Morinth showed the three evolved to her room. They looked around at the various objects Morinth had collected in her life. Most of it was over hundreds of years old. Morinth sat and waited for the evolved to finish looking around before the three Blacklight evolved moved to her couch and looked at her curiously. She sifted as their gaze, at least in her mind, seemed to pierce right through her. She shook it off after a minute before she looked to Shepard, who only smiled.
"So Morinth, we were wondering if you could enlighten us to exactly what you are?", asked Shepard.
"Why would I do that?", asked Morinth with indignation.
"Oh, no reason. Except you are talking to a species capable of eating the information from out of your skull. Not to mention we are in an area with no potential witnesses, and people slip through the cracks all the time. Oh and because I asked nicely. Other than that, you have no reason to tell us anything, but it wouldn't be in your best interest to do that"
Shepard looked at Morinths chest, where she was able to 'see' that her heart began to increase in beats per minute, a typical sign of fear that was universal among sapient species. She smiled and backed off calmly as she waited for Morinth to say something.
"I...am what my people call an Ardat-Yakshi. It is a condition that affects my nervous system. When I mate, my nervous system over powers and dominates my mates...The result is death."
"And a power boost.", said Ashley.
Morinth turned to Ashley with wide eyes.
"How did you know about that?"
"Its in your genes, which we have a small sample size of. We did a few tests to see what they would do. Results were not pretty.", said Ashley.
Morinth only nodded.
"Its true, each time I mate I become stronger."
"What is your opinion on the condition?", asked Shepard.
"Unpopular, at least most of my people would consider it as such. I believe it is the genetic destiny of the asari."
"Kinda difficult when it makes you sterile.", said Kaiden.
"A sad trait, but one that we may be able to fix if genetic alteration were not illegal. The experience is addictive, and I happen to have an addictive personality. Truth be told I feel sorry for the others like myself who will never experience the pleasure it can bring.", said Morinth as she slowly began to calm down.
"Ok, a bit on the sadistic side aren't ya Miss Succubus."
"I like the feeling, the death is coincidental...What did you call me, I don't know what that is."
"I know you don't Lilith, but its not important. Anyway, we were hoping we could get a few samples. Nothing major. Saliva, bone marrow, blood, skin, maybe a kidney. You know the works."
"Kidney?"
"Its a joke...Maybe. How much alcohol do you drink at any given time?", asked Shepard with a smile that Morinth really did not like.
Kaiden sighed.
"Ignore her, she had been bored a lot lately. Hell, she changed genders recently just to have something to talk about.", said Kaiden.
"You have a very strange sense of humor.", said Morinth.
"Trust me, we all do.", commented Ashley in the corner as she strummed her guitar.
Morinth looked back to Shepard for a moment as she thought over everything she learned here. After a moment she looked Shepard in the eyes and spoke.
"Say I give you the samples...Minus the kidney. What happens next?", asked Morinth.
'You wake up naked in a tub full of ice minus a kidney.', Shepard thought, but out loud had said.
"That's up to you. You could stay with us as we try and learn more about your condition, or we part ways.", said Shepard.
"Just like that?", asked Morinth with clear distrust.
"Just like that."
"I don't believe you.", said Morinth as her eyes narrowed.
Shepard leaned back in her chair.
"Do you know how we found out about this trait your species possess?"
"You said you consumed a sample of my genes off some food I ate."
"Not exactly. When we were still allowed on the Citadel, we had a deal with the various races. They would send us genetic samples, and we sent them knowledge we had on the relays. There were a few samples in the Asari that showed a unique trait. We deduced what this trait most likely did, though we only had parts of it. You see this trait of yours require a lot of unlikely things to happen to show in the subject. That being said, while the trait itself was interesting, nothing was as interesting as what else we found. It was artificial.", said Shepard.
"Artificial? What do you mean?"
"If you agree to give us the samples we requested, I will tell you. Do we have a deal?", asked Shepard.
Morinth looked around as she thought on what exactly Shepard could be talking about. It did not take long.
"Fine, I will give you the samples, but only if you tell me first.", said Morinth.
Shepard only smiled.
"Fine by me.", said Shepard.
She shifted in her seat as she got comfortable, after cracking her fingers she began to talk.
