2 Omega

Patch Notes/Edits:

-Some minor changes to descriptions of certain skills and items.

-Heavily adjusted the [Seraphim] Title to better represent its function.

-Adjusted the story description. A lot.

~[o0o]~

You know, I didn't think this stuff with the omni-tools would take this long.

I don't know if I had some sort of idealized vision of my capabilities running around in my mechanical subconscious or not, but goddamn did it take a while to sort through everything on those omni-tools.

I mean, they're only omni-tools, they couldn't have that much memory on them, right? Well, that's too bad, considering that there were tens of terabytes on all of them. I know that doesn't seem like much to a galactic society, but I could only put around two hundred programs into data-mining, and that isn't much compared to my full 2,633. I had to use most of my programs that were on standby to collect all the info. Thank god most of them were only civilian-grade omni-tools. Higher-grade omni-tools, like the [Technicians Omni-Tool], had much more storage space compared to civilian variants, as it was necessary for the special work required for such a job. Military-grade versions, meanwhile, were leagues above even technician omni-tools. I really do need to get one of those.

On the bright side though, I now have around 220,000 credits, a bunch of omni-tools I don't have any use for, and the surface code for civilian-grade omni-tools. The Hegemony couldn't even supply its slavers with good equipment. Well, relative to galactic standards, at least. Maybe I'll make an omni-tool personally tailored to me with that source code I got? I could've gotten more data, but I don't want to clog up my programs. Thankfully, the data is perfectly accessible via my programs and doesn't affect me in any way. I'll save it for later once I get a better tool.

I put ten of the omni-tools into my inventory, but keep the [Technicians Omni-Tool] out. I hold it out in front of me with my mechanical limbs.

I need to know my current limits. That's why I need to test out the rest of my skills, such as [Assimilation]. [Assimilation] was said to be able to hold ten cubic meters of mass, but I don't know what that means. I already have an infinite inventory, so what do I need more space for? Or is it talking about something else?

That's exactly why this needs to be tested. I can't figure out what it means from context clues alone.

It's time to assimilate my first piece of technology.

I readjust my posture and straighten my back slightly. Focusing on my splayed arms and the omni-tool, I will it to merge with my body.

The Skill was subsequently activated, and I could hear the various bits of machinery and apparatuses within the omni-tool begin to function improperly. The holographic display was flickering and the back end was sparking a bit, but it wasn't truly damaged. It was merely a hardware malfunction caused by the various mechanisms melting into my structure. Which would probably mean it is damaged. Eh, it's not important.

After about ten seconds of some curious staring and flickering nodules, the omni-tool merged fully into my synthetic platform.

Omni-Tool installed. Technician Grade. The single voice of my gestalt 2,633 programs resound. I should really give them all a name. I don't want to have to refer to them as 'Programs.' Hm, how about Dyno? That sounds pretty nice. Yeah, Dyno works well.

Anyways, back to the omni-tool. I could see that my chassis now had a port embedded into my right arm that was not there before. It was tiny, unnoticeable even, but it was there. I sent a brief activation command towards the port and the haptic-adaptive interface of the omni-tool sprang to life. It seems that I can control my own technology with but a thought then.

You know, technology really hasn't changed that much. Omni-tools were incredibly similar to things like smartphones and computers, especially for the aliens that first invented them. Or maybe every species inevitably creates computers at one point in their history. It's just that the Milky Way Galaxy was stagnant. Unchanging. Nothing new was being made. Nobody was motivated.

A sad sight to see in such an advanced civilization. No creativity whatsoever. At this rate, the Reapers would curb-stomp them. How the hell did Shepard even win? This galaxy was different from the regular canon galaxy, sure, but considering that the Reapers are even bigger Mecha-Cthulhu's than they already were in canon, how did Shepard win? Especially since I'm pretty sure that the fate of the galaxy has been irreversibly altered just by my virtue of existence.

Heading out of my slight melancholy towards the current state of galactic society, I browsed around the omni-tool, which was in some form of batarian language that I could not recognize. I eventually found the right tab that would let me change the language into the human version of Galactic Standard, which was actually just English. I then performed a factory reset on the omni-tool, with everything non-essential being deleted forever. Well, at least on the omni-tool. I still have the information since Dyno data-mined it.

I turned off the omni-tool while I waited for the complete factory reset. Taking out my M-3 Predator Pistol, I attempt to try something.

Earlier, when I first met Dyno in that circle of trees I woke up in, he had mentioned something about how weapons weren't installed on my platform. My cloaking tech was clearly something I was originally outfitted with or had obtained, and I hypothesized that it had been a part of this platform's original design or that I assimilated it.

God, it better not be the latter. I don't want Kasumi riding after my ass because I stole her cloak.

Besides that, I was also able to assimilate the omni-tool for standard use, and Dyno acknowledged it as being 'installed.'

Going off the basic evidence presented to me, I can also assume that I can install weapons into my frame for myself and that Dyno can recognize assimilation by some means I am not privy to. Was this ability always with this platform until I had taken over or was it just created by that God for my use? I might never know until I meet the Collective.

Looking downwards at my M-3 Predator Heavy Pistol for a few seconds - that sounds an awful lot like a euphemism of some sort -, I initialized the assimilation process. The M-3 Predator went through the usual effects that assimilations had, namely the sparking and various other mishaps, but thankfully no bullets were misfired and I wasn't damaged at all.

It was only a few seconds later that I got the confirmation of my on-the-spot theory.

M-3 Predator Heavy Pistol Installed.

Awesome. Now, how do I do this? Does it like, pop out of my body or something?

[It heads out through your hand.]

Thanks, System.

I attempt to extract the heavy pistol out of my frame and out of my three-digited hand. The gun seamlessly slid out of my limb and into my grip.

Useful. Does this mean I can keep my entire armory on me wherever I go, even without the use of my inventory?

It was a neat function, I admit, but it was just a little too similar to my Inventory to actually stand out a little bit more. It seemed to be a little faster than pulling things out of the Inventory, sure, but they essentially served the same purpose.

I put the M-3 Predator back in my body for later use.

[Uh, you don't have to manually put it back in. If you just put it in the Inventory, it'll automatically assimilate it back into you.]

