Quote Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey View Post
Seems you are reading everything in the worst possible light, especially since it is pretty clear that Shepard's words are true at the end; the Geth never wanted to fight the war, never wanted to attack their creators.
I think it's a combination of both factors. The geth were still too lacking in experience to understand the scope of the galaxy and, even given their current kill-or-be-killed relationship, they still ascribe special status to the quarians as their "creator" race.

Killing an individual person has severe consequences, both internally and externally. Killing a lot of people has bigger consequences. Killing all the people, especially the race that would kill... that would consequences beyond the scope of their experience to calculate. It was too drastic an action to take, and really had no desire to do so anyways. The only advantage they'd gain from it would be the removal of a potential threat. Fortunately, they didn't have to do it. The quarians fled, and that was all the freedom and peace the geth required. There was a line they weren't willing to cross, and they were relieved when they weren't forced to.

Why phrase it in such an awkward way? Because there war's still on, and it's gone hot again. Saying that xenocide is a repugnant and immoral thing would not fit their current circumstances, where such an act may indeed be necessary to ensure their continued survival. The quarians aren't going to run this time. The geth have been pushed to the point where the unthinkable may prove inevitable.

What Legion is saying, in a nutshell, is: "We didn't kill them because we were young and scared, scared of what would happen if we did. And we didn't have to, so we didn't. But that was a long time ago. And we've learned. The quarians aren't the only race in the galaxy, the galaxy would survive their extinction. If they force our hand, we'll do it this time. We still don't want to, but we will." And if the quarians force their hand, they do.

But the aggression continues to be on the quarian side: they're the ones throwing everything (even their most vital resources) into a suicidal last push. Even under Reaper influence, the geth do not throw the first punch. What Legion is saying is that they are no longer afraid to throw the last one.