"Well, will start with the science behind it. The condition you call Ardat-Yakshi is a single gene disorder. In order for the offspring to be an Ardat-Yaksi, both parents must be asari who possess the defective gene. A small percentage of asari are carriers."
"How does that work. Asari don't use the genes of the father parent at all."
"True, but if the mother already possesses one half of the gene that passes on unaltered, if the father asari also possesses the gene, then the melding process works in such a way as to alter the second set to also possess this gene. With two sets of the same gene the offspring will be an Ardat-Yakshi. If both parents are carriers, then the child has a A fifty fifty chance of being a carrier, or a one in four chance of being either an Ardat-Yakshi or free of the gene completely."
"Ok, I fail to see how this is artificial.", said Morinth.
Shepard nodded before taking out her omni tool. Two holographic representations of D.N.A came into view, one a Binary helix, the other a strange tripple strand structure. Shepard highlighted two parts of each strand.
"This is a carrier gene of an asari, and what we know of a Prothean Genome. Did you know Protheans had the ability to exchange information via touch?", asked Shepard.
"No I was not aware."
"We have found that the sequence that allows for this is in the highlighted part of the Prothean strand, whie for the carrier asari strand the highlighted part is the part responsible for an Ardat-Yakshi. Notice anything?"
Morinth stared at both strands for a long time before she shrugged.
"No, enlighten me please?"
"They are the same."
"Wait, how? I don't see a triple strand anywhere on the carriers D.N.A."
"Compensation really, the chemicals the gene coded for is the same, but the structure means it can only do so much. Falls apart and becomes something else. It just so happens the part of the gene effected for the carrier is the same we have linked somewhat to your ability to meld. D.N.A may not be an exact blue print for life, but we can tell what does what. Now how would this unusual disorder get there? You have two guesses, and the first one doesn't count?"
"Genetic engineering. Asari don't take the genes of the father, so it would have to be put in there.", said Morinth instantly without much thought.
"Bingo, gold star Morinth. Didn't take you for the brain type."
"I make it my business to know everything about Ardat-Yakshi, we never found it in the gene though, and we sequenced the Asari gene long before we discovered the Citadel. How did you find it?"
"Its easy when you are a virus able to assimilate desirable traits into yourself. It was difficult to find, but we are very thorough. We think the Protheans used a viral vector to give you this ability. Most likely as some form of a weapon.", said Shepard.
Kaiden nodded.
"Attractive succubae like spies able to become stronger by mind fucking you to death. Its genius really. Glad we are a collective species of asexual with no sex drive.", said Kaiden.
"Yeah, letteral mindfuck sounds unpleasant.", said Ashley.
"So why do you want this gene from me anyway?", asked Morinth, ignoring the comments she did not like coming from Kaiden and Ashley.
"Nope, sorry. If you want to know that we need the samples.", said Shepard.
"Then they are yours, lets get this over with.", said Morinth.
"May I see your arm?", asked Shepard as her finger shifted to resemble a syringe. Morinth's eyes widened before she took a deep breath, and presented her arm.
The chambers of the Thorian had changed since the symbiosis. Now parts of Blacklight and the Thorian had fused together on a cellular level, effectively making them two parts of the same planet spanning network of biomass and plant matter. The Thorian had altered much, and now sported many mutations similar to many earth life and fungi, turning it into a powerful being.
While the Thorian was now apart of Blacklights body and mind, it remained a separate entity within it, yet was still a now permanent facet of their minds. It unlike any other being consumed by blacklight, had a level of individuality no other creature within their hive mind could claim. Within their now partly conjoined mind the many of Blacklight spoke to the Thorian on matters of the universe.
If they still live, they will hide within the sea. They thrive within waters as I recall.
There are many planets with seas to search. We need more to work off of. The creators of the Reapers may have installed a safeguard that still exists, one that will weaken the Reapers. They may have just been unable to reach it.
Doubtful.
Indeed.
We agree with you Thorian, parts of us share that view, but if a failsafe does exist, we must know of it. We cannot rule out any possibility.
What of the machines, these Geth. I understand they are likewise searching.