Huh. How useful. I guess this means I don't have to waste all that processing power in my CPU with [Assimilation]. I wonder how many cores my processor has? Wait, do Geth even use cores? Element Zero and Mass Effect Technology might be different from the technology that I'm familiar with.

In fact, going off of all the stuff I don't know, I should probably learn proper etiquette and social norms as well. Terminology too. Gosh, I really don't know much about Mass Effect lore. Well, I do know a lot, just not much about its sociology and societal structure.

I school my train of thought before taking out the M-8 Avenger and assimilating it. It went about the same way as the Predator, and I was able to take it out seamlessly after that without any problems.

Okay, so the next item on the list is finding out what this 'mass' thing is that [Assimilation] keeps referencing.

[Oh, you wanted to know about that? Heh, I have a feeling you're going to like this one.]

The tone of your voice isn't exactly helping my already budding anticipation.

[Okay, so mass is what the collective raw materials that you assimilate into your body are known as. The guns and omni-tool you took don't count towards this, since they have been retrofitted and installed into your own frame, but if you try to assimilate other metals and materials from around the galaxy, you can use them to help yourself in a variety of ways.]

What would I need mass for? I have the Inventory to store stuff.

[That isn't how it works. You can't just put a planet into the Inventory. It has limitations too. Mass is used specifically for bodily modifications and repair, along with a plethora of other things. If you get injured, you can repair yourself with your mass. You want to make yourself bigger? Use your mass to enlarge yourself. See?]

I can make myself bigger by assimilating objects?

[Yes. You can only assimilate inorganic materials, however. Corpses and the like won't work with Assimilation. The Skill would reject them.]

I see. I look around the rest of the room. It doesn't look like there's anything useful here that I can assimilate for mass. I can't head down to the cargo bay - or the equivalent to one on this ship - to gather materials since I want to make sure we aren't attacked by any pirates on our way to Omega Station. Although, that was unlikely, considering this is a Batarian Corvette. But, then again, these guys enslaved their own species.

It was when I was starting to think about something other than batarian slavery that he spoke to me.

So, what was the System saying about putting a planet into the Inventory?

Oh. Hey, God.

Yes, it's me. You're doing me a great favor by calling me 'God,' by the way. It really inflates my ego and raises my already immeasurable power.

Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're crazy powerful and bound by this weird set of laws that stop you from interfering with the Milky Way Galaxy. What is it?

Well, I'm here to issue a special challenge to a certain someone.

A challenge? To who?

You.

Ping!

New Quest Obtained!

[Celestial Challenge]

A Creator Deity has challenged you to a bet and promises grand rewards if you can deliver on his expectations. His challenge? Destroy or remove a planet by any means necessary.

Objective: Destroy a planet, make a planet inhospitable, or dimensionally displace a planet by any means necessary.

Bonus Objective 1: Destroy or displace a world with a population of over 1,000,000.

Bonus Objective 2: Destroy or displace a world with an audience.

Rewards: 5 Gacha Tokens, 1 Mythical Item of your choosing (or a Skill/Perk of equal value), [Desecration] Perk, ?.

Bonus Rewards 1: 3 Gacha Tokens, 1 Random Mythical Item (or a Skill/Perk of equal value), [Ragnarok] Perk, ?, ?.

Bonus Rewards 2: 2 Gacha Tokens, 1 Random Legendary Item (or a Skill/Perk of equal value), [Judgement] Skill, ?.

W-What?

Indeed. I am asking you to destroy a planet. Any planet. Hell, it could even be a batarian planet if you want to not cloud your conscience with guilt. Batarians are assholes, by the way. That's a multiversal truth and might as well be a multiversal constant. Nobody will miss one of their planets, believe me.

I figured that I might actually faint because of this conversation - can Geth faint? - and decided to detach my own Emotion Programs courtesy of Dyno. My mind stopped racing and I could now finally think clearly.

Okay. So, you want me to destroy a planet for a bet?

Yes. This is completely optional, by the way. Nobody will fault you if you decide to not do it.

I'll…I'll see what I can do...

Glad you could accept the quest. Goodbye!

Huh? Wait, I didn't even… agh!

Why would I ever want to destroy a planet? Or commit genocide? How could I even commit genocide? I could barely take down eleven guards.

Hah…

Thank god that the quest only has genocide as an optional objective.

It was after a few seconds that the System spoke.

[I… did not expect him to talk to you personally right after you were reborn. He usually prefers to observe first. Or maybe he just saw an opportunity. For what, I'm not sure.]

Going by what I know of him, I'd have thought him to be the type to knock on my door every day to say hello or something.

[He's definitely not that. He's the type to pull the strings and do things himself, rather than with a squad. And he does it well. However, this does not mean he is not kind. He's just pragmatic and doesn't care.]

Hmm.

Hey, System, I was wondering, what is this 'Celestial Compact' that he mentioned in that weird place before?

[It's like a legal system, but for divine beings instead of mortals. The Celestial Compact has laws, regulations, crimes, and other things that are important to divine law.]

So even Gods aren't above the law?

[Some are. The Celestial Compact doesn't apply to every universe, but it applies here. One of the laws of the Compact states that you can't interfere with a quarantined galaxy without a good reason. If he went into the galaxy himself, the Reapers would be within their right to fight him on equal grounds. And since he'd be trespassing on Reaper territory and because he'd gone into a quarantined galaxy, he would be held liable for it.]

So that's why he can't fight? Politics? And wouldn't the Reapers be exterminated due to this compact?

[Politics is always there, even with the Gods. Plus, Gods don't think like mortal beings. Most of them place little value on human life. They just don't care, really. That's why the Reapers can continue their reign unobstructed.]

Of fucking course… I need something to take my mind off this. I summon a Gacha Token into my hand.

It was pretty unremarkable for something that could get me anything within the entire multiverse. Just a regular copper coin that was engraved with a mysterious runic font. Remembering what the System had said when I first got a Gacha Token, I willed it to activate. The runic script on the coin glowed blue for a second before the coin disintegrated, and a new item was in my hands.

[King James Bible] - Common Book

A copy of the King James Bible, published in 1611 AD.

...Really? That was so anticlimactic.

[You just got a bad roll, that's all. I don't think there is anything you could even remotely use this for.]

Exactly. I take out another token and use it.

[Shot-Gauntlet] - Common Toy

A toy gauntlet that fires fake shotgun shells. Shells not included.

