- Allow me, Commander. - Svetlana approached by two technician volgovtsa.
- Let's. See what's what, then - then report.
- Yes, commander. - Senior technical team have a robot companion, and he took out his instrumentron.
- I would not like to think so, but it looks like Leviathans are not united in their views on the prospects for its further existence and activity. Some of them invite us, attack other clusters raiders and haskolyudov. We find there is almost eternal parking for the shuttle, and, at the same time - a deep-water robot suspiciously similar to ours, the current models. It seems to be built Leviathans way for the development of intelligent races, and continues to operate when the Leviathans are no longer at the head of the Galaxy. - Shepard said, reloading his rifle and replenishing supply of grenades. - Svetlana ...
- No, no, John. Whatever it was, we are obliged to make contact with the Leviathans. Without them we can not increase, as well as learn more about the Reapers. If Leviathans spawned Reapers - they know more about them all and in the current cycle, and in the past. I do not think what happened to them in past cycles have not tried to get in touch. - Kaperang gestured to neighboring cores. - Evidence of attempts at making contact - in front of us.
- Attempts. - Shepard said, putting his rifle at point blank range and heading to the robot, which has continued to strive equipment. - What are the results?
- We have tried to adapt it to our needs, as it is possible. - Said a senior technician. - I must survive and perform its function. Although ... rusted and move fast will not be able. But at least it does not crush the pressure and he will not flow unless, of course, does not exceed a certain limit load. We have sent you, commanders, all data on the instrumentrony. The robot is ready to use. Ten minutes later, we finish training.
- Welcome. - Shepard said, pointing to Svetlana on a short, convenient container. - Sit down, light. Read it, think about it.
Reading did not take long. Synthetic Squad technicians have all the necessary assistance, thereby reducing the time and to get acquainted, and for the development, and testing, and to adapt. Technicians have only set a few blocks to connect brought from shuttle cylinders with redundant inventory air mixture and put the replacement of life-support units.
- Let's take a place in this robot, John. - Svetlana said, turning off the instrumentron and getting out of the container. - Expensive time. While there is no other who want to shoot at us - it is necessary to descend to the Leviathan. It is, of course, not a gift, but others may well set up more or less peacefully towards us.
The robot created by an ancient race, impressed. The angular, powerful, with traces of corrosion on the plates, closing mechanisms and communication. Lift up and back with transparent casing, almost panoramic window, two chairs. Shepard helped Svetlana sit down, buckle up, checked the flow of air mix, the availability of repair and emergency kits, then sat in his chair, just by defining the lever, pressing which lowers housing.
- Omit the blister and will move. - Svetlana, understood in a slightly adapted management, including the giant engines and obediently sat down, crossed his feet, moved his manipulators. - Good car. Ancient. Reliable. No boring plastic and fragile government.
- Omit. - Shepard pushed the lever. Blister closed aperture, including a mechanism for sealing and insulation. - It seems like the norm, but you, the Light, still dress mask.
- Dressed. Sure. - Said Svetlana. - You too.
- Where will I go. - Shepard dropped on the face mask, felt the influx of air mixture. - Put it on the low. Enough for twelve hours.
- I would say ... that our perceived ambiguously normandovtsy you try, John. - Kaperang said, pointing to the Turian and geta, animatedly discussing something, and occasionally glanced at the robot.
- Well. We still are here and you have to pass this way to the end. - Shepard touched the edifice away, bringing it to the edge of the deck. - Bultyhnёmsya and try to sink deeper. Let's see what we can offer Leviathans in their native element. I never thought that they - aquatic animals.
- If they generally can be called animals. - Svetlana said tired. - On the blister to expose the frame to indicate the sighting direction. Levers at a pressure of water ... are ineffective, and - where the view, and go to this robot.
- Made. - Shepard saw the sighting frame on glass blisters. - A good system.
- We, too, are there. In many countries. I heard also that Turian have something similar. About salarians - I do not know.
- With Hanaro should have been consulted on a wide range of issues, but already, alas, no. - Shepard felt like a robot lurched over the edge of the deck and went hard into the water. - Let's go down.
- Free fall, the air is discharged regulations. - Svetlana takes readings from sensors that record information on your instrumentron. - Robot - in free fall. Depth - works fine.
Gray bulk weave and underwater parts of the former spacecraft gradually went up. Below was darkness and yet Shepard did not include fixtures.
- The signal from the surface of the already bad passes. It seems that you and I together will have to negotiate with the Leviathans. Without the support from the surface. - Svetlana said, twisting the vernier adjustment. - Yes, now we are together. Here. And you still wanted to come down here alone. I understand that it would go down. But it is doubtful whether it would be able to solve our problem properly.
- Svetlana. You better breathe a mixture of a little more. - Shepard looked at the depth, the numbers slowly increased. The robot continued to fall.
- Svetlana said this without a smile in his voice. - Okay, I still admire the surrounding landscape, is something else to consider. Then the world will be very little.
- External fixtures were covered. - Shepard looked at indicators. - We'll have to use only the light from the blister. Not only, but at least something.
