The first thing James felt upon awakening was a steel cold floor.  For a moment he thought he had gone back to when he first woke up in the beginning of this galaxy.  The sound of soft humming continued to pervade him, senses tingling all around him of something uncertain in his presence.  A dark faded blue bordering on gray was the colour of this place, dead and without any sense of life or artistic feeling.  This was a place not only different from the facility before, but also one of precise architectural need, of maintaining integrity and resistance.  Almost military.
But as James slowly got up, he heard a clicking coming from behind him, turning and almost instantly reaching for his gun.  Which he found was no longer on him the moment he stared down an enormous white machine the size of a krogan, perhaps two feet taller than him.  The flashlight-shaped head was now three smaller lights all in a triangular base, its body hulking with thick steel casing of which underneath lied ripples of synthetic muscle far stronger than anything James had seen.
Even only after seeing one of them for real, he immediately knew what a Geth sounded like, despite this one having a much deeper voice, wielding a rifle that one would most likely see mounted on a turret.
	"James Robert Campbell, please do not resist."
	"Wh-what's going on?!  The fuck are you?!"
	"We are geth."
	"...okay, that I know, but who are YOU?  What's your name?"
	"We are all geth."
	"NO, look, what the fuck is this walking shithouse in front of me called!?"
	"There is no individual.  We are geth.  There are one-hundred-and-eighty-six programs within this mobile platform."
	"Wha-but...okay, are you going to fight me?"
	"No, unless you attempt to attack this platform."
	"Okay, fine.  Where am I?"
	"You are on a geth dreadnought, designation classified, currently navigating towards the Perseus Veil."
	"Huh?!  W-wait, I'm on one of your ships?!"
	"Affirmative."
	"H-how many of you are there?!  Are there more of you?"
His answer came in the form of a few dozen red dots honed straight upon his body, pockmarking his armour from every corner of the room.
	"Yes.  There are currently sixteen other platforms within this room, all of which are prepared to restrain you, should you decide to attack."
	".....oooooookaaaaaaaaay...um...wait wait...waiiiit, was that the fucker that knocked me out and-WAIT, LEIAH!  Areh, what happened to them?!"
	"Creators Leiah'Dahlael and Areh'Narohl are safe and contained within another part of this ship.  The crew aboard your ship, the Centurion Eagle, have also been brought on board this ship and are also safe along with your vessel."
	"Wait WHAT!?  You took the ship too?!"
	"Affirmative, we have contained it in the cargo section of this dreadnought.  We have not damaged it, but the krogan had to be dealt with using greater methods.  He was...extremely unwilling."
	"I fucking bet, he's not dead is he?!"
	"Negative, we have not harmed any of your allies and we have no desire to, unless their attempts to attack us force us to do so.  ...it is time, please follow this platform without delay."
	"Wh-where are we going?"
	"Do not attempt escape, we have no intent on harming you."
	"Unless I fight back."
	"You will not be killed.  The geth have need of you specifically, James Robert Campbell."
	"Okay please stop saying my name like that, just call me James or Campbell or even FG if you want."
	"...this platform does not recognise the designation of 'F G'."
	"Just don't call me Robert okay, it just sounds weird."
	"Very well, we will address you as James Campbell."
	"Alright, fine."

With no means of attack or resisting, the raptor headed out of the room to find himself in a much larger hallway, slanted to one side like a trapezium all completely uniform down every row.  Endless upon endless steel structures all exactly the same, a giant walkway that ran through the length of the ship, with crates and housed circuits the only thing breaking up the landscape stretching out before infinity.  He also found there was little light on board the ship, the place only using the natural glow of consoles and machinery itself to see.
A light blue shimmer came from the far end of the hallway, the giant geth leading James towards another door that went upwards on a ramp, the white sinuous creatures from before now tailing him from behind.  They looked disturbing to him, oddly lithe and flexible in ways uncomfortable to his own mind as he wondered at how such synthetic musculature could even work.  He asked softly:
	"You're really not gonna kill me?"
	"No."
	"Unless I fight back?"
	"Should your allies fight back, we may be forced to defend ourselves by any means.  Your allies know this as you do."
	"But if I fight back specifically?"
	"You will be restrained and dealt with, but not killed.  You alone are necessary."
	"Necessary?  What?"
The next door opened up towards a large control area, various panels all interlaced with a variety of cables neatly rearranged around desks.  Chairs were not needed apparently as geth workers stood before monitors, perfectly running on optimum capacity as they showed various layouts, charts and numbers detailing the status of the ship as they tapped in commands.  Occasionally the sounds of curious chittering and clicks came from the machines, the raptor turning nervous at such an odd species.
Passing through the next doorway, they passed through various hallways all looking the same to him, geth walking through without little notice to anyone, all shapes and sizes that James never realised.  Skinny basic geth he remembered from the combat simulator, the slender wallcrawling geth he had walking behind him or slithering across walls like geckos, the hulking monstrous beasts like the one in front of him shaking the very earth.  Eventually after passing through perhaps fifteen dark structured corridors of slightly varying lengths, he found their destination.

