The Diomedian Chronicles: Vigor

< The Diomedian Chronicles

The Diomedian Chronicles: Vigor is a Novel/Transcript following the events of Prometheus team finding a Prothean superweapon on the planet that was once the homeworld of the Densorin.

This event takes place a few days after Reapers invaded Earth.

The team visits a planet that was mentioned in Prothean databases only to find the planet has suffered a post-nuclear holocaust. While Reaper debris orbits the planet, the team finds a Prothean outpost on the surface, untouched.

Archaon puts the team at risk when he tries to perfect unfinished Prothean technology that wiped out more then just the Reapers above...

Prologue
''[Alliance Shuttle. The Shuttle comes through a relay and flies towards a planet. Team Gwenny – Corporal Diomedes, Doctor Archaon Thrax, Lorelei Mobious and Scott Greer -- is on board. Archaon is talking to Scott.]''

Archaon: I'm just saying as a doctor to the jarhead; heavy lunch before mission departure equals bad idea. I mean, even with the inertial dampeners, this whole flying thing's best done on an empty stomach.

Greer: Yeah, well, I've got a pretty strong stomach.

Archaon: Hey, I can eat frozen dinners without thawing them. It's not as if it even affects me.

Gwendolyn: [annoyed] Archaon! Are you reading anything?

[Archaon turns around to a console behind his seat.]

Archaon: Nothing. Life signs from the planet are negative.

Lorelei: Then it is a shame. From what we read in the Prothean database, the Densorin homeworld was a wonderful, lush planet.

Archaon: Well, the database is over fifty thousand years old. You can bet things have changed around here.

[Scott stands as he sees something ahead of the Shuttle.]

Greer: Corporal.

''[Gwen looks, and sees that they are flying towards a debris field above the planet. The debris is made up of broken parts of ships.]''

Gwendolyn: OK. That's not something you see every day.

Lorelei: There was a great battle here.

[The shuttle flies closer and Lorelei recognizes one of the pieces of debris.]

Lorelei: That is a Reaper ship.

Greer: That was a Reaper ship.

Gwendolyn: Something put a lot of holes in it alright. We should check it out.

Archaon: Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa. What if whatever put the holes in it wants to put holes in us?

Gwendolyn: Well, you just said, a lot's changed in fifty thousand years.

''[She sends the shuttle down towards the planet. As it breaks through the clouds, they see a ruined city.]''

Archaon: That would explain the lack of life signs. [He turns back to his console.]

Greer: So this is what happens when you fight back?

Gwendolyn: These folks took out a fleet of Reaper ships. I'd say they did a pretty good job of fighting back.

Archaon: Hold on. I'm picking up faint energy readings coming from... [he turns back round, looks out of the windscreen and points] ...there. [He looks at the building.] Well, That would explain how they were able to put up such a good fight.

Gwendolyn: How?

Archaon: Because... they were Protheans.

''[The shuttle flies towards the one undamaged building in the city. A large weapon of some sort is on the roof.]''

Chapter One
''[The shuttle has landed on top of the building. The team has climbed down a metal ladder into what looks like a laboratory. They are looking around with omni-tool flashlights. Archaon walks over to a console, recognizing the design.]''

Archaon: Definitely Prothean design. Their latest stuff, too. [He blows onto the console and a lot of dust flies off.] Their latest being fifty thousand years old.

Gwendolyn: Looks a lot like the labs they described in the textbooks.

Greer: So this is one of their outposts.

Lorelei: Yet the Protheans made no mention of their presence here in the database. Why?

Gwendolyn: Well, let's find out. [To Archaon] Can you power it up?

Archaon: Working on it.

''[He wipes more dust off the console. The others continue to explore the lab. Gwen finds two skeletal Prothean-looking bodies nearby.]''

Gwendolyn: I got two bodies here. Don’t know what they are…

''[Scott opens a door that leads into a short corridor nearby. A lot of dust and cobwebs fall on the ground as the door slides open revealing another three skeletal Prothean bodies.]''

Greer: I got three more over here. Whatever happened here, no-one came back to claim the dead.

''[Archaon looks around nervously, then continues dusting off the console. Lorelei squats down by the bodies Scott found, examining it.]''

Lorelei: Can't tell if they were killed by the Reapers, most of the body is still intact.

Greer: Yeah, well something killed them.

Lorelei: Something killed everyone on this planet.

Gwendolyn: Now why is this outpost -- if that's what it is -- still intact? Doesn't make sense. What do you think, Archaon?

[At that moment, the lights come on.]

Archaon: Ha! [He looks up from the console.] Sorry, I wasn't listening, but it just struck me that, if this is a Prothean outpost, why would the Reapers leave it intact?

[Lorelei and Scott look at Gwen.]

Gwendolyn: [slightly annoyed]... It's a good question.

Archaon: Huh. [He gets back to investigating the console.] Alright, so ...

