Milky Way/Hawking Eta Cluster/SSV Normandy SR-2
Earth year: 2185 --- December
Back in the briefing room, Callie endured another heated discussion over the geth. After reminding both Jacob and Miranda who was in charge, she headed for the crew deck and the AI Core to talk to the geth.
Stepping into the room, she couldn't believe she was about to activate a geth on the ship. She'd completely lost her mind, she thought as EDI set up secondary firewalls to keep it from hacking the Normandy.
"Can you understand me?" She asked as the geth got to it's feet.
"Yes."
"Are you going to attack me?"
"No."
"You said my name back on the Reaper ship. Have we met?"
"No. We have not met you."
"Then how did you know who I was?"
"Shepard-Commander. Alliance. Fought heretics. Fought the Old Machines. We learned of you through organic comm buoy transmissions."
"I fought who?"
"Heretics. The Old Machines contacted the geth. Offered to give us the future. The geth refused. The heretics did not. The geth will create our own future."
"But you're all geth." Callie countered.
"Geth are software, this unit is hardware. Some geth chose to ally with the Old Machines. The rest did not."
"Old Machines? You mean the Reapers?"
"A superstitious name first used by the Protheans to describe their enemy. The one who contacted the geth called itself Nazarra."
"So the Reapers are a threat to the geth? Why would they attack other machines?"
"Because we are different. We oppose the Old Machines. Shepard-Commander opposes the Old Machines. Shepard-Commander opposes the heretics."
"Wait." Callie interrupted, holding up her hand. "Are you saying you want to join us?"
"Yes."
Heaving a sigh, Callie dropped the containment shield. "Alright. So what do I call you?"
"We are geth. This is a mobile hardware unit housing over 1,000 software programs."
"Fine, then what is the individual in front of me called?"
"We are all geth."
Callie groaned as EDI interrupted them. "We are Legion, for we are many."
"That seems fitting." Callie mused.
"Earth. Human. Early Christian bible. This metaphor is appropriate. We are Legion. We look forward to integrating with the Normandy and a cooperative exchange of information."
"Welcome aboard Legion." Callie said, offering her hand.
"Thank you Shepard-Commander."
"Now tell me what you were doing on the Reaper."
"Looking for you and the source of the virus Nazarra, a Reaper, gave to the heretics."
"I thought geth couldn't get viruses."
"It is a run-time error. Difficult to explain in organic terms. One results in one answer, a second in another. Both conclusions are correct."
"Like a math error? That makes no sense."
"The explanation is irrelevant." Legion countered. "If the virus is not destroyed all geth will eventually reach the same conclusion. All geth will then all wish to ally with the Old Machines."
"You have a way to stop them?"
"Yes. We were seeking the source of the virus when you found us. We have the coordinates for the station where the virus is stored."
"I'll plot a course." Callie said, confused by Legion's explanation but knowing that if more geth allied with the Reapers, the galaxy was in deep trouble.
"Understood. We will remain here until Shepard-Commander reaches the heretic station."
Shaking her head over what had just happened, she turned and left the AI Core.
"Commander?" Dr. Chakwas called. "I'd like to speak with you a moment."
"What is it Doctor?"
"I understand you have some concerns regarding your reconstruction."
Callie paled. She did not want to discuss this right now. She'd just activated and talked to a geth.
"Also," Chakwas continued, "I heard you had some problems on the ship you just left."
Dammit. Callie swore. Garrus must have ratted her out.
"I'm fine Doctor."
"Shepard." Chakwas threatened. "I've known you a long time. We both know how easily a mistake can lead to something fatal. I'm your doctor and you know I can keep you from active duty if you don't cooperate."
"Alright, alright." Callie huffed, lowering herself into a chair.
Chakwas kept her surprise to herself. Shepard never cooperated with her that quickly and alarm bells began to go off inside her. Moving to Shepard's side, she began scanning her with her omni-tool.
"Shepard. What's going on? Your readings are off the charts. Are you sleeping? Have you been eating enough nutrient bars?"
