CHAPTER 25: The Future

2185 CE

Mordin was in no state to see me for a while. Shepard talked to him. Took him on Thane's Loyalty mission. Whatever she said to him, whatever he saw? It helped. He didn't seem so lost afterwards. But between us the music had died. My intentions were revealed, and the trauma of that revelation would never go away. I lost trust, friendship.

Perhaps it could be rebuilt.

It was weird, in this climate then, to be asked to help Garrus with his mission to kill Sidonis.

2185 CE

'Are you sure you want to pursue vengeance instead of Justice, Garrus?' I asked as we finished suiting up in the airlock, putting on our helmets.

'It's a distinction without a difference in this case, Krell. Justice demands that Sidonis answer for his crimes, and no one has judicial authority on Omega. Not with any legitimacy, anyway. I could capture Sidonis and give him to Aria or the Blood Pack for judgment, but whether he ended up punished or not would be completely divorced from whether he committed any crimes.' Garrus explained.

'Wrongs. I'm pretty sure what Sidonis did isn't considered a crime on Omega. I'm not sure Onega even has crimes.' I corrected.

'They don't. But 'no snitching' is about as close as Omega ever comes to one.' Garrus agreed.

He stopped for a few seconds to admire my new armor. I'd upgraded while trying to convince Kaidan to get me a new shuttle.

'So what's going on between you and Mordin?' Garrus asked.

'I don't know if you've realized, but I know a bit more about the future than most.' I began my explanation.

'No. I completely missed the time when you took us all into a secret room on the first Normandy and told us that.' Garrus snarked.

'The communications room wasn't secret, just not bugged.' I protested.

Garrus gave me a look that I am reasonably certain expressed that I was missing the point.

'Right. Well, anyway, Mordin went to Shepard to rescue his student who he believed had been kidnapped by Krogans trying to cure the Genophage on Tuchanka.' I explained.

'You believed differently?' Garrus asked.

'I knew for a fact that Maelon, that's the student's name, was there willingly to cure the Genophage, and that all the atrocities that we passed through were actually his doing. Mordin is upset that I didn't tell him. Also that I spent the entire time agreeing with him about how vile torture and unethical experimentation is.' I admitted.

'He thought you were agreeing with him about his student, but you were condemning him?' Garrus realized.

'No. I think it's more simple than that. He thought I was his friend and that I betrayed him.' I admitted.

'Did you?' Garrus asked.

'No.' I paused.

'Maybe? I don't think I did. I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too.' I admitted.

'How so?' Garrus asked.

'Mordin dies next year in the war against the Reapers. It's meaningful. He helps to fix a large part of the trauma that holds the galaxy apart from uniting. It's a death that can be prevented, but the only way I know to prevent it is out of reach, morally repugnant, and may just doom the galaxy to the Reapers.' I admitted.

'You're saying that Mordin cures--' I quickly slap my hand across Shepard's as yet unhelmeted mouth. She'd been so quiet that I forgot she was there.

'Don't say it. Don't even think of mentioning that if you want Mordin to live, or there will be assassins after him almost immediately. Understand?' I cautioned Shepard.

Shepard nodded.

'As I was saying. Mordin willingly goes to his death to help save the galaxy. Very moral. Extremely self-sacrificing. But I want him to live.' I admit.

'So just tell him?' Garrus proposed.

'I can't. Not until two things happen. The first thing is that we need to be somewhere that we aren't bugged. With EDI shackled that means somewhere off this ship. The second part is trickier. Until Mordin is sufficiently traveled down his moral road, I can't trust him not to report himself to those who would kill him. Anything I tell him, he may use against himself.' I confess.

'And when will that be?' Shepard asked.

'I don't know. Now, maybe? I know for sure that it'll be true after he meets Eve. But by then it might be too late to save him.'

'Can you tell us?' Garrus proposes.

'Outside the ship? Yes. As long as we aren't being bugged.' I agree.

Shepard nodded.

