Rebirth The Mass Effect is old

"It doesn't make it any easier for us."

"Absolutely. But as practice shows, getting rid of... of course, such reasonable people will NEVER forgive deception and will take revenge with all dedication."

"Shepard!" Udina gasped in amazement, immediately getting into my words. "You're offering it to us..."

"This is an ideal option, Ambassador, but, unfortunately, unlikely. To what extent my speculations correspond to reality, we still have to find out. But if I'm not mistaken... I will do my best to bring back such a fighter. Saren would never forgive the Reapers for SUCH a deception." Hesitantly, she added: "As well as myself — betrayal."

The captain didn't say anything. He just stood there and stared thoughtfully through me into the distance he alone knew. Tali was silent. Garrus was thinking hard about something. The ambassador was pacing with his hands behind his back.

"The council won't like it." Udina's soft, thoughtful voice broke the heavy silence.

"They might not believe it." Garrus said reasonably.

"They shouldn't talk about the Reapers. It's too early." The captain nodded in agreement to my words. "You shouldn't try to get everything at once. We are content with a small victory. Proof of Saren's guilt in the attack on Eden Prime."

"That's right, Commander," Anderson said, crossing his arms over his chest. "These audio files are sufficient evidence of guilt. It's not worth trying for more."

"I'll inform the Council." Udina drew a line under our conversation.

"What about Tali?" I asked.

"Commander! You've seen what I'm capable of!" The girl perked up. "Let me go with you!"

I exchanged glances with the captain, and Anderson nodded slightly.

"But what about your Pilgrimage?"

"The pilgrimage speaks to our desire and willingness to dedicate ourselves to the common good! How can I stay away?" Tali's voice was genuinely puzzled. "Saren and the Reapers are a threat to the entire galaxy! The pilgrimage can wait!"

"I'll accept any help, Tali."

"Thanks!" The Quarian's voice trembled with joy. "You won't regret it!"

The Ambassador sighed.

"Captain Anderson and I will prepare a message for the Council. We'll give you a couple of hours to rest. Meet me at the Tower."

The authorities left, and after consulting with each other, we decided to wait in the Tower so that we wouldn't have to rush headlong to the Council meeting.

The terrifyingly slow elevator lifted us to the right level, having managed to overwhelm all three of us with a disgusting mournful melody. For relaxation, we chose a long bench located slightly away from the main staircase in a nice little corner. They sat down there. However, Tali didn't have enough time for long, and the young Quarian jumped to her feet and nervously cut around the fountain, looming in front of her eyes. Garrus and I sprawled out on a bench, relaxing after a busy and exhausting day.

Slowly, fatigue, silence, and the soothing murmur of the water took their toll, and I drifted off to sleep. As I was falling asleep, I felt my relaxed body slide smoothly to the side, and my head bumped uncomfortably into something hard. Once I was more comfortable, I switched off, plunging into the already familiar and somewhat familiar bloody nightmare showing me the demise of the Prothean Empire.

* * *

Councilor Sparatus, hurrying to an unexpected meeting, noticed a strange company even for a multi-species Citadel: a Quarian woman nervously pacing back and forth and a young Turian man he knew well, sitting on a bench, looking at a human girl sleeping soundly on his lap and not knowing where to put his hands.

Chapter 8: Advice: A Key Decision

I was woken up by the sound of a digital instrument. Damn it! I slept so well, quietly, calmly, under the unobtrusive murmur of water, and here... Who needs me there? Without opening my eyes, I turned on this dirty trick by touch and said dully:

"Shepard's on the line."

"Commander, come to the Council meeting immediately!" Udina's voice startled me out of my sleep. "And take your friends with you!"

"We'll be right there. We're already in the Tower." I grumbled, disconnecting the connection. "Udina is a brute... I've had such a bad dream..."

There was a muffled gasp of air overhead. When I opened my eyes, I found that I had been sleeping safely all this time, having adapted Garrus as a pillow, and he was sitting, afraid to move once more. Poor guy... Straightening up, I yawned profusely, rubbed my eyes, frowning at the real world.

Garrus was silent and pretended to be an organic part of the bench, Tali giggled softly.

"Tali!"

At my reproachful look, the girl laughed, and Garrus, if he could, by God, would have blushed or run away. As it was, he just pressed his mandibles to his cheeks and avoided making eye contact with me. No, really, it's lovely!

