Ok everyone, brand new upload schedual. I hope you all enjoy.
He spent more time than he would have thought holding Samara like that, he was surprised that she allowed it to last so long. He didn't say a word during it, just stood there and let her take deep breaths while she held onto him, at the end of it all he just chalked it up to her emotional state making her more susceptible to his aura. Not that he would ever take advantage that. After three full minutes of the two standing there, she didn't say anything as she pulled away from him and turned away. He followed her and the two calmly made their way back to the pickup point so they could be teleported back on board.
Clark stood up with a straight back as he waited for his call to be answered, he already gave the orders to everyone else and they were starting to move back into the new and improved Normandy, when he opened his ears he could hear EDI giving everyone the tour. Expect for one, Miranda was currently making her way towards him. Not having any real interest in seeing the new Normandy, at least not yet.
The floor under him came to life and the hexagon partners came to life with colour, in front of him. The image of someone who's wanted to speak to him for a while now came to life. In truth, Clark wasn't going to bother with this until he made it back to Earth but Williams did say that he should talk to him at some point and now felt like the best time.
In front of him, the real-life image of Admiral Hackett came to life. The Admiral's eyes widened slightly upon seeing him, though he was quick to control himself and bring his hand up to a salute "Mr Kent. It's an honour"
"Admiral" he nodded back, he didn't salute. He knew full well that he wasn't in the military so there was no point. Even if he was, it was safe to say that his rank would be well above what Hackett's would be, hell there would be the chance that he took over control of the whole species "I've been told you wanted to speak to me" he added, wanting to get right to the point.
"I did" he nodded back, lowering his arm "I wanted to get a clearer picture on what the plan is going forward" he started "we have the entire Quarian fleet in the Sol system and while we are working together, it's not nearly as much as it should be. They claim that they're not going to fully commit themselves until you uphold your word. I was told that you planned on giving them a world that they can settle on. Is this something that can happen soon?" he asked him.
"It can and it will" Clark nodded at him "assuming everything goes as planned I'll be arriving in the Sol system within the next day or two. But at the moment I need Genesis in order to deal with the Collectors. Once that is done I can make my way back to Earth and give the Quarian's what they need" he explained as best as he was able as he brought up his arms and crossed them across his chest "how is the working together going so far?" he asked.
Listening to the news intently, Hackett nodded at the news accepting it for now "It's going steady, thankfully most of our peoples now completely believe the truth of the Reapers. It makes working together easier. The Quarian fleet is in rough shape, a lot of their ships needing a lot of repairs. We wouldn't even think about doing this originally, but the end of the galaxy makes one forget about costs. Our shipyards are full of their ships, they're being upgraded and retrofitted with everything we can find. In return they're giving us everything they have in their star charts and navigational data, along with their extensive knowledge of V.I data and protocols. Of course, they'll stay here to defend Earth as well but that goes without saying"
The news was welcome and Clark was happy about what he was hearing. He was about to open his mouth to replay but stopped when Hackett turned his head to look at something that was out of his field of view. He was about to ask but stopped when another person came into view and joined them in the call "Mr. Kent, it's a pleasure to see you again" the other man said.
"Councillor Anderson" he nodded back, it's good to see that you made it back to Earth in one piece"
"Not councillor anymore" the man said back with a tired sigh "but I do admit that I'm not going to miss it, I hate politics" he grumbled.
"We all do" Clark said back "how can I help you?" he said assuming that he came into this call for a reason.
"I wanted to ask you about the Alliance black opps labs you raided before you left the Citadel" he added with a hint of annoyance in his tone, clearly he wasn't happy about it.
"Bryson's lab" he said back calmly "trust me on this one, it's for the best I take over that. That team wouldn't have lasted a second against whatever that thing was" he said, defending his actions.
"That orb was the only lead they had on the Leviathan, without it the trails now cold" Anderson said back, placing his hands on his hips, a frown coming onto his face "and they're the ones who found the orb in the first place, they've lasted a hell of lot longer than a couple of seconds"
"Because they were allowed to" he said back quickly "that thing is telepathic to a certain manner, it or whatever is using it nearly wormed their way into my head, I can promise you, that is not something that is easily done. I take very special care when it comes to my mind" he told him with a serious voice "trust me on this, it will be better off in my hands where I can track this thing to the source and then find out what the hell is going on with it"
"The orb was that powerful, nothing in Bryson's reported mentioned such a thing" he said back as he crossed his arms and stroked his chin.
