Watcher Dialog

← All dialogue

Conversation key
los40_watcher_dlg
Package
Ilos Archives — Streamed subarea — Design, gameplay, and Kismet logic BIOA_LOS40_05_DSG
BIOA_LOS40_05_DSG_LOC_INT.pcc
Organization
Conversation graph; additional records grouped by speaker

Duplicate source rows with identical technical context are collapsed for presentation.

WatcherYou are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons.
Squadmate — Urdnot Wrex, Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Ashley Williams, Kaidan AlenkoLooks like some kind of VI program. Pretty badly damaged.
WatcherI do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope.
Liara T'SoniThis is incredible. An actual Prothean VI, and I can understand it!
WatcherI have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend.
Squadmate — Kaidan Alenko, Ashley Williams, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Garrus VakarianWait a minute. How come I can understand you? Why aren't you speaking the Prothean language?
WatcherMy name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe.4 choices
InvestigateChoice 1

Wheel

What are you?

Shepard says

Are you some kind of artificial intelligence program?

File location
Response
Reply R13, from link 1
Wheel string
99614
Spoken string
99588
WatcherI am an advanced non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility.3 choices
DefaultChoice 1

Wheel

Get to the point.

Shepard says

Why did you bring me here?

File location
Response
Reply R14, from link 1
Wheel string
99615
Spoken string
99589
WatcherYou must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did.
WatcherThe Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us.
WatcherBut the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon.
DisagreeChoice 2

Wheel

I don't have time for this!

Shepard says

Saren could be at the Conduit right now! We have to go!

File location
Response
Reply R16, from link 2
Wheel string
99616
Spoken string
99591
WatcherYou seek to end a cycle that has continued for millions of years. To stop it, you must first understand it or you will make the same mistakes we did.
WatcherWhen the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed.5 choices
InvestigateChoice 1

Wheel

Reapers and dark space

Shepard says

How do the Reapers survive out in dark space?

File location
Response
Reply R20, from link 1
Wheel string
99620
Spoken string
99594
WatcherWe have only theories. The researchers here came to believe the Reapers enter prolonged states of inactivity to conserve energy.
WatcherThis allows them to survive the thousands and thousands of years it takes for organic civilization to rebuild itself. But in this state, they are vulnerable.
WatcherBy retreating beyond the edges of the galaxy, they ensure no one will accidentally discover them. They keep their existence hidden until the Citadel relay is activated.5 choices
InvestigateChoice 2

Wheel

Citadel as a relay

Shepard says

How come nobody ever noticed the Citadel was an inactive mass relay?

File location
Response
Reply R23, from link 2
Wheel string
99621
Spoken string
99595
WatcherThe Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers.
DefaultChoice 3

Wheel

Saren's going to activate it!

Shepard says

If he turns on the relay, the Reapers can wipe out the Council and the Citadel fleet in one fell swoop!

File location
Response
Reply R26, from link 3
Wheel string
99622
Spoken string
99596
WatcherThat was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays.
WatcherThe keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology.
WatcherReliance on the keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade.5 choices
WatcherCommunication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets.
WatcherOver the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out.2 choices
InvestigateChoice 1

Wheel

You didn't surrender?

Shepard says

The war was lost. If you had surrendered, they might have let you live.

File location
Response
Reply R30, from link 1
Wheel string
99626
Spoken string
99600
WatcherNo offer of surrender was ever given. Our enemy had a single goal: the extinction of all advanced organic life.
WatcherThrough the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us.
WatcherTheir fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved.
WatcherThese indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines.
WatcherWithin a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough.3 choices
FriendlyChoice 1

Wheel

Why did the Reapers leave?

Shepard says

I don't understand. Where did the Reapers go after they conquered your people?

File location
Response
Reply R36, from link 1
Wheel string
99632
Spoken string
99533
WatcherOur worlds were stripped bare, harvested by the indoctrinated slaves. Everything of value--all resources, all technology--was taken.
WatcherCertain that all advanced organic life had been extinguished, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel relay into dark space, sealing it behind them.
WatcherAll evidence of the Reaper invasion had been wiped away. Only their indoctrinated slaves were left behind, abandoned.
HostileChoice 2

Wheel

Why do they do this?

Shepard says

What do the Reapers get out of this? Why do they keep repeating this pattern of genocide over and over?

File location
Response
Reply R40, from link 2
Wheel string
99633
Spoken string
99537
WatcherThe Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves or resources. More likely, they are driven by motives and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend.
WatcherIn the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them.3 choices
DefaultChoice 2

Wheel

How can I stop them?

Shepard says

You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to do.

File location
Response
Reply R42, from link 2
Wheel string
99634
Spoken string
99539
WatcherThe Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology.
WatcherMindless husks no longer capable of independent thought, the indoctrinated soon starved or died of exposure. The genocide of the Protheans was complete.3 choices
WatcherIlos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel: the hub of the relay network.
Liara T'SoniThe Conduit is not a weapon. It is a back door onto the Citadel!2 choices
InvestigateChoice 1

Wheel

They didn't find you?

