Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Gears of War/Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it. We're now nearing the end of this particular story arc. Stay tuned for more action!
As always, leave a review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gears of War or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, Microsoft Studios, The Coalition, Epic Games, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in this chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
Virmire
Saren's Base
March 20th, 2183
It turned out, the entrance to the back of Saren's base wasn't that far away to begin with. Moving along the walkways, Marcus and his team eventually came to another platform, whereupon he saw the back of the base. Up ahead, he could see a large deck that was enclosed by an overhanging roof, with the deck holding a pair of doors, as well as some cargo crates. Before them was another platform that had kinetic barriers deployed.
It wasn't unoccupied either, as Marcus spotted three Geth Snipers, as well as another Krogan. "LOOK OUT!" Baird shouted as he shoved Marcus behind a cargo crate, just as a gunshot rang out. "Fuckers are fortified along that balcony!"
"Then take them out!" Marcus snarled. Leaning out, Cole and Carmine began to fire their Lancers at the hostiles on the balcony. One Geth Sniper went down, squealing as it's electronic components were ripped apart by HESH rounds, while the remainder of them took cover.
Liara, spotting the Krogan, quickly took action. Using her biotic capabilities, she hurled the Krogan towards her, before lashing out with a biotic enhanced blow that saw her punch all the way through the Krogan's chest and out of it's back. Seeing the alien glowing, she quickly kicked it off the platform before it detonated. "Good catch!" Baird shouted.
"Thanks!" Liara replied, wincing as her chest ached in protest. "Damn, my chest," she groaned.
"You're gonna be OK," Kaidan reassured her. "You've been through worse."
"Attack!" Marcus shouted, before charging forwards, slipping into cover just before a Geth Sniper could fire at him. Popping out of cover, he and Cole fired on the two remaining Geth Snipers. Between the two Gears, and the rest of the squad, it wasn't long before those hostiles were gunned down. "All clear!" he reported a moment later. "Good work, people. We're one step closer to Saren."
"Agreed," Kaidan added. Looking at the door, he said, "Well, the front door's open, but I'll bet Saren's got something waiting for us in there."
"Yeah," Carmine agreed. "We'd be stupid to take the front door like this."
"Hey!" Baird shouted from down below. Turning around, Marucs and the others found that Baird had found a ramp that led down below into another portion of the base. "I say we sneak around and avoid getting shot in the ass for a change."
"Oh yeah!" Cole concurred. "I second that!"
"Thirded," Carmine remarked.
"Same here," Kaidan agreed, with Liara nodding.
"Carried, unanimously," Marcus added. With that, the team quickly made their way down below, where they saw what Baird had pointed out. Another door was up ahead, with the control panel glowing a nice forest green. Once the team stacked up, Marcus punched the console, with the door opening a moment later.
The door opened to what appeared to be a large tunnel that had sections up above that were open, as well as flat metal grating for the floor. Spaced at regular intervals were circular support beams, and Marcus could see that the floor slopped downwards. "Well," Kaidan remarked. "Looks like we found the entrance to the sewers."
"Welp, we did," Baird observed. "Reminds me of when we were in the Lethia Imulsion Facility. Cole and I had to go through the sewers, and there was shit everywhere."
"And like I said last time, a little bit o' this is good for ya," Cole added. "Builds your immune system."
"And just like I said last time, it also builds disease," Baird retorted good-naturedly.
"Enough," Marcus growled. "Let's move. The rest of the teams are counting on us to get in and cause trouble for the enemy." With that, everyone went quiet as they began to move through the sewers. From what the team could tell, the sewer system for the base was extensive, with other tunnels branching off from the one they were at. Most of these were sealed off with metal grating, but the path they took quickly led them to another door. "Here we go," Marcus informed them. "Cole, Baird, with me. Carmine, Kaidan, Liara, provide support."
"You got it," Cole acknowledged. With that, they stacked up on the door, before Marcus opened it. The door opened to a large underground chamber, likely where the processed wastewater first entered the sewers. To the right, one could see a ramp leading up to a walkway, as well as water pumps, while the left had a large wall, as well as a small gap that let sunlight in.