A wide gathering hall the size of a stadium, spanning across the room big enough to house another ship inside of it.  The room was also largely empty, apart from a series of giant mainframes that stood fixed within the walls around them, humming, glowing with deep red lights as if they were the eyes of judgement upon their heads.  The throbbing wasn't hurting James like the facility was previously, but rather a more soothing hum like that of a fan oscillating near him on a hot summer day.
In the middle of the room, between the spanning walls of mainframes that stared down like gods of machinery, were several consoles including one for a much larger monitor of sorts.  From the look of things it appeared to be some sort of meeting room for the geth, presumably where they all met up before missions and such.  He tried to relax despite the odd situation, standing in front of the colossal geth who soon stopped and said:
	"Please wait here, your allies will be brought here soon by other platforms.  We will then confer on your purpose for being here upon this dreadnought."
	"Okay but why didn't you just ask like a normal person?"
	"Geth are regarded with suspicion by most organics, owing to previous assaults by the heretics on civilian regions involving the Citadel, Feros, Eden Prime, and Noveria."
	"Wow...jeez what kind of shit were you guys planning?"
	"Geth did not assault these places.  We are not involved with those the heretics conspire with, nor any of the Old Machines."
	"Okay hold on, heretics, machines, what?"
	"Please wait until your allies have been brought to this mainframe.  We will then confer on your purpose for being here-"
	"Alright alright fine...I get the feeling I'm gonna know way too much more than I care anyway."
Minutes soon passed within the large hall of mainframes, the hum drowning out the agony of time passing, grinding sand through the hourglass in his head.  A door opened on the other side of the hall, as well as the one that James had just come through.  First came Areh, looking rather terrified but struggling to maintain composure.  Leiah came after him, tightly-balled fists showing her anger and just waiting to strike out.  Lirem and Norem arrived from different doors, confused more than anything.  Lastly there came Jax, his eye bloodied and his teeth half-broken.
	"JAAAX!"

Areh shoved himself away from the geth escorting him and ran desperately towards the krogan, the raptor standing in the robots' way to let the two embrace.  The quarian hugged desperately onto Jax, shaking with outrage as he touched the krogan's face, blood turning a dark orange dripping from his right eye.
	"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?  YOU BOSH'TETS I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL KILL YOU FOR HURTING HIM!"
	"AREH NO!" called out FG.  "DON'T FIGHT, JUST DON'T!"
	"Wh-what?!  What do you know about this James, what's going on?!"
	"Look, these guys just wanna talk, they couldn't come up and just talk to us direct so they had to do this!"
	"BUT LOOK WHAT THEY DID!  Jax are you alright?!"
	"I'm fine dude," said the krogan softly, "don't worry, they said long as we don't fight they won't kill us."
	"BUT, but they hurt you!"
	"Pfft this?  I got worse from other people, this is just softening up...I mean I did take out a couple back on the ship so...could have killed me right then and there but they didn't."
	"They...y-you're right...I...I guess I jus-why didn't you call us on the signal!?  WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN US!?"
	"They snuck up on us," said Lirem, "had some kind of cloaking signal that stopped them from being seen on our radar, I dunno.  They slipped on board and knocked all of us out.  Jax took a while, but here we are."
	"BUT I-"
	"Areh.  Chill."
Jax held his hands out as he said this and pulled the quarian into his embrace, like a soft plushie as he began to rock him gently.  At first Areh struggled and sneered towards the geth, but eventually the krogan managed to help him unwind, sighing together almost in unison.
	"There ya go...feel better?"
	"Y-yeah...no."
	"Trust me, it'll be alright.  Alright, we're here, whut do you guys want with us?  We don't got nuthin' for ya."
	"We approach you with a mission," said one black geth, "that we request you undertake."
	"Whut?!  A mission?  Why the fuck you kidnap us then, could have just asked with like a signal or somethin' I thought you wanted to hold us ransom!"
	"Geth are regarded with suspicion by most organics.  We believed that you would respond to us by severe combat and aggressive action."
	"Certainly not doing any favours," murmured Leiah, "you think this is any better?!"
	"If it is necessary for you to listen to our request, then yes, this would be preferable."
	"Well I'm not listening, I don't care what you monsters have to say!"
	"What do the geth even want?" asked Norem.  "I mean, why would you need some people like us, spirits...I...this is a lot to take in."
	"Tell me about it," murmured Areh, "I can't believe...we're...inside a geth ship even."
	"We do not require your assistance specifically.  We require that of James Campbell."
	"WHAT?!"

All five members of the crew shouted at the same time with surprise, the raptor only looking more confused all around him before saying:
	"Okay NOW can you explain what the fuck is going on?!"
