Preparations for the flight began with a flurry of activity from all group members: I moved the warehouses closer to the ship; the others transferred their contents. As a result, I did the most and worked the least, which was pleasing. As they say: you should work not with your hands, but with the Force. Or was it something about the head? Unlikely, otherwise, instead of training telekinesis, I would have had to send the ship to the warehouses, and not the other way around.
No problems were foreseen with hacking the geth ship's security systems either – special thanks to Tali. The crew turned out to be even simpler: we moved the survivors from the shipwreck along with all their equipment. Even leaving the planet's orbit didn't portend any difficulties. As it turned out, no ambush from Sovereign followed.
Saren suggested that I could defeat him, and the Reaper read his anxieties. Therefore, it decided to leave the danger zone. The question, of course, is where did it flee? The turian knew something but deferred to "later" – right now, he had enough on his plate. He was cleaning up the mess related to his betrayal, entering data on geth forces into the terminal, sending requests for help to his acquaintances on the turian homeworld, Palaven, contacting agents, and calling in all his connections.
He was gathering everything for the common cause – confronting an unknown form of "life or unlife." That's good, let him earn his keep... or whatever it is beetles eat. It doesn't matter. I have enough other worries to ponder the dietary habits of my new traveling companion.
For example, because Saren had joined, I had to go into my mail and cancel the message scheduled to be sent to Jane Shepard. In a couple of hours, it would have automatically reached her, which would have guaranteed clearing the unbearably emotional captain of all charges.
Unfortunately, this would have complicated my attempts to justify Saren before the Council. It's better not to take unnecessary risks: the stakes are high, and our enemy is in the "top secret" category.
The Reapers are, after all, ships with artificial intelligence. There are different types, but their power level doesn't say much. And most importantly... Who is behind the creation of these ships? Perhaps an even more powerful and ancient race, eager to... control evolutionary processes?
One thing is clear: nothing is clear. The more we learn, the more questions remain unanswered.
— The geth have made incredible progress, - Liara, standing at the next terminal, distracted me from my thoughts. — If they spread across the galaxy, they would wipe out all life and leave only the synthetic. Technically, they surpass all races.
— Which involuntarily raises the question: are the Reapers really wrong?
— You yourself said they want to exterminate all sentient life, - the asari reminded me, concerned.
— It's about the cycles, - Saren intervened, having switched to checking data via his omni-tool. — In some cycles, a different variety of synthetics might have existed. Those who didn't just try, but actually conquered the entire galaxy. But our enemies are impartial in their destruction of all sentient life. To them, Protheans or geth – it's all the same. They all prevent undeveloped forms from evolving into something more. And if it weren't for the Reapers... we would never have existed.
— It's disgusting to admit it, but there's some truth in that, - I chuckled, punching a list of equipment to buy into the terminal. The team is large, everyone needs an update on the Citadel, and I turned out to have plenty of sponsors. — The Reapers could gather followers into radical cults in the shortest possible time, even without any brainwashing. Why bother with targeted attacks when you can launch an ideological plague? It will gather fanatics for them from our own ranks.
— Starkiller, - distracted, the turian looked at me seriously. — I haven't had a chance to thank you. I tried my best to save the few, understanding that we were powerless against the Reapers. But I was blind. I was blinded, and twice over. Our enemies will destroy everyone, at any cost, to fulfill their purpose. Now I see clearly: no one can be saved, just as the Protheans, who sent distress signals through the Beacons, were not saved.
— What did the Beacon show? That's an amazing discovery! - Liara inquired, very interested.
— Having found several Beacons, and learning to think like the Protheans, I was able to see the complete picture. Our predecessors were looking for help. When they found none and lost, they began to collect data for the next... cycles. The Reapers missed this point, which is why we received a lot of information about them prematurely. Perhaps our cycle is different from all the others, because of the Protheans. Perhaps... we have a chance, even if it's one in a million.
— Let's focus on the real tasks for now, - I saw his willingness to open up. — What about Sovereign, and why are you avoiding this topic?
