Rebirth The Mass Effect is old. part 10

"Yes, the Spectr."

"Free to go!"

Ashley abruptly turned around and literally flew out of the cabin.

"I'm sorry that we're causing you problems with the crew." Garrus said softly.

Falling onto the couch, I rubbed my temples tiredly.

"Not worth it. Ashley is a xenophobe and there is no cure. She does not want to change her attitude towards representatives of other races. So she doesn't belong in the landing party."

The Turian opened his mouth to protest, but I held up my hand, and he shut up understandingly.

"I can't take an unreliable fighter with me. I have to be absolutely sure that everyone in the squad will be ready to watch their partner's back, regardless of his or her race. Ashley got on board by accident just a couple of days before the ship arrived at the Citadel. I can tolerate a lot and turn a blind eye to a lot, but not that kind of attitude. On the other hand, Ashley is a military man, and if she receives an order from the command, she will carry it out, even if it goes against the goals of my mission.

Garrus nodded slowly, accepting my explanation.

"Shepard, why do you keep people on the ship who might fail?" Rex boomed.

"Not all at once, Rex."

The mood was gone completely. If it were possible, I would have changed half the crew! The only thing that holds you back is the irrationality of this act. As long as I act within the framework that suits my former superiors, everything is fine! But if I step aside a little bit... I'm afraid I'm in trouble. However, I'm not going to return to the arms of my beloved MSF, even if the Spectr status is removed from me. It's better to become a mercenary, honestly, and it's more familiar somehow. Okay, time will tell.

"We have eight days to fly. Have you been settled yet?"

In response, there is a synchronous negative swing.

"I ordered the butler to put you in your cabins!"

Anger took my breath away.

"We were told there were no available cabins." Rex said phlegmatically.

"Come with me."

I stood up with a jerk. After the eviction of the military police, the cabins were vacated. Either I didn't understand something, or someone decided to petty sabotage my orders!

The showdown turned out to be fun. The butler, that brute Pakti, took advantage of the moment to settle the crew one at a time and took an empty seat! The "norm" was intended for permanent residence of forty-five reasonable people. The crew consists of twenty-eight people, including me, two officers and the pilot. I have my own cabin, and the doctor lives in a private compartment adjacent to the infirmary. The XO, chief engineer, and Jeff live in separate cabins. The first two are as officers of the ship, Jeff is unable to use the capsules due to his health. In fact, ten to twelve cabins should remain vacant, since many prefer to sleep in fancy sleeping capsules, and the cabins with them are six-seater.

In general, the day was ruined. Having solved the problem of accommodation and packed the crew more tightly, I freed up the cabins for the landing party. As a result, I managed to free up five double cabins, three of which I gave to Garrus, Tali and Rex, respectively, while there is such a luxury as free space. I assigned another one to Nihlus. Not everyone can live in the infirmary. Something must be done about the combat group... Perhaps Naylus can tell you how to resolve this issue.

It occurred to me that as a being who had gotten out of the rut of events, Nihlus could really help and hedge against slippery moments. But for this it is necessary to tell him, if not everything, then a lot.

Is it worth it?

* * *

Leaving the soldiers to rest and settle in a new place, I headed for the infirmary. I wanted to get drunk or kill. Or better yet, both.

In the infirmary, I was greeted by silence and tranquility, a light twilight, dispelled only by the dim light of the lamp above Nihlus' bed. Karin was not there, but the green light on the door to the private cabin made it clear that the doctor was there. When I stumbled into this realm of tranquility, Naylus looked up from his reading, looking at my disheveled and angry face with mild surprise.

"Irene's spectr?"

Wearily, I sank onto the next bed, holding my head in my hands. Half a day. It's only been half a day, and I feel like I've been mentally raped, chewed up, and spat out! Nilus unplugged the datapad and placed it on his stomach.

What happened?

"It's easier to say what didn't happen." I whispered. "Nielus, do you have a ship?"

The Turian nodded cautiously.

"How did you get it?"

"The Citadel's advice was given." a concise answer.

"And my former boss gave it to me. With the crew."

Nihlus immediately understood what I was trying to say.

"Problems?"

"Yes." the head responded with a lingering pain of overload. "You're still my handler, aren't you?"

A short, wary nod.