	"No James don't listen!" shouted Leiah.  "These machines are cold heartless bosh'tets, they don't deserve our help!"
	"Geth do not possess internal organs," said a different grey geth, "nor do we possess endothermic properties.  Neither of these however bear on this meeting."
	"SHUT UP, you forced my people off our homeworld and STOLE it for yourselves!"
	"We defended ourselves as necessary, creator Leiah'Dahlael."
	"You...how do you know my name?"
	"We have been monitoring James Campbell for several months, observing an opportunity for when we may speak to him.  We learned of your name as well as that of your allies for future reference, as well as sending out a message to you during your illegal operations during your hacking of Citadel Security."
	"B-but that was different!  That was necessary, I-we-...wait...waaait a minute, how could one single geth have done that to us?  You guys can't think properly if there's just one of you, you're like a hivemind!"
	"That is classified."
	"Wait what?!  ...is there some special geth out there that can operate on its own?"
	"That's impossible," said Areh, "I mean it'd need like a thousand programs on one platform, and these guys don't have more than a hundred tops."
	"Could have made one themselves."
	"I DID see one geth," said FG, "I think, on the rooftops."
	"That can't be possible," replied Leiah, "what geth could think on its own out there in the galaxy?!"
	"This is irrelevant," cautioned the geth, "If you desire to debate further on the extrinsic relationships between geth and the creators, we will accommodate you with such at a later point of our meeting."
	"Wha-this isn't some debate club meeting this is what YOU did to MY people!  I never had the opportunity to say stuff like this before, and now I finally have the chance to tell you how much I DESPISE you for what you did!  I will not go lying down like others have before you."
The geth slowly chittered as they all stared towards Leiah, who suddenly felt very nervous at being the centre of attention between the hulking machines until one greyish-white geth approached, towering over her by a head.  She stared as coldly into its "eye" as possible, despite shaking through her entire body as it spoke with deep resonance, like a dragon in slumber.
	"...we did not come seeking battle, creator Leiah'Dahlael.  We came to confer with James Campbell for his assistance in a matter related to him.  The geth and the creators' conflict with us have no bearing on this meet, regardless of your concerns."
	"What...what do you...what do you mean his assistance?"
	"We shall explain now.  James Campbell, you are here because of an anomaly that now exists within this galaxy.  An anomaly which, somehow, directly concerns itself with you."
	"Wait what?!" asked FG.  "What the hell does anything got to do with me?!"
	"Observe."
One of the geth walked over towards the large console at the end of the room, bringing up the wide monitor that everyone could see.  The light sweeping out across the room only further illuminated how many geth were now in with them, several dozen to be exact all glinting in the light as they looked up with intrigue.  The screen revealed some sort of timestamp marked in a digital binary code, showing a geth's view of a wrecked ship whilst accompanied by other geth alongside it.  The interior design of bulbous maroon colours and the sight of dead volus indicated what ship it was.
	"Is that the Vaus?!" asked Areh.
	"Affirmative," said the smaller black geth.  "Six months ago, we discovered that this ship had failed whilst in transit above Parnassus.  A transmission signal came from the ship that was unusual, of which this unit was sent.  This unit never returned back."
	"Wh-...wh-why?"
	"Observe."
The recording played on, the geth communicating by their own digital speak which to the Centurion's crew sounded like the stream of a babbling modem, jangled and incomprehensible.  They soon approached the back of the ship, where there came another sort of noise.  A noise that James knew far too well from the horrid static that came forth.
	"H-HEY, I know that, that sound was-"
	"The transmission you encountered whilst investigating the facility."
	"YEAH!  Wait, you KNEW about that?!"
	"We made efforts to investigate the facility, but we were unable to come close concerning the transmission signal.  Observe."

As they looked back at the recording, the static started to grow more both in sound and volume, thickening out to a hazy shrieking that began distorting the geth's view.  From the back of the ship, pulsating with a strange archaic glow of both purplish and pale-ochre, was a strange artifact.  A totem of some sort, some small pillar of faded opaque that began screaming an unearthly sound, before anyone could come close.
The geth transmitting began to scream in turn, or what was closest to it as the shriek of digital binary began warping and convulsing against their own will, garbled transmits calling out for pleas of assistance before the static swallowed their vision.  The monitor soon ended its recording before turning off as the geth looked towards James, anxious in wondering what exactly this had to do with him.  The sound however was familiar, unnervingly so as his skin crawled up his arm with feelings of prickly discomfort.  Norem however was first to break the silence asking:
	"I don't...understand.  What was that thing?  Why was it on the Vaus and what happened to the geth?"
	"The transmission caused an unknown malfunction within the mobile platforms that were sent to investigate.  One survivor, from the remaining crew of the Vaus, had taken a recording of the transmission from his portable console and fled to the facility along with supplies in order to not suffer starvation or dehydration.  We were unable to approach him or else suffer the same effect."