Marcus was about to move forwards when gunfire rang out, with some bullets splashing onto his barriers. Pulling back, Marcus spotted the source of the gunfire: a single Salarian that was shooting at them. "Cease fire!" Marcus shouted, but the Salarian didn't respond. Fighting back, Marcus shot twice, cutting down the alien in an instant. "What the hell was he thinking?!"
"Aw shit," Baird groused. "I guess we know what happened to the Salarians that Kirrahe lost. Saren's fucking brainwashed them."
"And indoctrinated them for good measure," Kaidan added.
"Motherfucker," Carmine snarled. "We'll kill his ass!"
"Keep moving," Marcus ordered. "Nothing we can do for him now. If we find any more Salarians that are indoctrinated, put them out of their misery. It's all we can do for them." The others grimly nodded, understanding the consequences of what they were going to have to do.
Pressing on, the team quickly moved up the ramp and onto the walkway. Spotting more indoctrinated Salarians, Marcus and the others opened fire, cutting down the poorly armored aliens like a scythe cutting through wheat stalks. "Over here!" Carmine shouted as he reached the doorway. "Got a control panel over here. Looks like a security console we can access!"
"Baird?" Marcus asked.
"I'm on it!" Baird replied, running over to the console before activating his omni-tool. Once he was in, he began working furiously at the holographic keyboard. "One second… and… I'm in!"
"What have we got?"
"It's a console into the base's security, just like Carmine said," Baird reported. "I can disable some of the alarms from here, but I can also trigger alarms on the other side of the base. In addition, I've got access to security feeds, and… hello."
"What?"
"Looks like Saren's got himself a little broadcast system going on. Apparently its lines of quotes that he recorded to motivate the others. I can't disable it from here, but when we get to the console, I can disable it."
"So we have to listen to that asshole mouthing off all the time?"
"Until we get to that console, yep," Baird confirmed.
"All right," Marcus decided. "Disable the alarms and don't trigger any on the other side of the base. Shepard and the other teams are having enough trouble as it is. We'll handle any guards inside."
"Got it," Baird confirmed. A few taps later, then he said, "There we go. Alarms disabled. The fuckers inside are about to have a really rude awakening."
"I agree," Cole added. "Choo choo! The Cole Train's here!"
"Don't you get tired of doing that?" Kaidan asked.
"Hell to the no!" Cole retorted.
"Enough," Marcus interrupted. "Let's move."With that, the team quickly began to move through the structure, weapons at the ready as they advanced. Moving through the doorway, they came to a rotunda-like room that had a stairwell in the center. Moving up, the team found themselves inside of a long, curved room that had windows on one side, and what looked like cells on the other. "Aw shit," Marcus grumbled.
"Damn," Carmine groaned. "Looks like prison cells. I can see Salarians inside of them, but they look too far gone." He confirmed this when he walked up to once cell, causing the alien inside to give a frightened moan.
"Fuck," Kaidan growled. "I knew Saren was up to something here, but to see it in person… Nothing justifies this."
"Yeah," Marcus agreed. Walking to each of the cells, he peered inside. All of the Salarians gave the same response: a few frightened moans, with some backing up.
One, though, was different. Hearing Marcus approach, he said in a panicky voice, "What do you want?! I told you everything! I -" Spotting Marcus, he gasped and said, "Who are you?! Alliance, right? I knew someone would come! It tried to break me, but it couldn't! I shut it out!"
"Slow down," Marcus instructed the Salarian. "Where'd you come from?"
"Private Menos Avot of the Third Infiltration Regiment STG, sir!" came the reply. "Captured while on reconnaissance six days ago. Glad to answer, sir! Never get any questions from these bastards. Just whispers and poking and cutting. I'd have said anything to get out and get some payback. That's not too much to ask, isn't it? A little payback?"
At those questions, Marcus could hear alarm bells ringing in his head. "What the hell did they do to you?" he asked.
"Experiments, but I don't know what for," Menos replied, sounding more panicky than before. "The effect of incessant whispering on my shortening temper? Who knows? I just need out!"
"Something's not right here, Marcus," Kaidan said warningly.
