38

Frigate Normandy-SR1.

- Captain. - Sparatus began immediately. - You could explain why in your report you wrote "Can't write. I'll say everything when I talk to you."? quoted the turian, reading what Shepard had sent instead of the report on the datapad.

- I understand, counsellors. However, what happened on Novellius... I don't trust your security system or my people. Well, I certainly don't trust the regular crew, anyway. - said Shepard, nervously looking around at the entrance to the briefing room.

- Captain. What happened on Novoria is that you still need to file a report. - Tevos began in a calm voice.

- There is good news and the worst news of your career, Councillors. Where to begin? - The captain said in all seriousness.

- Let's start with the good news. - Sparatus decided.

- We managed to capture the Matriarch Benezia. - Without an ounce of pride, Shepard reported, and she could have sworn that in Tevos' eyes, she saw relief.

- Were you able to interrogate her? - Sparatus began immediately.

- No. She's still unconscious. In fact, it wasn't precisely us who captured her. We had help.

- Who helped you, captain? - Tevos asked.

- The Geth I was chasing. - said the captain, and Sparatus's eyes widened slightly.

- Were you able to capture him? - The Salarian asked, and it was obvious that he already knew the answer.

- No.

- Oh, of course not. What more could one expect from you, Shepard. - Sparatus spoke up again, which made Shepard start to boil.

- Look, I didn't know it was the Gete myself. It's no different from any of its kind, and it doesn't have "I'm the Get you want!" written on the hull. - Shepherd couldn't take it anymore. - Shepard couldn't resist, and I knew when the Gete kicked Benezia, knocking her backwards five meters toward us. A minute later, the Noverian Corporation began an orbital bombarding the complex. What was I supposed to do, chase it down and get buried simultaneously, or what!?

- Captain. - Valern began, which was odd. - If that happened, that clears you of Sparatus' baseless accusations. But it would have been better if you had written it in the report. - It was strange to hear Valern say that. He usually sides with Sparatus. - So what's the bad news anyway.

- On Noveria, in the Vertex 15 complex, we discovered a rachni. - At these words, Valern's eyes, already large, became phenomenally huge. Tevos was also greatly surprised, and Sparatus laughed unabashedly.

- Ha ha, Shepard, are you laughing at us?

- Have you ever seen me smile at the sight of you, Counselor. - That sobered Sparatus considerably, and when all three aimed piercing and expectant looks at the captain, she continued. -As far as we've learned, the Bynery Helix discovered an ancient ship with an egg. And out of the egg hatched not just a rachni, but a queen. She didn't need a male, so she immediately started laying eggs. Scientists separated the babies from their mothers to raise them obediently and create an army. Except without a mother, the children, on the contrary, grew up crazy and wild. The Rahni took over the complex, but they shut it down. Then Benezia came there but couldn't get through the Rahni and flew away, blocking the complex in the process. And then came back with the krogan and geth. So she was able to get to the queen. Thank goodness we weren't distracted by the lunar vi. - Shepard hinted, then started looking at the result. Valerne's forehead must have been hurting from how much his eyes had widened by now. Tevos was keeping up with him, but Spartacus wasn't allowed by physiology, but he was trying hard.

- So... So... Rahni... - Valerne grumbled something out of himself, and then Tevos continued.

Why didn't you want to write about it in the report?

- "Bynery Helix is hiding everything as best they can so their investors don't find out about it and run away. And if the Alliance finds out what the corporation's been doing... Anyway... I don't think they're gonna shut the project down. They'd rather throw money at it.

- You don't trust the Alliance that much, captain? - asked the Salarian.

