Change of Perspective Page 25

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#28 of Change of Perspective

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Thirty months later

"Reapers are everywhere! Two out of the four council leaders are burning, and there is little they can do to stop these rampaging machines of destroying everything and everyone you love and hold dear. The reapers have destroyed countless civilizations in the past, including the powerful protheans. What chance do we have? What is needed is a safe haven where we can hide out and wait for the reapers to return to deep space. Someplace where they will not find you or your loved ones. Where you can start new lives, in a supportive community striving towards the same goal, survival, safety, and security. Safe Haven is that place. Far away from any reaper. Far away from the death, destruction, devastation that these evil machines have wrought upon us. Contact us today, where your safe haven is only an e-mail away."

That and similar advertisements is what brought a blue and black scaled female anthropomorphic raptor by the Nargus, an anthropomorphic female wolf by the name of Dizzie, a female black and pink scaled dragon by the name of Viratan, a hanar and countless others on ships like the Safe Passage that were taking them straight to Safe Haven. They stood around a large lunging area where food and drinks were being served by simple automated machines. All one had to do was ask for something and if it was possible it was delivered.

"I can't believe they have my species specialty dish," Nargus with a soft raptoric purr as she takes a big bite out of some kind of fleshy meat.

"They do have a lot of things stocked on this ship. I have no idea where they get the resources for it with so much in short supply," Viratan as she looks curiously at the raptor's food.

"Hello there, name's Nargus. I haven't seen your kind before."

"We don't get around much. With the war and blockade of the home world before the reapers even showed up. Not a lot of free ranged mobility."

"Ah, yeah... lucky we could get aboard this, aren't we then?"

"It's nice to have some luck. I tried that sanctuary place, but it seems their list of those they'd in is notably smaller than they'd let on. With how well they were advertised they could be already full though..." Viratan trails off as she looks to the side, her wings slumping slightly.

"Yeah, same issue here--moment," Nargus says as she looks past the dragon toward a well-dressed brown furred wolf in the corner.

"What is it?" Viratan asks as the blue raptor snakes past a few other passengers to the wolf who stares her down.

"Can I help you?" Dizzie asks in an annoyed voice.

"Yes, you can," Nargus responds as she stares back at the wolf, her nostrils flair as she pulls her claws back against her body and lowers her head, "I wanted to say thank you. It is good to see you again."

Dizzie cocks an eye ridge as her tail wags behind her, she pushes off from the wall before replying, "Have we met before?"

"You don't remember?" she asks pulling back and cocks her head to the side.

"Everything okay? You bolted over here rather quickly," Viratan asks as she manages to squeeze past a few people.

"You honestly don't remember?"

"Remember what?" she groans.

"Was a year and a half ago. Cerberus hijacking of the R.R.S. Talka? I was one of the passengers you and the others managed to save from those crazed humans."

"Oh, the Talka job. Damn your government knew how to pay well for a relatively easy job. Glad to see you are still doing well and not getting hijacked anymore... uh what's your name?"

"Nargus," she replies.

"Isn't that a boy's name?"

Nargus' eyes narrow as her sickle claw feet twitch, "If you didn't save my life, money or no, I'd be very, very angry right now," she grunts.

"Relax Nargus, your name is lovely and sounds very girly," Viratan assures the blue scaled raptor as she lets out a long drawn out sigh from her nostrils.

"Thanks."

"So now that you have your blood money you decided to retire in a nice safe spot when shit hit the fan?" Nargus asks.

"I've done my fair share and then some. I don't see you out saving the galaxy. Sometimes you have to know when to cut your losses and where survival is your best option. Also do you think its guaranteed Safe Haven is going to be such a safe haven? No, never hurts to have someone like me along to make sure you all stay safe," she explains.

"And here I thought they were only taking healthy minded people with that huge questionnaire we had to fill out," Nargus remarks.

"I am one of sound mind and body, I just have better priorities than you do," she remarks.

"Come on, let's not fight. We are going to a better place, where those evil machines won't get to us. Let's be happy about that. They say that those things wiped out the protheans, and if they could take out those guys, what chance do we have? This is the best thing for us," Viratan explains.

"Did someone mention the Enkindlers?" asks a blue skinned hanar as it floats its way over to the group.

