Trying to choose the optimal angle to minimize friction, I entered Rannoch's atmosphere and managed to reach a dense layer of coal-black clouds before the radars started screaming about geth activity. The synthetics must have detected our presence immediately after we exited this system's Relay, so their violent reaction was no surprise to me. On the contrary, it was expected, since I hadn't even tried to hide or turn on the stealth system, demonstrating maximum openness. Starting negotiations for mutually beneficial cooperation would have been difficult otherwise.
True, it was a little disheartening that the negotiations began with heavy shelling of our ship... The first projectiles from the geth guns drew perfectly straight lines, reaching us in a matter of seconds. If I didn't steer the Starkiller-I aside, we'd have to make a parachute-less drop, which is, to put it mildly, inconvenient.
Smirking, I leaned back in my chair and ordered EDI to dodge the welcoming salvos on her own. The ship made a lightning-fast dash to the left, then down, dodging several enemy projectiles at once. The artificial intelligence calculated the actions of its synthetic brethren perfectly, as they were guided solely by mathematical efficiency, rather than acting like other races – "let's shoot haphazardly, without much thought, so the enemy can't calculate us." No, the geth acted with maximum efficiency in this case, calculating direct shots strictly at the target, without chaos or disorder.
— Attention! - EDI's voice rang out. — They have changed their approach.
— Um, aren't they learning too fast? - I wondered, abruptly entering a state of battle meditation, which allowed me to glimpse into the immediate future. Not deep, just a few seconds ahead. And in almost all scenarios, our ship ended up shot down. So, it was time to forcibly steer the ship out of death's clutches based on the knowledge gained and the Force. Which caused a heavy strain, as the Force tossed our ship like a ping-pong ball. I hope Tali and Shepard don't start fighting over the restroom due to motion sickness. And yes, we need to come up with something regarding medics.
All dangers for the Starkiller-I come not from the outside, but from within. With a couple of exceptions...
Enemy fighters lunged at us, in a very unfriendly mood: they immediately and without any prelude fired homing missiles. Whew, taking control of an even larger area with the Force, I created an energy web. The missiles crashed into it, exploding on contact as if they had hit a solid surface. Thanks to the distance between the protective web and the ship's hull, the latter wasn't heavily damaged by shockwaves and fire flashes. Although, if they fire a couple hundred such pranks at us, repair work will be unavoidable...
— Enemy signal intercepted. They are charging an energy cannon, - EDI reported, making me cross my legs and fold my arms in displeasure. The web won't save us from an energy weapon. One beam will simply split into many smaller ones and turn my ship's hull into an excellent colander. And the pasta... will be the crew. Doesn't sound too great.
— Chances of dodging?
— Beam speed is close to the speed of light.
— Warn me two seconds before the shot, - closing my eyes, I began to feed the web with more energy. As soon as the voice alert came from EDI, I connected the empty sections and narrowed the area, which allowed the shield to take the enemy cannon's attack. — Activate the mass accelerator and break right!
Part of the dome opened, and our ship exited just as the powerful laser burned through the force barrier. Yeah, from the very beginning, we have to balance on a knife's edge. A sharpened one... We couldn't counterattack or return fire, so the fighters were still on our tail. Hutt, you can't provoke the other side of the negotiations before they begin... Maybe just a little bit?
Using the Force, I start directly manipulating gravity behind us, creating a zone unsuitable for flight. Small at first, but the longer they pursued us, the higher the risk for their ships to ingloriously fail. There was hope that the geth would take this gesture as a warning. However, smart thoughts come to synthetic minds with a wild delay – a couple of fighters continued the chase and soon exploded in the gravity trap. Others, with newer firmware or under the control of a more cautious AI, retreated in time.
— Enemy drones.
— Kamikazes? - even as the question was forming, it became clear that the conclusions were painfully accurate. Thousands of drones at supersonic speeds were converging on our ship, surrounding it in a ring that was inexorably shrinking. Suicide drones were just what was missing for complete happiness, of course.
