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Chakwas didn't want to look at the information on how the case with these very strange excavations was progressing on the desktop screen right now. She was used to being completely alone, freezing, unfocusing her eyes and relaxing. So time passed quickly and imperceptibly.
There was no signal from the equipment, neither sound nor light. Karin felt that, strangely enough, it was not Saren who would wake up first, but Benezia. Maybe Earthlings are really right in believing that Asari are women?
"It could very well be," Chakwas thought, getting up and walking over to the Asari, who was lying on her back, already trying to open her eyes.
Benezia's gaze, cloudy, unstable, unfocused, nevertheless focused on the face of Chakvas, who was leaning towards her. Approaching the bed, Karin managed to take readings from the instruments: waking up was standard.
"W-where am I?" the matriarch exhaled, trying to focus her eyes somehow, trying to see the surrounding objects in more detail.
"You are on board a warship, in the medical bay." Karin replied softly.
"Nazara"...
"He... let you go." Chakwas did not want to go into details now, clearly feeling that the Asari was not yet able to perceive them normatively.
"I... feel weird. I remember the impact, the floor suddenly changed places with the wall and I... lost consciousness," Asari whispered. "Who are you?"
"Doctor. My name is Karin," Chakvas replied simply and clearly, reading the readings placed on the bedside decks out of the corner of her eye, but still paying more attention to examining the patient.
"I... I don't feel any underwear or clothes on me. You..."
"You were seriously injured when the ship hit the ground, Benezia. I operated on you. Therefore, you are now covered by this canopy." Chakwas touched the light and durable fabric of the bedspread with her hand.
"I'm inside... The Reaper wasn't alone..."
"Saren Arterius is also here, in the medical bay." Chakwas held a mirror up to the Asari's eyes. "Don't turn your head, just look..."
"He's..." the Asari glanced in the mirror at the sleeping Turian and looked away, "too..."
"Yes, he was hurt," Chakvas confirmed, "he fell too. I had to operate on him too. Now he's fast asleep and can't hear you...."
"I... feel strange, Karin," the matriarch's gaze finally became clear and tenacious. "My eyesight is... back. At least I can see you clearly enough now."
"I'm glad," Chakwas replied. "And about how you feel... You're out of the Reaper's influence, Benezia. And very soon you will regain your former freedom and integrity."
"But... I was convinced that..." the Asari said timidly.
"It is impossible to escape from the indoctrination effect of the Reaper." Chakwas said calmly and quietly. "Everything is relative, Benezia."
"How do you know me, Karin?" The Asari's gaze was clearly filled with amazement and surprise.
"I am an officer of the Medical Service of the Alliance of Systems Air Force, and you are on a military combat reconnaissance ship. It wasn't difficult for us to make inquiries."
"And you know now..." the matriarch continued.
"A lot," the doctor did not deny. "And about you. And about him." Karin glanced at Saren.
"Can I ask you something, Karin? I would like to..." Benezia, as the doctor realized, was predictably shy. This embarrassment was understandable — both men and women of different races and Asari who considered themselves asexual did not want to be seen as "half-disassembled" and "disassembled," and such "disassembly" and "half-disassembled" is so common for patients in hospitals.
"He's fast asleep, Benezia. But if you want." Chakwas pressed several sensors on her omny-tool, and Saren's bed was separated from the rest of the medical bay by a screen.
The Asari calmed down a bit.
"He... he almost strangled me several times..." Benezia said softly. "And now I remember it... especially clearly. He... he almost killed me.... He tried to kill me several times. And I knew, and I know now, that's what this terrible giant ship demanded of him. Saren... became a slave to this ship. And then... I became his slave..." the Asari matriarch closed her eyes, falling silent for a few minutes. Chakwas was a little surprised that an elderly Asari, even by the standards of her race, not only woke up quickly enough, but also said so many words out loud. As soon as she woke up, she came to her senses, and Karin was not only sure of that, she was convinced. Benezia opened her eyes, her gaze touched the doctor's face. "You... operated on me?"