Chapter Two
''[The Aegina's Control room. The team has returned and is reporting to Commander Marachuk.]'''

Marachuk: So it's a military research facility?

Gwendolyn: From what we can tell, it’s look a hell of a lot like the Crucible Admiral Hackett’s working on.

Archaon: With one major exception. Firepower. I mean, if that single outpost was responsible for destroying an entire Reaper fleet ...

Marachuk: And you're sure it was this weapon that destroyed all those Reaper ships?

Gwendolyn: It had to be. There's nothing on the planet that suggests the Densorin had anything capable of inflicting anywhere near that much damage.

Lorelei: If we could learn of such technology, we could defend other worlds from being culled.

[They enter Marachuk's Office.]

Greer: [skeptical] It didn't save the Densorin.

Archaon: Yeah, but at the end of the day the outpost was still standing and that means, uh ... well, I'm not sure what that means, but it means something definitely worth finding out.

[John takes a seat and sighs thoughtfully.]

Marachuk: Gwen, what do you think?

Gwendolyn: He's right. It's definitely worth sending a research team back.

Archaon: Good! Well, give me Radovan, Collins, and Iggins if he's over the stomach flu. We'll try to access the computer's log books -- see if we can decipher them. Once that’s...--

Marachuk: --Alright! Alright! Spare me the techno-babble. Just go.

Archaon: Oh, good! [He hurries off.]

''[The others leave. Scott catches up to Lorelei and intercepts her as they enter the Control room.]''

Greer: Lorelei. Um, I heard you were heading offship on a personal mission.

Lorelei: I’m going to the Citadel, yes.

Greer: Sounds interesting. Need an armed escort?

Lorelei: [chuckles] I’m just going to pick up some medicinal supplies. There is this new herb out, a particular disease-resistant strain of flax seed which doubles the immune system in a few short days. I don't think I need an armed escort for that, but if you're interested.

Greer: Uh, this place has everything I want, don't get me wrong, but, uh ...

Lorelei: [understands] Sometimes you feel the need to go somewhere else.

Greer: Anywhere else.

Lorelei: I know the feeling.

Greer: So?

Lorelei: Bring only weapons you can conceal.

Greer: [smiles] I'll keep it to a bare minimum.

Chapter Three
''[Prothean outpost. Valevoss, Gwen, Archaon, Iggins and at least half a dozen scientists and engineers are in the lab. Gwen looks through a window into a chamber which has a slender, pointy device inside it. Behind her, Archaon is arguing with Engineer Iggins. Sergeant Valevoss walks over to them.]''

Iggins: I'm telling you, at least point zero nine percent.

Archaon: Oh please, please, move the decimal place. I mean, it's-it's-it's impossible, for God's sake.

Valevoss: Have we figured out what this is?

Archaon: No.

Iggins: No, I wouldn't say no, no we have a possible theory.

Archaon: [correcting him] A plausible theory.

Iggins: No, but based on the shielding around the chamber, what else could it be?

Valevoss: Have you tried turning it on?

Archaon: That's what we're working on. The problem is that there's no direct link between it and the main power control systems, which -- among other things -- has led us to theorize that it's an ancillary power supply for the weapons systems.

[Valevoss smiles.]

Valevoss: Nice!

[Archaon points to Valevoss’ face while looking at Iggins.]

Archaon: See that? See? See the way he lights up at the mention of that? It's like Scott Greer at the mention of hotdogs.

Valevoss: They found out a way to soup up their space guns.

Iggins: Yes, but it's-it's much more than that.

Archaon: Well, the sticking point is that there's no tie between the power generator and the primary capacitor.

Iggins: Meaning they would have to channel the power directly into the weapon.

Archaon: [smiling smugly at Valevoss] Which I'm sure means nothing to you.

Valevoss: It means they can fire multiple bursts without having to store up more power for the next firing sequence.

[Archaon's face falls.]

Archaon: [embarrassed] Yes. Very good.

Valevoss: Which leads me back to ‘nice'.

Archaon: Hmm.

Iggins: Yes, but it only makes sense if we're right.

Valevoss: About what?

Iggins: [to Archaon] Tell him.

Archaon: Not yet.

Iggins: Come on, Archaon, you read the equations. What else could it be? A Prothean… typo?

Archaon: Well, we know they're not perfect, because they're all dead. [To Valevoss] Look, I just, I just don't want you to get all excited over nothing.

Valevoss: Well, maybe you're right.

Archaon: Alright, I'll give you a hint. [Valevoss chuckles.] It seems that the Protheans were experimenting with high-energy physics on a level that we've never seen before.

[He and Iggins grin excitedly at Valevoss, who gazes blankly back at them.]

Valevoss: Wow.

Archaon: Yes, wow. I just -- I wanna be sure.

[Iggins smiles enthusiastically at Valevoss, who obviously doesn't have a clue what they're talking about.]

