"The great Athetya, Spectre, Commando, Asari black ops. You look like you met your match." The Matriarch was found unconscious and covered in blood once clean-up crews searched the Citadel for casualties. Near where they found her were numerous injured and dead members from the Normandy.
"Ah shit," Athetya says with a croaky voice as she looks up and confirms who is entering her private medical suite, "What do you want?" She throws an elbow over her eyes to protect herself from the sterile white light above her bed. Why is it that hospitals always have the brightest of white lights?
"Answers," Tevos replies as she eyes the many bandages wrapped around Athetya, "Ideally, before a war is declared and the Republic is dragged into a second conflict in a matter of weeks."
Athetya takes a deep breath, conscious of her broken ribs, before pushing herself up and swinging her legs off the side of the bed. "This isn't the war you must worry about, Pethio. These Humans are onto something."
"I shouldn't be worried about the fact the Heretics led an all-out assault onto the heart of our civilisation?" Tevos asks with a raised brow and a pitch to her voice, showing her incredibility, "The fact tens of thousands of Asari perished defending this station in space, or that thousands more died fighting on the Citadel?" She can feel herself getting a little aggravated.
"No." Athetya growls before carefully pushing herself off the bed and standing up, a hand supporting her at all times, "That will be child's play compared to what is coming."
"And what is that?" Tevos asks, "What do you know?" Tevos knows that Athetya would usually be the first to call for a military response, so her reluctance is unusual.
"I know we are currently fucked." Athetya aggressively replies while slowly walking towards a cabinet and looking through it, "You know that big ship? The Reaper?"
"Yes?" Tevos answers. "It is hard to forget that ship."
"Think tens of thousands in a single fleet, then think of dozens of fleets. That is what is coming." Athetya finds a bottle of drugs, looks at the label, and then swallows a few before pocketing the bottle, "The Humans have it right, build, build, then build some more, and then keep building."
"They are taking this threat seriously, then," Tevos says aloud, "What are they planning?"
"They are taking the threat seriously," Athetya blinks confidently, "And they are scared, that is for sure." Athetya then scavenges through another cabinet; her movements are ginger from what must be painful wounds, "I'd suggest you do the same and build."
"I would dare wager we can capitalise on the recent attack to increase budgets," Tevos blinks in response, "We lost numerous dreadnoughts and the Ascension, so passing the resolution will be easy, childs play."
"Child's play, you say?" Athetya repeats, showing she is not convinced. "But what about our will to fight? The Humans are more aggressive than you give them credit for and are split into numerous factions, each of which is competing for power. Despite any unified front that they show us, they squabble and fight amongst themselves constantly; their history books are filled with bloody conflicts. I fear our people have known peace for too long and do not have the stomach for what is needed."
"Many have underestimated us. Once we find our feet, no enemy has ever managed to stop our Matrons."
"Except the Rachni," Athetya replies without much emotion, "They stopped them cold, and do not forget the Krogan. Face it, we haven't managed to win a war on our own for over a thousand years. Even right now at our technological peak, the Turians are the Council's primary military force. Our fleets are shadows of what they were; we parade some fancy ships around that scare only those who fail to realise we only have a handful of them, and anything that follows them are stripped rickety sheds. The vast portion of our fleets are old and needing major works."
There is a terse silence until Athetya asks, "Do you know what happened to the squad I arrived with? The quaks are mute on the topic."
Tevos blinks and quickly considers not telling Athetya before clenching her fists; the Matriarch can handle the truth, even when badly hurt, "The Krogan is walking but wounded, the Turian is still bedded down, and the Quarian is fighting for her life in ICU."
"Shit," Athetya breathes out, "What about Ash?"
"Ash? If you refer to Commander Williams, her body has not been found."
"Because they took her," Athetya sighs, her memory of Ash taking a few rounds and then being collected by some Collector pawns groggy from a combination of drugs, concussion, and blood loss. "Do you know if the Normandy survived the Battle of Ilos?"
Tevos tilts her head and squints, "The battle of Ilos? Isn't that in the Terminus?"
"Yes." Athetya replies before saying, "They haven't notified you, have they? Figures. The Humans sent a fleet to engage the Heretics prior to all this here. From what we could tell ground side, it was pretty savage with fierce, ruthless destruction on either side."