— There's a reason, - he shook his head and sighed. — I built up forces beyond the research base, left them at its mercy, and now... I have no idea how to stop its army with our single battleship. Without support, there's no point in us flinching and running to certain death. And therefore, there's nothing to discuss.
— But, if we just leave it, - Liara T'Soni began nervously, approaching Saren, — The Reaper will gain an advantage and attack first.
— Starkiller will destroy it if Sovereign ends up in the range of his biotic abilities. The Reaper always calculates such risks, so it will run and hide. Always putting a flotilla of geth ships in front of itself. No matter how strong our... leader is, he'll have to break through the synthetic meat to win. So we have a stalemate: we can't attack with our forces; the enemies can't get within firing distance of us.
— There's nothing stopping Sovereign from sending its fleet to destroy us.
— There is. Without me, it can't get to the Conduit, - he raised his hand, having received data from his people or spies. — Bastards! I've lost contact with the geth. My subordinates among the synthetics are dead or enslaved. No one is responding. I can no longer get information about Sovereign's activities on Ilos. Soon it will deal with the Conduit and attack the Citadel.
The situation is indeed far from positive. If the Illusive Man is right and the Citadel is a large Relay, then soon the Reapers will be visiting our galaxy from the far reaches of space.
We should retrieve Matriarch Benezia as quickly as possible and, together with her, go to the Council – to build either an offensive or a defensive tactic.
The first strategy assumed the Council's full cooperation in our desire to stop the geth fleet and destroy the puppet master. For this, they would have to provide us with a fleet of ships for an attack... on Ilos, as I understood. The second strategy is based on defense: if the Council refuses to compromise, we'll have to stage a coup and erect barricades. Our time is limited: we can't seize power and attack at the same time.
Pondering this, I soon received a signal of our arrival on Noveria.
The planet is not famous for its resorts due to the sub-zero temperatures on the surface. There are barely a few hundred thousand inhabitants here. More precisely, employees. Almost all of them work for hundreds of corporations engaged in illegal research or the development of dangerous weapons. This is a planet of contraband creators, with the only difference being that it's not criminal groups behind the scientists and inventors, but companies. Formally, everything here is legal; even documentation for all projects is kept. It's just that there's no one to check these documents.
Landing and walking straight into Port Hanshan, we ran into bureaucracy. We were not in a territory under Citadel jurisdiction, but in the private sector, where its own laws and rules applied. Even Saren needed some time to resolve the issues with our arrival. To be precise, his patience lasted exactly two minutes.
— The rules have tightened. We cannot allow anyone onto the "Peak 15" research station, - the secretary, a dark-skinned girl in a red dress, stated clearly.
— I paid the rent. It's not for you to decide issues with the rights to my property, - Saren replied calmly, although it was noticeable he was ready to shoot her in the knee at any moment.
— My apologies, but the station is not registered to you.
— Have you forgotten? Your mission is to escort us to "Peak 15," - I waved my hand, imposing my will on her.
— Correct. To escort, - she agreed instantly, issuing us a pass. Then she called her subordinates to take Saren and me to the station.
We decided to go on the sortie as a pair for several reasons. The main one – it's easier to conduct dark deeds this way: subjugating the Rachni Queen and fixing Matriarch Benezia's brain. These missions needed to be completed quickly, without regard for casualties or the measures taken along the way.
When we entered the "Peak 15" station, I exchanged a look with Saren.
— If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. On your Earth, they call this Murphy's Law, - he voiced my thought.
— It's unusual to hear something from Earth from the most xenophobic turian, - I noted, drawing my light blade and activating it in the face of a clearly unpleasant situation.
— First Contact gave humans our technologies and combat tactics. We took commensurate payment from you in the form of captured databases. I've studied almost everything, - Saren boasted, taking a firing stance.
Many walls in the station were destroyed, the lighting was reminiscent of a horror movie, and the howling wind made us look around warily. An emergency situation had occurred on the station: the rachni had somehow scattered through all the corridors. In addition, there were plenty of geth here too. Two misfortunes for the price of one.