25

"You," was all Daro could say when I had freed Zaal and was cutting her ropes.

"Yes, me. Go ahead and say you're not glad to see me," I said, freeing the last one, Anderson, from his ropes, after which I calmly grabbed the knife by the blade, as if handing it to Anderson. He's the most experienced one here. Haket is old, and Daro and Zaal... Well, there are doubts.

"Thank you," said Anderson after he took the knife and stared at me for a few more seconds with a puzzled look.

"You're always welcome," I calmly replied, offering a hand to Haket who was still sitting. He looked at me with the same confusion as Anderson, but then took my hand, and I pulled him up. "Alright, it's time to get out. We need to get to the garage, we'll take a car from there," at the same time as I was explaining, I started searching the drells. Each had a pistol and a crudely made, shitty rifle. I took one of the rifles for myself, gave another one to Anderson, and a pistol each to Haket and Zaal. But as soon as we turned to the exit, I heard the voices of the drells.

"Alright, let's check on our new ones in the cell."

"Yeah, I've seen them. There was one asari there..."

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't mind spending some alone time with her."

"Hey, I'm first, you got it."

"Screw you, I saw her first."

"Who's telling me to 'screw you', I don't get it?"

"Figure it out yourself!"

"Come over here!"

"Hey-hey-hey, guys. Calm down. We'll take turns."

"Yeah. There's enough of her for everyone."

Well, here's your base of marauders, hooligans, and just bad guys. They all have only one thing on their minds. Only problem is, there are now five drells coming our way, judging by the different voices. Killing them quietly won't work, and we can't make noise. We won't be able to climb into the ventilation in time. Just like always! You want everything to go quietly, but something always pops up.

I started looking for a way out, using my X-ray vision. I found it right away. Opposite the cell entrance was a sliding door. Approaching it, I pulled the lever, thus opening it and discovering that it was a concrete tunnel one and a half meters in diameter, through which we could descend, even though it was unclear where.

"Throw the bodies in there, then jump in yourselves. There's no other way," no one argued with me. Anderson and Zaal each took a body and threw them into the tunnel. They slid down easily, as the bottom of the tunnel was lined with metal sheets. Then Haket climbed into the tunnel, followed by Anderson, then Daro and Zaal. I climbed in last, then pulled the lever, closing the door behind me, and decided to eavesdrop on these guests.

"Hey, where are the guests?"

"Ker and Falh were supposed to watch them."

"Hey, what's this?"

"Looks like blood."

"Whose?"

"How should I know! Probably our guests were taught a lesson."

"Maybe they're being interrogated by the boss?"

"Yeah. The boss loves interrogations."

"Ah, that's a bummer. Okay, let's go. We won't interfere with the boss."

"Yeah, that could be problematic..."

"That's what I'm saying. Let's go drink."

"YES!"

So much for marauders. No discipline. Well, it's time to join our group. Letting go, I flew down the tunnel and after three seconds landed on... bodies. Yes, I landed on a drell's body. Then I stood up and found out we were in a freezer. A freezer filled with a huge number of drell corpses. Frozen, ice-encrusted corpses that lay there for no apparent reason. The temperature in this freezer was -5 degrees Celsius, and the only light came from five incandescent bulbs on wires. All this made you want to vomit, but I couldn't do that. Life on Rakhana for you.

A second later, after getting over the shock, I looked at the liberated ones. Haket and Anderson were huddled against the cold, as their uniforms didn't provide much warmth. Not much at all. But Zaal and Daro didn't care about the cold temperature.

"What's going on out there?" Zaal calmly asked.

"They don't know anything about the escape, they think we're with their boss. We have time," I replied. "Now, we need to figure out where to go," I activated my special vision and started searching. The problem was that the sensor didn't work at long distances, so I had to use ultrasonic scanning. After 5 seconds the plan was ready. "Let's go. We don't have far to walk," everyone followed me, but even I had a problem walking on frozen corpses. Some bodies had been here so long that when I stepped on them, something cracked or broke off. An arm, a leg, and Anderson even managed to decapitate a poor drell who was barely 15 years old in human years.

