"Both of you will be present while I pack the Lighthouse on the suspension," Kaidan replied, approaching the bale of "harness" that had been dropped from the side of the shuttle hovering above the platform and enveloping himself in a biotic glow. "And then... then we'll deal with your local problems," he stepped towards the Lighthouse.

"It looks like... his presence and that of his companions here will be delayed for a long time." said the head of the archaeological party. "And you..." Warren drawled unhappily.

"I'm just a sergeant. And he's a lieutenant, in case you haven't noticed by now, Doctor," Ashley replied. "And since he is a biotic... I think that many types of Lighthouse effects are not as scary for him as for us, non-biotics. The frigate is definitely well aware of who should be sent to solve such issues."

"He's too cool," Warren muttered. "And I haven't noticed yet"...

"Yes, yes. You just need a pack of plastic papers with all sorts of different ... with seals and signatures, so that you can bury your face in them, and if possible, then with your nose, and therefore forget about the variability and impermanence of the surrounding reality," For a few seconds, Ashley stared at the head of the archaeological party in silence. "Doctor, have you really completely forgotten that a Reaper landed on the planet recently, which was only immobilized, but not destroyed?! And it seems to me that he came here for a reason, if half of the residents in our camp walk around like they're lost!" Ashley turned to the head of the archaeologists. "We have drones with VI, which, until recently, even professionals and specialists believed, in principle could not be reprogrammed, turned against all reasonable organics who found themselves inside the perimeter of the camp! And I see only one reason for this...."

"The Reaper," Warren said.

"I'm finally hearing sound judgment." Williams barely restrained herself from snorting indignantly as she read the texts of reports on the aftermath of the drone attack on the small screen of her wrist instrument. "And, I think that you will have to reduce the degree of freedom of behavior for your subordinates. Lieutenant Alenko," Ashley emphasized her rank and last name, "is right. It is unacceptable that there are so many outsiders in the camp, which is under the protection of the Alliance Space Infantry, who freely and calmly approach even the artifact. I assume that the Normans will stay here on Eden for a long time, and since the Lighthouse will be moved aboard the frigate..."

"Don't worry, my dear," Warren, who realized that the commander of the Marine platoon had found unexpected support in the person of the officers and sergeants of the military reconnaissance frigate that had arrived on the planet, was now simply fuming with anger and irritation at her interlocutor. "There are plenty of artifacts here on Eden Prime. I'm sure it's not just the protean ones. There will be work for me and my people. And I'll just be happy, because you were imposed on me by the smart guys from the generals of the Alliance only while working with the Lighthouse. There is no Lighthouse, my soul, and you are not with me and my people!"

"Ladies, don't quarrel." Alenko appeared next to the sergeant and the doctor unexpectedly. "The lighthouse is packed, and now the shuttle driver will begin carefully lifting the artifact and slowly deliver it to the Normandy. I'll sign all the documents in your balok, Doctor. And I'm not keeping you any longer, Sergeant. You can return to your subordinates and attend to your duties," he saluted.

"Yes, sir," Ashley returned the salute. "I'm listening, sir," stabbing Warren with a look full of hostility, she turned around "on the spot," and then quickly walked away along the metal-plastic composite path to the tents housing the soldiers of her platoon.

Noting how Warren was looking at the Lighthouse hanging in a belt harness under the bottom of the frigate shuttle, Alenko did not say anything out loud. Let him see, let him know that the Lighthouse has been suspended and will be airlifted to the frigate. It can also be loaded into a container near the ship. It will turn out even faster and better. Let the Lighthouse be seen by other Idens, let them know what exactly was found on their planet. Perhaps, having seen the artifact on the Norman shuttle's suspension, they will ask on the Extranet, in its planetary "mirrors", what it is, and there... It's not far from understanding the proximity of war there either.

Having barely "recovered" from his semi-philosophical thoughts, Alenko forced himself to "pull himself together." Ahead of him was the signing of many documents, which, as always, had to be checked, agreed upon and corrected. Routine officer work. The main thing was that the Lighthouse was safe. And he can... handle the rest.