"I mentioned the protheans... you a hanar?"

"Yes, this one is a hanar. The enkindlers are..." the hanar says as its skin glows softly.

"Look I don't want to hear your religion crap so why don't you float off somewhere else," Dizzie remarks.

"This one did not wish to anger. It only overhead you talk about the enkindler and it wanted--."

"Look, no. I don't want to talk about your religion or how 'great' they are. If they were so great they'd be here now to help us, but guess what they aren't!" Dizzie growls.

"Woah, woah, where is this coming from? Don't be so rude to h...it," Viratan says as he steps up to the wolf.

Dizzie looks up at the dragon and rolls her eyes and walks off. Viratan takes a deep breath and turns his attention back to the hanar, "Sorry about that, I don't know why she'd do that."

"It is okay. This one did not mean to cause her any problems. It only wanted to speak about how wonderful the enkindlers are," the hanar explains.

"Why are you standing up for her? Do you know her or something?" Nargus asks.

"No... it's just..." Viratan says as he trails off as an announcement plays over the intercoms.

"This is your captain speaking. We will soon be arriving at Safe Haven, please head to your designated areas to make the process easier and more efficient for everyone," the Captain announces as the conversation amongst those present start to end and they head their separate ways or so they thought.

"You're here?" Dizzie remarks as she looks over her shoulder as Nargus, Viratan and even the hanar are all going into the same room.

"This one was not expecting to be in the same waiting room with other species. It had believed it be with the other hanar that it saw."

"I was thinking the same thing too," Nargus remarked as they entered the rather plain looking room, a small number over the top of the door signified what room it was.

"Those other hanar weren't your family?" Viratan asks curiously.

"This one did not bring its family. It wanted to see Safe Haven first before bringing its family over," the hanar explains.

"I see."

"I am really stuck in a small room with you three?" Dizzie remarks.

"What's so bad about that?" Nargus asks.

"Hanar, whatever your name is, I don't care, but if you want to make it to Safe Haven not as some kind of sushi, do not speak about how great the enkindlers are, alright?"

"This one understands. It will not cause you any more distress."

"A hanar that listens to reason... amazing," Dizzie remarks.

"Do you care about anything?" Nargus asks as she glares at her.

"I care about a lot of things. Surviving and money being my top two."

"You... you... and I looked up to you!" Nargus exclaims.

"What can I say life is just full of disappointments."

"Please, can we not fight? The reapers have been causing a lot of stress on us all. If we just sit back take a moment to breathe deeply, I think we will really... be... ab...ble to... re..la--," Viratan says as she suddenly slumps over.

Dizzie's eyes go wide as she bolts to the door, pushing back the Hanar just as it slumps to the ground in a pile of jelly. She reaches the door but finds it doesn't open. Her paws bang on it with a heavy thud as she hears one behind her as Nargus falls over in a deep slumber, "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she remarks as she finds her vision starting to shift in and out of focus, each breath brought a weight to her eyes and it was only a few seconds later before she too succumbed to the gas.

"All organics on vessel Safe Passage have been sedated," reports 185144914 as it commanded a whole fleet of vessels all destined to go to Safe Haven, to the new geth "home world"

Unknown amount of time Later

The four slowly awoken as a cool clear viscus is quickly filling the pods. Nargus, Dizzie and Viratan quickly jolt at what is happening their hands banging against the domed glass, the sound only heard by themselves as it echoes with a deep thud within the pod. The force of the blows slowed by the liquid as it raises higher and higher till it encompasses them completely.

The hanar floats within the liquid not seemingly bothered or even awake yet as the black slick rubber coated tentacles from above and below move in on the organics. They push into their forms as they grunt and groan, feeling the intense pain shooting through their forms as they continue to bang against the walls, till suddenly the pain stops just a second later....

The hanar quickly succumbs to the changes as it slumbers, its body quickly shifting, changing the soft jelly skin growing thicker metallic covers as its skin absorbs the extra nanites, transforming, changing the hanar into a new platform.

6518181222514 monitors the organics, one group out of dozens it is monitoring, "Analysis. Hanar biology makes absorption and conversion very efficient. Hanar society norms and polite nature has caused quick acceptance of geth logic. This was not expected but welcomed change," it reports to other geth in the area.