They have found nothing on Omega. They will continue their search. Despite the lack of progress on the Reapers, the rest of our plans are running smoothly. The Vorcha are undergoing a shift in behavior we find useful.
This path we have laid for them is dangerous. If we did not have control over so much they most likely would destroy themselves. At the same time, does our control over them feels distasteful.
Indeed, it is dangerously close to slavery. Part of us does not like it, however we admit its necessity, we feel it lessens the Vorcha. Do we have the right to do this to them.
No, we do not. We give them freedom, but only by our will. We posess the power to bend them to our will. We should not have the power to do this, even if it is only a minor chance we exercise this power. When the time comes, we must ween them off us.
They are but thralls, why does it matter?
Is that curiosity Thorian, or something else.
I do not know...I feel as if I am changing as you do. I am unsure of myself as I once was. This symbiosis is not as the symbiosis between Old Growths.
We are responsible for all we do, and every action has a consequence. By giving the Vorcha us as armor, we make them dependent on us, what if afterwards they cannot survive as a society without us. They may remain as a society of unity, or they may return to normal. However there is also the possibility of their own extinction. We do what we do because we must, however the ends do not justify the means.
We agree. However, though it may be distasteful, we must also realize the other side. As a united people, the Vorcha have a greater chance to survive the Reapers. We cannot know the future, but we can make predictions by looking to the past. History repeats itself time and time again.
Your morality confounds me, but I will allow you to do as you will. I could not stop you even if I wished, and I do not wish to.
We must carefully consider how we proceed. We will not bring the Vorcha to extinction. Once they are united they will create their own society and culture, it will be interesting to see what happens. However there is other news to consider. The Rachni we found, it is indeed a queen. We can bring them back.
We have learned so much of their hive mind through small trace samples taken from their DNA. We may be able to apply it to our own hive mind, make it truly instantaneous regardless of distance.
We will learn more first. Alex crafted the Hive Mind, he will be the one to apply these traits or not. Agreed.
AGREED!
That said, the larval queen has begun to form a resin cocoon around itself, it will soon mature, we can consume the cocoon for trace samples of genes. She will possess all memories of her race if the data the Citadel had on them proves true. This information may help us find more on the Reapers. The question is what to do with her.
We help her. She will be unable to kill us in her current state, we can create another full ally like the Thorian and the Geth who know all we do.
Where shall we bring her? How will she live?
Why not Earth. She will be safest there.
She is an unknown. However, our symbiosis has opened many possibilities. It may yet be possible to include her and her brood into this hive by learning how their hive mind works and applying it to ourselves. A mighty trinity between Blacklight, Thorian, and Rachni. All apart of the same hive mind that spans the cosmos. Yet distinctly separate unlike your Blacklight individuals. Such a thing would be a boon against the Reapers.
If she chooses to do so then maybe, otherwise we will aid her and have her decide.
It is yours to decide. From this cave I can do very little, even with permanent access to your hive mind.
The complete defective asari gene has been found, she has agreed to give us much more than we hoped. The trace Prothean genes will give us a better picture of the Prothean genome, and as a result access more of the Beacon. There may be the information we need to destroy the Reapers, or alternatively find their creators. With that within us, we should ask her if she would help us.
She is a victim. However she is needlessly malicious as well, to the point of sociopathy. A consequence of her unique biology and drifter like personality. Other than information of the Beacon, we may be able to weaponize this trait of hers. That said, an Asari ally could be useful, especially one such as her.
We must be cautious, but we have ways to make sure that if she agrees, she will live up to her end. As for her gene, it can unlock more of the beacon, but small alterations to ourselves could create the ultimate biotic soldier. Already we have parts of the Protheans that allow them to exchange information, we can apply both traits to ourself on top of our own biotic abilities. We can take biotics to a level beyond any other.
Beyond all but one, do not forget the Leviathans. Their biotic prowess is the stuff of legends. It is unknown to most, but I have heard tales of their ability to move planets with their sheer biotic might. It may be exaggeration, but it speaks well enough of their powers. They are the ones who built the relays and the citadel. They took Mass Effect technology to its logical extreme, and beyond.