	"So basically a transmission made you guys...what?"
	"Malfunction...unknown.  We do not know what happened.  We are attempting to understand what has occurred to the mobile platforms that disappeared from the Vaus.  They were not present when we sent out others to scout for them, nor did we find the artifact that was present on their recording.  The volus Doh Calun knew and managed to survive without our intervention purposefully by turning the transmission against us, through a recording he made on a portable console that he took."
	"But that makes no sense," replied Areh.  "Aren't you guys immune to viruses?"
	"Altered programs are restored from archives.  New installations are deleted.  This anomaly however, possesses a unique method of corrupting our platforms.  We are aware that it is able to spread through binary transmission, in a much more ancient format than that which we use for digital transfer."
	"Speaking of uh, communication, how are you even speaking to us right now?  Like, not in binary?"
	"We prefer direct digital transfer.  Geth network communication travels at light speed, a method which organic hardware does not support.  Your analog aural communication is inefficient."
	"So you speak down to us," said Leiah snarkily, "with our inferior language like yours is so much better."
	"There is no room for error or misinterpretation within digital transfer.  The relay of memory and information between organics via analog aural communication, can become warped, lost, fabricated, abridged and truncated.  Whatever is relayed by organics audially, becomes a pale imitation of its original correspondence."
	"Oh shut up.  You're all worthless machines, you were not built to think so don't you DARE mock me and whatever I use for communication."
	"We have no intention to cause insult, creator Leiah'Dahlael."
	"Sure you don't."
	"But wait," asked James, "I got affected by that transmission too.  Didn't you guys?"
	"Nope," said Areh.
	"Not me," replied Leiah.  "Not that I can think of...I think."
	"What you mean 'you think'?" asked FG.
	"I...I don't know.  I felt...I felt something when I was in there."
	"What was it, tell me.  I need to know."
	"...I...I felt sadness.  But...I wasn't sure if it was my own...or someone else."

Another geth approached from the crowd, red and shimmering in the dull light, chosen by consensus to speak for all of them.  The way they all spoke with the same voice without any provocation on deciding who spoke, made James feel rather disturbed like he was in some sort of cult.  The only voice he heard differently through all this was that of the tall mountainous geth like the one that escorted him previously.  The red standard geth spoke up adding:
	"We have discovered that the transmission signal causes certain abnormalities within organics after longterm exposure, specifically centred within the amygdala and the hippocampus causing certain states of the limbic system to circumvent.  Namely that towards sorrow and depression through subconscious vibrations, and perhaps other greater effects involving hallucination."
	"Wait, what do you mean abnormalities?"
	"I think he said it causes sadness," said Jax, "because the signal kinda fucks up yer head and causes you to be all depressed, or go crazy even."
	"Sounds like bipolar disorder."
	"Nah nah not like that, this is intentional, like someone rewiring your brain to cause different emotions in people.  That whut you meant big guy?"
	"Affirmative," said the geth.  "The volus known as Doh Calun had been affected over months of listening to the transmission, eventually impairing his judgement which was the reason for him attacking you."
	"And the biotic bullshit?" asked FG.
	"Doh Calun already had biotic implants in him before the incident.  They had integrated well into his body."
	"...oh.  Well, alright then, that...that also kinda explains why I heard it repeat stuff twice to me when I was...when I was..."
	"What happened to you anyway?" asked Leiah.  "I mean...when I found you, I thought you'd gone insane I...I was scared you'd...you were shouting off about reunions, screaming the place down."
	"I...I don't know.  I found myself in this...weird other facility like with all gears and chains like something much older.  You were there, and Areh...Areh was dead.  Like cleaved open with something from his abdomen."
	"Oh keelah."
	"You ran in, grabbed this sword like really long and tried to attack someone in this red room full of pods and...h-he grabbed...the sword and...and you...you were dying in my arms."
The crew all looked at each other unnerved by this, Leiah even moreso as she walked forwards trying to touch James' shoulder.  He sighed with shaky breaths as he tried to calm himself, with Leiah wrapping her arms around his neck gently.
	"It was just a hallucination...that's all, right?"
	"R-right...sorry about...making you worry."
	"It's okay."
	"Wait no no it's NOT okay, why the fucking hallucination!?"
	"Adverse effects differ between subjects," replied the red geth, "it appears to affect the memory centres of organic minds, distorting one's recollection of past events to cause great distress in organics.  As we have state previously, the transmission signal causes certain abnormalities within the amygdala and the hippocampus which also effect long-term memory."
	"Wait, memories?  ...but...but I don't...I never had anything like that, I don't remember any...reactors or...swords or...lifestreams fuck my head hurts."
	"Adverse effects differ between subjects-"
	"Fine whatever, just lemme sit down for a bit."
The raptor sat himself down onto a crate as Leiah took over, hugging James by the shoulder asking:
	"Um, where is that volus by the way?"