Valevoss: I'll do my best to wait.

[He walks away and Archaon and Iggins get back to work.]

Chapter Four
''[The Aegina. John comes into the Control Room to speak to Navigator Merrick].''

Marachuk: What have we got?

Merrick: It's sergeant Valevoss, sir.

Marachuk: [Activates earpiece] This is Marachuk -- go ahead, sergeant.

[Valevoss, Archaon, Iggins, Gwendolyn and the scientific team are in the shuttle, flying from the Prothean outpost towards the relay.]

Valevoss: We're on our way back. Archaon wants to fill you in.

Marachuk: [Via radio] I take it you found something interesting.

Archaon: Interesting? How about the greatest discovery of all time?!

Gwendolyn: [shouting from the back of the shuttle] He's pretty excited!

[Archaon laughs.]

Marachuk: [via radio] So I hear. You couldn't even wait ‘til you got back.

Archaon: I wanted to send an encoded data burst directly from the outpost, but we were too low on the ground, so we had to fly up. Sending data… [He looks at his laptop.] Now.

[In the Aegina, John looks round to Merrick.]

Merrick: Receiving transmission. Transferring data.

''[He looks round at the screen behind him. Data scrolls across it.]''

Marachuk: Care to fill me in so I can be excited too?

''[In the shuttle. The whole crew is smiling.]''

Valevoss: It's a weapon--

Archaon: --It is much, much more than a weapon. We think we've stumbled across the Prothean’s last great discovery. It was too late to win the war for them, but I think if I can finish the work they started, then ...

Marachuk: [Via radio] What is it?

Archaon: It is the ultimate power source -- something that would make Mass Effect energy seem like… alkaline batteries in comparison.

[He and Iggins grin at each other.]

Chapter Five
''[The Aegina’s comm room. Archaon, John and Iggins are reporting to a holographic representation of President Huerta and Admiral Hackett.]''

Archaon: It was called Project Arctero and, from what we can tell, its ultimate goal was to render Mass Effect energy obsolete.

Huerta: How?

Archaon: A Mass Effect field is an artificially created region of subspace time. It's kind of like a miniature universe in a bottle.

Iggins: It extracts vacuum energy from this artificial region of subspace time until it reaches maximum entropy.

Hackett: So what's different about this thing?

Iggins: Project Arctero was attempting to extract vacuum energy from our own space-time, making it potentially as powerful as the scope of the universe itself.

Hackett: It strikes me as something the Protheans would have tried first, even before Mass Effect energy.

Archaon: And they may have, but extracting Mass Effect energy from our own universe is ... well, it's, uh, definitely trickier.

Huerta: Explain ‘trickier'.

Iggins: Well, because we actually have to live in our own universe, it presents a whole range of problems.

Hackett: Well, obviously it's not that easy or Protheans wouldn't have relied on Mass Effect energy.

Marachuk: Well, you're right. The Protheans couldn't make it work.

Archaon: [Annoyed] I said I wanted to do all the talking.

Marachuk: Come on, Archaon, Arctero was a total failure.

Archaon: It was a failure, yes. Total, no. Look, the Protheans were losing the war against the Reaper when work on Arctero began. If they could have made it work, it could have turned the tide of war. I mean, we're talking about their own Manhattan Project here.

Marachuk: The outpost was ordered by the Protheans to defend the Densorin using their weapons powered by this new power source.

Iggins: Yes, but despite their strong reservations that it was not ready to be tested under battle conditions.

Marachuk: The point is, the Reapers won.

Archaon: Yes, yes, but the Densorin still inflicted massive damage on the attacking Reaper fleet.

Marachuk: I'm not saying they didn't put up a hell of a fight.

Iggins: The logs indicate there was a major malfunction.

Archaon: Well, yes, the Protheans in the bunker were forced to shut everything down, including the weapon.

Marachuk: The Reapers sent more ships, the Densorin got wiped out.

Hackett: So if the malfunction hadn't occurred, the Protheans would have saved the planet?

Archaon: [assured] Definitely.

Marachuk: Possibly. [points at Archaon] Don't sugar-coat this, Archaon.

Archaon: The Prothean scientists running Arctero were rushed into testing before they had perfected a means of effectively controlling the power output. I believe if they'd had more time, history would have played out differently on that planet -- possibly in this galaxy.

Hackett: I won't deny that this is something that we'd dearly love to get our hands on, but the Protheans were a pretty bright bunch.

Archaon: And desperate, and losing a war they'd already been fighting for a hundred years. More importantly, they were, they were like ... [he holds his finger and thumb a few millimetres apart] ... this close.

Huerta: And you believe you can finish their work?

Archaon: I do.

Iggins: [looks at Archaon] We do.

Marachuk: [nodding towards the two] They do.

Chapter Six
''[Prothean Lab. A group of scientists and engineers gather to listen to Archaon and Iggins.]''

