Life and Geth

Words in Italics are thoughts

Electronic communication

Words in bold are spoken by Geth

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Nothing.

Most people seem to think that being a machine means you feel cold, to go with that whole ‘resistance is futile’ stereotype. Well, people are wrong. As I look at my hands, I feel nothing.

*WE ARE APPROACHING TARGET PLANET.

Just because I don't feel anything doesn’t mean I’m not aware though. I can precisely move both of my ridiculously long fingers and my slightly shorter thumb.

*DISENGAGING FTL DRIVES.

When I woke up 3 days ago, I felt many things. I was scared, frightened, terrified, nearly crazy with fear and grief. Something happened when I went to sleep. When I woke up, I was in the body of a monster. One of the greatest evils in the fictional universe.

*MAVERICK-PLATFORM WILL LINK UP WITH EXTERNAL SENSORS.

I am a Heretic Geth Hopper.

As I sullenly walk over to the physical link-up mechanism, I still feel scared. I feel angry. I feel  loss. But all I can think about is that I can’t feel my fingers.

When I was on Earth, well MY Earth in 2012 anyway,  I always thought the Geth were kind of cool. It was interesting that such a synthetic species could not only grow but evolve. Of course that didn’t stop me from tea-bagging them in Mass Effect 3. But, sweet irony, now I’m ONE OF THEM. Somehow…

Why am I even listening to them?

I’ve asked myself that over a hundred times in the last few days. The answer is always the same. I can’t do anything. My conscious is trapped in a Geth Hopper, who is currently aboard a modified Geth Dropship, which is currently light-years from any planet that I know of, not to mention Earth.

What am I doing here?

That again has been asked and answered over a hundred times.  I am currently aboard a modified dropship, which contains several new technologies, including 4 nano-forges. These forges would be able to build several Geth platforms once we land. The mission is to investigate a planet beyond the Perseus Veil that has high energy readings similar to Eezo. The Geth Hopper was here to help direct the operation on the ground. Why I was here I have no idea. I’m not supposed to be here. But for some reason the Geth Intelligence didn’t even bat a metaphorical eye when I started screaming bloody murder on day one. Does that mean it adapted to my presence, or does it even care?

Can I ever get back home?

Apparently the dropship is a one way trip. But if I build the proper foundries and installations that are saved in the dropships memory banks, I could eventually build a ship to take me to… well somewhere. Earth, probably not. Unless I could somehow figure out a way to get a human body.

Either the scariest or most interesting part of all this is that this mental exercise took less than 3 seconds and I was barely halfway to the glorified USB port.

Now I know why Halo focused so much on rampancy. AIs must be bored to tears if this is how fast they think.

Leaning back in the holster, I looked up at the dim bulkhead of the dropship. I heard several ports open and connect to my back with a click.

…

While my head didn’t literally explode, I really wish it did.  As soon as I connect I have a splitting headache and go high at the same time!

WoooooooaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAH! PAIN! Owowowowowow! MY EYES ARE ON FIRE! GOD WHY!?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYY!?!

I could see the space around us in a myriad of different ways. Infrared, Mass Effect, you name it I could see it. Which would be fine, if not for two reasons. First, my mind wasn’t meant to look in 360 directions. Second, 180 degrees of that were staring at something that was brighter than the FRIGGIN’ SUN!

So I basically feel like someone is sticking red-hot needles in my eyes and forcefully giving me exotropia. One of my sub algorithms picks up on the idea and asks how I could feel pain. Or my eyes. I tell it to go screw itself over where my sanity is gently crying at the impossibility of it all.

After a lifetime ( a few seconds) of blinding pain I finally figure out I have the power to turn them off.

“>>DEACTIVATE ALL EXTERNAL SENSORS! NOW! MOTHER OF GOD THE PAIN!” I scream in monotone.

It takes .2 milliseconds for the dropship’s logic core to puzzle the last bit of my command before it complies. Blessed darkness fills my vision. Wishing yet again I could feel something so I could massage my non-existent retinas, I finally felt the pain recede enough for me to try seeing where I am again. But not without asking some questions first.

“Dropship, what the hell was that?”

* PLEASE DEFINE WHAT.

“What I just saw! It looked like a giant ball of light that was being shoved into by eye sockets!”

* MAVERICK-PLATFORM DOES NOT HAVE EYE-SOCKETS, AND THE OBJECT OUTSIDE IS THE TARGET PLANET

“Uh, that didn’t look like a planet to me. Are you sure your motherboard’s screwed on right?”

* RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC… MOTHERBOARD IS RUNNING AT OPTIMAL CONDITION. THE OBJECT BEFORE US IS THE TARGET PLANET.

“…”

“>> ACTIVATE FORWARD OPTICAL SENSOR AND SET BRIGHTNESS TO GO FROM 0 to 50%”

As my ‘vision’ slowly returns, I get treated to a beautiful sight. Hanging against the backdrop of pitch black space was a planet. I am immediately bombarded with statistics, like the planet has 8.95 SI, is made up of 30% Oxygen and 68% hydrogen, the biotic readings of the planet…

“Dropship.”

*YES MAVERICK-PLATFORM?

“Just give me optical, nothing else.”

*DEACTIVATING READOUTS.

As I looked at the planet, I realize why people think seeing Earth from space is so beautiful. Sure I’ve seen the pictures, and they are pretty awesome. But it’s different when YOU are the one orbiting something so massive staring down on it like the eyes of God. It makes you feel insignificant and giant at the same time.

“… pretty.”

Kudos brain, you always know just what to say.

“Ok dropship, we’re orbiting the ‘target planet’. Now what do we do?”

*AWAITING COMMAND TO LAND.

“Ok, go ahead and land.”

*

“…”

LAND THE DAMN SHIP!

* ACKNOWLEDGED. BEGINNING DESCENT.

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On the planet below…

A small purple quadruped looks up at the night sky, watching a giant meteor scream across the horizon. After contemplating the significance of this celestial wonder, she decides to write a letter to her mentor and her mentor’s sister asking if the event had been planned.

Dear Princess Celestia…