I am very glad that, thanks to your intervention, we are relatively safe," a woman got out of the next trailer. Seeing her official current portrait on the screen of his instrument, Alenko immediately recognized her as Warren. "Lieutenant Alenko?"

"Yes. Are you..." the officer asked the reason why the head of the archaeological party suddenly found herself in another trailer instead of at her workplace.

"They hid," Ilse hastened to declare. "We were afraid that these drones, which I am now sure are completely out of control... would start shooting at people who had taken refuge in the village itself...."

"They didn't let anyone outside the perimeter?" One of the policemen asked.

"Yes," Warren nodded, confirming the guest's words. "Exactly. We always have to do something outside the camp, but here... The drones refused to obey direct orders. And they started... shooting at people who repeatedly tried to leave the camp. As a result, we got into a blockade... work stopped... Why did they freeze up, they were actually stopped!" Ilse almost shouted. "And then the crazy Spacemen... also... started shooting. Well, at least not to kill, but so ... to warn something ... I had to go to the balok's, there was at least some way to escape from this unmotivated shooting. And its consequences, by the way. We..." Warren was clearly very nervous. We didn't know that people... would keep going crazy. So did my assistant, Manuel, too... did not escape this fate...."

"Yeah..." said one of the policemen, approaching the door of the balok. "He mumbles again...."

"He's..." Dr. Warren hurried to try to turn the conversation in a more acceptable direction, "a brilliant scientist, but now, apparently, also due to the fact that many Marines began shooting at almost all the people in the camp ... he is in a semi-insane state. And so, when he becomes enlightened... he is a successful and very productive scientist. In general, I think it's correct to say that a genius and a madman are just two sides of the same coin."

"Perhaps..." the policeman, who was standing at the door of the beam, listened. "He's shouting, not just talking. In particular, he claims that the lighthouse is the heart of evil, and the time of people is over. I can hear it well enough. Every word. It doesn't sound much like mumbling, Lieutenant."

"What did you call it... indoctrinated..." Dr. Warren said. "We call it more simply: drugged. He's... afraid to go out. He's sitting on a chair, rocking from side to side, and actually muttering and shouting. A few dozen minutes have passed, and he... still won't calm down. And it seems to me that his condition is only getting worse." Warren took a few steps forward and stopped in front of the beam door, turned to the policemen, Alenko and Williams. "Will you... come in?! You just... need to make sure."

"Open the door." Alenko, having made a decision, put the assault rifle into the back fastenings of the spacesuit, stepped to the beam. "Open up, Doctor."

"Maybe... don't?" There was a hint of uncertainty or pleading in the voice of the head of the archaeological party. "He's... not himself."

"Open the door, Doctor," Alenko repeated. A pistol appeared in the lieutenant's hand. At the same moment, pistols appeared in the hands of all three policemen. "Open up!" the officer repeated.

Warren punched in the code. The door obediently slid aside. Holding his pistol at the ready, Alenko carefully and quickly stepped over the threshold. Two policemen followed the lieutenant into the balok. The third remained outside, standing so as to keep the head of the archaeological expedition in sight.

"I hear the whispers again. I hear the whispers again. Whisper. Whisper. Whisper. They're... talking to me. They... say that humanity's time... is coming to an end. There's very... very little time left for people. And — not only for people!" A middle-aged man sitting on a stool in a standard scientific jumpsuit with all the necessary Velcro fasteners did not pay any attention to the newcomers. "The lighthouse is evil! He must be given back. We must give it back! We must give it back!!! Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!!!!!" The madman raised his head, looked at the policemen standing at the door, but there was not a glimmer of reason in his gaze. "Have you... have you come to make sure that humanity's time has come to an end?!" He cried out. "So know that it has really come to an end!!! And it's not just humanity's time! Time for all races! Everyone! Everyone! Everyone!" The man, who was shouting at the top of his voice, suddenly doubled over, collapsed from his chair to his knees, his arms hung limply, his palms awkwardly touched the floor, and his head dropped sharply. "All of them" He either growled or howled, finally quieting down.

"Our doctor will have an interesting patient", said one of the policemen standing next to Alenko.