Shepard says

How did you manage to stay hidden?

File location
Response
Reply R45, from link 1
Wheel string
99821
Spoken string
99771
WatcherAll official records of our project were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. While the Prothean empire came crashing down, Ilos was spared.
WatcherWe severed all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives.
WatcherTo conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed.
Ashley WilliamsThe Conduit's not a weapon. It's a back door onto the Citadel!2 choices
Kaidan AlenkoThe Conduit's not a weapon. It's a back door onto the Citadel!2 choices
Garrus VakarianThe Conduit's not a weapon. It's a back door onto the Citadel!2 choices
Urdnot WrexThe Conduit's not a weapon. It's a back door onto the Citadel!2 choices
WatcherBut the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling.3 choices
AgreeChoice 1

Wheel

So you just hid?

Shepard says

You should have fought!

File location
Response
Reply R50, from link 1
Wheel string
110492
Spoken string
110479
WatcherWe were a few hundred against a galactic invasion fleet. Our only hope was to remain undetected.
WatcherI began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy.
WatcherEventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay.
Liara T'SoniThere were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?3 choices
Tali'Zorah nar RayyaThere were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?3 choices
Kaidan AlenkoThere were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?3 choices
Ashley WilliamsThere were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?3 choices
Garrus VakarianThere were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them?3 choices
WatcherThis outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation.
Squadmate — Urdnot Wrex, Garrus Vakarian, Kaidan Alenko, Ashley Williams, Tali'Zorah nar RayyaI bet they didn't tell the "non-essential" staff about this contingency.
WatcherI saved key personnel. When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains.
WatcherWhen the researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population.
WatcherYet they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key.2 choices
WatcherThe Conduit gives him access to the Citadel and the keepers.
WatcherThe keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the keepers to activate the Citadel relay.
WatcherAfter decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications.
WatcherThis time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space.2 choices
WatcherSovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin again.3 choices
AgreeChoice 1

Wheel

Can you help me?

Shepard says

Is there any way we can stop them?

File location
Response
Reply R74, from link 1
Wheel string
99868
Spoken string
99858
WatcherThere's a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station.
WatcherIt will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign.
Squadmate — Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Kaidan Alenko, Ashley WilliamsWait. Where's the Citadel's master control unit? I've never heard of anything like that.
WatcherThrough the Conduit. Follow Saren. He will lead you to your destination.7 choices
DefaultChoice 6

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 6
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
WatcherA more likely scenario is that the keepers were one of the early harvested civilizations. Perhaps the very first.
WatcherPerhaps they responded well to indoctrination or the Reapers simply bred them to be obedient. In any case, they were left behind to operate and maintain the Citadel.
WatcherBut the keepers are no longer directly controlled by Sovereign or its ilk. They evolved so that they only respond to the signals emitted by the Citadel itself.
WatcherWhen the Protheans altered the Citadel's signals, they broke Sovereign's hold over the keepers. Now they are completely harmless.8 choices
FriendlyChoice 1

Wheel

That explains the geth!

Shepard says

Sovereign must have realized organic races were difficult to control.

File location
Response
Reply R88, from link 1
Wheel string
99825
Spoken string
99775
WatcherA likely hypothesis. The keepers evolved in an unanticipated direction. Non-organic servants like the geth would be more predictable.7 choices
DefaultChoice 6

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 6
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
InvestigateChoice 3

Wheel

Sovereign

Shepard says

If the Reapers are trapped in dark space, how did Sovereign get here?

File location
Response
Reply R89, from link 3
Wheel string
99675
Spoken string
99576
WatcherIt is logical to assume the Reapers would leave one of their own behind after each extinction, a sentinel to pave the way for their inevitable return.
InvestigateChoice 4

Wheel

Beacons

Shepard says

What about the beacon on Eden Prime? And the one on Virmire? What were they for?

File location
Response
Reply R100, from link 4
Wheel string
99676
Spoken string
99578
WatcherAt our apex, the beacons spanned the breadth of our empire. We used them as a single galaxy-wide network, to transmit data and communications rapidly from world to world.
InvestigateChoice 5

Wheel

Citadel as a relay

Shepard says

How come nobody noticed the Citadel is a giant mass relay?

File location
Response
Reply R106, from link 5
Wheel string
99621
Spoken string
99579
Conditional
Function 4270, parameter 0
InvestigateChoice 6

Wheel

Prothean scientists

Shepard says

What happened to the survivors from the Conduit Project?

File location
Response
Reply R109, from link 6
Wheel string
99678
Spoken string
99580
WatcherThey used the Conduit to gain access to the Citadel, but the Conduit is only a prototype. The portal only links in one direction, so they were trapped on the station.
DefaultChoice 7

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 7
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
DefaultChoice 8

Wheel

Time to go.

