Author's Note: First, I have to thank spacecats, Jules Hawk, Vorcha Girl, Elissa Theirin, gogogeisha, and the guest for your comments on the last chapter. To the guest, why would I make you wait? Because I can. I think, that chapter was voyeuristic enough, and they deserved a little privacy. ;) That being said... as always, I would love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy. - TLC
Chapter Thirty
"Uh, Commander? We've got company," Joker warned as he took the ship closer to Ilos's atmosphere. True to Liara's warning, Saren did have his geth fleet orbiting the planet when they reached it early the next day cycle. Kaidan was in the co-pilot's seat next to Joker. The cockpit was more full than usual with Pressly at the Navigation console, and Liara and Tali flanking Shepard who was standing behind Joker.
"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" Liara asked, the tension thick in her voice as she grasped the headrest of Kaidan's seat. Joker assured them that the stealth systems were engaged, so they wouldn't have any idea they had arrived unless the Normandy was close enough for a visual.
"Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface," Pressly announced, his focus solely on the computer in front of him. Shepard ordered Joker to lock in on the coordinates and to take them in, but before she could finish, Pressly had spoken up again, "Negative on that, Commander," The XO argued, "The nearest landing zone is two klicks* away."
Kaidan sighed softly, "We'll never make it in time on foot. We need something closer," He insisted without looking back at Shepard, but he could feel her eyes on his back as he ran scan after scan over the planet's surface even as Pressly insisted there was nothing closer. His scans confirmed the navigator's conclusion.
"Drop us in the Mako," Shepard offered, eager to get groundside. They were close, so close, but there seemed to be something always in their way.
"You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that," Pressly announced as his hands flew over his console looking for an appropriate Drop Zone, "The most I can find near Saren is twenty."
Kaidan looked over his shoulder then, his eyes passing Shepard to glare at the Navigator, "Twenty meters?!" Liara shouted that they had to try. Kaidan's eyes moved to her then he turned back in his seat with a shake of his head. Tali's trill rang out that the descent angle was too steep, confirming Kaidan's concern that it was a suicide run. He didn't have an opportunity to argue.
"I can do it," Joker announced, his voice firm in his ability. Kaidan turned to look at the pilot as Shepard spoke his name in question. Joker looked up to Shepard, and he repeated, "I can do it."
A heavy silence fell on the cockpit as they waited for Shepard's decision. Kaidan was watching her, and she offered Joker a small nod, "Alright," Shepard's eyes lifted and met Kaidan's, "Gear up and head down to the Mako. Make sure Vakarian is ready," She ordered and he nodded standing and brushing passed Liara heading to the stairs. "Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard!" He heard Shepard order just as he reached the CIC and picked up the pace to reach the stairs.
He met Garrus on the Crew Deck and they took the elevator together down to the cargo bay to gear up and wait at the Mako. "He's here, isn't he?" Garrus asked, pulling Kaidan from his thoughts. Kaidan nodded. "Let's get this done and go home," Garrus offered, extending a hand to Kaidan. Kaidan accepted the shake just as the doors opened and they went to their lockers to suit up.
Kaidan was just securing the last buckles on his chest plate when the elevator doors opened behind him. He looked over his shoulder and met Shepard's eyes across the bay. He felt his insides lurch with worry. She turned her back to him when Wrex called her name, and Kaidan turned his attention back to his armor. He had no regrets about anything that had happened over the last twelve hours. Though, now, he had to force himself to remember her as Commander Shepard. He had to prove to her, to himself, that he could. He clenched his jaw, swallowing hard, before moving to stand with Garrus at the Mako.
Kaidan was checking his pistol as Garrus climbed in to run his checks on the Mako's weapons when he felt Shepard's hands at his waist. His breath hitched in his throat as she methodically, professionally, checked the closures. There was no brush against the exposed skin below his implant; there was nothing inappropriate about the act at all. It could have been any marine behind him. She tapped his shoulder guard and moved in front of him without speaking. She lifted her arms slightly, and he copied her; checking the closures and avoiding contact with her sensitive skin. There was no indication that anything had changed between them, and that was the way it had to be. Kaidan's hands paused on her shoulders and, for the briefest moment, she leaned back against him. Her back making minimum contact with his chest.
