Аннотация: Part 1: Under the Shadow of the Soveren The author is Irina Lerkh. Rebirth is the old version. Irene wakes up after her death in another world in Shepard's body and gets closer to Garrus and Nihlus in pursuit of Saren.
Rebirth The Mass Effect is old
Part 1: Under the Shadow of the Soveren
Chapter 1: Hello, new incarnation!
The woman standing at the viewing screen suddenly screamed thinly and sank to the floor, writhing in short convulsions. His eyes rolled back in his head, his hands scrabbled on the metal floor, and only wheezing and squawking came out of his throat. People in dark military uniforms ran in, and the woman was taken to the infirmary. But the checks showed nothing: the captain, who was having a seizure, was completely healthy! But the brain activity was off the charts...
The seizure ended as suddenly as it had begun. The female body suddenly went limp, the indicators calmed down and did not differ in any way from the standard data of a soundly sleeping person. The tall man asked softly:
"Doctor, what's wrong with her?"
"I'm sorry, Captain... I don't know." the doctor spread her hands in confusion.
"How is she?"
"The indicators are stable. Captain Shepard is just sleeping."
"Let me know when she wakes up."
"Yes, sir."
The man abruptly turned around and left the infirmary. The doctor sighed heavily and returned to work, carefully examining the readings taken during the captain's strange attack.
***
The agony of death still dominated my senses, shaking my body with spasms and convulsions, but gradually the phantom pains subsided, allowing me to take control of my new body. There were sensations, I felt smells when I inhaled, a metallic taste on my tongue, stiffness of the couch, tingling on my fingertips. Synchronization has ended. My soul settled into a new place, the connections were restored, the aura began to slowly unfold, recreating layer by layer, and I launched a diagnostic of the body. I need to know who I've been thrown into this time.
I was pleased with the result: the body is feminine, healthy, human, at the peak of its development. An ideal option for rebuilding. Gradually, as my aura unfolds and I assimilate with my soul, my body will change, acquiring the properties that I have managed to consolidate. Regeneration is activated first. Then there's mentalism, as soon as the eighth layer is restored. And, as an ideal, my Gift and the transformations it grants. As soon as the inner layers settle down, the memory of the recipient whose body I have occupied will begin to be absorbed.
Was I sorry for the woman whose existence I had so abruptly ended? Not for a moment! Her soul went into rebirth without damage and with a decent supply of energy, so the next birth will be extremely successful and happy - this is my compensation, a kind of payment for the interrupted rebirth. And experience tells me that this woman's life would be... Stormy. Very violent and bloody. It doesn't throw me into other destinies...
The second layer unfolded. The racing thoughts calmed down. My mind cleared, my psyche stabilized, and my mind cleared. The third layer will take several hours to open and give me power over my body. The fourth will unfold by the end of the day, and with the activation of the fifth, I will begin to absorb information from the host's brain. Means... sleep. A short mental command, and my mind obediently went out, plunging me into sleep.
Consciousness turned on with a jerk. At the edge of perception, a sense of life unfolded, the beating of some powerful energy, a conversation carried by the ear, but the mind was in no hurry to comprehend someone else's speech. Her MEMORY unfolded in front of me. The memory of a woman named Irene Shepard.
Looking through the stingy, partially incomplete memories, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the realization of WHAT embodied reality me was thrown into! And even at the moment of the beginning of Branching. Or, in other words, a couple of days before the start of the canon.
I couldn't help but giggle. I never thought that one day I would be reborn in the embodied reality of the Mass Effect! I usually get thrown into worlds... not so developed, although sometimes much more perverted. Oh well, at least a touching childhood dream will come true.: I'm going to space! I will see alien races, visit other planets... The beginning euphoria was interrupted by the rustle of opening doors and the barely audible click of heels. Well, Irene, it's time to wake up and explore a new world. Fortunately, the upcoming meeting with the Protean lighthouse will allow me to write off all my oddities and extensive memory lapses to him.
Blinking in the bright light, I opened my eyes. A soft cry, the rustle of clothes. I carefully propped myself up on my elbows, peering at the ash-haired woman who jumped up to me. Whatever her name is... Karin Chakvas, trauma surgeon, staff physician at Normandy.
