Chapter 11. Final preparations

"Final check, is PIR 47 ready?" I asked a small metal ball connected to a device that looked like a stationary medical complex.

—The request is incorrect. In this situation, nothing depends on me, no effort is required on my part, I simply serve as experimental material," came the answer in an absolutely emotionless voice.

Be that as it may, PIR 47 (or, in more detail, Experimental Artificial Intelligence No. 47) is absolutely right, it was created exclusively for a single purpose, like 46 AI before it - to work out the transfer into the consciousness of a synthetic into an organic one (or, more precisely, biosynthetic) body.

Collectors became the final point of my many years of searching and research. Their DNA gave me the idea not to try to somehow combine the uneatable and cram in the uneatable, but to try to go further, create a more adaptive and universal protein that can interact with dextro and amino acids at the same time. Modeling such a protein and rewriting the alleles took a little over thirty years and several more years to create new biosynthetic chimeras, as well as attempts to transfer the AI ​​mind into a living body.

Yes, I finally decided to create AI, after first entangling them with all sorts of restrictions, although I didn't skimp on the hardware, I still needed to check not just the possibility of transferring one consciousness to another "carrier," but also whether the brain would withstand such a transfer, but also If it can't stand it, how can I make it stand? And when he achieved the transfer, he began to load the AI's memory with volumes of information comparable to mine and again returned to trying to transfer the AI ​​so that the body's brain would not leak out of the eyes and nose in the process from overexertion.

Of course, he spent enormous amounts of money on the creation of AI, because a quantum computer for creating AI is extremely difficult and expensive to obtain illegally, and official AI manufacturers are monitored extremely closely and such companies (of which there are quite a few, the largest of which is Synthetic Insights) work exclusively on Citadel Council. No, there are also AI producers working for their governments, like the same asari or salarians, but they again work exclusively for their governments, they work in absolute secret, and it is extremely difficult to find them because officially the research and creation of AI is prohibited after the geth uprising. In general, the correct policy, AI is extremely dangerous in itself and with my AI I left only a simple speech modulator, as well as visual and sound sensors for communication with the outside world, although the exchange of information digitally or directly with a direct connection would be much faster and more productive. And in case of an unforeseen event, low-power explosive devices are built into the quantum computer of each AI, ready to blow up the synthetics at any second at the slightest command.

In general, I had to really worry about purchasing the necessary equipment to create a quantum computer, but here the connection with the Shadow Broker came in handy. This gray eminence organized everything, and in response "asked" for several "requests". Nothing serious, really: consultation on several found Prothean artifacts, bringing down the shares of one highly specialized Elcor weapons company that produces combat VIs (I had to create a better and cheaper analogue of their product and endure an assassination attempt for some time), providing an illegal batch of my armor product and shields, to plasma shotguns and sniper rifles for his people, and everything like that. Eh, soon I will get out of the grip of this gray bastard.

Fortunately, at least with the technology of consciousness transfer it was much easier. The market provided a large selection of complete immersion technologies, and an analogue of the process of reading memory was in nature - "Embrace of Eternity" with the help of which asari could read the entire memory of a sentient being. This process was actively studied by Binery Helix, but all I had to do was use the data obtained to create an artificial analogue, and then debug the technology using AI and grown biosynthetic hybrids.

"The transfer process has begun, the estimated completion time is three months, two weeks, four days, seventeen hours." VI's pleasant female voice broke the silence of the room as soon as the launch command was given.

Alas, transferring a powerful AI with an extensive memory base to an organic medium is not a quick process, and it's not worth transferring the consciousness immediately into an adult body, because the child's brain is more plastic and accepts the AI ​​consciousness without any complications if everything is done slowly and with proper preparation. But the adult brain, even with all safety measures, is usually injured, and the degree of injury can vary from stroke or insanity, to short-term memory impairment or vision problems. In general, we have to conduct experiments on children... although they are all grown from test tubes, roughly speaking, and they do not have consciousness. Although the AI ​​that I experiment on and which I dispose of after the experiment also does not live long and can be considered children... oh, and who cares.

—Three months is a long time. Well, it's time to send the Phalanx into uncharted regions, and then I'll also have time to drop by for the quarian. Although Benezia wanted to see me... - he voiced the plan of action, leaving the AI ​​and his new body under the supervision of the VI station.