Shepard says

I've got the file. Come on.

File location
Response
Reply R120, from link 8
Wheel string
99877
Spoken string
99867
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 1
WatcherThe one you call Saren has not reached the Conduit. Not yet. There is still hope if you hurry.
WatcherLike those in dark space, Sovereign probably spent most of the last 50,000 years in a state of hibernation. Periodically, it would wake to analyze the situation.
WatcherKeeping its existence hidden, it would evaluate the state of galactic civilization. And, when the time was right, it would signal the Citadel and usher in the next Reaper invasion.
WatcherBut this time, the signal failed. The keepers did not respond. Sovereign's allies were trapped in the void. Alone, it was forced to try and discover what had gone wrong.9 choices
FriendlyChoice 1

Wheel

They could just attack.

Shepard says

Sovereign's the largest ship in the galaxy. Why all this secrecy? Why not just attack the Citadel?

File location
Response
Reply R93, from link 1
Wheel string
99829
Spoken string
99779
WatcherSovereign is not invincible. Revealing its true nature would have united the forces of every organic species against it. Even a Reaper couldn't survive such odds.
WatcherBut the Reapers are patient. They will not rush into the unknown. Sovereign could have been planning this for centuries, moving deliberately, gathering allies.
HostileChoice 2

Wheel

They live in the void?

Shepard says

The Reapers come from dark space? How do they even survive out there?

File location
Response
Reply R97, from link 2
Wheel string
99679
Spoken string
99577
Conditional
Function 4269, parameter 0
WatcherWe only have theories. The researchers here came to believe the Reapers enter a prolonged state of inactivity to conserve energy.
WatcherEffectively, they hibernate for the tens of thousands of years it takes for organic civilization to rebuild itself.
DefaultChoice 8

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 8
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
WatcherSlowly, it has assembled the pieces of the puzzle, working through agents to keep itself hidden. Saren is the most visible pawn of the Reapers, but I doubt he was the first.
WatcherNow, Sovereign has grown bold. Whether from confidence or desperation, I cannot say. But it is determined to reopen the portal to dark space.9 choices
DefaultChoice 7

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 7
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
Watcher By retreating beyond the edges of the galaxy, they ensure no one will accidentally discover them. They keep their existence hidden until the Citadel relay is activated.9 choices
DefaultChoice 7

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 7
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
WatcherVirtually all the beacons were destroyed during the invasion. But once the Reapers were gone, the survivors here on Ilos decided to risk sending out a message.
WatcherWe knew it was unlikely there were other survivors. But if there were, we wanted them to know about Ilos. We wanted to give them hope. So a message was sent across the network.8 choices
FriendlyChoice 1

Wheel

Quite the risk.

Shepard says

You could have exposed yourself to the Reapers.

File location
Response
Reply R103, from link 1
Wheel string
99837
Spoken string
99787
WatcherIn truth, we didn't expect any of the beacons would still function, but we had to try. If there were survivors, we had to reach them.
WatcherThe message was meant for our own people. It was coded so only organic beings could interpret it. We still didn't understand the power of Reaper indoctrination.
WatcherWe never realized it could lead an agent of the machines--like Saren--to this world. But it has also led you here. So perhaps we did not fail after all.7 choices
DefaultChoice 6

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 6
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
DefaultChoice 7

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 7
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
WatcherThe keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology.
WatcherReliance on the keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade.7 choices
DefaultChoice 6

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 6
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
WatcherI do not know what became of them then. It is unlikely they found any food or water on the station. I fear they suffered a slow, grim death.
WatcherI only know they succeeded in their mission to seal the relay. Your presence here proves their sacrifice was not in vain.7 choices
DefaultChoice 6

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 6
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0
Liara T'SoniShepard, are you sure? Who knows how much longer Vigil will be here? Even now the projection is weak.
Liara T'SoniThis might be our only chance to speak with it -- our only link to the knowledge of the Protheans! It is the opportunity of a lifetime!4 choices
InvestigateChoice 1

Wheel

You're right.

Shepard says

It might know something useful.

File location
Response
Reply R115, from link 1
Wheel string
99845
Spoken string
99795
WatcherI will provide whatever information I can. My data banks, however, are limited to information directly related to stopping the Reaper invasion.7 choices
DefaultChoice 6

Wheel

Let's move!

Shepard says

Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go!

File location
Response
Reply R112, from link 6
Wheel string
99673
Spoken string
99574
Conditional
Function 4271, parameter 0

Additional dialogue records

Liara T'Soni1 line
Nothing is happening. Downloading that data file must have burned the system out.
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya1 line
Nothing's happening. Downloading that data file must have burned the system out.
Kaidan Alenko1 line
Nothing's happening. Downloading that data file must have burned the system out.
Ashley Williams1 line
Nothing's happening. Downloading that data file must have burned the system out.
Urdnot Wrex1 line
Nothing's happening. Downloading that data file must have burned the system out.