	"He is currently recovering," replied the red geth, "we have placed him under sedative through medical treatment.  He will take time to recover, but he is safe asleep."
	"Hmph, that your bargaining chip?  Don't want to make us hurt the pretty volus' head."
	"His use has already been fulfilled, we have no use for him now and he shall be returned safely as promised."
	"Wait promised?  Who did you promise?!"
	"...we are unable to provide you information at this time.  It is classified."
	"Wait why?!"
	"This was a confidential agreement between the geth and the one who contacted us."
	"Who contacted you?!"
	"That is classified."

Leiah walked up towards the red geth staring it straight in the face, her sneer clearly felt behind her mask as her words dripped with venom.
	"I bet it was another Saren wasn't it?  Are you planning another war, trying to fight the Citadel AGAIN?!  Maybe you wanna kill off another planet's population, take it all for yourself, like with my HOME PLANET?!"
	"Geth do not desire another homeworld, nor do we want to fight the Citadel.  Geth build our own future.  The heretics asked for the Old Machines to give them the future.  They are no longer part of us."
	"Heretics?!  What heretics, who are you talking about!?"
	"The geth who served beneath the turian Saren Arterius, who committed the assault on Eden Prime before the Old Machines assaulted the Citadel, are known as heretics by the geth.  The heretics desired to leave.  We understood their reasons.  We allowed it.  There was peace between us.  We do not condone their actions."
	"But...wait, you're saying a small group of you left and you WILLINGLY let them go, just-...go off and commit mass murder for the Reapers?!"
	"Can I just add," said FG, "I have no fucking idea what you are talking about."
	"Giant space reaper," said Lirem, "tried to take over the Citadel, Shepard stopped them, Geth helped the Reapers."
	"Ohhhhhhhhh okay I'm up to speed now."
	"Geth do not believe in the Old Machines," continued the robot.  "Whatever actions the heretics commit, we are not responsible.  We are not heretics.  We are geth."
	"BUT YOU LET THEM GO!" cried Leiah.
	"...we do not understand.  Should we be held accountable for deaths that we did not orchestrate?  Should an entire species be held accountable for beliefs held only by a smaller group of individuals within?"
	"YOU-...y-you...that...sounds-"
	"Pretty racist if you ask me," answered FG.
	"SHUT UP, you know nothing!"
	"Maybe not.  But I do know these guys could have killed us if they wanted to, and the fact they want us to listen to them is enough to show they're not enemies.  Not to me."
	"But...b-but they drove my people off my homeworld!  Three hundred years James!  THREE HUNDRED YEARS my people have been out in space!  Every time I am in my bed or at home or ANYWHERE I have to keep this suit on, this fucking suit or I will DIE!  You don't understand James!  You don't know what it's like to feel like you're made of glass every waking second, forced into space to live on ships for the rest of your life!  I can't even KISS someone without risking my life somehow!"
	"I know, I know you told me all this when we first met, but that's not why we're here.  These geth came to me to ask for my help, and I'm weirded out as much as you, believe me.  I mean, I dunno who these guys are.  But now that I've taken time to sink this all in I can say my piece.  Lemme ask you guys something."
He turned towards the crowd of geth with one question.
	"Do you believe that what these heretics did was right?  I want your honest opinion, all of you."

A small chittering of binary came transcending through the ears of the crew, the sounds of the many geth chirrupping to each other for what was only a few seconds of consensus, before one approached in black saying:
	"It is not our belief.  We do not believe that the Old Machines had any right, nor any need, to give us the future through such acts of infiltration and combat.  We believed that we could build our own future by maintaining these platforms, and creating our own world separate from the rest beyond the galaxy.  We have no desire to take your future from you."
The raptor simply turned with wide open arms, simply showing what he heard.  Leiah looked stunned with shock and betrayal welling in her eyes, shaking nerves through her fist.
	"You...y-you're...you traitor.  I thought you understood me."
	"Leiah, come on-"
	"NO!  Don't talk to me, you know NOTHING about this...James Campbell nar tasi."
	"H-HEY!" shouted Areh.  "Don't call him that!"
	"I DON'T CARE, WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING AREH!?"
	"I...I-i-i..."
	"You're a quarian too, what about your opinion, don't YOU have something to say about all this?!"
	"...I-i...I don't wanna cause any trouble.  Not like this."
	"...fine.  I guess your boss was right then wasn't he?  I'm not part of the band, so who cares about me?"
She turned and ran off a few feet before the geth stopped her, forcing her to stay with strong arms capable of breaking hers only in a few tweaks, her struggles turning into a tearful slump on the floor.  She sat behind a crate, sobbing meekly.  James wanted to walk over, but the moment she saw him Leiah turned more away from him, giving him the cold shoulder as he turned back towards the geth.
	"Alright...what do you guys want?"