"Yes," Chakwas nodded. "Our ship is small, I am a trauma surgeon."
"I don't understand. What happened?" The Asari's gaze traveled around the medical bay. "We've both been here... have we been here long enough?"
"Yes," Chakwas confirmed. "You were unconscious for a long time. Both."
"So, is he... also free from the Reaper's influence?" Asari asked in a barely audible voice.
"Yes. Just like you, Benezia," Chakvas replied.
"But..." the Asari hesitated. "It means..."
"This means that you could not have been aware of yourself and cannot be responsible for your actions committed under such" here the ship's doctor made a special emphasis, noticeable to the patient "pressure. And we have no desire to turn you over to the law enforcement agencies of the Azarian Republic or the Turian Hierarchy. There is no reason for this, and there is no possibility — you are in treatment. And it's going to be... long enough."
"So what exactly happened?" the matriarch is seriously determined to get an answer to this question.
Chakwas sighed slightly. She really didn't want to tell the matriarch right away about what had just happened on Eden Prime. Benezia did not take her eyes off the doctor's face and realized that she was hesitating.
"I remember, Karin, that we had to pick up the Lighthouse from the planet. That's what the ship's pilot wanted, and we... had to obey. We... witnessed the ship sailing through the Galaxy towards the planet. The pilot called the planet something, either a code or a cipher, but... we had no real way to understand what kind of planet it was and where it was located.
"This is Eden Prime. One of the first human colonies. An agricultural planet. With Prothean artifacts," Chakwas said honestly.
The Asari froze.
"Have we... been brought to territories subordinate to humanity?!" she gasped.
"You could say that," Chakwas confirmed. "As far as I understand, you two couldn't have done anything together, or even alone, either to resist or to help, so consider that both of you were just disenfranchised, forced passengers of this ship. Everything was decided by the pilot."
"But why... why did we get here..." the asari tried to formulate her question, and Chakwas did not rush her. "Why are we suddenly here..."
"The ship's pilot was collecting Prothean Beacons, most likely all over the galaxy. The lighthouses contained a warning. About the great danger." Chakwas recalled the images sent to her by the frigate's electronic warfare service. The same pictures that the archaeologists and the Marines who guarded the scientists had already seen. The doctor remembered her conviction that this was far from all the information contained in the Lighthouse. It may be possible to extract more. Eventually, of course. "The pilot of the ship did not want this warning to be received and understood. Therefore, he secretly approached Eden Prime. We managed to detect his progress through the area of responsibility of humanity, managed to note his approach to Eden Prime and managed to prevent the removal of the lighthouse." Glancing at the patient and at the displays of the instrument bedside complex, Chakwas was convinced that azari was amazingly fast, if not recovering, then returning to a certain, very significant norm, so she continued her story.
"And..." the elderly Asari's voice was clearly impatient.
"We had to stop the ship's attempt to leave the planet with the help of onboard -and not only — weapons. The result was the fall of the ship to the surface of Eden. You were both extracted from the depths of the shrimp."
"The reaper," the matriarch clarified.
Karin nodded:
"Yes. They were transported aboard our ship. You were both unconscious...."
"I was... completely overwhelmed," the matriarch whispered. "And now... I don't understand. I feel as if these days spent under the yoke of the ship's pilot's will... have never happened in my life. I feel free. I used to be absolutely convinced that it was impossible to get rid of dependence on the Reaper. And now... I feel like I've never met Saren or the Reaper."
"We were able to get you out, Benezia," Chakvas said. She really didn't want to tell the barely awake Asari about Shepard and his abilities right now.
"You... pulled me out... and Saren... wasn't alone?" The matriarch carefully looked into Chakwas' eyes.
"Yes, I was mainly dealing with your... physical problems." She didn't lie to Patient Chakvas. — Mental problems, including the problem of your complete dependence on the will of the pilot of the Reaper ship... were eliminated by another member of our crew.
"I felt... the presence of... a man, a human next to me." The matriarch whispered softly. "So it's true. He was here."
