I mean considering the state of the Krogan right now shows what the Council thinks about their opinions.
Perchance to Dream (Mass Effect / Commander)
- Thread starter Drich
- Start date
- Location
- newcastle australia
The latter bit of this chapter is just waffling for the sake of it.
Last edited:
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Javik has achieved the Enlightenment of the Straight Man; nothing can faze him anymore. Everything is fine and there is no way for anyone or anything to change that.
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA
Just want to point out that the Rachni queen grows to 50ft long, which is about 15m. She is likely only 8-9m tall.
TCGM
(Unverified God/Space Snek)
- Location
- Avalon
It would be hilarious if The Dreamer's Drich's changes accidentally made them adorabugs and they can't grow to be massive angry looking insects anymore. That ferocious squeaking might just be a preview of things to come...
Genetic engineering can be tough to do, after all.
It would also severely undermine anybody against them. How could you be threatened by cuddlebugs?
Every Krogan would be mocked for hating them.
Genetic engineering can be tough to do, after all.
It would also severely undermine anybody against them. How could you be threatened by cuddlebugs?
Every Krogan would be mocked for hating them.
Nah, it would be better if they looked even more horrific. Making the Citadel races extremely unconformable, but they can't do anything cause Humanity vouches for them.
- Location
- Sweden
Except they're still squeaky. Absolutely horrific-looking, but still squeaking every time they try to be intimidating.
5.13
Drich
Von Neumann Writing Machine
5.13
+++
As it so happened, of all the coordinates on the Dreamer's List, the very last one was also the one that took the longest to get to.
The 'why' behind this was simple.
It was almost perfectly in the center of the Terminus Systems. The chaotic and lawless sector of the galaxy was not threatening, but it did delay matters by not being completely mapped out, easily accessed, and immediately available. It would have almost been faster, in fact, to have gone the entire distance through normal FTL, rather than try and make use of all the Mass Relays that the Terminus Systems possessed.
Almost.
+++
September 3, 2074/2449
+++
A ship arrives. Its crew feels the familiar pulse of the Dreamer's power.
A group forms. Expands. It's almost routine, by this point.
Humanity takes a moment to catch up, and examines.
The final set of coordinates took them to a... rather dull system. A fairly standard star, three planets. The third was a gas giant. The second was an icy, lifeless rock. The first was a world covered by ocean, and echoing with life.
The first one was the one of interest. It's the one that corresponds to the coordinates they'd been given, and it's the one where the Dreamer's power lingers.
They approach. A brief moment of FTL, and they arrive.
The ocean world is littered by the husks of countless ships, probes, and space stations. Some are recent, having arrived within the last few thousand years. Some are older, rusted through and through by countless millions of years of oceanic exposure. It's interesting, and they'll definitely go over them later.
The Dreamer's power lingers beneath the waves. Buried under well over three kilometers of water. It feels stronger than it did with either the Rachni or Protheans, yet also more spread out.
They reach out, minds probing the water. The Dreamer's power is well-contained, but the small amount of leakage traces a path to it. They follow the path, locating an underwater tunnel.
It's not a natural one. It's rather thin, only a few meters across, and it's perfectly straight, leading diagonally into the crust of the world. It's long, extending a kilometer on its own.
They follow it. Near the end, it evens out, a diagonal descent morphing into a straight passage. There's a small amount of light shining through it, coming from a cavern that it opens into.
And inside the cavern...
Another crystal tree.
Well, that's misleading. Calling it 'another' crystal tree would imply that it wasn't too different to the previous ones. Certainly, it is a crystal tree.
But this one is far, far, far larger than any of the others. The cavern spans tens of kilometers, and the crystal tree takes up nearly all of it. It's huge, a trunk that's hundreds of meters wide, with branches stretching out in every direction, and 'leaves' of every colour at the end of them. It glows, gently, filling the area with soft, warm light that shines through crystal-clear water.
But it is, ultimately, the base of the tree that captures their attention.
It has roots, and those roots extend through the cavern, forming a twisting, expansive, and shimmering floor.
And all along that floor are...
Beings. They look as if somebody had taken a Harvester and reimagined it as something organic. Massive in size, ranging from hundreds of meters to over a kilometer. There are easily hundreds of them, arrayed around the tree. Crystalline roots wrap around them, keeping them pinned in place, and there are a number of crystalline growths across their bodies.