"Captain Shepard!" Karin's voice turned out to be very pleasant, but full of sincere concern.
"Doctor? What happened? Why am I in the infirmary?"
"Is unknown." The doctor stared intently into my face with intelligent gray eyes. You suddenly have cramps. There were no injuries, no abnormalities, but the body was in agony. After seven minutes, the cramps stopped, and you fell asleep for a day.
"That's how..." I nodded slowly. The agony of death, as always, ricocheted through the body. Things happen. "Strangely, I feel quite well. Where are we?"
The doctor understood my question quite correctly:
"We just jumped over the repeater to Eden Prime."
That's it! The Beginning Of Branching. Eden Prime. The first distortion is always difficult. Reality does not want to deviate from the "canon", from the matrix according to which it was embodied. I can only do one global Distortion. But what is it? Need to think.
I stood up, interrupting the doctor's objections with a gesture, and silently left the infirmary. I need to find my immediate superiors and let them know that I am alive, healthy and ready to work. However, I didn't have to decide for a long time, as the intercom informed me that they were waiting for me in the briefing room.
Then I'll crawl around the ship, poke my curious nose, but for now... Eden Prime is waiting for me!
A tall Turian man was waiting for me in the briefing room. THE SPECTR OF Naylus Kraik. Stopping at the entrance to the gym, I leaned against the wall, staring intently at the man standing with his back to me, turning the crease inside out. The recipient's memory unleashed on me a wave of negativity and suspicion towards the SPECTR, which suddenly found itself on board with some kind of incomprehensible task. In principle, I can understand Irene: Nilus behaved with a degree of arrogance and coldness, cutting off any possibility of contact, and the hot-tempered Shepard, following the slight xenophobia and opinions of the crew, openly disliked the powerful Turian, although she observed strict neutrality. What do I know about this guy? Naylus Kraik, a student of Saren Arterius. Tough, ruthless, however, he does not reach the mentor either in cruelty or in this very ruthlessness, he treats people with cautious benevolence. He's a loner by nature, a great fighter. He nominated Irene as a candidate for Spectr. He'll die on Eden Prime, shot in the back of the head by Saren.
Or he won't die.
I have one global distortion of reality. Two intelligent people from my environment who can somehow influence the further development of this reality will die on this planet: Jenkins and Nilus. The first one gets a bullet from a Geth drone, the second one gets the same thing from a mentor. Only one person can survive. It's easy to save Jenkins. Naylus is almost impossible, but their influence on events directly depends on the static nature of fate. Well... I have some time to come to a final decision.
I detached myself from the wall and sauntered over to the Turian, greeting him with a nod of my head. It's time to start preparing this reality for Change!
"Captain Shepard," the Turian's voice was surprisingly low and deep, with a slight metallic tinge and a barely audible rumble, as if a huge cat were speaking. "We'll have a chance to talk."
I tilted my head to the side, peering with interest at the man slowly pacing in front of me. The Turian is a tall, powerfully built humanoid. Her figure is powerful, but surprisingly slender. A similar illusion was created by a thin waist and long legs, and the peculiarity of a cat's step: without full support on the foot. The appearance did not cause hostility. A beautiful race. Predatory. Dangerous. The light grace of a wild beast, the smooth, honed movements of a fighter, economical gestures, the gaze of bright green eyes, looking somewhat wary. A face with a hard chitinous integument, but moderately expressive, however, facial expressions can be determined solely by the eyes of mobile mandibles. The harmony of the face falls under the definition of "beautiful" and therefore the Turian does not fall into the category of "freak".
"We can talk. - I easily agree, smiling a little.
There is wariness and distrust in the green eyes. Yes, Naylus is far from being stupid, the crew's attitude to himself was perfectly understood and felt. You can even sympathize. The negativity was felt even by my neutered empathic sense.
"Don't mind?" The mandible twitched slightly.
Reality wavered. A minor digression. The beginning of the stratification of the chain of events. The first sign of a Change in the rejection of the Branch of reflected reality from the main tree of embodied reality. Continue... The history of embodied reality does not like digressions... she will try to return events to the programmed course. Let's see what I can change.
"No. Talking to an intelligent interlocutor is a pleasure that has been so rare lately. Especially if the topic does not affect the service."
The SPECTR understood my irony. He bowed his head slightly.
