Аннотация: Irene admits to Niall and Garrus that she is a mentalist. Installing shields for Nailus.
Chapter 15: Protecting the Mind: The First Experiment
I was awakened by the insistent beeping of the instrumentron. Barely opening my eyes, I stared blearily at our rookery, rubbing my side. Yesterday we crawled home to Nihlus in a barely sane state: Liara was drawn to feats, Garrus followed his kinsman at full speed, snoring as he walked, I perceived reality very vaguely, but I had enough to orient myself in space. The relatively sane Nilus was steering us. Since his bachelor apartment had only two armchairs and a short sofa in addition to an almost square bed, we fell on the bed together without agreeing. Without undressing. I was smart enough to at least take off my weapon and take off my shoes. Now Liara was sleeping, curled up at the head of the bed, scooping up all three pillows and a significant part of the thin blanket, Garrus was sleeping across the bed at the very edge, with his arm hanging down, Nihlus was diagonally, and I was squeezed between two Turians, putting my head on his stomach and my legs on Garrus' lap..
Atas... Students in a dorm after drinking, not four reasonable adults! Although... What the fuck! We want to unwind, so we will have fun to the best of our sick imagination! Nearby, something crackled softly and plaintively, interrupting the lazy run of thoughts in his aching head. I turned towards the sound. Oh my... Garrus's visor! The guy didn't turn his head very well, and the unique device almost arched! A little more pressure, and the visor will simply snap! I carefully removed the thing from Garrus' head.: He'll be very upset if he breaks it. To put it mildly. Very gently...
The drone chirped, echoing from Nihlus hand. I unfolded the screen. Who can't sleep there? The subscriber... She squinted her eyes and read it... HOLY SHIT! Advisor Sparatus! I turned my hand over to Nihlus, who was purring in his sleep, and turned on his omny-tools. Incoming call, subscriber - Advisor Sparatus!
The dream was blown away in a moment! Nihlus! I shook the sleeping Turian by the shoulder.
"Rin... leave me alone... Let me sleep..." he groaned, trying to bury his head under the covers, but Liara only clenched her fists tighter, not giving up a single millimeter of what she had honestly captured.
"GET UP!" I jerked him onto his back, preventing him from curling up and passing out again. "Advisor Sparatus is in touch!"
A moment to realize my words... The green eyes snapped open, and Nihlus flew up on the bed, jumped to his feet with a jerk, and stared at the golden screen. After exchanging glances, we rushed out of the room, trying to make ourselves look more or less decent on the way. I smoothed my hair, straightened my twisted dress. In just a minute, we sat down decorously on the couch, and Nihlus accepted the challenge, turning his hand so that my face got into the camera.
"Advisor Sparatus!" Nihlus inclined his head in a bow, and I repeated his gesture.
"The Nihlus spectr." a short pause, a clearly visible grin in his eyes. "Irene's spectr. There is information about the matriarch Benezia."
Our instrumentrons beeped synchronously, reporting the reception of an incoming information packet. I immediately opened the file and started reading.
"A Novereya." I turned off the drone. "We're leaving as soon as the ship is loaded."
The advisor hung up with just a brief nod. Except he had a look... yeah... I sprawled on the slightly sloping back of the couch, looking into the gloomy and still sleepy green eyes.
"It's started. A Novereya. Rachni. Benezia. The way to Ilos." Pain shot through his temples. "Damn it! Shove these two to sleep while I find out what's on the Normandy."
Nielus smiled.
"Get yourself cleaned up first."
I moaned softly.
"I don't even want to imagine what Sparatus thought when he saw our sleepy faces! I wonder if he's already been informed about how we famously walked yesterday?"
"I suppose... yes. The C-sec taps the Council on Spectr with some special cynicism and pleasure." Nihlus shook his head and laughed softly, purring. "And Rin... You have Garrus's visor in your hand."
And it's true. I was still clutching this unique combat device in my left hand. I groaned softly.