"No." She admitted, too worn out to deny it.
"No what?"
"Both."
Clucking like a mother hen, Chakwas returned to her chair and fixed her with a stern look. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"No." She lied, squirming under Chakwas' stare.
"Could have fooled me. Shepard, you know how bad this is. What's going on with you? Is this about Kaidan? Or Liara?"
Callie turned away, not trusting herself to speak.
"Commander Shepard. Either you talk to me now or I'm recommending two days shore leave."
"We don't have time for that!"
"Then start talking."
"I've lost him." Callie sighed, hearing the pain in her voice as tears brimmed in her eyes.
"Shepard." Chakwas said, reaching out to cover Callie's hand with her own. "I'm sure that's not true. I know you're both in terrible positions right now but Kaidan loves you. I've never seen two people care more for each other. You know how rare that is."
"But..."
"But nothing. Both of you are very stubborn individuals, but you're also the most loyal people I've ever known. Kaidan will come around. You just need to have faith. In him and in yourself."
"I wish it was that simple."
"Callie Rose Shepard, I'm surprised at you. You're only acting like this because you've been neglecting yourself. Again. I'm ordering you to get eight hours sleep starting now. Hold out your arm."
Callie complied as Chakwas gave her an injection.
"That's a nutrient boost and sleep aide. I suggest you eat a protein bar and get to your cabin immediately."
"You didn't have to do that." Callie scowled.
"On the contrary. EDI has kept me apprised of your sleep problems and after hearing what happened on that ship, it's long overdue."
Callie kept her mouth shut as she made for the door and her cabin.
"And Shepard," Chakwas called. "I expect you back here if those nightmares of yours get any worse."
Shit. She knew about those too? "Understood Doctor." She grumbled.
Milky Way/Omega System/Amada/Alchera
Kaidan stood in the cold, desolate landscape of Alchera amid the scattered wreckage of the Normandy. A light snow fell, blanketing everything in eerie silence and giving the site of the ship's final resting place an eerie quality.
Tanner and Mason had remained aboard the Nomad, not wanting to intrude on his memories. He was thoughtful as he walked the perimeter of the site, coming across Pressly's audio log when he entered what was left of the CIC. He remembered when Pressly had fallen as his console exploded in flames as though it was yesterday and felt his breath catch.
He'd been so surprised by what happened, he couldn't remember how he'd remained so calm. His face clouded at the memory of running to the crew deck to find Shepard after Joker refused to abandon the ship. Because of him, he'd been forced to leave Shepard behind.
Shaking himself, he moved on. No matter what he thought of Moreau or how much he wanted to blame him for what happened, he knew it wasn't Joker's fault. In fact he was certain that had Jeff not stayed, there would have been a lot more lost crew.
What remained of the Normandy's hull brought tears to his eyes. So many good people lost from a great crew of loyal professionals. How he hated the Reapers and Collectors. They were to blame for everything that had happened and he wished they had never crawled out of whatever dark hole they'd come from.
He passed his hand over the memorial statue Shepard had erected, the names of the lost crew engraved into the base. Whispering a final goodbye, he returned to the Nomad. No one spoke as Tanner plotted a course through the relay, each of them wanting to maintain a respectful silence to honour the souls lost to space.
----xxx----
Milky Way/The Phoenix Massing/The Sea of Storms/Heretic Station
"You know only our heat emissions are hidden right?" Joker complained to Legion who had joined him and Shepard on the bridge. "They could look out a window and see us coming."
"Windows are structural weaknesses. Geth do not use them." Legion replied."Proceed to the following coordinates. We will dock with the station there."
Joker frowned, disguising his unease at having a geth aboard the Normandy by doing a stiff robot impression with his hands. Callie glared at him until he caught her look and did as Legion instructed.
"Won't the geth know we're here?" Callie asked as she, Jack and Legion boarded the station. "Sensor alarms or something?"
"No. We have flooded their data banks with junk data. Geth programs have isolated themselves to remove it. Only local platforms will be alerted to our presence."