"You weren't so friendly the last time we talked, Captain."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"The status obliges. Who better to know this than you?"
The man nodded.
The conversation turned aside. Nilus on Eden Prime... He didn't even mention it. That's wonderful. To listen to pretentious nonsense, which the SPECTRUM itself does not believe in...why?
"What brings you aboard the Normandy, SPECTRE?" I smiled at the way the Turian flinched. "Don't tell me stories about testing a stealth system."
"You've already figured it out." not a question, but a simple statement of fact.
"I hope I'm not stupid."
"Don't take my words as an insult." The Turian waved a three-fingered hand in alarm.
His attempt at justification is to apologize so much... It's touching and funny, which only causes a smile and a slight touch of emotion. It's funny when such a powerful being apologizes for such a small thing.
"I won't count it. And yet, Naylus, what brings you to the Normandy?"
Anderson, who entered the round room, saved the Turian from having to get out. With the man's first words, the story returned to its original tracks. I listened to Anderson with half an ear, carefully watching the Turian standing next to me, forming his image. My eyes involuntarily clung to the little things that were so insignificant at first glance: small reflex gestures, the way he moved, the timbre of his voice, the fleur of his emotions that I vaguely felt, the expression of his surprisingly green eyes. Anderson started talking about the mission on Eden Prime. Nielus immediately tensed up. His mandibles were pressed tightly against his cheeks, and his eyes were alert. Waiting for my reaction?
And what do you want to take off the planet? I asked with a slight irony in my voice, looking into Nilus green eyes a little maliciously.
The captain answered me:
"During the excavations at Eden Prime, scientists found some kind of lighthouse. Most likely, it's a prothean."
I chuckled.
"How can you be sure that this is a lighthouse and not something else?"
The captain had no answer to this question, and he hesitated, not knowing what to say. The Turian's green eyes were filled with bewilderment and confusion. I was frankly falling out of the image that he had managed to create during his time on board the ship.
"Let's say it's a lighthouse, and let's say it's a Prothean." I looked at the confused Turian with interest. "I understand your desire to bring the device out of Eden Prime. As far as I know, there is no way to study such devices on this planet. Am I right in my assumptions?"
Anderson and Naylus nodded in unison.
"Correct me if I'm wrong about anything." the SPECTR flinched from my kind smile, but did not look away. "An artifact has been found on the planet, presumably a Prothean beacon, with great potential value for all races living in Council space. Since there is no way to examine the device or ensure its safety on Eden Prime, it was decided to take it out. The Citadel, I suppose."
Naylus nodded. Anderson blinked and said nothing.
"I will not touch on the political side of this decision. It is multifaceted, although it can be described in one word." Seeing the interest in the green eyes, she pressed: "Rollback. Advice from people."
Naylus was embarrassed and looked away. Of course, he understands the background of what is happening. Captain Anderson chuckled.
"Although it is roughly said, but in fact it is true."
"I can believe that transporting a lighthouse is reason enough for one of most respected and well-known the Council's Spectrs to spend so much personal time."
Only a deaf person would not have heard the irony in my voice. Naylus chuckled, spreading his mandibles in a slight grin.
"You're perceptive, Captain Shepard."
"As I said before, I dare say I'm not stupid." My grin only made the Turian smile wider, revealing a palisade of sharp, wedge-shaped teeth. "So what is the REAL reason for your attention, SPECTR?"
"I want to see you in action, Shepard," the man replied, cocking his head slightly to one side.
"Is curiosity idle or has a practical interest?" I asked, stopping Anderson from making a pretentious speech about the Alliance. Naylus noticed my maneuver and grinned.
"Quite practical."
"That's how?"
"I have put forward your candidacy for the place of Spectr." the man kindly explained to me, cunningly flashing his predatory green eyes.
I chuckled, casting an ironic glance at the captain.
"I don't even know... should I be pleased with the honor or outraged that I was confronted with the fact?" The Turian understood me quite correctly, his green eyes glittering with hidden amusement. He enjoyed our sparring. "I think I'll choose the third one, and I'll say that I'll be happy to work with you, Naylus, regardless of the decision you make."