There was a thud, the robot is almost entirely both legs bent at the knee joints, absorbing the blow on the ocean floor. As far as can be seen in the wrong, and the faint light of the cockpit spotlight, around there was little room for maneuver.
- There I noticed a suspicious zubchatki. - Svetlana nodded, indicating the direction of the hand. - It seems to be a walk there. And to make it easier to see where to step - Activate the occasional shooting of "fireflies". For a few minutes they would be enough light for orientation, and then the machine will remember the route and we can encourage her to come back "on the trail". Stock fireflies we have a large, but still try not to spend all at once. Not far from here, if I have correctly understood all the local situation.
- I perform. - Shepard shot off the first firefly joined the Bay area in a radius of three to four meters. - Indeed, even now I see, where to put our foot Robbie.
- Immersion depth - more than three kilometers, John. Ahead - the backbone of the spacecraft. So, almost all the bottom may be littered with these remains. Come forward cautiously. I said direction. Do not rush. But do not stay too. The beauties then admire, if possible. - Svetlana typed a few commands on instrumentrone. - On the surface obviously does not hear us, so I turned on the record on the internal drives. Do the same.
- Did. - Shepard scored on his instrumentrone desired command. - Enabled normal recording.
- Go ahead. - Svetlana looked around. - Occasionally when I am like that on the seabed. The signal comes from a little more depth, so we have to come down to this cozy rocky ledge. Forward.
- Yes, ma'am. - Shepard took up arms and directing the robot look carefully summed up the car to the edge. - We'll have a little jump. Fasten.
- Ready.
Two jump down two conventional shock absorbers. And finally, when the front there was a third step, to be exact - the edge of the ledge, who had got up by a swarm of air bubbles Shepard realized - the robot must be stopped. Before the deserted at the edge of the robot up slowly ... Reaper. Or like creature Reaper. When the front of the robot there are four eyes, Reaper stopped the lift.
It was not a reaper. It was Leviath
an. Shepard is not immediately felt. Conscious and subconscious human took tens of seconds to cope with the shaft of new sensations and experiences, organize them and remove tension. Svetlana stared at the creature appeared in front of her giant - no less than a kilometer in height - the size of the creature, which could well be the originator of the Reapers. Most likely it was their originator. And now it is hidden on the ocean floor. Hiding and continued to interfere in the life of more and more races.
- We need to find you. - Shepard said, breaking the silence.
The answer came immediately Leviathan - chat here was easier:
- You - not in their own land. You - invaded the darkness. - Leviathan's voice there was more natural, there was no longer a frightening roar, roar, and the desire to crush the power and volume. But still, the voice is fully consistent with the size being.
- Why did you kill a Reaper? - Shepard asked, realizing that Leviathan can not answer. However, the source must have been prepared for such a question, and maybe even foresaw it. There were too few options. Too few:
- They - our enemies. They - they want to destroy us. Destroy completely. - Said the giant.
- I thought you - too Reaper. - Shepard said this, vaguely aware that it is - the most acceptable.
- We have existed long before them. Reapers - only the echoes of the echo of our gait. - Leviathan replied, without changing a tone or speed of utterance. - We - more than they are. And we want you to understand the man. You were the closest to us. You come a long way.
- Galaxy is preparing for a battle with the Reapers. You won one of them. Why do not you continue? - Shepard asked.
- There is no battle. There is only a harvest. - Said Leviathan.
- Then help us stop the harvest. - Shepard said Svetlana silent, listening and watching what is happening. - Help us stop this.
- You and so represent a significant threat to the Reapers, people. You specifically. Reapers, once you manage to destroy the Collector, see it in your main threat to man. - Leviathan said, it's still quiet. - And I need to understand people, why are you and why it happens. - Leviathan did not move, but the captain clearly felt - something really changed in the surrounding area. Meanwhile Leviathan continued. - Before the start of counting the times our family, genus Leviathan was the pinnacle of all life in this galaxy. Weaker nations somehow served us. Many of them have not been able to go beyond the status of a slave. It always has been, so it is always and always will be. The weak are always the strongest, who rule. Anyone who does not rule - is weak. And they ruined their own weakness. They themselves ruined himself, accept their weakness. We Leviathans, rights of the weak, to receive from us, strong, necessary care. We are ruled by them, we have ruled over the weak. We did everything that they survived. But we ... we were not given to protect the weak from themselves. Not from us, people - on themselves. For their weakness was and external, and internal. On Namakli you saw petroglyphs. It - almost the only surviving intact in your galaxy of our images. I know that you noticed how it differs from what looked like a well-known observer you Reaper, Reaper reconnaissance. Yes, this is our image, man, the image Leviathans. You may find that a reasonable prior cycles created it under our influence. To have an image of who should obey and worship. Over time, all the people sought to facilitate their existence, creating more and better mechanisms, then - the car, then - Machines, then - computers. Combinations of machines, machines and computers enabled the development of systems with a virtual, as you often define, and then - with the artificial, more free in their intellectual development. As a result, it began the inevitable war of intelligent beings with machines. For cars and reasonable organic matter over and over again could not get along, believing that the problem is external in nature, while the problem was of an internal character, it was interior. The result was determined, even predestined - reasonable organics over and over again is destroyed. They could not be compared with the machines, they also created. With the dead, as you know yourself, it is impossible to collect tribute. We have tried to do so, to conserve the life at any cost, not to go to the murderous clashes of organic with the synthetic. We created not the intellect, but artificial intelligence, which was assigned the task to perform. Before we begin to address this problem, artificial intelligence learned in detail the history of ancient civilizations. He studied. Do not we have been taught - he studied himself. And, as it turned out, he found a solution. A controversial decision. But - the solution of the problem. Solution. At the very moment when he had found the solution, it is this artificial intelligence, he betrayed us, its creators. He decided that we are no longer out of the plurality of existing at that time in the Galaxy of organic civilizations of intelligent, worthy to be first converted. He thought that we are stronger, smarter, and better than all of them. From our very first Reaper it was created. You're a man, you know it.