"No," the lieutenant said. "We will not involve our doctor in this matter. There are plenty of other doctors here. Let them take care of it. Soon there may be a lot of such... "special" ones. We're going out. For now, it's safe. And I don't see anything so dangerous for him around." Kayden looked around the interior. "Yes, there is nothing dangerous here. And he doesn't look like a violent man," the lieutenant went out, closing the door behind him.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Warren asked as the officer approached Ashley.

"Maybe you're right, Lieutenant." Warren poured as much venom into the answer as she could. "You seemed to be interested in the Lighthouse."

"Yes," Kayden nodded. "It looks like he will remain in this "twilight" state for a long time. I was interested," Alenko confirmed. "And — interested. Lead the way," He didn't put the gun away. "And, Doctor, don't be silly!" the officer warned. What kind of nonsense is there... under such circumstances," Warren muttered softly but angrily, moving away from the beam and stepping onto the path. "Come on."

"Lieutenant," one of the policemen overtook the officer and pointed with the barrel of his pistol at three men dressed like ordinary farmers walking away at a brisk pace towards the forest. "These three... are clearly not from the staff of the archaeological party."

"Dr. Warren." Kayden, without letting the departing men out of his sight, turned to the head of the archaeological party. "Yours?"

"No," the research administrator shook her head, not hiding her irritation. "Local people. They're always here. They think we can get little Prothean artifacts out of the ground by the sack. And we had only one order: The Lighthouse. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given us a platoon of Marines to guard us. Usually we... work without soldiers in our immediate and distant environment...", She looked at Williams with displeasure. She tried to remain calm and neutral.

"Then we will stop," Kayden made the decision. "Catch up and detain," He motioned for one policeman to stay by his side, while the other two ran after the departing "farmers." They accelerated their steps even more, heading for the border of the camp, but a Norman shuttle appeared over the hill.

Realizing that they would not be able to leave the camp in any case, the men stopped. Realizing that they would not be able to leave the camp in any case, the men stopped. Two policemen approached them, talked to them and, threatening them with weapons, forced all three to go to the lieutenant.

"We didn't do anything wrong," said one of the terrified "farmers." "We often come here to watch... the season is over and there is little work in the fields.... And then you serve it, then you bring it, then you hold it. Like this... And this ship... didn't it fall after your frigate fired on it?" The man asked when he saw the "Normandy" sign on the lieutenant's spacesuit.

Alenko nodded.

"Sergeant Williams, why are there outsiders in the camp?" Kayden turned to Ashley.

"What kind of... outsiders are they?" Ashley was surprised by Kayden's reaction to a seemingly ordinary, maybe even familiar situation for an Earthling. "These are the locals. They're here..." Ashley looked at the lieutenant. She instantly didn't want to continue talking about this topic. "I'm waiting for orders, Lieutenant.", She straightened, turning to Kaidan.

"Search it." Kayden was already looking very closely at one of the three detainees. The policemen conducted a standard "checkup" of the clothes and body of the "marked" local resident, after which a fully serviceable pistol was born.

One of the policemen packed the weapon in a transparent bag. The owner of the pistol did not have time to be outraged, as he saw the lieutenant's fist bursting with biotics in front of his face:

"Tell me who you took the gun from," Kayden hissed.

"I... it's... Yes, that's it... Vaclav Trebsten. He's here... nearby... on... I mean... he lives right next. I took it from him," the terrified "farmer" finished his confused monologue.

"You've got some very interesting things going on here, Sergeant." Alenko turned to the frozen Williams. In the scientific archaeological camp, which is under army guard, local residents with military weapons are quietly staying. Moreover, smuggling is flourishing," the biotic officer turned to the two companions of the armed "peasant". "So far, you have the opportunity to speak off the record. This "trunk" is not the only one. So that..."

"The fifth balok. Where the skin plate comes off... We've set up a cache there. A warehouse, that is," one of the other two "farmers" replied, trying to speak coherently. "We... this..." he hesitated, sensing the officer's displeasure.

"Your fate will be decided by the local government." Kayden looked at the head of the archaeological party. "Are you going to deny that all of this" he glanced at the pistol, already packed in a bag in the hands of one of the policemen "happened without your knowledge?"