"No," Tevos responds, "They didn't tell us. Do you know any more details?"
"About 60 blue ships all in," Athetya replies, "Including the Normandy with Liara and Benezzia onboard."
Realising this would dominate Athetya's thoughts, and none of the answers she came for would have any attention until resolved, Tevos pulls out Shepard's old phone, "Freya, do you know if the Normandy has survived this battle of Ilos."
The speakers activate, broadcasting Freya's distinct voice, "43 ships have returned from the Battle of Ilos, including the Normandy, which has sustained significant battle damage. Liara and Benezzia T'soni are both accounted for with only minor injuries."
The relief on Athetya's face is as clear as day, and then after a moment, she changes topics completely to ask, "Elcor udders, you have Freya on speed dial?"
"Most do not?" Tevos asks while suppressing a knowing smirk and putting the phone away, ending the conversation with Freya. The AI started off elusive to her, but over the years, the AI has come out of her shell and is now more than willing to engage in conversations, even the trivial ones that she sees no value in. There is no doubt to Tevos that if Osh did not have a constant link to Freya, and herself to Osh, then Freya wouldn't care for herself.
"Most Humans would give a kidney to have a prolonged conversation with her, so no, most do not."
"Then I must be special," Tevos replies, "But this is the first I'm learning Benzzia has survived."
After a moment to consider her wording, Athetya clenches her fists, "Survived may not be the best word," Athetya voices, "She has moments of clarity, but mostly, she is a husk, staring at a wall for hours on end with no flicker or light behind her eyes, drool dripping from her mouth. If we didn't force-feed her, she would starve to death. I... didn't want to write that in a report."
Tevos blinks a few times before saying, "I understand. Did you find anything to exonerate her actions?"
"Yes." Athetya blinks back before taking a few more of the drugs she found, "She was indoctrinated; the Reaper somehow messed with her mind, and it was her breaking free from its control that led us to Ilos. Unfortunately, that breaking free also broke something up here." She taps her head.
"I see. I will ask for her return and have her helped by the best neurologists we have." In the meantime, Tevos realises she needs to have another conversation with the Humans. Hiding a large battle between themselves and the Heretics is... surprising. Maybe they are more willing to fight the Heretics than she first thought.
/.../
The next evening
Tevos looks at the time and mentally sighs. She should be attending some traditional dance classes tonight with Osh, but life has put that on hold. Rather than dancing, she is waiting on a Turian.
She does not have to wait long, and eventually, she watches as a Turian descends a ramp from a transport ship onto the Citadel. The man carries himself with ample confidence, his stride long and his head high. No doubt his red facial markings have also been repainted just for this occasion.
"Councillor, welcome to..." She begins when Sparatus's replacement gets close.
"Yes, yes, " the man says with a dismissing waft of his hand, "Less of that. We need to discuss it."
Tevos watches as the man walks past her and tilts her head slightly, before slowly walking behind him, she will not jump to his whim and run to catch him up. She is the senior member here.
"You have been making many questionable decisions in your absolute rule. Humans have used nuclear bombs on our Citadel, yet you do nothing. The Geth are direct allies with these mud bloods, yet you do not declare them enemies of the state. The humans have illegal warships in our space, and your species are talking about new illegal warships." He continues sprouting issue after issue.
"Councillor," Tevos says with enough force to get him to stop, turn and look at her, "These are not issues for discussing out in the open."
"No, I will discuss them where I please." The man replies, "I have many new proposals that will be passed in the coming days. You will find a copy in your inbox in a few hours. Now I have meetings to attend, so I shall see you for this morning's gathering of the Councillors."
With that, Tevos raises a brow in thought and stops as the Turian walks off, leaving Tevos wondering who has been appointed to the role of Councillor. As he walked, Tevos tilted her head and considered what she had witnessed. The man has an obvious distaste for Humans; it is as clear as daylight, and his attempts to seemingly veto her proposal for more Asari warships are not expected.
Just who has the Turians elected to be their next primacy?