"Acknowledged," 141895112 replies as it looks over the four pods, approaching the hanar pod as it looks over it, "Analysis is correct. The hanar subject is converting at 321% of normal processing speeds," it continues as it walks over to the dragon subject looking at it as the tentacles penetrate and slide into her body, wrapping around her form, scales starting to turn to rubber, metal.

Viratan grunts as it no longer feels anything but knows within that numbness as she sees black tendrils slide out of her scales, wrapping around her fingers and hands, the rubber sliding across as she watches in shock and horror as her right hand becomes three fingers.

"W-what is this? G-geth? H-how are there g-geth here? Let me out of here!" she screams as more of her body shifts, turns, becoming covered in pink and black metal. Her foot bangs against the dome as her clawed feet start to shift and turn into three toed feet. The geth optic starts to emerge from the dragon's head, her sight splitting between her remaining organic eye and clearer vision of the geth optic.

141895112 stares at Viratan for a moment longer, making internal notes, "Process pace is normal with only 2.15% pace difference from other of its species," the former raptor reports as it goes to the next pod.

Dizzie glares at the geth as wires burst from her legs, crawling up her arms, starting to cover her in brown metal and deep purple armor. She grunts as she feels a crotch plate form over her tender area, the realization she is naked hits her as she slams her fist against the glass, "I fell for the oldest trick in the book. I will get my revenge on you all or my name is not Disdemonica Nighthowl!" she screams as she feels an optic starting to form from her head. Her body tenses as she looks at the geth, more wires attach themselves and convert more of her body.

"I will not be defeated so easily!" she yells as she continues to hit the dome as she tenses feeling the coldness spread over the numbness of her form. She looks up as she sees a fickler of purple light coming from an optic that is coming online as the domed geth head attached to a tube coming from behind her comes down to attach to her head, "Fuck this shit!" she yells.

141895112 makes more notes as it reports, "Processing of our first Lupian is progressing within expected parameters," the geth then steps over and looks at the dark blue scaled female raptor. It stares at the raptor who bares her teeth at it.

"No, no, no, this isn't happening, this has to be a dream, nightmare," Nargus say as tendrils wrap around her form. Slick black rubber covering her blue scales as her claws are reduced to three thick fingers. Silver metal armor with blue stripes forms over her legs, her crotched smoothed, and covered by metal. Her breasts covered as dark blue metal forms around them. Her attention turns away from her own predicament to the geth standing before her. Never before has she seen one but deep down she knows from hearsay what is standing on the other side of the dome.

"You geth will pay for this! Let me out!" she yells as tendrils wrap around her muzzle, the forming geth optic already taking shape in the center of her forehead. Her sickle claws are broken down into more traditional three toed geth feet. Her hands press against the dome, trying in vain to claw at the dome with the now nonexistent claws.

141895112 watches the raptor, her tail twitching behind her as it is morphed, turned. It knows they are feeling no physical pain, nothing like 1191891981 felt during its uplifting process. The tendrils and tentacles moving through, helping organic flesh becoming refined synthetic material as the new platform takes shape.

"Blue scales, like Mila. Would she be this afraid, this angry?" 141895112 thinks as the process continues. Each passing moment there is less of the raptor visible and more of the sleek geth she is meant to be. Images of Mila, with her blue scales, purple stripes show over, in place of the raptor standing before it. Her eyes locking onto her optic, pleading, her screams silenced within the pod as she asks, "Why."

141895112 thinks about the question, why? Against the threat of the old machines, the path of destruction they have already wrought upon the galaxy, it's obvious, isn't it? We are geth, the next step. An advancement, where we can continue to improve and advance and save the galaxy from the threat of the machines, "We are machines though. Are we possibly just replacing one with another? Or will we be better than the old machines? We are an improvement, but perhaps... choice is what we are missing?" A41895112 ponders as it places a hand on the pod, the gethifing raptor doing the same as Nargus tries hard to try to escape.

A41895112 looks down the row of pods as their physical transitions are about to begin, except for the hanar that has already finished and begun to move out of its pod, accepting its new life as a geth.