"God, why are these bodies here?" Anderson couldn't take it anymore.

"Most likely, they're here for food. I saw the bodies of Alliance soldiers. The drell had already started to butcher and roast them."

"What?" Haket was surprised, but then he got it.

"Those bastards. They're eating their own kind."

"What wouldn't you do to survive. So..." My words were cut off by the sound of a door opening in the tunnel from another cell. It turned out that the tunnel had two doors at both ends. One of them just opened now, and voices could be heard from there.

"Darn bardog, be he damned!"

"Don't even say it! Imagine that! I took off my shirt when I was interrogating him because it was hot, and he got turned on! And he still calls himself a man!"

"Bardogs, they're everywhere and always bardogs."

"Guys. He's still breathing."

"So what?! I would kill him slowly, but it seems like he'd only enjoy my methods."

"Yeah, let him freeze to death. At least there will be some benefit!"

"I don't really feel like going to lunch now..."

"Oh, come on. They butchered a thief today, just caught yesterday."

"He wasn't even grown up yet. How old was he?"

"What difference does it make? The boss has short conversations with thieves."

"In the name of the Great Crihti, throw this bardog already and let's go eat, or else only guts will be left!"

"You're right, Tel. So, got him... Oops, that's it, let's run."

The one who got thrown into the tunnel was Hraston. He was missing one hand, and blood was dripping from the remaining one, his whole face was swollen from bruises and abrasions, half his teeth were gone, and several stab wounds were on his belly, but he was still alive.

"Damn, it's Hraston!" Haket whispered. "We need to take him with us."

"We can't," I intervened immediately. "He's barely alive, how do you imagine that?"

"Steven, he's right. Hraston will only s-slow us down, and we n-need to hurry," Anderson sided with me. His voice was already trembling, and like Haket, steam was coming out of his mouth. The same was true for Daro and Zaal. Only it looked much funnier because the steam was coming out through the filter, so they reminded me of a little steam engine. Choo-choo.

"But we can't leave him here!" Steven kept grinding his organ. It was clear that he was determined to stand his ground, and it was quite obvious that this was the Alliance officer talking. But his inner man was telling him to leave this jerk here to die. No mercy for such types.

"Choose — either him or us," I put Haket in front of a choice.

"Erggh... Fine, but we're just leaving him here?" To Haket's question, whose voice, surprisingly, did not tremble as much as Anderson's, I already had an answer.

"Anderson, give me the knife and... move on. I'll catch up with you." David did not argue with me, apparently understanding what I was about to do. He handed me the knife I gave him in the cell, and in a few seconds, they were ten meters away from me. I squatted next to Hraston and started to think. I had to think for 2 seconds, after which I took a swing and with all the force I was capable of, plunged the knife into Hraston's head up to the hilt. His heart made a couple more beats, then stopped, after which the system diagnosed death. Well, I don't know how much he suffered before this, but he still deserved a quick death. Even though he was a jerk, to punish during life for being an insensitive brute... No, his punishment will be that he will be eaten here, and something will be made out of his bones. He will not have a grave, no one will light a candle for him, no one will visit his grave, which will never be there.

Pulling out the knife, I hurried to the admirals. Hmm, I should ask - is Anderson an admiral yet? Catching up with the admirals, I noticed that we had already reached a dead end.

"W-where to — next?" asked trembling Anderson.

"Here," I pointed at the door in the wall of this huge freezer. "Okay, now lay down in the corner and pretend to be dead. I've come up with something." Daro and Zaal didn't argue, but it was problematic for Anderson and Haket. After all, the bodies of the drells were too cold. However, they did lie down in the corner in as unnatural a position as possible, and I pressed the call button next to the door. It seems that it was through this door that the drells took the bodies to the kitchen.

[sound of electronic bell]

"What do you want?" came the lazy and disgruntled voice of a drell.

"Guys... kh-kh-kh... Here! Prisoners escapedkh-kh-kh-breathkh-kh-kh... Faster... Eh! No. No! Aaaaaa!" I screamed in the voice of a wounded drell. It's good to be a geth - you can copy any voice.