/.../
4 Days later
Matron Fluo, a combat medic serving with a small troop of Commandos, squints out a viewport as a ship comes close to her own vessel. The ship is as black as the darkest of nights and hard to see, but she could tell its overall shape was triangular. The Asari councillor had told her Troop Commander that they were to rendevous with a Human stealth ship for a secret mission, the full details of which are yet to be revealed.
Knowing others are also trying to look at the strange ship, Fluo reluctantly backs away from the window and lets someone else take her spot to gawk. It is not for another 30 minutes that a bridge has been extended, and there is a secured airlock allowing access to the Human ship.
Seeing a light go green above the airlock on their own vessel, eight other commandos pick up their numerous bags and trudge across the airlock and approach the Human ship where a Human woman is awaiting them in their own airlock, "Commander Svan'Hild," The woman says while looking straight to the Tp Commander, "Welcome to Vessel 0xF."
It is an odd name by any species, Turian Hierarchy ships are typically named after types of ancient warriors, Asari ships are usually birds, Hanar use Corral reefs, and Batarians use house names. The most unusual ship names belong to the Elcor, who love to use poetry in naming their ships. The most unusual she can think of at the moment is the "Swims Against the Current in a Stream Reflecting the Sun." OxF is just odd.
"It is Freya, correct?" The Human nods, allowing Svan'Hild to then say, "0xF, correct me if I am wrong, but that is 14 in Hexidecimal."
The Human squints their eyes for a moment before answering, "Correct. This vessel is the 14th prototype created. If you bring your bags, I will show you to your quarters." The Tp Commander only knows this fact due to a personal note from Tevos on the ship's name.
After seeing a head gesture, Fluo follows her Commander onto the ship and down a small corridor before entering a large open room, then another, then another. Of note, none of the rooms on the ship she passes have doors, and inside most rooms are scientific-looking instruments she could only guess the purpose of. "So," Svan'Hild begins as they walk, "What is the purpose of this ship?"
"Research," Freya answers, "OxF focuses on the study of astronomical anomalies. Before this mission, OxF was dispatched to study a star that..."
The Human talked, and talked, and talked about a star showing symptoms of dying early, and it clearly shows through their passion that they have a fondness for science. Svan'Hild tried to keep up with them, but this Human ran rings around the older Commandos knowledge. Getting to their accommodation, the troop is secretly grateful to be given some time to get comfortable; otherwise, they feared Freya would continue talking about the star about to go supernova, or the exciting case of dark energy surrounding said star.
The accommodation is in a corner of a large open space room and looks like nothing special and hastily built. The mattresses are thick foam, and the bed frames are simple I-beam creations, functional but not aesthetic. Everything about the accommodation looks temporary and not for long-term use.
After getting comfortable, Fluo and her team are then shown to a small kitchen to place food into empty fridges and a hangar bay filled with even more scientific equipment. The ship at no point looks or feels lived in, everything is too clean, too sterile even. "How many Humans are onboard?" Svan'Hild asks, having noticed they had yet to pass a single person.
Freya turns around before answering, "Zero."
"Zero?" Svan'Hild asks to confirm she heard right.
"Zero." Freya confirms, looking a little annoyed, "This ship is a research ship; I do not need Humans clogging my filters, contaminating experiments or using precious space for food and consumables."
"So you're..."
"Congratulations on meeting your first true Artificial Intelligence." Freya says with a small bow, "I don't bite."
The team half-blinked at one another. The notes released about the mission so far indicated they might meet a Human AI. After a deep breath, Svan'Hild asks, "So, do you have a briefing room to discuss our mission?"
"Follow me," Freya says before walking up to a table and projecting a set of orders on a holographic display. "This is the mission," A Heretic Scout ship is displayed, and on the outside of the ship is a list of rolling statistics and known facts about the ship.
"Heretic?" Svan'Hild guesses.
"Correct," Freya answers, "It has stolen something from its raid on the Citadel, and your Councillor wants it back."
"Stolen something?" Svan'Hild asks while leaning on a hip and crossing her arms, "Then why the medical team?"
Freya pulls up an image of Osh, "The Heretics have taken the human to establish first contact, and who has since been a considerable political figure. Her capture is a political embarrassment for the Citadel and Humanity."
This causes a small rumbling among those in the room and an understanding as to why this mission feels so rushed and why Human AI's are getting freely involved. "My task is to get you onboard that ship, then return you to the Citadel. Your job is to secure Commander Ladochka Shepard."