Archaon: Alright, I need everyone's attention, please. What we've got here is ...

''[Time lapses as the scientists work on the project. Archaon is standing between three others explaining what needs to happen.]''

Archaon: ... Ok, so, I need this code divided up into sections and each one double-checked ...

''[Time Lapses. Archaon and Iggins are arguing and writing on a whiteboard. Each one annoyed at the other.]''

Iggins: No!

Archaon: No! You're not listening to me!

Iggins: It's not going to ...

Archaon: I'm telling you this one right here is wrong! ...

''[Time Lapses. Archaon is arguing with doctor Collins at a computer screen that simulates Project Arctero’s power build-up. Archaon is holding a sandwich in his hand.]''

Archaon: [agitated] Look, the whole point here is that these numbers here need to be corrected. Unless you ... [On a computer screen, the message "Simulation failed" flashes up.] There you go -- simulation failed. You happy now? ''[He shoves the sandwich into his mouth, sits down at the screen and starts to type. Annoyed, Collins walks away.]''

''[Days go by as Archaon continues to work at the simulation screen. Iggins puts his hand to his face, rubbing his white beard.]''

''[Time Lapses. Moving more equipment into the Prothean Lab, Gwen is taking a large case from someone on the metal ladder.]''

Archaon: Watch out, that's heavy. [Gwen drops the case to the floor with a loud thump.] Ok, so, I'm gonna need that over there. Thank you.

[Sighing, Gwen picks it up again.]

''[Time Lapses. One of the scientists is working in the Command Access Tube, the narrow corridor where Greer found some bodies when they first arrived. It connects the lab with the power source. Iggins is at the other end of the Tube and goes to an open panel. Obviously Prothean looking, using crystals instead of circuitry. Archaon talks to him from the Control Room.]''

Archaon: What I want you to do is pull the crystals. Pull them when I say go, alright?

''[Iggins pulls the crystals out immediately. The base powers down. Archaon's head drops with a sigh, then he turns and storms off the Access Tube.]''

''[Time Lapses. Iggins is now working in the Control Room. He spots something on a monitor nearby.]''

Iggins: I think we have it.

''[In the Command Access Tube, Archaon inserts a crystal and all the lights come on. In the Control Room Iggins smiles as he sees the monitor screen.]''

Iggins: [euphoric] That's it!

Chapter Seven
''[Prothean Outpost. Archaon is going from console to console checking everything.]''

Archaon: Everything's been triple-checked. Power levels are holding steady in all computer simulations.

[Archaon walks towards Iggin’s console who nods in confirmation.]

Valevoss: [putting on a pair of safety glasses] Fire it up, doctor.

Archaon: Alright. Attention all personnel: stand by for power-up on my mark. Three, two, one, mark.

''[Iggins activates the controls. An energy field forms around the pointy end of the device in the chamber.]''

Archaon: Iggins, talk to me.

Iggins: I'm picking up some minor power fluctuations. Chamber temperature's holding steady. [The readout on his computer changes.] Look! There it goes again.

''[Gwen is gazing through the window into the power chamber. She turns.]''

Gwendolyn: Everything OK? [She walks over to join Archaon.]

Archaon: Everything's fine. The containment bubble was designed to automatically compensate for any sudden changes in energy output.

Iggins: This never happened in the simulations.

Valevoss: Maybe we should abort.

Archaon: I said it's fine. Collins, see if you can boost more power to the field manually.

Collins: You got it.

''[He heads for the Command Access Tube. Putting on a pair of safety specs, he takes a laptop, goes into the Access Tube and closes the door behind him. He goes over to a panel at the far end and opens it.]''

Archaon: [smiling triumphantly] Prepare for test firing on my mark.

''[In the Access Tube, energy is glowing at the end of the corridor. As Collins touches a crystal inside the panel, the energy suddenly spikes and surges out into the room, engulfing him. He screams and falls to the floor. In the Control Room, alarms sound.]''

Iggins: Levels just spiked into the red.

[On his screen, the word "Overload" flashes.]

Archaon: What?

Valevoss: [Moves towards Archaon’s console] Shut it down. Shut it all down!

Archaon: I'm trying.

Iggins: The interface is not responding.

Archaon: Alright, I'm gonna switch to back-ups.

Iggins: Levels are going off the scale!

Valevoss: Archaon?

Archaon: I have given the command to shut down. Something's creating an overload.

Gwendolyn: [To Valevoss] We should evacuate.

Archaon: Just give me a few seconds.

Gwendolyn: We may not have that time.

[The energy begins to drop.]

Iggins: Wait, wait, wait. It's stabilizing. [His screen loses its "Overload" message and the energy indicator levels out.] Generator is offline.

Valevoss: [To Archaon] What the hell just happened?

Archaon: Obviously there was a surge of some kind. Look, Colli ... [realizes] Collins!