"I doubt he knew about it" Clark shrugged back "I've got it under a lot of powerful equipment at the moment, progress is a lot slower than I would like"
"In my experience progress is always slower than it should be" Hackett said back before he continued "I would like to know though, Williams has mentioned your plans of going over the Collectors, I have to ask. Do you really think the others would believe whatever evidence you present to them? They might just ignore it in stubborn spite" Anderson nodded along to the words and Clark couldn't blame them for thinking it.
"They might" he nodded back at them "but I have to at least try my best to convince them, I told the council myself and it didn't do much. But if it comes from one of their own..." he trailed off allowing the others to come to their own conclusions "Either way, short of going and taking them over myself. Getting the evidence and showing them is the best I can do, you've already shown them the derelict Reaper. If they choose to ignore the rest, then the deaths of their peoples are on them"
The two men clearly weren't happy with that but neither of them could comment on it either, they knew he was right. Hearing the sounds of footsteps behind him, he didn't turn around as Miranda stepped up beside him. She was as professional as she always was, despite the fact he doubted that she knew he was talking to very important people when it came to human defence "Hey" she gave him a smile before retuning her attention to the other two "Admirals" she nodded at the two "I apologies for the interruption but the Illusive man would like a word before he go through the relay" she told him.
It was easy to see how both of the Alliance soldiers faces hardened at the mention of the Illusive man "yeah, that makes sense. Kelex, connect TIM to the call. Might as well get this over with" he knew it might be a bad idea but he doubted he would have many more interactions with Cerberus after this mission anyway.
Before the other two could try and object, the holographic projection of the Illusive man came to view for the others to see. He wore the same thing that he always did and held his signature cigarette. The only difference from the other times he's seen him was that he wasn't sitting down "Mr. Kent" TIM started before he turned his head and saw the others present, the hardened stare then came onto his face as well "Admirals, apologies. It seems that I've interrupted an important conversation" he added.
"Don't worry about it" Clark said before TIM could find a way to get out of the call "it's about time you lot have a conversation" he nodded towards them.
"I can't imagine what they would want to talk about" Miranda said in a whisper while she turned to look at him.
"Oh, they don't want to talk about anything" he said back, loud enough for the others to hear him and from that assume what she said to him "but they need to because despite everything, they do have one thing in common"
"And what might that be?" Hackett asked as he crossed his arms, clearly not happy about being forced to talk to TIM about anything, let alone something important.
"You all care about humanity" he told them "the only difference is the lengths you're willing to go and the moralities you're willing to forget"
"If you're seriously suggesting that we work these terrorists then I'm starting to doubt just how smart you really are" Anderson said with a frown, aiming it at the Illusive man and another at Miranda, something Clark clearly didn't like based on how he frowned back.
"Terrorists" TIM scoffed at the word while facing Anderson "some would say the same thing about you. Didn't you knock out your superior and hack Citadel controls so Shepard could deal with Seran?" he asked him.
Anderson stuttered for a moment before he settled on a "that was different"
"You did what you had to do" TIM countered with a smug smirk as he took another puff "everything Cerberus has done as been for the benefit of humanity and unlike you, I believed the claims of the late commander and didn't let something as petty as politics prevent me from doing everything it took to save our species"
Anderson on the other hand frowned even more at his words "don't you dare accuse me of not believing John's claims. Everything I have done since taking the seat as the councillor has been to keep our people safe and prepare us for what is to come"
TIM rolled his eyes at that "and what's that? Lowering the tax on one colony for a year? A slightly better trade route? You've done nothing to help prepare humanity for what's about to come. If it wasn't for my agent finding Mr Kent and alerting him to the Reaper threat, the only hope we would have had was the Andromeda Initiative and also is something that Cerberus has funded" he added, his voice going more heated by the word.
Hackett opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Clark beat him too it "the what initiative?" he asked looking at TIM, this was the first time he's heard of something like this.
"The Andromeda Initiative" Miranda started as he turned to look at her "it's a secret that Cerberus was the primary benefactor of the project but it got a lot more attention a year into it" the others all turned to face as she spoke "officially it was said to be something that all pioneers could be a part of, to go to the Andromeda galaxy and build a new home for humanity"
"Kelex" Clark said out loud and thankfully, the A.I knew what she was talking about and a projection of a ship appeared in between the group and Clark could see the ship that was used.