"He almost broke it. I had to take it off."
"Vakarian is more worried about this toy than he is about his own skin." The Turian grunted, twitching his mandibles. "Sometimes it seems to me that he's only protecting his stupid head because he's wearing a visor."
"It's not true!" A low, hoarse, vibrating voice rang out.
Garrus stood at the door, leaning his hand on the jamb. Yawning profusely, Vakarian crawled up to us and fell into a chair with a soft groan. He squinted at his visor in my hand.
"Thank you."
"No problem." I handed the visor to the owner. "From now on, take it off. He cracked so plaintively that I sinfully thought that was it... Fuck your visor."
Garrus abruptly straightened up, grabbed his joy, carefully examined the device, turned it on, tested it, and returned it to its rightful place with a sigh of relief. Nihlus and I exchanged glances and laughed.
"Is Liara asleep?"
Garrus nodded.
"As I understand it, further rest is over?"
"Exactly!"
Naylus stood up.
"I'm going to get something to chew." He looked at me and stopped. "Sorry. I only have dextro products."
"It'll do for me. And we'll feed Liara on the way." While Nihlus was doing magic in the kitchen, I cleaned up and contacted Pressley. From the arsenal. There's no need for the XO to know where I've been and in what company. Although, judging by his displeased face, I guessed it anyway.
"Captain." Presley saluted.
"Pressley, finish loading and recall the crew to the ship. We're flying out."
"How much time do I have?"
"How long will it take you to finish loading and inspection?"
"Three o'clock."
"We're leaving in four. Finish without haste. Is the Joker on board?"
"Yes."
"Let's start calculating the jump to Novereya."
I broke the connection. It's good to have someone to offload the ship's everyday problems on! No matter how Pressley mumbled, he was an excellent executive officer and actually served as a captain. I was just defending my watches. However, I got to know the crew and the ship in all seriousness, paying special attention to the technical characteristics of the ship and supplies. Since our butler is such a redneck ass. Ever since my third life, I have faithfully remembered one truth: your people should not need anything! While you can, stock up on everything you can. On a long-range raid, you never know what might be useful. And never skimp on food, medicines, weapons and armor.
All the participants of yesterday's drinking party have already gathered in the living room. A slightly greenish Liara slowly drained water from a large glass, the Turians quickly filled the table with plates. The pretty azari turned even greener at one glance at the food, even if it was inedible for her, turned pale and stormed out of the hall.
"Is she sick?" I asked, settling down on the couch next to Garrus.
"Liara doesn't know how to drink at all." Naylus informed me with a chuckle. "As I understand it, this is her first serious drinking session."
"Oh! Virgo Azari is enjoying all the delights of her first hangover!" I grinned at him. "I wonder if that's going to stop her when we go on our next spree."
The Turians exchanged glances.
"Are we going to go?" Nihlus asked cautiously.
"And why not? Or are you against it?"
The expressive faces made it very clear how "against" they were.
"That's what I'm talking about. At least this time I didn't see Dr. Chakwas, as I overslept. It's not worth crawling onto the ship on horns."
The guilty look in Vakarian's blue eyes and lowered muzzle caused an involuntary chuckle.
"And, Garrus, stop feeling guilty."
"I supported you in the idea of going to the ship in this form."
"And I had no other options." I shrugged my shoulders.
"But now there is." Naylus pressed on. "By the way, I'm not going to risk going to Vakarian on a drunken head."
Garrus grimaced, which looked very funny on his face: the mandibles were firmly pressed against his cheeks, the stiff upper lip was lifted, showing sharp fangs, the chitinous shields above his eyes had shifted to the bridge of his nose.
"And when you're sober, you should be careful when visiting me." The guy said sourly, waving his hand vaguely.
"It's easier for you to move out."
"Who's going to buy MY place?.." Garrus muttered.
"The Citadel administration."
"For half the cost."
"Better than finding charred ruins again. Sell it before it gets blown up again."
