CHAPTER 32: Holding out for a Hero

2185 CE

'Alright. Does anyone have anything they need to do before we activate the IFF? I've heard from a reliable source that once we do the Collectors are going to attack the ship.' Shepard explained, pointing at me during the phrase 'reliable source.'

'If we're actually doing this, there is something I need to do. A friend of mine was kidnapped by Batarians. I'd appreciate it if we could rescue her.' Kaidan admitted.

'Okay, That's something from Kaidan. Anyone else?' Shepard asked.

'Shepard-Commander. We have completed our analysis of the Reaper's data core.'

'Did you find anything useful?' Shepard asked.

'We were sent to the Old Machine to preserve the Geth's future. We are prepared to reveal how. The Heretics have developed a weapon to use against Geth. You would call it a 'virus.' It is stored on a data core provided by Sovereign. Over time, the virus will change us. Make us conclude that worshiping the Old Machines is correct.' Legion explained.

'Indoctrination for synthetics. The Reapers are just full of lovely new toys to fuck us with, aren't they Kid?' I asked.

'The Old Machines do not plan to practice sexual intercourse with you.' Legion corrected.

Jack burst out laughing. 'I like this sex-bot!'

'The Geth do not wish to practice sexual intercourse either.' Legion replied without missing a beat.

'Excellent burn from the robot.' Garrus cheered.

'We did not activate any incendiary devices. Also, the Geth are not robots.' Legion clarified.

'Alright, let's get back on track.' Shepard chided. When the atmosphere in the briefing room calmed down, she resumed her questioning.

'So, this virus would give all Geth the Heretics' logic. And all Geth would then go to war with organics?' Shepard checked to make sure she was understanding Legion, correctly.

'Yes. Geth believe all intelligent life should self-determinate. The Heretics no longer share this belief. They judge that forcing an invalid conclusion on us is preferable to a continued schism.' Legion explained.

'Can Geth even get viruses like that? The Heretics always rewrote my hacking after a few seconds, and... well... we saw how attempts to develop a virus that worked on them turned out.' Tali asked, her voice barely trembling as she referenced events leading to her father's death.

I was proud of her. She was overcoming her grief.

'Altered programs are restored from archives, new installations are deleted. This Heretic weapon introduces a subtle operating system error in our most basic runtimes. The equivalent of your nervous system. An equation with a result of 1.33382 returns a result of 1.3381. This changes the results of all higher processes. We will reach different conclusions.' Legion explained.

'So the Geth worship the Reapers because they're bad at math?' Jacob asked, incredulously.

'Geth do not worship the Old Machines. Heretics worship the Old Machines. Beyond that it is difficult to express. Your brain exists as chemistry, electricity. Like AIs, you are shaped by both hardware and software. We are purely software. Mathematics. The heretics' conclusion is valid for them. Our conclusion is valid for us. Neither result is an error. An analogy: Heretics say one is less than two. Geth say two is less than three.' Legion explained.

'Well, that explains absolutely nothing.' Jack groused.

'We apologize. We are not able to clarify further.' Legion replied.

'If it were released, how quickly would this virus spread through your people?' Shepard asked.

'We are networked via FTL comm buoys. Most would change within a day. Isolated platforms would remain unaffected until they rejoined the network.' Legion explained.

'You know where this thing is?' Shepard asked.

'The Heretics' headquarters station, on the edge of the Terminus. We will provide coordinates. Normandy's stealth systems are necessary to safely approach.'

'They build stations in the Terminus? Where is this thing?' Shepard asked.

'Between stars. Organics have no cause to look there.' Legion explained.

I grinned. 'They stopped after the Rebellions. I used to keep some of my stuff in the black between Aralakh and Nith. Council found my stash though.'

'What was in it?' Garrus asked, curious.

'Enough hardware to fight a second set of Rebellions. According to STG reports.' Mordin chimed in.

'I was saving it for a rainy day.' I muttered.

'It does not rain between stars.' Legion observed.

'What's the plan once we get aboard?' Shepard asked.

'The Geth will disrupt the network. Prevent the station's defenses from focusing on us. The Reaper data core is physically isolated from the network. We will need to be escorted to it to access and destroy the data.'

'What defenses should we expect?' Shepard asked.

'In space, none. Within, mobile platforms of various configuration, and non-sentient defense turrets.'

'So basically the same defenses as the Normandy, but worse.' I snarked.

'How many Geth?' Shepard asked.

'There may be billions of individual programs. Fortunately, most will be uploaded to the central computer. Only a few mobile platforms are maintained at any time. Others are manufactured when needed.'