The movement was over before it started, and truthfully, he might have imagined it. She reached up and pulled herself into the vehicle, settling behind the driving controls. He followed buckling into the seat next to her. Joker's voice rang out over the Mako's comm, "Alright Commander, we're two minutes out from the DZ. It's going to be tight, so, just … be ready," He warned, his voice thick with the tension.
"You've got this, Joker," She reminded him as the alarm sounded in the bay and the doors opened to drop the Mako to Ilos's surface. The Mako skidded to a stop just as the doors closed behind Saren. Shepard pounded her fists on the steering wheel with a frustrated yell. It seemed as if there was always something in the way. They climbed out of the vehicle and Kaidan went to the door with his omni-tool open, looking for any clue as to how to get in.
"We have to get inside this bunker before Saren finds the Conduit!" Garrus nearly growled behind him.
"No shit, Vakarian," Shepard snapped. "Alenko, you got anything for me?"
With a disappointed sigh, he turned away from the door closing his 'tool, "There's no way we're getting past that door with brute force."
Shepard's hands were on her hips as she looked around, her eyes intense. Kaidan exchanged an anxious look with Garrus while they waited, "Well, Saren found some way to open it. There must be some kind of security override somewhere in this complex." At her words, Kaidan looked around the area: Prothean ruins, severely overgrown with local vegetation. She shrugged, "We'll just have to find it." She gave the signal to move further into the complex before pulling out her rifle. Garrus and Kaidan fell into step behind her.
As they started moving out, the geth appeared. They had been left behind by Saren to keep Shepard from following. Using the decrepit walls around them as cover, they managed to take out the geth approaching them quickly before moving further into the area. As they approached the center of the complex, they came across a geth Armature, the same machine they had first fought on Therum. Without a second thought, Kaidan lifted it and Shepard and Garrus unloaded on it. Once the machine fell to the ground in sparking pieces, Kaidan looked to Shepard. He had recognized the change in himself, in his actions in battle. He was more confident and used his biotics more freely. Like a muscle, the more he used them, the stronger they grew. He was a better soldier. He knew it was because she had pushed him, and he couldn't be more grateful. She grinned at him, pride shining in her eyes before giving the signal to continue.
As the made their way into the complex, they were descending further into it. Eventually, they reached an active elevator that took them even lower. While in the elevator, Kaidan made the observation that since the place had power, it had to have its own generator. "I bet this is the command center for the entire complex. Saren's troops must have sealed the doors from here after he went inside," Garrus added as the elevator continued down further.
"We'll have to figure out how to disengage the security lockdown to get inside that bunker," Shepard ordered as the doors opened on a level that evened out and they made their way across the room with weapons at the ready. "Goddamn these fuckin machines!" Shepard muttered as the rounds fired by the approaching geth bounced off their shields before the dropped behind cover. With the assistance of their biotics, they were able to clear the room. The tension increased as they walked further. Kaidan ran a quick scan over the area and found a spike in electrical energy and brought it to Shepard's attention.
The walked up the ramp, and found the security panels. Kaidan made his way to the panel and activated it. He worked through the program to get the door open for them. Garrus sounded frustrated when he spoke, "Come on! Saren's already got a head start! We have to go find him before he reaches the Conduit!"
"Unless he's already found it, then we're just walking into a trap," Shepard replied, her voice dripping with frustrated sarcasm. Garrus snorted, but said nothing else.