Nevertheless, I have already observed a similar process several times and it has already been fully worked out, and this is most likely the final experience to confirm the results and reassure me. Well, if the AI ​​suddenly manages to escape from the bed after being transferred (which is practically impossible, because a child is unlikely to be able to break the hermetically sealed cover of the bed made of transparent steel, from which spaceship windows are made), the VI will simply blow up its head with explosives sewn into the base of its skull.

***

Attic traverse, Eon system, secondary relay Enak.

As it turned out, the journey across the entire galaxy ended only a month later. It's surprising if you don't remember that essentially I was only jumping from repeater to repeater. This was needed to launch fighter-sized drones that carry Phalanx Hives. A couple of years ago I received a signal from the last returning geo-exploration officer sent to unexplored regions. In general, I sent a hundred of these machines, but only 37 returned. The rest either did not find a suitable star system, or were destroyed, but even so, 37 star systems rich in all kinds of resources, including the zero element, is a damn lot and if I wanted, I could It is quite official to appropriate these systems for yourself, install the necessary equipment in them and simply become a multi-billionaire by selling resources. Although I'm already quite rich, a total of seven billion loans lying in different accounts of the galactic bank confirm this, and what difference does it make how much money I have in my account if in a few hundred years the Reapers come and kill everyone? So information about discovered systems in unexplored regions was carefully hidden for future use and development by Hives with specialized minibots that had yet to be developed. For example, some planets in the systems found turned out to be filled with hostile flora and fauna, or their atmosphere was extremely toxic, or the temperature was extremely low, and some planetoids even looked like hot balls filled with boiling magma.

In general, we had to adjust the bots to the initial operating conditions, create the safest routes to the necessary systems, taking into account places to dump accumulated heat and static electricity, create unmanned ships that will deliver the Hives to their places and write specialized VIs for these ships.

But overall it was worth it, each hive is designed to create one artificial planet-shipyard (the size of the moon), one station for creating Mass Effect ship cores, hundreds of heavy dreadnoughts three kilometers in size, two hundred dreadnoughts one and a half kilometers in size, four hundred cruisers five hundred meters long, five hundred frigates two hundred and fifty meters long, three aircraft carriers the size of a dreadnought with a capacity of 350 frigates and a thousand fighters twenty meters long. In addition, fifteen types of VIs are archived in the Hives, for which the Phalanx has yet to create processors. Six types of VI are written for each type of ship and must monitor its functionality, await my return and destroy all unidentified spaceships. Another six must coordinate their types of ships, monitor their placement in space and determine the order of repair and maintenance. Another one should coordinate the work of the above-mentioned six VIs, and the last two will manage the work of the Mass Effect core creation station and the shipyard planet, respectively.

The time to write such complex programs took up almost more than the rest of the preparation of the Hives, and even so, these VIs can only act according to given imperatives, monitor the maintenance of the fleet, and protect the territory. But they cannot independently plot a flight route or conduct a full-fledged space battle, adequately responding to changing situations and non-standard combat tactics. But several AIs could and would not waste so much time on their creation, but even so the risk is not worth such advantages. After all, the Reapers are also AI and have been terrorizing the galaxy for thousands of years, and if one or more groups of AI appear that are not much inferior to the Reapers in combat power, you can immediately shoot yourself out of despair.

Eh, we'll have to look for those who can effectively manage the future fleet. But these are things of the future, but for now, after watching a small twenty-five-meter ship fly away in the direction of the last resource-rich system discovered by my geoprospectors, I headed to my base in order to change the ship and platform, and then head to the waiting Benezia on Thessia.

***

The Athena Nebula, the Parnitha system, the planet Thessia, the personal apartments of the matriarch Benezia.

Before leaving the aircar, I once again examined my own reflection in the glass. To live up to the legend that Gordon Freeman was terminally ill, every year I added small cosmetic modifications to indicate his deteriorating health. Bags under the eyes, a few wrinkles here and there, changing the color of part of the hair on the head to imitate gray hair, changing the design of internal systems towards compactness to give a thin body, and now instead of a strong man, if not an old man, then certainly a deeply sick man appears in public .

Stopping looking at the glass, he finally opened the doors and deliberately stood up heavily, limping slightly on his left leg. Still, it will be strange if a terminally ill person jumps briskly in the style of the same SPECTER or Asari commandos.

