Rebirth The Mass Effect is old

"I am Commander Shepard, Alliance MSF. Garrus Vakarian, officer of the C-sec." As the girl comprehended my words, the fear disappeared, and she relaxed a little.

"Thanks!"

"Thank Dr. Michelle." I smiled reassuringly, shifting slightly to block her view of Garrus, who was quickly interrogating the still-alive Batar. "She told me that you were in danger."

"I..." the girl's voice trailed off as a muffled scream came from behind me. "Fist set me up! He..."

"Don't worry about him. Fist got what he deserved." A gurgling scream was interrupted by a dry pistol shot.

The girl shuddered.

"Apparently, I need to thank you twice."

Garrus came over and held out his hand, helping the girl to her feet.

"But why did you come to the doctor?"

"We're looking for evidence of Saren's Spectre betrayal." Garrus said.

"In that case, I can repay you for saving my life. I have something that can help you."

Garrus and I exchanged glances.

"We need to get out of here. It's not safe here." A rumbling purring voice echoed my thoughts, putting them into words.

"What about Ambassador Udina's office?" I suggested. "It's safe there. And he's DEFINITELY going to want to see it."

The girl did not object. Garrus caught my expressive gaze, grinned and walked forward, waving his hand inviting me to follow him. A couple of minutes of winding through the same type of corridors, and here it is happiness — a taxi terminal. We called the flyer and sat down on a bench. Garrus was looking at me with some kind of incomprehensible expression on his face, trying, however, not to stare openly, Tali was nervous. And I was sprawled out on a bench, watching the future members of my crew from under half-closed eyelids. Tali is a kind and open-minded girl, rather guileless and trusting. The result of growing up in a closed environment. Garrus, on the other hand, did not suffer from excessive trust, but he still had not lost his youthful faith in justice and a miracle. It's amazing how a romantic, kind, idealistic guy who sincerely believes in justice and an Archangel, a ruthless, cold-blooded, calculating sniper, so harmoniously combined in one reasonable man.

An automatic taxi landed silently near the terminal, gurgling a greeting. Garrus perked up, and Tali stopped weaving her six fingers into strange shapes.

"Let's go and make the ambassador happy." I stretched luxuriously and yawned widely.

By the time we reached the Presidium, I was already beginning to doze off. Due to information overload, fatigue rolled in much faster, the body demanded sleep and rest. Until all this trouble with the Council is over, if you can sleep, it will be on a bench in the park or in an armchair in the ambassador's office.

"Commander Shepard, are you all right?"

The Turian's soft purring voice, tinged with genuine concern, jerked me out of my slumber. The flyer began to slow down and descend, taxiing towards the embassies. Yawning, I rubbed my eyes and blinked.

"It's okay, Garrus."

"You look tired." the guy informed me incredulously, staring intently at my face.

"Communication with the Protean lighthouse affects Eden Prime." The ligth blue eyes widened in shock. "This device seems to have loaded the entire galactic library into my head... It consists of chronicles of the war years, paintings of a high-tech Apocalypse and a bloody massacre. It's like I'm really interested in the details of how those four-eyed, arrogant snobs were killed."

A Quarian gasped softly next to me, and for the first time I saw the Turian's jaw drop. It's a pretty sight!

The taxi landed and raised the canopy of the cab, politely inviting us to get out and giving me the opportunity to avoid further questions. But Tali's attentive gaze and Garrus' thoughtful gaze made it clear that these two would not forget my words and would eventually demand answers.

We walked to the ambassador's office in silence. I was in an elated and even dreamy mood, and my companions were still trying to chew on the news. I must have had a hard time chewing, because when we stumbled into Udine, Garrus and Tali were silent, staring at my back.

In addition to the irritated Udina, Captain Anderson was in the office. The native authorities raised an eyebrow questioningly, shooting a glance of penetrating gray eyes at the fucked-up aliens, and I nodded in agreement and smiled broadly, contentedly.

"Commander Shepard," Udina guessed quite correctly who had come to him. "You're making my life difficult." The ambassador's voice sounded irritated and angry. "A shootout in residential areas, the murder of the owner of the "Kora Den"!" The ambassador slowly turned around. "Do you have any idea..." The ambassador finally noticed our interesting company and stopped. "Who's that?"