The console lit up in front of Kaidan as soon as he had canceled the security settings, "Hold on, something's happening…" He alerted them and Shepard came and stood next to him as they stared at the holographic screen in front of them. The hologram started playing, but it was all static. He turned to Shepard and his comment stuck in his throat when he saw the concern on her features through her visor. Kaidan glanced over his shoulder at Garrus who shrugged. It stopped playing and Shepard turned to her crew, "It sounds like some kind of message, but I don't recognize the language." Kaidan couldn't help but notice her gaze was clouded.
"It's probably in Prothean. The recording must be 50,000 years old. No wonder we can't understand it," Garrus sighed, anxious to get moving.
Confusion played on Shepard's face as she spoke, "You can't understand it?" She asked them, and they shook their heads in the negative as they exchanged glances. "The message is all broken up, but I recognize some of the words. It's a warning against the Reaper invasion."
The amazement was thick in Kaidan's voice when he spoke, "The Cipher…" Shepard looked to him and shrugged. Apparently, the Cipher had transferred an understanding of the Prothean language into her mind as well as their history. "Can you make out anything useful?" Shepard's eyes locked on his and she sighed softly and turned back to the console.
"It said something about the Conduit, but it's too degraded to help," She said and moved passed Kaidan to take point, "We should go." Garrus let out a relieved sigh and Shepard led them back the way they came. There were still a few pockets of geth lingering, but none of the big machines they had cleared out on their way down. They reached the Mako, and the closed doors which opened as they approached.
"So, uh, who votes we take the Mako into the creepy underground bunker?" Kaidan asked as they peered down the path into the bunker. It looked almost moldy, with a stream of sewer water running along the floor of the complex. Shepard let out a snort and opened the Mako's door.
"Well, the firepower will come in handy," Garrus added as he climbed in first followed by Shepard and Kaidan. Once they were belted in, Shepard started the vehicle down the tunnel. To call it creepy would be an understatement. The walls of the tunnel went up a few stories, and it was falling apart. Fifty thousand years did a lot of damage.
After a few moments of heated silence, Kaidan shifted in his seat as he scanned the area looking for hostiles, "I thought Saren would have set some kind of trap or ambush for us," He paused and glanced at Shepard whose lips were pressed tight and eyes narrowed. "They must have been in too much of a hurry." She sped up.
"Or we just haven't run into it yet," Garrus's ever logical voice rang out from behind them as he peered through the scope.
"That's a pleasant thought," Kaidan muttered as they focused on the area around them. It looked like there were large circular tubes inserted in the walls, long forgotten. Kaidan felt the chill trace his spine as he asked, "What are all those things on the wall? Some kind of containers?" Shepard kept looking forward, but leaned over the controls to look at the walls.
"They look like stasis pods. The Protheans probably tried to keep themselves alive through cryogenic freezing," Garrus answered, and they could hear the scope moving around the area, checking for a target. Kaidan shuddered. They were essentially driving through a massive Prothean mausoleum, surrounded by thousand of tombs time forgot. Shepard glanced at him, and he got the impression she felt just as intrusive as she sped up again and Kaidan continued to run the radar looking for Saren, or geth, or some kind of power source that might be the Conduit.
As they descended further into the tunnels, they came across a few geth troopers left behind by Saren to guard the path. Garrus turned the scope ahead and fired while Kaidan used the thrusters to avoid the larger rockets. After a few moments of battle, Kaidan's scanner lit up alerting them to a power source ahead. There was a large, glowing force field ahead of them, and as they approached it, another wall shot up behind them. "What is that?!" Garrus asked after firing a few shots at it to no avail.
"I would say maybe this is the ambush but-" Kaidan started but was interrupted as Shepard opened the door to let them out.
"I don't think Saren is behind this," Her voice was grave as they piled out. They drew their weapons and headed through the doorway in one of the walls. It led them to an elevator, and Kaidan felt the apprehension heavy in his chest as they stepped into the car and Shepard activated it. It started shaky, but evened out as it descended. "
Garrus looked between the humans, his mandibles twitched, "If this were an automated trap, where is Saren?" Shepard looked to Kaidan, he could tell she was as clueless as he was and that unnerved him.