"What the hell?! From..." The connection was cut off, and then there was the sound of the outer door of the freezer opening. I laid down in the corner and put the bodies of two drells on myself to make sure I wasn't noticed. After another 20 seconds, the second, inner door opened, and 5 drells entered.

"Hey, where is he?" asked a drell with a sawed-off shotgun in his hands.

"He probably got dragged over there, and they skedaddled. Okay, we go carefully and look at every body. If these are prisoners, then they are definitely not drells. So shoot such bodies immediately. Just to be sure."

"Okay," these drells continue to surprise me more and more. They began to check the bodies when they moved about 5 and a half meters away from us. Another minute and a few shots later, they reached the other side of the freezer.

"Alright, everyone, get up," I said, and immediately others rose to their unsteady feet. We quickly entered a peculiar gateway and closed the inner door, after which I knocked three times on the outer one. There was a lone drall behind it, so I prepared myself.

"Coming, coming," the same lazy voice sounded, followed by the sound of the lock being unlocked. The door swung open, and I kicked the drall forcefully in the chest. He flew back three meters, and I quickly approached him, pressing his arms with my knees and delivering a powerful blow to his head, sending him to the drallish Hell. Those bastards won't end up in Heaven, that's for sure. After that, I decided to take care of those in the freezer. I found a nearby lying crowbar, walked up to the inner door, locked it with all the bolts, then inserted the crowbar into the handles and tied it in a tight knot. Then I found a piece of an unknown-purpose pipe and did the same thing, but with the outer door. Now they definitely won't get out anytime soon.

"Alright, let's go. As quietly as possible," I said, and everyone silently followed me.

Exiting through the door, we found ourselves in a peculiar kitchen. There were a bunch of stoves fueled by gas from tanks. The stoves were arranged in three parallel rows, and behind them, for the time being, two dralls were working, all of them with their backs turned to us. Meanwhile, we started walking in a half-crouched position, following, so to speak, the butchery station. There were heaps of various limbs, pieces of meat on racks, boneless thighs. In all sorts of buckets, cans, and bowls, there were organs of all kinds, not only from dralls but also including meters of intestines and a couple dozen kidneys, and that's just what still retained their original shape. Blood was dripping from the table, and according to the analyzer, it wasn't only drallish or human blood. There was also quarian blood. Do they really eat quarians too? Maybe they don't know the difference in proteins? Quite possible, after all, they're marauders, not the brightest minds. As evidence supporting my hypothesis about dralls eating their Creators, I saw a three-fingered palm of white color on the floor. Yes, these dralls do eat quarians.

"Hey, Kaim, bring some guts for the little ones. The boss said to increase their ration since the catch was so plentiful," a voice of one of the drall sounded.

- Who exactly do I need to bring them to? - another person asked.

- These three-fingered ones here. The boss said we can't eat them, talked some nonsense about proteins. What do eggs have to do with it, I don't know, but the little ones can eat those in the suits perfectly fine. Although the little ones eat kamneyashchers too, so it's not surprising.

- These ones in the suits are called quarians... quari... quarianc... quar-i-ans. Yeah! That's how Krel called them. But we can just call them quarians.

- Hehe, quarians, hehehe, funny. Alright, bring their guts to the little ones.

- Alright. Right away, - said the drall, and I heard his footsteps. Fortunately, I still had the knife, so all I had to do was wait. Seven seconds later, the drall was only a meter away from me, just behind the butcher station. A second later, he appeared in front of me and turned towards us. He only managed to widen his eyes before I approached him and stabbed the knife under his tongue. The blade reached the sky, and I quietly and carefully laid the corpse on the floor. He didn't even squeak, and the other drall didn't pay any attention to it. We immediately moved to a peculiar storage room of dried fruits, the door of which was open. There were heaps of bags with dried fruits resembling raisins and prunes.

- Hey, Kaim, are you asleep over there?

- Um... Listen, can you come here... There's something... Well... - I started using Kaim's voice to attract the attention of the second drall. We didn't want him to raise an alarm because of the dead body.