Garrus, however, looked over at me.

'You know how this thing is going to go with Sidonis then?' Garrus asked.

'I do. It doesn't really have an effect on the Reaper war one way or another. The only person that this mission really effects is you.' I admitted.

'And Sidonis. When I shoot him, right?' Garrus confirmed.

'If you shoot him.' I agreed.

'Why wouldn't I shoot him? What's wrong with shooting him?' Garrus demanded.

'So, this'll probably be easier to just tell you what's about to happen for context. You don't mind, do you?' I asked Garrus as we exited the airlock.

'You definitely downplayed how much you know about the future back in the comm room on the first Normandy, didn't you?' Garrus realized.

'Just a bit.' I grin.

'Alright. Tell me what's going on.' Garrus agreed.

'So, you know how Sidonis was last seen in the company of the Fade? And how EDI suggested we talk to captain Bailey for a lead? The Fade is Harkin.' I explained.

'That corrupt scumbag? Always wanted to shoot him.' Garrus mused.

'You'll get a chance. Shepard might stop you though.'

'Why?' Garrus accused the Commander.

'Don't look at her. She doesn't know why yet.' I admonished.

'Is it for a good reason?' Garrus asked.

'Your own moral growth. If we go after him then the results are the same if you shoot him or not; C-Sec takes him into custody.'

Garrus nods but Shepard has a look in her eye.

'What then? Sidonis escapes?' Garrus demanded.

'No. We catch him. Harkin calls him up. Leads us right to him.'

'That rat.' Garrus vented.

'The plan you come up with is to have Shepard talk to him. Keep him steady so you can headshot him.' I explained.

'What goes wrong?' Garrus demanded once more.

'Nothing goes wrong. Shepard learns something and either tries to convince you not to shoot him, or lets you. The only thing stopping you from killing Sidonis will be you.' I admit.

'I can't imagine why.' Garrus admitted.

'Like I said. It's a moral journey. You don't get to your destination by hearing about it. You have to actually take the trip.'

'And which outcome are you rooting for?' Garrus asked.

'The one I think will make you happiest.' I reply.

Garrus nodded.

'Do you plan on interfering?' he asked.

'It's not your moral journey if I'm making all the choices. I just plan on talking to you.' I readily admit.

Garrus nods.

'Then let's go. I have a team to avenge.'

2185 CE

Garrus ended up shooting Harkin, but Shepard and I actually persuaded him not to shoot Sidonis. I'm not sure how much of that was my doing. To be honest, I'm much more focused on Shepard's part in the action.

Shepard's really changed since I met her. It's hard to imagine the Butcher of Torfan preaching mercy.

'Sidonis confessed to the murder of ten people on Omega and handed himself over to C-Sec. I don't think they know what to do with him. It's not like they recognize Aria as a legitimate government. They don't recognize any legitimate government on Omega. There's no one to extradite him to. And they don't really have jurisdiction over the center of the Terminus Systems. So no one really knows what to do with him.' Garrus announced as he headed into the Cargo hold to speak to me.

'And how do you feel about that?' I asked.

'You know, it's strange; this morning if you asked me what justice meant for my team, I would have told you it looked like a bullet right between Sidonis' eyes.' Garrus admitted.

'And now?' I prompted.

'I'm not sure.'

'Justice...' I mused.

'Have you ever heard the Human saying that mercy is the domain of the strong?' I eventually asked after a few seconds.

'I haven't. What does it mean?' Garrus asked.

'In Krogan society the gravest insult you can give anyone is mercy. It's telling them 'You're too weak for me to kill.' There's an element of that to the Human saying too, but it's like looking in a mirror. It's saying that you're too strong to need to kill them, not just physically, but emotionally as well. You're strong enough to overcome the needs and cravings of your ego and make the right decision.' I explained.

'You know, my father always scolded me for that; for giving in to my emotions to the detriment of society. He called them a weakness in a cop.' Garrus admitted.