- Is there a reason to trust it? - Shepard answered question after question. - I don't much want the Alliance to lose their brakes and start flooding the galaxy with blood. The Krogan will not save you this time. Though you can train the Yagas, too. - Shepard explained, and then she remembered something else. - Speaking of you. Councilor Valern, can you tell me why the best intelligence in the known galaxy couldn't find out that the Rahni had been resurrected. - I can't believe Shepard would want to poke the GORE like that. And there was nothing Valern could say in response. Shepard was right; it was a failure of the GOR. And the fact that it was the Rahni also added fuel to the fire. The Salarians lost 40% of their race in the Rahni wars. Half the colonies were wiped out, and some were only made livable now. So that really pinched the GOR's pride. - Oh, and there's more. There's... More bad news. Saren managed to escape with the queen. They're likely headed for Vermeir. I'm headed the same way. - the captain explained, but nothing seemed to make the advisors tick any more. In fact, they could no longer show the extent of their frenzy. Physiology wouldn't allow it. After a few more seconds, all the councillors looked at each other. All three knew what they were talking about with their eyes. Sparatus replied in denial, but Valern so sparkled in agreement. Tevos, on the other hand, answered for all.

- Captain. We give you carte blanche to capture Saren and destroy the complex on Vermeir.

- What are your orders about the Rakhni queen?

- That is at your discretion, captain. However, if she proves reasonable enough, we should keep her alive. - Tevos reminded me, and then the Salarian continued.

- Yes, by the way. Captain, do you have proof that Bynery Helix was breeding Rachni?

- Yes. Video from my armour camera and several audio diaries of the staff. - Shepard explained, recalling those diaries they'd listened to during their little breaks. Some of them were really freezing to the soul.

- Good. We'll give you a secure channel to transmit and... thank you for being so discreet. It's really too important information. Goodbye, Captain. - With those words, the holograms went offline.

On entering the infirmary, Shepherd immediately saw Tali lying on her bunk, peacefully asleep under the influence of sleeping pills. Her right foot was gone. Shepard still remembered how she'd had to cut the quarian's skin with an army knife. Thankfully, the bones above the foot were also shattered, so only the meat and tissue had to be cut. Tali had lost some blood and was resting from the pain shock. Chakwas would put in a prosthesis in a few hours; thankfully, it was on the ship and just right for a Quarian. It wasn't for nothing that Shepard had tried to anticipate every situation. And she didn't fail.

- Captain. - Chakwas called to her, pulling away from the sight of the girl's face. She couldn't get enough of this beauty, though.

- How is she? - Shepard asked.

- This is the third time you've asked me. Captain, she'll be fine. I promise. - consoled the Captain's Chakwas.

- Yeah, I think you're right; it's just... Worried about her. - Shepard spoke quietly and then started to say why she'd come. - What's going on with Benezia?

They- Already regained consciousness and are sitting in the interrogation room. - explained the doctor.

- Good. If anything, I'll be there. - said Shepard and quickly walked out of the infirmary. There was going to be a long talk with the Matriarch.

Benezia looked... Broken. As if part of her had been ripped out of her and nothing had been put in her place. God only knew what was happening inside her, but Shepard could tell it was no good. Sitting across from the Azari, Shepard never thought she'd see that exact look. Rage, anger, irritation, yes, but brokenness... Shepard refused to believe it was true, but the fact remained.

- So, let's get started. - Shepard started, but suddenly Benesia started talking on her own.

- What for? - The Azari said dryly.

- I need to figure out what the hell is going on. - Shepard explained.

- No. That's not what I mean. Why are you fighting back? You, the Council, why? Saren wants to help you. To help you reach a higher plane of evolution. Why do you resist? Why all this? - Benezia asked. Shepard had already realized that Benezia seemed to be in some kind of trance, but she could do nothing about it. Unless...

- Why would you want to do that? - Shepard suddenly asked, anger clearly flickering in the Matriarch's eyes.

- What do you mean, what for? It's evolution, Shepard. The nature of the universe. It's relentless, always moving forward. The reapers are its highest expression. And they want to help us. All of us. To make us like them. Why do you resist it?

- Do you even know what the hell you're talking about? Why do we need this? Do you even know what you're doing? All you're doing is rushing evolution. You're violating the laws of nature. And it's inexorable; you said so yourself. Why are you doing this, Benezia?

- What? But... But I...

- Why are you rushing evolution?

- Я... I don't know?

- Why are you breaking the laws of nature?

- I don't know... I can't...

- ANSWER!

- I DON'T KNOW!!! - After those words, time flowed incredibly slowly for Benezia. But for Shepard, it passed in the blink of an eye. Benezia ripped off the magnetic handcuffs that chained her to the table, grabbed the table by the bottom, threw it against the wall, stood up from the chair, grabbed Shepard's gun on her hip, and shoved the captain away with her hand. At the same time, she leaned against the wall behind her and aimed it at the captain.

