"Except that would require we force whatever we capture to do that, and given the modifications of that turian we fought... I don't think that's happening. And I doubt we'll convince one of the Geth to do it, either," she concludes with a shrug.
"Bastard had artificial limbs, and I would be the first to volunteer to cut them off if it came to that," Nix pitches in, the rough rumble to her voice suggesting she anything but afraid to go another round with the creature that had nearly downed her. "But there must be an easier way, I agree. We should try that other lead, that the government on Libertas offered our deceased Spectre. Until then I wouldn't touch that pro--
Temoi!"
<"Tala, you have my back, right? Safeguards up. Keep this thing off us if it tries anything funny.">
Once the VI brings up its more guarded protocols and resumes its vigilance, Zaoh reveals her play. She reaches out, touching the consciousness and ringing back to it in her own distorted resonance that she shared with her drones and her craft.
<"Yes.">
Nixidonia was too late, Seluj-- or was Temoi-- was already in, Tala whispering through an encrypted connection.
"You should just let me kill it."
Instead she assists with linking them together, installing a door through which the presence immediately
pours. Tala is on edge, her own processing power spiking in an attempt to watch the guest in her Captain's spinal array-- but an attack never comes. The probe's inhabitant merely explores, kicking the proverbial tires. Nor does it ever take a concrete form, as Tala was inclined to do. To the asari's digital eyes it remains a garbled fog, only the barest glimpses of something lurking beneath becoming visible.
<"We are satisfied. Beginning transfer."> A pair of files make their way into the asari's onboard storage in the wake of the unspoken words, after having been thoroughly scanned by Tala. When opened they're revealed to be a pair of blueprints, and not of the digitally produced sort-- they're a scan of an actual hand-drawn pair of devices. In the upper right corner of each a short label identifies the engineer, the included year translated from old Thessian to the galactic standard:
Aylanta T'Eloi, 555 BCE.
The first is some manner of accessory, intended to be integrated at the point where an organic brain stem would meet an existing artificial spinal rig. Externally it would then wrap around the neck in several banded sections, to pull tight against the throat and thus be anchored in place. Internally, and no effort is made to hide it, the device was clearly intended to be some manner of override. By interfacing directly with the spinal rig on which it would be locked, it could bypass even the most sophisticated internal defenses-- although just what it would do with such access would be dependent upon the accompanying software installed.
And that helps explain the second blueprint, which at first glance appeared to be a six-inch long rectangle tapering into a spike-like bottom, divided into individual articulating segments. Its dimensions fit perfectly with a slot built into the previous blueprint however, marking it as a storage device for a digital construct of considerable size.
The presence does not comment on the files provided, but merely continues with its instructions. <"Prove your willingness, prove your skill. Build. Present yourself again once completed, and the first attached. We lack a directive to assist in integration. Our resources were removed. We will thus provide additional data, and a means of interfacing with a Soldier of our Queen for further assistance. Confirm clarity?">