Tali and Garrus exchanged glances. Apparently, this was not the reception they had expected.

"A Quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?!"

Against the background of the evil ambassador, Anderson, who was happy with his life, looked indecently happy. The captain immediately realized that I had brought a well-known Turian and an unknown Quarian for a reason.

"The Quarian can help us with Saren." I said sarcastically, watching Garrus's long face out of the corner of my eye, unaccustomed to such insubordination. "If you had let me insert a single word into your monologue, I would have told you about it."

Well, just the very courtesy! Anderson seems to be starting to get a "haha", Garrus is in a stupor, Tali is puzzled.

Udina sighed wearily.

"I'm sorry, Commander. This Saren thing has worn me out." For a moment, I even felt sorry for him, literally! For a VERY small moment!

"Maybe you could start over, miss..." Udina looked pointedly at Tali.

The girl nodded graciously and introduced herself:

"My name is Tali"Zora nar Raya."

"Quarians don't come here very often." Udina quite reasonably remarked. "Why did you leave the Fleet?"

"I went on a pilgrimage." The girl just said.

No one needs to explain what it is. Almost all sentients living in Citadel space were well aware of this lovely tradition of immigrants from the Migrating Fleet and, sometimes, enjoyed using the services of Quarian youngsters.

"Tell me what you found, Tali." I asked softly.

The girl nodded, clasping her fingers together.

"During my journey, I often heard reports of Geth sightings. Since our people were exiled, the Geth have never crossed the borders of the Veil." Tali paced nervously, unconsciously stroking her palm with her fingers. "I became interested and was able to follow one of the Geth patrols."

Oh! And the girl is an adventurer!

"I waited until one of the Geth had fallen behind his group and turned it off by removing the memory block."

We exchanged glances. What a lady! She caught Geth and twisted his head, pulling out his brains. The beauty!

"I thought that at the moment of Geth's death, his module burns down." Anderson pointed out quite reasonably.

Tali lowered her nose and hesitated.

"This is true. Most of the data was destroyed." the nose rose again. "But I was able to pull out some soundtracks."

With these words, this little miracle rattled on its fancy omny-tool and played us a short recording in which the perfectly recognizable voice of the unforgettable Saren was broadcasting to someone:

"We won a big victory at Eden Prime! The lighthouse has brought us one step closer to the Canal!"

And the pathos, the pathos! Hospadi, Saren, have you always been like this, or did the harmful influence of Nazara make your brain swim?

That's me, the Main Villain of the entire galaxy... on a short leash.

There was a moment of silence in the office. Intelligent people of different races silently comprehended what was said. I was silent too. Everything I could do, I did. Now it's up to Udina.

"It's Saren's voice!" The captain whispered.

"Wait! That's not all!" Tali clicked on the virtual buttons. "He wasn't working alone. Listen up."

Saren's hoarse, low, vibrating voice rang out again in the silence of the office:

"We won a big victory at Eden Prime! The lighthouse has brought us one step closer to the Canal!"

But this time, he got an answer:

"And he brought the Reapers' return one step closer." The drawling, deep-throated female voice sounded especially sensual and deep against the background of Saren's hoarse, rough voice.

The recording ended. The golden glow of the active instrumentron disappeared, and the device shut down.

"I do not know whose voice it is." The ambassador's voice broke the heavy silence. "The one who talks about the Reapers."

"It's a familiar name." Garrus growled softly.

Tali answered the unanswered question in the air:

"According to data from the Geth memory module, the Reapers are a highly advanced race of machines that existed about fifty thousand years ago. The Reapers completely exterminated the Prothean race, after which they disappeared. That's what the Geth think."

"It sounds like speculation and fairy tales." Udina muttered.

I could feel the fabric of reality tightening! A burning sense of excitement ran through my nerves, as it always does when I step in and break a frozen story, a shock dose of adrenaline hit my bloodstream, my heart began to beat, my mind cleared, becoming crystal clear and pure. Here it is — my drug, which I got hooked on five more lifetimes ago, and I don't think I'll ever cry!

"And if I tell you. Is it true?" I asked, watching with interest as the faces stretched out.

"Commander?"

"Captain, do you remember that strange ship on Eden Prime? Black, looks like a squid." I asked. During the briefing with Naylus.

The captain nodded.