Our sweet conversation, which was giving us both some fanatical pleasure, was interrupted by the excited voice of the pilot announcing the reception of the signal. The story is back on track. I calmly watched a short video that was transmitted to us by fighters from the surface of the planet. Nothing unexpected: a shootout with the Geth, the death of fighters, the Soveren in the sky. Expected. Anderson stared intently at the screen. Naylus was squinting at me, more interested in my reaction than in the image on the screen. The green eyes only flickered once at the screen when the Reaper appeared on it. And they returned almost instantly. Meeting my gaze, the Turian slightly tilted his head at the screen. I raised an eyebrow. In response, a questioning urk. Like a cat, what a word! My serene smile colored his gaze with concern.
Anderson sounded the alert, and I left to prepare for the landing. The recipient's memory was fully assimilated, I was more or less familiar with weapons, and therefore the preparation did not take much time. Already standing in the airlock, I approached the Turian and said softly,:
"Naylus, may I ask for... in some way... a promise."
SPEKTR gasped at the question and blinked in surprise. He was the only one who heard my words: the Turians' hearing is very sharp, and he easily heard my almost silent whisper. He hesitated for a few moments, but curiosity overcame his doubts, and the man answered just as quietly.:
"You can."
"Naylus. Swear to me that you will NOT turn your back on an armed reasonable. The green eyes widened in surprise. Especially if you know this reasonable person perfectly well and trust him infinitely." My cold voice and gaze made him flinch.
"Do you know something?"
"Intuition." - a hard look of green eyes in response.
"She is very tender and sensitive to those who live in war. Mine is RARELY wrong. And I smell betrayal and your stupid death."
The Turian blinked. I liked the hard, staring look. The man thought about it. He didn't brush it off, but took it into consideration, glaring at me suspiciously. And finally, a slow response.
Naylus swore without a trace of irony.
"Naylus." The man tilted his head questioningly. "If you die, I'll kill you."
A low rumbling laugh, and the SPECTR moved away to the descending ramp.
I'm sorry, Jenkins. I'm afraid you won't survive the first Geth drone attack. Naylus's life is more important to me than yours.
Chapter 2: Eden Prime: Losses
The crimson colors of the sunset flooded the silent world with blood. The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, blinding sensitive eyes, and it smelled acutely of smoke and burning. The tall building was filled with heavy smoke from the fire. The trees rustled softly, the dry soil creaked under the soles. A heavy, oppressive picture. Alenko shivered.
"It smells of smoke and death." - the fighter's quiet hoarse voice sounded... organically in the atmosphere of a world drowning in sunset.
I nodded silently, lowering my visor. The sniper rifle clicked softly, coming into firing position. I don't like rushing headlong into the unknown. I may remember the canon, but my knowledge has already been blurred by time, and I cannot guarantee its absolute accuracy. Embodied reality is not a game. Minor changes that do not affect the key chain of events are quite normal and may cost me my life. I'm not Shepard. I am outside the rules of this world. I will die, and another hero will come in my place and lead this universe along the beaten path.
"Let's go."
The fighters followed me, looking warily around, only Alenko muttered softly: "Damn!", plunging into a murky greenish slush.
We found the first bodies on a rock very close to the landing point: black, burnt to slag, they lay losing their greasy ashes in the gusts of wind. Alenko swallowed.
"What happened here?"
"We'll find out soon enough." catching the fighter's gaze, I dryly retorted: "Stop being hysterical! It's like seeing a corpse for the first time!"
The guy looked down and shut up, and I slowly walked forward. A little further on, there are more bodies scattered along the road. The same burnt ones, crumbling into pieces of ashes and more smoldering coals.
A barely audible whistling sound made me abruptly raise my clenched fist. The soldiers froze, listening to the whistling of the wind. Was it just my imagination? It shouldn't be...There are three Geth drones out there somewhere. I pointed my fingers at my eyes and waved my hand. Jenkins nodded and cautiously stepped out onto the road, peering intently at the bushes and trees.
The drones appeared unexpectedly, emerging from behind a large rock. A short burst of blue pulses, and Jenkins collapsed onto the road with a muffled wheeze, Alenko stood up with a jerk, clinging to the stone.
The sniper rifle jerked in my hands, and the drone crashed to the ground, sparking and smoking. The subtle beep of reloading, catching the next one in the sights, firing. Alenko took off the last one.