"Tali, stop laughing. Come on, let's please the Council with our faces." Yawning, I smoothed my shaggy reddish hair, putting myself in relative order. The mirrored glass in the wall of the building clearly showed my sleepy face with the red imprint of the armor relief. A very distinctive print, by the way! Rubbing my cheek, I waved my hand, muttering under my breath:

"What the fuck? If you don't like it, don't let them watch..." And a little louder: "Information overload turns me into a dormouse. Thanks for letting me sleep."

"You said that the lighthouse uploaded a lot of information to your brain." Tali asked.

"Yes," Tali and Garrus listened carefully. "If I close my eyes a little, I instantly switch off and have bloody nightmares. You know, watching entire civilizations being destroyed..." I shook my head. "I will do everything to prevent this from happening to us."

Garrus and Tali exchanged glances, but said nothing. And I don't need words.

Having dusted ourselves off and tidied ourselves up, we crawled up the wide front stairs to the Council platform. The guards checked us and let us through. The meeting was closed and there were no outsiders present. The acoustics of the hall were good, so even at the door we heard a familiar audio file broadcasting in Saren's voice and the answer of an unknown.

"Did you want proof? That's it!"

Udina stared intently at the three beings endowed with almost unlimited power, tensely waiting for their answer. We crawled up to Anderson, who was standing a little behind us, and all three of us, as if on cue, tried to pretend to be part of the decor. For a moment, it seemed to me that Councilor Sparatus was grinning, but I could tell exactly by the sedentary Turian physiognomy!

"Your proof is irrefutable." Sparatus' low, rasping, rumbling voice struck me as particularly ironic. "Saren is being stripped of his Spectr status." here we all breathed a sigh of relief, which did not escape the attentive gaze of the advisers. "Everything necessary will be done to bring him to an answer."

"I recognize the second voice on the recording." The Asari Counselor, Tevos, turned her head to her fellow Turian. "This is Matriarch Benezia."

We exchanged glances. The matriarch is a strong opponent. Skilled, powerful, deadly. Tevos's sensual voice confirmed these concerns:

"Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic and has many followers. She is a very powerful ally for Saren."

"I'm more concerned about the Reapers." The Salarian's raspy voice jarred on his ears. "What do you know about them?"

"Only what was recovered from the Geth's memory. The Reapers are an ancient race of machines. They destroyed the Protheans and disappeared." Captain Anderson answered the Council.

"Commander Shepard," Sparatus turned a demanding gaze on me. "What can YOU tell us?"

"A little bit. The Geth worship the Reapers as gods. Saren is the prophet of their return." After thinking about it, I threw a test balloon. The Geth are absolutely certain that the Reapers still exist and are drifting in stasis somewhere in the "dark space", waiting for the Call to come through the Channel open to them and begin the Harvest. Where this "dark space" is and what kind of Call is known only to Geth. Reapers are known to be intelligent starship machines. By Harvest, I believe, is meant the destruction of organic life, as was done fifty thousand years ago when the Prothean Empire was wiped out. The information from the lighthouse partially confirms this, but it does not provide any GUARANTEED evidence. Perhaps studying other Prothean ruins or artifacts will provide an answer to these questions."

Sparatus stared intently at my crumpled face, but I still couldn't figure out what he wanted. According to history, the adviser took everything with hostility and did not believe a single word of the protagonist. But that's a game, and what's going on in the head of a real Sparatus is a mystery shrouded in darkness. The obscure hints bothered me a bit. This guy definitely understood something or found out, and now he's trying to get answers from me to the questions he needs. I wish I knew which ones! Otherwise, I feel uncomfortable under that gaze of intelligent and cruel gray-green eyes.

"How was Saren able to contact the Reapers?"

Did I mention that I hate pop-eyes? I'll repeat myself. I HATE Salarians and Councilor Valern in particular.

"I haven't the faintest idea. It's enough that he has a strong ally. And he himself is able to cause a lot of problems."

Saren is a traitor. Valern lifted his chin.

"He has neither the rights nor the capabilities of the Spectr. The Council stripped him of these powers."

"It's not enough!" Udina jumped up.

"You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse! Send your fleet there!"

"A fleet cannot attack a single creature." Sparatus said quite sensibly.