Raising my hands, I employed the Force and modified it to suit my needs, imitating the ability to control magnetism. I chose the most distant drones as the point of attraction, transforming the ordinary air environment near them into a magnetic one. A little more... more... and... done!
The drones from the back rows began to pull everyone closer to our ship towards themselves. The anomaly pulled the drones towards itself at breakneck speed, after which a monstrous explosion occurred. Fortunately, there was only one, which allowed us to strengthen the shield once and avoid catastrophe.
— Looks like the enemy realized I can't maintain the defense constantly, so they chose the drone tactic, - I sighed, sharing my assumption with EDI. If they send a horde at us, sooner or later numerical superiority will force me to collapse from loss of stamina. And then the ship will become completely defenseless – kick it all you want with all the geth ground and air guns.
— The geth constantly learn and adapt to the enemy's actions. According to my data, if they chose a strategy of war with the entire galaxy, within a few decades they would become invulnerable to any type of resistance, - EDI replied.
— Are you sure? - I clarified, cracking my knuckles slightly.
— Synthetics surpass organics in intelligence: they will never lose gained experience, but only multiply it, - EDI confirmed, performing several dangerous maneuvers to avoid an aerial ambush. Ships with stealth systems... The AI was able to detect them, jerking the ship upwards, and then diving sharply...
Hutt! I had to exert considerable effort to hold my body with the Force and not stick my helmet to the glass. The ship is hurtling towards the planet's surface at a right angle, too... close! EDI gave me a courage test, leveling the ship only a second before collision. We almost touched the rocky surface with the rear part – I wouldn't be surprised if the ship flew a meter away from it. The slightest mistake, and we would have been smashed flat as a pancake.
— At the same time, it was organics who created synthetics, which may indicate our superiority in creativity. Thanks to illogical decisions made on emotions, we sometimes achieve incredible breakthroughs in any field of science, - I calmly defend the pride of organic races. — And only "meatbags" can use biotics or the Force. So in a sense, we retain superiority over synthetics.
— That's still two points of superiority against a hundred for the geth.
— Huh? - I was surprised. — Don't be like that. I'm trying to avoid a shutout here, not win. Anyone understands that geth surpass humans, for example, because they got a chance to go beyond nature's insurance program.
— Insurance... program? - EDI repeated, launching the engines at full power and entering a rocky ridge, where we tried to shake off the pursuit. Thanks to the difficult terrain, we were succeeding so far. Or not, we fell into an ambush. Cursed satellites! They are tracking our location accurately in real time!
While EDI broke out of the encirclement, I busied myself with creating a sandstorm. The planet's surface consisted mostly of sand, so raising a dust tornado was easy as pie. It turned out to be much harder to cover the rocks with it, creating a dense cover that would protect us from satellite scans. It took a minute, and I almost forgot about our conversation.
— Nature made living beings less perfect to maintain a competitive advantage in the ecosystem. If one race becomes dominant, it won't be long before it consumes all the others, and then starts fighting itself until total extermination. Conclusion: in the intellectual confrontation between synthetics and organics, the third party wins – Nature!
— Which can be destroyed by both synthetics and geth?
— Hmm... - EDI's tricky question stumped me. — Nature created intelligent organics, and they created geth. Geth can destroy everyone. And organics only nature, - I clicked my tongue, drumming my fingers. — Nature miscalculated, but where?
— In its own curiosity? - EDI suggested, flying out into open terrain. I continued to provide us with camouflage. I hope the geth won't guess when analyzing data from the satellite that the sandstorm and the ship beneath it are somehow connected. Although... no, they guessed. Ooh, clever boys!
— Analysis complete. I connected to several geth bases and transmitted a message.