"I need some advice." I was surprised at how helpless my voice sounded.

"Tell me." The soft command was clearly heard in the rumbling voice.

And I began the story. From checking the crew and the lists of reasonable people on board to settling in and providing all the necessary new fighters. Nihlus listened without interrupting, only occasionally asking clarifying questions. Calm green eyes, without a trace of mockery or irritation, stared intently at my face. And I told him. Their conclusions, concerns, opinions, and decisions made before departure. About the military police unit that was kicked off the ship, about the special agent with whom I had a big fight, about his veiled threats, about the clash between Ashley and Garrus, about Pressley, about... Yes, about everything. And as an apotheosis, she just handed him the same file.

Nihlus took it cautiously.

"Take it. Read it, rate it. I have no words left. Only fuck." I swallowed the ending of "and the desire to escape under Saren's wing" safely.

The Turian blinked in surprise, but opened this collection of joy and immersed himself in reading. And I was sitting on the bed, hugging my knee and silently watching the emotions change on his face.

For giving this folder to the Spectr, my dear superiors will court-martial me! An interesting thought flashed through my mind: "Don't I give a fuck? He'll give it back anyway." But the truth is, he will give it back. Naylus finished reading, automatically folded the waste paper into a folder and closed it, looking somewhere into eternity and thinking about something. His expression was indescribable, and His Majesty's emotions were filled with Shock. He must have been impressed, too. Nihlus is no fool. He understood as well as I did WHAT those stinking pieces of paper meant. Or even more. See how he gets crushed, shock turns to anger, rage turns into dumbfounded disgust, only to drown in anger again.

"That's the way it is." I announced gloomily.

The green eyes stared intently and hard. Finally, Nielus replied in a low, growling voice:

"I can give you some advice. But will you follow him?"

"I'm not asking out of idle curiosity."

"Get rid of anyone who poses a threat." He pressed the Spectr down hard. "So that suspicion doesn't fall on you."

The handsome man! I adore him already! He just offered to kill half the crew. The kindest creature! And him right. In an amicable way, this is what should be done.

"I see you've assessed the situation correctly." I smiled mirthlessly. "And where will I get a new carriage?" I asked phlegmatically. "I can only keep Dr. Karin, the pilot and the chief engineer. The rest are not trustworthy. There is no combat group. We will arrive at Therum in eight days, and I'm afraid there will be problems there. Serious problems. You won't be back on your feet anytime soon."

"The wound heals quickly." a close look. "TOO fast!"

"Did the doctor tell you?"

Nihlus just nodded.

"Do you mind?"

"No." a slight smile: mandibles slightly parted. "I have an idea of the severity of the injury." the claw tapped lightly on the datapad. "They rarely survive with such wounds, even in the clinic. I'm not going to ask how you know about energy recharge and what these signs are."

"Don't you believe in the Prothean lighthouse?" I raised an eyebrow.

In response, an ironic look from bright green eyes.

A jolt of pain shot through his temples. The migraine was developing, threatening to plunge me into a semi-conscious state soon. The seventh layer of the aura was unfolding, and along with it, mentalism and the empath's gift-curse were activated. In a good way, I need to sleep a lot and soundly in a completely dark and noise-insulated room right now, and I'm running around the ship like I've been shot, swimming in a pile of negativity. Hello, regular sensitive shock, I missed you so much!

"Into this... It's hard to believe." the Turian honestly admitted. "The actions of your leadership are mine... They are amazing."

"Believe me. It's just like them."

A short pause. Disbelief in his eyes. A storm of rising fury.

"How can you believe them after that?"

"What kind of faith or trust can we talk about?" I asked ironically, wincing at the pain.

But you keep doing the job.

"I'm not doing this for my superiors or my native race, from which I have a quiet desire to stupidly escape. Rather, I'm doing it... For your sake. A council that treated me better than my former boss and gave me a chance to become someone more. For Tali and Garrus, who sincerely helped me in a hopeless case and covered my back, for the same Rex, who voluntarily followed me without doubts and mercantile interest, for the Joker, who has nowhere to go. For your sake." The green eyes blinked in surprise. You believed in me, decided to give me a chance to join the elite of the Galaxy, and died because of your trust."

"Died?" Nielus echoed.