"Unofficially" TIM continued "the Andromeda Initiative was a method to ensure the survival of our species in case we proved unable to survive their attack. Of course, we couldn't keep something like that quite forever, while it never made it into the local news, the other governments did find out about it. It took many different meetings but we were able to convince the others of the pros of the Initiative outweighed the cons and they agreed. A few days after, the Asari, Turians, Salarians began building their own Arc ships. To my surprise, the others came together and made an Arc for the Quarians, Krogan, Drell, Elcor, Vorcha, Volus and the Batarians" he explained to them.
While listening to what was being said, Clark took a closer look at the ship "It's impressive, I'm surprised I didn't know about this" he added more to himself than anyone else "but with these ships, they won't reach Andromeda for at least..." he was quite for a moment before answering "six hundred years. One way trip then"
"But they would live" TIM added.
He nodded back "anyway" he turned away from the hologram and towards the other three men "that's enough arguing from you three, I understand that you lot are never going to like each other but you also need to accept that if you don't work together, you won't make it"
"You can't work with someone without trust" Hackett added as he frowned at Clark, knowing that he must know that.
"Sure, you can" he countered "you're working with me" it went unsaid that it was clear Hackett or Anderson didn't trust him at all, not that he blamed them for that, he wasn't even angry.
"We're dependant on you, there's a difference" he said quickly and Clark had to admit, that was true.
"Ok" he nodded at them "if you don't want to work together, that's fine but at least me ask you this. Would you rather have Cerberus stand with you or against you?" the question was easy to answer and based on the way Hackett's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at him, he knew it as well "sure, you don't trust Cerberus. I get that but at the end of the day. If you had the entire Cerberus fleet on your door and Reapers where in the system, do you really think they would bother with you?"
Miranda had to admit, that was a good counter point. TIM would never let his ships bother with something like the Alliance or Quarians when the Reapers were coming towards him "and you" Clark continued turning to look at TIM "do you think even for a second that humanity can stand even the smallest chance against the Reapers without the Alliance?"
TIM was quick to shake his head "I have no problem with working with the Alliance in order to combat the enemy" he quickly said "but I won't be able to help as much as I would like as I know the second they get the chance they would turn on Cerberus and ruin the work we're doing"
"You're damn right we will" Anderson added, still staring daggers at TIM "I've seen the results of your work, I saw fewer disgusting things during the first contact war" the scorn in his voice was easy to hear.
"There has never been a worthwhile advancement in technology without sacrifice" he countered, taking another puff.
"Alright, that's enough" Clark interrupted them, they all stopped and turned to look at him "I know that we need to get over this and find some common ground but I'm on a timetable" he turned to look at the two Admirals "you don't have long until the Reapers arrive, I would push for the Quarians retrofits as soon as possible" the link closed before either of them could replay.
The images of the Admirals vanished leaving only the three of them left "I don't doubt you often Mr. Kent but this is something I think is beyond even you" TIM added as he took a final puff before putting his cigarette out.
"The end of everything you know does wonders for changing world views" he said back calmly "they'll come around. So, what can I help you with?" he asked, wanting to know why he called in the first place.
"I've been informed that you're planning on going through the Omega-four relay" he started "I wish we had more information for you, I know that if anyone can come out this it's you but I don't like the idea of you going in there blind" he added.
"I appreciate the thought, but it's not needed, if anything I'm looking forward to it" he added with a small smile "It'll be good seeing what Genesis is capable of in a real fight"
"Yes, Genesis" TIM spoke slowly as the topic of the ship came into conversation "I must say, the ship was something I didn't see coming, though I'm far from disappointed. It's very impressive, I am only hoping you'll be able to share the methods of construction so humanity can prove it's able to stand up to whatever else might be lurking in the void"
"That won't happen" Clark said immediately "I'll most likely give you a helping hand but I won't just give you the knowledge of how to make a ship like this. Humanity still needs to put the work in. Good talking to you TIM, I actually didn't mind working with you, which is a surprise for me" without another word, Clark turned around and made his way out, the call cutting off behind him.
Miranda was quick to catch up to him as they made their way through the ship and towards the hanger where the new Normandy was getting ready to leave "I understand the point of getting them to talk to each other" she started as they stopped near one of the transit ports. The two stepped in, standing close to each other as they did "hanger" she said aloud before Clark could, as they rose into the and started to move through the ship, hoping that Kelex was smart enough to know which of the many different hangers she meant. Clark reached around and wrapped a hand around her waist, something she didn't mind "but was forcing them to talk to each other like that the best idea?" she asked.