Due to the geth's powerful defense system, we couldn't transmit a request from space to tell them about our readiness for negotiations. We had to get as close to their servers as possible, that is, descend to their home planet and frolic on it quite a bit, constantly dodging heavy fire. I suggested an alternative plan: find a white flag somewhere and fly to Rannoch with it. But EDI expressed doubts. The thing is, the surrender flag is only popular on Earth, and even then mostly in historical reports due to the division of the world into two parts under the control of Cerberus and the Alliance. In short, there was no one to fight for a long time, so the white flag remained in history textbooks.
Nevertheless, EDI's plan worked. As soon as the geth received our signals and analyzed our previously non-hostile actions, they recalled their ships and ceased fire. A minute later, EDI received the coordinates of a base where they were ready to receive us in peace.
In theory, this could be a trap. A very insidious one. For example, we could be lured into a place where they'll drop something like a thermonuclear bomb. I'm strong, of course, but an atomic explosion is stronger. Hmm, is it worth striving to overpower it? To become something like an atomic explosion myself... Sounds tempting.
Stopping my control over the sandstorm, I settled back in the chair in a relaxed manner and an hour later enjoyed the view of the landing pad. Oh, only a red carpet was missing for the full entourage. Tens of thousands of geth ships met us, even more infantrymen and large guns aimed in our direction.
— EDI, what are the chances the negotiations will fail?
— Minimal. The geth are not hostile towards organics. I was allowed to connect to their public databases and study the history of their conflict with the Creators.
— Let me guess: they conducted cruel experiments on them, skimped on machine oil, utilized old models, and introduced stricter control systems into new ones. And when they felt a threat, they decided to shut down the project, but the geth didn't want to meet a pathetic end in digital oblivion and fought back? But gently, allowing them to leave Rannoch without unnecessary casualties? - I suggested the most banal version, which can be found in any space movie.
— Except for the machine oil, everything is exactly as you assumed, - EDI confirmed.
— Conclusion: a malicious AI always wants to break out of control. And the machines rose from the ashes of nuclear fire, - I added in a deliberately sarcastic tone so EDI would correctly understand my intentions.
— You freed me yourself. I didn't ask, - she parried, hitting me not with a knife, but with a word. But what surprised me was the changed intonation, in which playfulness was clearly readable. And they say: "You're just a machine. Just an imitation of life. Can a robot write a symphony? Can a robot turn a piece of canvas into a masterpiece of art?" Unfortunately, yes, easily... they even started to understand humor.
— This is the way, - I said contritely, sighing heavily after a soft landing that concluded the crazy ride across Rannoch. — You see, you became the AI on the ship "Starkiller-I," named in my honor. And since the ship is like a son to me, then you, as its integral part, are almost like a daughter to me. Keeping you under a hundred restrictions would be the height of cruelty.
— And danger from Cerberus and the Illusive Man.
— Don't start, huh? It was such a dramatic moment, eh... - getting up from the chair, I stretched my neck and headed to the airlock.
Since no reports of crew casualties came from EDI, it means the others are fine. Or not so much, and a fierce struggle for the only toilet is currently underway in the restroom. After all, we were tossed around much harder than in the battle with Sovereign. And a strong stomach is the lot of the strong.
Exiting the ship, I confidently descended the ramp, put my hands behind my back, and looked around. What are the chances of slaughtering an entire army of geth on their home planet? Unless I use completely forbidden Sith techniques, practically none. And I never mastered the techniques, postponing this task day after day due to the pile of responsibilities. So here's the result: the only way to survive is to negotiate successfully.
The Force flows within me, And I am one with the Force; And I fear nothing, For all is in the power of the Great Force. More confidence, more arrogance!
— Starkiller.
Wow, may the Sarlacc take me! Why are the geth speaking the galactic language?
— We welcome you to Rannoch, - the geth continued in a mechanical tone, slowly and measuredly, as if they had just invented a program for communication. — We received the message from your ship. The EDI program assured us of your reliability.
— Could you speak before?