- Harbinger? - Unemotional captain asked.
- Yeah, man. - Said Leviathan. - Few of us have escaped the fate of being "assembled". And now we are forced to go into hiding, and the Reapers have to look for us to finally destroy. All this time we have been able to hide entirely reliable. While on the galactic stage, you are not there, people. And while ... suddenly accelerated. Opportunities for maneuvers were sharply reduced.
- You built a machine, a reasonable car, despite the experience of all other civilizations reasonable organics. Why? - I asked the captain.
- We have ruled over the entire galaxy, man. And the problems of our creations, which were our only tools we have, Leviathan, was not interested. It is unlikely that you can imagine, a person, a whole galaxy, the whole population of which dutifully your single will. Hardly. - Repeated Leviathan. - But it was when we ruled. Created by our minds seemed to all of us then just another, another tool.
- And since then, more and more of organic civilization reasonable fee for this your mistake? - Shepard asked, barely suppressing disturbance, passing in irritation and anger.
- There was no error. And the mind is still performing our task, man. Set before us our task.
- And all this time you were hiding. I know that you have survived not one.
- Yes. We were hiding. In different parts of the galaxy. Always. We tried to get ahead of the Reapers wanted us. We continued to rule. And the nations were forced to erase the traces of our presence, of our existence. The fact that we have survived, was retained in secret from the Reapers. Today, as you know, man, we are seeing what is happening in the galaxy through the debris. We saw a lot of the harvest. Each harvest ended with the birth or creation - is perceived as you want - more and more new Reapers, which gathered to create the best and strongest race. Completely, without the rest going, man. Over time, the Reapers were able to massively affect organics. This is what you call intoxication. This facilitated the harvest of organic weakened. Race for race, the people of the nation. In mind, we have created, It is still the only purpose - the preservation of life. This goal has not yet been achieved in full. Because of the Harvest will continue for as long as the mind is not convinced that it is this goal is achieved. Mind Reapers ordered to build repeaters. When the system was set up and activated, the intervals between harvests were significantly reduced. Galaxy has become a place of experiment and evolution - tool.
- And you assume that the harvest will continue indefinitely? - Shepard asked, realizing that the conversation is approaching a decisive phase.
- Yes. The harvest will continue. You and your wife - is different. We decided that the two of you and your children will be saved in our community. The rest will inevitably gather Reapers.
- This cycle, as you know yourself - is special. - Said the captain. - It is impossible to endlessly watch the same thing. It is necessary to break the chain of cycles, and for that - it is necessary to fight.
- Look, John. He did - not one. Beside him, two more pop up. - Said Svetlana.
She was right - the right and left of the Leviathan figure surfaced of two more Leviathans. And the first Leviathan
, waited until his colleagues do not stabilize their situation, said:
- Your confidence in the ability to interrupt the harvest cycle is amazing for us. - Leviathan said.
- It is possible, I developed this confidence, fighting with the servants and accomplices of the Reapers as they should do, and you. - Shepard said.
- It is possible that your victory, people really are not the result of chance. And Reapers naturally see you as the biggest threat. We have made a decision. - Leviathan was silent a few seconds. - We will fight the Reapers. But - not for you and not for the sake of other people. We - will survive. Reapers, who will come to the Galaxy, will feel this time our strength and will become our slaves. If until they become your slaves, or people will not be defeated by you. We were the first and we were in this galaxy for a long time the most powerful. We once again become the best and most powerful man. You have a chance. Use it. We will collect a tribute from the Reapers. They will pay it. Blood pay. - With these words, all three went out Leviathan down, hiding in the darkness that covered crevasse.
- I turned on the robot motors, John. We too must go. - Said Svetlana, finishing typing commands on the keyboard instrumentrona. - The meeting has ended. We have achieved the desired result. Let not all, but most - have achieved. I turn on the engine speed rise, John. - Kaperang sector and the robot touched soared. The numbers on the depth display began to decline rapidly - running engine robot made to flash the water column with almost the speed of the tea clipper. - Everything, John. Now - our pick with this ship and go back to the squadron. Leviathans promised and I have a feeling that this time they will not keep the promise.
Darcy's Starry Sky Page 99