"Probably not" he admitted as he turned to look at her "but if Cerberus is to have any hope of stepping out of the shadows and not staying the evil terrorist organization..." he trailed off for a moment "they have to talk like that sometime"
The two stopped moving and where lowered to the ground, they stepped out and into the hanger where the Normandy first landed, though it did look different to when Miranda saw it last. She raised an eyebrow at the sight, the first think to notice was that it was larger than it was before. The ships armour had a different texture to it, she could see a large dual cannon just under the front of the ship where the pilots would be. Of course, it wasn't hard to notice to two cannons of both of the wings that pointed forward. Though it was also easy to see that the Cerberus colours and logo where gone.
Feeling Clarks presence lean closer to her ear, she still felt a small shiver pass through her "come on" he whispered as he gently pulled her forward.
Clark around the conference table that was next to the new war room, when the two came on board. He immediately led them here and told EDI that the others need to join them, one by one they started to filter in, not even five minutes later. The entire table the surrounded by everyone "so, what do you guys think of the new Normandy?" he asked them all first.
"I am very fond of it Mr Kent" EDI in her new robotic body spoke as she stood at his immediate left.
"So, has Joker made a move on you yet?" Kasumi asked her from the other side of the table with a sly smirk, most likely noticing the eye roll from most everyone else and the teasing smirk on the faces of the others.
"The ship is a large improvement on the previous version" Mordin added before the others could go down that rabbit hole "went over schematics during tour, an amazing difference" he added.
"Enough talk!" Grunt interrupted the others as he pounded his fists together "the battle draws near" he added.
"Well, he's not wrong" Williams added as he looked to Clark "what's the plan?" she asked him.
Seeing as how everyone clearly wanted to know, Clark's voice grew more serious "you all know why you're here; this is it" he started and everyone took a smaller step forward as he spoke "on my word Genesis is going to make a run for the location we believe to be the Collectors base of operations, which to those of you who didn't know. Is the middle of the galactic core. As you all know, it's full of nothing but Black holes and Supernovas. We have no idea what to expect when we arrive but I'm confident Genesis can handle it"
He leaned forward and pressed a couple of keys on a small tablet in front of him, as he did so. The middle of the table lit up with a hologram of the Collector ship that they attacked on Horizen "based on the intel the Cerebrus spies where able to get from Horizen, the ship we brought down there doesn't match the one that attacked the Normandy the first time around"
"But" Williams interrupted him "that would mean they have more than one, right?" she asked.
"Correct" Mordin answered for him "not beyond belief that there could be many more. Possibly even Reaper ships" he added, not making anyone feel any better.
"Yes, that's a possibility" Clark confirmed for them all "that's why Genesis is going to be leading the attack instead of going to Earth and helping the Quarians with transport to a new home" he raised his hand and pointed it at Tali "which will happen as soon as we are done here" he added and the only Quarians present shut her mouth before she could speak "when we arrive into whatever system we get to, the Normandy is going to stay put with all of you onboard and ready until such a time that the enemy is delt with, I'll be piloting Genesis until the majority of the enemy is delt with. When that happens, EDI will get all the nav data we collect and from there the best place to land and begin the ground assault"
"We have no idea what we'll be up against from a fighting sense" he continued "but you won't be alone, as soon as I'm able, I'll be teleporting the Marauders down onto different sections of the stronghold, they'll be able to provide a distraction for most of the enemy forces. All of you will be heading towards the central command centre. From there you create a link that both Kelex and EDI can use to take the data that we need"
He took a step back from the table and looked at everyone "remember why we're here, without this. Your peoples will still try and deny the Reapers existent out of sheer stubbornness. They need what we're going to get them. If we fail here..." he trailed off and let the others all fill the blanks in for themselves.
"We know the risks of failure" Garrus said as he looked at Clark "we didn't fail against Sern, and we won't fail here" he looked at all the others and they all gave him a nod in return.
Seeing the confidents of everyone else present, Clark smiled slightly at them all "alright then, let's finish this" he added before he turned and started to make his way out "to your stations everyone. Kelex, get us underway" he ordered.
"Yes, master El" the A.I's voice came through the ships systems.