"He mentioned hearing whispers," Liara noted. "That means…"
"Yeah," Marcus replied, remembering their encounter with Benezia. "I know what it means." Turning to Menos, he said, "I'm sorry. I can't let you out. You've been indoctrinated."
That confused Menos. "I-Indoctrinated. W-what do you mean?"
"Saren's fucking brainwashed you already," Baird explained. "He's used his ship, Sovereign, to meddle with your brain, causing you to believe every word that he's been pumping into your head. If we let you out, you'll attack us."
At that, Menos' face became a mask of pure horror. "No!" he gasped, horror dripping from his voice. "No, no, no, NO! It can't be! I-I can hear it now! The whispers! The incessant whispers!" Looking at the others, he said, "Please, kill me! I beg of you! I don't want to be driven into insanity by the incessant whispering! PLEASE!"
"Hold on," Baird told the others. Opening the Salarian's cell, he said, "Get onto your knees." Once Menos did so, he said, "Close your eyes." For once, the usual sarcasm and jadedness in his voice had vanished, replaced with the tone of voice one would hear from a father comforting a child. "I'm sorry it came to this."
"Me too," Menos replied. "Stop Saren. Save the others." With that, Baird fired a single shot. The bullet tore through Menos' head, splattering his brains onto the floor. A moment later, his corpse fell onto the ground, though a peaceful expression was now on his face.
Walking out of the cell, Baird returned to the group. This time, Marcus noted that Baird's expression seemed tired, as though he was weary of what he was doing. "You OK?" he asked.
"No," Baird replied, his expression becoming one of anger. "That fucking bastard fucked this guy's brain over! When we find Saren, I'm gonna kill him!"
"You and me both," Marcus agreed, patting Baird on the shoulder. "Let's go."
With that, the team moved through another stairwell and into another room. This one had computer consoles inside, with the room being thankfully empty. Moving on, they entered another room. "Found it," Baird replied. "Looks like this is where the PA announcements are coming from."
"Find a way to disable it," Marcus instructed, just as another of Saren's quotes came over the speakers. "And do it fast, this guy's voice is irritating me."
Cole was also getting irritated, as he walked towards the console with Baird. Spotting what looked like a microphone connected to the system, he pulled it out while Baird examined the console to find a way to shut down the PA. For a moment, Cole looked as though, he wouldn't say anything, then he began to shout.
What he said next would not only be heard by everyone in the base, it would be memorialized by Shepard and the others. "Delta Squad's in your house, bitch! You hear that shit?! You grubby-ass Geth and Krogan are goin' down, like way down! Dead down! So down you ain't gonna know which way is up! Your asses gonna be cryin' to that skank-ass Saren! 'Oh, daddy, please don't let the bad men hurt us!' FUCK YOU! We're gonna whup your daddy's ass! WHOOOO!"
As soon as Marcus heard that, he smiled, remembering when Cole pulled a similar speech at the Locust Nexus during the Locust War. Liara's cheeks had flushed, while Kaidan was softly chuckling. While they didn't know it, on the other side of the base, while fighting off some Geth, Wrex broke out into a belly laugh as he heard Cole's words, while Garrus and Shepard chuckled.
Baird, spotting part of the power supply, promptly ripped it out, shutting down the broadcasts on the PA. "There we go, one muzzled Turian," he reported. Looking at Cole, he said, "I remember the last time you said something like that. I still love that speech, especially with all the bitch-ass stuff. Very good, very enlightening."
"Hey, a man says what he's gotta say," Cole admitted with a shrug.
"You still got it," Marcus added. "Let's go. We've got more people to get out." With that, they moved out, their spirits raised by Cole's 'enlightened' speech.
The door they entered moved down another hallway, with the team moving along past computers and desks. Moving along a catwalk, they spotted another cell block below their position, along with a door up ahead. Moving through the room ahead, they advanced through another door, with this one bringing them outside. "Finally, some fresh air," Baird remarked.
"And another ramp leading down below," Liara noted.
"Keep together," Marcus ordered them. "There could be an ambush up ahead." With that, the team moved through the doorway, which led them back into the cell block area. Again, just like the last time, all of the cells had indoctrinated Salarians, all but one.