"He was," the doctor confirmed. "He helped me a lot. And you. Both of them."
"I have no doubt," the Asari once again looked around the available space of the Medical Bay. "Are we... just the three of us here?"
"Our ship has not yet left the planet. We have more tasks here. And so far, the commander of the ship has not ordered the launch", Chakwas clarified. "As for the Medical Bay, I, as the chief physician, am its absolute mistress. Both the crew of the ship know that I never make any kind of show out of the process of treating patients. As for the fact that it's just the three of us here... I don't feel lonely, Benezia. It's just... it's my job. Both of you are the most difficult patients in recent days. Therefore, naturally, we have tried to ensure that you recover in peace and quiet.
"That's probably... right. What you, Karin, did," The matriarch spoke. "I just can't get used to my... free state."
"Benezia, you've only recently woken up", Chakwas said, glancing at the indicators on the bedside instrument decks. "So what..."
"I can't believe I'm... free," the matriarch gasped. "So many days... What's the date today?"
Chakwas named not only the day, but also the month and year, causing the patient's face to express the expected expression of sincere amazement.
"The goddess! Have I spent so much time under the Reaper?!... I can't believe it. Although... I understand that this is... quite possible. When you're trapped in such a... shell... time moves in a completely different way," the matriarch said thoughtfully.
"You're free now, Benezia." Chakwas sat down on a chair next to the bed where the elderly Asari was lying. "And you have to get used to your free position."
"You're right, Karin", The matriarch closed her eyes for a few seconds. "You said it was a warship?"
"Yes. "Normandy"."
"Remember. The Turians sometimes mentioned its design on the Extranet. A two-century gap. And..."
"They built it, handed it over to us, and now we're mastering it." Chakwas said. The first long-range flight and such, she did not particularly hide her feelings and emotions from the interlocutor.
"And... what should I do with him now?" The matriarch turned her head with an effort and looked at the screen separating her bed from the bed Saren was lying on.
"He's free, too, and now he won't have any complaints about you, Benezia. You're both mature, intelligent organics, so... Everyone, both you and him, will have to settle into this world as individuals free from external influence. It's... a long process."
"And..." the impatience, or maybe curiosity, in the Asari's voice continued to grow.
"In the meantime, you will be in the Medical Bay. Both. Then, when you get stronger, you can go back to wherever you want." Chakwas did not continue, realizing that Azari must decide for herself where she wants to live after such a "return."
"Frankly, I'm scared, Karin." The matriarch did not hide her fears and outright fear. "I've committed so many crimes... without meaning to. I'm afraid..."
"You did these things under external influence, Benezia." Chakwas replied to the interlocutor. "The strongest, inescapable external influence. You were in no way free in your actions, you had no other choice, no other opportunity. So that..."
"But they won't believe me." Benezia tried to start a story about who she was, but Chakwas stopped her with a short gesture and Asari fell silent, realizing that she should not continue to insist. Have you... found out almost everything about me?"
"We're intelligence, Benezia," Chakvas said. "And, if necessary, we have plenty of opportunities to learn a lot about every reasonable person. We are aware that you are a member of the core membership of the "Council of Asari Matriarchs," colloquially known as the Matriarchy, and we also know that you are one of the religious leaders of the race."
"And you know what I have..." the matriarch whispered timidly.
"you have an only daughter, who is currently over a hundred years old. Her name is Liara," Chakvas confirmed.
"I haven't talked to her for a long time. By your count, that's fifty years. Half of her life, Karin," the matriarch said softly. "I'm sorry, but I'm... surprised, amazed, and, frankly, delighted that I can talk to you so freely, calmly, and a lot. I understand that you operated on me, that I am lying on a medical hospital bed, that you have almost completely restored my body, but... I would like to learn more about the person who was able to give me back... myself." Embarrassed, the matriarch closed her eyes. "Will he be able to come to me soon?"
