To the surprise of nearly everyone, the Zaherin system was Reaper free. As was the planet Namakli. It did make sense, given that they had beat the Reapers to the last bit of information and penetrated behind enemy lines under as near to total stealth as they could. That had taken time, but the time taken appeared to have been worth it, as there was no sign the Reapers have tumbled to the presence of the dig team here yet. In truth, without the landing coordinates, even they might have had trouble finding it. With the heavy funding provided to Task Force Aurora, along with the knowledge that any dig locations weren’t going to be priority for defense, Project Scarab had been built extremely well-concealed. Up to and including holographic camouflage systems that only came down once their shuttle transmitted Task Force Aurora codes to a seemingly blank wall in the canyon where the dig was located. Oriana, Edi, and Liara join Shepard off the shuttle, all of them on guard against a repeat of their last stop…only to sigh in relief as a seemingly normal acting Ann Bryson stepped out from behind a security barricade.

“Edi? What on earth are you doing here…and is that…Spectre Shepard?!”

Alliana waved, but let Edi do the talking. Clearly, the two know each other and…well…they have bad news for her.

“Hello, Ann. We are here following up on Leviathan. Several events have occurred while you were out of contact. Including, I’m sorry to inform you, the death of your father.”

Ann’s eyes widen and she pales, even as Oriana winced at the bluntness Edi showed, stepping forward quickly to speak up.

“Why don’t we take this somewhere quieter? We can tell you everything that happened, including about your father.”

Ann latched onto the offer immediately, swaying for a moment before nodding and inviting them in…

----

Shepard had taken the lead after they got to a small conference room, showing painful experience with delivering news like this as she talked Ann gently through what had happened. Not just to her father, but to Garneau as well. They gave her what time they could afterward, breaking for a bit to secure a similar artifact to the one that had turned the crew of the mining station in Aysur. Several of the scientists started reacting when they closed with the artifact…but stopped in place once it was sealed in a portable shielding unit. They appeared groggy, but had only lost the last minute or so of time, rather than the years the other victims had lost. Something which seemed to indicate that, like indoctrination, the artifact wasn’t instant. It required time and exposure to subvert people fully, which was good news for the people here, even if they would likely be placed under observation regardless.

Eventually, Ann managed to gather herself and called them back to the conference room. She was clearly still…not alright. But, given the news they had brought, that was completely understandable. And she was powering through to get at their reason for being here, at least.

“I can’t thank you, not yet, for the news you brought. But I do appreciate you bringing it, and for giving me time. Now, you said you’re following up on Leviathan. I take it you want to know what Project Scarab has found?”

Shepard nodded.

“Along with hoping that you might be able to help us make sense of the other clues we have. Edi?”

The android responded by taking control of the conference room’s holotable and displaying…basically everything they’d gathered so far. Ann looked it over curiously for several minutes, actually seeming to escape her grief a bit as she studied all the material she hadn’t been updated on.

“This…well I have good news and bad news.”

Everyone exchanged glances, before Shepard simply waved for Ann to lay it on them.

“The good news is that, combined with what I have and what I heard happened down in the labs, we can trace Leviathan. The bad news is that the only way to do so is for someone to allow themselves to be…possessed, if that’s the right term?”

Shepard grimaced, quickly shaking her head.

“Even if someone was willing, we can’t ask anyone to do that, we don’t even know the effects. Not really. Hell, we don’t even know what this Leviathan is, or if tracking it down is worth it.”

Ann shook her head firmly.

“That part I can help with. At least, I can give you a solid theory based on what we’ve found here and what you’ve brought me. I think the Leviathan is a survivor.”

That got confused blinks from most, but Oriana put it together, combing the comment with random bits they’d already discovered.

“Wait. You think that it’s a member of whatever species the Reapers originally got indoctrination tech from? That has to be at least several cycles ago, though!”

Ann shrugged.

“And? The Thorian lived through at least one cycle before ours. Possibly quite a few more. Also, I don’t think it is tech. I think it was a natural species ability. Biological, not technological. The Reapers figured out how to use it since they are, essentially, something in between.”

Everyone leaned back to consider that carefully. It was an interested looking Liara that, perhaps predictably, spoke up next.

“While it would be amazing to get the perspective on something that lived that long, what specifically makes you think that it is the case? Several of the other scientists seemed to believe it was a renegade Reaper of some sort. Possibly an earlier generation model, hence the weaker indoctrination.”

Ann nodded, then accessed the holotable to switch the display over to show some of their own research. On it were…cave paintings?

“That’s still possible. But the dig here on Namakli was important for a reason. It’s the oldest evidence we’ve found…and it’s not just a few cycles old. It’s a lot of cycles old. Dozens of cycles, at least. So many that their age compares to that of the oldest Mass Relays. It’s hard to be precise, but they are at least as old as the Omega-4 Relay. Which we already know is one of the oldest Relays in existence, or whose existence we’re aware of, anyway. That implies a lot all on its own, but the fact that not a single one of the murals depict violence is also telling.”

Liara considered that for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. As does the fact that they were made at all. People indoctrinated during a Harvest have not shown that level of initiative, save for in pursing Reaper goals. Still, for a being that old to still be around…”

Ann shrugged, then pointed out the obvious.

“Technically, it doesn’t need to be an original member of whatever species. A descendant would make more sense. Perhaps even one preserved through many cycles by stasis, only waking occasionally to determine the state of the threat.”

Everyone mulled that over for a moment, but than Shepard shook her head.

“Interesting as the theory is, we still can’t ask anyone to take the risk. Which means this is a dead end anyway.”

Ann suddenly looked smug, making Oriana tense.

“Ah, but this is my facility…so I don’t need to ask your permission. Don’t worry, he volunteered.”

Before they could ask what she meant, she tapped the holotable controls and a screen popped up showing…

“Oh, goddess!”

Liara’s response was warranted, as the man on the screen was locked in a small room with the artifact, showing all the signs of direct possession, even as he pounded on the walls. He was actually denting those walls, before an energy field sprung up around the artifact and he collapsed. Shepard was half to her feet, glaring at Ann as she growled.

“Dr. Bryson…”

The woman, to her credit, didn’t back down.

“I told you Shepard, he volunteered. There isn’t a single member of Project Scarab that doesn’t understand the stakes we are playing for. And one life weighed against that of trillions is not equal, no matter what philosophers might say about ends and means. Had he not been a volunteer, I would recognize your objection as legitimate. As it is…” she glanced down at the table, then up to pin Shepard with her own glare, “we have the bastard’s location. Traced from the organic quasi-QEC it uses to issue its commands. You might not like how I got it, Shepard. But you’ll damn well take the information and try to make my father’s death worth it.”

Alliana glared for a moment more, then nodded curtly. She clearly wasn’t happy. But Dr. Bryson wasn’t exactly wrong, either. Maybe not fully right. But not completely wrong…