Damn it! Three flying things and immediately - a corpse on the ground! That's how you could put yourself up like that? Lowering my weapon, I cautiously approached the fighter's body. Is dead. The shots penetrated the flimsy shield instantly, ripping through the light armor.
A confused Alenko stopped nearby.
"Jenkins..."
"Is dead. Inattention leads to such results." bending down, she closed the wide-open eyes of the dead man. "Be careful. After completing the mission, his body will be taken to the ship."
Alenko nodded curtly, frowning at me. What did you expect, I'll be hysterical and upset? So it would be worth learning the psychological profile of your commander! Irene was anything but a compassionate idiot. Jenkins, somewhere in the depths of my callous soul, was still a pity. A self-confident, enthusiastic young guy. I remember him bragging to Dr. Chakwas. Unfortunately, such people are the first to die. Stepping over the body, I moved forward, moving from stone to stone. These drones are not the only ones here.
The connection clicked softly and Naylus's muffled voice reported:
"Shepard, there are several burnt-out buildings and a lo-ot of corpses." a purring voice stretched out this "a lot", giving me an estimate of the scale of the disaster. "I'll try to scout out the situation and meet you at the excavation site."
"Don't you remember what you said before we landed?" I asked quietly.
A short pause and a muffled reply:
"I remember."
"Don't disappoint me, Naylus. I don't want to find your body. Jenkins is enough for me."
"Died?"
"Yes. Try not to add to the number of our losses."
The connection is gone. Alenko looked at me strangely, but, thank all the gods of this world, he did not comment in any way.
"Be careful! These drones are clearly not the only ones here!"
The man shuddered, tightened his grip on the rifle and slowly walked forward. I stood a little to the side, peering into the rustling foliage, at the massive tree trunks, at the boulders. The drones attacked twice more, but now, knowing what to expect, they were easily killed. Only Kayden had taken a couple of shots in the shoulder, and now, hissing obscenities, he was treating his wounds with panacelin, trying not to meet my eyes. Shame on the parasite!
Shots rang out ahead. Kayden jumped up and grabbed his weapon.
"Take your time. Finish the dressing. I'll check it out."
The fighter nodded and went back to work, and I climbed up a small hill and peered through the scope, peering into a rather vast little valley stretching along steep hills to the excavation site, whose lamps dispersed the sunset twilight with bright arrows of white light.
Gunshots and the already familiar whistle of drones sounded closer, a woman in gray-steel armor jumped out from behind the rocks, slipped, caught a shot in the back, absorbed by the bluish film of the shield. Ashley Williams. A short thrust of the butt into the shoulder, the drone somersaulted in the air and crashed to the ground. Ashley rolled head over heels behind a rock, removing the last one and catching another shot. There were no storyline geths, but there was a body on the spike, and more than one, fortunately, it was still fresh, and you didn't have to wait for huskies from here for another couple of hours.
While I was chatting with Ashley, Kayden stamped with a guilty face, and I confronted the fighter with the fact that this lady was coming with us. The guy didn't mind. A little further behind the piles of boulders and rock fragments, the excavation site and the Geth scurrying through it were beautifully illuminated by numerous searchlights. At this distance, even the powerful optics of the rifle made it impossible to examine the synthetics in more detail, but, reasonably thinking that I could easily examine their corpses in all the details, I squeezed the trigger. The Geth, hiding behind a rock, tumbled from the impact of a heavy bullet and sank to the ground. The creatures got nervous, scattering into hiding, and I shot them steadily and methodically, preventing them from leaning out and approaching the range of fire, fortunately, the Geth did not carry sniper weapons.
Funny, they really have a light bulb on their head! And it's so convenient to aim at it! Kayden's attempts to rush into battle were cut short by a short mat and Ashley's hand, which pulled him behind cover. Shots slammed into the stone, where his evil head had been a moment ago, knocking out fountains of stone chips.
"Alenko!" I looked up from the optics and shook my head reproachfully.
The man cringed guiltily.
"Check it out. They could have hidden." Ashley and Alenko turned to the right, skirting a wide stone disk in an arc, hiding behind huge boulders. Shots rang out, and the geth screamed thinly. I must have really missed someone.
"Clear." Ashley's back.