"He's very busy right now, Benezia." Chakwas replied. "We have a job to complete here. So far, the ship's command has not made many important decisions, and without them we will not be able to safely and quickly leave the planet." Chakwas stood up, turning one of the screens to Asari, who was lying on her back and switching his image from medical indicators to a neutral static screensaver. "I'll tell you about this man. I think he will not fail to come to you when you are sufficiently strong."
"My clothes. She was undoubtedly injured in the fall. And..."
"I won't hide it, Benezia," the doctor replied. "I had to cut your dress. I tried to cut at the seams, so that if necessary it can be restored. Your headdress..."
"Some kind of ritual and ceremonial decoration, Karin. I know he's... not familiar to people, but... I got used to him, and on the Reaper, when I wasn't me, I didn't really think much about my appearance. So now I understand that all this time I practically did not change into anything else and, accordingly, did not change my headdress. Was he hurt?" The matriarch asked.
"A little bit. We will repair it if necessary." Chakwas, without getting up from her seat, pressed a few keys on her wrist instrument and one of the doors of the wall cabinet closest to the bed opened. "Here he is."
"He was almost unharmed." the matriarch looked around her "cap" with a tenacious gaze, and the ship's doctor made sure that Asari's vision returned to full, her brain received all the basic information in sufficient, necessary volumes. "Is it probably worse with the dress?! However, I understand. Drag me from the Reaper to..."
"The shuttle," Chakwas clarified.
"And then to the frigate," the matriarch continued. "The pleasure is below average. Probably..."
"You were brought here by the person who later restored your psychosphere, Benezia," the doctor noted. "He was brought on board by one of the paratroopers," she pointed to the screen with her eyes.
"On your hands?" Asari asked. "I... I didn't feel like I was being... carried on a stretcher."
"Probably his," She looked at the screen behind which the Turian lay on the bed. "They didn't bring it on a stretcher either."
"You're right. You were both carried here," Chakwas confirmed. "Almost immediately, he did," the doctor typed in several commands on her wrist instrument. Benezia saw the official portrait of John Shepard, almost the same as it was in his personal, top secret file., "I began to restore your psychosphere. How he did it, even I, a doctor, cannot say in detail. He's capable of it, and he can do it. It is unlikely that he himself will also be able to explain this verbally to anyone reasonable. This is quite likely one of his capabilities, which he has, possesses, owns, whatever you want to call it." Chakwas lightly touched the sensors on the instrument panel and scrolled through several portraits of the XO on the screen.
"He's... young. And despite his outward youth, he is... experienced," Azari noted, peering at the images presented to her.
"Yes," the doctor nodded in agreement. "He is really unusual. He has a high amphibious and special forces rank. And now he is the senior assistant to the commander of the ship and at the same time the commander of the landing crew."
"Two such positions for one person?!" Azari was genuinely amazed. "We don't practice this in the Azarian landing force. "In any case, I don't know anything about it, despite the sufficient security clearance."
"We're amazed ourselves," Chakvas did not deny. "He joined our crew quite recently. Just before we left for Eden Prime. And then... a lot of things changed for the better on the ship and in the crew."
"And it's changed for the better for me, Karin." The matriarch whispered. "Why can I lie on your bed like this, holding my head straight? After all, the appendages..."
"We assumed that there would be such an inconvenience for the Asari. Therefore, our hospital beds, which are equipped with the medical rooms of the reconnaissance ships, have recently been equipped with recesses into which your head appendages sink. He's got it," the doctor looked at the screen, "It's a similar problem, but he doesn't have any difficulties either — his head growths are also sunk into a similar notch."
"It's... comfortable. It looks like a specialized pillow. For the most part, we are deprived of such a luxurious opportunity to hold our heads when we are lying on our backs, straight," The matriarch spoke up. "I never cease to be amazed that I am now able to speak so much and freely out loud, although... I understand that I barely got out of literally, as you people say, "from the other world." I understand that the space I've been in is very similar to the other world," the elderly Asari remarked sadly.
"Nevertheless, Benezia, you need to take a nap." Chakwas pushed the screen back to its original position. "Get some sleep. Sleep is the best way to restore strength."