Reaching one of the cells, Marcus heard a voice ask. "Hello? Can you hear me?" Walking over he spotted another Salarian, though this one seemed sane. "Well, you're not a Geth," the Salarian sighed, relief palpable in his voice, "and you're not wearing a lab coat. Boy am I glad to see someone that isn't working with Saren."
"Who are you?"
"Lieutenant Ganto Imness of the Third Infiltration Regiment, captured during recon. I assume the fleet has arrived to destroy the base?"
"Not quite," Marcus replied. "We're the reinforcements. We've got more people assaulting the base on the other side."
"I see," Ganto noted. "It's good to hear the infiltration team's fighting back. I know the Captain. He'll want to see this base destroyed. My team mates were altered, indoctrinated. He knew about the breeding grounds, but the indoctrination is a far greater threat, and far more terrifying. I watched good people get reduced to mindless husks. There wasn't anything left. Others died during the experiments. I envy them."
"Any idea what they're doing here?" Carmine asked.
"They were studying indoctrination," Ganto explained. "Symptoms, progression. Saren uses it to control his people, but I don't think he fully understands it. I don't know much else. I just saw what it did to the others. Turned them into empty husks. I can't end up like that! Please… let me out!"
"One question," Baird interrupted. "Do you hear any whispers, any compulsions to murder people?"
"No," Ganto replied. "I wasn't experimented on."
"Good," Baird sighed, relieved that he wouldn't have to put another man down. "Marcus, I think we can trust him."
"My thoughts exactly," Marcus agreed. Hitting the door to the cell, he opened it up. "Get out of here as fast as you can. We're gonna nuke this place to hell."
"Don't look back and hope to outrun the blast?" Ganto asked. When Marcus nodded, he said, "A better chance than I had before you showed up. Thank you, human, and good luck. You'll need it." With that, Ganto got out and then broke into a dead sprint.
"I hope he makes it," Baird said wistfully.
"Me too," Marcus agreed. "Let's keep moving. Saren's gonna fucking pay for what he's done." With that, the team continued moving on. Moving back through the doorway they went through, they came back to the room they were at. In addition to computer banks and terminals, Marcus spotted a door that had mesh grating on it. "Is this what I think it is?" he asked rhetorically.
"Yep," Baird confirmed. "An elevator. Looks like it's on this level too." Hitting the button, Baird opened up the doors, allowing everyone to get inside the elevator. Once they were all in, he pressed the up icon, with the elevator quickly moving upwards.
It came to a stop a few seconds later, with the doors opening into what looked like a laboratory. Marcus could smell the strong odor of antiseptics, cleaning fluids, as well as another odor he was all too familiar with. "Shit, we've got Imulsion up here," he warned the others. "Watch your shots. That stuff's highly explosive."
"Copy that," Kaidan acknowledged.
"Everyone, on the count of three, move inside and gun down anyone that fires at you." With that, the others got ready, while Marcus pulled out a bolo grenade. "One… Two… Three… Go!" With that, Marcus and the others jumped out, startling a few Krogan that were inside. Now, they could see more Geth, as well as Husks inside of stasis field generators.
"GUESS WHO, MOTHERFUCKERS!" Cole roared.
"Intruders!" the head scientist, a Krogan with a green headplate shouted. "Get the g-" At that moment, the bolo grenade detonated, tearing the Krogan scientist in half, causing him to scream in agony as his lifeblood spilled onto the ground.
One of the other Krogan, who's body was glowing, bellow, before something erupted out of his mouth. "WATCH IT!" Cole shouted, yanking Kaidan back in time, just as a stream of glowing yellow fluid came out of the Krogan's mouth and splattered all over the ground. A hissing sound erupted from the fluid, with the splattered decking taking on a corroded appearance.
"WATCH IT, HE'S SPITTING ACID!" Marcus shouted. "TAKE HIM OUT!" With that, everyone focused fire on that Krogan, blowing the alien's body apart with a fusillade of bullets. The other Krogan, roaring in fury, charged at them, bending down while it morphed into a quadruped stance, a pair of curled horns growing out of it's' head along with thickened body plates and claws on it's feet. The armor it wore tore cleanly off as it charged, it's head elongating into a more draconian shape.