Garrus sighed heavily and acknowledged the validity of his kinsman's words, opened the omny tool and typed in a message to the Citadel administration. Nihlus with the words: "Wait a minute," he finished writing something, signed his name, and returned to his seat with satisfaction.
"At least they won't risk heating it up."
"Thank you."
Nihlus waved it away.
While Liara was recovering, having occupied the bathroom, we ate quickly and managed to change into our native armor, after which, taking the suffering Asari in tow, we went first to Garrus for his things, and then to the docks. About halfway along the way, Liara came to her senses, and we stopped at a street cafe, giving her the opportunity to have breakfast. Funnily enough, there was not a shadow of regret on the little blue girl's face for yesterday's lawlessness. Azari gave up on our banter, quite reasonably stating that this was also an experience. We arrived at the docks in perfect order and without traces of yesterday's revelry, and Garrus left most of his stuff in the storage room for an unknown period. He's a bum like me now.
We were greeted by a flurry of activity on the ship: the crew was preparing for departure, boxes with weapons and ammunition, food containers and fuel cells were loaded onto the Normandy. A cattle bataler stood at the entrance to the hold and carefully checked the cargo being delivered on board. In the galley, I met a tall, burly man who was getting settled in and commanding the movers filling the grocery warehouse. It turned out to be our cook. I didn't bother him. It's a long flight, and I'll have time to get to know him and appreciate his cooking.
I don't know how Pressley achieved this, but exactly four hours after my call, the Normandy undocked from the Citadel and raced at full speed to the repeater.
The four days of flight to Noveria were somewhat hectic. The crew was disassembling the cargo, unpacking and checking new weapons, some of which were delivered to us from the Special Corps at the request of Nihlus. The council did not refuse him, and the landing party received good armor and weapons. Everyone was busy. Garrus and Tali took care of our Mako, bringing it to perfection, Rex sat down in the arsenal with a new weapon, Liara and Kayden were doing something there in the corner of the hold, periodically flashing biotics, and I spent most of my time in meditation. The aura unfolded completely, the soul merged with the body, mentalism and empathy reached full capacity, and now I could finally deal with the problem of protecting the mind from the influence of the Reapers.
My self-imposed seclusion caused a lot of gossip and an immediate reaction from those whom I already mentally called friends, and by the evening of the second day of the flight, Nihlus came to me. To find out what happened.
The buzzer on the cabin door sounded thinly. Without opening my eyes, I shifted my attention from the inner world to the real world. Nihlus. What was he doing at this hour? Without getting up, I pressed the button, opening the doors. Banal telekinesis is the simplest manifestation of mentalism.
"Come in."
The Turian came in, looking at my cabin with interest.
"Am I interrupting?"
"No," The door closed softly behind him. "On business or just like that?"
"You tell me." Nihlus pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down on it. "You've been in the cabin all day. She didn't even go out to the dining room."
"Mentalism has been activated." I lifted the datapad from the edge of the bed and moved it to the table. I'm sitting here thinking about how to protect my mind from the Reaper's influence."
Nihlus flashed interest, and I muted my perception.
"Any ideas?" It's hard to say. Usually, the consciousness of an intelligent being far from the mental sciences, regardless of his race, has natural means of protection. One of them is a mental shield. Its power and strength directly depend on the willpower of a reasonable person and on his mental state. But in your reality, I noticed a strange thing: this natural shield is practically transparent and is not able to protect even from an unconscious surface scan! I have to consciously make an effort not to read the thoughts of others. And that's the problem. I can't figure out what led to these results."
"And me?"
"And you. But you are a biotic, and all biotics have weak protection, but at least it is present!"
"I'm not a biotic." the man objected to me, shaking his head slightly.
"Trust me. You are quite able to manipulate this "dark energy" of yours, even if not at the same level as Liara, but it is enough to strengthen your own body."
Nihlus didn't argue.
"Is it possible to strengthen protection on the mind?"
