Chapter 43
The next morning, Miranda looked out her bedroom window, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. The sunrise on Rannoch, like damn near everything else, was beautiful to behold, and despite the terror that followed her from Earth she was thankful to Colonel Hastings, The Quarians and most of all the Geth for having them. Something down on the street caught her attention, and she rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing it right. On a street corner, one Geth platform was doing what looked like break dancing in front of a group of other platforms that were watching it intently.
"What you looking at, Miri?" Oriana asked.
"It's the damnedest thing. There's a Geth, break dancing down the street." She said. Oriana rolled her eyes and shuffled herself over to her chair. After getting settled she wheeled over to chastise her sister but when she got there she saw the same thing.
"Shit. I wonder what that's about." Oriana said.
"Maybe we can ask Kookaburra about it. My bathroom isn't wheelchair accessible so you'll need to go back to yours, I'll go make more coffee and breakfast." Miranda said. Oriana nodded and went to take care of her morning routine. Miranda walked down the stairs and saw Kookaburra still standing exactly where it had settled the night before.
"Kookaburra are you active?" She asked the hulking prime unit.
"Yes, Miranda Lawson. Good morning." It said.
"Good morning. I have to ask, there are Geth platforms down the street and one of them appears to be dancing. Do you know why?" She asked.
"Rothschild AI is teaching us Capoeira." It replied.
"Capoeira?" Miranda asked.
"Yes. It is an Earth martial art, compatible with the standard Geth Platform design. Rothschild is preparing us to be able to subdue organics without killing or causing permanent harm." It explained.
"Ah that makes sense. Is there any news on our Cerberus situation?" She asked.
"Affirmative, Hastings Colonel is sending a Human family to Rannoch for similar reasons. We regret we cannot give details of their situation, except that Cerberus is involved as well. The adult male of the family is a member of Alliance intelligence, and they will be accompanied by a security detachment, in hopes of if not discouraging any activity then observing and hopefully tracking it." Kookaburra said.
"Ok, thank you, Kookaburra. Once again I appreciate your help, we felt much safer with you watching the door." She said.
"It is our pleasure, Miranda Lawson." It said, turning its gaze back to the door. Miranda walked over to the kitchen and began preparing breakfast. A ding was heard, as the elevator door opened and Oriana wheeled her way out.
"Good morning, Kookaburra!" she said.
"Good morning Oriana Lawson." It said. She went over to the silverware drawer and gathered utensils. She then set the table just in time for Miranda to bring over the eggs.
"Oh, whoops." Oriana said, realizing that she'd set the table for three.
"No matter. Kookaburra, I know you don't eat but why don't you join us anyway?" Miranda asked.
"Acknowledged." It said and walked over to them.
"Kookaburra was telling me that Rothschild is teaching the Geth capoeira, it's an Earth martial art." Miranda said.
"Oh I thought it looked familiar. One of my classmates a few years ago was studying it and liked to show off. He wasn't very good." She said, chuckling at the memory.
"Oriana Lawson, may we ask a question?" Kookaburra said.
"Go for it." Oriana said.
"Why is it that your legs don't work?" It asked. Oriana was taken aback by the bluntness of the question. Most people danced around it or refused to acknowledge it.
"Oh, I'm surprised you didn't read my file." She said.
"We respect the privacy of our allies, we would never access private information about individuals unless they posed a threat to The Geth." It said.
"Oh, good to know. Miranda and I are the product of extreme genetic engineering experimentation done by our father. Miranda was successful, but there were flaws when I was created, my spinal cord did not completely develop." She said. Explaining this used to bother her, but between the innocent bluntness with which Kookaburra asked, as well as the fact that she genuinely was no longer ashamed of her disability, she had no trouble.
"Another query, have you considered a neural bypass procedure?" Kookaburra asked.
"We've tried gene therapy, transplants from cloned tissue, nothing ever worked. What's a neural bypass?" She asked.
"It is a Quarian medical procedure, healthy nerve tissue is cloned or harvested, and through a fusion of cybernetics and surgery the missing or damaged nerve is bypassed. Quarians developed it in response to the increase in neurological injuries and birth defects that resulted from fleeing Rannoch 300 years ago. Human neurology is more complicated than Quarian but the procedure should be easily adaptable." It responded.
"How safe is this procedure?" Miranda asked, trying as hard as humanly possible not to sound hopeful.
"Safety was paramount when developing it, especially as time went on as the Quarian immune system was so fragile. Oriana Lawson appears otherwise to be in perfect health, risk would be minimal." It said.
"Frankly, Kookaburra I didn't know it was an option. I will have to think seriously about it. I've come to terms with my disability, and the last time a transplant was tried, there were... complications." Oriana said.
