Rebirth The Mass Effect is old-2

Nihlus approached Saren, staring intently into blue, guilt-filled eyes. Silently, he raised his hand and squeezed his shoulder tightly. The left one. And then he just grabbed him with a jerk and hugged him tightly. The mental was ablaze with a storm of emotions.

"Saren! Don't! Do it! So! More!" Nihlus growled, releasing the confused sworn brother from his iron grip. "If you get carried away on questionable adventures again... At least warn me... At least for me..."

Saren didn't know what to say to that, he just remained silent, staring intently into the bright green eyes. And it dawned on me that at this rate he would quickly wind himself up so that I wouldn't figure it out in a year. And he's not going to talk. He just sits and watches, carefully following the slightest gestures and glances, analyzes, trying to understand and realize the big picture.

Nihlus said softly:

"No matter what happens, I will never refuse to support you, brother."

The blue eyes widened in disbelief.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't even be trying to save you."

"It's too late to save me." Saren said distantly.

Nihlus choked on air and lost the ability to speak coherently for a moment out of anger. Looking at the twisted face and green eyes literally glowing with rage, I chuckled and said ironically:

"Really. It's too late to save." At these words, Nihlus choked on the prepared words, and Saren shuddered. "We've ALREADY saved you."

At this life-affirming moment, I got up, went to the table and picked up a small mirror I had prepared in advance.

"On."

I handed it to Saren and waited patiently until he reached out and took it, and then returned to my seat. Saren stared at me with a hard stare.

"Look, look."

The cold blue eyes slowly lowered their gaze to the mirror, squeezed until the knuckles turned white.

It took him a long half minute to realize what he had seen and, most importantly, to believe in what the mirror was showing him. Indifference cracked, completely washed away by boundless amazement and disbelief. Saren slowly raised his eyes, looking at me in confusion.

"It was impossible!" He typed. "I've researched everything related to indoctrination. She can't be turned!"

"To convert — no." I nodded in agreement. "But you can REMOVE all the excess from the body. Nanites, the tissues they have altered, and... everything else that is not a naturally occurring part of the body."

Saren slowly closed his eyes and clenched his fingers with such force that the mirror cracked. Well, at least he understands what condition he was in. And that makes me happy.

"I should be dead by now."

"You were on edge." I corrected him.

"How much... How long has it been?"

"More than five days."

The blue eyes widened. Saren raised his hand, clenched his fingers into a fist, turned his gaze back to me and slapped:

"There is nothing on board the Kratos that could give such a result."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I used something called `body plastic': I connected directly to your body like a symbiote and put you back together." I replied calmly. "It's a disgusting sight, by the way."

"A human can't do that." Saren said, staring intently into my eyes.

"What makes you think I'm human?" I asked ironically.

Saren blinked in surprise.

"Irene Shepard is a human being."

I stretched out my hand, turned my palm ostentatiously, and slowly grew long claws.

"Nope!"

She smiled at the startled Turian. Watching Saren Arterius' face stretch out in amazement is an unreal pleasure! I never thought that I would like it so much! Otherwise, his indifferent face made you want to do something... It's not good to break this stone mask. However, he quickly got over his surprise and was now staring at me intently.

"How did Nihlus survive?" he asked dully, avoiding the green eyes.

"He ended up in the Normandy infirmary about seven minutes after the shooting." I replied nonchalantly. "All it took was promising to wring someone's neck."

In response, a skeptical, incredulous look.

"You shouldn't doubt it." I grinned at him. "I have quite a good reputation. However, recently someone has forgotten about it... I had to remind you." I added dryly.

Garrus chuckled.

"Are you talking about the seven idiots you threw out in the airlock?"

"Six of them were pumped out... But notice how the productivity of the work immediately increased!" I grinned cannibally. "Well, it can't be helped if someone's brain starts working only when they're killed."

Garrus grinned and... gently stroked my head with a tender look in his eyes. The bastard is adorable, he ruined the whole effect! But Saren's thoughtful look pleased me a little.

"How did you find my base?"

"I pulled Lady Benezia out of her brain." I replied.

"Is she alive?"

Oh, wow! Anxiety? And they said he didn't give a shit about anyone. As it turned out, this is far from the case. However, the vast majority of the rumors turned out to be extremely far from reality, to my undisguised happiness.

"She's on this ship with her daughter. Anticipating your possible question: her mind has been cleared of the Reaper's influence."