Fuck.

[Pfft.]

Don't laugh at me! Laugh at my terrible luck!

[Pfft-hahaha! Okay, okay, I will. Hehe, Shot-Gauntlet...]

With the System finally calming down, I roll the Gacha again.

[Abyssal Diving Suit] - Legendary Armor

An Abyssal Diving Suit made specifically for traversing treacherous depths.

This suit grants a 10% increased movement speed bonus while underwater, but all movements outside of the water are reduced by 5%. Reduces all forms of physical damage by 15% and negates all forms of damage caused by pressure. Greatly extends underwater breathing duration and can slightly enhance the user's mobility on slick surfaces.

Oh damn. That looks awesome.

[Indeed. It's pretty heavy-duty as well. Whoever made this wasn't screwing around.]

Yeah…

The [Abyssal Diving Suit] was a peculiar piece of armor. It was a black-colored mechanical suit, with heavily-armored plates lining the entire armor. The helmet, meanwhile, while also being heavily armored, was the only part of the armor that was actually different from the rest.

The helmet was the same color as the rest of the armor, a dark black, but it had three eyes on its face. There was one main eye that looked like a red diamond directly in the middle of the face. There were also two other miniature diamonds on the left and right sides of it. On the back of the helmet, many thin tubes were connected to separate ports and jacks within the armor, mainly on the chest plate. Two thin tubes were also on the front of the head-piece and were connected to two ports right below my neck.

It was clearly some sort of power armor, albeit meant for the ocean instead of the land. Plus, from my observations, I could see that an oxygen tank was actually not required for this armor and that you could breathe for an extended period of time without one.

Of course, this wouldn't affect me since I don't require air, but I thought it was still neat.

Hey, System, can I assimilate this?

[Even though it's armor, you can still assimilate it. Any kind of technology, remember?]

Good. I walked up to the armor that was laying on the floor and went to take off the helmet. Well, I tried to take it off.

Of course it has to be sealed tight. Damn cords and seals...

It took me a while, but I eventually found the right mechanism that was used to unseal the helmets pipes from the armor. Picking up the particular piece of headwear, I absorbed it into my chest.

It didn't seem to spark all that much, most likely due to there being no circuits and things like that within the armor, but it was seamlessly incorporated into my chassis a minute later.

I don't think I should equip it just yet, so let's just absorb the rest of the suit for now.

It was around twenty minutes later that I stood with the final piece of armor: the chest piece. However, there was a slight problem.

Agh! Why won't you lift, dammit!

Yeah, I couldn't lift the damn thing. This thing was much heavier than it looked, believe me. I could only get it a few inches off the floor before it became too much to bear.

Thankfully, someone offered some sound advice.

[Have you tried to do it piece by piece?]

I was just doing that with the other parts of the set.

[No, I meant piece by piece with the chest plate.]

Oh. Why didn't I think of that before?

[Hah… You are utterly hopeless with common sense.]

Hey! I resent that! I died not a day ago, met a god not too long after that, and became a machine. Where do you think all my common sense has gone?

[That's fair enough, I suppose.]

Well, anyways, the System offered some good advice for the body armor's assimilation into my structure. I eventually decided to assimilate it layer by layer into my frame. It took around ten minutes, but it worked like a charm.

However, I don't think I can safely use this frankly gigantic armor right now. I'm pretty sure I'd fall over just from the sheer weight.

[You can use it, actually. The armor was just larger than you were able to handle. Now that you've assimilated it, it will be perfectly attached and molded to your platform whenever you bring it out.]

Really? Well, the armor was around a foot taller than I was and much wider, so I don't think it would be perfectly structured to anyone else, especially if someone who couldn't assimilate stuff got it from the Gacha, or if they weren't an absolute hunk. Would they just not be able to use it since they weren't structured like the suit?

[If that happened, it would be classified as an error or bug, and it would be taken away so that it could be patched. After that, you would get it back, but it would be tailored to you this time. However, since you have [Assimilation], these measures were unneeded.]

Useful. I guess every game has its bugs.

Alright, let's test out this armor.

I sent out a mental command to extract the armor out of my body, and Dyno immediately got to work. The diving suit was quickly making its way out of my frame, and soon it was perfectly conformed to my entire body.

I looked much less like a geth now and more like a quarian or turian on steroids, with my three fingers and the much less bulky suit. I don't think I can be mistaken for a geth when wearing such heavy armor.

Also, I looked great. This suit has done wonders for my look. Trust me, nobody will bother me ever again while I was wearing this. That would work wonders for when I finally got to Omega Station.

I pulled out the last token I got from the tutorial and used it.

[Icon Of Mekhane] - Legendary Warhammer

A golden clockwork hammer that was forged in the likeness of the weapon used by Mekhane, The Broken God. This weapon was wielded by Robert Bumaro, the ancient prophet-like figure of the Mekhanites.

Can create heavy concussive blasts when slammed into a surface or area. These blasts do not affect the user but can send enemies flying several meters back and twist heads 180 degrees. Being made from a metal not known to mortal-kind, it is absurdly durable and will take anything thrown at it, while also being immensely powerful and destructive to unprotected beings.

Uh… Did I just get a God's weapon?

[No. As the description says, it is not the true variant of the hammer. It is only made in its likeness.]

Oh, thank god. I would not have liked any ancient figures or broken deities coming after my ass because I got their weapon from a Gacha Token.

I should be able to assimilate this. It's a long weapon, sure, but it's thin and the head of the hammer isn't that big. To be honest, it makes me doubt that it can twist heads, but with it apparently made from a metal not known to mortal-kind, I should probably expect things like this.

Holding the golden clockwork hammer at its thin grip, I push it into myself. Thirty seconds later, the hammer is absorbed into my frame. When I take it back out, I can see that it has maintained the same height as before. I'm not sure how its height would mesh with my fighting style though.

Fighting style, huh? I don't even have any formal training on how to use a hammer or even a gun. It was pure luck that I even cleared the ship, and that was because I had the element of surprise with me.

Query. Would you like to download multiple Standard Combat Information Packages?

Oh? Yes, please do that, Dyno. That would certainly help me in my endeavors.

Downloading…

Ping!

New Skills Obtained!