"I don't know. We must try."
"Is this even possible?"
"Theoretically, yes." I rubbed my temples. "There is a whole science of erecting shields and labyrinths around the core of personality and creating Citadels of Memory. But I do not know how these techniques can be applied to the inhabitants of this reality."
"Try it and find out." The Turian said calmly.
"Try..." I grimaced. "Who's going to let a mentalist mess with their brains?"
Nihlus looked at me strangely and said softly:
"I"
I froze in place, staring intently into the calm green eyes. The Turian agreed without a shadow of a doubt, with fierce confidence and with a full understanding of the situation. He's REALLY willing to let me get into his mind!
"Nihlus, do you even understand WHAT you're offering me?" I asked cautiously.
"Full access to your mind and memory." He replied calmly.
"Do you understand that I can do ANYTHING?"
"Can't you do it anyway?" with a slight irony in his voice, he asked, tilting his head slightly to one side. "Without asking permission."
"I can."
"I'm sure I wouldn't even be able to notice the intrusion if you wanted to." The irony in the vibrating voice sounded clearer.
"You couldn't." I admitted. "That's why they don't like us so much. Mentalists are shunned as if they were... like the plague. They're afraid for their secrets." I looked up at the calm face of the Turian. "And are you ready to go for such an experiment?"
In response, a slight shrug of the shoulders.
"And why not?"
"Your secrets will cease to be secrets."
Nihlus rubbed his comb tiredly and looked at me strangely.
"I'm still alive because of you." He raised his hand, interrupting my objections. "Don't argue. I've done a lot in my life... Unsightly. And I'll do a lot more. Saren is my teacher for a reason. I don't care if you see something wrong. Rather..." here he stopped, averted his eyes a little, "hurry up... I'm worried about your reaction."
"Are you saying this to someone who doomed an entire civilization two lifetimes ago, deliberately leading the dominant species to genocide?" I said softly.
Nihlus twitched his mandibles in surprise.
"Was that for what?"
"Did not have. It was just the only way I could find to give this reality a chance to survive. At least, it's something I can handle. I completely destroyed the entire chain of events, turning from a hero into a bloody nightmare. Instead of saving the Empire in the war, become its hero and forever consolidate the status of the immortal Alar as the dominant species... I became... their undoing. New civilizations and other races will rise on their bones, but they... a complete genocide. I played the role of a kind of Reaper."
Nihlus shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
"Sometimes the end justifies the means."
"Do you think so?"
"Take a look for yourself." He grinned, gazing intently into my eyes.
I didn't look at it. There was no need. His emotions were already easy to read and without any resistance, as if he hadn't set out to hide them at least a little. Usually, a conscious desire really allows you to hide your feelings and thoughts behind the barriers of the will, but now... I shook my head.
"I hope you won't regret it later."
In response, a slight smile and irony.
"What is required of me?"
"Sit comfortably so that you don't fall down if you suddenly lose consciousness or control over your body. Come here."
Nihlus moved to the bed, leaned against the back. I knelt down and gently cupped his head in my hands, placing my thumbs on his forehead.
"Look into my eyes. And try not to think about anything, otherwise I'm guaranteed to read it." A short nod. I stared into his calm green eyes and easily fell into his mind.
A cursory mind scan horrified me. Not like shields... No protection at all! Only the basic one at the core of the personality, which keeps the psyche and mind in a normal state and separates consciousness from the subconscious, and the first veil. This is the last bastion. He will fall and the intelligent being will be mired in visions from the depths of his own mind, slowly going mad and losing the ability to think coherently. The natural shields are full of holes and it's not clear what to hold on to. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! How?! There was a lot of work to be done. But first, we need to protect the core of our personality so that no one can get in and bookmark it. I slipped into the depths of his mind, starting to build a maze.
Words cannot describe the work of a mentalist. Building associative connections, protective veils and unconscious reflexes to the slightest external changes in the personal core, installing dynamic shields that respond to fluctuations in the veil. I didn't touch his memory. We will start building the Citadel after the first protection takes root and the natural shields rise.