They recognize it all to easily. Assimilation crystals.
"What is this?" They ask.
This is the Dreamer's work, certainly. But it is nothing like what they've known the Dreamer to do.
The examine, for a moment, one of these beings. They are... dormant.
And yet, also partially assimilated. The process has left the mind intact, but the body... Nerves and muscles have been crystallized, preventing movement. The roots have physically merged with the exoskeleton, trapping them even more thorough.
But why do this?
They brush the mind-
Awareness shoots through it in an instant, and they pull back, briefly startled.
The being's eyes open, six lids peeling back to reveal glowing, bioluminescent orbs.
For a moment, nothing happens.
And then-
"I am aware of your presence." The being speaks. No mouth, but the water around it vibrates to carry noise. It speaks Prathiik, the Prothean's language coming easily.
They take a moment to confer amongst themselves, and settle on a response.
Light blooms, and glowing silica-flesh materializes. They choose a humanoid shape, but refrain from giving it any other features. It's the same thing the Dreamer did, with it's glowing body, but this is theirs.
"You are not our jailor." The being speaks.
"Jailor?"
"Probably the Dreamer."
"But jailed for what?"
"What are you?" They ask.
The creature's eyes focus on their projection. "Leviathan." It answers. They reach out to its mind again, brushing with a touch lighter than a feather.
Disdain poors from it. Pride, powerful to the point of arrogance.
"We are the remainder of the first race to arise in this galaxy." The Leviathan continues. "The apex race."
"That's quite the attitude."
"It must be quite old. Their kind, I mean."
"The first?" They ask.
"One point three billion years ago, our kind arose to the stars." The Leviathan stated. "We became the masters of the galaxy. All bowed to us."
It was... not lying. Nothing of what it said was a lie. And yet...
There's a hint of duplicity. That hint is enough to distract them from the implications of a species over a billion years old. They almost start probing deeper, but they don't have the chance.
The psychic energy lingering in the area twists, slightly. It presses against the Leviathan.
"None willingly." It says, immediately. It had not intended to speak the words.
"I'm not sure I like that."
"What was that?" They ask.
It thinks of lying. They can tell. They can see the thoughts emerging as it considers what to say. It chooses not to, but it will definitely mislead.
Except the Dreamer's power twists, and it speaks. "We are bound not to lie. We must explain the truth to any who ask. We are forbidden even from lies of omission." The word choice was deliberate. It tries not to speak, but manages only a brief moment before it continues. "That was an attempt to incite sympathy. I hoped to trick you into freeing us."
"We are aware." They said. "We felt the deceit in the words before you elaborated. You are shameless."
The Leviathan's eyes narrowed, slightly. Irritation bloomed in it, and they have a guess, now, as to why it might have been imprisoned.
They cut to the chase.
"And why are you here, Leviathan?"
+++
As it so happened, of all the coordinates on the Dreamer's List, the very last one was also the one that took the longest to get to.
The 'why' behind this was simple.
It was almost perfectly in the center of the Terminus Systems. The chaotic and lawless sector of the galaxy was not threatening, but it did delay matters by not being completely mapped out, easily accessed, and immediately available. It would have almost been faster, in fact, to have gone the entire distance through normal FTL, rather than try and make use of all the Mass Relays that the Terminus Systems possessed.
Almost.
+++
September 3, 2074/2449
+++
A ship arrives. Its crew feels the familiar pulse of the Dreamer's power.
A group forms. Expands. It's almost routine, by this point.
Humanity takes a moment to catch up, and examines.
The final set of coordinates took them to a... rather dull system. A fairly standard star, three planets. The third was a gas giant. The second was an icy, lifeless rock. The first was a world covered by ocean, and echoing with life.
The first one was the one of interest. It's the one that corresponds to the coordinates they'd been given, and it's the one where the Dreamer's power lingers.
They approach. A brief moment of FTL, and they arrive.
The ocean world is littered by the husks of countless ships, probes, and space stations. Some are recent, having arrived within the last few thousand years. Some are older, rusted through and through by countless millions of years of oceanic exposure. It's interesting, and they'll definitely go over them later.