[Firearm Proficiency - Adept]

[Hammer Proficiency - Expert]

Hey, Game, how come Hammer Proficiency is at Expert Level?

[Some proficiencies are easier to level than others, and this applies universally. It seems that Hammers are one of the easier ones, so much so that it automatically gave you an Expert ranking during Proficiency Downloading.]

So Proficiency Downloading - that being when Dyno downloads information to be transferred over to me in the form of a Proficiency Skill - can have different effects based on the thing I'm trying to learn?

[Yup. In fact, once you reach the tier of Masterwork with a Proficiency, you can then take a special quest that will upgrade it to one of its much more powerful forms.]

Is that one of those special tiers you told me about?

[Yes.]

Alright then. I twirl the hammer around in my hands like it's second nature to me. Even with the streamlined yet bulked diving gear I have on, my movements are graceful and nimble. It's sort of weird how I can have knowledge directly implanted into my brain - or whatever constitutes for one - instantly, but it doesn't hinder me in any way, so it isn't a problem right now.

I store the hammer into my inventory and re-assimilate the [Abyssal Diving Suit] into myself again. I then check my status for any updated skills.

[Assimilation] - Legendary Skill - LVL 1/10 (38%) [Active/Passive]

Allows for the assimilation of any technology you encounter to be incorporated into yourself. You can assimilate mechanical technology seamlessly. Organic technology or biological technology will be much harder to incorporate.

This Skill allows slight access to your entire morphology and physiology. Atoms can be altered slightly, but not beyond this Skill's current capabilities. You can currently hold 10m^3 of mass.

Assimilated Traits may be toggled on and off.

Thirty-eight percent? It's that easy to level, even from just a few items assimilated?

[You did assimilate that diving suit and a replica of a god's weapon that was made with a mysterious metal. I imagine that would've done wonders for its experience.]

I suppose so.

Getting up out of the chair I was sitting in, I head past the tied-up commander and out the door. After passing through the hallway and heading to the engine room, I noticed that I wasn't seeing any of the corpses of those batarians I killed. The only locations I could be sure there were bodies was on the deck, with the two left up there with the unconscious commander. Did the former slaves gather the bodies to dump them or something? Or maybe they just wanted to clean this place up a bit.

You know, I probably shouldn't be thinking about something so insignificant, really.

Heading to the entrance of the drive core, I noticed that the salarian that was mumbling his ass off earlier about his hypotheses and theories was moving about, inspecting the element zero core.

When I entered the room and he noticed me, however, that was when he went into a full-on interview.

"Ah, Geth! I'd like to ask some questions I have for you. First, how does your hive-mind operate? Does each geth have individuality or are they indistinguishable from one another? Oh, based on that, I heard that you speak in the first-person, which is said to be unique for members of your species. I'd like to know why you are-"

"I ask that you desist."

"-not speaking in a way common to your people. Is it like how different members of different species have different cultures and social cues when compared to others? For example, Vorcha are shown to have numerous-"

"May you please stop?"

"-different motions in their body language when compared to humans or salarians, just as any other species has. Is your unique way of speaking different from other geth because you were designed to be this way, or because it is solely used by you? Oh, I was also wondering-"

I decided that I finally had enough of his constant utterings and manifested my [Abyssal Diving Suit] in front of him, before having it melt back into my form. The salarian finally paused and grew silent before-

"Hmm, seems to be a unique platform then. Perhaps an experimental one used for testing by the Geth? No, if so, then they wouldn't have let it be on that planet. Maybe it was stranded? Yes, it's a possibility. Perhaps it is not connected to the Geth? No, if so then they wouldn't leave them here, as I thought earlier. Possible experimentation by an unknown group or groups? No, they wouldn't get it to activate. Common knowledge that geth wipe data cores upon termination. So what else?" The salarian hummed for a second before facing me again.

"If you so wish, I will answer any questions you have, if they are within reason." I said.

The salarians face brightened slightly before saying, "Ah, wonderful! So, I was wondering-"

"Can you please slow down? My audio input sensors are not able to recognize your manner of speech." Yet.

"Hmm, I-was-won-der-ing-whe-ther-or-not, hmm, nope."

Oh, great.

~[o0o]~

After answering some of the questions that the hyperactive salarian had - 'hyperactive' extends to most salarians, actually - I went down towards the storage area that the slaves used to be housed in.

Entering the room, I noticed that nobody was actually in here. Makes sense. This room must've been their jail, their prison. I'd want to get out of this place too.

Moving over to a door that, quite conspicuously, had 'CARGO' labeled above it, I open the door. Inside, there were two rows of stacked boxes held to the floor by multiple bundles of rope. Moving to one of the boxes nearest to me, I unfasten the rope holding down the lid and open the crate.

Peering inside the box, I notice the cylindrical containers first. Thermal Clips. They only took up one side of the box, sure, but it was a pretty big box. On the other side of the container, however, was something that was a little more useful to me.

[Iridium] - Uncommon Material (x500)

A chemical element with the symbol 'Ir' and the atomic number of 77. Used to upgrade assault rifles, sub-machine guns, and heavy weapons.

Iridium was a staple resource in the Mass Effect games. Used to upgrade everything from your weapons to your scanners, it was used in just about everything involving regular combat upgrades.

Having some of it here, even only 500 of it - that sounds like a lot, but it isn't really - is a minor blessing. I might be able to do something with this.

However…

[I already know what you're gonna say, so I'll just say it for you. If you assimilate the box, then any non-useful items will be put into your 'mass.' If anything in there is useful, it will either be assimilated into your body or put into your inventory depending on the item.]

I see. Thank you, System.

Repositioning myself around the container, I absorb the box layer by layer. I was not large enough or skilled enough to assimilate it faster, but it would work for now. After a few minutes of assimilation, the box was finally absorbed.

Checking my inventory, I see that I now had way too many thermal clips to be viable for a single mission, along with the five-hundred iridium inside the box. My 'mass' meanwhile, was at around half a meter cubed in total. The box was hollow, and it wasn't that heavy, so it was fair that it didn't have that much mass or volume to be gained from it.

Still, I have to test out this mass thing once I have enough to not have to worry about my mass amount. Just as a precautionary measure.

I look at the multitude of sealed crates around the room.

Well, there's still a few hours until we reach our destination, isn't there?

Let's get to work.