"And you won't..." the matriarch looked at the doctor, who was already retreating to her desk.
"There's no need for that," Chakwas smiled faintly, turning around. "You have recovered sufficiently and are now fully capable of sleeping on your own. Without any sleeping pills." Chakwas sank into her chair. "I'll cover you with a screen. Get some sleep," she pressed a few keys on a desktop instrument and the partition panels extended out of the wall, unfolding into the working position.
"I'm going to sleep, Karin. Thanks," The matriarch spoke softly as she saw the white opaque plates separating her bed from the doctor's desk. Closing her eyes, Benezia herself did not notice how she fell asleep.
As Chakwas scanned the monitoring data collected by the automation of the medical bay on the instrumentation screen, she was glad that the matriarch had finally fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep. The doctor did not lie to her patient: she really did not use any sleeping pills right now. Shepard performed a real miracle — the monitoring proved that Asari, despite her respectable age even by racial standards, had recovered to a very significant extent.
Of course, not completely, but the fact that she was able to talk so much already indicated the possibility of unequivocal success, ensuring a guaranteed recovery. It was good that she had fallen asleep. Now, if Saren wakes up, there will be no need to take any measures to ensure that there are no contradictions between him and the Asari that can lead to a confrontation between the former "senior slave" and the "slave".
Accustomed to taking such life situations rather cynically, Chakvas did not focus on the subordination of the Azari to the Turian and delved into the analysis of the monitoring data provided by the automation of the medical bay. An hour later, she got up, stepping carefully, approached Asari, who was lying on her back, and using hypnosis, she ensured her patient a deep sleep for several more hours.
Something told Chakwas that Saren would wake up very soon and everything had to be done in advance so that there would be no tension between the patients. Benezia will sleep, and she, as a doctor, will talk to the Turian for now. Karin had no doubt that such a conversation about a lot of things would be necessary. Saren opened his eyes.
His keen ears immediately picked out the Asari's breathing from the jumble of sounds, but there was no familiar environment around the Reaper's "central post". As far as the eye could see, there was a medical bay around the ship, which inherited many Turian traditions in its equipment. Light and quick footsteps were heard, and a middle-aged Earth woman bent over him. A doctor, Saren realized.
"Where am I?" The Turian asked this question, not really believing that he would get an accurate and comprehensive answer. If there is a human doctor in the medical bay, then this means that he, most likely, somehow, unknown to him now, ended up on board a ship belonging to earthlings.
"Frigate Normandy, Spectr Arterius." Chakwas said briefly, realizing that such an answer would satisfy the patient more than any other. "I am a doctor at the Medical Center, my name is Karin," she added.
"Do you... know me?" The Turian asked.
"It's hard not to know about one of the legendary Spectres of the Citadel Council, Saren." Chakwas performed a quick manual checkup and body examination of the patient. "You're almost completely normal."
"How did I get here...? I remember that the ship I was on... crashed. The blow knocked me unconscious. I know it sounds... stupid, but I don't remember anything else." Saren tried to turn his head. He did not succeed. "Combs..."
"There are special recesses on our hospital beds. Your comb is not damaged, it's fine. Your comb is not damaged, it's fine. But for now, until your full recovery... it will be better to refrain from head movements." Karin said as she read the readings from the screens located above Arterius' bed. "You really fell down and lost consciousness. Our drop-off team evacuated you from the Reaper."
"Have you identified the ship?" There was some surprise in Saren's voice. "He's..."
"Any legend has some very real foundation." Chakwas replied. "That's the way it is here in this world."
"Perhaps you're right," the Turian closed his eyes. "You know, it's... convenient to lie on your back like this and keep your head... straight, without straining your neck muscles. I'm not surprised that you undressed me. And now I don't feel many implants in me."
"I deleted them. You won't need them anymore." the doctor answered, switching the modes of the medical equipment on her omny-tool. "I left only the most necessary and safe ones."
"I was..." Saren said. "Now I even doubt if it was me all those days and months."