I strengthened them by relying on willpower and the unconscious instinct of any mind to preserve its freedom and integrity of personality. As a side effect, Nihlus has almost completely lost his remaining gullibility. No, he hadn't become paranoid, it was just that earning his trust wouldn't be easy. Cold calculation and reasonable fears will prevail until he CONSCIOUSLY includes a reasonable person in the inner circle.
I didn't watch how much time I spent, but gradually the natural shield tightened the holes and, although it remained almost completely transparent, at least it stood up, as it should. And it will be possible to strengthen it next time with the conscious help of the host. That's enough for the first time. Let's see which changes will take root and which ones will crumble.
I broke the contact and moved away, staring intently into the completely glassy, devoid of even a glimmer of reason, green eyes.
"Nihlus!"
The Turian trembled slightly, twitched and shuddered all over, and I saw intelligence appear in his eyes. Nihlus blinked and shook his head.
"Nihlus!"
"I hear." He answered dully.
"How does it feel?"
"Strange." He stood up slowly, swaying slightly. "My mind is in a daze."
"Learn more!"
"It's like I'm looking through thick glass." he replied distantly.
"Is perception clouded?"
"No," The Turian suddenly shook his whole body. "The lethargy goes away, but the feeling of detachment remains."
You need to get some sleep. This is the result of the installation of the first shield. Let's go. I accompanied Nihlus to his cabin, which he shared with Garrus after returning from the Citadel. Garrus was there, watching his kinsman's slow movements with concern.
"What happened?" he asked softly.
"Mind overload." I replied. "He needs to get some sleep."
Naylus silently undressed and lay down on the bed, and I put him to sleep with a light mental touch. He will sleep for ten hours until the effects subside.
"Garrus, make sure no one bothers him until he wakes up."
Garrus nodded, looking from me to Nihlus with concern in his light blue eyes.
"Something happened?"
"It's not a big deal." I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Today we tried to put protection on his mind. I don't want Nihlus to repeat Saren's fate when we encounter the Reaper."
Garrus blinked.
"How?"
Should him say it or not? I stared intently at the expressive face of the Turian, looking worriedly at the already sleeping Nihlus, then at me. To be honest... Sooner or later, he'll find out everything. Is it worth starting this chain of frankness? And why not?
There is a high probability that I will have to gut Benezia's brains in front of the landing party fighters. Nihlus will definitely support me, but Garrus will... he may not forgive the distrust. Am I ready to lose his trust for the dubious value of keeping this secret? Definitely not.
"I can work with consciousness." I confessed.
"Can you read minds?"
Looking into bright light blue eyes... me... I said it absolutely honestly:
"Yes, I can read other people's thoughts and emotions if I want to." Grimacing, I replied. "It's just that you have to spend more effort NOT to HEAR this noise! It's like standing in a crowd of loudly and incoherently screaming sentients. There is no desire to listen to everyone's words... rather, on the contrary, I want to cover my ears. So it is here. Mentalism is both a gift and a curse."
There was no desire to lie or cheat. Would I say that to Alenko? Never! Would you tell Liara? Who knows? But the trust that I literally physically felt from the light blue-eyed Turian demanded the same trust in return.
The flip side of mentalism.
I KNEW Garrus trusted me... I COULD FEEL it... and she trusted him, too. Without a shadow of a doubt, almost without hesitation, without hesitation. Trust in return for trust. The mental mirror effect that people like me suffer from. A dangerous effect. Dangerous, first of all, for me. It is because of the mirror that mentalists lose their identity, dissolving into other people's emotions, reacting sensitively like a wild animal. The eternal threat. Balancing on the edge of a blade. A gift is a curse.
"Are you a biotic?"