~[o0o]~

[Palladium] - Uncommon Material (x1500)

A chemical element with the symbol 'Pd' and the atomic number of 46. Used to upgrade cybernetics, shields, heavy pistols, and armor.

[Platinum] - Uncommon Material (x3000)

A chemical element with the symbol 'Pt' and the atomic number of 78. Used to upgrade shotguns, sniper rifles, and medical equipment.

[Iridium] - Uncommon Material (x4500)

A chemical element with the symbol 'Ir' and the atomic number of 77. Used to upgrade assault rifles, sub-machine guns, and heavy weapons.

This corvette was loaded. How the hell do they even have this much in materials? There are only three probes on the ship, so how are there so many resources? Actually, relative to this corvette, how does the Normandy have just about no materials on it when you first start on it? But, then again, you could just material farm by heading to different planets and easily get resources that way. It isn't that big of a deal, really. It's probably just game design.

However, from this spree of assimilations, I now have 5000 Iridium, 3000 Platinum, and 1500 Palladium. Sadly, there isn't any element zero I can grab that isn't used for the drive core. I have also gained an ungodly amount of thermal clips, enough so that I won't need to restock on them for a while. And I mean a while.

From absorbing all of this material, however, I have reached my current cap for my mass, which is apparently 10 meters cubed. Now, the only thing I have yet to test is this 'Mass' ability of mine.

Holding out my hand, I activate my Skill and try to imagine something wrapping around my three-fingered palm. Surprisingly, a small sheet of steel shoots up out of my skeleton - or would it be my chassis? - and swarms around my hand, eventually shaping itself into a protective layering.

I willed the sheet to unwrap itself around my hand, which was actually so tightly gripped by the layer that I couldn't move my fingers. The small bit of mass immediately disengaged itself from the end of my arm and went back inside of it, heading back to wherever my mass goes when it isn't manifested out of my body.

Seems the System was right about bodily modifications. Could I change my fingers up?

While the novelty of only having three fingers was a unique experience, it was ultimately the inferior option when it came to gripping objects. A five-digited hand would be much more efficient to use, while also being more familiar. Actually, could I make a hand with six fingers? I'm pretty sure having six fingers would be the best option right now.

Alright, since I don't want to screw this up, I'm going to revert back to the age-old archaic technique known as 'Ask the System if it would work.'

[I'm afraid it won't.]

Why?

[At your current level, you can only heat up or cool down atoms through some slight manipulations. You cannot manipulate your own physiology as of now. Actually, why the hell did I not put that in the [Assimilate] Skills Description?]

[Okay, hold on a sec. I need to fix this.]

Uhh, ok?

A few minutes later, while I was still exploring the ship, the System spoke up again.

[Okay, I had to edit the Skill's description to better represent it. I might edit it a bit more later, but how is it now?]

[Assimilation] - Legendary Skill - LVL 1/10 (42%) [Active/Passive]

Allows for the assimilation of any technology you encounter to be incorporated into yourself. Organic technologies will be much harder to incorporate when compared to mechanical technologies.

Grants the ability to alter your morphology at the atomic level. This ability is dependent on this Skill's current level. At this Skill's current level, you can barely alter atoms. Your 'mass,' which is the collective term for the raw materials you assimilate, can be used to repair and modify the user. You can currently hold 10m^3 of mass.

It's better than what used to be there, I guess.

[Eh, I guess that response works…]

Of course it does.

Turning to my left, I come face to face with what seems to be a small server room. Nothing big, just a few terminals and banks for information to be stored. Maybe I could leech all of the data?

Inside the room, however, was the asari that I found outside with the human. She seemed to be perusing a terminal that wasn't facing towards the open door. I knocked on the doorframe twice.

She jumped slightly at the sudden sound and turned around to face me. She tensed slightly at seeing me but eventually relaxed her shoulders and squared her legs. She was most likely in a fight-or-flight scenario when I first saw her. Thankfully, she didn't run or fight, as she remained calm even when faced down with a quite literal bogeyman. I'd attribute her tranquility to her being in the Matron Stage, but being calm is something anyone can learn, so I won't try to incorrectly judge a person based on stereotypes.

Except for batarians, of course. They will always be on my shit-list.

I spoke first with some introductions, "Greetings, asari. You have my apologies for any distress I may have caused you while outside."

She winces but eventually gathers herself enough to speak.

"You have caused me no harm, but I fear that Jonathan may have been…distressed by your presence." Was Jonathan the human I talked to earlier?

"Is the human okay?" I ask.

"He is fine, but slightly anxious. Do not be hard on him, please. He has seen much while he was still a slave, and we both thought we were headed for the grave until a few hours ago."

"I am pleased to hear that he is stable. What is your name?" I inquire. She would be the first person I'd get a name for in this galaxy - if I exclude Jonathan, that is. I should probably commemorate this sometime. Maybe I'll make it into a holiday.

"My name is Nysara. What is yours? Or do you not have a name?"

My...name? Should I use my old one? No. I shot down that idea quickly. I'm not using that one. There is no conceivable way that I will ever use it. I like my old name, sure, but I'm different now. I'm not the person who was dying anymore. I'm better than that now.

So what should I choose? I can't half-ass it. It's a name, I need to have it be simple and memorable, but also unique.

Okay, so maybe thinking of names on the spot is stupid. I'll think of something later.

I opt to say, "Geth do not use the organic convention of naming individuals. However, if you believe that the Collective should adopt this trend, I will have them consider it." A compromise, if you will.

"Then what shall I call you? I do not think that calling you 'Geth' is acceptable." Nysara argues.

"If this offends you, then I will come up with a suitable designation later." I state. She accepts this offer, and turns back around to face her terminal. I walk closer to her and peer over her shoulder. By virtue of height, I am a few inches taller than her, which makes for easy viewing. She seems to be reading something on the terminal.

I ask her, "What are you viewing on this terminal?"

She turns her head towards me and says, "It's a log written by the maintenance workers. I was trying to find out more about this ship, just in case we needed to know something."

Did she think there was a leak or something? The computer console didn't report anything, and the on-board VI couldn't find anything. It's probably just her paranoia.

I inspect the terminal a bit more. Nothing on it appears to stick out from the rest of the boring maintenance logs.