Svan'Hild breathes out deeply before shaking her head and asking, "And how are you going to get us onboard? This scout ship is fast."
"I can intercept," Freya replies confidently. "Upon arrival, I will destroy its engines and weapon pods. It is then down to you to fight your way through the ship."
"Do you have any internal schematics of this ship?" Svan'Hild asks.
Freya nods as a schematic is displayed, "While this ship is Heretic in design and not Geth, it shares many similarities with Geth scout ships. The Geth consensus agrees that this layout is most probable."
"Most probable?" Svan'Hild repeats, "So we are going in blind."
"Probability was point 72. You would be a fool not to at least study and plan off for something similar."
"Do you have an area where we can drill this setup?"
"I do." Freya blinks having already anticipated this. Osh loves a Rehearsal of Concept drill and Freya would have recommended the Asari complete one if they had yet to suggest something.
"How long till intercept."
"36 hours 14." Freya answers quickly.
Svan'Hild blinks, "Jorgs, take the team and roc drill this layout. I want special focus on responding to heavy fires." The tp second in command acknowledges the order, "Meanwhile, I'm going to discuss with Freya the more intricate details of this plan."
/.../
37 Hours later
Osh has tried in her time a variety of recreational and medicinal drugs, but none of them feel like this. Her limbs feel like they weigh a thousand times their typical weight, her skin is cool, uncomfortably so, and her thoughts are wishy-washy at best. "Osh, you need to open your eyes."
She doesn't care for the annoying voice, she can feel the call of sleep, and the dream world seems like it will be a comforting place right now. "Osh, open your eyes."
'Later,' she groggily thinks back to the voice. Freya tries a few more times, but each time, Osh becomes less responsive.
With an internal sigh, the AI does something it rarely does, it takes direct control of her body, forcing Osh's eyes to open and look around. After a few moments, Freya releases control having gotten what she needs.
To Osh, the experience is a blip, nothing more than a mild annoyance that is quickly forgotten about. She does not care for the loud bangs that follow or the heat wave that burns her fine hair, nor the brief moment of atmospheric loss. No, the unconscious world is right there and ripe for the taking, and she wants it badly. Freya does not prevent her from slipping back under; if anything, an unconscious Osh right now is a blessing, both for herself and for the Commandos. The Human is an infamously lousy patient.
Meanwhile:
After ensuring the Heretics are permanently decommissioned, two of the Asari commandos gather around the table in the centre of the room with their primary objective. Whatever the Geth had been doing to her, there is fresh medical cuts all across her body, bruises from surgeries and wires coming out of her flesh left, right and centre.
After holstering her weapon, Fluo nods to another Asari, "Stretcher, now."
While the other Asari begins to get the stretcher out and unfold it, Fluo carefully cuts any of the wires connected to the Human while being careful not to pull them out of her flesh; she takes a sample from any liquids being pumped into Osh and then helps lift her onto the stretcher. The Human is heavy, real heavy.
As Fluo sorts out the medical side, another Asari approaches a standard Geth-designed data port that accesses the ship's internal systems and connects her omni-tool. After powering the tool up, she presses a few buttons, inserting a small gift from Freya. In the 20 years Freya has had to study the Virus that ravaged the galaxy, she has managed to make some of her own improvements and morph it into her own tool.
The modified Virus may not kill, but it will make them sing like canaries on command, broadcasting locations at a set time. In 1 month, every Heretic infected with the Virus will broadcast their location, and Freya will be waiting for them like a choir orchestrator. Strangely, Ultron was the one who talked her out of using a more lethal version of the Virus as he feared the Geth would see it as a step too far. When Freya releases this ship from under her control, it will hopefully return to a Heretic base of operations, further spreading the Virus.
"We are good," She then tells the squad leader.
As soon as Fluo has completed her work, the team does not waste time withdrawing to the Human ship, where Freya greets them in her holographic form. "On the bed." She quickly instructs, a bed already awaiting Osh. The team waste no time transferring the heavy Human over and then rushes the bed to the cargo bay where Freya has already set up a half dozen pieces of medical equipment and is waiting to assist. The kit is unfamiliar to the Asari, but this is unsurprising as they have never encountered human medical technology.