She shrugged, forcing an ironic smile, "I don't know. I just hope whatever is down here is friendly. We've got enough enemies at the moment." The elevator doors opened exposing a walkway with another console at the end of it. When they reached it, Shepard glanced nervously over her shoulder at her tech nerds before stepping forward and activating the system. She knew they would know more about the tech, but with this being Prothean tech there really was no way to know what would happen. After Eden Prime and Virmire, she would have to take any of these risks.
A holograph appeared in front of them, but the image was distorted and unrecognizable. It glowed so brightly, it took their eyes a moment to adjust to the source. It started to speak, and much to Kaidan's surprise, he could understand it, "You are not Prothean, but you are not machine, either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons.
"Looks like some kind of VI program. It's pretty badly damaged," Garrus commented, and Kaidan opened his 'tool to try to gather information and was stunned by the sophistication of the security. This was more than a VI. It would take him years, more than a few years, to hack into the program. Which was saying something as he nearly aced the tech tests as he came out of Basic. This was way more than humanity had achieved, or would achieve in the near future.
"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently… perhaps there is still hope," The entity spoke again, it's voice sounded engineered.
"I don't think this is a VI," Shepard muttered, and Kaidan was struck with an odd sense of déjà vu.
"Wait a minute, how come I can understand you? Why aren't you speaking the Prothean language?" Kaidan asked, drawing the group's, and the machine's, attention. It was odd, the sensation of being watched, evaluated even, by the Intelligence.
"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will understand," It explained, and Kaidan wished more than anything that he would be able to copy a piece of the code from this console. It continued, "My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment, but that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."
"Are you some kind of Artificial Intelligence program?" Shepard asked, her tone amazed, and Kaidan knew she only had a minor grasp of the ingenuity of this kind of program with this kind of power.
"I am an advanced non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility," Vigil explained itself, and Kaidan opened his 'tool to try to copy information, and each time it was shut down. He tried not to be so amazed, but it was impossible.
"Why did you stop us? Why bring us here?" Shepard asked, sounding anxious. Saren was still moving towards the Conduit.
"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years, but to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did," Vigil explained and Shepard sighed. Kaidan watched as her shoulders fell. It was barely noticeable, but he was quite tuned to her mannerisms. Vigil continued, "The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us, but the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon." Vigil paused, as if to let that piece of information resonate for them. Kaidan felt the cold grip of fear form a knot in his core and he shifted from foot to foot as Shepard's hands fisted at her sides. When no one questioned it, Vigil spoke again, "When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed."
"How is it no one ever noticed the Citadel was an inactive mass relay?" Shepard asked exasperated. Humans hadn't been out here that long, but surely the Turians, Asari, or Salarians should have noticed something. Especially considering their superiority complexes.
"The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers," At the mention of the caretakers, Kaidan remembered seeing the creatures on the station. They were large, and looked almost like spiders, and they stayed out of the way. Most never gave them a second though, Kaidan certainly hadn't. "The Keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the Keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature; not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade."
"Goddamn it, the Reapers will wipe out the Council and the entire Citadel fleet in a single surprise attack," Shepard muttered, as if saying it would make it a smaller problem, but all it did was give voice to the worst case scenario.
"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and, through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others, easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out," Shepard asked if anyone had survived the attacks. She asked as if there was something she could learn, to take away, to try to give this cycle a chance. "Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data… information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed, others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough."
"You stopped me for a reason. Tell me what I need to do," Shepard demanded, her voice resolute and Kaidan felt bolstered by it, like a second wind. He felt the emotion echoed by Garrus as his stance grew more firm, and his mandibles twitched.
"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind the mass relay technology. Ilos was a top research facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel: the hub of the relay network," Vigil paused, again as if to allow the trio to process the information. Like their inferior minds needed the time to catch up.
"The Conduit's not a weapon… it's a back door onto the Citadel," Kaidan spoke softly, and Shepard turned her head towards him, letting his words sink in without lifting her eyes to him.