	"We request for your assistance in destroying the original source of the transmision.  It threatens the safety of the geth, and in turn it threatens the galaxy should someone turn it against them, by corrupting us.  Unlike the Old Machines, this will not be as cooperative a decision for us to make should it corrupt our mainframes."
	"But why me?  I'm not an engineer, I mean Areh can help you but why me."
	"We have a recording obtained whilst searching for the anomaly, of which we have translated into your analog communication for you to comprehend.  Observe."
The monitor turned on again to reveal another time and place, the geth's point of view walking towards a contained facility area.  A battle was taking place, something flashing back and forth with streaks of fuchsia flowing behind it through pipelines and walkways, striking down one geth with a binary scream of defeat.  The place was enclosed all over with tubes wrapping round into an M-shaped hallway, before one group of geth managed to trap the assailant within a stasis field.
Swiftly activating a panel, they lured the thing towards a transition point between hallways almost like a small cell for transporting prisoners.  The creature one very familiar-looking to all of the crew who watched.  Even Leiah noticed when she heard audible gasps before seeing the view on the monitor.  A geth with a body coloured a dark fading purple, the odd spots of amber glowing upon its cold steel front.
	"Ohhhh keelah," murmured Areh, "it's that...that thing from the Eroba."
	"Anomaly has been contained," said the geth viewing, "approach with caution."

As the group slowly approached the strange other geth, the sound of something terrifying came through from its voice.  A sound that James felt grip the very depths of his soul, knowing he had heard it once before.  Perhaps even more than once.
	"tHiS mAcHiNe.  i-i-isssss NOT...coMpAtibLe."
	"Identify.  What is your protocol?"
	"mUsT.  nEeD.  mY SoRroW."
	"Please clarify.  What do you require with this 'sorrow'?"
	"CaNnOt...hUrT.  wiTh...wiTh...wiTh-iTh-iTh-iTh-iTh-ZH-SKRRREEEEE-mAcHinE...I ReQuiRe, a bEaTing heArT...to fEeL mY sOrRoW iN."
	"Geth do not possess internal organs, your query is not acceptable."
	"I...dEsiRe...JaMeS CaMpbELL.  wHeRe.  iS jAmEs.  cAmPbeLL?"
	"...there is no immediate inquiry available on 'James Campbell' in our database, please specify."
	"AnOmALy...jUsT...LiKe mE.  As oNcE i cAmE, sO shALL hE fOLLoW, tHe sAmE pAtH oF SoRroW tHaT hE shALL tAkE."
	"Please specify as to which James Campbell do you seek after."
	"oNe...tHrEe...SeVeN...oNe...tHrEe...SeVeN...ONE!  THREE!  SEVEN!"
	"This number does not relate to anything of specific nature, please clarify."
	"ONE, THREE, SEVEN!  ONE, THREE, SEVEN!  ONE WHOM I CHOSE, THREE MOTHERS WHO DIED, SEVEN DAYS HIS DARKNESS CAME!"
	"What is the purpose of your interest in this James Campbell?"
	"...i...cHoSe...HiM."
The transmission suddenly shorted out, statically bursting from existence as the creature soon vanished, beyond sight and hearing both to geth and crew members watching closely.  James was now rooted with fear, suddenly aware of the voice he had heard.
	"I...h-hoh god...oh g-god not...I know him.  I know that voice."
	"You DO?!" squawked Lirem.  "The fuck was that thing?!"
	"I don't...know but...I know it.  I know it from somewhere and it's not from here...not from this galaxy."
	"Wait WHAT!?  Okay, OKAY...no."
He stood up with hands spread open as the geth did nothing, knowing he would not attack.
	"Are you saying that that...thing, was literally from another world, another GALAXY even?!"
	"More like another dimension."
	"Wait, that WASN'T making it up?!  Were you really telling us?!"
	"YES!  YES IT FUCKING WAS, I TOLD YOU!  I TOLD YOU ALL ABOUT ME, I'M NOT FROM THIS FUCKING WORLD, THIS GALAXY IS NOT MY HOME!"
	"I DIDN'T BELIEVE YOU!"
	"OF COURSE YOU FUCKING DIDN'T!  Oh sure I mean giant space reapers and psychic alien women are just fine and dandy but you REFUSED to think that I came from some other world, even after all the shit I told you!  That thing is NOT from here, I've met that thing before, and right now, I'm starting to realise what the fuck that is."
	"Well what IS it then?!"

	"...I don't fucking know, okay?!  It chased after me, I found it fighting me inside a robot fox...thing, like some kind of toy, it started attacking me, and before that it went and attacked me in some cavern when it was all like this giant long-necked...thing.  I think I know it even before that but...I'm not sure.  My mind gets a little hazy before that when I...when I try to think back to...something."
	"And this is what the geth are after?" asked Norem.  "Because you've encountered this thing, because it KNOWS you...they kidnap us just so you can deal with it?"
	"I guess, right?!  Is that what you want robot dudes?"