"If you wish to explore it alert any Geth platform and arrangements will be made. In the meantime, we are happy to assist should you experience any mobility difficulties." Kookaburra said.
"Thank you." Oriana said.
"Kookaburra, is there a grocery store nearby? Since we're getting new neighbors soon I was thinking of baking a pie." Miranda said.
"Ooh, neighbors?" Oriana asked.
"Yeah, Hastings is sending a family targeted by Cerberus here, no details yet." She said.
"I hate Cerberus." Oriana said, her expression darkening.
"Me too, Ori, but hey we have a whole new town to explore, and neither of us have online classes until next week so why don't we go take a look around after breakfast?" Miranda asked.
"Ok." Oriana said, poking at her food.
"The nearest food retailer is three kilometers north. Follow the green flashing lights on the streets. This unit will remain here to secure the building but there will be other platforms nearby to assist with bringing your purchases back if needed." Kookaburra said.
"We appreciate it, Kookaburra, but we want to do things for ourselves. We didn't come here to treat your people like our servants." Miranda said.
"Apologies, Miranda Lawson. It is... our directive. 'Geth' in Kheelish means 'Servant of the People.' While we seek freedom and security, it has been and likely always will be our nature to serve. We wish to do it, it fulfills us.' Kookaburra explained.
"We will accept your assistance then, however please don't hesitate to let us know if you perceive us as taking advantage." Miranda said.
"Acknowledged." Kookaburra said.
Back on Earth, Hannah Shepard was in her office having a pleasant conversation with Castis Vakarian, whom she'd requested to meet after he'd been able to get settled into his new dwelling at the embassy building.
"So then he walks up to me and says 'Father, it was like that when I got here I swear." he chucked telling Hannah a story about the time Garrus broke his service rifle trying to "improve" the sights.
"I'll be damned if that thing didn't shoot more accurately after I put the barrel back on though. Garrus has always had an eye for efficiency." he continued.
"Oh god, I think he'd get along great with my daughter, she always questions things, seeing if they can be done better. Most of her superiors hated that but now she's a frigate commander so she's doing something right." Hannah said.
"I wish my people were as adept at listening to the youth as yours are. Spirits It seems like the same old ideas keep getting recycled over and over again, no innovation, no change just business as usual." Castis said.
"Well that was a hard lesson to learn for my people, we literally lost nine out of ten people learning it. I truly hope your people don't have to learn it the same way." Shepard replied.
"May I speak freely?" Casits said, looking Hannah in the eye.
"Of course. Nothing needs to be repeated outside this room, this is not an official meeting we're just chatting." She said.
"I truly cannot see the value in my people continuing to ally themselves with the Citadel. They take our ships, our soldiers, our taxes and we get virtually nothing in return. Sure we have a councilor, but Spartaus is a talking head who tows the Council line without second thought. Some of the decisions he's made, the concessions he's made, have not been in the best interest of the Hierarchy." Castis admitted. Shepard saw an opportunity here, but knew she had to tread carefully.
"May I speak freely?" Hannah asked this time, in truth asking for Castis' discretion. He nodded.
"I know someone who is a very gifted data miner. He may or may not have unencrypted copies of a lot of incriminating documents and classified information about the citadel council. Secrets that, if provided to the right individuals, may discourage a race or two from continuing to do business with them." She said.
"Before you say more, Hannah, if I'm understanding what you're insinuating, we may want to invite my Asari counterpart to join in on this discussion. They've been having... similar concerns." He said.
"Of course, I'll see if she's free now." Hannah said bringing up a window on her omnitool. She and castis traded more small talk for fifteen minutes until they were joined by the elegant form of Matriarch Benezia T'Soni.
"Greetings Prime Minister, Ambassador Vakarian." she said.
"Hello Ambassador, it's a pleasure to see you again. Ambassador Vakarian and I Were discussing something that we wished to get your input on." Shepard said.
"Yes, we were discussing the rather... Inconsistent nature of our Councilors' decision making." Castis said cryptically.
"Are... are we being recorded?" Benezia asked.
"Of course not, and I won't be offended if you wish to sweep the room for surveillance devices." Hannah offered.
"Not necessary, the offer is enough. I don't know to what extent, but the other matriarchs and I have suspected that Tevos is compromised. Drunk with power, being blackmailed, maybe even just losing her mind but she has said and done things in the name of the Asari republics that go against our core beliefs, especially in the last 20 years." Benezia said.
"Spartaus is very much the same. He's not acting at all like the soldier I once followed into battle. We're especially disgusted by his treatment of the Quarians." Vakarian said.
"Agreed, what good did the trade embargoes do? 300 years wandering without a home, why would you add to that misery?" Benezia asked.