"It's good to see you, Gordon," the owner of this luxurious apartment came out to meet me.

However, the hostess herself is a chic woman and Benezia does not forget to remind of this by often dressing in rather revealing outfits, as for example now. Even if black trousers in a formal style do not reveal the girl's long legs, they favorably emphasize her elastic butt, and the open sleeveless vest leaves on view a very wide strip from the neck to the waist, revealing a view of the flat tummy and the round halves of the protruding breasts.

"You look beautiful Benezia, as always," the asari smiled, receiving a warm smile in response.

"But you're not very good," the woman whispered worriedly, running her fingers over her wrinkled face. —How long do you have left?—.

-Can we go in? It is inconvenient to discuss such topics while standing on the landing pad.

The asari only nodded at my proposal and, offering her hand, led me into the interior of the apartment.

"You know, when you called me to Tessia, I certainly wasn't counting on something... like that." I looked expressively at the naked Benezia, who was naked as soon as I sat down on the sofa. "I'm certainly flattered, but don't you yourself hate sleeping with such a decrepit wreck?" And then nothing works for me there anymore...—.

"I won't let you die so easily without leaving me anything at the end." You know, for the first time in hundreds of years, I fell in love, although at first it was a simple interest in exotic appearance, coupled with pride hurt by being ignored. But you still constantly ignored me." The asari frowned, placing her foot on my chest, after which she almost instantly moved onto the sofa, straddled my legs and made a sly, satisfied face. - Now you can't get away with it. Moreover, asari breeding does not require seminal fluid.—.

Having finished talking, Benezia closed her eyes and reached out for a kiss, but I hastened to stop the asari by grabbing her by the shoulders, which clearly displeased the matriarch, as evidenced by the biotic fields covering Benezia's body and eyes burning with dark energy.

"Gor-rdon..." Benezia growled angrily, beginning to barely perceptibly press with her biotics.

—Beni, the fact is that I have a completely unique case: when conceiving a child with the help of the "embrace of eternity," the asari will be born dead or sick with the same genetic disease. I checked!—I hurried to get away before the enraged asari really tore me apart with her biotics.

"With whom?" Benezia growled and seeing my uncomprehending look, she asked in more detail. —Who were you testing the embrace of eternity with?!—.

—In laboratory conditions!—.

Having fixed her gaze on my body a little more, Benezia even somehow went limp, turned off her biotics and moved to an empty seat on the sofa, leaning back.

After a moment of silence, Benezia spoke detachedly, looking through the wall. -...you know, when I was a child, my parents often told me how they met. They loved each other so much... I thought that I would also meet someone who shared my views and interests. I thought I'd live with him the same way until my death, but the asari around me were frivolous fools who preferred to flash their tits in strip clubs, the krogans were all cruel, stupid barbarians, and the other races were too short-lived and they all turned out to be extremely narrow-minded. They all think about how to get something for themselves, be it fame, money, or another fight in the case of the krogan. Even the turians, with their mentality of "protectors," stood out little from the general background." The asari interrupted and turned her head, focusing her gaze on me. -And then I met you. So mysterious and exotic. A weapons magnate who doesn't care about money and only uses it as a means to an end. A goal that I still haven't figured out. And yet, apparently, we are not destined to be together.—.

To be honest, after Benezia's rebuke it even became somewhat awkward. Well, of course, I had a goal, and a very unusual one, but still also a very selfish one - to get a normal body in which I can live as an organic person. Although I also have a global goal, Benezia was not mistaken here, the Reapers still need to be stopped and who will stop them except me, if the total fleet of all races of the Citadel space does not exceed hundreds of dreadnoughts, I find it difficult to say.

"You know Beni, I actually have a request for you," I began to speak, which brought the asari out of his contemplative state. —Although I failed to create a cure for my illness, I decided that my legacy would not just die with me and decided to create... a son.—.

After my words, Benezia stood up, focused her sharp gaze on me, and even turned her body, swaying her voluminous breasts, which already attracted my gaze.

However, I quickly regained my composure and continued. -And since I don't have long to live... in general, I don't know who to leave him with. I have few friends and I have no one closer to you.—.

"You want... to artificially grow an individual... with your DNA... who has the same disease as you..." Benezia clarified, choosing her words carefully.