I step back and ask her something that I had been wondering about for quite some time. "Are you not afraid?"

She turns her head to me with a raised eyebrow. Or, well, the asari equivalent of one. Asari don't have eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"I was asking why you are not afraid. Most organics, after the events of the Battle Of The Citadel, would be understandably fearful of synthetics."

She frowns slightly before schooling her features.

"I'm…old. Not Matriarch old, but old enough to know that the quarians feared playing god just as anyone else would. I was on Rannoch, during the Geth War. I got off-world as soon as I could, but not before meeting a few Geth and asking them about their opinions. They never gave their personal thoughts, but they gave what they, as a collective, thought. They only fought for survival. I don't think that they would attack the Citadel, at least not by their own will. It would go against everything they fought for."

She's smarter than I gave her credit for. She was almost spot-on.

"You are correct. The population of geth that attacked the Citadel makes up only around five percent of our total programs. This population was spurred to attack the Citadel by Nazara, a Reaper capital-ship that caused a schism in our species by having that 5% of geth programs leave. The consensus allowed them to leave. Geth believe in self-determination and free will. I believe that this was a mistake. They caused the death of thousands of lives. Self-determination is a great belief, but sometimes, it must be moderated to save others."

Nysara looked downwards at my thoughts, and managed to say, "What about the quarians who fought for the Geth, in the war? The Codex never speaks of that, but it deserves to be remembered."

I state, "The Geth do not live on former quarian worlds. Space stations are much more efficient to use. However, we care and maintain their former worlds. If the quarians wanted to return to Rannoch, the Geth would let them, but only if it is assured that they will not attack us again."

"I see… thank you." She intones.

"You're welcome."

She returns back to her terminal, even when she shows signs that she is deep in thought. Activating the holographic interface of my omni-tool, I motion for it to take the data stored inside of the servers. A small contingent of geth programs leaps out of cyberspace and into the banks. They should be done by the time I reach Omega.

I exit the room and head down to the lower deck. I passed by the two batarians from earlier, who were both relaxing inside of an alcove, engaged in hushed whispers, albeit the relieved kind.

Eventually, I reach a closed door with the words 'ARMORY' put on a sign above it. Hopefully, I could get some more weapons in here. Opening the door with my omni-tool, I see one of the turians that was formerly in the cargo bay inside, inspecting an M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle.

He turns his distinctly avian head towards me and returns to his work. Is he not going to question me? Looking more intently at him, I notice that he had basically tuned everything that wasn't his weapon out.

This guy is really concentrating.

I opt to leave him to his maintenance and move towards a weapon rack. There weren't that many weapons on it, considering this was only a corvette, but it still had a sizable collection. I could recognize a few of the weapons on there, namely the M-3 Predator and another M-8 Avenger, but I also recognized an M-6 Carnifex and an M-4 Shuriken.

[M-6 Carnifex] - Common Heavy Pistol

A highly accurate and lethal sidearm. Effective against armor; weak against shields and biotic barriers.

Manufactured by Elanus Risk Control, the M-6 Carnifex is known to be a powerful but expensive sidearm. Favored by soldiers, mercenaries, and other military groups, it is a highly effective weapon for mid-to-long-range engagements.

[M-4 Shuriken] - Common Submachine Gun

A common but effective submachine gun. Fires in three-round bursts. Highly effective against shields and biotic barriers, but weak against armor.

Manufactured by Elkoss Combine, the advent of kinetic barriers has led to the subsequent rise of submachine guns. The M-4 Shuriken is noted to be deadly in combat, while also being easy to use.

It seems that I now have a well-rounded loadout for me to use currently. The M-6 Carnifex was a very strong weapon to use in ME2, and the Shuriken…well, I never did use submachine guns. They just weren't my thing.

I probably will try it out though.

After assimilating both of the weapons, I turn to leave, but the hyperfocused turian stops me.

"Wait one second." He says in a dual-tone voice.

Damn, turians really do sound cool.

"What is your inquiry?" I ask.

"Who the hell are you?" He speaks without hesitation.

Really? That's his question? This guy must have no tact whatsoever.

"This unit does not have a set designation." I say for the second time today. Or tonight. I continue with, "However, this is currently being rectified."

"Is that it? Hmph." He turns back to his M-8 Avenger and restarts his maintenance. I take this as a cue to leave and exit the doorway. Heading past the two batarians, up the stairwell, through the door, and heading into the hallway to the main deck, I notice that the doorway to the CIC was open, with the salarian who interviewed me earlier sitting in a chair facing the unconscious batarian. He also seemed to have somehow gotten hold of an omni-tool - did I miss one? - and was videotaping something. The batarian, perhaps?

Entering the room, I walked towards the salarian who had done an extensive interview on me. He notices my arrival but pays no major attention to it, instead preferring to observe the batarian. I sit down in a chair a few feet away from him and stew in my thoughts.

It was what felt like ten or so minutes later that I sat up and went to the pilot's seat to check out the ship's progress. The salarian had left not long after, returning to the lower levels of the ship.

Checking the Omega Nebula quadrant for the Milky Way, I see that there is about an hour and a half until we actually get into the system, and another ten minutes until we get to the docking ports on Omega.

I guess I should just relax until then?

Yeah, I could use some relaxation.

~[o0o]~

Opening my illuminated photoreceptor, I view the incoming cloud of orange nebulous stardust, the last landmark before we can head to Omega Station. Getting up out of my seat - which honestly looked so uncomfortable, unlike the leather seats that Joker boasts about on the Normandy - I equip the [Abyssal Diving Suit] and head out the door.

I spent the next 10 minutes making rounds along the length of the ship and telling everyone to take what they need since I probably won't be using this corvette for its resources. I'm still keeping this corvette, though. I just don't need anything on it.

Ten minutes later, after docking on Omega and disengaging the ship's core, I head downstairs to the bulkhead in my [Abyssal Diving Suit]. The eight people who were on the ship, the former slaves, were all gathered with their stuff by the entrance. Nysara and Jonathan were both next to each other, and it looked like she was consoling him about something. The two batarians and two turians were in a single group, with all of them engaged in conversation. The salarian, meanwhile, was right next to the bulkhead, looking positively happy to be out of this prison. He also seemed to be on that omni-tool of his a lot.

Where did he even find that thing?