Saren nodded slowly and his expression darkened even more.

"Yours, too, by the way." I added, watching with interest as the blue eyes widened. "So be it, since you're not really asking the questions you're really interested in... I will say: yes, I managed to COMPLETELY rid you of indoctrination, its consequences and the control of the Sovereign." The steely eyes narrowed sharply.

"We know perfectly well what Sovereign is, and how you got into it!" Nihlus muttered, drawing attention to himself. Seeing the promising gleam in his green eyes and feeling a rising storm of emotions, I exchanged glances with Garrus. The same thought shone in his crystal-light blue eyes: `It's time to get out!'.

"Okay, you guys talk here, and we'll go..."

We hurriedly rolled out into the corridor, and from the infirmary came the soft, insinuating, growling voice of Nihlus:

"What were you thinking when...!!!"

The closing doors of the infirmary cut off the end of the sentence.

Chapter 32.3 a conversation with Saren.

The storm of emotions pouring out of the infirmary began to subside only after a couple of hours. During this time, we managed to cook, chew and eat: as it turned out, Garrus knows how to cook, and Tali is not deprived of culinary talent, albeit with the specifics of naval cuisine. I didn't understand dextro products at all, so I refrained from experimenting, watching with interest how Garrus and Tali were prepared.

"Nihlus, have you finished sorting things out there?" I asked lazily through the intercom.

"Yes," the clearly angry Nihlus replied.

Saren chose to remain silent.

"Then we'll go in now. We'll bring you something to chew on."

We interpreted the mumbled `Uh-huh' as agreement.

Garrus picked up the pre-prepared containers, and I picked up a box of unknown but very tasty sweets, whose stocks Tali and I were actively destroying in the warehouse with the help of our precious sniper, and stomped into the infirmary. Tali chose to stay, sucking on the mashed soup through a straw.

In the infirmary, the disposition did not change: the silent Saren was still sitting on the cot, leaning his back against the wall, and Nihlus was walking in circles, followed by the gaze of steel-blue eyes.

"Well, did you yell your fill?" I asked, handing Nihlus a container of food.

He opened his mouth to say something about not wanting to eat, but ran into my kind gaze and wisely remained silent. I must say, he silently took his food from Garrus's hands, thanking him with a short nod.

Garrus sat down on the cot, examining Saren's impassive face with mild interest, periodically shifting his penetrating gaze to Nihlus, who was rushing around the infirmary. I watched this picture, sighed, climbed onto the same cot with my legs, leaning my back against Garrus' side. In the end, I got sick of this running back and forth, and I barked:

"Demons damn you, Nihlus! Sit down and don't flicker!"

He stopped abruptly.

"And chew!"

His eyes flashed with rage.

"And in silence!"

Nihlus sighed, squinted at the impenetrable face of the chewing Saren, but did not argue, knowing full well the futility of this occupation. Especially after looking at my soulful face. Well, yes, I was in quite a good mood: the goodies from the grocery warehouse had a calming effect on me... until I noticed the skeptical and suspicious look with which the green-eyed ulcer studied the contents of the box.

"Well, it's not Sebastian's cooking." I agreed, and Garrus glared at his kinsman. "But say one word, and you'll be cooking all day tomorrow. For everyone. Understood?"

"Got it!"

Nihlus squinted at Garrus and his unambiguously narrowed eyes, swallowed, and began to eat. Lately, I've started to notice this kind and understanding look behind our sniper, the way he usually looked at reasonable people through the optics of a rifle a moment before the shot was fired. The idealism and naivety of Garrus quickly crumbled, revealing the Archangel's face more and more clearly.

Saren watched our conversation very carefully, noticing subtle details and nuances. I don't think it will take him long to come to the right conclusions. Unless, of course, Nihlus has already enlightened you. Well, yes, this is a matter of the near future, but for now we need to solve one funny question.

"Initially, we assumed that you would sleep all the way to the Citadel." I said matter-of-factly, meeting the gaze of blue eyes.

"Is this a problem?" Saren asked calmly.

"Not that it's a problem... It just so happens that the cabins on your ship are already occupied. Including yours. Of course, we can tamper down."

"But?"