Kayden found himself thinking more willingly now, not about the Lighthouse, not about the upcoming work with important documents. He's thinking about Sergeant Williams. Or rather, about a girl named Ashley, for whom serving in the army has become not a whim, but a true vocation. And he thinks of Ashley... warmly. Very warm and soft, even gentle. Not as a junior army commander, but as a person. Which he, Kayden Alenko, really... likes.

"So are we going to sign the documents, Lieutenant?! Or..." Warren's question brought Alenko back to reality.

"Yes, yes. Let's go. Show me where your office is." Alenko did not look at the impatient head of the archaeologists, but followed her to the path.

A few minutes of walking — and the usual office environment is around. Kayden sank into an armchair, looked at the screen of the laptop turned towards him, at the printer, ready to spit out sheets of thermoplastic. There was a routine bureaucratic procedure ahead. Pushing thoughts of Ashley to the back of his mind, Kayden took out his personal stylus encoder and thanked the Higher Powers that he could now manage around the clock without terrible headaches. Whatever the nervous and physical strain, he is now free from these pains, which used to place him securely in a hospital bed over and over again and deprive him of freedom of movement and thinking.

The archaeologists' camp gradually regained its former orderly appearance. Scientists and technicians checked the equipment, tested data banks and information storage devices — you never know how they could have suffered during a small confrontation with rampaging drones. Technicians were engaged in collecting drone remains within the camp and in its vicinity. The contract with the local administration clearly stated the requirement that archaeologists commit to maintaining order and cleanliness in their location and in the excavation sites.

Ashley received reports and reports, gave the necessary orders and orders, visited the field hospital, talked with the infantrymen who received minor and moderate injuries.

"Sergeant, representatives of the local administration have arrived", A marine reported as he approached.

"Take them to Dr. Warren's office, soldier," Ashley ordered, pausing for a few seconds from checking the fastenings of the platoon's storage pyramid.

"Yes, ma'am," the soldier turned around and left. Williams watched him go, thinking that the calm and fairly measured life of her unit was probably over.

Chapter 15 Ashley

Now the pilgrimages will begin. Yes, now it is necessary to close access to the camp to all outsiders. Kayden, he may have sharply expressed his displeasure about this, but he's right! It's not a camp, it's some kind of passageway! This means that it will be necessary to assemble a platoon and carry out some explanatory work. A lot has changed, too much. It is quite possible that a container for the Lighthouse could have been sent from the frigate directly here to the camp, but... they acted differently — they sent the Lighthouse on a suspension to the frigate. Yes, it's risky, yes, it's unsafe, but...

In all likelihood, the military personnel who arrived on the frigate, even if they are intelligence officers, are specialists who are accustomed to solving such situations correctly, quickly and accurately. The Lighthouse is probably already at the frigate and it is being loaded into a container, which will then end up in the hold of a warship.

No, it's still interesting. Yes, it's an order, yes it's the will of the Citadel Council, the governing body for several races that are quite ancient compared to humanity. Alien races. She, Ashley Williams, cringes every time, albeit imperceptibly, when she thinks that humanity has finally become convinced of its non-exclusivity as a carrier of reason. It was cruel, but it proved to be true. These Turians, Salarians, Asari, and all the others, numbering over a dozen... are difficult subjects to interact with.

It is also good that she is on a planet that has been handed over to humanity. There are relatively few aliens here, and they are not the hosts, but the guests. The other space infantry units of the division were much less fortunate, as Williams knew, they were stationed on planets where humans were no longer the main, key race. Yes, humanity has engaged in active colonization, but so far these have been only the first steps. And now...

Now these steps may not be ahead. Because there are not many years of relative peace ahead, but war. A war, it's scary to think, on a galactic level. Not some completely ordinary situation of military confrontation between two, three, or five races, but a war with an enemy who came to the Galaxy from outside. If this enemy has a lot of such ships... it will be very difficult to stand up and even more difficult to win.

The soldiers of her platoon were almost unharmed. So, several slightly wounded, two or three soldiers received moderate injuries. Doctors— military and civilian, will do everything to bring them back into service as soon as possible. The usual situation.

