Citadel part 21 Leaving the Alliance Part 3 Krogan & the Illusive Man

The tail Leo had that day disappeared into the wards. The A.I. tailing him as best it could but to many dead zone interruptions. It was but out of mind until later. A few projects were coming along nicely and the Normandy was about to leave port soon. Like.. two days.

"Wrex, make your way to the lab. It is.. quite important." Leo said through the Omni-tool. A few clicks back and the Krogan was on his way. 'Why in the world does insist on that instead of just answering?' Leo was finding the Krogan was odder and odder by the day.

"Are you sure this is the right way to do this?" Mordin questioned. "Leaving it up to just the Krogan Warlords and the Asari Council will not end well."

"That is why you are here and we are going over this matter with a mind like yours involved." Leo said plainly. It was just a courtesy after all.

"The options for the Genophage treatment is pretty diverse due to the biology of the Krogan. Not only the method but the way you give birth is an issue. The different methods you have are so crazy."

"So we are back where we started." Wrex grumbled getting ahead of himself. He looked at Dr.Chakwas who told him to wait a little bit. "Sorry Doc, just didn't want my hopes to get up."

"No. Option A." Leo projected some graphs to show. "A successful Krogan breeding process currently can do up to a 1000 fertilized eggs in a year. Averaging 95 to a 110 in certain ones. Outside the Tunchanka element, the numbers overall can be brought up to about 221 to 314 eggs. With the first treatment, I have available."

"That is a lot better than anything we have thought of."

"Option B changes the entire Krogan female physiology." Leo pointed at a second graph. "We remove the Reptilian aspect and instill a mammal one." Wrex and Mordin blinked rapidly at this. "It is the way humans do it. We technically lay eggs but our females do not send them out of the body. They keep them inside gestating the parasites into a certain point usually. In a lack of a better term, a human woman lays eggs internally and stores them in the good old fashion fetus incubator."

"Even with the numbers that would just kill the mother in the end won't it?" Wrex asked.

"That is where the second part comes in for Option B. The fast metabolism that the Salarian have in combination can help with rapid development in the beginning. In theory, the mother would just carry the one egg internally it would hatch inside and go through a nurturing process like a human female."

"With the accelerated growth, what are we looking at here?" Wrex's eyes started to shine a little.

"Three months maybe. Possibly two in the really healthy females. The overall birth would have to go through a Cesarean Section since the female Krogan currently would not have developed bodies to deal with this type of childbirth yet." Leo typed on the display expanding the graphs. Images of maybe 4 to 5 generations of females would be needed before the body would develop that way. "At this point, it would take a lot of genetic tampering to get there."

Wrex looked over the condition the mother would be after looking with Mordin. Incapacitated for two months just recovering but an increased to several organ functions from the afterbirth provided. If the tests go correctly anyway.

"The Krogan child born this way would have more toughness, healthier cells, and a faster-forming Intelligence," Leo added in after they looked back up to him. "But also a useless codependency that human children have. Something that would clash with Krogan's upbringing."

"The next option?" Wrex was not liking this option at the end. Change to much about the Krgan to do so.

"Option C, genetic splicing from a few races that will change the Krogan from being just Krogan. The method the same way the Asari reproduce." Leo displayed a different projection. "The problem is that these Krogan are guaranteed to be sterile. All of them at that. But the viability of the eggs laid would increase drastically from stillborn."

"So all the Krogan from those batches would be sterile but alive. Then the Krogan alive would become more important than ever since they would be the only ones who could reproduce."

"But a possibility of those who do reproduce may also change." Leo's words caused Wrex to rub his crown annoyed. "These are projected theories and simulations done. I need Krogan to actually do any of these on to see what will happen."

"I don't suppose you have another option?"

"Haaa, yes. The final one is the most time-consuming and most expensive." Leo pulled up the last graph. "Full harvesting of female Krogans now. The very moment they are done getting bred, we remove the eggs before laying them and place them in incubators. Slowing down the process of their growth and development altogether but putting them in a controlled environment to watch the genetic mutations take place."

"Constant monitoring and changes to be made. Not to mention the individual would have to be diverse in Krogan biology and different periods of the growth stage. Not many of those around." Mordin said simply. His finger thumped against his waist. "Dr.Okeer is already involved so he would have to teach more for the long run."

"The fact that three clutches can be done a year like Earth lizards is the craziest thing. But those females willing to do so is crazy." Leo moved around the room letting them think more on the matter. "Research is currently stopping here until you give me an answer. Take the time you need."

"I understand." Wrex already knew which one the Krogans would want but he also knew which one would keep them safe. A few nights of no sleep were definitely on the docket now. "This is my top priority I assure you. Well, after getting Saren of course."

*Chsh!* The door opened as Maya came in to collect Leo. Taking him off the ship to look at something important with her. Rumor already going around that both were getting transferred off ship. Jane never got an answer on why from either of them.

.

A meeting-

.

Leo was not understanding of the situation he was currently in really, not only was he in a meeting with Maya Brooks, but also Kai Leng. A holoprojector activated showing the Illusive Man.

"Well, shit.." Leo rubbed his chin in surprise. "The main man himself. Before things go south, like they inevitably will, on behalf of humanity, thanks for the drive you show."

"Oh, didn't expect that from a Shepard."

"As I said to Maya once before, some of us can see what's going on behind the scenes and no self-protection is needed. If the Alliance and Cerebus worked together we would be able to accomplish a lot. But that is neither there nor here, people love to use racism to help personal agendas. So the divide will be there, well in this Galaxy anyway until the end."