'Mercy, is the sole domain of the strong.' I agreed.

'It's odd, isn't it? That Turians, Krogans and Humans all reached the same conclusions?' Garrus mused.

'Not so odd, I think. After all, overcoming our base emotions and acting with reason is how we create a society.' I mused.

'Is that why Tuchanka is a blasted wasteland?' Garrus teased.

'Yeah, it is. Krogans see weakness as a sin. If mercy is a strength then receiving it, needing it? That must be a weakness. We give into our anger and lash out at those who insult us. It's not great for building a society.' I agreed.

'You have a plan, of course.' Garrus stated with the expectation he was right.

'I do.' I nodded.

'What is it?' he asked.

'How else to we change the behavior of a society? Education. Of course, we'll need a centralized government first. And an influx of fresh Krogan minds to mold, first.' I admitted.

'Wrex. And the Genophage. You want to save the Krogan.' Garrus marveled.

'I want to save the Galaxy. The Krogan are a part of it.' I replied.

'You know, most sentients believe that Krogans lack the patience to achieve their ambitions.'

I smile back.

'Patience too can be taught.'

2185 CE

The problem with loyal, upright employees is that if you do things that are morally questionable, they tend to question it. The problem with corrupt employees is that you can't trust them.

Using family or friends side steps both those problems, but sometimes there's... unwanted emotional baggage attached.

'I need to find out if a particular group of survivors made it off of Peak 15.'

I sent the email.

2185 CE

'Alright, Krell. We're lightyears away from anyone on a planet on the ass end of nowhere and the only machinery anywhere near us is our Shuttle and this mech. You ready to spill the beans?' Shepard asked.

We were on Taitus in the Talava system of the Caleston rift. Just the three of us, Shepard, Kaidan, and I.

'Spill the beans about what?' Kaidan asked.

'He learned on Horizon' I reminded Shepard.

'He clearly didn't believe you. The joke's getting old. You can tell him here too.' Came the immediate response.

I rolled my eyes.

'Alright. Where to start?' I mused.

'Krell can see the future. He saved you from being killed on Virmire and he's got some plan involving Mordin and the genophage.' Shepard decided to end my fun.

'What?' Kaidan asked.

'She's not wrong. I mean, seeing the future isn't actually accurate, it's more like remembering a thousand versions of a future I wasn't involved in; and my plan is actually bigger than the Genophage. I want to save the galaxy, and I don't want to lose anyone I don't have to doing it.' I admitted.

'Ambitious.' Shepard commented.

'What?' Kaidan repeated.

'So, Mordin?' Shepard asked.

'Cures the Genophage, just like Garrus suspected.' I admitted.

'Wait, Garrus knows this too?' Kaidan protested.

'Everyone knows this. I admitted it after failing to save you at Virmire.'

'But you did save me at Virmire?' Kaidan replied.

'And I would have known that, if you hadn't gotten my shuttle blown up in the process.' I snarked right back.

'So you wouldn't have told us?' Shepard accused.

'I don't know... maybe? I didn't exactly plan it one way or another. I just assumed the Council would tell you, or the Alliance, or I would give you enough clues that eventually you'd figure it out yourselves and confront me over it.' I admitted.

'What clues?' Kaidan asked.

'I guess that's fair. It's not like you were sitting back and letting the rest of us risk our lives without you.' Shepard agreed.

'No, seriously. What clues?' Kaidan asked.

'Stuff like stopping the First Contact War, or knowing what the Reapers were and their history.' I explained.

'You stopped the First Contact War? ... Wait, that's right! You were there at the treaty signing! You stopped the First Contact War!' Kaidan realized.

'Well, I stopped it earlier than it would have been stopped otherwise, anyway.' I admitted.

'So the Genophage?' Shepard asked.

'The mission on Tuchanka was the key. With or without me there Mordin was going to try and cure the Genophage after seeing that. There are a bunch of fertile Krogan females affected by Maelon's cure that escaped, but they're dying. STG picks them up when Mordin puts in his report about Maelon so that Maelon's cut off from Genophage data.'

