//------------------------------// // Cipher // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// Chapter 12 Cipher Try fiddling with the omni-tool %44 It's probably nothing. Fluttershy thought as she averted her gaze from the turian and focussed on her left foreleg. She was able to control the activation and the de-activation of the omni-tool it contained pretty well but browsing through the menu was still... problematic. Using her right hoof she pressed the necessary buttons to activate a program that would help the tool attune to her physiology. When activated the program would light up options and Fluttershy would have to try to mentally hit those buttons, after a couple of seconds another button would light up and she'd have to repeat the exercise until the program had run its course. "Stupid thing still doesn't work" She grumbled as after the program was done and she still wasn't able to reliably hit any of the buttons on the omni-tool. Why doesn't it work, any of the other races can just happily control their omni-tools with just neural commands so why can't... I... Is the solution going to be that simple? Fluttershy shot up from her chair as she had a revelation that might just be the solution to the problem she was having. Quickly making her way to one of the Normandy's consoles she logged into the ship's medical database and pulled her medical scans, transferring them to her omni-tool. It was something Tali had said when she had first seen Fluttershy's medical scans that made the thing snap in the pegasus's mind. Tali was an engineer, not a biologist! The quarian must have assumed the omni-tool would be able to connect to Fluttershy's nervous system because that was what it did with everyone else, not realizing that was because the tools had the location of the major nerves of all other species already programmed in. Fluttershy's medical scan was one of kind and simply wasn't present in that database! The pegasus, once again, used her right hoof to tap commands into the omni tool and uploaded the scan of her nervous system into the appropriate repository and set it to default. The implants furiously tingled as they changed their configuration to match the pegasus's nerves, coming to a stop as they found and connected to the appropriate places. Fluttershy reactivated the calibration program again and went through it one more time, every time a button would light up she'd mentally try pressing it. Only this time the buttons activated the moment she thought about pressing them. Her heart fluttered in excitement as she had run through the program in record time. Activating the tool again she experimentally pressed a button... ...and another one... ...and another one... It wasn't long until she was rapidly scrolling through menus without hitting a wrong button once. The pegasus squealed in delight as she finally managed to figure out how to control the tool, only to turn bright red as there were a couple of crew members trying to suppress laughter at hearing the happy horse noises Fluttershy had made. Luckily for the pegasus she was saved more embarrassment by the intercom announcing that the CO, Commander Shepard, was back on the ship. Quickly scrolling down to her contacts she found the Commander to be among them, Does Fluttershy find the courage to call the Commander? Yes Fluttershy's usual anxiety being completely absent after having finally figured out how to use her omni-tool, the pegasus pressed call on the menu and started connecting to the Commander who almost instantaneously picked up. "Well, what do we have here? Did someone finally figure out how to use their omni-tool?" He said, the tone of voice betraying the massive grin the Commander must have had on his face. "Yes, I could tell you how I did it if you want?" Fluttershy replied with a smile of her own. Shepard chuckled, "I'd like to at some point but now I want you to get Ashley and Garrus and get them up to the comm room. There's a lot for us to discuss," "Yes, Sir!" Fluttershy replied with a grin and terminated the connection, making her way to the medbay where she found Ashley talking to Chakwas and informed her that the Commander wanted her present in the comm room. Garrus was informed after and the three of them quickly made their way to the comm room where the others were already waiting. The moment Fluttershy entered, she noticed that the commander was looking slightly pale as he sat on a chair at the back of the room. "Are you okay, Commander?" She immediately asked with concern, Shepard nodded his head. "I got something called the Cipher, something that's supposed to make my mind work as the one of a prothean, from an asari that was trapped by the creature below the colony. It shook me up a bit but I'll be fine, thanks for the concern." He explained, Fluttershy took a seat so the meeting could start. "Commander, if you would, I might be able to make sense of your vision," Liara started, "if I join my consciousness to yours, my knowledge of the protheans might help us to unravel what your vision means." She told the Commander. "Isn't that dangerous?" Fluttershy asked, concerned for the wellbeing of Shepard. Liara shook her head, "It's something asari can do instinctively, though I've never done it before I'm confident that I'm able to do it." She explained as both she and Shepard stood up and faced each other, Fluttershy also walked up to the two and looked up at the Commander. "I'm not sure if I can condone this, Commander, but if you think it's necessary I won't stop you." She told Shepard who sighed. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I need to know what this vision is about." He told the pegasus before turning back to Liara, "Do it." Fluttershy remained close to the two so she could intervene immediately if something were to go wrong. Liara closed her eyes and spoke. "Relax, Commander." She said as Fluttershy suddenly felt pressure building behind her eyes, the same feeling she always had when using the stare but before she could say anything Liara continued, "Embrace Eternity!" Both Liara's and Fluttershy's eyes went completely black as Fluttershy felt the presence of two others in her mind and a vision started playing. Images of ruins played through their minds, screaming creatures running away from threats, The melding of electronic and biological components while more of the screams from creatures could be heard, The destruction of cities by monstrosities. And then, a view of a binary star system, quickly changing to the perspective of a jet black planet orbiting the two stars. Suddenly the view rushed towards the black planet until everything was black and the only thing visible was an insect-like ship coming towards them. Fluttershy panted in cold sweat as she was released from the vision, she had pushed herself away from the two aliens standing in the middle of the room while the vision was playing and was now being held in place by Tali. The quarian was singing the lullaby which had calmed down the pegasus the first time they had met in the Citadel. Her breathing increased as she processed the images and sounds in her mind. To anyone else the sounds wouldn't have made any sense and would only add confusion to the ominous images but to Fluttershy... ...She could understand every single one of the screams and pleas for help. For the first time in her life, she was ungrateful that she was able to understand the language of other species but instead of the cold dread that had initially struck her another feeling was now bubbling up to the surface. A feeling the shy pegasus had little experience with—Anger, an extreme repugnance towards the machines who had brought this about. How DARE they do this to ANYONE! Those repulsive things have NO right to do ANY of this! The lingering guilt Fluttershy felt about shooting the geth was burned away by the raging anger as she imagined the fate of her friends if the reapers were to ever find her homeworld. Like Garrus had said, killing the geth only served to make the galaxy a safer place. 1. [I want to get out there with you to help stop them] 2. W-why would they do this! 3. What are we going to do about those things? 4. [I'll help you kill them all!] [Vote link]