''[He runs for the Command Access Tube. Iggins and Valevoss follow. They open the door to the Tube and see Collins lying on the floor. Smoke is rising from his body. His hands are badly burned and the index and middle fingers of his right hand are fused together.]''

Chapter Eight
''[The Aegina’s comm Room. Doctor Lorelei Mobious is reporting to John, Valevoss, Archaon, Iggins and a holographic representation of President Huerta and admiral Hackett.]''

Lorelei: Officially my report indicates Doctor Collins died due to massive radiation exposure, causing severe burns to well over ninety percent of his body.

Huerta: But it was more than that?

Lorelei: Yes, Much more. To be honest, I have no idea what sort of radiation it was. I've never seen or heard of cellular decay this massive, not when exposure only lasted mere seconds.

Marachuk: Collins' next of kin have been notified.

Huerta: Good. [To Archaon and Iggins] So what went wrong?

Iggins: [reluctant to speak] We're still analyzing data from the test. All we know for certain was that there was a massive power surge which, in turn, caused the containment field to expand asymmetrically in the direction of the Command Access Tube. As to why...--

Hackett: [interrupts] --How about human error?

[Archaon, lost in grief and thought until now, reacts to this.]

Archaon: Excuse me?

Hackett: Well, according to your reports, during the test, Doctor Collins made an adjustment to the containment field. Isn't it possible that he triggered the surge himself?

Huerta: Are you looking for a scapegoat, Admiral?

Hackett: Not at all, Mister President. I'm admittedly looking for a rationale that would allow Doctor Thrax to continue his very important research. Is there something wrong with that?

Archaon: No -- Collins knew the system just as well as any of us. He wouldn't have made that kind of mistake. Everything was going well; everyone did their job.

Huerta: Then what?

Archaon: I don't know. In terms of physics, it shouldn't have happened.

Iggins: We're still analyzing the data from the accident -- it's going to take time.

Archaon: [Talking over Iggins] -- What I do know is the device did what it was supposed to do.

Valevoss: [angrily at Archaon] No, Archaon, it didn't.

Archaon: Well, apart from the obvious containment issues.

Valevoss: It overloaded and you couldn't stop it.

Archaon: But we won't know for sure until we go back down there and try again.

Valevoss: [disbelieving] Try again? Are you serious?

Archaon: [resolute] Yes.

Marachuk: [getting angry] A member of our team is in the morgue, Archaon!

Archaon: And I am responsible for his death, yes. I am painfully aware of that. I sent him in there and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. [His voice breaks briefly.] But we have a responsibility to understand what happened and learn from it.

Iggins: [softly] Archaon, we don't even know what went wrong.

Archaon: [aggravated] Which is why we have to go back there!

[A moment of silence rushes by as everyone looks at eachother.]

Huerta: I know how important this is to you, Archaon, but we knew when we became a space faring race that we might encounter certain technologies which, for the moment, are out of our reach.

Archaon: [containing his anger] It's not in this case.

Huerta: You have the data from your first attempt. You can run all the simulations you want.

Archaon: C'mon, Mister President -- you really think the Turian military's gonna let this go, huh, or the Salarians? I mean, at the very least we should be the first ones in there to spearhead the research.

Huerta: That's what this is about?! You wanna beat them to it? I'm sorry. The answer's no.

Chapter Nine
''[The Aegina. Lights indicate that it’s Night Time. After hearing a bell ring, John comes to the door of his quarters to find Archaon standing outside.]''

Archaon: Harry K. Daghlian.

Marachuk: [Confused] Who?

Archaon: He was a scientist -- worked on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. He was about 2 years younger than me. Accidentally irradiated himself while performing a critical mass experiment on two half-spheres of plutonium. Took him a month to die. While his body was slowly shutting down from radiation poisoning, you know what he did with his last thirty days, hmm? [Marachuk shrugs] He worked. He tried until his last breath to understand what had happened to him so that others could learn from the tragedy, so that his work, his death, would not be rendered meaningless. Now, have you considered what would have happened if they'd just shut the Project down after that?

Marachuk: This is different, Archaon.

Archaon: Is it? Collins' death is a pointless waste of life unless something comes of this, and I am not sure that I can ... [He trails off, on the verge of tears.] I think I know what happened.

Marachuk: Let's hear it.

Archaon: Can I come in?

Marachuk: [annoyed] No.

Archaon: Oh, ok… The Protheans had it wrong. [Marachuk rolls his eyes.] Our mistake was using their equations. Look, I just did the calculations again myself. I did them three times just to be sure and I am positive the problem is in the automatic containment protocols.

Marachuk: OK, so what did you fix?

Archaon: I propose we adjust the field strength manually.

Marachuk: You saw how fast it spiked on you.

Archaon: So we don't operate the generator at anywhere near its potential. Look, there's no need to be greedy. Even operating at fifty percent, it'll still generate more power then a dozen Mass Effect generators.