"This is the Reaper." Udina choked, Garrus exhaled in amazement, purred a little, Tali squeaked.

"Are you sure?" Anderson braced himself like a predator about to throw.

"Do you know what put into my head what you called a lighthouse, and its creators called an information buoy?" after waiting for a negative swing, I pressed: "The chronicle of death. The demise of the Prothean Empire. A warning. A call for revenge. I've seen such machines descend on populated planets, wreaking death and destruction. However, there were MANY of them. And now the Reaper is alone. I suspect the others are somewhere in hibernation or stasis while this one is watching. There is no concept of a "long wait" for machins."

"Do you realize that your words are unprovable?" Udina asked.

"Naturally, I understand." I shrugged my shoulders. "But I'm not going to prove anything to you. I can only warn you and share my knowledge.

"Is there anything else?" Anderson asked, briefly silencing the ambassador who had opened his mouth.

"Did you know that the Citadel wasn't built by the Protheans?" I watched with some kind of fanatical pleasure as their faces stretched out. "They found her the same way we did. You know that the repeaters and this station are the product of the sophisticated mind of the Reapers. A kind of trap for civilizations, guaranteeing their development in the right way. The Protheans understood that. They realized it too late." now the FEAR and HORROR of understanding appeared on their faces. "After finding such a miracle... we abandoned our space programs and stopped developing. We are recent, other races were thousands of years ago. Why spend money on research into interstellar flight technologies if everything is already ready? Presented on a platter. Tied with a ribbon and with the attached instruction manual. All modern civilizations are hooked on repeaters, like a drug addict on a dose! We can't do anything without them. And the Reapers won't even have to search for our colonies. Why, if there is such a convenient repeater near EACH one... Do you need to explain what awaits us and what threatens SUCH dependence?

I looked at the captain and the ambassador with pity, feeling the confused, horrified gaze of Garrus and Tali all over my body. A little later, when they wake up from their stupor, they will be able to find excuses and calm down, convincing themselves that I was wrong. But the worm of doubt will not go anywhere and will gnaw little by little, depriving you of peace and sleep. It's cruel. No, it's monstrously ruthless. But it's true.

"You may not believe me or convince yourself that the Reapers are just fairy tales and there is no real threat. Your right. There is no proof. But when they appear, it may already be too late."

I spread my hands.

"The council won't believe it." Anderson whispered hoarsely.

"No one will believe it." I waved it off. "Reasonable are too rigid in their judgments and, even more so, in assessing a potential threat. "I guess even Saren doesn't know what he's gotten himself into.

"Do you justify him?" The ambassador raised an eyebrow in surprise.

But right now I can't mess up. I don't know what I'm going to do with Saren yet. But in case I need it alive for some reason, the soil needs to be harvested now. Especially since I really wasn't lying. The buoy REALLY unloaded a lot of interesting stuff, and Saren really got under control. How much remains to be seen.

— Quite a few visions show how the Reapers take control of the sentients. Weak-willed — completely. The strong ones — gradually. It's not for me to tell you how you can subjugate by playing on weaknesses, guilt, revenge, or duty. Add mental control and that's it, the puppet is ready. And she will do all the dirty work for you on her own initiative.

"Do you think Saren is the Reaper's puppet?" Garrus asked bluntly.

"I suppose so. Most likely, he himself does not understand this, considering his ship to be something like an ancient artifact-a spaceship with a strange AI."

"What gave you that idea?"

"Saren is no fool. A ruthless killer, no doubt. He doesn't like people— completely. But he is not a fool and hardly wants to destroy his own people. Had he been promised that the Turians would not be harmed? Who knows what got him hooked by the Reaper. We won't know until we catch him."

"Don't you believe in voluntary participation?" Anderson asked with displeasure.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but... no."

"Explain?"

" Saren has ALWAYS been absolutely loyal to the Council." I looked straight into Anderson's eyes. "I took the time to find out about him. The youngest Spectr. He is cruel, completely unappreciative of life, neither his own nor someone else's, fulfilling a task at any cost. Such reasonable people cannot betray just like that. But their loyalty is possible... redirect it. To substitute concepts, to suggest that it would be better this way. And as a result, there is an actual betrayal with thoughts about the need for such an act. There have been examples of this in our history and it was achieved by banal psychology without any mentalism and direct subordination of reason."