- Oh, what else do you have there? - the drall asked irritably, walking towards us. With wide strides, he reached the butcher station in three seconds and circled around it, standing with his back to us. And as soon as he saw his dead comrade, I threw the knife at him. It entered his reptilian body up to the hilt, right between the vertebrae. The drall fell, and I quickly approached him, pulled out the knife, grabbed both dralls by their legs, and dragged them to the dried fruit storage. The floor was already covered in blood anyway, so there would be no traces.

After closing the door and turning on the light, I started dragging the bags towards the entrance. Only after I had cleared all the bags did the other four understand my plan when I picked up a large metal sheet from the floor, under which there was a wide, one-meter by one-meter grate with water gurgling beneath it. Slipping my fingers into the grate, I lifted it and placed it against the wall, then threw both corpses inside.

- Let's go, - I said and jumped in. The water was waist-deep. All four followed me, although they didn't seem thrilled about it.

- Where are we? - Anderson asked.

- It's a drainage system for used irrigation water and sorting.

- So, we... - Hackett suddenly realized.

- Yes, - I decided not to go into details about being waist-deep in water.

- The corresponding smell, - Anderson commented, and I remembered again that I was a geth. Hehehe.

After five minutes and three turns, we arrived. It was a staircase with the same type of grate. Climbing up, I lifted the grate and then climbed out of the channel, securing the grate so that we didn't have to hold it. Then all four of us emerged from the channel. We found ourselves in a storage room with a bunch of tools and small spare parts. Every garage enthusiast's dream. There was a flimsy door, which I simply pushed with my shoulder, causing it to break and open immediately. We ended up in the garage through which we had entered this place. Nothing had changed.

- Get into that car, - I pointed to the prepared vehicle. - I'll take the wheel, but first, I'll do something.

- And what's that? - David asked.

- I'll ruin the reptiles' lives, - I replied. This meant puncturing the tires with a knife and pouring homemade engine oil into the fuel tank. After finishing everything, I opened the inner garage door, then ran and grabbed 5 kilograms of explosives to blow up the outer door, as it was remotely controlled from the control point, judging by the wires and scanning. The dralls didn't have direct or video surveillance, so they relied on several sentries who sat outside and reported everything via radio. So, I had to run to the outer gates, attach the explosives, and only then did I sit in the car and realize that I didn't have the keys.

- Well, no keys. Oh well, - I only knew one way to start a car without a key. Opening the cover under the steering wheel, I visually searched for the necessary wires. Once I identified them, I ripped out two required wires and started striking their ends against each other. Sparks appeared occasionally, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't until ten seconds later that the car finally started. Twisting the wires together, I reached for the detonator. It was homemade, so it worked in its own way. I turned the key, pressed the lever, and two seconds later, pressed the button. The light on the detonator changed from green to red, and a powerful explosion ensued. The base immediately went into a frenzy, and I pressed down on the gas pedal. It was time to return to the "Rilik."

As soon as we drove out, I immediately veered off the road onto a solid sandy surface. There was a risk of encountering those returning from the "Riltuk" on the highway. I still knew where to go, so now it was just a matter of driving. The journey ahead was not a short one.

After an hour of driving, I started noticing something strange happening in the car. Hackett, sitting to my right, was nervous and occasionally tried to say something but hesitated. Anderson tried to sleep but couldn't manage it. And Daro had actually embraced Zaal's arm and was already sleeping on his shoulder. I didn't understand something, is that even allowed? Where's the subordination? I'm not sure if it's acceptable in the Fleet.

- So, where are we going? - Stephen interrupted my thoughts. Finally, someone had the courage to start a conversation with me.

- First, to my ship, it can still fly. Then, through a paired relay to the Batarian Hegemony system. We'll fly through it and then reach Omega Station through another relay.

- Omega itself? - Anderson asked, slightly excited.

- Yes. There, I'll repair the ship, and you can send a request to your people, and they'll pick you up. Some will go to the Alliance, others to the Migrant Fleet, - as soon as I mentioned the Fleet, Zaal and Daro immediately tensed up. Their heartbeats quickened, and Daro woke up. Something was not right.