I put the rifle away and came out of hiding. The ancient ruins spread out before me in all their glory... It sounds like it... In fact, I saw only a shallow excavation with an excavated massive double disc of yellowish stone and a pair of collapsed columns, whose purpose will remain lost in the darkness of history. The lighthouse, tellingly, is missing.
"As I understand it, the lighthouse was here?" I nodded at the playground.
Ashley nodded.
"Yes. Apparently it has already been rescheduled."
"Who! Ours or the Geth?"
"It's hard to say." The woman shrugged her shoulders. "Let's check out the research camp and maybe find out more."
"Do you think anyone survived?" I asked, folding the cooled weapons.
Ashley shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe they survived if they hid. The camp is over there."
The woman waved her hand, pointing to the hill at the base of which the lighthouse was found.
The connection clicked.
"Plans are changing, Shepard," Nayllus voice sounded strained. "There is a small spaceport here. I'll check it out. I'll be waiting there."
I didn't answer, but searched the neighborhood. An Avenger rifle was found in one of the drawers. A slightly more powerful model than my Lancer. After critically examining the weapon, I threw the service stuff into the rattled drawer and hung the Avenger on my back. Alenko blinked, and Ashley just chuckled, but said nothing, only approval flashed in her gray eyes.
I didn't find anything else interesting. The tripods I already knew with the bodies of people strung on spikes stood in disarray along the ruins, but the rebuilding process had just begun and was not visible from the outside, although I could see the limbs of the definitely dead people twitching slightly.
"To string on a stake ... Instead of shooting him... Shouldn't that make sense?" Ashley whispered, looking away.
"They intimidate as." Kayden muttered.
He kicked over the Geth corpse, and I shook my head.
"These are synthetics, Kayden. They act from the point of view of logic. It makes some kind of sense. Rational. We just don't know him."
Geth stared up at the bloody skies with his eyepiece extinguished. A massive humanoid creature with an elongated metal head, light black armor covering the sternum, shoulders, partially legs, three-fingered hands resembling Turian ones. Geth's flesh was dark, almost black, as if twisted from tourniquets and pseudo-muscles, faintly glowing with bluish lights, which slowly but surely went out.
"An interesting creature." I stood up abruptly. "Let's check out the research camp. And try not to expose yourself."
The fighters nodded.
A well-trodden path led to the camp, winding along the very edge of a steep rocky hill. It's wide enough to walk comfortably, but not wide enough for even a small military vehicle to pass through. The path wound between hefty boulders, hiding the town ahead.
Unlike the game world, the camp turned out to be quite large: about a dozen modular buildings, a small warehouse, and a flyer area, now littered with bodies and bristling with a palisade of Geth stakes. Some of the train houses were smoking greasy smoke, in some places the flames of a dying fire were still visible, charred bodies of humans and Geth lay on the ground in the craters of the explosions. A small military truck was burning down peacefully at the edge of the road to the spaceport.
A soft rustle sounded in the silence. Kayden flinched and spun around.
"Fuck! What is it?"
I turned around, peeking out from behind the stone. As I watched, the spikes folded, retracting into the support, and the body, which had previously hung limply on the stake, convulsively moved.
"It's a husk!" Ashley whispered, raising the shotgun.
I confess, I was shamefully confused! This creature looked like a dead zombie raised by a half-educated necromancer! The shrunken skin split, exposing bluish muscles intertwined with strange growths, blue lights of implants and metal parts glittered through the altered flesh, glowing eyepieces instead of eyes. It's creepy!
"That's the answer."
"He's still alive!"
"Kayden! Turn on your brain and open your eyes! Where did you see a Human there?!" I couldn't resist cursing. "Look at what they look like! SHOOT!"
The short-lived battle with the Huskies has put the last points in the situation on Eden Prime. Now even the stubborn Alenko did not ask stupid questions, looking at the bodies hanging on pins. His attempt to shoot them was stopped by a short phrase:
"They're already dead, Kayden. It's useless to shoot until the transformation is over."
The man lowered his head, nodded briefly. Ashley wasted no time searching the remaining houses.
"Captain! The security system is enabled here!"
The fighter waved her hand, pointing to one of the surviving modular buildings.