'And you're okay with that?' Shepard asks.

'They're dying, and there aren't any Krogan doctors with a sufficient education to help. Krogan or Salarians kill them before learn enough. The STG are the only ones capable of keeping them alive right now. Not just medically, but from assassination.' I explained.

'I'm sorry. You're part of a conspiracy to cure the Genophage?' Kaidan asked, trying to wrap his head around these new revelations.

'It's not a conspiracy if I'm the only one who knows about it.' I rebuke, conveniently forgetting to mention that Wrex also knows; and also that Mordin is part of the conspiracy even if he doesn't know it, and Shepard and Garrus are both aware of it too.

'We know.' Shepard helpfully points out.

'Huh, I guess it is technically a conspiracy, then.' I admit.

'Okay, so fertile Krogan females, in STG custody. How does this lead to the Genophage being cured and Mordin dying?' Shepard asked.

'Mordin dies!?' Kaidan shouts.

'So did you, on Virmire. I fixed that. This is just... harder.' I admitted.

'You knew about Virmire ahead of time. You knew about the cure.' Shepard realized.

'I did. I knew all about the cure. It was developed by Binary Helix on Noveria, Benezia got it to Saren on Noveria.' I agreed.

'That's why you gave me that speech about the Protheans and how long they were fighting the Reapers instead of being ready to fight me like Wrex. You already knew that the Krogan would be cured.' Shepard replied.

'No matter what, after Tuchanka Mordin works on a cure. He never survives, but he's most effective if a number of very specific variables are met.' I explain.

'What are the variables?' Kaidan asked.

'First, and this is the most important, Wrex had to survive Virmire. Without Wrex, all hope of a civilized united Krogan is gone.'

'And me? How did saving me fit into your plan?' Kaidan asked.

I stared at him.

'That's why you saved me, right? To help cure the Genophage?' Kaidan insisted.

'Kaidan, You're neither a Krogan nor a scientist. How the hell would you surviving help cure the Genophage?' I asked, honestly puzzled.

'I have to, right? That's why you saved me.' Kaidan insisted.

I looked at Kaidan as if he were an idiot. I couldn't help it. It was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard in my life, and my life was pretty long.

'Kaidan, You're part of the crew. I don't need another reason to save you. I'm trying to save the Galaxy from the Reapers. You're actively helping with that.'

Kaidan blinked.

'That never occurred to you did it?' Shepard asked.

'You know, honestly Ma'am? It didn't.'

Shepard closed her eyes and rested her face in her palm.

'Alright then, Wrex survives, what next?' Shepard asked, guiding us back on topic.

'Next is Mordin's mission on Tuchanka. It's his 'Road to Damascus' moment, to borrow a human expression. His 'heel realization', to borrow another. After Tuchanka, Mordin realized what he had done and that the only way to make amends was to fix his mistake. Don't call it a mistake though, he'll never admit to that.'

'But why do we need Mordin to cure the Genophage at all? Wrex and I already saved a vial of the cure on Virmire.' Shepard asked.

'You did?' I lit up.

'You told me to, and you gave a pretty good reason too.' Shepard replied.

'Make sure Mordin has a copy of that data. Don't let him know Wrex has one too. Mordin needs it before he leaves the Normandy.'

Shepard nodded her assent.

'So, you remember how I said that the fertile Krogan females were picked up by STG? Mordin rejoins as a specialist to help them. The existence of Maelon's data helps him keep one alive, 'Eve' he calls her. She's a stabilizing force on Wrex. As long as Wrex and Eve both survive, you get the army you'll need to save Earth, and the Krogan aren't wiped out fighting the Reapers.'

'Wait, back up a second, save Earth?' Kaidan asks.