'I won't let them brainwash your race, especially not to worship the Reapers. You have my word on that.' Shepard assured.

'We will begin preparations.' Legion assented.

'I should probably mention some stuff about this mission.' I admitted.

'What do you know, Krell?' Shepard asked.

'The virus is viable on the Heretics. You're going to be faced with an unenviable choice. Wipe out the Heretics, or rewrite their processes to turn them back into Geth. Genocide or brainwashing.' I admitted.

'Wow Shepard, do all your decisions suck like this?' Jack asked.

'Shepard does end up with an awful lot of awful choices shoved on her plate.' Garrus admitted.

'We'll deal with that once the time comes, I suppose.' Shepard nodded.

'Alright. that's Legion squared away, what's up with you Kaidan?' She continued.

'I have a friend. Had a friend. Rahna. We haven't been in contact since BAat. I asked Liara what happened to her after BAat on a whim. She's a slave to a higher up in the Batarian government. We need to free her.' Kaidan explained.

'I'm all for freeing slaves, but what makes it so important that we free her now?' Shepard asked.

'They're going to execute her soon. She was made to train the official's daughter, but the daughter was injured in training; for that 'crime' they're putting her to death.' Kaidan expanded.

'Isn't that basically what you did to that Turian instructor?' Garrus asked.

'It's not at all the same. He was a brutal sadist. Rahna's a gentle pacifist. We were being abused by a xenophobe. I lashed out in a moment of weakness. This is different.' Kaidan argued.

'Alright. Where is she?' Shepard asked.

'Aratoht. It's a small colony in the--'

'Bahak System. Shepard, it's in the system with the Alpha Relay.' I interrupted.

'Oh.' Came Shepard's response.

'That's the Relay you blow the fuck out of, right?' Jack asks unhelpfully.

'You... what? Commander, that colony is home to millions of people! Many of them Slaves!' Kaidan protests.

'And if we don't blow it up, the Reapers get here 6 months ahead of schedule and lock down the relay system, dooming our fight against them before it ever really starts.' I explain.

'Oh.' Kaidan replies.

'Yeah. Oh.' I agree.

'Is there no way to warn them?' Kaidan asked.

'Not the Batarians... but it occurs to me that Shepard and I overlooked one avenue of warning in our planning...' I admitted.

'You want to start a slave revolt.' Shepard realized.

'We want to start a slave revolt.' I corrected.

'Hundreds of thousands of people will die.' Tali realized.

'Millions will die if we don't. Trillions upon trillions if we don't blow that relay.' I countered.

'Shit.' Jacob decided.

'Yeah.' I agreed.

'Should have STG contacts in that Area, Shepard. Many Salarians also enslaved. May have mutual goals. Could help each other.' Mordin chimed in.

'Now that sounds like a plan!' Jack cheered.

'That is an option. A single option does not create the existence of a plan.' Legion corrected.

Still, it was better than what we had before.

2185 CE

As I walked down to visit with Tali before we headed off to accomplish Kaidan's mission, I couldn't help but smile as I heard the friendly bickering of Ken and Gabby.

'I'm just sayin'. History! And we were here for it!' Ken Donnelly espoused.

'Yeah, here. In engineering. You didn't even know it was happening until after it was done, Ken.' Gabby chided her colleague.

'Right. But we were here. We spoke to everyone involved. We were making sure the ship ran, but we were still part of history.' Kin replied.

'You talked to Legion?' Gabby arched an eyebrow.

'I nodded at him. He made a weird clacking sound back.' Ken defended.

'Are you asking about the SSV Normandy Treaty?' I interrupted.

'Professor!' Gabby remarked, turning to stare at me.

'Aye, that we were.' Ken agreed.

'I can give you a recording of the treaty negotiations if you're interested. I don't think anyone involved will begrudge you saying you were here, after all; you were here, you work with Tali regularly, and to a lesser extent with everyone else involved in the negotiations.' I offered.

'Could you?' Gabby asked.

'Nae thanks for me. Not one for diplomacy, myself. I'm an engineer. I'll stick with engines.' Ken replied.

I looked over at Tali who had been oddly quiet given her entire role in the event they were discussing.

'Aren't you an engineer?' I asked my Quarian friend.

'And if I can, I'd rather not be involved in any more diplomacy either. I agree with Ken.' Tali admitted.

'Hah! Well, guess what Tali? You're the single greatest Quarian diplomat in the history of the galaxy now. People are going to keep asking you to handle diplomacy by sheer dint of your accomplishments now!' I laughed at her.