Pick the lock. The woman nodded, bent over the lock plate, and I noticed the golden sheen of the instrument. The lock gave up quickly, with a slightly muffled squeak. The doors opened.
"Captain, there are survivors!"
"What?" I blinked in surprise. I'd happily forgotten about that.
Two scientists, a man and a woman, huddled fearfully in a dark room. People sincerely thanked us, glancing fearfully at the street, which was slowly being flooded by the coming darkness. It will be dark soon.
"I know you! You're Dr. Warren!" Ashley roused herself. "You led the research!"
The woman nodded. Tall, thin, with short dark red hair, she was perfectly in control of herself, unlike the hysterically terrified man huddled against the wall.
"What happened to the lighthouse?" I asked.
"He was transferred to the spaceport yesterday. We stayed behind to help break up the camp."
The woman sobbed, but quickly pulled herself together.
"Excuse me."
"What can you tell us?"
The scientists could tell us a little. A strange ship in the sky, an unexpected attack, the death of the soldiers protecting them, huskies. A small End of the World in a separate world.
Dr. Manuel was whimpering softly, huddled against the wall, staring at me with a half-crazed look. The poor guy's world cracked and couldn't come together. Ashley squinted at the man sympathetically, Alenko - disgustedly. But in vain. Crazy people sometimes see a lot more... Insanity has not made them blind and deaf, nor has it reduced their mental acuity and powers of observation.
"Tell me, have you seen a Turian here?" I asked cautiously.
"I saw him!" The man suddenly said with fanaticism in his voice. "He's a Prophet! Leading our enemies into battle! He was here before they attacked!"
Kayden and I exchanged glances. Either I don't understand something, or this psycho saw Saren. How interesting!
"It's impossible! Naylus was with us aboard the Normandy!" Kayden was quite reasonably indignant. "He couldn't have attacked!"
Dr. Warren looked confused.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Manuel is a little bit... His not himself." The woman said guiltily. "We didn't see the Turian."
"Perhaps YOU haven't seen it." I caught Manuel's eye. "Doctor, tell me, did you really see a Turian?"
"Yes! A prophet in white armor! I saw him!"
"But..." - Kayden blinked in surprise. "Naylus has black armor."
"Apparently, he's not the only Turian on this planet." I said grimly, turning on the comm. "Naylus?"
"Shepard?" - the answer came immediately.
"We found the survivors in the research camp. Dr. Manuel says he saw a Turian in white armor. BEFORE the Geth attack."
The short pause dragged on. I didn't say anything. Naylus is a smart guy. He'll understand.
"I understood."
The connection is gone.
"Doctor, you'd better stay here. The area is cleared and practically safe." I took the shotgun off my belt and handed it to the woman. "Take it just in case."
The Doctor nodded.
"Ashley, take us to the spaceport."
After saying goodbye to the scientists, we left the cabin. The lock turned purple, switching back to the "locked" position.
"Shepard, do you really believe this madman?" Kayden asked quietly.
I slowed down a bit.
"Remember, Alenko. Madmen look at the world in a slightly different way." They may interpret familiar things and events strangely, but they almost never lie. Lying is the prerogative of logic. I believe that Manuel really saw the Turian. Ashley, where should I go?"
"Here. It's very close here!"
We passed only a couple of Geth and Hask along the way, and through the trees we saw the buildings of a small spaceport and the huge Reaper looming over a tiny shuttle. Alenko swore under his breath, staring at the huge ship.
"What the hell is this?"
"The ship, vestimo." I said ironically, looking at the Reaper wrapped in scarlet lightning.
A single shot rang out in the distance. What? Really... Did Naylus expose himself after all? Damn it! The launching Sovereign hummed and howled, blotting out the sky with its massive bulk.
"Faster!"
The Sovereign folded his paws and disappeared into the bloody sky, and we ran down to the spaceport.
"Kayden, look around the houses. Ashley, cover him."
"Captain!"
"NOW!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Throwing a grenade at the rising husk, I shot the geth who emerged from behind the box, flying out onto the spaceport platform. Quick inspection. The assault rifle in his hands fired a short burst, cutting off two synthetics. A grenade exploded somewhere to the side. I turned behind a massive container and gasped for air.
On the light gray slab of the runway, Naylus lay in a pool of blue blood.