"Conversation for another time." The image looked over to Kai Leng. "Deliver the credits if you will."

Taking the briefcase with the absurd amount of money, Leo just blinked in surprise. He connected his Omni-tool and dispersed half of it. The other half put on his person. The funds going to a few charity programs in Dr. Chakwas's name.

"Payment ahead of time is nice." Leo, instead of sending a file over actually removed a piece from his armor. It was pretty large actually. "Here you go, one artificial biotic heart. Best of luck to whatever you do with it."

"Thought it was only in the development stage?" The Illusive Man hid his happiness well but not well enough. Both Leo and Maya caught the smile. "Is this a prototype?"

"No, a complete first-generation model." Leo smirked. "Finished this morning an ran tests. A perfectly good transplant that will bestow the user's biotic abilities and help secrete a cellular network to increase longevity. The plans will go to you afterward for use. Once we are gone of course."

As in after he leaves the Milky Way Galaxy.

"Let's change things." The Illusive Man saw an opportunity and took it. "Why not come work for Cerebus?"

"Tempting but I don't like answering to people like this. Plus you are messing with to many Xenos devices that are not good for humanity." Leo had to shut him down right then and there. Not foolish enough to think he could remove the various devices that are spreading Reaper influence in time. "Plus, my sexual exploration with Xenos won't stop. To much to gain and to much fun to be had."

"Humph!" Kai-Leng snorted. Disgusted beyond belief at the statement. It was very powerful in his soul.

"Don't knock it until you try it."

"Never."

"Disappointing." Leo shrugged. That ingrained hate just won't fly with him or the crew he was putting together. "But continued work is not a problem at all. I need credits you need.. various things."

"Your uncanny knack for having certain information is needed." Illusive Man let that linger for a bit. "I heard you were needing your own ship, I have something in mind that you might want."

*Boop!* Maya stepped over activating a display. A nice beautiful destructive ship was visible.

A.I.- That is the ship I had in preparation for you. The Illusive Man was building it along with other parties for use. Unknown to them that is. It can integrate with the Ark that is currently in construction still. Due to recent events, I do believe you are ready to pilot it.

"It's amazing." Leo's eyes shined. What man, nay even woman and those in the in-between never dreamed of owning their own ship? Countless. "Man.. that is a beauty."

"This Cruiser is more a heavy-weight combatant ship compared to the medium weight design usually sported. Faster than dreadnoughts, and more heavily armed than frigates with twice as much firepower. The design of this Crusier makes it a force to be reckoned with. I cannot get over the design and order that was put in by you." Maya finished the code to prove that Leo was the actual owner. Something that even the Illusive Man didn't suspect at first. "Usually it can not land on medium or high-gravity worlds, but we have a way to fix that. Currently, it only possesses the ability to land on low-gravity planets."

"Cruiser-weight starships are the standard combat unit encountered away from large naval bases, the "poor bloody infantry" of most fleets." Leo's eyes shined as contact improvements flooded his mind. "Nimble scouting frigates have neither the punch nor the stamina to stand up to serious combat, and the mighty dreadnoughts are a strategic resource, carefully hoarded and committed to the most critical battles."

"Can house 200 or so, not bad." Kai-Leng mumbled.

"Before we depart, Saren's plan, do you know it?" The Illusive Man asked point-blank.

"Yeah, he wants to appease the Reapers enough that they do not wipe out everyone. Prove that organics are not .. inferior. A weird plan but he is losing the battle of wills." Leo watched as the Illusive Man frowned. "Indoctrination can not be beaten with just will. It is a techno-organic process after all. Machine safeguards can help resist."

"So far small tests have been successful, but nothing we think is concrete." Maya answered. She was buying time and additional chances for credits for Leo. As well as herself. "I have forwarded an algorithm to help small systems resist the process. But the problem lies in getting more Geth samples. Ones that have the code or the remains of the creators of the Reapers, the Leviathans."

"Which the Shadow Broker has access to. But that is a problem in and of itself." Leo rubbed his brow annoyed. "If you get some of that let us know, we might be able to make a full resistant to the Indoctrination Protocols."

The Illusive Man only partially took the bait. Talking a little more, the meeting finally ended. Leo leaving, with Maya staying behind for a little bit to talk about other matters.

*Chsh!* The door closed and a few minutes later another conversation took place.

"Is he trustworthy?"

"He is. That I am sure of. He believes in Human Advancement more than anything. However, he also believes humanity needs to struggle against certain matters. A very strong Darwin approach then a more hands approach after all the data he needs is gathered." Maya passed over audio files to Kai-Leng pertaining to conversations Leo and she shared. "He is not above torturing to gain information, blackmail, extortion, and even killing to get what he wants."

"You gained access to some of his N7 files, dangerous and risky." The Illusive Man was impressed. "His connection to certain people on the shi[p?"

"Maybe 30 tops. Some are Xenos due to personal preference as well as the skill they have. A few people he is looking into that he asked me to vet with my contacts." Displaying the various people, she hoped the Illusive Man would get involved with these people. "His reach has increased since I joined up. Krogan, Salarian, and Turian are not out of influence."

"Then we need to change up your assignment." The Illusive Man committed the people to memory. A slight pause at one person that shared a connection with him. "How attached are you to the Normandy?"

The room turned quiet.