaining?"
"No."
"Good. I'll see you later."
Legion sits down and enters meditation. Robotics are extremely proficient in channeling this energy and manipulating them. The trade-off is that for them, it's incredibly hard to find and activate those areas, even more so since he doesn't have a soul. Everything with basic intelligence has the power, action, and direction generators. The soul provides the other 4. Strengthening the lowest three will help him later on. Until then, patience is key.
It's cooking time. Since Legion will be hangout out with us, I need a delicious meal to make everyone stay as long as possible. Something tasty but requires a lot of work. Ribs? Nah not really a rib man. Hmm… what should I cook? They don't like me cooking extinct animals so no go on mammoth steaks. Those take a lot of chewing. Let's see… something good… can't get from a citadel store fresh… requires a tool to use… ALASKAN KING CRAB! Oh yeah people are going to come with for this. I ask EDI to notify everyone for me while I prepare.
If I wished, I could just have it created ready as is, but then my tongue gets used to the identical taste. Sometimes I get bursts of inspiration which improve my cooking. For example, I'm going to steam the crab legs in lemon water with asari salt. Traces of element zero makes anything taste a million times better. It's safe for me to have since it's such a low amount. I've had it before when I didn't realize what element zero actually was and had no reaction. For a side I'll make salad and biscuits.
The first members arrive. Jack, Grunt, and Thane. Those three have the most free time on the ship if you exclude Thane's prayers.
Grunt takes a big wiff "what are we having? Smells good."
I answer "Crab legs. Should be done in fifteen minutes."
"What's a crab?" Thane asks.
Jack answers "it's like an ocean spider."
"Don't say it like that. Now it will feel weird to eat and these are really tasty." Block that image out.
"I hate spiders" Grunt mutters.
"You've eaten worse. Hi sweetie" I take a break from hanging around the oven to hold my girlfriend tightly. She works hard and deserve hugs when she gets off her shift. I quickly whisper "Legion's coming. Help make everyone be nice to him." Her hands squeezing under my shoulder blades indicates she has my back.
"My Dad is coming too. Please be nice to him. Considering what you are asking me to do, it should be a fair trade." She whispers back. I nod.
I have to break my hold and check the inside of the oven. The biscuits need more time. When the white outside becomes golden brown, then I'll pull them out and coat them with garlic butter.
Mordin, Zaheed, Samara, Garrus, and Shepard arrive. Since my roommate Garrus can't enjoy delicious crab, I took the liberty of copying a turian delicacy I was recommended by a stranger at the citadel waterpark to give him. The look on his mandibles says he's going to enjoy whatever the heck I copied.
Legion arrives. I make the first move and high-five my brobot. Everyone watching is noticeably uncomfortable but aren't saying a word. The awkwardness builds as Rael, the engineers, Chakwas, the happy couple, and Kelly take a seat. There are mumbles of words referring to the geth which I can't hear, but I know Legion can. His sensors are more sensitive than my own.
Time to break the ice with others "hey Legion if you ever need someone to work on you, I bet Tali or Mordin could help you. Dr. Solus, didn't you take an interest in robotics?" I mention him because he had the least experience with geth.
"I-I studied circuitry for making custom equipment in the field. I'm not sure how much help I can be." The salarian savoring the claws said. I don't like the claws so he can have them.
Legion replies "we would like others to receive training to repair this platform in case of damage." I quickly nudge Legion. Compliments make the world go round. "You and Ms. Zorah are exceptionally skilled in these areas. We would appreciate any input on modifications or upgrades this platform could use."
Mordin asks "you would trust me to do that?"
Legion says "Yes."
Mordin asks "Why?"
He answers "You give us no reason not to trust you."
Perfect moment to pull him away "Legion I need your help. Could you dice these vegetables please? Can you do that? I'm only asking because this is your first time in a kitchen."
"There are multiple culinary programs within this platform. We can dice." He said so confidently. I slide the cutting board and knife towards him. As soon as I turn away, I hear chop chop chop. Legion perfectly diced everything in an unbelievably short time.
I'm impressed "Whoa. Do you have super speed?"
"Geth process actions much faster than organics." He said.
"We should have a competition. Synthetic mind vs me not holding back. I bet I'll win." I'll hold back and only beat him by a half of a second.
"We know not to underestimate you." Smart robot.
"You are the best geth ever." I shout.
Legion replies "Thank you."
I ask Legion if he would put the crab legs on the table for me. The light on his feet geth bends down and pulls the dish out. My instincts kick in and freak out when he removes it without wearing oven mitts. I forgot he doesn't have temperature sensors like the robots I'm familiar with.
Dinner is… tense. I sat down next to Legion and Tali sat down next to me. I make small talk with Legion. He tried explaining how his get programs function independently yet also form a singular mind which confused me to no end. It's probably something I can't find comprehend. When I transformed into a geth, while it was only for a moment, my mind wasn't affected. Tali tried explaining it and I was still lost.