"It was you, Saren. But you did not fully control yourself, your actions." Karin looked at the Turian. "So what..."
"You found out that I am a Spectr. But I probably won't be able to return to the Corps so easily and quickly. For what I've done..."
"You didn't do it," the doctor said. "You were completely controlled by the Reaper. You were only an obedient and submissive instrument, an executor of his will. So none of the reasonable organics will make any claims against you. No one alive today."
"Are you so sure about this, Karin? But how... how did you manage to free me from..."
"Indoctrination?" Karin took a step back from Saren's bed, sat down in a work chair on wheels. I was just removing the implants from your body. Including the ones that the Reaper set up."
"Remember. I probably spent a lot of time on his operating table... almost unconscious," Saren said, closing his eyes again. "And..."
"The senior assistant to the commander of our frigate, Saren, helped you. I don't know exactly how he did it. But the result is acceptable."
"More than acceptable... That's how I felt..." Saren hesitated, but then continued Long before he became... As you people say, a puppet in the hands of the Reaper. "It's... a pleasant feeling and a very pleasant feeling of freedom, lightness and confidence that now... a lot depends only on myself. I haven't felt... free in a long time. Can i..."
The XO is not on board right now. He's busy on the planet. He leads the disembarkation group.
"Did you... stop the Reaper?!" Saren was clearly deeply amazed.
"I had to," Chakvas confirmed, "He tried to remove a certain Prothean artifact from an Earthling planet."
"Yes... we were... passengers. And the Reaper, or rather, the Reaper pilot... didn't tell us much. We were not equal partners, so we were not even privy to many of his plans and intentions, and we did not know the reasons for many of his actions. Yes, I realize now that he used us. And now I understand that I used it dirty. So we are now..."
"On Eden Prime, Saren," Chakwas replied.
"Remember. We walked for a very long time, flew somewhere. There are no portholes on the Reaper. We didn't know whose territories we were traveling through. All I remember is that the Reaper indicated that we were going in disguise. Then... I felt the Reaper being shot at, and the ship, which had been standing vertically up to that moment, suddenly began to topple sideways and there was a blow. I... lost consciousness."
"You fell out of your chair, Saren," the doctor clarified.
"Yes... an armchair," the Turian confirmed after a few seconds of silence, recalling recent events. "The Reaper pilot created a kind of working cabin for us. There were two chairs, but at that moment... I probably couldn't fasten my seat belt. Or... he didn't have time. I do not remember. Everything, as always, happened too fast. Most likely, the pilot hoped that he would be able to launch, take the ship away, but apparently..."
"We tried our best to make sure he couldn't start," Karin replied.
"Yes. You really did that." Arterius agreed. "Where is the Reaper now?"
"The frigate is hanging next to him. He's lying... on his side. Motionless."
"Did you manage to stop the Reaper with a scout frigate... with one ship?!" Saren did not hide his amazement. "This... was obviously new to the Reaper pilot."
"I don't know the details, Saren," Chakwas replied, realizing that the Spectr wanted to hear the full story of the last fight. "I'm not a warrior, I'm a doctor."
"A surgeon?" said the Spectrum.
"Yes. We humans have a tradition that surgeons are most often appointed as heads of Medical Departments on ships — and not only on ships, but also in station and ground medical centers. However..."
"I remember that tradition, Karin." Saren closed his eyes, then opened them again. "You operated on me so calmly and completely... the wounds... hardly hurt."
"I'm glad to hear that, Saren, but don't be silly."
"So far, you're on bed rest," Chakvas said.
"Next to me... there was an Asari on the Reaper. The matriarch. Her name was... Benezia," said the Spectrum.
"She's here, behind the screen. Sleeping..." the doctor nodded.
"Pilot... He almost made me strangle her several times. I will probably be judged and punished in the Azarian space for bullying the matriarch." Saren whispered. "I remember that she is one of the religious leaders of the Asari."
"I think we'll have time to settle this issue, Saren." Chakwas studied the Turian's eyes. "You're in control of yourself now...."