Did they really? The Reapers seemed to be the likely candidate to have built them. That said, you mentioned they took mass effect technology to new heights, we disagree. Obviously they are poor at the creation of AI. The Reapers directives conflict with one another, now they are this calamity of metal and wire. They may have done much with the Mass Effect technology, but their programming leaves much to be desired. An oversight that should have been spotted sooner.
The tales mentioned them being a race of pride and arrogance. They may have believed their own tales and saw themselves akin to gods. If the Reapers are a mistake, they will not see it as such and may claim it to be apart of their design. For all their power, their personality is what left much to be desired.
How sure are you of these tales?
I am millions of years old. I know when tales are just that, tales. But I am old enough to see the glimmers of truth within them. Few of my thralls over my long life knew of them, but those that did slowly painted a picture of them as a species. They saw themselves as infallible, but in truth were the architects of their own downfall. If what I have learned is correct, then they may be too proud to admit this fundamental truth. For them mistakes are the things of the lesser races, but not themselves.
They still may hold the key to stopping the Reapers. We must locate them if we are to prevent the calamity that comes. If not, then we will find a way to get them on our side. They are an old race, predating even the Reapers. However they are not gods, nor are we. Such superstitions and delusions of grandeur only weakens them. Know your limitations, and you can potentially become limitless.
We wish to speak on the Quarian issue.
Indeed. Omni gel was freely given to them, but we need to plan further. The fact is their fleet are falling apart. Calculations show they will be without one within the next two centuries. They may go extinct. We can give them materials to help, but they are still wary of us.
Most species are. Though their knowledge of machinery is too great to ignore. We must find a way for the citadel to realize this truth and do something about it before the coming of the Reapers. They, like the Geth, may hold another piece of the puzzle to destroying the god machines.
Not difficult, even the council acknowledges the Quarians ingenuity, they simply do not use it. A foolish notion based on a three hundred year old mistake that no quarian alive was apart of. Things may have been different if they attempted to understand the Geth rather than destroy them. Though this was not the case for all quarians according to the Geth. Regardless, a united galaxy against the Reapers is our best bet.
We can do little for the Quarians at this stage. Their immune system makes them fragile, but their ingenuity makes them deadly.
Why not improve their immune system?
No. They evolved on a world with few viral pathogens, and the pathogens there were mostly beneficial. They evolved to work with them, not fight them off. This is a fundamental aspect of their biology. We cannot improve their immune system without altering them greatly, and in doing so they would no longer be Quarian.
I fail to see the issue.
Your morals are as strange as your form Thorian. Life is a precious thing. We are not gods. Where once was humanity only Blacklight remains. We have gained much from this, but we have lost some of ourself as well.
We refuse to turn the Quarians into something other. Assume they returned to their home world with this new biology, they would no longer be in sync with their native environment. Those pathogens that were advantageous would do nothing more but die leaving the remaining wildlife to die off as well if their biology is similar, or worse the pathogens could mutate into something hazardous. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction we must consider.
Indeed. Even the best of intentions can have the worst of results be the end. We do not have that right. Let us move on. The final agenda must be discussed. We have put this off long enough, what to do of the Batarian slaves. Such an oversight must be addressed.
The answer is simple. They claim it is their cultural right. If the culture is destructive, you must change the culture. Why not employ Blacklight individuals in the guise of Batarians to start a revolution, and ensure the slaves win with minimal damages to either side.
History again repeats itself. The American Civil War is a similar event to what is suggested, and it was long and bloody. This would be the same, only with advanced technology, including weapons of mass destruction. No, while revolution is needed, it is better if it is not violent. This idea has merit, but some details must be changed.
Your memories speak of a group. The Illuminati, a group who secretly ruled the world. A conspiracy that turned out to be false for your kind. However, why not use that as inspiration? If you oppose war, then use politics as your weapon. Rule the batarians in secret until their culture reaches a level more beneficial to the survival of the galaxy against the reapers.
That...Is not a bad idea.
Shepard and the others had froze still as statues after absorbing the blood. Morinth watched with a sense of dread as their eyes quickly shifted around the room. It was almost as if they were seeing something she wasn't. Morinth rubbed the spot where the needle like finger of Shepard once was. There was a strange liquid over the wound that seemed to stop her from bleeding. She heard of the Blacklight invention known as Medi gel, and supposed that was what this compound was.