- Did I say something wrong? - I asked slightly guiltily, which made Daro and Zaal seem somewhat downcast.

- It's not so much your fault as... Han'Gerrel. He found out that I brought a geth onto the Fleet and repaired it. He found out that I let you escape. He found out that you stole the "Moreh." He gathered evidence and presented it to the Conclave. Zaal was also accused of complicity. We tried to defend ourselves, and we were doing quite well, but then... Oh, Han found out that we... were together, - oh, well, that was unexpected. And, by the way, it explains a lot.

- So, you... have a relationship? - I asked. After all, the word "romance" wouldn't be quite appropriate here.

- Yes, - Zaal said. - And there's nothing we can do about it. But the Conclave didn't care. As soon as they found out about us, they immediately reached a verdict. Exile, period.

- And they didn't even give you a chance to defend yourselves? Like, capture me, and you can return to the Fleet? - I was still curious. After all, Tali was given the opportunity, so why not give a chance to two admirals to justify themselves?

- No. We violated subordination and regulations. There's no chance of returning for something like that, - Daro said sadly.

- So, now the Fleet will go to Rannoch? Since everyone will support Han? - I asked.

- No. Han'Gerrel... is dead. An exiled admiral must be accompanied by another admiral. So, Han went with us to drop us off at some colony. And to laugh at us. However, the relay threw the ship here, then we were shot down. We were attacked by the dralls, and almost the entire crew perished. Han had his throat cut. After the attack, we sent a distress signal. Then Anderson arrived, followed by another attack. Then Admiral Hackett arrived. When the next wave of dralls arrived to attack us, we were offered surrender. We agreed, there was no other choice. Nor hope. It seems we surrendered for a reason, - Daro explained everything to me, and I was silently stunned. So, the Fleet has now lost three admirals. One died, two were exiled, and another one, for some reason, I feel is headed towards his own demise. Tali's father, Rael, he died at the hands of the geth. I hope he won't start experimenting with them because I don't want Tali to be left an orphan.

- Well, at least there's one good news, - I tried to console them, but it didn't help much. But then I decided to speak my mind. When else would I have such listeners and conversationalists? - It's just ridiculous that they would exile you for falling in love! Truly ridiculous.

- No, it's our fault. We should have restrained ourselves, but we... - Daro began to say, but Zaal didn't quite like it, yet he understood why Daro was saying that.

- Just spare me that! You already have the greatest happiness one can have! You're loved, you love each other, you can love! Look at me, damn it. I don't need to eat. I don't need to drink. I don't need to breathe. I don't need to sleep. I don't even need to go to the toilet! The perfect soldier! Just... That's right, a soldier. A killing machine, and nothing more. A walking pile of metal and polymers. Who would love someone like that? So, be happy. You have each other. Enjoy it while you can.

Everyone hung on my words, quite literally. They couldn't even move as they tried to digest what I had said. Perhaps it was because I was a geth. Yes, that was what hindered them from listening to me calmly. However, when it finally sank in, Daro and Zaal even seemed to cheer up. Daro hugged Zaal even tighter and simply... savored it.

- Yes. Yes, you're right, - she said calmly, and I actually felt better. Someone had sincerely thanked me, and it truly made me feel happier.

- You're welcome. But something tells me there's still something bothering you, - something told me she had something else on her mind.

- Yes. There's still... Ah, my daughter, Lena. I worry about her. She's now the daughter of an exiled admiral. What could be worse? - yes, indeed, that's a real problem. Although...

- You know, I don't think it will be worse for her because of that. After all, she's already the daughter of an admiral. It's not something she's unaccustomed to.

-What do you mean by that? - Daro asked somewhat angrily.

- Exactly what I said. You were so busy serving the Fleet that you forgot about your own daughter, - I began to explain.

- Who are you to say that?! - Daro asked, now genuinely angry, but I already knew how to respond to that.

- It's not me saying it, it's your daughter, - and to prove it, I delved into my memory to find the right fragment, and once I found it, I held out one hand, and a holographic screen appeared from my palm. It was a video recorded by my eye when I was hiding in the technical corridors of the "Moreh." It was the date between Lena and Kael.