Marcus, unable to dodge in time, was sent flying backwards, smashing into the back wall. The Krogan charged again, only this time, Marcus threw himself to the right, avoiding being turned into a smear of gore on the wall. A mass of tentacles erupted out of the Krogan's mouth, with the alien leaping onto Marcus in an attempt to bite his head off. "SHIT! GET HIM OFF!" Marcus roared as he fought back like mad, holding the mutated Krogan's head away from his own.
"MARCUS!" Baird roared, before shoulder tackling the mutated Krogan off of him. The alien, caught off guard, fell onto his flank, just as Baird revved up his Lancer's chainsaw bayonet and tore into the Krogan. The mutated alien howled, before glowing progressively brighter and brighter. Baird, acting fast, pulled Marcus away, and he was just in time, as the alien exploded a moment later.
"Shit, that was close!" Marcus gasped. Looking at Baird, he said, "Nice save. Thanks for the help."
"Least I could do, Marcus," Baird reassured him. "Shit, though. Now we've got Krogan that can shapeshift thanks to the Imulsion inside of them! Is there no end to Saren's madness!"
"I don't think so," Cole grumbled as he killed the last Husk with his Battle Lancer. "That guy's all kinds of fucked up."
"Tell me about it," Carmine snarled. "Let's keep moving. We've got more trouble to deal with."
"Agreed," Kaidan added. With that, the team continued moving on, weapons ready and their trigger fingers quite itchy.
As they moved along, they heard someone else walking nearby. Weapon raised, Marcus rounded the corner, only to spot Shepard up ahead. "Shepard, what are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were with the distraction team."
"Kirrahe felt that you guys might need more help," Shepard explained. "Plus, my team got wiped out, and one of the Salarians told me to get to Kirrahe. The others are doing well so far, but Saren's got a hard-on for me. Just as I said, the Salarians with me got killed because the Geth focused on us rather than the others."
"Fair enough," Marcus decided. "Can you still fight?"
Shepard pulled his rifle out. "The only time I won't be able to fight is when I'm dead."
"Let's go then." With that, the six man team became a seven man team, and they continued to move up. Moving along a walkway, Marcus and co. soon reached a door that led to another part of the base. Motioning to Cole, Marcus and the others stacked up on the door, with Cole opening it. Inside, they found an office, with some desks, a cabinet nearby, as well as the occupant, a very frightened Asari.
"Wait!" she shouted as the guns were leveled at her. "Don't shoot! Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late for me!"
"We're not going to hurt you," Shepard reassured her. "Who are you?"
"Rana Thanoptis," the Asari replied, "neurospecialist. But this job isn't worth dying over, or worse. You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain too!"
"Wait a minute," Shepard growled. "I though this was a breeding facility for Krogan and Imulsion."
"Not this level," Thanoptis explained. "We're studying the effect Sovereign has on organic minds. At least, that's what I assumed. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible."
"You helped him and you don't know why?" Baird asked. "Now that's fucking stupid, and hilarious."
"I didn't have the option of negotiating. This position's a little more… permanent than I had assumed. But I can help you. The elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab. I can get you in." Moving to the door, Rana inputted a code, then she said, "See? Full access. All of Saren's files. Are we good? Can I go?"
"Tell me more about Saren's research first," Shepard ordered her. "What is he studying?"
"It's that ship, Sovereign," Rana explained. "It emits some kind of signal… undetectable, but it's there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence his followers, to control them. It's called indoctrination. Direct exposure to the signal turns you into a mindless slave, like the Salarian test subjects, but there's collateral damage too."
"What do you mean by collateral damage?"
"Sovereign's signal is too strong. Spend too much time near the ship and you feel it, like a tingle at the back of your skull. It's like a whisper you can't hear. You're compelled to do things, but you don't know why. You just obey. Eventually you stop thinking for yourself. It happens to everyone at the facility. The first test subject was the man that I replaced. Now I just want to get out of here before it happens to me."