Moving to the door, I open my omni-tool and send a remote command to open the door from the pilot's area. My programs had leeched all the data from the servers, which was much easier to do than funnel credits out of omni-tools. I had left a program inside the CIC for remote commands. Recalling the singular program back into my personal cyberspace, the door opened.

The eight liberated people funneled out of the door and into the hallway. Actually, speaking of this hallway, it wasn't doing me any good first impressions for Omega.

Why, you may ask? Because, my god, Omega was filthy. The hallways had pipes sticking out of the ceiling, with the asteroids dirt and dust coating every visible surface with a thin layer of grime. With the already dirt-colored hallways of Omega, it looked more like a rat's burrow than a space-station. The frosted windows lined with the grey powder of the station didn't do this place any justice either.

On the other side of the hallway, a grey salarian was walking towards our group of nine - including me - with a slightly hunched posture. When he reached my platform, he said-

"Ah, hello! Welcome to Omega! You're new here, aren't you? Believe me, I can always tell. You wouldn't mind if I-"

"Leave, Fargut. Now." A deep-voiced batarian rolled up behind the sketchy-as-hell salarian.

"O-Oh! Moklan, I didn't know-"

"I said leave." He repeats.

"O-Of course! Whatever she wants!" He replies in an anxious voice. The batarian shooed him away, and he ran.

I'm getting a sense of deja vu.

The batarian - Moklan, I remember - turned towards me and said, "Damned salvagers… Anyways, welcome to Omega."

Oh, I know who this guy is! He's that dude you meet when Shepard first rolls up to Omega after Fargut - that other salarian - tries to extort you. Did I really just get a repeat of what happened to Shepard on Omega?

I clear my thoughts and say, "Thank you. Now, what can I do for you?" I intentionally leave out any mention of the slaves to better gauge how much Aria knows. It might give me a clue on what happened to have these guys dumped onto a deserted planet.

The batarian simply says, "Aria T'Loak wants to meet you. Head to the club, Afterlife, with those guys over there." He points to the eight freed slaves behind me. "She'll get them to the Citadel, as a favor for you killing the ones who pissed her off."

Um, what?

"Apologies?" I state in my digital tone. Luckily, I could easily attribute that to a voice filter, so nobody could connect me to the Geth. Unless Aria makes me reveal myself, I look passable enough to masquerade as a Turian.

"...Did you not know?" He questions.

"Not exactly."

"Huh." He manages.

"Well, if Aria wishes to see me, then I shall appear." I say.

"Good. It's just down the hallway. You can't miss it." The batarian takes his leave and heads past a vacant doorway. The former slaves follow me when I motion them to come with me. Walking past the elcor bouncer and batarian guards, I come to the hallway leading to Afterlife.

The door opens, and I am greeted to the most wondrous sight on Omega.

A high platform suspended by simple poles and scaffolds connecting to a bar below it, with dancers moving and gyrating themselves on the supports. To my right, there was a bar with a thin turian bartender, the same one who would serve you those drinks when you entered Omega. Past that was the stage, the main event.

The double staircase leading to the grand section of Afterlife, Aria T'Loak's personal slice of heaven.

Taking a slow walk as to take in the beauty of this club - which was thankfully much cleaner than the rest of Omega. I guess professionals have standards? - I reach the staircase leading up towards her throne. Anto, the batarian guard, points towards the staircase with his assault rifle, beckoning me to head up while the eight former slaves stay under his guard.

Reaching the small lounge area with the two tables and Aria's personal observatory, I walk towards the booth.

However, Aria stops me before I can reach the top.

"That's close enough." she says in a practiced tone. The few guards protecting her raise their pistols and weapons towards me, while a lone batarian struts towards my frame. The guards lower their weapons a slight bit, as to not shoot their comrade if I turn out to be hostile.

When he reaches within a foot's distance of myself, he says, "Stand still and don't move." He activates his omni-tool and begins to scan me.

I might not be able to get out of this one. I can't use a program, since the omni-tool would see it as malware and I would probably die right after that. I had to manually modify the omni-tools I took things out of to not raise alarms.

When the omni-tool finishes the scan, his eye ridges shoot up slightly.

"What do you mean, no life-signs detected? Damn tool..." He says out loud.

Aria and the other guards turn their heads towards me. Luckily, I came prepared with a…well, an excuse. I don't want to say I'm bullshitting, but the word 'excuse' has some slightly better connotations than me bullshitting, so we'll go with that.

"This is an exclusionary suit designed to make the wearer undetectable to certain scans." I state. Hopefully, this cover would work.

"Is that so? Alright then, take off the suit."

Fuck.

Dyno, are there any beneficial ways out of this? Negative. Dammit.

It seems I have to face the music then.

System, [Assimilate].

[Roger that.]

Slowly but surely, with the activation of my Skill, my suit began to lose its black luster, taking on a more matte color before the lights within the [Abyssal Diving Suit] went out, leaving me with only the ambient light of Afterlife to see with, as well as my own platforms vision.

The left-arm went first, with it being instantly absorbed back into my frame. The right arm and left leg went next, the matte color of the suit melting into my chassis. With both my arms and legs showing, as my right leg had just been assimilated back into myself, the guards had all raised their weapons towards my chest and flashlight head, intent on firing as soon as even the slightest form of aggression was hinted at.

The chest plate had now been completely deformed, with it leaking back into my structure. After a few seconds, it had been completely assimilated and people could now see the slightest glances of my unprotected head.

Ten seconds later, the head was completely assimilated, and everyone could see my frame.

The batarian who scanned me had backed away towards the stairwell, and even the guards protecting Aria had recoiled at what they had just seen. A Geth melting its armor into itself? It sounded like a nonsensical idea for an F-rated horror movie skit, but it was happening right in front of them. A Geth melting its armor from nothing.

Aria T'Loak focused on me immediately with a critical gaze. After what seemed to be a few seconds of deliberation, she motioned for her guards to stand down. Some immediately lowered them, while some hesitated. They did, however, all eventually holster their guns.

Aria T'Loak beckoned me to step towards her, and we both sat on the comfortable seats of her booth.

"So, what does another member of the Geth Collective have for me, I wonder?" She speaks in a calm voice, never needing to raise her tone, as she exuded an aura of authority that meant she never had to show she was not in control.

However, what did she mean by another?