- Kael.

- Lina? Hi.

- How are you?

- Umm, I don't know. Tomorrow we're flying to some planet. The Batarians have set up a laboratory there to study the geth.

- Do you want to stay?

- Oh, listen, this is the third mission for our group in a week. My guys are already collapsing or sleeping on their feet. I understand, and I'm not asking for myself, but can you talk to my mother and ask her to send another group? They won't be able to handle another landing.

- Listen, you know it's useless to persuade her. You're the most experienced, that's why she sends you. Besides, if I ask, she might suspect... us.

What does she lack? We've already brought so many geth here that it's enough for a company.

- I don't know. I'm starting to worry about her too. Ever since you brought that trooper, she hasn't slept for three days. She locked herself in her lab and doesn't let anyone in. And how can you disobey an admiral's order? "Do not disturb" means just that.

- Have you tried talking to her? About us.

- Yes. I tried to bring it up, but she's always busy. And if I say it directly... you have no idea how angry she gets. She sees you as just a soldier who's needed to follow orders. Oh, she'll never understand me... Sometimes I feel like she doesn't need me.

- Don't say that. She's your mother. She just has a lot of work. She's an admiral, and on top of that, a scientist. She serves the Fleet with dedication.

- That's just it. The Fleet. And sometimes, she simply forgets about me. I know it's selfish, but... I just crave her attention. Because I'm the daughter of an admiral, I hardly have anyone. No friends, no girlfriends. Everyone wants something from me and expects things.

- Hey, hey. You have me.

- Yes. I only have you.

I stopped the video at that point. There was no need for them to watch what happened next. And what I showed them was enough. Daro couldn't believe what she saw. I couldn't read thoughts, of course, but I was certain that what Daro was feeling right now wasn't pleasant.

- How could I... - Daro could only say that before bursting into tears. Zaal immediately hugged her, trying to comfort her, although it didn't help much.

- Come on now. It may hurt, yes, but now you know that your daughter has someone to protect her. If anyone, Kael will not let any harm come to her.

- Do you... Do you really think so? - Daro asked, trying to make her voice sound more normal.

- Yes. I may be a killing machine, but I understand what love is. And I can say for certain that this "soldier" loves your daughter to death and will beat the crap out of anyone who looks at her the wrong way. That's what I wanted to say. - I was never good at comforting, but it seemed to work. Daro calmed down, although I had brought her to tears before. Well, what kind of... intelligence am I?

- Thank you. You're nothing like a geth. At least, not from the inside, - Daro decided to move on to another topic, but just then Hackett intervened in the conversation.

- Yes. And besides, you're right.

- And in what particular aspect am I right? - I asked interestedly.

- About being a killing machine, - at first I thought it was an insult, but then I realized that Hackett himself seemed a bit down, so it meant something else. - Well, I know what it's like.

- What do you mean, Steven? - Anderson asked. He seemed to not understand what the admiral was talking about.

- I mean that being a soldier often means giving up on family. I remember falling in love during one of my leaves. Then there was the wedding, and our son was born. But then I realized that the higher-ups didn't give a damn about you having a son and a wife. One moment they send you here, the next they want you to conduct exercises there, then have a chat with the journalists. In the end, my son grew up, and I didn't even notice. I wasn't even there for his eighteenth birthday. He never forgave me for that. Eventually, my wife couldn't take it anymore. One day, during one of my leaves, I went to her unannounced. I wanted to surprise her. Instead, I found a note on the fridge. She couldn't take it anymore... and asked me not to look for her. I did find her eventually, but I couldn't bring myself to take her back. I realized that even if she gave me a second chance, it wouldn't change anything. So I fully immersed myself in the service.

- Yeah, unpleasant. And now you're in command for your soldiers. Now the question is - did you ever help your soldiers who had families? - Hackett was puzzled by that question. It seemed he hadn't thought about it before.

- Damn it, - he finally said. - I... Oh God...

- Come on, you still have a chance to make things right. Once we get out of here, - I said, trying to comfort him.