"Why is Saren researching this?" Baird asked. "Isn't he the one controlling it?"
"The signal comes from the ship," Rana explained. "It makes us obey Saren, but I don't think he's controlling it. Not exactly. I think… he's scared it might be affecting him. Indoctrination is subtle. By the time the effects become noticeable, it's usually too late."
"That explains a few things," Marcus noted. "Shepard, if Saren's been around Sovereign as long as he has…"
"Then he's been fully indoctrinated," Shepard finished. Looking at Rana again, he asked, "Tell me more about this signal. Also, why is there Imulsion here?"
"Signal's not exactly the right word," Rana admitted. "There's some kind of energy field emanating from the ship. It changes thought patterns. Over time – days, maybe even weeks – it weakens your will. You become easier to manipulate and control, but it's also a degenerative condition. There's a balance between control and usefulness. The less freedom a subject retains, the less capable it becomes.
"As for the Imulsion, if that's the lambent yellow substance you mentioned, Saren brought it in from offworld. He had his other scientists alter the substance to where it is no longer a parasite. It's a mutualistic organism. It makes the Krogan he's breeding stronger and it allows them to shapeshift, while they allow the Imulsion to absorb nutrients from the food they eat. It also gives them a terrifying regenerative factor."
"I had a feeling that Saren tinkered with the Imulsion's genetic code," Baird mused.
"Same here," Shepard agreed. Looking at Rana, he said, "I'm blowing this place to hell and gone. If you want to live, you'd better start running."
"What?!" Rana gasped. "You can't… but I'll never… AAAHHHH!" With that, she sprinted out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her."
"Nice work chasing her out of here, Shepard," Marcus noted, a smile on his face. "Taught her a thing or two."
"Agreed," Shepard added. "Let's get to Saren's lab. Time to see what's inside." With that, the team entered the elevator. Once it reached the only floor it could drop down to, they moved along the bridge and cautiously opened the door.
Inside, they found a room that had two catwalks, with one leading to a ground floor, while the other led to a small balcony. "Got another Prothean Beacon eacon here," Kaidan said to Shepard, pointing at the device on the bottom floor. "Just like the one on Eden Prime."
"Yeah, but it's intact," Liara added. "This one shouldn't cause any complications."
"Let's find out," Shepard decided. While Marcus and the others examined the upper balcony, Shepard interfaced with the Prothean Beacon. It glowed brightly after he input a few commands, then he felt himself being lifted up into the air.
At first, he felt a stab of pain just like last time, while images flew directly through his head. This time, though, the pain immediately stopped, while more and more images flew through his mind. A moment later, the images came to a stop, before the forcefield holding him up dropped him. "Shepard, you OK?" Liara asked.
"Yeah," Shepard replied once he caught his breath. "That was much… better than last time. I know what the visions are: they were a warning to the rest of the Prothean Empire."
"That would make sense, given what we know," Liara agreed. "Let's see how the others are doing."
On the upper level, Baird was examining what appeared to be a control console. Unlike most, though, this one was holographic, with the console glowing an angry red color. "What the hell is this?" he asked, just as the image of a mechanical looking squid showed up. "Is this some kind of rudimentary AI, like what we found back at New Hope?"
"Looks like it," Marcus mused. "I've got a bad feeling about this one, though."
Just as he said this, the hologram spoke. It's voice was deep and thundering, like some creature from a planet inhabited by eldritch horrors. "You are not Saren," it said.
"Well, isn't that obvious, dumbass," Baird snarked in his usual acerbic manner. Looking at Marcus, he whispered, "I think this is more than a simple AI."
"Same here, keep calm," Marcus replied, just as the AI began speaking again.
"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh," it stated. "You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own, you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!"
"Aw shit," Marcus groaned. "I think this is the AI inside of that ship, Sovereign."
"Well, shit," Baird grumbled, just as Shepard and the others arrived.
"The hell is this thing?" Cole asked.
"It's Sovereign," Marcus explained.
"I understand now!" Shepard realized. "Sovereign isn't just a Reaper ship that Saren found. It's an actual Reaper!"
"Aw shit," Carmine groaned.