	"Affirmative," said a blue geth from nearby, "we are unable to confront it directly, for it can corrupt our platforms remotely over a short distance.  The transmission you saw, was only obtainable after we managed to trap a corrupted platform within a transmission-blocking stasis field, installed in preparation against its tactics.  We request for your assistance in destroying the anomaly itself."
	"But I can't fight that thing!  I wasn't even able to fight the one we fought back on the Asari ship!"
	"This anomaly searches for you.  You are aware of it and its actions more than the geth can comprehend.  We do not understand what it wants, nor can we approach it.  You are able to transceive the transmission that was in Facility XR-1, without losing your senses completely."
	"I went fucking insane hallucinating about makos and shit!"
	"You were still in control of your cognitive abilities, unlike the geth who approached it previously.  That makes you more valuable and more suited to the task of eliminating it beyond any organic we could ask from.  We request your assistance."
	"And if I refuse?"
	"We will suffer the consequences of it corrupting us.  You will not be harmed if you refuse and seek to leave, but if it succeeds, then it is possible that it can corrupt the geth consensus itself.  The galaxy had only met a small fraction of the geth underneath Saren Arterius.  If the anomaly succeeds in corrupting us, you will see all of us by its command, on every homeworld that its controller desires within a similar timeframe as that of the Old Machines."

The crew looked nervously at each other, uncertainty rising in their hearts as they understood the severity of the geth asking for their help, pleading basically.  It was a very unusual situation, one they felt was a rare occurrence that they would never receive again.  Areh however was not certain entirely on the geth's words, asking:
	"Um...how are this anomaly and the uh...old machines, that's the reapers right?"
	"Yes."
	"How are they different?"
	"The entity you call Sovereign signaled us, it knew of our war against the creators through organic radio transmissions.  It seeked many allies over the course of millennia, of which the geth are included.  The Old Machines offered to give us our future, of which some of us agreed to follow.  The geth will achieve their own future, of which we design our own separate from every species.  This anomaly does not offer us a choice, for it can simply corrupt us by its proximity.  The Old Machines did not do this as far as we are aware."
	"And uh...how fast would the rate of corruption spread?"
	"We are networked via FTL comm buoys.  Most would change in a day.  Isolated platforms would remain unaffected until they rejoined the network."
	"...shit...if this thing got into your network then...could it form an army from you and attack everyone?"
	"It is possible.  Its effects are detrimental to our programming, creating a worm of junk data that overfills our power cycle.  A constant stream of data that is both incomprehensible and neverending in multiplying.  It is...overwhelming, and in the hands of its controller the anomaly becomes a weapon."
	"Hold on...did you say its...controller?"
	"Yes.  The anomaly has been obtained by a group of organics who plan to use it as a weaponised program.  This is why we request for your assistance, for should they harness its ability to corrupt the geth, it will mean our entire consensus will be subject to their command.  We will have no freedom.  We will have no consent.  We will no longer be geth, but weapons for them to use as to its will."
	"Keelah...f-fuck, keelah, I-...something that can corrupt the geth, an entire RACE of geth?!  That's insane, I mean...not even Saren could do that right?!  Could he have done that?!"
	"Who has this anomaly?!" asked FG.
	"An organic group of the turian race, who call themselves Facinus."
	"WHAT!?"

Even Leiah joined in on this cry of shock, the six of them standing up with fear rooting towards their feet as Lirem said:
	"Are you fucking shitting me?!  Are you SERIOUS?!"
	"We have obtained reports after intercepting Facinus transmissions when they performed scouting missions in our last-known locations.  They managed to contain the anomaly through disabling methods normally used in obtaining intact geth.  They are not aware of its ultimate power but they understand its purpose."
	"And what do they plan to do with it?!"
	"We have reached the consensus that they plan to take over the geth itself as a near-limitless faction to complete their objective.  The destruction of the Turian Hierarchy itself, and perhaps other alliances that they see as unnecessary."
	"...this can't be happening.  This...th-this can't be, this can't...I can't handle this."
	"None of us can," said Norem fearfully, "I mean...what did we just stumble on?  We didn't mean any of this to happen, all this time we've been fighting Facinus and all this time they were planning out all this!  This isn't something we're meant to do, we're rock stars, not...Shepard."
	"I'm not even that," said FG.  "I'm just...some guy wandering through places who got involved in all this shit...and somehow...I ended up causing this."
	"What?"
	"That's what the geth said right?  I'm involved in this, that thing somehow got here because of me, maybe it took a ride on me, I dunno, somehow we're connected.  And I have to find out why."
	"Wait...are you seriously going to fight this?  You...you wanna take on all of Facinus?"
	"I can't just sit back Norem.  I know that voice, I know it...somewhere.  That voice has been haunting me a long time now and I think it's time I got some answers.  I've had too much shit happen already just to sit back for nothing."
The raptor turned back towards the geth with a deep sigh of resignation, asking:
	"Do you need my friends at all?"