"Right. That's where you come in. And honestly, I'm kind of winging it on this part since you were, you know, supposed to be dead and all, but Shepard has a problem with credibility. She worked for Cerberus--'

"Cerberus works for me!' Shepard interrupts angrily.

'--and also, she was dead until Cerberus resurrected her.' I continued as if I weren't interrupted.

Kaidan nodded to show he was following.

'So until concrete proof of Shepard's claims exist, she can't do much to help the war effort after this whole thing with the Collectors is over. She's going to be safe, but in semi-protective custody right until the Reapers hit Earth.' I added.

'How do we fix that?' Shepard asked.

'We don't. The alternative is that the Batarians probably kill you and start a war with Earth. Which means we need someone who was always part of the Alliance, and never explicitly working for Cerberus who can act as an advocate in your stead.'

'Me. That's why you made sure to get those orders from Alliance Command for me. That's why I'm spying on Shepard and Cerberus.' Kaidan realized.

'In your defense, you're very bad at your job.' I offered.

'How is that a defense! Also, you blew my cover the second we met Shepard! I didn't even realize I was supposed to be under cover yet!' Kaidan shot back.

'Yeah, I guess I did do that, didn't I?' I grinned.

'So, I'm locked up, and Kaidan ends up preparing Earth to fight the Reapers?' Shepard asked.

'You get free when the Reapers hit. You take the Normandy. Anderson remains behind to coordinate the resistance. Hackett escapes with the fleet.' I agree.

'Wait, Anderson? Isn't he the Councilor?' Shepard questions.

'He gives it up to Udina. This is a terrible idea because Udina betrays the Citadel to Cerberus and Cerberus attacks it and tries to murder the Council. It's a whole big thing. Ashley and Thane are both there I think. It probably kills Thane, but not only is he okay with that, he's actually looking forward to it. I plan to tell Ashley a few days ahead of time, but I don't want to ruin the preparations too soon because if I do, Cerberus will probably try and figure out some other way to attack the Citadel. I'm pretty sure at that point Cerberus are indoctrinated and working for the Reapers, I should mention. Just in case this seems out of character for them.'

'It really doesn't.' Kaidan grumped.

'This cell's okay.' Shepard defended.

'This cell was specifically prepared to appeal to you. It's a light optimistic and friendly face Cerberus is putting forward to try and sway you.' I admit.

Kaidan and Shepard both needed a few seconds to take that in.

'So how do we kill them?' Kaidan asks.

'The Crucible. In the original timeline, Liara discovered it right around the time the Reapers invaded Earth. You had to pick her and the plans up on Mars. You'll probably still need to do that by the way. I'm planning on being on Mars, and so is Liara, I think.'

'You said in the original timeline?' Shepard asked.

'The version of history where I don't interfere. The one I remember; where I died fighting my ex wife.' I admit.

Kaidan raised an eyebrow, but otherwise doesn't comment. Shepard motions me to go on.

'So, I don't know if you remembered, but while I was on Mars last time helping you guys study the Protheans, I led you guys to discover the deeper levels of the Archives. That's where the Crucible plans were held. I published a paper with them, and I told you about them, and Udina and Anderson too. The whole Galaxy knows about the Crucible and we've got at least a two years head start on building it. Once it's built all we need to do is to hook it up to the Catalyst, which is in the Citadel, and decide what to do about the Reapers. Don't you know, mention that we need to use the Citadel to kill the Reapers. It's probably a bad idea for anyone else to know that until it's too late for the Reapers to stop it. We don't want the council races warring over the Citadel.'

'Makes sense. Decide?' Shepard asked.

'Broadly speaking, I think there are four choices. Only one of which is possible for you to survive.' I admitted.

'You setting me up for a heroic sacrifice?' Shepard asked.

'I trust your judgment. I have my preference, of course, but honestly? It has to be you. Someone else might get it wrong.'

'Thanks, Mordin.' Shepard retorted.

'I think you're Mordin in this scenario, Commander.' Kaidan corrected.

'You're not helping.' Shepard glared.