The Dreamer's power lingers beneath the waves. Buried under well over three kilometers of water. It feels stronger than it did with either the Rachni or Protheans, yet also more spread out.
They reach out, minds probing the water. The Dreamer's power is well-contained, but the small amount of leakage traces a path to it. They follow the path, locating an underwater tunnel.
It's not a natural one. It's rather thin, only a few meters across, and it's perfectly straight, leading diagonally into the crust of the world. It's long, extending a kilometer on its own.
They follow it. Near the end, it evens out, a diagonal descent morphing into a straight passage. There's a small amount of light shining through it, coming from a cavern that it opens into.
And inside the cavern...
Another crystal tree.
Well, that's misleading. Calling it 'another' crystal tree would imply that it wasn't too different to the previous ones. Certainly, it is a crystal tree.
But this one is far, far, far larger than any of the others. The cavern spans tens of kilometers, and the crystal tree takes up nearly all of it. It's huge, a trunk that's hundreds of meters wide, with branches stretching out in every direction, and 'leaves' of every colour at the end of them. It glows, gently, filling the area with soft, warm light that shines through crystal-clear water.
But it is, ultimately, the base of the tree that captures their attention.
It has roots, and those roots extend through the cavern, forming a twisting, expansive, and shimmering floor.
And all along that floor are...
Beings. They look as if somebody had taken a Harvester and reimagined it as something organic. Massive in size, ranging from hundreds of meters to over a kilometer. There are easily hundreds of them, arrayed around the tree. Crystalline roots wrap around them, keeping them pinned in place, and there are a number of crystalline growths across their bodies.
They recognize it all to easily. Assimilation crystals.
"What is this?" They ask.
This is the Dreamer's work, certainly. But it is nothing like what they've known the Dreamer to do.
The examine, for a moment, one of these beings. They are... dormant.
And yet, also partially assimilated. The process has left the mind intact, but the body... Nerves and muscles have been crystallized, preventing movement. The roots have physically merged with the exoskeleton, trapping them even more thorough.
But why do this?
They brush the mind-
Awareness shoots through it in an instant, and they pull back, briefly startled.
The being's eyes open, six lids peeling back to reveal glowing, bioluminescent orbs.
For a moment, nothing happens.
And then-
"I am aware of your presence." The being speaks. No mouth, but the water around it vibrates to carry noise. It speaks Prathiik, the Prothean's language coming easily.
They take a moment to confer amongst themselves, and settle on a response.
Light blooms, and glowing silica-flesh materializes. They choose a humanoid shape, but refrain from giving it any other features. It's the same thing the Dreamer did, with it's glowing body, but this is theirs.
"You are not our jailor." The being speaks.
"Jailor?"
"Probably the Dreamer."
"But jailed for what?"
"What are you?" They ask.
The creature's eyes focus on their projection. "Leviathan." It answers. They reach out to its mind again, brushing with a touch lighter than a feather.
Disdain poors from it. Pride, powerful to the point of arrogance.
"We are the remainder of the first race to arise in this galaxy." The Leviathan continues. "The apex race."
"That's quite the attitude."
"It must be quite old. Their kind, I mean."
"The first?" They ask.
"One point three billion years ago, our kind arose to the stars." The Leviathan stated. "We became the masters of the galaxy. All bowed to us."
It was... not lying. Nothing of what it said was a lie. And yet...
There's a hint of duplicity. That hint is enough to distract them from the implications of a species over a billion years old. They almost start probing deeper, but they don't have the chance.
The psychic energy lingering in the area twists, slightly. It presses against the Leviathan.
"None willingly." It says, immediately. It had not intended to speak the words.
"I'm not sure I like that."
"What was that?" They ask.
It thinks of lying. They can tell. They can see the thoughts emerging as it considers what to say. It chooses not to, but it will definitely mislead.
Except the Dreamer's power twists, and it speaks. "We are bound not to lie. We must explain the truth to any who ask. We are forbidden even from lies of omission." The word choice was deliberate. It tries not to speak, but manages only a brief moment before it continues. "That was an attempt to incite sympathy. I hoped to trick you into freeing us."
"We are aware." They said. "We felt the deceit in the words before you elaborated. You are shameless."