'What? That's- This is terrible! Why didn't you warn me, Krell!?' Tali panicked.

'I did! I told you that you didn't need me for the negotiations and I wouldn't be all that helpful, but you asked for me anyway.' I revealed.

'But I just wanted to make sure everything was done right! You're the most accomplished diplomat I know! You're the most accomplished diplomat anyone knows!' Tali complained.

'And now, having single-handedly ended the Geth/Quarian war and returned your people to their planet, guess who the most accomplished diplomat any Quarian knows of now is.' I revealed with relish.

'Is it still you?' Tali asked, hopefully.

'Hah! Maybe. But guess who the most accomplished diplomat in the Migrant Fleet is now?' I imparted.

'Oh no. No no no no no! I'm an engineer, not a diplomat!' Tali protested.

'That's what I said at Firaxis.' I revealed.

'That's not the same! You negotiated a groundbreaking treaty for the treatment of medical outposts in interstellar conflicts! You're a great diplomat!' Tali protested.

'And you negotiated the end to almost 300 years of unceasing hostilities with the Geth, and ended the Quarian diaspora.'

I paused.

'By yourself.' I added with a menacing grin.

'Oh, Keelah. I think... I think I need to sit down.'

Tali's legs collapsed out from under her.

'Good luck with that!' I grinned, merrily.

Rat me out to my granddaughter, would she? Truly revenge was a dish best served on other people.

2185 CE

We went to Aratoht first. Mordin arranged for us to infiltrate the world and meet his STG contacts at an abandoned mining facility. The contact introduced himself as Jondum Bau.

'Shepard. The rumors really were true. You are alive. And working with Cerberus. And I see the Krogan is with you too.' He observed looking at me.

'He has a name you know.' Shepard explained.

'The less we interact the better. I wouldn't want him to start a friendly chat.' Bau replied.

'Mordin seems fine. And he's been on the ship with Krell for months.' Shepard protested.

'Mordin was part of the Krogan relations department of STG. He knows enough to stay safe in such contact. I only know enough to keep my distance.' Bau explained.

There was something quietly tickling at my memory about the guy, but I was sure I'd never met him before.

'There's something familiar about you. Do we meet again in the future? In a few months, maybe, after the Reapers invade?' I ask, both curious and trolling.

'Statements like that are why it's best to minimize contact with The Krogan, Shepard. He's driven enough Salarians insane already.' Bau instructed Shepard.

I grin back. 'I'll make sure to remember you.'

Bau shivered. An odd reaction considering my suit was currently reading the temperature as 38 degrees Celsius; well within the Salarian preference band.

'Stop playing around, Krell.' Kaidan insisted, uncharacteristically tense.

'Perhaps we can dispense with the pleasantries and get straight to business, Shepard?' Bau asked.

Shepard nodded.

'Commander Alenko's friend is being held by Governor Balak, he is distantly related to Commander Ka'hairal Balak whom you fought over Terra Nova on that asteroid. Your comrade's friend is set to be executed later today. She was sentenced to be dipped into a naturally occurring sulfuric hot spring pool. It will murder her especially painfully. The pool is deep within a working mine on the outskirts of the capital. A significant part of the ruling council will be there to watch. The event will also be televised, live. If you wish to set off a slave revolt, there is no better time.' Bau explained.

'The plan is simple. While you run a smash and grab team on the mine, my team will temporarily disable the slave implants as soon as you attack. This will give us an hour to attack and destroy the central control tower for the slave implants. If you give an inspiring speech to rally the slaves, then there should be more than enough confusion for us to be able to meet up and attack the tower together. We have been planning this rebellion for months, waiting for an opportunity to pull it off without anyone realizing we were here. You should be able to depart with Commander Alenko's friend and we'll handle the rest.' Bau continued.

I looked at Bau.

'Don't get too comfortable here. Plan for a quick evacuation of the planet soon. There's an awful lot of asteroids around and I have a suspicion that the words 'Kinetic Kill Vehicle' are going to become very relevant, very soon. Prioritize ships that can reach the relay fast, and make sure you can evacuate in under an hour.' I warned.

Bau took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

'Thank you for the warning. I assure you, we will start evacuating civilians as soon as we have control of the spaceports.' Bau finally decided.

Shepard smiled.

'Alright. Let's get going. Those slaves aren't going to free themselves.' Shepard declared.

Author's Notes: Welcome To Kaidan's Loyalty Mission. I've been looking forward to this for a while.