With archaeologists... it's more difficult. As Williams felt, they were ready to relocate. Let. Her platoon fulfilled its main task — it protected the archaeologists who excavated the Lighthouse. Of course, they tried to study the find as best they could and as well as they could, but... This artifact is too unusual. And impregnable. We couldn't understand or learn much. And the fact that they understood... was alarming.

The lighthouse... still showed the clever archaeologists a very short recording. Video recording — you can define it that way. A terrible record. Which could also be considered a documentary record of the beginning of some kind of conflict between the races — there have been few of them in the last few thousand years. But there was something else in this record presented by Mayak: a conflict... of a galactic, general galactic level. Yes, several races are shown that bear little resemblance to the currently known and actually existing ones. That's why those people who watched this video realized that we are talking about races that are now extinct.

Or rather, those who died in the fire of that very galactic conflict. Confrontation with a strong, extragalactic enemy. Ashley saw this recording. She's seen it several times. Under different circumstances. Yes, the recording is... scary. And now... now, after the archaeologists and the soldiers of her platoon, and she herself, witnessed a battle between an Earth scout frigate and a Reaper that was considered a figment of the sick imagination of a drunken intelligent organic, after an attack on the camp's inhabitants by frenzied, unknowingly reprogrammed drones, after she saw several people — and civilians, and military personnel who have gone mad as a result of an impact unknown to Earth science... She understood that these were all just the first chords of an impending catastrophe in the galaxy.

Remembering the details of what had happened-all sorts of details that had not yet been brought together into a stable unity, she understood that both Lieutenant Alenko, who had arrived at the camp, and his three escorts were policemen.... They experienced a moment that... hardly a large number of Earthlings were ready to survive normally. The recording from the Lighthouse and its contents acquired a special meaning and significance for Williams. There is a war ahead. Real, big, complex. And — long — lasting... Very long-lasting. If you have to fight with such an enemy who has... such ships... it will be difficult. It's very difficult and difficult. To everyone. To all reasonable organics. Not just people.

If such a thing is... ahead... she understands very well now why Kayden was so cruel. Ashley remembered his fist wrapped in a biotic glow and now realized that Kayden was surprisingly calm at that moment. There was no anger in him, there was no irritation in him. He was just... just doing everything he could to solve the problem. May be... It can't be, but it sure is... Sure enough, he was tense, agitated. But he didn't want to kill other intelligent organics. I didn't want to kill yet. Biotic. The biotic officer. The lieutenant. One of those who serves on the Normandy, who somehow managed to bring the Reaper, who was known until recently as an obscure legend, to the planet. As the locals who came to the camp told a little later, the Earth warship was helped to lay the Reaper by a strange, unprecedented activity of the local infrastructure — the same, for example, energy storage. Ashley had also heard that climate control also played a role. She hadn't known before that it was possible to use quite ordinary units in such a non-standard way in order to immobilize such a giant. How many meters were there in it "from the top to the heels"? "One kilometer, two kilometers?" Quite possibly two.

Ashley Williams was clearly and fully aware of the fact that this ship, which suddenly appeared over the planet and landed, was simply huge. Few Alliance cruisers would be able to attack the Reaper in space. And here, on the planet, he was confronted by a reconnaissance frigate. A small, nimble ship. It was not intended at all, and it was not adapted to fight "in the line." Especially alone against such monsters.

The archaeologists were getting ready to move to a new location. They packed personal belongings, equipment, instruments, and tools. A column of trucks and passenger wheeled vehicles lined up at the perimeter of the camp. Ashley heard the scientists and technicians relaying Dr. Warren's instructions to each other: get ready to move to a new site. This means that the Alliance Space Marine camp will soon be left without these restless and unruly neighbors. Representatives of the local district administration arrived at the camp again. Dr. Warren is alone with them in her office. Balok's... Some of these quick-assembly houses belonged to the local government, some — a small one — three or five pieces, were under the supervision of archaeologists. Now these houses were being disassembled, parts were being stored, completeness was being checked, packing and loading on transporters were being carried out.