As Freya tends to Osh, Fluo looks amongst her team. Two severe casualties will require immediate attention to stabilise, and she needs to attend to three grazes. Overall, it was a bloody but successful mission.
/.../
5 days later.
"Madam Councillor," A generic Salarian voice says over her omni-tool, "Can you confirm flight registered IRV0x33 is authorised to dock at port P51?"
"Yes," Tevos stipulates over the phone, "Is there a problem?"
"From what we can tell," The Salarian begins, "The ship coming into dock is an advanced stealth vessel. It was not declared as such."
"Define advanced?" Tevos asks back.
"Relay stags can only detect it at less than 40km, and even then only by sight. There is no heat, radar, EM emissions, eezo, nothing."
Tevos raises a brow at the lack of Eezo emissions. She knew Freya was sending her personal ship, her most advanced, but even that must use Eezo to achieve FTL, no? All other known Human stealth ships can be found, granted with great difficulty, by following their faint Eezo trails. This discovery required countless hours of research from Turian, Asari and Salarian scientists.
Of course, this Salarian traffic controller has no knowledge that her teams cracked Human stealth tech a few months back; he is just reporting that a Stealth ship is on approach. Guards on the Relay in the Serpent Nebula most likely caught a glimpse of it exiting the Relay and reported it in, or Freya reached out to establish contact with the traffic controllers, making them look for her ship.
It would appear her scientists need to conduct some further research on Human stealth tech. The 'ace in the hole' her teams had developed to detect human warships now seems to be defunct and old news.
"Operator Pro'Vost, clear their landing."
Ten minutes later Tevos is standing behind some thick laminated glass as Freya's personal black ship sails gracefully into one of her company's many docks. The starship has a distinctive angular design, its keel is 300m long and comes to a point at the front, and its beam is 60m at its widest. Another notable feature is the lack of windows. At a quick glance, Tevos notes she can see Turian, Asari, and Geth's features in the vessel, which doesn't surprise her. She knows Freya is constantly redesigning, upgrading and improving her ship, and the AI is not bound by a design philosophy like her own people, so she will use what works best. Curiously, much like the previous ship which dropped Osh off the day prior, she can not see any weapons on the ship, nor were any declared on the paperwork Freya submitted, but Tevos doubts the AI is defenceless.
"Internal and external pressure equalised." An automated voice calls before a door to her right opens, and a sky bridge leading to the vessel's airlock is exposed.
With a nod of her head to some Asari, they push Osh's medical bed down the corridor as Tevos follows behind, only to be greeted by Freya in holographic form as she walks into the ship. The AI directs the bed to another room, before duplicating her holographic projection and insisting Tevos follows her to another room. After following for a short walk, Tevos is most surprised to find a fully equipped studio apartment with an open plan kitchen, bedroom, and a large observation window that looks out onto the docks, she could swear she didn't see any windows when waiting to board. "When will you begin operating on Osh?" Tevos asks after looking around.
So far, the only operations Freya has conducted on Osh have been life-saving and nothing more. For the more complex operations, she needed more advanced medical technology which wasn't immediately on hand for her other research ship.
Freya's holographic form slowly paces around the room, "The Heretics have installed various pieces of technology. I first need to understand what they have installed, then why it was installed, and how it was installed. Once I have done that, and only once I have done that, can I generate a plan of attack. At the moment, I suspect no further surgeries will happen for the next 48 hours."
Tevos blinks in acknowledgement. It is faster than she suspected, but at the same time, it is not fast enough. The AI then walks over to a large monitor in the room and powers it up, "I will display all information available here, including estimated time till surgery. As for what you do in the meantime, you have three options," Freya says, "First, you can enter and leave this ship freely; secondly, using this terminal, you can gain access to the intranet and work from here. Finally, we can work together on an issue I am yet to address."
"Which is?"
"The manipulation of baryons to create synthetic eezo."
Tevos raises a brow for a moment before giving her response, "It has been studied for thousands of years; we have never been able to reliably create the substance."
"My math says otherwise," Freya announces as she raises a hand, and some holographic mathematical equations appear.