"But in any case, you shouldn't leave the infirmary for another day." Seeing the suspicion in the depths of his eyes, I explained: "After what Sovereign has done, your mind is vulnerable. Just a day later, the protection will rise and you will lose excessive sensitivity. Trust me, such a hard breakdown of control and a set of bookmarks just doesn't go away."

"What do you mean by `bookmarks'?" The cold voice sounded very harsh and demanding.

"Suggestions, distortions of associative connections that cause the desired reaction, bookmarks for the destruction of the mind, triggered when certain conditions are met. Is there anything you can bookmark? It's like a delayed-action mine. Fortunately, because of its enormous power, Sovereign has lost the opportunity for fine work. Or he never possessed it."

"Can you put them on?"

"I can, of course!"

Saren nodded slowly, staring intently into my eyes.

"Looking into the eyes of a mentalist is like an invitation to look into your mind." I said ironically.

Saren chuckled slightly, but did not look away.

"Would averted gaze hurt?"

"No, of course not!" I snorted. "But I don't count those I've decided to let into the inner circle."

The blue eyes widened in surprise. I rummaged through the box, fished out something like a cookie, and took a bite with pleasure under Saren's gaze.

"Is there no point in saying that this food doesn't suit you?" There was a hint of irony in the cold voice.

"Nope." I actively crunched cookies. "Garrus, do you want to?"

"Come on." Our light blue-eyed sniper perked up.

I handed him the box, and the two of us began to destroy the sweets in front of Saren, who was surprised by this behavior. Think, think. You're smart, you'll figure out the right result on your own.

"Anyway, you'll have to stay in the infirmary for two days. I advise you to get a good night's sleep these days. The mind needs rest. Especially after the recent one... stress due to someone's clumsiness. Nihlus lowered his muzzle guiltily at my words, which did not go unnoticed by Saren.

"I won't be able to sleep." a calm response without a trace of irritation or dissatisfaction.

"If you want, I can put you to sleep for a day. The usual sound sleep. The body itself will reset it when the need for rest has exhausted itself."

"Do you need my consent?" There was a hint of skepticism in the icy voice.

"Yes." I met his gaze. "You are not a prisoner on the Kratos."

"Weren't you sent to get my head?" Saren twitched his mandibles in mild annoyance.

"No."

"We were sent to bring you back, not destroy you." added Nihlus.

"Councilor Sparatus is looking forward to the return of Saren Arterius' Spectr." I smiled, seeing the shock in his blue eyes and disbelief. "And he's VERY eager to find out how one of his best Specter's got into SUCH trouble..."

Saren closed his eyes, inhaled slowly, exhaled just as slowly, barely calming the slight trembling in his hands.

At this cheerful moment, the conversation somehow died down by itself. Saren digested the news and squinted at Garrus and me. When Nihlus came up to us and began to ruin the remains of the cookies, stealing them from the box, surprised blue eyes warmed my dark soul. However, he quickly pulled himself together. But then he agreed to accept my help with sleeping, so soon we left the infirmary, leaving Saren sleeping alone. He is guaranteed to sleep for a day and wake up shortly before arriving at the Citadel.

* * *

The rest of the flight was not particularly different. Nihlus accelerated the ship to normal cruising speed so as not to drag around for too long, since we had done everything that we had planned. Liara and her mother spent time talking, which surprisingly attracted a bored Rex to them. Tali was meditating in the engineering room, having found something extremely exciting to do.

Saren woke up six hours before leaving the stage, and managed to recover, adjust his armor to fit his figure, and now loomed like a gloomy black shadow behind Nihlus.

Finally, the flight ended: in front of us, in all its dubious glory, stretched the Citadel and the bucket of the "Path of Destiny" dangling against its background.

Garrus squinted at my expressive face.

"I don't see any excitement from the sight of the Azarian dreadnought." He drawled maliciously in a purring voice.

I grimaced.

"You know how I feel about this disgrace of design in shipbuilding, right?"

Garrus laughed impudently, but Nihlus just snorted.

"You've heard. A bucket with legs." Nihlus grinned. "No respect for the museum ship and historical value."

I almost choked on my breath.

"What? Is the Path of Destiny a museum trough?"

"Yes." Garrus shrugged, glancing at the silent Saren. "Such dreadnoughts have not been built for two thousand years." At the time, we showed how ineffective and vulnerable such ships are. "All the dreadnoughts hanging around the Citadel are museum ships, including ours. They were not disposed of: they are fully combat-ready, and at least they will be of some use."