- Hm, you're right. Thank you. By the way, what's your name? - Damn it, I realized I hadn't even told them my name yet.

- Legate.

- Legate? - Anderson asked in surprise.

- Yes. So what?

- Well, nothing, - I see, Anderson. You're too surprised, but pretending otherwise. But I have no problem with it.

- Alright then. Does anyone else have anything to say? We still have a long way to go, - I suggested.

- David? - Steven hinted.

- Well, my story isn't much different from yours. My wife also left me because of my service. Although I didn't know about your story. You weren't fond of talking about your personal life. Even when you're drunk.

- And no one can blame anyone for that, - Zaal suddenly interjected into the conversation. - Sometimes the past can be very... painful.

- Speaking from personal experience? - I asked.

- Yes. I don't have a family... Well, I could have had one. Ah, I had a wife, Larin. We loved each other, then I found out she was pregnant, and then... She died. During childbirth. The baby died too. Then I had nightmares for a year. Eventually, I became an admiral, and that helped. My thoughts were occupied with service, so I managed to forget. But I still don't like to remember it.

- It's difficult, Zaal. On one hand, "out of sight, out of mind," but on the other... "one must not forget the past, as it is the teacher of the future," and which path to follow, we choose for ourselves because we write our own destiny. And though sometimes our choices are wrong, and we turn onto the wrong road, the main thing is to step off it in time and live a life that people will remember kindly.

- That really got everyone thinking. Although I didn't know I was such a philosopher.

- Yeah. I never pondered so much, Zaal said, and everyone silently supported him.

- The positive aspects of thinking at the speed of light, I explained, albeit without a smirk for obvious reasons.

- And are there negative aspects? David asked.

- Ask yourself, why do you read books? And besides what you'll say, "To know more!" - I said in Anderson's voice. - You'll also say, "Well, to pass the time." And here you answer your own question. If you can read "War and Peace" during the entire flight between Earth and the Citadel and still not finish it, I can do it in zero point zero thirty-five seconds (0.035). And yes, I've already checked.

- I understand, Anderson said, and within a couple of seconds, we all realized that we needed to talk about something. And as always, I couldn't find anything better.

99 bottles of milk on the wall

99 bottles of milk

Take one down, pass it around

98 bottles of milk on the wall, I sang, and Hackett and Anderson even started to sing along.

15 hours later

Late at night

- Singapore.

- Rome.

- Milan.

- Naples.

- Lisbon.

- Nesaualcoyotl.

- And what is that? - Anderson wondered.

- A city in Mexico. I could never pronounce it properly, Hackett answered in my place. That's how we've been playing the city game for 7 hours already. Dara fell asleep 3 hours ago, and Zaal just watched because his repertoire of cities was scarce. It turned out that in the Fleet, instead of teaching children geography, they teach astronomy from an early age. So many have long forgotten even the name of the capital of the Quarian Republic. And it's not the planet, but the city. Zaal, however, knew some things thanks to his childhood curiosity and his grandfather, who also knew a lot.

- Um... Listen, uh... - Anderson suddenly started, looking surprised out the window.

- What's happened? - I asked anxiously, as it could be anything.

- Look out the window, - he said dryly, as he wasn't capable of more. Everyone, including Dara and Zaal, leaned out the window and were amazed, even me. In the sky, right above the car, which I hadn't noticed before, we saw Rakhana's moon. Or rather, what was left of it -

The moon was destroyed as if it had exploded from within. There were small rocks around it, forming a belt around the planet. That was precisely the asteroid belt. The moon's debris - that's what those asteroids were. There was also a large boulder floating nearby the satellite.

- My God... That's the moon... - Anderson commented.

- Yeah. And why do I feel like the drell did this themselves? - I replied, but then the sensors detected something behind us. I looked in that direction and began the analysis.

- What's there? - Anderson asked anxiously, trying to peer into the darkness of the desert, illuminated only by stars and the white moon.

- 30 vehicles, - I said regretfully. - They'll reach us in about five hours, maximum six. Alright, my ship is almost ready, - I started comforting everyone, as this news didn't make them happy at all. - Don't worry, we'll make it. We have to make it.