Grunt refuses to eat the meat without the shell. The crunchy noises sound oddly enticing if it wasn't for his ridiculous chewing face grabbing hold of our attention. I offered him a tool to break the exoskeleton and pull the meat out. Grunt declined and said "he likes the texture."
Jacob asks "does it hurt?"
Grunt replies "No. should it?" I guess krogan mouths can eat anything.
Grunt wipes his mouth with his arm and says "Commander I got a question. How are babies made?"
...
"This isn't appropriate to discuss at the table. Can't you look it up on the extranet?" Shepard suggested.
"I tried but since I'm not 18 it won't let me. If I'm going to sire thousands of spawn, I better know how they are made." he jokingly said.
Chakwas replies "well a stork-"
"No I said."
"You want to explain it to him?" the doctor suggests.
"Alright."
"NO" everyone yells. I ignore them.
"Grunt when two people love each other very much, that loves grows and grows and it keeps growing until it reaches a point where they can't contain it within anymore and need more of each other to love, so they create a child, part them and their partner."
"Aww. That was beautiful" Kelly said.
"I get that. But I'm more interested in the mechanics" Grunt said.
I crack my knuckles. "The swagger dagger goes into the flesh sheath, stabs the hymen, and retracts and inserts back and forth until white polish oil comes out and you hope for daggerettes." The table bursts with laughter. Legion is confused and feels left out. He doesn't understand humor yet. No surprise since he doesn't have the expression generator.
"Daggerettes?" Zaheed asked.
"I want girls" I said.
"You don't want a son?" Jacob asked.
I explain "While I would like both, it would be cruel to have a son. I am the epitome of masculinity. It would be cruel to have a son when my insecurity issues will never allow him to SURPASS ME."
The conversation transitioned into a more lighthearted banter. Legion tried starting conversations with others, unfortunately it did not go well. Legion went around in a circle. First mistake. He doesn't understand the flow of a conversation. When to join in or not. While it is not his fault, the larger issue was everyone else either ignoring him or cutting him off when he spoke. Everyone ate their dinner in a hurry and left. Shepard offered to help clean up.
Legion head sinks down to his chest. The face flaps droop. He slightly hunches forward, and I can see the light in his eye diminish. Legion is feeling sad. Poor buddy.
"We feel negative action and negative direction. What did we do wrong?" He asked me.
I explain "You didn't do anything wrong Legion."
He replied "Yes we did, otherwise we wouldn't sense these bad feelings."
Shepard asks "it has feelings?"
"Yes. It's not like ours since he is a robot and also he's developing. Point is he's feeling terrible for something that wasn't his fault." I said.
Legion asks "Why are we having these sensations if we did no wrong?"
"The energies try their best to guide us but are not 100% accurate. It's why we have an intelligent mind to help us discern when it is not a good idea to listen to those feelings. Since you didn't accomplish your goal, it's trying to teach you to do something different, but honestly everyone else was being disrespectful. They didn't let you finish a sentence half the time and the times you were allowed to, they brushed you off. That wasn't ok." I said.
Legion asked "Should we no longer speak?"
Tali says "Legion, sometimes people are rude. It happens to everybody. It wasn't right what happened to you and I'm not going to pretend I didn't do it either. They were just uncomfortable and wouldn't consider how this affected you."
Legion asks "How do we make them comfortable around us?"
"You can't Legion. It is their problem not yours." I said.
Legion asks "Could you make them comfortable around us?"
"I refuse to manipulate people like that. Free will is to be respected." Guilt tripping is one thing, manipulating the emotional energies of another being is another.
Legion said "We understand. Thank you for inviting us. This evening was informative. We should depart."
...
Sigh "Legion if you want, do you want to watch the game with us tonight?" Shepard kindly offers.
Legion's inner light comes back "We would be grateful Shepard Commander."
I softly say "Thanks Shepard."
"You're welcome. ********* we need to talk about the collectors." he said.
"What about them? They stopped attacking colonies right?" I asked.
"That's the thing. Hackett just sent me a data package. A lot of colonists have disappeared. We know it's not that the usual methods. It seems they just leave the colony and no one knows where they are going. I think the collectors are indoctrinating them to leave and go who knows where." Shepard theorizes.
"Crap. I feel guilty. Who knows how many lives were taken under our noses. Any idea how long this has been occuring?" I asked.
"Longer than it should. We need to take the collectors down ASAP. Do we have everything we need to get through this mission in one piece?" Shepard asked.
"I would like you to do Legion's mission before we go but it is up to you." Should I really be putting my wants before taking down the collectors? Legion's mission choice on destroying or using the virus does little to help in the third game, plus it may be giving the collectors more time to abduct humans. I can only hope their change in tactics resulted in less colonists being taken then what would have happened in the game.
"... I'm going to tell the engineers to start working installing the IFF. We'll take everyone on Legion's mission and the decide what to do going forwards." Shepard said.
Legion asks "Normandy crew would help Geth so soon?"
"The heretic's virus is a threat to geth and us. It's mutually beneficial. Give us the coordinates and we'll strategize later." He said.
Legion said "Thank you Shepard Commander."
"Yeah. Yeah.. yeah…"