'Broadly speaking, there are four choices. The first is to do nothing and let the Reapers annihilate us in the hope that next cycle can fix things.'

'That's the Prothean response?' Shepard snarked.

'Just so.' I laughed.

'What's the second option?' Shepard asked.

'The rest of the options actually depend a lot on how prepared we are. Next year, most of our work is going to be recruiting armies, brokering Galactic peace, and recruiting scientists, materials, and other assets for building the Crucible. The stronger we are militarily and the better built the Crucible is the better the outcome.'

'How does military strength help?' Kaidan asks.

'We're probably going to have to deliver the Crucible to the Citadel under extremely heavy fire. Our military assets will ensure it gets there in one piece.'

Kaidan nodded his understanding.

'So the second option?' Shepard prodded.

'Do something about the Reapers. That'll take the form of one of three choices. Destruction, Control, or Synthesis.'

'What's Destruction?' Shepard inquired.

'It's the option you survive, assuming you build up a large enough army. It destroys all synthetic life in the Galaxy. If you're prepared enough, not only do you survive but so does all organic life in the galaxy. If you're not? Almost all life in the Galaxy will be annihilated.'

'If it kills the Reapers, it sounds like the best choice.' Shepard admitted.

'All Synthetic life includes beings like EDI and the Geth. It also potentially destroys all the Relays. Finally, it doesn't necessarily solve the problem the Catalyst was created to solve. That can be fixed I suppose, assuming Organics are on top of things, but I assure you, wholesale destruction will seem like a worse choice soon enough.'

'The Geth?' Shepard asked.

'You'll see.' I offered.

'What's Control?' Shepard asked.

'You sacrifice your physical form to replace the Catalyst and take over the Reaper fleet. It damages the relays, but you can have the Reapers repair them. I think you may technically end up immortal in that one. I don't trust it though. With Reapers, you're never actually the person in command, especially when you think you are.'

Shepard nodded. She understood the dangers of Indoctrination, and how I felt about it.

'What's Synthesis then?' She asked.

'My preference. The Catalyst's too, I think. Now, I'm not a geneticist, but the way it was explained to you in the future--'

'That's a hell of a sentence.' Kaidan interjected.

'The way it was explained to you in the future, you end up adding your energy to the Crucible's to create a new organo-synthetic DNA. This alters all the inhabitants of the Milky Way on a genetic level to become Synthesized beings. Synthetic life, including the Reapers, survive, but since there's no organic-synthetic conflict anymore, they stop trying to wipe us out, and even share the knowledge of civilizations long destroyed and rebuild the relays of their own will.'

'But it leaves the Reapers around.' Shepard observed.

'But also beings like EDI, and the Geth. And you know my opinion on Genocide.' I argued.

'Don't resort to it unless you're willing to have it used on you.' Shepard nodded.

'Do genetics even work like that?' Kaidan asks.

'Damn it man, I'm a poet not a doctor.' I replied.

'Don't you have multiple doctorates?' Shepard asked.

'None of them are in anything relating to widespread rewriting of the genetics of the entire Milky Way.' I confessed.

'Then... maybe we shouldn't do that?' Kaidan suggested.

'Look, I can't make this decision, and I can't trust it to anyone else. Can you imagine the Illusive Man as the guiding mind behind the Reapers? Only a person capable of uniting the galaxy as one can be trusted with this sort of responsibility.' I admitted.

'And that's me?' Shepard asked, unbelieving.

'Not yet. But once the time comes? I think it will be.' I reassured her.

'This is why you care so much about justice and morality, isn't it?' Shepard accused.

'No. I've always cared about justice and morality. This is why I want you to care about them.' I corrected.

'Commander Shepard, Savior of the Universe... I can see it.' Kaidan admitted.

'Only cause you're still alive to do so! Without Krell, I would have gotten you killed.' Shepard shot back.