Tevos sighs, she would generally love to have that discussion with Freya, as its answers could cause entire finance markets to crash, but at the moment, she is trying to talk a Turian down from war, and managing the fall out of a few noteable dead Salarians.
"I will return after work." Tevos then says, "And if I have the energy, I will have that discussion." Tevos would not get to have that discussion.
/.../
14 Hours later
Tevos slumps into the bed in Freya's bedroom and pulls the thick quilt up and over her body. The mattress is amazingly comfortable, which she was not expecting and will not complain about. The AI has even installed an electric blanket.
Powering up her Omni-tool, she notices that she has no connection to the outside world, "Freya, can you connect my Omni-tool?"
"Done." The AI tells, and sure enough, her omni-tool has reconnected with the outside intranet. The fact Freya has such easy control of her omni-tool should cause her alarm and worry, but she stopped storing sensitive work on it long ago. Her work omni-tool stays locked in the Council Tower and away from manipulation.
With the intranet returned, Tevos pauses as she ponders what she could purchase for her wife as a get well gift? There is little she couldn't purchase with her wealth, but what would hold meaning to Osh?
Many in the estate had purchased Osh alcohol, which gets Tevos thinking. What are her wife's favourite microbreweries? With an idea in mind, she sets off on a search of the intranet, and soon, she finds herself on the phone to a set of Batarians; from how they speak, she assumes they have never spent a day of their life in Batarian space, "Gentlemen," She begins over the phone line after confirming who she is talking to. She wonders what they would think if they knew she was conducting business whilst mostly hidden under a quilt naked.
The group are pleasant enough in their response, but their tone tells her they are confused as to why she has called them, "I have a problem you are going to solve,"
They wisely stay quiet for now.
"I am buying your business and any sub-business you possess on the Citadel under the 'Barare' brand." The Batarians are not expecting this, and their stunted response is a clear indication.
Eventually, one of them speaks up, "Madam Councillor, we are not for sale."
"2 Million," Tevos says aloud, "The proceeds paid into your bank accounts today."
This results in a choking sound before the same Batarian says again, "No sale." The business is worth 2.1 million on a good day, but Batarians, in general, never accept the first offer.
Tevos expects the refusal and then gives her genuine offer, "3 Million Gentlemen," She begins as she scrolls through the brewery's website, inspecting the numerous bronze-coloured fermenting tanks in a picture, "You will each get 1 million," She then adds, "You will not get a deal this good ever again."
By all accounts, the deal is terrible for Tevos; she is paying 1 million over what it is worth, but Tevos does not care; she just needs them to accept the purchase and then sell quick. She wants it for her wife and she wants it now, so she will pay a million extra. Besides, she will barely notice the missing millions.
"Deal." A second voice says, but not the lead Batarian.
Tevos smiles to herself before announcing, "1 Million in ten minutes will enter his bank account. What about you two?"
"Deal." A third voice says.
Tevos smiles, knowing she now owns 2/3rds of this company, "Excellent, Mr Tristean, do you accept?"
There is a considerable delay before confirmation that he agrees to sell. "Gentleman, it was a pleasure doing business, but I am not finished yet. I wish to hire you."
"Hire us?" One of those who sold asks.
"Yes?" Tevos answers, "I want you to run the brewery as if you had not sold today. I will appoint a director, but you will enable the director's wishes. Your pay will equal 90 thousand credits annually and an eighth of the company's profits."
She quickly confirms that they agree: "Excellent. My legal team will visit you shortly with contracts to sign."
With the deal made, Tevos closes her omni-tool and says, "Freya, can you turn the lights off and wake me in 4 hours."
"I will," The AI promises.
/.../
Tevos first sensation of the waking world comes with the smell of cooking spiced alge strips, the distinct woody smell tell her its her favourite flavour. Rolling over in her bed so she is on her back, she slowly opens her eyes, and despite expecting to feel like she would have to be dragged out of bed, she only feels mildly tired. A pleasant surprise by any means.
"Freya," She asks groggily, "What time is it?"
"You have been sleeping for 3 hours 30 minutes," The AI responds from a speaker hidden in the room. Your brain activity indicated you have completed a REM cycle, prompting me to rouse you before another sleep cycle started."