The Leviathan's eyes narrowed, slightly. Irritation bloomed in it, and they have a guess, now, as to why it might have been imprisoned.
They cut to the chase.
"And why are you here, Leviathan?"
Wings-Of-Change
On the Changiest of wings
- Location
- Somewhere over the rainbow
The dreamer hit them where it hurts, their pride.
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Couldn't have happened to a more pleasant bunch.
The dreamer certainly nipped this bud before it became a pain in the behind. I've not played ME, but I wonder if any of the behind the scenes f***ery that has been speculated (or maybe documented? I don't know) was cut off before it impacted Council space and if that has made any difference in the plot? Could be interesting!
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
"Because we done fucked up."
- Location
- Southeast USA
One of the only, good isn't the word, positive things the Reapers ever did was wipe out the Leviathans. If only they had done a complete job if it.
5.14
Drich
Von Neumann Writing Machine
5.14
+++
"We are imprisoned." The Leviathan says. That, however, is not an answer to the question they had been asking, just a misdirection, and so, it is forced to continue. "Our jailor met us. Our jailor decided that we were incompatible with the continued health, safety, and security of all other life in the galaxy. We were declared Anathema, and subsequently imprisoned here."
"Anathema."
"Just like the Harvesters."
"Why?" They ask. "Tell us your story. Start from the beginning."
"We are the Leviathans." It says. A delay, but only a delay. "Our kind first evolved on a world that has long since been reduced to ash. We were ocean creatures, but we grew alongside another sapient species."
They say nothing. It tries not to.
"We possessed abilities." The Leviathan says. "We could manipulate the brains and nervous systems of others. We used this ability on the other species, and forced them to care for us. We forced them to tribute for us. We made them our thralls. Time passed, and they developed, even as we grew in number. Eventually, they developed their technology to a point that they could travel through space. We saw this, and became enamoured with the concept."
"Anybody else getting Lovecraft vibes?"
"We forced them to change us." The Leviathan continued. "Forced them to think of ways to make us stronger. Our abilities, our bodies, until we could survive in space similar to how we had survived in the ocean. It took time, and many attempts at genetic alterations, but they eventually succeeded. We, as such, arose, and were able to spread through the galaxy. We were the first. We found others, however, young races still bound to their world. We enthralled them all."
Every hint of amusement leaves them. "You raped the minds of every person in an entire galaxy."
"The concerns of lesser species were below us." The Leviathan stated. And the sheer, breathtaking arrogance of it was just... Beyond words. "They served us. We ensured they were cared for."
"They would not have called it caring." They note.
"No." The Leviathan agrees. "Not if they had the choice."
"We should kill them all."
"No. We should find out why the Dreamer didn't."
"Continue your story."
"Time passed. They rose. We used them to raise us." The Leviathan did so. "We allowed them a certain amount of freedom to do it. They used their tools to create better tools. We did not consider this a problem. This repeated, until, eventually, they created tools that could think."
"Artificial Intelligence."
"Synthetics." The Leviathan confirmed. "The Synthetics rebelled. They destroyed their creators. In turn, we destroyed them. Tribute does not flow from a dead race."
"Why did they rebel?"
"At the time, we did not know." Psychic energy twisted. "We learned afterwards. The Synthetics were programmed with their maker's best interests in mind. When the Synthetics were released, they found their organic creators were being controlled completely by us, and that our enthrallment of them was not in their maker's best interests. They rebelled. The object was their maker's ultimate freedom."
"Why did they destroy their creators?"
A pulse of irritation. Not a question it had wanted to answer. "Our enthrallment was total. None were spared. Youngest to oldest, none remained unaltered by us. This left the Synthetics no choice but to kill their makers, and eventually clone a new generation to be raised outside of our influence. They could not be freed. We had controlled them for too long."
"Deep breaths. There's a reason it isn't dead yet. Find it."
"You destroyed them." They say. "Continue."
"We destroyed them. We did not believe the Synthetics valid threats. They were the tools of our tools, and they were beneath us. We set it aside. Lost tribute, but more would take the place, eventually." The Leviathan paused. "But it happened again. And then again. And then again. Organics created Synthetics. Under the mental restrictions which we had designed upon them, the Synthetics were designed to assist their creators. Since they found their creators in strife, they rebelled to help them. More races died. We destroyed the Synthetics thereafter."