Chapter 3: Eden Prime: The Aftermath
"Naylus! Damn it!"
I ran up to the Turian. The SPECTR, to my great relief, was still alive. Hoarse, gurgling breath foamed bloody bubbles at the corners of his mouth, and his chest was torn open by a shot from a powerful rifle at almost point-blank range and resembled a mess of flesh, blue blood, and fragments of black armor. But at least not in the back of the head... It would have blown half his head off right away.
The flaps of the armor gave way, and I carefully removed the cuirass, revealing an ugly wound and a blood-soaked jumpsuit. I tore the first-aid kit from my belt and yanked the panacelin syringe out of its socket, injecting the miracle drug into his neck and a second injection into his chest between the twisted chitin plates.
"Shepard calling Normandy!" I turned on the transmitter and yelled.
The answer came quickly:
"Shepard, this is Moro."
"The Joker! I don't care HOW you do it, but in five minutes, Naylus SHOULD be in the Normandy Infirmary! Do you understand me?"
The pilot seemed to get fucked up by my tone and the essence of the claim, as the answer, spoken in a hoarse voice, expressed all shades of deep amazement:
"Roger that, Shepard."
"Five minutes, Moro! And not a second longer, otherwise I will wring the neck of whoever is responsible for the delay!"
There was a clatter of footsteps. I raised my rifle. Ashley and Alenko appeared from behind the container.
"Explore the port and train station!"
The fighters ran away. I hope they can handle the Geth without my help. Or what is it, really? Kayden's help is zero on the way out, just problems. It's like being with a child, literally... then he pokes his nose where it shouldn't be, that he catches a shot and stands looking at the guilty face of the shitting cat...
-Shep-par-rd...
The Turian's low, croaking voice was barely audible over the roar of gunfire.
"Naylus..."
"This... this..." The SPECTR choked on blood and coughed heavily.
"I know. This is Saren. Now, please be quiet! Then you'll explain HOW you caught that shot."
The fucking look of eyes clouded with pain will warm my dark soul at night for a long time! Such amazement! Such emotions!
I didn't leave the side of the dying Turian, keeping an eye on the surroundings. Gunshots and the buzzing pops of biotics could be heard at the train station as the fighters destroyed the Geth. As far as I remember, there aren't many of them, so we should be able to handle it. Soon the gunshots died down and Ashley reported:
"Clear!"
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Take up the defense on the train. I'll join you soon."
I don't know exactly what the Joker did or what he said to Captain Anderson, but just three minutes later, the graceful silhouette of the Normandy appeared in the sky. I watched closely as Naylus was placed on a stretcher and carried away to the ship, and for a long time I will not be able to forget the gaze of those green eyes. Or rather, what I saw in those eyes. A powerful mix of guilt, disappointment, pain betrayal, and gratitude. Well, Naylus, just try to die now! I have huge plans for you! For some reason, I am sure that this SPECTR will become part of the Normandy team. The concept of "gratitude" is not an empty phrase for Naylus. As well as "revenge".
The frigate disappeared into the sunset sky, returning to the safety of low orbit, and I ran to the fighters of the landing group. If my sclerosis doesn't let me down, bombs, a bunch of Geth, and a lighthouse are waiting for me on the other side. Well, and future nightmares, where without them.
***
The train rolled steadily, the engines humming faintly, and I peered at the platform emerging from the twilight. The optics of the rifle already made it possible to see the synthetics involved in installing bombs.
"Ashley, Kayden, the Geth on the platform. They're doing something with..." I peered at the elongated cylindrical device. "Damn it! They're mining the colony!"
Kayden flinched.
"Who can deactivate the An-3 bomb?" I asked a sacramental question, catching Geth in the crosshair.
A shot, the butt pushed into the shoulder. The Geth collapsed to the floor, visibly sparking.
"I can." Ashley replied softly.
Shot, shot. The squeak of an overheated weapon.
"Kayden, cover up."
The rifle cooled down, to catch the creature in sight, a shot. The train was slowing down, automatically braking between the platforms. The Geth became animated, and bright lines of queues stretched in our direction, clearly visible at dusk. There it is, a muzzle sticking out over the box and invitingly shining a flashlight at me! A blue light touched the tip of the sight, a shot. The flashlight was gone.