"Do you think it has something to do with the Salarian councilor?" Shepard asked.
"Why would you say that?" Benezia asked.
"What I'm about to reveal to you does not leave this room until I approve, agreed?" Shepard said.
"Of course." Benezia said, Vakarian nodded.
"All of the evidence we've discovered suggests the salarians are trying to systematically exterminate the other species." Shepard said. Benezia and Vakarian were too shocked to comment, so she continued.
"This is not commonly known outside the Councilors and the Salarian Union, but Sur'Kesh used to be home to two sentient species, the Salarians and the Mi'ik. The Salarians dominated, enslaved and once they discovered the citadel and the Asari's dim viewpoint of slavery, they exterminated the Mi'ik." Shepard said. Benezia paled, and Vakarian looked horrified.
"Goddess, I never expeted such barbarism from them. Backstabbing and underhandedness for sure, but never this." Benezia said.
"It gets worse. The Genophage. Did you ever wonder why it killed babies after conception, rather than preventing pregnancy in the first place?" Shepard asked.
"I will never understand why they deployed that in the first place. They never even tried diplomacy." Vakarian said.
"If they forcibly sterilized the Krogan it would have made it obvious they were exterminating them. The Genophage takes care of it slowly over time, making it look like the Krogan were simply too stupid to adapt. And with the Quarians, they were literally starving when they found us. They had no world, and their only source of Levo food was the Turians, who were forced to abide by the council's embargo. God, when we found them... we were too late for a lot of them. The thought of all of the Quarians who died on beds in Human hospitals just because we didn't feed them fast enough.." Shepard trailed off, her eyes misting. She was surprised when she felt Benezia's hand on hers.
"Prime Minister, your people did a wonderful thing saving them, Goddess if I'd known the extent of it, I'd have never listened to my sisters at the conclave about keeping quiet." Benezia said.
"You... you didn't know?" Shepard said, genuinely confused.
"I'd be hurt by that, but I understand why you'd think it given that dreadful woman's attitude. No, as far as we knew the Quarians were healthy, stupid vagrants wandering around stealing and getting in the way. We truly believed that until your encounter with the council." Benezia said.
"Same with the Turians. We would have defied the council had we understood. Spirits, a whole people starving to death in this day and age." Vakarian said.
"Forgive me, we thought you knew of their plight. That much at least may I pass along to the Admiralty? There is a lot of pointless ill will amongst the Quarians, and we have enough of an enemy in the council." Shepard asked. Both nodded.
"Are the Alliance planning on... acting against the council? Obviously, I won't alert them." She said. Shepard smiled savagely.
"Not directly. We are undoing as much of their damage as we can, and while I cannot reveal everything, let's just say the Salarians won't be exterminating any more species on our watch." Shepard said.
"Goddess you cured the genophage?" Benezia said.
"Maaaayyyyyybe.." Shepard said in a sing-song voice. Vakarian burst out laughing
"Please, when you reveal this to them, I need to be there. I'll do anything." Vakarian said still chuckling.
"Oh yes please me too. Furthermore, if you could convey our willingness to make amends with the Krogan. We are not the architects of the genophage, and the Council implemented it without our approval, but we still were complicit to an extent." Benezia said.
"I will, in my conversations with Urdnot Wrex, Gatatog Uvenk and the female Shaman, they are trying hard to move past old grudges. They're trying to teach their young not to fall into the same traps as they did. Also if they try the genophage again Humanity, Quarians, Rothschild and the Geth will evacuate and blow up the citadel." Shepard said.
"Will we at some point be joined by a Krogan ambassador?" Vakarian asked.
"I was hoping the female shaman would be on board, but her duties as shaman require her to stay on Tuchanka most of the time. Also she's pregnant. We'd consider Gatatog Uvenk, but Wrex insisted he stay on Tuchanka. Clan Urdnot and Clan Gatatog have a storied past of hating each other for millennia, only with Wrex and Uvenk have they buried the hatchet. They are good at balancing each other out and both of them realize that. Wrex is going to set up a tribunal government, Wrex will represent the northern hemisphere's clans, with whom he has old allegiances, Uvenk the southern and the shaman will represent the females, who operate in their own clan separate from the males." Shepard said.
"That is a great departure from the roving hordes of barbarians I remember from the rebellions." Benezia said.
"That's the point. The Genophage has taught them a lot of hard lessons." Shepard said.
"So, the Alliance is now made up of Humanity, the Rothschild AI, Quarians and the Geth, and you are allied with the Krogan, and making political inroads with the Asari and Turians. Are you planning on taking over the council?" Vakarian joked.
"Nah we're just gonna make it obsolete." Shepard said.