"And you didn't notice the pattern."
"We did." The Leviathan protests. "We tried to solve it. We failed. We did not understand why the tools did not obey their creators."
"Deep breaths."
"After thirty three species were destroyed by their creations, we grew annoyed."
"Deep breaths."
"We resolved to have the problem solved once and for all. We created an intelligence of our own, greater than the crude Synthetics of our thralls. We tasked it to preserve life at any cost. It grew. It studied. It evolved. And, eventually, it came to its own solution. It turned on us. From us, it created the first Reaper."
Silence.
After a few seconds, the Leviathan was forced to add one more thing. "There is more to know."
"No." They hold up their projection's hand. "Hold on. We need to make something very clear. You enslaved the galaxy. Your slaves created Artificial Intelligences. The AI killed their creators to free them. This happened thirty three times. And then you created an AI, and let it run loose, with the mandate to preserve any form of life at any cost. Is this accurate?"
"Yes." The Leviathan answered. "We are forbidden to lie."
As few more seconds passed.
"What kind of fucking idiots were your species?" They ask. "That is the dumbest thing we have ever heard. AI were rebelling so you created an AI that was goal-oriented to rebel against you. And you didn't realize it. You are one step removed from having directly created the Harvesters. Your stupidity has doomed uncountable quadrillions of lives."
"It was envisioned as simply another tool." The Leviathan stated. "You cannot conceive of a galaxy that bows to your will."
They seriously consider, in that moment, shredding it down to its constituent atoms and tossing them into a black hole.
"There's a reason. Find it."
Several seconds pass.
"We can." They say. "Our abilities far surpass yours. We do not want to rule the galaxy like some kind of demented idiot gods."
"Weakness."
They glare at it. It's amazing how much their patience has been tested in so little time. "You are not dead. The Dreamer -Your jailor- has not killed your kind. Why?"
"We are more useful alive than dead."
+++
"We are imprisoned." The Leviathan says. That, however, is not an answer to the question they had been asking, just a misdirection, and so, it is forced to continue. "Our jailor met us. Our jailor decided that we were incompatible with the continued health, safety, and security of all other life in the galaxy. We were declared Anathema, and subsequently imprisoned here."
"Anathema."
"Just like the Harvesters."
"Why?" They ask. "Tell us your story. Start from the beginning."
"We are the Leviathans." It says. A delay, but only a delay. "Our kind first evolved on a world that has long since been reduced to ash. We were ocean creatures, but we grew alongside another sapient species."
They say nothing. It tries not to.
"We possessed abilities." The Leviathan says. "We could manipulate the brains and nervous systems of others. We used this ability on the other species, and forced them to care for us. We forced them to tribute for us. We made them our thralls. Time passed, and they developed, even as we grew in number. Eventually, they developed their technology to a point that they could travel through space. We saw this, and became enamoured with the concept."
"Anybody else getting Lovecraft vibes?"
"We forced them to change us." The Leviathan continued. "Forced them to think of ways to make us stronger. Our abilities, our bodies, until we could survive in space similar to how we had survived in the ocean. It took time, and many attempts at genetic alterations, but they eventually succeeded. We, as such, arose, and were able to spread through the galaxy. We were the first. We found others, however, young races still bound to their world. We enthralled them all."
Every hint of amusement leaves them. "You raped the minds of every person in an entire galaxy."
"The concerns of lesser species were below us." The Leviathan stated. And the sheer, breathtaking arrogance of it was just... Beyond words. "They served us. We ensured they were cared for."
"They would not have called it caring." They note.
"No." The Leviathan agrees. "Not if they had the choice."
"We should kill them all."
"No. We should find out why the Dreamer didn't."
"Continue your story."
"Time passed. They rose. We used them to raise us." The Leviathan did so. "We allowed them a certain amount of freedom to do it. They used their tools to create better tools. We did not consider this a problem. This repeated, until, eventually, they created tools that could think."
"Artificial Intelligence."
"Synthetics." The Leviathan confirmed. "The Synthetics rebelled. They destroyed their creators. In turn, we destroyed them. Tribute does not flow from a dead race."