Tevos could swear she woke naturally, but she didn't have the energy to argue it, knowing Freya, the AI, controlled light levels and ambient sounds to prompt her brain to slowly awaken. Hearing someone approach, Tevos pushes herself up to find Freya approaching with a plate and a glass filled with red juice.
"Craseei strips, toast, and piongth juice," The AI says before handing Tevos the plate and putting the drink down on a bedside table.
"Breakfast in bed?" Tevos asks as she accepts the plate and looks at the contents. The dish smells and looks fantastic.
The AI nods, "You looked awful last night, and Osh will not be happy with me if she knew I did not look after you."
"This looks lovely, thankyou Freya."
The AI nods gratefully, "I figured cooking is just applied chemistry. I did some maths and figured out the best means to extract the flavours and smells. It was a simple matter that you biologicals get wrong daily despite depending on it for your very survival."
Tevos tries some of the food, and sure enough, the AI has done a great job. "Well, your maths has worked wonders, but more importantly, how is Osh?"
The AI looks unhappy for a moment as she moves to sit on the side of the bed while Tevos eats. "I have good and bad news, " she says.
"How bad are we talking?"
"Bad, I am afraid," Freya replies before raising a hand with a holographic brain projection hovering above her palm, "The Heretics have installed this implant in Osh's brain. When I take it out, I can't see any way of not causing brain trauma."
"That is not good news," Tevos affirms, her food now forgotten, "What is the implant even for?"
"It has all the hallmarks of being able to control brain chemistry." Freya answers, "And it has some QEC installed. I have to remove it."
Tevos puts her partially eaten plate aside, "How bad is the trama going to be?"
"It is not going to be a lobotomy," Freya answers carefully, "But she will for some time have issues with fine movements and likely have blackspots in her memories. I also foresee damage to her Broca's, which controls her language."
"Do we know which memories?" Tevos asks with a pounding heart.
"No," Freya answers, "Not until she awakens. The memories are still there, but she must make new connections. This could take as little as a few days to an undefined amount of time."
"Could Asari specialists help her?" Tevos asks without thinking about the question.
"It would be plausible if she accepts the help." Freya answers.
Tevos knows that this is a big 'if', and the question of 'if' she should offer that help is another question in its own right. "Can we not disable the device and leave it?"
"I would rather cut a server off." Freya answers as a matter of fact, "It has its own nano-technology that I am sure has its own vast array of capabilities. I could disable it only for it to repair itself in a matter of hours."
Tevos knows she will not convince the AI otherwise and that it must be removed, "You said there is also good news."
"Yes," Freya answers, her face changing to something less sombre, "I have successfully replaced her worn shoulder and her hips, reattached some fingers, fixed her spinal cord, and updated numerous cybernetics. I now only have two other Reper devices to remove, but my studies indicate they could be useful to keep. I would rather we agree to keep them."
"That seems like a lot of work," Tevos acknowledges, "Well done Freya. But what are these other two devices."
Freya raises her hand again, "The first is a computer server. This device is miraculous; I can run a third of my run times alone off this little device. Getting rid of it would be... self-harming."
"Sounds like you have already decided to keep it." Tevos remarks.
"I would not suggest removing it."
Tevos blinks, "We will let her make that decision when she awakens," Tevos knows she has the powers of attorney over Osh and could decide to remove it should she wish. "What is the second device,"
Freya pulls up another schematic on her palm, "Six to be precise, these small devices seem to connect to dark energy somehow and are hardwired into Osh's nervous system. I believe these are the devices the Reapers glowing generals use to make dark energy attacks. The technology is hundreds of years past my understanding, however. It is fascinating beyond measure."
"Freya, this technology is in my wife, it is not fascinating but horrifying. Is there any communication technology inside it? Anything which could be overruled?"
"No," Freya answers with confidence.
"Can you easily remove it?"
"Not without causing extensive damage to her nervous system, but yes, I can."
Tevos blinks, "Then we will leave it for now and let Osh make that decision to remove it." Freya makes a face that shows she agrees, "How long until you think she will be ready to awaken?"
"92 hours 46," Freya then answers, "Providing there are no complications removing the device connected to her brain, which I doubt."
It will be a long 92 hours 46 for Pethio.
/.../