Marachuk: How come the Protheans didn't figure this out?

Archaon: Maybe they were caught up in the heat of battle. Maybe they thought they needed as much power as they could get. Maybe they weren't smart enough.

Marachuk: And you are?

Archaon: No, I didn't say that, but I have the benefit of hindsight. They didn't. Look, this is big. This is the wheel, the light bulb, the hot dog big. I mean, look, the risks are nothing compared to the potential benefits. President Huerta will listen to you. I have never asked this of you before, but I think I've earned it. Trust me.

Chapter Ten
''[Comm room. John is talking with a holographic representation of President Huerta and Admiral Hackett.]''

Huerta: I've already made this decision, John.

Hackett: If Doctor Thrax says he's solved the problem, I don't see why we don't give him another shot.

Huerta: Isn't the retaking of Earth more important than this?

Hackett: [annoyed] Yes. But I think you should know the Councilor Udina has taken a very keen interest in this vacuum energy.

Huerta: I'm sure he has, but the Councilor doesn't make the decisions here.

Hackett: Yeah, I may not have the power to overrule you on this, but this project falls outside of Earth’s jurisdiction and when I get back to the citadel I'm going to be making the recommendation that Doctor Thrax be allowed to continue his research to the highest authorities. Ultimately, Mister President, this won't be up to you.

[Christopher locks gazes with him for a while, then turns to John.]

Huerta: Can Archaon guarantee that the same thing won't happen?

Marachuk: Nobody can do that.

Huerta: Then what's changed?

Marachuk: According to him, it's the Prothean’s calculations that were wrong, not his.

Hackett: If Doctor Thrax is that confident, I don't see why we don't ...-

Huerta: [interrupting] Confidence is not something Doctor Thrax is in any short supply of.

Hackett: And with good reason! If anyone can do this ...-

Huerta: [interrupting] The Protheans could not do this. And that's what it keeps coming back to for me.

Hackett: Isn't it possible that you have placed the Protheans on such a high pedestal that you can't even consider the possibility that they may be wrong?

Huerta: Why are we mincing words, Admiral? You want the weapon.

Hackett: [smiles] Yes! I do! A weapon that could effectively eliminate the Reaper threat is very attractive to me, and to the people that I work with. I'm not hiding that fact. But there's more to it, isn't there? An unlimited power supply, the shields at full strength forever; faster, more powerful ships. How ‘bout a power source that could provide the energy needs for an entire planet? No more fossil fuels.

Huerta: I get it! And if it works as advertised, it would be wonderful. I'm trying to tell you I know Archaon Thrax and there are times where he is unable to protect him from himself.

Marachuk: I can. Let me go back with him -- just him and me. You can contact us anytime by radio.

Huerta: He really sold you, did he?

Marachuk: [sighs] He asked me to trust him.

Chapter Eleven
''[Prothean outpost. John and Archaon are in the Control Center. Archaon is bouncing about the place as he works, looking very pleased with himself.]''

Archaon: I appreciate your support, Commander, but, uh, don't worry -- I try and make it a habit not to make the same mistake twice.

Marachuk: [looking at him awkwardly] That was a joke, right?

Archaon: [reassuring] No. I offer you my personal assurance that a surge like the one that happened before is inconceivable.

Marachuk: Do you wanna run some power-up simulations first?

Archaon: [smug] How about I carry out my plan and you keep the hot coffee coming? [John stares at him.] I was joking, again, right? [John nods and turns away.] Well, where were we? [He turns back to his work.]

[At the Aegina, Iggins hurries up to Amir.]

Iggins: Lieutenant Commander, I need to speak to you right away.

Amir: What is it?

Iggins: I finished going over the accident data. I think I know why the Protheans abandoned this technology.

Chapter Twelve
''[Aegina’s control room. Amir speaks into comms as Iggins stands nearby.]''

Amir: Commander Marachuk, this is The Aegina.

Marachuk: [Via radio] Go ahead.

Amir: Is Doctor Thrax with you?

[At the prothean outpost, Archaon is running about the place.]

Archaon: Of course I am, but we're a little busy getting ready to run a test here.

Amir: [Via radio] Actually, I would like you to delay the test firing.

Marachuk: Why?

Amir: [Via radio] We have reason to believe that the weapon's power source, it may not be controllable at any power level.

[Archaon rolls his eyes and raises his arms in a frustrated gesture, realising who has made him think this.]

Archaon: Iggins?!

Iggins: [Via radio] Archaon?

Archaon: OK, we have been over this. I am doing this manually, at half power. It's a cakewalk.

Iggins: [Via radio] I don't think it matters how much cake you walk on, son. I've been doing calculations of my own and I believe that the very act of trying to contain vacuum energy from our own space-time creates an environment where the laws of physics cease to apply.

Archaon: What are you on about?!