"Yes, I do. And I will definitely apologize to Benezia." Saren said firmly. "The Reaper forced me to command her and made sure she couldn't resist having to obey me. He often commanded her, too. I'm starting to remember, and I... I don't feel like I'm a Spectr anymore. And she, without any doubt, will answer to the Court of the Matriarchy. And he will suffer too. He will be punished, as they say," the Turian stopped abruptly.
"Therefore, Saren, you don't need to remember everything that you have done now, without controlling yourself even in the slightest degree. These memories will be harmful." Chakwas said with emphasis. "You will establish a normal relationship with Benezia. You have now started a new stage of your life. And about the past... it's better not to think about it now. It's behind us, Saren."
"I suppose, Doctor, you're letting me know in a simple way that I need to sleep? We intelligent organics have a very strong conviction that sleep is the best medicine."
"Natural." Saren said, smiling faintly.
"Yes," Chakvas did not object.
"Then... before I fall asleep, may I ask you a question?" Arterius said carefully.
"Okay, Saren," Chakwas nodded.
"You can help me, restore a more decent look to my face. Although... I'll take it easy if you say "muzzle" instead of "face". It's not about the notation, is it?"
"I can do that," the doctor confirmed. "But you, Saren, have a direct need to rest right now. No sleeping pills. And I feel that this is not the last question."
"Yes, Doctor. I feel that my kinsman is present on board your ship. And I suspect that this is Nyhlus Kryik, my student and the current Spectr of the Citadel Council."
"Yes," Chakvas nodded, confirming the correctness of Saren's assumption. "He's actually on board the Normandy."
"I know that the Citadel Council ordered him to monitor both the use of the prototype frigate and the removal of the Prothean lighthouse from Eden Prime."
"The Council finally reached out to these artifacts" Saren spoke with obvious displeasure. "He tried, unknowingly, to get ahead of the Reapers" The Turian was silent for a few seconds. "Only here ... the information received from the Lighthouse, if it really was received by the intelligent people subordinate to the trinity of Advisers, was expected to be simple and pleasant. For Advisers," Specter clarified.
"You could say that," Karin confirmed. "But Nihlus and us Earthlings were almost beaten by the Reaper. Most likely, the Reaper and its pilot are not interested in the intelligent organics currently living in the Galaxy fully exploring the contents of this artifact."
"The appearance of the Reaper... brought confusion to reality" The Spectr expressed itself in a streamlined way. "Agree. He caused considerable damage to Eden Prime and its infrastructure during landing, and even more so during the fall. There was a Ghetto landing party on board."
"Yes. The Reaper... subjugated some kind of Geth unit. Maybe a few dozen. Plus, there are several amphibious carrier ships. He is a half-machine, so it was much easier and simpler for him to negotiate with these machines driven by network AI than for us, intelligent organics," Arterius admitted. "Spirits, I just can't get used to the fact that I'm free and that I've been talking to you for so long and I don't feel more tired.... This is so new to me that I get lost.... You're right, Karin. I need to... take a nap and think about a lot of things." Arterius promised that he would not... have any complaints against Benezia. And he'll apologize to her, he will, the Turian repeated. "I guess I've already realized that there's no need for her to apologize to me: I'm more to blame for her than she is for me anyway. We were both really extremely independent in our actions.... It's... scary. And I'm glad it's over. I have a lot to think about. I'll probably be napping. Hardly sleep. And I probably won't get up without your permission, Doctor. But..."
"We have sufficient facilities to provide you with clothes. There's a Turian colony on Eden Prime, and your people probably won't mind handing over or selling us a complete men's wardrobe." Karin chuckled. "Get some rest, Saren. And remember, you promised to behave normally."
"I will, Doctor. I will." Arterius closed his eyes in agreement for a few seconds. "Maybe when will you let me see Nihlus?"
"I'll allow it. Over time." Chakwas got up from the armchair, moved away from the bed, closing the curtain. "Get some rest."
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