Shepard turned to Vigil after a moment and asked how it managed to stay hidden. It answered and almost sounded sad, "All official records of our project were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. While the Prothean Empire came crashing down, Ilos was spared. We severed all communications with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed, but the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed; decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted, and my energy reserves were dwindling," Garrus interrupted Vigil, insisting that it should have fought, and when Vigil continued, it sounded almost regretful, "We were a few hundred against a galactic invasion fleet. Our only hope was to remain undetected. I began to disable life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay."
"There were hundreds of pods out there! You just… shut them down? You killed them?" Shepard asked, and Kaidan was surprised by the anger in her words.
"This outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of a contingency programming entered on my creation.
"I bet they didn't tell the 'non-essential' staff about this contingency," Kaidan muttered and while Shepard didn't react, he could swear he heard Garrus snort – another odd sound from the Turian.
"I saved key personnel," Vigil sounded almost defensive, "When the Reapers retreated the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains. When the researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left; far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet, they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever, and they knew the Keepers were the key," Shepard asked what it meant by that, weren't the Keepers under Reaper control? "The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space. Saren is planning on using the Conduit to access the Citadel and bypass the defenses to transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Once Sovereign manually opens the relay, the cycle of extinction will begin again."
"Tell me you have a way for me to stop him," Shepard pleaded, though it sounded like a threat.
"There is a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will disrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign," Shepard signaled for Kaidan to copy the data, and if it weren't for the circumstances he would have grinned. He moved forward and copied what he could. "The one you call Saren has not reached the Conduit. Not yet. There is still hope, if you hurry."
"Thank you," Shepard said, and a look of doubt crossed her face. Was it appropriate to thank a computer? It didn't matter. She gave the order to move out. The console shut down behind them, its mission complete. Kaidan and Garrus fell into step behind her. As they back, Shepard shot a message to Joker, ordering him to head to the Citadel. She also sent a message to Anderson, with what they had learned. Hoping they would be ready when they got there. They reached the Mako and climbed in, the barriers were gone. The Mako's tires spun momentarily when Shepard hit the gas. It was a full on race now. They had to reach the Conduit when Saren did. If they couldn't catch up, they would be too late.
"It's tragic. For all their achievements, the Protheans lost everything. Even their last plan failed," Garrus commented as they made their way deeper into the tunnels. Shepard's focus on her driving.
"Not entirely, they've given us a weapon. They've given us a chance," Kaidan added, and Shepard looked at him with a smirk. "What?"
"That's right, Mr. Bright-Side," She spoke softly, and Kaidan felt the inappropriate grin split his face, "All we have to do is get there in time," She added and broke their eye contact, turning her gaze back on the path before them. Kaidan heard Garrus chuckle softly behind him, and shook his head saying nothing. As they made their way down, the found larger pockets of geth. Taking them out quickly, with an almost practiced attack.
"There it is," Kaidan muttered, as the enormous, active mass relay came into view a hundred meters ahead of them.
"It's incredible," Garrus added, amazement in his voice.
"As much as I'd like to sit and admire the view, those geth aren't going to make this easy," Shepard added, bringing their attention to the massive amount of geth soldiers Saren had left behind to protect this end of the connection. "I'm going to power through them. Kaidan, try to keep us above their shots. Garrus, focus on anything large enough to stop us," She ordered and they answered in the affirmative. She nodded, taking a deep breathe and slamming her foot down on the gas. The Mako fishtailed momentarily before surging forward.
They crossed the distance quickly, and try as they might the Mako sustained more damage then they would have liked. The alarms were sounding when they reached the Conduit. Shepard's hands were gripping the controls tight. Kaidan was holding the straps over his chest and Garrus was clutching the scope to brace himself as they felt the change in the gravity. Kaidan felt his stomach drop with the shift as they shot across the galaxy. Heading light-years away, towards the Citadel.