Iggins: [Via radio] As power output increases, new and exotic particles are continuously created and destroyed inside the containment chamber, interacting with each other and with the field itself. Eventually particles are created that cannot be predicted in this space-time, and they breach the containment field as hard radiation.

Archaon: As long as I'm monitoring the energy output manually, I can stop that before it happens.

Iggins: [Via radio] You cannot predict something that is inherently unpredictable, Archaon.

Marachuk: Archaon?

Archaon: I know what I'm doing.

Iggins: [Via radio] Archaon, I am trying to tell you, as a friend, I have serious doubts.

Archaon: Well, you're wrong. I'm sorry, but there it is. And to bring this up now when I am just about to do this smacks of nothing but professional jealousy.

[At the Aegina, Iggins raises his hands up violently.]

Iggins: [angrily] Fine! Kill yourself, just like the Protheans did!

Marachuk: [Via radio] Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you mean by that?

Iggins: I believe if the overload is allowed to continue, the weapon acts as a sort of release valve to prevent catastrophic containment failure. The Protheans barely managed to shut it down, and they lost their lives in the process.

Amir: What he’s trying to say is that the Reapers didn't kill everyone on that planet -- it was the weapon itself.

[Back at the outpost, Marachuk stands shocked while Archaon just continues his work.]

Marachuk: That would explain why this place is the only thing left standing.

Archaon: [Annoyed] Yes, congratulations -- you've solved the mystery of how the Protheans screwed up fifty thousand years ago. It doesn't mean that I will do the same. Look, I don't know how else to say this, but none of you are capable of understanding this on the same level that I do. And Iggins, that includes you. You’re a mechanical Engineer, you’re understanding of physics is a bare minimum!

[At the Aegina, Iggins throws his arms up in frustration.]

Amir: Doctor Thrax, I cannot afford to lose either one of you at this stage. Tell me: can you do this?

Archaon: [firmly via radio] Yes.

[At the outpost, Marachuk turns to face Archaon.]

Marachuk: Are you sure?

Archaon: Yes.

Marachuk: Are you sure you're sure?

Archaon: [Annoyed] I said yes!

Marachuk: Because if you're wrong ...

Archaon: [Annoyed] I'm not!

''[They stare at each other for a moment, then John turns away to think about it. A few seconds later he speaks into his radio.]''

Marachuk: I'll call you back after the test -- how does that sound?

Amir: [Via radio] You'd better, sir.

Archaon: [to John] I won't let you down.

''[John turns and looks at him for a moment, then turns away. Archaon gets back to work.]''

Chapter Thirteen
''[Prothean outpost. Archaon checks his laptops. John is working on another computer and has his back to Archaon's station.]''

Archaon: OK, this is good. My equations are working like a charm. Power level's at forty percent, just to be on the safe side. I think we're ready for our test.

Marachuk: Where do you want the weapon targeted?

Archaon: The debris orbiting the planet.

Marachuk: Sounds good.

Archaon: Bringing the weapon online ... now.

''[There's a whooshing sound as the energy comes online. An energy field forms around the device in the chamber. After a few seconds, there's another whoosh.]''

Marachuk: What's that?

Archaon: Energy surge -- it's fine. I can regulate it.

[On his screen, the energy levels rise.]

Marachuk: You said you could contain it.

Archaon: The temperature inside the containment field is well within acceptable parameters. Staying ahead of it. [The levels continue to rise.] Levels are rising in the chamber. Reroute power from the secondary systems to the containment field.

Marachuk: [as he works] I'm thinking we need to abort.

Archaon: I can compensate. Just give me a minute.

[The "Overload" message starts to flash on the computer screen.]

Marachuk: It's overloading, just like last time.

Archaon: There is no logical reason this shouldn't be working.

Marachuk: Archaon?

Archaon: [starting to sound panic-stricken] None of this should be happening! Look, the energy levels are spiking at a rate far greater than anything I predicted.

Marachuk: Shut it down!

[Archaon turns and glares at him for a moment, then turns back to his computer.]

Archaon: Fine. ''[He presses a key, which beeps at him. The energy levels continue to rise. He presses the key again and gets another beep.]'' That doesn't make any sense.

Marachuk: What's wrong?

[Archaon turns and stares at him.]

Archaon: I can't shut it down.

Chapter Fourteen
''[Prothean outpost. The weapon on the roof of the lab is spinning around and firing randomly into the sky. Inside the lab, the room shakes.]''

Marachuk: What is that?

Archaon: The weapon's discharging to prevent a catastrophic overload.

[One of the console sparks violently.]

Marachuk: Alright, that's it. We're outta here.

Archaon: What did I just say?! The weapon's firing at random targets above the planet. This is the safest place to be right now.

Marachuk: The place isn't gonna be safe for very much longer!

Archaon: I can bring it back under control! Just give me a second!