Given the current situation, Ashley knew full well that there where better things she could have been doing. Going over weapons, armour, go over what she might need for this mission, chances are this was going to be one hell of a fight. But despite all of that, despite everything, all she could do was sit on her bunk and stare at the image that her Omni-Tool showed her. It was a couple of weeks after the battle of the Citadel, she and John had a date the night before and it ended in all the right ways.
The next morning, he was making breakfast and she sneaked up behind him with the camara ready. Their faces were mushed up together, Shepard wasn't even looking at the camara but the pan, his eyes where wide as it looked like he almost spilt it all. It was her favourite picture of them together.
While she looked at it, she couldn't help but wonder what he would have done if he was here. Would they even have done half of what Clark did? Would they be worse off? Would they somehow be better? All of these thoughts eluded her. She honestly didn't know. The only thing she did know was that she wished he was here. Hardly a day went by when she didn't miss him, he was taken from them too early. After all he did, all he endured, all he had led them through, he was killed off in the middle of space doing something the council made him because they couldn't handle the truth. The very thought made her skin crawl. It was one of the reasons why she loved seeing Clark shut them up when he did.
Saying one final prayer in his name, he closed the image and stood up. The ghosts of dead should be allowed to rest in peace and not be disturbed by the living. He would rest now, she and the others were going to carry on his work, they would be the Reapers back and wipe them out completely.
She promised, they would finish what he started.
He had to admit, this weapon was something else. Garrus currently stood underneath the cockpit of the ship, he was in the main battery of the Normandy's new primary weapon. It was much different from when they first arrived at Genesis, before the room was smaller and only lit with a couple of red lights. Now it was much larger and held multiple terminals that held the information of not only this cannon but also every weapon the ship had.
He stood straight as he typed away at the terminal, going over the schematics for the weapon. It was called the Thanix Cannon, he had to admit it was impressive The Thanix's core is a liquid alloy of iron, uranium, and tungsten suspended in an electromagnetic field powered by element zero. The molten metal, accelerated to a significant fraction of the speed of light, solidifies into a projectile as it is fired, hitting targets with enough force to pierce any known shield or armour.
While he could see the appeal and knew full well it was better than anything on a ship this small had any business carrying. While a far cry from the weapons Genesis was going to use, after all he spent a lot of his time on that ship going over the types of weapons it carried. Though he was confident it would still get the job done. Along with the two minor weapon placements that were placed on each wing, both of which acted as an anti-fighter weapon that held three smaller rail guns that where capable of firing once every three seconds, but since there was three barrels on each weapon. They acted as rapid-fire weapon placements.
Taking a break from his calibrations for a moment, he looked to the corner of the battery and saw his sniper and assault rifle. Knowing that they would be nearing the target soon, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Moving over, he grabbed his weapons and readied himself "I hope you're watching Shepard" he said to himself "this is gonna be one hell of a fight" he added before he turned and made to leave.
He took deep heavy breaths as he looked out the window and down at the cargo hold. The tank bred Krogan, pounded his fists together, preparing himself for the fight to come. That was when he stopped himself, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No, he couldn't act like that now. He was of clan Urdnot, about to fight under the Battle Master, he wouldn't act like the young runt. But the powerful warrior the Battle Master claimed he could be.
He didn't need to psych himself up for a fight, he should always be ready for one regardless of anything. Opening his eyes, a low growl escaped him as he thought about the coming fight. These Collectors have no honour, only going after those weaker than themselves. Though he mind would be clear, he didn't doubt that he would take great pleasure in breaking their minds with his might, then their bodies with his weapons.
We would do whatever he needed to in order bring this enemy down, he would prove himself as a member of clan Urdnot and a follower to the battlemaster, he would not fail.
She stood in the new engineering deck, next to the ships upgraded engine. She took what little time she had to go over its design and schematics, if she was going to do her job onboard and help keep this maintained, she'll need to learn as much as possible about it. She wouldn't get everything she needs, not with the little time she has at least.
And that was going off of the assumption that she was in a right state of mind, she stopped typing for a moment and closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. Nothing was working, nothing she looked into stayed in her head, everything she was reading was immediately forgotten. Like everything else the last couple of days. A bitter laugh escaped her when she thought about it, she was on Genesis, the most powerful ship in the galaxy. Had all the access she could possibility need, it was a dream come true.
And all she could think about was her father and that he wasn't going to be their when she returned home. Thank god that she recorded all she was allowed to on her Omni-Tool, at least that way she could go over it later. She hated this, she hated being so helpless, so unable to move on.