'You might have. But I think my decision to volunteer probably had a bit of weight there. Sometimes you need to sacrifice in order to win. I knew that when I enrolled in the military, and you do too, I think.' Kaidan replied.

'This is what you're thinking about all the time?' Shepard asked me.

'Not all the time. But on and off for the last two thousand years or so? Yeah. Moreso recently since you were born.' I agreed.

'How do you deal with it?' Shepard asked.

'As best I can. You take it one step at a time. You look forward. You don't look back. You trust your friends and allies. And you pay enough attention to know who those are, and who they aren't. You share knowledge. You know your limitations and where best to use your strengths.'

'I should go.' Shepard declared, clearly overwhelmed.

Kaidan put a hand on my shoulder as Shepard departed.

'She'll get used to it. I know you know that, but the Commander can deal with this. She just needs a bit.' Kaidan reassured me.

'I know.' I agreed.

'Oh, and Krell? Thanks. For saving me.'

'Any time, Kaidan. Any time.'

Author's Notes: The Future, by Leonard Cohen is honestly a song that in retrospect could apply to this entire story just as well as Til I Change Your Mind, by Teddy Swims. 'The Future' all about accepting that you're losing control of the future and that it's gonna be a total shit show. It's also about rejecting a society that is fundamentally corrupt. Also, there's Christian symbolism in it. This story definitely wasn't written with the Jesus analogies in mind but in retrospect I can get why people keep seeing them.

Initially I thought I was writing a story about the power of openness and honesty, about fairness, and caring and justice and morality. The song 'Til I Change Your Mind' is about educating people as to the inherent injustice in the universe and acting to change that with words and debate. It's about making enemies into friends and allies. Inherently the song is hopeful. I'm hopeful that I'm still writing that story.

There's a concept from Judaism which actually undergirds a lot of Jesus' teachings; the idea of 'Tikkun Olam', which is a sort of ethical and ritual obligation to undertake acts intended to repair and improve the world. Basically the fundamental idea is that the world is in some way broken, but through concerted action it can be fixed; that we can make the world a better place by taking steps to fix injustice and to be kind. That's the basis behind the genesis of Krell as a character; that you cannot fix a broken galaxy through cruelty. The teachings of Jesus also mirror this idea. Of course they do, they're from the same source. Krell has his own take on the concept, but it's the same underlying concept that Jesus believed in.

Krell wants to live in a just universe. He wants his friends and comrades to live in a just universe. But I think most importantly, Krell believes that the way to accomplish that is through just acts.

Krell is also a Krogan. He has an urge to violence built not just into his culture, but to his very genetics. Of course, so do Humans. When Krell says that Humans are the most Krogan-like of all the races in the Mass Effect universe he means that on a very fundamental level, Humans face the same problems of wrath and anger. He likes Humans because Humanity has managed to build a society of rules in which, no matter how much you want to murder your neighbor and take his stuff, most people don't actually end up doing that.

You can't run a totalitarian society in a manner that is just. It's not possible. If Krell is the one making all the decisions for everyone then no matter how little harm occurs, no matter how many people are saved, that society is not going to be just. Of course, there's also the problem of Pragmatism. In a perfect Galaxy, Krell could share all of his knowledge and not have to worry about the knock on effects causing even worse suffering. The Mass Effect Universe is very much not a perfect Galaxy.

So, if you're just one person, and your only advantage is that you have knowledge beyond those around you, how do you fix the galaxy?

You teach.

I guess what I'm saying is that the story I want to write, the moral I want to convey, is that we can make a better world together through kindness and generosity. But also, I want to write a story that's funny. And also I want to write fun space battles and skullduggery. And finally, I want to stretch myself as a writer to see how far I can go. Those goals don't always align, and I feel like that's actually what makes Krell an interesting character: he wants to save everyone, he wants to make a more just universe, he wants to have fun doing it, and he wants to crush anyone who wants to stop him; in roughly that order. What makes him fun for me to write is where those particular motivations shine, abrade against each other, and intersect.