[She's talking about Legion. Legion went here for information regarding Commander Shepard. He left here not too long ago, maybe a week or two ago.]

Legion was here? Damn, I would've loved to meet him. However, I'm not as good as he is, and I can't resist Reaper Indoctrination yet which means I can't go after him. Well, if canon still happens even without my interference, then Legion should appear eventually. I'll just meet him then.

"I was not made privy to the mission of that platform." I warble. It's a complete fucking lie, sure, but my programs mask any suspicious cues in my body language. Not that Geth have much in the way of body language, however.

"And am I supposed to believe that?" She questions.

"I am not connected to the Collective as of now." This was the truth, thankfully.

Aria hums in acknowledgment, and says, "So, Moklan told me that you had no idea that you were going after my hit. Is this true?" The way she says it makes me feel like a damn toddler. Jesus.

"You would be correct in your assumption." I intone.

"I thought so. I had to cancel the hit I put out on that crew of slavers, you know. They took one of my...clientele from me, and it would be bad for business if I left him to rot. Especially bad." She gets a nasty scowl on her face and stops talking.

Who would warrant Aria T'Loak herself putting out a hit on a motley group of slavers? Must've been someone really important then.

"Thankfully, nobody had accepted the hit yet. You got off lucky. If you took somebody else's mission, you'd be wires in the dirt right about now, and it wouldn't happen because of me. Truthfully, you've saved me a lot of trouble, and I won't squander that."

Damn, that's hardcore. Oh, how glad I am that I'm not on Aria's shit-list.

"I thank you for the warning on stealing any potential contracts. It will be put to good use." I thank her.

"I'd hope so. Now, I want to get onto something else. As payment for effectively taking the contract, I will be paying for the transport of those eight slaves out of my own pocket. In addition, the pay for the contract will also be forwarded to you, but only if you plan to stay here on Omega. Do not mistake this for goodwill, however. I don't have time for charity or hate, only distrust and my own promises."

Aria's… paying for them out of her own pocket? This isn't like her. She's a ruthless authoritarian tyrant who rules Omega with a fist made of Silaris Steel Armor Plating. She did say she wasn't one for generosity, but just who was on that vessel? Was the matron, Nysara, a friend of hers? An ally? Or was it someone else? That turian in the armory looked especially tough and grizzled. A possible mercenary she employed? I'm not sure.

Oh, right, she asked if I was planning to stay.

"Omega would be a good stronghold to build relations between organic species. I will stay." I state.

"Relations between organic races, huh? Good luck with the Council if you truly plan on doing that." Is she not surprised? Well, Legion might have told her some things on the Geth, so it could just be her already knowing about our history.

"How much is the contract worth?" She smirks.

"One million credits."

Oh. Oh.

That's…a lot. My god.

In the Mass Effect Universe, it's never explicitly stated how much a single credit is worth in USD. However, right now, I know otherwise. It turns out that a single credit is worth about a penny, so if I combine the entirety of my assets, I have just over twelve-thousand dollars. I'd imagine that paying for an assignment in the millions is pretty much overkill when compared to normal missions which probably only run for a few ten-thousand credits or a few hundred dollars.

So, in obvious conclusion; this person that needed to be originally rescued was somebody extremely high-profile who was working for Aria. Could that mean it was Nysara, then? She'd be the most likely candidate. A wealthy, well-off matron who knew how the world truly worked. But that didn't add up, since she referred to the human - Jonathan - by his first name, and she'd also shown signs of scars, however minor they may be.

But if it wasn't her, then who could it be? Maybe I'll find out when I get my cash transferred to me. Although, should I really be trying to figure out who her agent was? I don't think I'd want to betray her trust for now.

Let's just not worry about the agent for now, and focus on the present.

"Is there a caveat to this price?" I inquire.

"No. You'll get all of it upfront." She says.

"Really? No catch-alls or hidden clauses?"

"That's it. You just saved me a lot of trouble, believe it or not. There may be no side of good to Omega, but there are specks. Consider this a gift, if you're naive enough to think so. However, if you interrupt my operations any time soon...you'll live through hell."

The reminder she gave sent phantom shudders throughout my mechanical spine. She said that like she meant it, and she probably did. It just goes to show that she was a tyrant who lived in luxury because of the suffering of others. Maybe that was exaggerating it, but she sure as hell didn't do anything to help this forsaken rock.

"I…will keep that in mind." I state. I definitely would.

"Good. Omega is home to the worst scum in the galaxy. A single mechanical droid won't make much of a difference. Just remember this; There is only one rule on Omega. Don't fuck with Aria."

Ah, the classic rule.

"That works for me."

"Good. Now, get out of here." She dismisses me with a flippant wave.

However, when I get out of my seat and head for the top of the stairs, she says, "I'm also going to need your name, little Geth. For your account."

I turn to stare at Aria and pause for a few seconds.

A name…

Hmm, yes, that will work. I've thought about this for hours, ever since Nysara asked me about it. This one is perfect.

"My name is Aksis, Aria T'Loak. Good day."

I turned towards the stairs, assimilated my suit onto my form, and walked away towards the exit. When I got outside, my only thought was-

"What now?"

~[o0o]~

Fun Fact: The two main Gacha items obtained in this chapter were references to the Calamity Mod and the SCP Foundation. I might have an obsession with grimdark worlds more than I thought.

First of all, something I forgot to mention last chapter was that the Void-Touched Perk was inspired by a-shifty-swords fic, Gamer of the Void. This Perk was used with permission from him. I forgot to clarify that last chapter.

I'm not sure if I got Aria's personality right in this chapter. Please tell me if you think I got something wrong. I think I did her okay, but I only have a few clips and videos to go off of right now.

You know, I think I just don't like writing dialogue in general. It's frustrating since you never know when you could be morally fucking up a character through their dialogue. I sincerely hope that my standards are up to par, at least.

Ah, I'm really going to have to research different character profiles, aren't I? Wish me luck.

Also, apologies for uploading so late. With FFN being fucked for the past week or so, I neglected to write and instead tried to focus on real-life problems. Good for me, since I had some I needed to fix. All is good now though.

Anyways, thanks for reading, make sure to join Dark Wolf Shiro's Discord (it's on my profile), and have a good day.

-Draedon 11-9-2020.

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