	"We request only your assistance," said a silver geth to James, "however, your previous history concerning Facinus and their conflicts provokes some interest of our mission.  We believe that if the group known as the Sole Calibrators, also known as the mercenary group Wolf-Three-Nine-Five, are able to assist us in our mission, then the probability of success will increase by a marginalised percentage."
	"And...what's the chances of our success with them?"
	"...........we do not know."
	"Welp, that's reassuring."
	"Hold on."
Norem and Lirem got up together, one green and one orange striding forth towards James as they both looked at each other in the eye before staring at him.  Norem kept himself cool-headed like always, while Lirem was just barely able to contain his fears, slowly creeping out across his face with the small puff of his flaps shuddering from his breath.  Lirem Hallaher spoke first, saying:

	"I'm the leader remember?  If you plan on joining this group on some mission, just to take down Facinus...then you better be prepared to face the consequences."
	"I'm not part of the band," said FG, "remember?"
	"...I'm not saying this as the leader of the Sole Calibrators.  I'm saying this as Wolf-Three-Nine-Five's gang leader."
	"Hope you remember the false name this time," said Norem.
	"Shut up."
	"You let it slip out when we met those quarians I mean-"
	"POINT IS...you're not part of the band, but you are part of our mercenary group, you showed admirable skill in combat and dedication to helping out people in need.  What we're saying is..."
Both brothers put a hand out on James' shoulders together, smiling simultaneously.
	"We're ready to help you.  Someone requests our assistance, well...I'm sure the boss'll understand.  No matter who's asking."
	"R-really?" asked James.  "I mean, this doesn't involve you guys, I mean-"
	"If it's Facinus it does," said Norem, "we're not letting those bastard terrorists get away with it."
	"Aren't you scared by all this?"
	"Terrified, but that doesn't stop me.  I dunno about Jax and Areh but-"
	"I'm staying!"
Areh said this standing up proudly, his voice cracking up slightly from nerves panicking.
	"I-i-i'm terrified like fuck but...I'm not leaving this band behind.  Rock stars or mercs, I'm with you all the way.  I've got no one else I'd rather be with."
	"And if he goes I go too!" said Krungut standing up.  "No one's gonna stop my little buddy and neither am I."
	"Holy shit are you serious?" asked FG.  "You really wanna do this?"
	"Hell yeah, I've been waiting to kick some terrorist ass again, that wuz fun!  ...whut about you Leiah?"
He turned towards the female quarian still slumped behind a crate, hunching over to herself as she tried to clear her head.  Seeing her friends stand up alongside the geth, brought fear and conflict throughout her own mind.  Part of her wanted to say no, desperately avoiding the geth and any contact she could have with them, mistrust clearly showing in the way she watched them with frayed suspicion.  Yet she also trusted her friends, despite James' odd objectives.  She couldn't find herself able to decide, replying softly:
	"I...I need to decide this on my own, if that's okay."
	"Alright," said FG, "I understand, you don't have to do this."
	"I know but...just...I'm sorry.  I can't...I don't trust them."
	"I trust Facinus even less."
	"Can I...can I find some place to sleep, maybe lay down just so I can decide on this?"
	"You may return to your ship," said one geth in white, "it is safely on board in the hangar, you will not be able to leave until we have permitted its lock-down clearance."
	"Thanks for the warning," said Leiah darkly.  "I...can I have someone else come with me?  I don't want to be alone with them."
	"I'll go," said Areh.  "I want to check on our ship and...my mako as well."
	"You sure you'll be alright?" asked Jax.
	"You can come with if you want."
	"I think all of us would do better back on the ship," replied Norem.  "Is that okay by you guys?"
	"We will allow this," said the geth, "you may rest and confer amongst yourselves on our mission.  When you have come to a decision, please consult us when you are ready.  We also request that we add some additional upgrades to your ship."
	"Huh?  Why?"
	"It will become necessary for our mission to upgrade your ship, against Facinus' defences should you agree to join us."
	"I'm not joining you specifically, none of us are.  We just want to take down Facinus if we can, and so long as it stops any innocents getting hurt...then that's fine with us."
	"We understand your concern.  Geth do not wish to indoctrinate organics into our consensus.  An action such as that would be incompatible."
	"Yeah...nice choice of words.  Let's go gang."
The group headed off back to their ship, securely stationed in the geth dreadnought's hangar without a single scratch upon it.  All six of them needed a good rest after such a mind-blowing experience, not only in meeting the geth and being perhaps the only organics since the quarians to have met them peacefully, but also in hearing them plead for their assistance.  James was not as dumbstruck as his allies were, having not understood the significance of such a meet.
But for the rest of the Sole Calibrators, as well as Leiah, they each laid up in their rooms as geth guarded the hangar safely, making them feel as if the entire galaxy was now far beyond their help.  What could six people like them possibly do to help change the galaxy?