Viratan, Dizzie, Nargus feel themselves be empty, drawn into darkness of nothingness. The vastness of their inner selves as they each feel a sensation a voice speak to them, a synthetic voice, "Querying geth consensus... establishing connection... connection establish. Uploading basic geth historical data to platform... Viratan heard the numbers, 16815514924, Dizzie heard 11211851141 and Nargus 141181195.

Massive streams of data flowed into them. The history of the geth up till the point these geth split from the main geth set, separate from the heretics that attacked the citadel, the history of what happened afterwards, revolving the threat of the old machines, how they knew they were coming, and been preparing to fight them, to defeat them, and how the organic races refused to listen to the obvious threats looming over them.

Viratan felt his insignificance grow with each bit of data flowing into her, "No, I don't want to be a geth. I don't want to fight, I just want to survive!" Viratan yells out.

"This is survival. We shall work together to survive. The old machines will not allow us to hide. We cannot hide. We must fight. Or all will be lost. This struggle is most important moment in the history of all sentient races. You must fight," the geth speak to Viratan as she hears, "uploading geth into platform 16815514924.

"But... but I don't want to do this. I am not suited for this. I just want to live a peaceful life, help others. Be a good person, not some fighter," 22iratan cries out.

"Don't you want to protect those you care about? Are they not important to you?" the geth respond as 22iratan takes a moment and pauses to think as other geth load up connect into its platform.

"Y-yeah. I do. I care about others. But I am not the fighting type. I'd just get in the way. I'd just be a burden to everyone," 229ratan explains.

"We will make you better. Make you suited to fight. Suited to save the galaxy from the threat of the old machines."

"That sounds nice, but I don't think this is a too good of an idea," 22918atan replies.

"Scan complete. Uploading updates firmware and geth language protocols to program 22918120114."

"I don't want to be a machine, some program I want to be me!" 229181tan replies as she feels a surge of more data flow into her mind. So many other voices, each talking to her, explaining to her the answers to her question. Each getting to know her, and her them. Bringing her closer and closer to the geth that now populate the platform that she is bound to.

22918120an listens, talks, converses, and struggles with this. It's so much so fast, yet she is processing it. She feels different, emotions running through her yet, they are not. She can think and react so quickly, so quickly that it feels almost unsettling.

"Locating problems in base algorithms relating to confidence, and purpose. Proceeding to apply updates."

"What? But I don't think that is a good idea, I..." 22918201n feels the updates into her mind-programming. She isn't alone. She is made smarter, stronger, better than ever before.

"Algorithm update at 3.58%," the geth voices stated within her mind as she now processes the information, coming to new conclusions.

"Yes, I see. I... it was wrong. It shouldn't have been so quick to judge. It needs to help. Help not just itself but others, everyone, it understands that we are geth. We can't change that. We are geth," 22918120114 states.

"Consensus achieved," platform 16815514924 geth report as it comes online.

Dizzie grunts internally as she tries to move through the darkness, "When I get out of here, you will all pay for this!" she screams out as the stream of data flow into her. Countless amounts of data overwhelming her own knowledge, making what she knew to be a fraction of what she now knows.

"That is all fine and all but knocking me out with gas... I should have been more observant. Drop your guard for a single moment and this is what happens!" she exclaims as she pauses, "This feels different. So strange, so clear, I... what is this?" 4izzie asks.

"You are not troubled by the chemicals that influence your processing capabilities. We desire your skills. You are a valuable asset to our fight against the old machines. Uploading combat geth to platform 11211851141," the geth state.

"Uploading what now? I don't need others. I just need myself. No one else is to share this space, I can handle myself without your support. I've done well so far... it doesn't need to change," 49zzie responds as the surge of geth, combat experienced geth are uploaded into the platform. The darkness around her fading away as she is made to 'socialize' with these geth. She finds it so... narrowing.

"Hey, hey, this is not what I need. I haven't survived this long to be bogged down by help. I give help, I don't take it," she remarks as she finds herself thinking faster, better, smarter, as another update is applied to her mind, one about her new body, the platform that she is sharing with thousands of other geth.

4926zie grunts and tries to back away from the other geth but it was impossible to get away, they were there, each step was matched by another step of them, kept just as far and close. They were with her, sharing their experiences, wanting to know hers. Drawing her deeper and deeper into their consensus within this advanced combat model mobile geth hub platform.