"I'm a mentalist. It's a natural gift. He doesn't show himself in any way externally." meeting the gaze of the Turian, I pressed: "There's no protection from people like me, unless you're a mentalist yourself. Nihlus even has a natural shield that is almost transparent! I can pull everything out if I want! From the first breath to the innermost thoughts that he himself had forgotten about! And he VOLUNTARILY agreed to it!" I shook my head. "I didn't dare to do that at the time."
"Why are you telling me?"
"You asked. I replied."
"Wrong question." Garrus shook his head. "Why did you tell ME?"
"Because I trust you." I honestly admitted.
Garrus jerked his head up, staring intently into my eyes. Looking for a trick? I shouldn't have. I was being completely sincere.
"The mentalist has it... a peculiar weakness. The dark side of the gift, dangerous for us. It's always there. For biotics, this is exhaustion and the risk of burning out the brain. We have a mirror effect and a serious risk of going crazy by dissolving into someone else's mind. Even when I completely block perception, I still instinctively feel the attitude of the reasonable towards me. Without intending to read the interlocutor, I intuitively feel his attitude and respond in kind. To hate with hatred, to malice with malice, to contempt with even greater contempt. I have to consciously control myself not to kill in response to a wish of evil or a perceived threat."
"And trust?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Trust breeds trust."
He understood WHAT I said.
"Are you that vulnerable to others?"
"Let's just say I've learned to distinguish my emotions from those inspired from the outside."
Garrus nodded slowly.
"Keep an eye on Nihlus. If he starts talking in his sleep or starts having seizures, call him immediately."
Despite his well-founded fears, Nihlus quietly slept until the middle of the day and left the cabin just in time for lunch.
Our new cook cooked very well, and for those who had strayed from the same type of ship's rations, it was generally fine. Moreover, he cooked equally well for both groups of reasonable people. While we were eating, I briefly scanned Nihlus, who was sitting nearby, and noticed an interesting picture: the natural shield not only took root, but also began to gain strength. It feels like all that was needed for a full-fledged formation was a starting push for the natural defense to unfold, as it should from nature.
""What's the result?"" - a clear, loud thought, directed directly at me, instantly attracted attention.
I looked up and met the sly gaze of green eyes. He quickly realized what bonuses the presence of a mentalist gives! Catching his gaze, I established a steady mental contact.
""Even better than I expected. The defense began to unfold on its own.""
""In other words, is the experiment considered successful?""
""Yes. Your natural defenses will reach a normal level just in time for your arrival on Noveria, if you don't slow down. Full protection.""
""That's not enough, is it?""
""No, of course not. But this is the basis. Without natural shields, it is impossible to install additional shields. Especially combat ones that will be able to withstand conscious aggression from a mentalist.""
""So, first we should wait for the end of the formation of the natural shield. That's good."" a quick glance at the wary Garrus. ""Does he know?""
""yeah. I mentioned my gift as a mentalist.""
""Are you going to protect him?""
""If he agrees. In an amicable way, it should be given to all the fighters of the landing group.""
""Can he be trusted?""
""Absolutely. Garrus will never betray.""
In response, a slight doubt, however, quickly faded. Garrus Vakarian was recognized as worthy and brought into an extremely narrow inner circle.
Nothing much happened before leaving the repeater channel. I've been watching how Nihlus natural shield unfolds and how the defenses at the core of his personality behave. I had to adjust it only once, but even then, in small ways. Garrus watched with interest and a strange thoughtfulness, but he was in no hurry to ask any questions, although he was happy to join our evening gatherings. Tali finally disappeared into the kingdom of Adams, practically without leaving the technical compartment. Liara took over Kayden's training, and our biotic crawled out of the hold only to eat and go to the infirmary. Rex also got a kick out of the blue-skinned fragile beauty, however, the Krogan did not refuse Asari lessons and enthusiastically smashed training targets under her strict guidance.
The ship shook during the exit from FTL, and the cheerful voice of the Joker announced:
"Exiting the repeater channel in the Pax system. Noveria is two hours away."