After a few moments she looked back to Shepard as her skin began to squirm and she dissolved into a mass of tendrils. Morinth scooted over as Shepard slowly took shape. She now resembled Morinth herself perfectly. It was eerie to witness as she dissolved again and reformed into another shape. One she was familiar with.
Sitting before her was none other than Alex Mercer, the most infamous of all Evolved known to the galaxy. He twitched a bit before looking to Morinth.
"Sorry, things being what they are I decided to take over from here. For now anyway, Shepard will be back after a minute. However there is something I want to try."
Morinth only nodded as Alex rose up and looked around her apartment. Ashley and Kaiden remained silent as they just watched.
"When we first introduced ourselves to the galaxy it caused a series of events to happed. The Blacklight scare, the Cure, the incident at the Citadel. A lot of problems came up from our introduction. As a collective we have been looking into a way to combat a coming threat. One such avenue was to figure out what the Protheans know. Prothean technology works with the Prothean ability to transmit information, and the closer we get to recreating the Prothean Genome, the closer we get to decoding the archives on mars."
"What exactly is it you think is coming?", asked Morinth.
"Think? No we know its coming, but I will get to that in a moment. So far you are the first Asari we have come across that does not act with the major governments of their race. Meaning you may hold a lot of information we can access without consuming the information we need from a matriarch or whatever. Now, one thing we noticed early on after going through your codex was the level of progression of the Asari. It is a steady rise. Normally technological progress has its ups and downs, not so for the Asari. You wouldn't happen to know why? Would you?"
Morinth shook her head.
"I never noticed myself. Should I?"
"We expected as much, but your position could prove beneficial to us, if you accept our offer."
"An offer now. I gave you the samples you wanted, what else do you need me to do? I am not the most patient of people when I don't hold all the cards."
"Most people aren't", said Alex who shrugged.
"Fact is with the bio scanner technology now in possession of every major species, we don't have as much freedom to roam as we did before. Even with a perfect disguise the scanners, which once was a gesture of peace, now gets in our way. We need agents who are not blacklight to go where we cannot."
"This is where I come in I take it."
"Indeed it is. The idea is simple, you remain in contact with us and go where we cannot. A trial run will be needed. We believe the Asari have access to Prothean information that is being kept hidden from the greater galaxy, and we want to know whether or not this is true or not, and more importantly what information they may hold.", said Alex.
Morinth shook her head as he sighed.
"I am a wanted criminal being hunted by the Asari Justiciar Order. I can't get to any main Asari worlds without attracting unwanted attention. It would be a suicide mission.", said Morinth.
"Not if you had the knowledge of us. Imagine it Morinth, the skills of an entire species at your disposal."
Morinth stood up quickly and took a step back.
"I do not want to be consumed by you.", she said quickly as her heartbeat speed up to dangerous levels.
"I said skills, not abilities. Besides the scanners would make that counter productive. I speak of something else. A meld, between you and us. We give you access to knowledge of every human fighting style, weapons training, technological know how, and whatever else we as a whole might know. You would have the skills of the greatest assassins, thieves, fighters, thinkers, scientists, and beyond while still remaining Asari. You could blend into the crowd to avoid detection or read others so well many would believe you psychic."
Morinth froze at that as the implications started to sink in. Alex continued to talk.
"You would be the ultimate spy, assassin, hacker, soldier, mentalist or whatever the situation calls for really. Your only limits will be the physical, but the mental will be beyond any one individual could claim, save backlight evolved of course. Most of us are reckless because of our nigh immortality so we don't use our potential as well as we should. you on the other hand, you are a predator, we are only offering you sharper claws in exchange for helping us out. We need agents, and you have no ties with anyone save yourself, but something big is on the horizon, and we need your help. Will you help us prevent the extinction of all life in the galaxy, or continue going as you are?"
"If I say no, then that's it?"
"This is not to be forced onto you, it is your choice. If you say no, then we will find another. You will never see us again.", said Alex.
"Would it be safe to meld with blacklight?"