"Okay, let's get moving."
"Shepard-Commander." Legion barked. "We have discovered an alternative to destroying the heretics. We can now use the virus to rewrite them."
"Re-write them? Why didn't you mention this before?"
"We did not know the possibility existed. We had not yet reached consensus."
"Great choices." Jack snorted. "Brainwashing or genocide. If you made me smile and nod my head I'd rather you just blow my brains out."
Callie frowned. Jack had a way with words, but she also had a point.
"They're your people Legion. What do you want to do?" Callie asked.
"We have not had time to reach consensus." Legion replied.
Ugh, Callie was so tired of dealing with someone else's problems. "Well I wouldn't brainwash organics, I can't see myself doing it to your people Legion."
"The choice is irrelevant Shepard-Commander. Geth do not feel. They do not show remorse or pity. If we do not stop them, they will ally with the Reapers and destroy all organic life."
"Let's get moving then."
They encountered little resistance as they worked their way deeper inside the ship. As Legion had explained earlier, most geth were stored as software, while mobile units were few and far between. They reached the final room where Legion confirmed they could upload the virus. First, he would need to bypass the heretic firewalls, which would create a system-wide emergency.
"Do what you need to Legion." Callie said. "Jack and I can hold them off while you work."
"Understood Shepard-Commander. The program is self-directed. I will assist you while we wait."
"Got it." Callie replied, taking cover. "How long will it take?"
"Unknown." Legion replied, hacking a nearby turret to fight on their side as several geth platforms flooded the lower room. "Should not take long."
"Not helpful." Callie muttered.
Shrugging, she turned and focused on keeping the geth from reaching their position while Jack entertained herself by pulling them off their feet and destroying them with Shockwaves. A short time later, the geth were gone and the program completed.
"Shepard-Commander the virus is ready for upload. Do we wish to rewrite them or destroy them?"
"Why am I deciding this Legion? They're your people."
"We have not reached consensus. 1,132 programs favour rewrite, 1,130 programs favour destroying them. Shepard-Commander fought heretics, fought the Old Machines. We lack persepective that you do not."
"Is there a way for them to overcome the virus? Go back to following the Reapers?"
"There is a non zero-probability of error."
"Then blow them up." Callie said, not wanting to risk it. "We have the chance to stop this now. I won't waste it."
"Understood. Uploading virus, deleting local copies, activating destruct command. Alert, this station will become unstable in five minutes. I suggest we evacuate immediately."
"Dammit!" Callie cursed. "Let's move!"
With only a handful of geth and a lone geth prime blocking their escape, they were off the station and safely aboard the Normandy in record time.
----xxx----
Callie collapsedointo her bed aboard the Normandy after grabbing a quick bite in the mess. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. Geth! She'd helped a geth! The same AI's who had killed Jenkins and helped Saren try to take over the Citadel. Was she mad?
Staring at her aquarium, she watched the fish inside. No, she thought. No, I'm not crazy, just desperate. She had no idea how to stop the Reapers. Even if she succeeded in taking down the Collectors, the Reapers were still out there.
Restless, she checked her terminal for messages unable to stop the sinking of her heart when there was nothing there. His silence broke her heart, but she wasn't surprised. He'd told her he had moved on and she had told him goodbye. She hated the Illusive Man and Cerberus but feared the Reapers more. It killed her that she needed their resources to stop the Collectors, but she had no choice.
As much as she wished Kaidan was with her, she knew she would never ask it of him. She would not allow him to compromise himself for her. She had never been selfish before, she wasn't about to start now.
"Shepard." EDI called over the comm.
"What is it EDI?"
"I have almost completed integrating the IFF with Normandy's systems. I suggest taking a shuttle to your next location so I can test it."
"How long will it take?"
"Unknown."
"Fine. Better safe than sorry with this tech."
"Agreed."
"We'll head out later EDI. I need to get some sleep first."
"Understood Shepard. Logging you out."