[John runs over and grabs his jacket to swing him around.]

Marachuk: No you can't!

Archaon: [pulling himself free and turning back to his laptop] Just one second!

Marachuk: I've seen this before, Archaon: pilots who wouldn't eject when something went wrong -- trying to fix their planes [he smacks the desk to make his point] right until it hit the ground.

[Archaon stares at him.]

Archaon: OK, we need to leave. I've waited too long -- the weapon can't discharge enough power to avoid a catastrophic overload. This whole planet's gonna go up. [He shuts his laptop and hurries to the ladder, then turns to John.] Not that your speech wasn't working. [He starts to climb.]

Chapter fifteen
[As the weapon continues to fire wildly into the sky, John and Archaon run into the shuttle.]

Marachuk: OK, strap in.

Archaon: You need to avoid flying in predictable trajectories to prevent the weapon from locking onto us.

Marachuk: I know what I'm doing.

Archaon: I'm just saying -- be sure not to fly in a straight line.

Marachuk: Archaon, shut up!

[The shuttle takes off and flies a swerving path up into the sky.]

Archaon: Can I just say there's no way the shuttle can take even one direct hit?

Marachuk: I'll keep that in mind.

[He continues to fly an erratic path as they head up into space, dodging in and out of the debris.]

Archaon: [looking at the console] The weapon's locking onto us.

Marachuk: How ‘bout I fly us away from the planet, return after the overload?

Archaon: We can't!

Marachuk: Why not?

Archaon: [Irritated] Look, don't you understand!? This explosion is gonna take out three quarters of the solar system. There's no way we can fly far enough or fast enough. We have to head for the relay.

Marachuk: Alright.

[John corrects his course and heads to the replay.]

Archaon: How do you intend to avoid getting hit on the final approach?

Marachuk: I haven't figured that part out yet.

''[The shuttle heads towards the relay, but the shots from the weapon are getting closer and closer. The shuttle ducks around a piece of debris, and suddenly a frigate rises up from behind the debris and blocks the weapon fire. John stares in disbelief.]''

Hackett: [over comms] It's a good thing we stopped by to check on your progress, Commander. Make a break for the relay -- we'll run interference.

Marachuk: Copy that, Admiral.

Hackett: [to his pilot] Stand by to engage sublight engines on my mark.

Marachuk: Recommend you use the relay as soon as we go through. There's gonna be a big bang.

Hackett: Understood.

''[The shuttle flies towards the relay as it gets hit by its ray of lightning and Kawooshes forward into the horizon. Moments later, Admiral Hackett’s ship goes through as well as behind it and the planet explodes.]''

Chapter Sixteen
''[The Aegina. Lorelei walks through the control room and passes the door to the Comm Room. She stops as in the distance she can hear President Huerta shouting. She can hear little of it apart from a few words.]''

Huerta: --... You’re the smartest person we have!

Archaon: I know…

Huerta: You knew that it could be dangerous and you did it anyway-

Archaon: Well, Commander Sheppard destroyed a system as well and I don’t see-

Huerta: --... putting your life and other people's lives at risk. You destroyed three quarters of a solar system!

Archaon: Well, five sixths. It's not an exact science.

Huerta: Archaon, can you give your ego a rest for one second?!

[Lorelei strolls away.]

Epilogue
''[The Aegina’s corridor. John is walking along when he spots Archaon approaching. He turns and walks in the direction of the elevator, but Archaon hurries after him.]''

Archaon: Oh, Commander! Commander! I've been looking all over for you.

[John pushes the button to call the elevator.]

Marachuk: I heard. [He turns to face Archaon and folds his arms.]

Archaon: I suppose I deserve that. Look, I just, um, I wanted to apologize about what happened. I was wrong -- I'm sorry. And I wanted to assure you that, uh, I intend not being right again -- about everything, effective immediately. [John smiles slightly but keeps his arms folded.] That was a joke.

Marachuk: Good one.

''[He turns and walks into the elevator. Archaon walks forward and holds his hand against the elevator doors to stop him from leaving. John turns to face him again.]''

Archaon: I've already apologized to President Huerta ... and Iggins ... and I thanked Admiral Hackett for, uh, caring enough to spy on the experiment from orbit. I sent him a nice little email, actually. But I saved you ‘til last ‘cause, um, honestly, you’re the closest thing I have to a best friend and I would ... I would hate to think that recent events might have permanently dimmed your faith in my abilities... or your trust. At the very least, I... I hope I can earn that back.

Marachuk: That may take a while.

[Archaon's face falls.]

Archaon: [whispering] I see.

Marachuk: But, I'm sure you can do it, if you really, really try.

''[Archaon lets go of the elevator doors as Marachuk presses the panel on the rear wall. As the doors close, he smiles at Archaon. Archaon smiles back, then his face falls and he sighs as he realizes how close he came to losing his friend's trust forever.]''