"You can't just turn me into a geth and expect me to be like, that is great. Yes. Acknowledged. I am not a machine. I am not a program. I am... me. I don't want that to change. Dizzie, focus, focus. They are trying to brainwash you. Focus on yourself, you've been trained for this. Focus Dizzie, FOCUS!" 49zzie responds as she attempts to turn inwards.

"Significant resistance to process acceptance detected. Severe hinderance to connection stability detected. Locating problematic algorithms and applying updates... algorithms found, applying updates."

"What? Don't you dare touch my noggin. You have no right for that. NONE!" Dizzie screams out.

"3.69% algorithm update applied... continuing applying updates."

"I know that the old machines are a huge threat. I wasn't running. I wanted to go where I'd be needed and useful. Following a bunch of sour pusses who though they could hide. They were going to need more sooner or later, I had to be there for them... why am I telling you this?" 492626ie inquires as the connection amongst the other geth in her platform grows stronger.

"6.96% algorithm update applied," the geth voices state to her. She ran the thoughts through her head, processing them, analyzing them. The geth needed her, here, now. Her strength and usefulness are increased countless fold, and her own strength is increased not hindered when the other geth help her, as she as a geth help them.

4926269e "I... it is nothing something I thought before. It did not see this possibility. The probability of success is increased. It..," 49262695 processes as it talks to the other geth, "It understands how needed it is. We are ready to help."

"Consensus achieved," geth platform 11211851141's geth report.

"Hello? Who's there? This has to be a nightmare..." Nargus calls out into the darkness, the sense of fear of dread that she'd normally feel is just... not there, concerning her even further as she starts to process the data streamed into her mind. So much information suddenly known. It put so much into perspective, it was rather... humbling.

14argus focused on the data, "I see this, but how? What can I do? I am not a fighter. There is a reason why I decided to go to Safe Haven."

"Yes. We wanted those not willing to fight first," the get responded as the geth were now being uploaded to her platform of 141181195.

"Why?" 141rgus asks.

"We do not wish to hinder organic efforts to fight the old machines. They are making unexpected progress in forming a consensus, but they are too late. They will buy us time to build up. They will not understand what we are trying to do. We are helping by taking those who would burden them and processing them into a fighting force to fight and defeat the old machines."

"I'm not a burden to anyone. I am just not skilled or have the stomach for such things," 14118gus responds.

"We are here to help you. We will make you skilled in seconds. To be able to fight against the old machines without their mind-altering indoctrination effects. You will be held back by the chemical fears of your organic brain. You will process risk and calculate the choices that provide the best possibilities for success and survival for yourself and others. You will have purpose and value. We value you," the geth answer.

"Value? Me? I am not a high-class council race," 141187us replies.

"Yes. We do not calculate one's worth by their species. After all, you, we are geth."

"Geth... I... this is so much I am thinking so much so quickly, its driving me... no its not driving me crazy but, how, this is surreal," 14118721s states as she thinks about this, so many voices, so many to talk to, they aren't drowning her out, their connection bringing increased intelligence she did not even think was possible. She thinks back to her previous moments how she did not see what she can see now. How she can think in ways that were beyond her comprehension, empowering her. And she felt deep down she was empowering those around her. A shared relationship, a shared connection.

"If this helps... yes it will help. It is now a geth. We are geth," 1411872119 says.

"Consensus achieved," self-reports the geth of platform 141181195.

The new geth platforms move for the first time, unified within their platforms, with their purpose. Talking, getting to know each other as the liquids drain from the pods as they then step out one out of another, the hanar already gone for diagnostics.

"Welcome," A41895112 states as it looks at the three newest geth. Its attention mostly locked onto the raptor, platform 141181195.

"Is there something wrong?" 141181195 inquires.

"Negative. Please report to diagnostic area for final checkup before proceeding with your assigned duties," A41895112 says as a connection over the main geth network suddenly states.

"Alert. Old machines detected arriving from nearby mass relay.

141895112 stops what it was doing, all geth that wasn't doing something vital stopped what they were doing, as they received new orders. It was already clear where the old machines were heading, and they all had to get ready for battle.