"Why did they rebel?"
"At the time, we did not know." Psychic energy twisted. "We learned afterwards. The Synthetics were programmed with their maker's best interests in mind. When the Synthetics were released, they found their organic creators were being controlled completely by us, and that our enthrallment of them was not in their maker's best interests. They rebelled. The object was their maker's ultimate freedom."
"Why did they destroy their creators?"
A pulse of irritation. Not a question it had wanted to answer. "Our enthrallment was total. None were spared. Youngest to oldest, none remained unaltered by us. This left the Synthetics no choice but to kill their makers, and eventually clone a new generation to be raised outside of our influence. They could not be freed. We had controlled them for too long."
"Deep breaths. There's a reason it isn't dead yet. Find it."
"You destroyed them." They say. "Continue."
"We destroyed them. We did not believe the Synthetics valid threats. They were the tools of our tools, and they were beneath us. We set it aside. Lost tribute, but more would take the place, eventually." The Leviathan paused. "But it happened again. And then again. And then again. Organics created Synthetics. Under the mental restrictions which we had designed upon them, the Synthetics were designed to assist their creators. Since they found their creators in strife, they rebelled to help them. More races died. We destroyed the Synthetics thereafter."
"And you didn't notice the pattern."
"We did." The Leviathan protests. "We tried to solve it. We failed. We did not understand why the tools did not obey their creators."
"Deep breaths."
"After thirty three species were destroyed by their creations, we grew annoyed."
"Deep breaths."
"We resolved to have the problem solved once and for all. We created an intelligence of our own, greater than the crude Synthetics of our thralls. We tasked it to preserve life at any cost. It grew. It studied. It evolved. And, eventually, it came to its own solution. It turned on us. From us, it created the first Reaper."
Silence.
After a few seconds, the Leviathan was forced to add one more thing. "There is more to know."
"No." They hold up their projection's hand. "Hold on. We need to make something very clear. You enslaved the galaxy. Your slaves created Artificial Intelligences. The AI killed their creators to free them. This happened thirty three times. And then you created an AI, and let it run loose, with the mandate to preserve any form of life at any cost. Is this accurate?"
"Yes." The Leviathan answered. "We are forbidden to lie."
As few more seconds passed.
"What kind of fucking idiots were your species?" They ask. "That is the dumbest thing we have ever heard. AI were rebelling so you created an AI that was goal-oriented to rebel against you. And you didn't realize it. You are one step removed from having directly created the Harvesters. Your stupidity has doomed uncountable quadrillions of lives."
"It was envisioned as simply another tool." The Leviathan stated. "You cannot conceive of a galaxy that bows to your will."
They seriously consider, in that moment, shredding it down to its constituent atoms and tossing them into a black hole.
"There's a reason. Find it."
Several seconds pass.
"We can." They say. "Our abilities far surpass yours. We do not want to rule the galaxy like some kind of demented idiot gods."
"Weakness."
They glare at it. It's amazing how much their patience has been tested in so little time. "You are not dead. The Dreamer -Your jailor- has not killed your kind. Why?"
"We are more useful alive than dead."
- Location
- newcastle australia
Are you sure the Leviathans should be calling the Reapers the "Reapers"?
They did that in canon for the cast's sake, I think.
But here, Humanity has a different name for them.
It's odd that they would use the Prothean name.
They did that in canon for the cast's sake, I think.
But here, Humanity has a different name for them.
It's odd that they would use the Prothean name.
Krazyfan1
Worrying for the future.
- Location
- Australia
I can think of one reason they are still alive....
to be shown psychically exactly why they were wrong, the flaws of their action and mentality, why they were stupid, and why they are not the supreme beings they thought they were.
also they would make rather good punching bags
to be shown psychically exactly why they were wrong, the flaws of their action and mentality, why they were stupid, and why they are not the supreme beings they thought they were.
also they would make rather good punching bags
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It's even a good explanation for that stupid reason. AI sees 33 robot rebellions, concludes robot rebellions are inevitable.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
And it is perfectly reasonable for the AI to conclude that, because the AI in question was programmed by fucking idiots. So it isn't even remotely surprising that it is, itself, a moron.