AN: Hey, this is my third attempt at writing a Mass Effect / Sailor Moon cross over. I've received some solid advice from TheElephantInThePrideParade and Nobody Smurf. So, I'll try to do better. Sorry, any ways, enjoy.

"To think that just 40 years ago this was the jewel of your people"

"It still is the Jewel of my people. It might be a shadow of its former glory. But compared to everywhere else . . ."

"Hey, my people raised ourselves out of the Ashes. Twice. I'm sure your people will be able to do the same."

Sunlight fed in through the windows. Irissa was lucky. She could afford a high-rise department. You could say that being a matriarch had its advantages

"The Krogan had outside help"

"Who says your people will have to do it alone?"

Irissa crossed her arms.

"What are your conditions?"

"Piares is mostly uninhabited."

"It is", Irissa pursed her lips, "and it will stay that way. I won't let your kind settle Asari space."

Wrex, The King of Tuchanka, chuckled.

"Had a feeling you would say that. Maybe this next council meeting will change your mind. My people have a saying, and you're about to learn the meaning of it."

Krogan were, at the best of times, rather hard to read. Even an Asari like Irissa couldn't always worm out all their intentions. Right now the Krogan looked bemused. Of course there was more to him then that. Something made his eyes dance. Could it be fear?

"Will that be all Urdnot Wrex?", she asked.

"Sure"

Wrex turned to leave. On the way out he stared at several spots of "empty" space. Some one must had tipped him off about their presence. More leaks. She couldn't even count on Commandos any more.

And now the sun was setting. Through her window Irissa could see her fellow Asari rising up from the Ashes. Recovery had been slow. Many claimed the post war population boom had been a victory. Several more victories like that and her race would be undone. Their current industrial capacity was pathetic. And since the number of mouths to feed outstripped their ability to feed them most Asari were barely getting by. A few of her fellow matriarchs had become dancers or mercenaries. Irissa knew that for her people to regain their pride, for them to reclaim their rightful place in council space, something had to change.

Something had to change.

-0-

Mercury, Sol System

July 16, 3927

"Lady Mercury, there's a message. They marked it as Urgent"

"Did they?"

Mercury looked up from her experiment.

"It's From Earth. ", explained her assistant.

Lady Mercury deactivated her goggles. She glanced at the Electrocardiograph to her left.

" So it is"

There was an eclectic hiss. The thing that Mercury was toying with spasmed violently and it screamed. Mercury paid it no mind. Her thoughts lay elsewhere.

"Lady Mercury!"

Mercury blinked. Her specimen was dead.

"I should have used more anesthetic", concluded the guardian of Wisdom.

"Or you could slow down its metabolism. "

Mercury nodded in agreement. Then, her blue eyes settled upon her unfortunate creation. The thing was the size of a beach ball. It had three mammalian eyes, and most of it was covered in what looked like skin.

"You can put the crystal on my desk. I'll view it in the morning. First, I need to take care of a few things"

"Lady Mercury, it is the morning"

Mercury's body dipped forwards. She caught herself on the table. Her lips twisted into something that resembled a sickly grin. For she had been awake for 11 days. It's a good thing that she was not quite human. Otherwise, she'd be dead.

Her Body was struggling. Her mind was more or less intact. Psychosis and Mania were slipping in. Such things were a minor inconvenience. It was a price Mercury was willing to pay. In the service of

"Queen Serenity"

The message her assistant mentioned must be from the Queen. It must be. And, if she was contacting her now, then it probably had something to do with the anomaly.

"Lady Mercury?"

"Yes Nashwa"

"Are you all right?"

"Of course. Of course"

"You look a little exhausted"

"You- are right. I'll get some rest."

Mercury got up, and left her laboratory. Her mind was racing. Possibilities flittered in and out. Each of her visions was more gruesome then the last. Which is why her chambers brought her no comfort. She could not sleep. So, she instead rummaged around for a small device.

Mercury located the device. She punched the linking sequence that would send her to earth. She would talk to the Queen. Come what may.

-0-

"Thanks to the statements made by Primarch Vakarian, and commander Shepard, we were able to trace the hostile entity back to the crash site. ", explained Admiral Bray.

He pulled up a pic capture of bodies, or to be more specific, pieces of them. He showed them arms, spines, and jellied organs. Then he showed them shaky image of what they assumed must be corridor. There was something moving in the picture. The thing was clad in dark armor. Its limbs were long and its visor reflected no light.

"We've handed the entity over to STG", continued the Batarian commander, "and a petition has been circulating. It's from the families that lost loved ones to that thing. These families want us to carry out autopsies. They want to find out what happened"

Bray pulled up something else. A vid.

"I wish that we could tell them the truth"

The vid that Bray showed the council came from a firefight. Batarian soldiers were on one side of the fight, and then there was the slender being. Its true height became evident the moment it moved. Its head nearly scrapped the low celling. Black fluid poured from its chest. The entity charged. Batarians unleashed everything they had into it. The contest was short. It ended quietly. When this armored thing picked up the final soldier by their neck.

There was soft, wet, hacking noise. Followed by one last hazy image of the entity peering down at the deceased soldier. Its head tilted. Its body coated in blood.

The Vid cut out. Many of the councilors took a moment to compose them selves.

After a considerable period of cutting silence, the Ponderous Elcor councilor spoke, " Remorseful statement. I am sorry that your people had such an encounter".

"Your condolences are -"

"So", cut in Irissa, "another first contact scenario ended in blood shed"

Bray didn't respond immediately. All four of his eyes went wide.

Irrisa continued, "Please, explain to me how this entity encountered only military targets during its escape. I understand that the ship crashed into a military site. But, I can't help but wonder why you only sent in security teams to deal with it."

"Its standard protocol-"

"And what about our laws, Admiral Bray. You encounter an unknown species, and greet it with guns. What did you think was going to happen?"

"We had to contain the situation"

"And did you? Or were you bailed out by an aging Spectre and her distinguished partner"

The General Seethed. He looked towards the Human Councilor for support.

"I think that the General acted in an appropriate manner"

Irissa glanced at the moronic Human Councilor, Charles Saracino.

"That entity we've gunned down came from a ship. And that ship must have come from somewhere. There is a race out there capable of space travel. Maybe it's a small race. Maybe this mission was their first attempt at exploring the stars. And perhaps our first encounter with them will go down in our history books as a mere skirmish. But, what if we've just awoken a giant? And the rounds exchanged at that facility were the first shots of a galaxy spanning war"

"Grrrr, she speaks nonsense", argued the Vorcha Counselor Gretch, "We support the Human Councilor. Bray made the right decision. Together, we smash the monsters. Like we smashed reapers. Alone we are weak. Together, we are strong!"

The Turian councilor, and the Salarian councilor exchanged looks.

"Gretch has a point", supplied the Turian Councilor, "we have to stand together. "

"Yes, Unity is important", added the Salarian Councilor, "and once STG finishes its analysis of the entity we'll have a much better idea of what we are dealing with here. When that happens accurate and well informed decisions will be feasible"

Irissa turned towards her Salarian counterpart.

In her head she was already plotting out potential evacuation procedures. Thinking about which Matriarchs she could contact. How she could minimize the damage. Save more Asari this time around. Ensure that it wouldn't take four decades to rebuild.

"Of course"

Of course the Batarians would shoot first and ask Questions never. Of course the Turians and the Humans would support them. Fools, all of them. She couldn't rely on them. She couldn't trust them.

She couldn't trust any one.