"The Citadel fleet can seal off the entire region. Don't let the Geth attack our colonies!" This could lead to a war with Traverse systems."

"We can't get involved in a galactic confrontation over a couple dozen human colonies!"

Sparatus grimaced, but said nothing. And I was staring intently at Councilor Valern. He's really arrogant.

"I can stop Saren." I said calmly, meeting the heavy and appraising gaze of the Turian.

"The Commander is right." Tevos glanced at her colleague. "There is a way to stop Saren without a fleet or armies."

"Do you think humanity is ready to bear the responsibility of the Spectres?" Sparatus asked, looking at me with some strange interest.

Wait a minute... And where is the categorical "no"? Sparatus must be against my appointment! Either I don't understand something, or... or I don't know something.

The Asari exchanged glances with the Salarian and looked questioningly at Sparatus. The Turian didn't think long. A short, confident nod put an end to their discussions. Three intelligent beings with the highest authority in the Citadel Space simultaneously stretched out their hands to small terminals and typed something. We watched their actions with bated breath, not daring to believe what was happening. Am I really going to get Spectr status just like that?

Commander Shepard. Step forward!

Tevos's deep voice caused a small tremor. I looked at Captain Anderson, who looked incredibly pleased. The man nodded. Shivering under the attentive gazes of the advisers, I walked to the very edge of the platform. Udina took a couple of steps back, standing next to the captain. Garrus and Tali stared at the scene with bated breath.

"By the decision of the Council, you are given all the powers and privileges of a member of the Citadel's Special Tactical Intelligence Corps." The charming voice of the Asari reverberated through the vast Council Chamber.

"Spectr"s are not trained. They are chosen." Councilor Valern crossed his arms over his chest, staring intently into my eyes. "They are battle-hardened. They are above ranks and positions."

"Spectr's are an ideal, it is a symbol." The Asari lifted her head proudly. "The epitome of courage, determination and dedication. They are the right hand of the Council. An instrument of our will."

"The spectr's carry a heavy burden. Sparatus rasping voice sounded especially gloomy and solemn after the gentle voice of the Asari, it reminded of clashes and battles, the screech of crumpled armor and the roar of gunfire. "They are the protectors of peace in the Galaxy. They are our first and last line of defense! The safety of the Galaxy is in their hands!"

"You are the first human Spectr." This is a great achievement for you and for your entire race.

My heart was pounding in my chest, and my head was empty. The greatness of the moment was not spoiled by a single sound, not a single superfluous word. The Council, as the embodiment of Citadel civilization: the mighty Turian, the astute Asari and the cunning Salarian. There were no idle spectators whispering on the balcony, there were no appreciative glances.

Bowing my head in a respectful bow, I said softly:

"It's an HONOR for me."

Sparatus nodded slightly in approval, and the Asari smiled. And the Salarian bastard ruined all the solemnity of the moment:

"We're sending you to Traverse for Saren. He is a fugitive from justice, and you are authorized to use ALL means to arrest or eliminate him."

"We will send all available information to Ambassador Udina." the Turian added, interpreting my look quite correctly.

"The Council meeting is closed." The deep voice of the Asari put an end and marked the end of the meeting. However... As soon as we turned around and headed for the exit, something flew at my back:

"Spectre Shepard, hold on." The low rumbling voice sounded completely unexpected.

"Councilor Sparatus?" I stopped and looked questioningly at the Turian.

"Your doctor's reports say that after contacting the lighthouse, you received a huge amount of information. Is that true?"

This... My ass! Sparatus was interested. My chuika senses that until this chitinous muzzle squeezes me dry, I will not leave this hall alive.

"Yes, it is. Information overload is still affecting us. The data from the buoy has not yet been fully realized."

"A buoy?" the Salarian bastard noticed a slip of the tongue.

"This is not a lighthouse, but an information buoy. As far as I understood from the diagrams, its purpose is to store information and transfer it into the mind of any reasonable person who has crossed the coverage area. The Protheans built thousands of such devices when their demise became apparent."

"What schemes do you have in mind?" Tevos was also interested.

"Blueprints and diagrams pop up in my head during deep sleep. I'm not a technician, and I can't tell you what it is, but when the information is absorbed, I'll transfer everything I see to a medium. Maybe it's something useful. You should understand that I cannot guarantee that there is any real value in these visions.