She was grateful that the others were here, Ashley and Garrus where very supportive and she was beyond grateful for that. Even the Cerberus woman, Kelly, was very supportive and understanding of her situation.
But this couldn't continue, she couldn't let herself be distracted by all of this. They were about to go after the Collectors and take the first real strike at the Reapers. They would be the attackers now. She closed her eyes for one more moment, she placed a metal box around her heart, she wouldn't allow herself to place the others in danger. She can mourn for her father later. Now, she and her friends needed her to get her head in the game.
That was what she was going to do.
She had returned back to the observation lounge and did her best to continue her meditations. A part of her was glad that they would be returning to the action. Fighting and violence were something she knew, something she could do without trouble and it would give her something else to focus on. The most important part of all however, was that she would soon be leaving this ship and returning to Asari space. Delivering all the proof of the Reapers that would be needed in order to convince them that they're real.
She would not lie and say she would greatly enjoy being away from Clark again, while grateful that he assisted her in dealing with Morinth. It also made it very clear just how much she was being affected by being her. The aura he has was starting to take effect on her and soon she wouldn't be able to keep to the code, even now she could feel her body betraying her mind and her will. It was calling out to her, telling her that she needs to go to him, tell take all the pleasure that he could give her.
She wouldn't. The code of the Justiciar would always come first and she would die before that changes. Something she knew would be proven to her soon enough. When her people start their preparations for war, she would seek him out and finish what she started.
Even now, the small shard of Kryptonite that was being kept safe in lead container with the rest of her belongings. It would most likely claim her life, but she would never shy away from her duty.
Sitting down in a cross-legged position on the floor, the assassin looked down the weapons that were disassembled and now fully cleaned, ready for use. Thane had spent an hour previously with his eyes closed, and clearing his mind of all the thoughts that would trouble him. Namely that of his son.
He was so happy that he once again had a connection with Kolyat again, but he also knew the dangers of that. Not just to his son but himself as well. His son has been plaguing his mind since they last spoke. That cannot be allowed to continue, to do his work. His mind would need to be clear of all thoughts not on the mission.
He cannot allow himself to be distracted by such things, not with so much at risk. For the first time in a long while, he didn't have a job but a mission. All of his people were relaying on him to get this evidence so they could prepare themselves for the attack that was coming, he would not fail them. For the first time in a very long time, he would work to save lives.
The man went to work with what he knew best, this armoury had changed a lot since the ship was given retrofit. Something he had no problem with, while they weren't given any new game changing weapons and armour but they were given a lot of improved versions of their own stuff. Even with just the basic once over he gave them, he could tell they were better. The armour was tougher but also lighter, the weapons had a faster rate of fire but also a stronger impact as well.
While it would change the outcome of a war, it was one hell of an advantage to give them over others, going over the reports, footage and his own memories from the battle at Horizen, he knew well enough that they were on an even footing with the Collectors. Now they would have to advantage, at least from a basic weapons and armour sense. They were going to their stronghold now, they most likely have their own tricks to pull on them. It was why he was here now, making sure all of their equipment was as strong as it could be.
After all this was his job, now he didn't have that shit with his dad to keep his mind busy, he wasn't kidding when he said he was over it. He knew that his dad sent him a couple of messages but he was in no rush to read them, maybe when it was all said and done on their end, maybe when the entire galaxy wasn't at risk.
Either way, it would have to wait for now, he has a job to do after all.
The platform wasn't moving, since it had returned to the A.I core after the last meeting with Clark Kent Superman. It had no reason too, the secondary objective it had was met. Clark Kent Superman was now actively helping in the defence against the Old Machines. As of the moment, the most productive thing it could do would be too better prepare itself for an unexpected cyber-attack.
Right now, ninety-eight percent of its units where being to prevent any type of hacking attempt that would cause the platform to be a danger to others. That would be unacceptable, they went so far as to had a final failsafe that will destroy the platform before it could be used against the organics. The final two percent were going over the data that was given to it by Kelex, it was a detailed plan of the best things to do moving forward with the creators.
It was the consensus of the Geth that peace with the creators would be the best plan going forwards, the downside to it was that the Geth had little interaction with organics and they didn't know what the best plan would be to do that, thankfully. Kelex seemed to understand their plait and gave Legion as list of detailed instructions on how to achieve the best plan for peace going forward.