-Oh, no, no, no, of course not. His DNA will be more perfect, without such defects. A completely healthy boy whose lifespan will be equal to that of an asari. What do you say?-.

"I...I don't know." The asari frowned and even rubbed her temples as if trying to remove the headache. -So much has piled up. I need to think. Please.-.

After Benezia's words, I just nodded and got up with a grunt and headed to the landing site. Since it happened with Benezia, I'll be distracted by work, I'll go check out the FreeMen Armory and FreeMen Incorporated plants.

***

After Gordon Freeman leaves, matriarch Benezia's quarters, an hour later.

Benezia was in a foul mood. The life of an asari is long and, as a rule, there are much more sorrows than bright moments, but Benezia had already lived quite a bit and thought that she had experienced everything possible. However, the ossification of Azari society, which does not want to participate more actively in the life of the galaxy, did not add to the mood of the young matriarch, and the imminent death of a close friend and object of love completely lowered the mood to nowhere, and it was not even possible to get a child from him. But she is no longer a matron, and there are still no children.

"Unless…" she involuntarily said out loud, but immediately pulled herself away.

Gordon's request...is it possible to consider a child raised in an incubator as your own? Will he at least be Gordon's child and not a genetic clone? Or is it just a surrogate?

It was in this position, curled up on the sofa in thought and dressed in home clothes, that Benezia was found by Etita, who burst into her home after another fruitless meeting.

-Benny! These old moneybags decided that spending a fabulous amount of credits on sponsoring new colonies on the border with the Termina systems would be better than creating a scientific group to study repeaters and their production in the future! Beni?" Etita drew attention to her unresponsive friend. -Hey, what happened?-.

-Oh, Aethyta? This... it doesn't matter." The asari returned from her thoughts, but seeing her friend's skeptical look, she still decided to share. —This is Gordon.—.

- Well, I thought so, what else could it be? You know, I don't know your next problem, but it seems to me that you think about them too much. Just clear your head of unnecessary thoughts.—.

"Do you think it's that simple?" Benezia smiled wryly. —It's easy to say "clear your head." But how to do this?—.

"Well... I know one way," Aethita whispered and leaned down and captured the lips of her confused friend.

At first, Benezia didn't know how to react and wanted to push Aethita away, she even put her hands on her collarbone, but after a moment she really threw away unnecessary thoughts, surrendering to pleasure, and her palms flowed onto the back of her old friend, caressing the graceful curves and looking for the clasps of the dress in order to get rid of such the rag that was now getting in the way.

"Beni..." Aetita broke away from her friend's lips in order to take off the T-shirt covering her coveted body.

"Shh, no talking." Benezia covered her friend's lips with her finger and again leaned against the sweet lips of the matriarch.

Passionate kisses between friends very soon turned into something more erotic, and by this time the clothes seemed to evaporate by themselves, leaving the naked bodies of the asari for everyone to see. Although no one else was here, this did not stop the asari themselves from enjoying the view, and not only them. Etita, seeing Benezia's naked breasts, literally became attached to her with her gaze and did not even understand how she ended up on top of Benezia, caressing the right nipple caught in her lips with her tongue, while with her hands she caressed her friend's left breast to her satisfied moans.

However, not only Aethyta was allowed to play on the sensitive points of her partner's body, Benezia's fingers dropped to the ridges of the woman who had fallen to the chest of the woman and began to gently caress a very sensitive part of the asari's body, sending goosebumps and waves of pleasure throughout Aethyta's body.

Having had enough of playing with her breasts, Benezia's friend decided to go further and began to kiss downwards until she reached the asari's pussy, plump and wet with excitement, which had a much richer blue color than her skin.

The smell of a sweet pussy, driving with excitement, finally plunged the matriarch into the depths of lust and, no longer seeing anything else around, Aethita buried her face between Benezia's legs, furiously tasting the juices running like a waterfall and caressing the sensitive folds and clitoris with her tongue under the loud moans and cries of pleasure of her friend.

At some point, the intensity of passion reached its limit and the asari's nervous systems intertwined, plunging women who were not ready for this into combined streams of emotions, feelings and thoughts. And also this connection united and strengthened the feelings and emotions between them, allowing the partners to feel each other's thoughts and feelings, which immediately led to a simultaneous orgasm.

"I-ah, g-let me..." Benezia, who had barely come to her senses but had not had time to catch her breath, reached out to her friend's pussy in order to give her also pleasure.