"I'm alone and I can't physically keep track of several dozen employees", The research administrator replied. "You appear beautifully and quickly on a ship's shuttle, and we've been sitting here for a month before that. And now we're completely out of touch! And those drones went berserk... we almost got shot down. And for you, who have arrived, the main thing is protocol and rules!" the woman shouted. "Yes..."

"Stop." Kayden said it so quickly and so sharply and clearly that Warren immediately shut up. "You, Sergeant," he looked at one of the policemen accompanying him. "Find two witnesses and seize everything you find in that "warehouse". On the record, of course. Do it," he waited a few seconds. "You, Strahle," he glanced at the second policeman, "will escort these gentlemen along with Webst," He pointed the barrel of his pistol at the three detained men, "into one of the balok"s. Let them sit and think for a while. Inform the local authorities, the channel will be opened to you from the frigate."

"Yes, sir," both policemen approached the "farmers", formed them into a column, and then led them away. Sergeant, set up your guard at the balok, where these people will stay until the local law enforcement officers arrive here," Kayden ordered.

"Yes, sir." Williams waved her hand vaguely and Alenko noted that two ordinary Marines standing at a considerable distance correctly understood the order of their commander, given in such a semi-civilian way — the sergeant's curious subordinates went to the beams to take the detained "farmers" under protection.

The head of the archaeological expedition, who had been silent up to this point, tried to say something, but, catching the biotic officer's eye, decided not to tempt fate — Alenko was clearly "on edge."

"Let's go to the Lighthouse," Kayden said, and was the first to return to the canvas of the "path" lined with hastily riveted tiles. "We're going to have... fun here," he said, noting the artifact's spire ahead.

"Is this," Kayden, without stopping, pointed the barrel of his pistol at a man in overalls standing a few meters from the lighthouse, "also a local resident?"

"This is Powell," Dr. Warren said. "He's a dockworker. He comes to us occasionally," she tried to say it calmly, seeing that Kayden was extremely unhappy with what was happening around the artifact. "Only occasionally."

"Well, yes." Alenko stopped. "And how will you ensure the safety of the artifact, Doctor, if it is not fenced, not guarded, and anyone curious can approach it?" Kayden's hands lit up. "Should I start reminding you of the protocol provisions?"

"We have..." Warren tried to object, but decided it was best not to continue.

"Yes, yes," Kayden said, without taking his eyes off the worker standing by the lighthouse. "Shrimps" fly around in different ways, drones get out of control, indoctrinated doctors of sciences broadcast like followers of some lost apocalyptic cult. In general, it is complete darkness." Alenko turned to Williams. "Sergeant, take the trouble to clear the space around the artifact from outsiders."

"Yes, sir." Ashley sighed, trying to make it as inconspicuous and quiet as possible, and then went to the man standing at the Lighthouse. "Sir, I have to ask you to leave. From the camp," the platoon commander clarified. "Or you will be detained."

"Okay, okay," Powell nodded his head and began to timidly retreat from the Lighthouse. "It hums strangely and it has a... strange effect," The man turned around and quickly walked away along the path behind the balok's surrounding the square where the artifact was installed. Looking at the screen of her wristwatch, Ashley made sure that Powell had indeed left, and had not stopped somewhere behind the nearest balok's. The girl looked around, sighed again, slammed the lid of the device. I still had to check the security perimeter by activating additional instrumentron locators.

The sergeant went to Alenko.

"See." Kayden stopped Ashley with a short gesture, who wanted to report in full on the execution of the order. "We'll pack the artifact for now, and then we'll take it aboard the frigate."

"Still, you're taking him away..." said Dr. Warren. "As far as I understand, you are following the orders of the Citadel's Advisors."

"So far, we are not taking the Lighthouse from the planet." Kayden did not approach the lighthouse, but looked at the artifact from a distance. "But only to the frigate's hangar. Due to what happened recently... there is no definite decision on the removal of the Lighthouse from Eden Prime now", The officer opened the omny-tool and typed in several commands. "A ship's shuttle is coming here now, it will deliver the Lighthouse to the frigate. The loading will be carried out by members of the crew of the Normandy. Alenko saw a small boat approaching and waved his hand, making it clear to the driver that he should begin the process of taking the artifact to the external suspension.