Yes, mother ete! That's why I'm so terribly struck by la-la at the moment of revealing mentalism? Is this a curse? Or does the brain shut down at this time? I closed my eyes. I shouldn't have started this conversation. I should have gone to bed. But in this state, I will not be able to switch off, and the sensitive shock will smoothly turn into overload and coma of arbitrary duration. It's going to be a great prospect!

A short pause, a hard gaze.

"You're not Irene Shepard." He told me how he put it. Wow... I guessed it. He's smart... Just not at the right time! Or on time?

"Technically, I'm Irene Shepard."

"Technically?"

"Do you really want to know the truth?" I looked at the Turian with academic interest. "Are you sure you can believe in her? What DO YOU WANT? Don't you think I'm sick in the head?"

"I WANT TO KNOW. I'm ready to believe it."

A tough guy. I wouldn't risk giving you a willingness to believe in some nonsense right away.

"We'll see. I have about forty minutes before the sensory shock takes me down. If I can't get rid of the negativity and calm down, I'll fall into a coma for an unknown period." I raised my hand, interrupting Nihlus, who was ready to ask questions. "Do you remember when I went to the infirmary shortly before landing on Eden Prime?"

A short nod.

"It was an echo of agony. Death does not pass without consequences. At that moment, I was experiencing it, and my body was responding to my brain's commands. The body was dying along with the mind."

"But you're alive."

"Technically, yes. The old soul was ripped out and a new one was inserted. It feels wonderful! Especially when you get used to someone else's body and feel: hello, a new rebirth. I hope you're familiar with the theory of reincarnation in this reality?"

"I'm familiar with it."

"You can look at her living proof." Nihlus shook his head skeptically.

"Do you remember your past life?"

"And more than one. Then I'll tell you and show you something interesting. By the way. Energy recharge is just an example of knowledge from a past life."

"I can believe that."

Interestingly, he really believed it. His emotions were slowly replaced by amazement and burning curiosity.

"Go on."

There was some kind of strange state of indifference. I wanted to speak out, at least to tell someone about the abyss into which this world is heading. So why not him?

"From life to life, I am reborn as a key figure of embodied reality, around which all the important events that shape history and the cycle of development revolve. This is Shepard here."

"What is embodied reality?"

The handsome man! I clearly figured out the main question.

"This is a reality that rigidly follows a predetermined chain of events. If she passes these events and key points of history, she will not get a chance to develop independently. Only a creature from outside can change these events."

"How are you?"

"Like me. In fact, this is a kind of symbiosis: I am given a chance for a new interesting life," I couldn't help but laugh nervously, "and reality gets a chance to break away from the hard path and become independent. For if it does not separate, then at the end of events it will stagnate and collapse. And I'm with her. So, I am vitally interested in Branching out, and this reality became Reflected and began to develop. Then, after another death, I will enter the next world. And I will have a new life. If I fail, my soul will be returned back to the forge. You must admit, the incentive is quite significant.

"Do you know the future of this world?"

"Only in general terms. Key events that cannot be bypassed, but can be changed. The further away from the start of a predefined story, the more likely it is to be shifted off the beaten track."

"What was the first key point?"

"I think you guessed it yourself."

"Eden Prime?"

"Yes. Point zero. The beginning of the countdown."

"Key events?"

The spectr asked dryly and calmly.

"The landing, Jenkins' death under Geth drones, the meeting with Ashley, your meeting with Saren and death from a gunshot to the back of the head, my meeting with the lighthouse and its destruction. The result of this chain of events is an investigation at the Citadel in Garrus' company, proof of Saren's betrayal, and obtaining Spectr status. The key block. The result: Garrus, Tali, and Rex become members of my squad, and I receive the Normandy and the mission to stop Saren."

"How do you know that?"

"It's a kind of intuition, even if you don't really know. An echo of information from the noosphere of reality."

"Your knowledge is accurate." the Turian objected.

"Yes. Don't ask me where. I won't tell. Or I will, but not now."

Nielus nodded slowly.

"Why didn't you save Jenkins too?"

"The experience of many lives has shown that one thing can be changed. And the more significant the impact on the future, the harder it is to achieve change. Saving Jenkins was simple. For you, it's almost impossible. To bypass the meeting with the lighthouse is unrealistic at all."