"We won't die if that's what you mean. You may be an Ardat-Yakshi, but for us even the death of the body is but a temporary inconvenience to us. As for you however, well I cannot say. We have considered it, but are unaware of what may happen should you enter the Hive Mind, but we should be able to lessen any potential damage. Though after analyzing the samples you provided us with, we did note that Ardat-Yakshi seem to have a better chance at coming out intact than your average Asari.", said Alex.
Morinth sat down as she seriously considered everything that could go wrong, then she thought of everything that could go oh so right.
"Keep in mind, if you agree, we will make sure you hold up your end of this deal. You will still have your freedom, but you would work for us. Keep this in mind."
The risk was heavy, but the gain was so very tempting. It didn't take long to decide.
"Ok, I'll risk it."
Alex smirked before going up to Morinth.
"Hold on tight."
The Hive was not as Morinth expected. It was a universe in and of itself. There was no real down or up, nor was there any ground. It wasn't a void per say, but it wasn't material either. She could tell it was in at least 3 dimensions, probably more, but she noticed she didn't really have an Avatar body so to speak. Yet at the same time she had a presence of some kind.
The best way she could describe the space of the Hive Mind was like a series of holes, tubes, and tunnels that shifted from one area to another. Always connecting to something else. Some looped in on themselves, others went on and on seemingly never ending. However they weren't really any borders so to speak, not really. It defied explanation. Things and thoughts flowed around at speeds that Morinth knew could not really exist. Nodes existed along the edges of it, and seemed to function as areas points of concentration on a particular topic. Rooms connected to other rooms and lines that went from one area to another.
The strangest part however was the voices, that were not really voices. They were stray thoughts, memories, and ideas that moved, shifted, and bounced around in a wonderful chaotic harmony. Sapient and linier thought combined with the abstract truly alien thinking of animals, if it could even be called thinking. Truths both mundane and wonderous existed all at once. There was a strange sort of logic to it that somehow defied logic. Morinth was not sure she knew exactly what that even meant. Try as she might she couldn't really describe it in any sort of coherent detail.
All in all, it was confusing. Speech didn't really exist, and thoughts were not implanted into your mind, it was much more than that. It was as if the billions of thoughts, some alien, some not, were her own, yet she knew they were not. In the span of only a few moments she felt as if she knew the Hive, truly knew it in a way that defied explanation. It was chaotic yet there was an order to it, very oxymoronic in a way that words to describe it simply did not exist.
It felt free as she moved through the hive, if it could even be called movement. Ideas, theories, thoughts, opinions, facts, emotions, hopes, dreams, and everything in between flowed through her mind and implanted something into her. Knowledge, pure in its form. Ideas she never considered popped into her mind, and she could not be sure if it was her own ideas or not.
Then in a flash it ended.
Her vision was black when her eyes opened. She heard a banging sound coming from somewhere over and over again. She could feel blood leaking from her eyes, nose, and mouth. As her vision cleared she noticed that Kaiden and Ashley were holding her still. It was around that time she realized the banging sound was her slamming her own head into a table. In this dazed state she could see that Alex had gone limp, showing the usual signs of her melding. Slowly though he started to regain movement.
Her body was shaking as if she were having a seizure, but it was lessened by the presence of the voices of the others. That was the most jarring thing, to go from nigh absolute knowledge to dead utter silence. It was a cold thing, reminiscent of true solitude that was oppressive in its hollowness. It felt strange, and not in a good way.
After what felt like hours she slowly returned to normal. Her heartbeat, which once was beating faster than she thought possible, was slowing to a somewhat manageable level. Her skin slowly returned to a healthy azure color before the shaking stopped. She sat silent as she breathed in deeply, looking around her room with a new perspective on everything. Almost everything she knew was called into question.
Despite the sharp pain in her head that felt like a hot knife was jammed into her forehead, her only thoughts were on what she now knew. Things she never considered. She could look at her room, and realized that it gave away so much about her personality. The facial expressions of Kaiden and Ashley now seemed less alien than before. In fact she could read them rather well.
Idly she noted that there were seven other escape routes in her room she never considered. In fact most of them were a much better alternative than her usual backup plans if used correctly. She looked at some items around her apartment and as she did she realized the possible uses many of them had. The Halex she had in her bathroom could be easily weaponized with a few other compounds around her house to become a good non lethal poison for most Levo-amino species and deadly for any Dextro-amino species. She didn't know why that came to mind, but it was very useful if things got bad.