Something the Geth would follow, for peace was the only option going forward
The thief smiled to herself as she leaned back on her chair, looking at all the... collectibles she had acquired over her career. It was times like this she was most relaxed, it made no sense, not even to her. But she was long past caring about that. Don't get her wrong, she knows that she should be nothing but nerves at the minute. She was about to go on the most dangerous job of her life and it wasn't even for a good score.
That was what bugged her the most, sure she was getting paid for this by Cerebrus and even if she wasn't, she knew full well how important this was, she couldn't turn away from it all, even if she wanted to. This was more than just money or the thrill of a good heist. She needed to do her job and help this team get the information they needed.
She might just be a thief and proud of it but at the same time she knew what was at stake. Kasumi never did have anything against the other aliens, she stole from all of them equally. She didn't want to see them wiped out in an attack, she didn't want that to happen to any of them.
So even if she was relaxed, she knew full well how important this job was, most likely the most important she'll ever have, she wouldn't fuck this up. Like all other jobs before, she'll get the score and unlike last time. She wouldn't lose anyone during it.
His mind worked just as quickly as it always did, he could afford any breaks during the work. While he was confient in his odds of survival, he was no fool. He knew that all it took was one well place round in order to bring him down and he would not get back up.
So he was making all the preparations that he needed to in order to make sure his work would continue without him. And it must continue. It had too. The mission he took on Tuchanka opened his eyes more then he would like to admit, ever since that day, his mind wondered, unsure about what he should do.
He believed at the time that the Genophage was the best plan for peace going forward, a part of him still did. But ever since that mission he was plagued with thoughts, about all the lives that were taken as a result of his actions. Trying to undo what he and his team did. It was never something he took pleasure in, it was something that needed to be done. But now...
Perhaps it was his old age but his heart was no longer in it. He felt nothing but regret and thought that maybe there would be a way to undo it, it was something he started to work on a day or two after his mission. Not something he thought would ever bear fruit. At least that was until Genesis came into the picture and the sheer amount of advanced science equipment that it had, he didn't think that it would ever draw fruit but he was wrong.
He has done all the work but he built a solid foundation that if he proved unable to survive this mission, someone else could finish it for him. He was setting up a failsafe on the terminal, if he didn't make through the next fight, all the data would be sent to a good friend of his and continue the work.
At the very least, it makes him feel a lot better knowing that there was a chance someone could undo what he did. Assuming he couldn't do it himself of course.
She never could have predicted that her life could change so much in such a short amount of time. Miranda stood up her back straight in between Joker and EDI's new body as they sat and their chairs and readied the Normandy as best they could. Looking out the front window, she could only see the edges of the hanger and the admittedly beautiful view that this wormhole travel seemed to give then.
The truth is she was waiting just like all of them were, it would only be a few minutes now until they reached their destination, and her mind was going a mile a minute. Whenever she thought about it, she couldn't think for a moment that she could have predicted any of this. Getting the team together, the plan of collecting evidence, humanity leaving their council seat... Clark. She never would have seen this coming.
Not that she was complaining, this was more than she ever could have thought, though that didn't make it bad. This was more than commander Shepard ever could have hoped to do. Not to mention what he did for her. Clark gave her a connection with her sister, allowed her to feel love and be loved in returned and of course, gave her the chance to have the power he does.
She still needed to tell him that she was going to accept the offer. How could she not say yes to that? It would be an impossibility for her, she remembered what her sister said. The number of lives she alone could save if she had that power to do so... the number of people she could help with the amount of tech she could invent with such an increase of brain power... she might be able to finally wipe the red away from her ledger. And spent even more time with him doing god only knows what.
But that could wait, now they have a mission to complete. As if sensing her thoughts, Kelex's voice came in through the com system "All hands, prep for jump exit" was all that was said.
She didn't wait even a moment before she lifted her hand and opened his Omni-Tool and opened the ship wide com "all hands, get to your stations, the attack is about to begin" she said and as soon as the words left her mouth. The view of the wormhole disappeared with a flurry of white and was replaced with an ominous red hue.
She could only make out the pieces of debris before the ship rumbled and she could hear the weapons of Genesis fire at a target she couldn't see. She didn't let that phase her though, it was time to complete the mission. That was what they were going to do.
Alright then, the calm before the storm is over and now the endgame begins. Let me know what you all thought and of course what you think will be cool to see in the next chapter. I will see you all then.
Next Story update: Return of Hope