"No." Ethyta firmly stopped her and leaned over and shared a kiss, giving Benezia a taste of her own taste. —Let's do this together.—.

Without disagreeing with her words, Aethyta pushed the blue asari in the chest, forcing her to tip over backwards and sliding her right leg under her friend's left leg, intertwining them in a scissor position.

"Aaah." the women moaned in unison when their extremely sensitive pussies touched each other, but without stopping the asari continued to move, giving each other pleasure, and when they recovered a little, they again intertwined their nervous systems, dividing each other's thoughts and feelings and coloring their eyes in black, like space, color.

***

Having finished with Tessia, I headed to the Migrant Fleet, where the daughter of my old and already dead friend was waiting for me. I haven't communicated with Altra all this time. Yes, she could have become my sister, but she didn't and now we are strangers to each other. Um...xenos.

However, she is one of the few people I know in the galaxy that I can trust. I certainly hope that Benezia will agree to accept my "son", and in fact me in the body of a child, so I will not only be safe in the asari homeland, but also provided with all the amenities that civilization can give me, but a backup option wouldn't hurt just in case happening. And although it will not be as convenient on the Migrant Fleet as on Thessia, it will be no less safe, because few will risk attacking the largest fleet in the galaxy, and I am somehow afraid because of the information about me from the Shadow Broker.

"Altra, time has been good for you, you look amazing," noted the quarian's appearance, emphasized by a tight spacesuit.

And there really was something to look at, Altra was rounded in the right places, her chest became more voluminous, as did her hips. Eh, it's a pity that she's unlikely to live to see me grow up. Although she is now over fifty, and spacesuits, as we know, cannot sag, so who knows what Altra looks like underneath? But no one canceled banal politeness either.

"Thank you, Mr. Freeman," the quarian hesitated at such a formal address.

Still, I'm considered a multi-billionaire, and she's a simple woman from a migrating fleet. At our first meeting, Altra was not aware of my identity, considering me just a mercenary from the Terminus systems, but now she already knows.

-Okay, let's go. You can take any cabin, the flight won't be very long, but we'll definitely spend a few days." He broke the awkward silence when the shuttle that brought Altra left Michelangelo and went to the fleet. —I took with me a supply of natural dextroamino acid food, including fruits, vegetables and meat. You can cook it yourself or ask a droid cook in the on-board kitchen (installed specially, as well as the life support system to create the appearance that this is an organic ship, as well as cabins and other rooms necessary for organics). The entire ship is completely sterile, so you can remove your helmet if you want. For any questions, please contact the onboard VI—.

"Thank you." The quarian thanked her again and, having checked the location of the premises, she went to the cabins to throw off the things she had taken with her.

Three hours later, when Michelangelo had just jumped through the relay, Altra finally reached the captain's bridge. Moreover, judging by the stroking of the stomach, someone did not fail to follow the advice and eat natural food; nevertheless, usually quarians eat dextroamino acid food that has already been processed into a tasteless paste.

-So where are we going? You contacted me rather unexpectedly, asking me to leave the fleet for a week without really explaining anything," Altra asked, already emboldened, looking with interest at the picture displayed from the external cameras on a large six-meter screen, acting as a porthole.

"I'm dying, I have a few years left and you can't take the accumulated wealth with you." I'll give most of it to my son, but I have a research station where I spent most of my life. I want to convey it to you, and we are flying to it now." He briefly described the essence of what was happening.

-I...I don't know what to say. "I sympathize with you, but isn't this too expensive a gift for the daughter of an old friend?" the quarian asked, in general, the right question. —Yes, and why do we need a scientific station?—.

-Well, there must be smart people in the fleet, you can create your own company and use the station's resources to earn money for the fleet. In addition, it can be converted for ship repairs, or sold as a last resort." He calmly listed the advantages of such a gift. "I'll ask you just one small request." On the appointed day you will receive a message, you will need to fly to the station, pick up my son and take him to Tessia. Or take me to the navy and take care of me until I reach adulthood if I can't come to an agreement with my friend. What do you say?-.

"Yes." Altra nodded after some thought. —You'll need to check with the conclave, but I don't think they'll be against it. And if they do, I can at least promise that I will deliver your son wherever you say yourself, if he is not allowed to remain on the Migrant Fleet