"Reaper?" Sovereign inquired. Then it said, "A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are."
"I don't understand," Liara countered. "The Protheans vanished over fifty thousand years ago. Did you destroy them?"
"Organic life is nothing but a mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."
"Big talk for a robot stuck in an interface," Baird retorted. "Besides, nothing is eternal. You should know that, if you're as smart as you think you are. Besides, there's an entire galaxy of aliens and human beings ready to tear your ass a new one." He smiled, impressed by his snark.
That was when Sovereign surprised everyone a moment later. "Confidence born of ignorance, anomaly. The Cycle cannot be broken."
"What the hell?" Marcus asked, surprised.
"Cycle? What cycle?" Kaidan asked. "And why did you call Baird an 'anomaly?'"
"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, advance, and at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not create the Mass Relays. There merely found them, the legacy of my kind."
"Why would you construct the mass relays, then leave them for someone else to find?" Shepard asked hesitantly.
"Your civilization is based on the technology of the Mass Relays, our technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it."
Baird, hearing this, felt a twinge of horror in his soul. "T-they're harvesting us!" he realized. "The mass relays are a trap! They blind other species from any alternatives that exist, allowing us to advance to the level they need, then they can wipe us out!"
"You son of a bitch!" Marcus growled at Sovereign. "You're no better than the grubs! In fact, you're even worse!" He would've continued were it not for Shepard motioning for him to calm down.
With Marcus calm for the moment, Shepard continued his interrogation of Sovereign. "What do you want from us? Slaves? Resources?"
"My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weaknesses. You cannot begin to grasp the very nature of our existence."
"Where did you come from? Who built you?"
"We have no beginning, and we have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure."
"I call bullshit on that!" Baird quipped.
Ignoring Baird's remark for the moment, Shepard asked Sovereign, "Where are the rest of the Reapers. Are you the last of your kind?"
"We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the skies of every world. You cannot escape your doom, and there is nothing that the anomalies you have can do to stop this."
"Oh, really?" Marcus asked. "Well, guess what asshole? We survived worse. We survived the Locust Horde, we survived the Pendulum Wars, we survived the Lambent Pandemic, and we will survive you. If there's a lesson you've failed to learn, it's that Humans always find a way to survive and overcome. But I'm wasting air by talking to a machine, a machine that only thinks that it's alive, and like all machines, you can be broken!
"We will always rise up and fight back! We will always hold the line, just as we did at Anvil Gate, where we defeated an army of Locust and we will break you like the defective machine you are, just as we broke the Lambent when we defeated them with the Imulsion Countermeasure! We survived all of that, SO YOU AND YOUR FUCKING REAPER FRIENDS CAN GO TO HELL!" By the time Marcus reached the last words of his speech, he was shouting at the Reaper with rage.
Apparently, Marcus had surprised Sovereign, as the AI was silent for a full ten seconds. Then it said, "Your words are as empty as your future, anomaly. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over." Just as it said this, the window in the room shattered, spraying the group with pellets of glass.
"Damn, Marcus!" Cole whistled. "I think you intimidated Sovereign!"
"Either way, I fully agree with what you said," Baird added. "Sovereign's just a defective machine, and like all machines, we will destroy it!"
"Good words, Marcus," Shepard added.
"Yeah," Marcus agreed. "Not one for speeches, but it had to be said."
Just as they said this, Joker came in over the comm. "Commander? We've got trouble!"
"Hit me Joker," Shepard replied. "What is it?"
"That ship, Sovereign?" Joker reported. "It's moving. I don't know what you did, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half! It's coming your way and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there, fast!"
"Roger that," Shepard acknowledged. Turning to the others, he said. "This console's shot. Let's head to the breeding facility. Joker can pick us up after we plant and arm the nuke. Let's go, people!"
(Author's Q&A)
Just-a-Crazy Man: thank you.
edboy4926: Thank you.
IDYGOFENIKS: I hope not, though we might see them show up in sequels.
GodzillaMaster: Me too.
Blaze1992: I agree. Legendary Edition didn't really flesh out the first game that well. Still, I'm happy to see that you're happy with my efforts so far.