- Benezia...

- Shepard... - said the Azari in a trembling voice, after which her eyes widened, and the Matriarch herself began to breathe loudly and snort as if she were trying to yawn with her mouth closed. - L-listen... I don't want to hurt you, but... Look, Saren's ship, the Lord... He can control the mind... Saren and I belong to him now... - Shepard could hear Benezia's difficulty with all the words, and for some reason, it seemed to her that an entirely different person was now in front of her.

- What do you mean?

- It's called suggestion... Saren succumbed to it and became a servant of the Lord... When I found out about all this, I decided to stop it... I thought I had the strength... But the suggestion is a very tricky thing... It happens slowly... You think you have the power to resist... And you think you've got the situation under control... In the end, you agree more and more with the Overlord... That's the point of the compulsion... Coordinating with the Master's reasoning, believing it to be the only right one... To reject common sense and any argument against it... And then you begin to vehemently defend those judgments... You become a bigot... In fact, you start praying to the Sovereign and believing that something higher has chosen you for a higher purpose... That's how I lost control... - The pistol in Azari's hand trembled nervously, but Shepard knew it was on the safety. However, she wasn't going to obstruct the Azari in any way. She knew there was a chance to listen to everything now. She just knew.

- And now?

- I... I'm getting good at resisting... The crown helps... For a while... Blocking the compulsion... Ahhhhhhhhhhhh... - Benezius closed her eyes but then immediately opened them and began breathing heavily as if she had run a marathon. - It's really... painful... Resistance is punished... Pain... Aaah... The voice... So painful in the head... Aaaaahhhh! Oh, shit... Shepard, you have to stop Saren. He's been a slave to the Keeper for a long time, but... He doesn't realize it himself... Though he has tried... to resist... As soon as he found out, he warned the Council, and they didn't listen... They didn't believe him... So the Keeper turned him into... ...a fanatic... There's no way to save him... There's no way...

- Look, Benezia. What is Channel? - Shepherd asked clearly and slowly.

- I don't know... And Saren doesn't know... Even the Keeper doesn't know... But it's something that stops the Keeper from starting the Harvest... That's why he attacked Eden Prime... The beacon was supposed to have information about where the Channel was... But the beacons were designed for a Protean... nervous system... That's why Saren sought out the Thorian... He gave him the Cipher... The ability to understand Protean beacons... But he never found out where the Channel is... It takes time... He needs peace and Saren... He doesn't know how to wait... But from the lighthouse, he learnt another thing... To get to where the Channel is, you need a repeater, which the Proteans called a mu-retransmitter... Thousands of years ago, a supernova exploded near that repeater. The shock wave knocked the repeater out of the system... but it wasn't damaged... And then, it disappeared into the nebula formed by the supernova... There's no use looking for it... A cold object, and around it is molten dust... It's impossible... However... The Rahni has been able to detect it... And their memory is passed from queen to queen... Luckily... I managed to get the coordinates out of the queen and keep them from Saren and the Master. - with these words, Benezia took the tunic from her hand and threw it on the floor. - You must hurry... Saren is about to find out where the Channel is... And now he's torturing the queen to tell her the coordinates of the mu-retransmitter... If... If he finds out... there's nothing to stop him... Shepherd... Go to Vermeir... Kill Saren... This is... The only... Shaaaaaaaans... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

- Benezia. - Shepherd started calmly. - Put the weapon down. There's no reason for you to use it. We can talk calmly. You'll get help at the Citadel.

- No Shepard... Just because I'm like this... It won't last... The Keeper is too strong... This weapon... Not for you... You're a... Goodman, Shepherd. You must stop the Keeper and Saren... You... ...do it. I believe... And I... I failed... - with those words, Benezia took the gun off the safety and slowly put the gun to her head.

- Benezia... You don't have to do that... - tried to reason with the Azari Shepard.

- I'm sorry, Liara... I love you. - and with those words, Benezia pulled the trigger. There was a loud shot that stained the interrogation room wall with blue blood, and Azari herself fell lifelessly to the floor.