After absorbing her surroundings in her shaking stopped. She felt drained as she looked at the web of cracks that formed in her table from repeatedly slamming her head into it. Based on the shape she had hit her head at least five times. She was not sure how she knew that, but she did. There were other aches and pains in her own body she simply grown used to that she now knew without a doubt she could easily fix with a few medical treatments she could administer herself.
"Morith, how are you feeling?", asked Kaiden as he examined her eyes, probably from the blood vessels that burst based on the color of her vision and the small ache of her eyes.
"Fine.", said Morinth.
Morith shook her head before she noted she was no longer bleeding. Based on the cool feeling, she was able to figure out that someone put Medi gel on it. Alex stretched his arms as he cracked his neck.
"You fried every nerve I had grown to allow you into the hive. They are fixed up, but that was still quite the achievement. I am not needed here anymore.", said Alex as he looked to Kaiden.
"You know what to do, you don't need my help.", said Alex as he dissolved into a mass of flailing tendrils that slowly weaved themselves back into Shepard, or at least Morinth thought it was Shepard. While the facial features remained similar to before, he now resembled a male.
"That was fun.", said Shepard as he looked over Morinth.
"So, you come across a Krogan in a hallway with very little room to move around in. He is ten feet away and wants you dead. How do you put him down?" asked Shepard.
"Hand to hand or do I have a weapon?"
"Hand to hand."
"Krogan vision is wide, but has difficulty focusing. Biotic charge or erratic movements to get in close. Strike the eye ridge, blinded. Strong hit to the throat, prevents blood rage. Kick the quad, they bend on reflex. Grab head and twist. Dead."
"Same situation but with a knife six inches long."
"Biotic charge to get in close or erratic movements, throw in between the head crest. Grip handle firmly. Twist and pull. Whole crest is removed if done right. Strike where the crest once was with both hands, the knife, or with the crest itself. Dead if done hard enough. Other wise knocked out. Stomp same spot. Guaranteed to die."
"Same situation but with a pencil."
"Get close, stab in eye, blinded. Strong enough hit to push in deep. Strikes brain. Dead."
"That works for all species actually.", said Shepard.
"Which includes Krogan."
Shepard smiled.
"Turian."
"Approach the side, kick the knee, grab arm, and pull. Leg stiffens, go under the jaw or for the eye, grab the head fringe, snap neck. Dead."
"Female Turian. No head fringe."
"Get in front. Double strike just below the eyes. elbow drop to the collarbone, sweep the leg while vaulting over target, grab the mandible and scalp. Then a quick twist. Dead."
"Asari."
"Get in front, hit the throat. Grab arms to ensure they can't use biotics effectively. Hip throw, grab chin and scalp. Momentum breaks the neck. Dead."
"Blacklight."
Morinth remained silent as she thought on it before smiling.
"Keep distance. Use lots of fire or bombs."
Shepard smiled.
"You need information from a Hanar, how do you tell if he is lying."
"Watch the glow, if he is lying the bioluminescent lights will be slightly dull. Ask questions I know the truth to then compare that glow to possible lie. Skin shades may also pale slightly if they plan on lying. Blood vessels may pulse and the legs may stiffen, but those aren't always the case, as the gravity of where they are my be something they are not yet used to. Depends on how long they lived in the area."
"Volus."
"Common tactic, volus breathe more to give them time to think of a lie. If they breathe more than normal it is most likely a lie. Otherwise hard to tell. Violence usually makes them talk."
"Elcor."
"They usually tell you themselves. Otherwise look for posture and mouth parts. Poor posture may mean lying. If the mouth parts twitch then their declaration of sentence type should be called into question. Elcors have trouble telling a lie, but those who can are not very good at it."
"When I say Reaper, what comes to mind."
Morinth opened her mouth, before her eyes stopped focusing on anyone in the room. Her heartbeat spread, her palms became wet, and her pupils dilated. Her breathing became erratic before she stiffened. Then she voided her stomach.
"I think she's got it Shep.", said Ashley.
"Yeah, I think she does."