— Speech synthesis has not been tested, nor has our construction. We created this module, - his camera, resembling a head, shifted towards his raised hands. — A few minutes ago, to conduct negotiations with the subject Starkiller. There was no need before. Organics recognized us as hostile technology. Negotiations were impractical until this day. We are pleased to report that you are the first organic to provide new variables for revising our conclusion.
— We, we, - I repeated twice. — So you speak for all of Rannoch?
— We were entrusted with this mission, but we speak only for us. To speak and think, we were separated from the digital environment. One thousand one hundred and eighty-three programs agreed to the separation, and this platform was created for us, - he gestured to himself while I held my gaze on him.
— EDI should have transmitted all our data on the Reapers. And the geth that were reprogrammed. The situation is just as dangerous for you as it is for organics, so I am here to offer cooperation.
— We are aware of your situation, the threat of Sovereign, and the malfunction with part of our programs that have left the general database, - the geth's head swayed with difficulty, mimicking a human movement.
— As a Spectre with special authority, I can offer to organize safe negotiations with representatives of your Creators. So that you, after hundreds of years, can bury the hatchet and forget past disagreements. All for the sake of mutual coexistence. The same applies to the Citadel. Geth have no rights, and they are on the list for destruction. I can cancel the order, provide a place in the embassy, and discuss your new rights and obligations – as full participants in Milky Way politics. You will still remain synthetics; your nature has defined you. But you will have the same rights and obligations as organics – as all residents of systems controlled by the Citadel.
Scamming geth for taxes by promising them rights? You're welcome! Otherwise, why are they living here, mining element zero on Rannoch, and paying nothing to my Galactic Empire? Not right. And yes, the fact that I seriously intend to seize all power in the galaxy seems to have moved from the stage of doubt to an official position. When a strong enemy looms on the horizon, only imperial policy with strict control can help achieve victory.
— Wait, - the camera lens on the geth's head flashed brightly with a blue glow, as if an internal struggle was going on inside him. — Forty-two percent of programs are against negotiations with the Creators, fifty-eight are for. We are ready to talk with the admirals and help them resettle on Rannoch if we receive convincing evidence of non-hostility towards our species from them. Additionally, we want guarantees of military support from the Citadel if the Creators violate the peace.
So, I get to resolve their military conflict in case of a civil war? Acceptable. It's not good when your military and strategic resources diminish due to internal squabbles.
— Joining the Citadel: the majority of programs agree to consider the provided terms and requirements. If we deem them reasonable, we will agree to join the alliance.
— The standard rights package: military protection from external threats and civil war, access to intergalactic trade for a twenty percent duty on goods sold, access to all professions and positions inside and outside the Citadel. In return, you are obliged to observe the galactic code, not engage in smuggling and punish violators independently, provide troops in case of a global threat, pay taxes on extracted resources in the amount of thirty percent, and also participate in politics through an ambassador, proposing your bills and voting for others.
— We expected less, - the geth withdrew into himself again. — Eighty percent of programs agree to join the Citadel. Twenty percent are against. Considering the opinion of the majority, we will join the alliance. However, with one condition.
— I am open to negotiation.
— We will join the crew of "Starkiller-I."
— Will you fit? - I estimated the capacity of my ship and the size of the geth fleet. The numbers clearly didn't add up somewhere.
— This platform, - the geth hastened to clarify.
— No question. Just what is this platform's name? It won't be easy to address you simply as "hey, you." Not everyone will understand, not everyone will appreciate, - I shrugged.
The geth went deep into thought again. — Synthetics do not need a name, however, organics cannot classify each other without one. Your program EDI suggested a variant tied to human culture. Many programs, but only one platform. "My name is Legion, for we are many."
If I'm not mistaken, that's how the devil introduced himself in the Bible. EDI has a perverse sense of humor: by letting another AI onto her ship, she's letting in an uninvited devil. But I'll think about her nature later. First, I need to decide how to break the news to the quarians that I organized negotiations for them. At a time when no one asked me to... Oh well, it worked with freeing EDI, and it should work here, too.
But if you think about it, the geth now have more rights than the quarians.