This will mostly be a bunch of first contact scenerios that I could imagine with the races of 40k. I would write the rest but I doubt my ability to make a complete fic. If anyone wants to continue on with them though; they are free to do so. Since english isn't my native language, I'll apologise now for any errors in grammar and such.
Shas'O T'au Kais followed his mentor and commander: Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores closely by step as they entered the grand chamber that held the Council of Ethereals, the highest authority and power within the Tau Empire. This was the beating heart of the Empire and it was they who were charged to lead the Tau to greatness. His decorative armour reflected this important occasion, if not for these formal meetings, he would spend the rest of his life in real combat gear or in his battlesuit.
Still, this day was out of the normal. Nowhere in sight was the usual throngs of the Water Caste on the upper levels as they filmed the meetings for the entire Empire to share. The lower level was likewise empty of the mass of Ethereals and high ranking members of Fire, Earth, Water and Air Castes. Indeed, aside from themselves, only the Aun'O and his closest advisors seemed present centred in the middle of the hall. Having been present in the past during its more prime times, 'O Kais found the emptiness and relative quiet discomforting.
As Shi'Ores came to an abrupt halt before the dais where Aun'va, the Ethereal Supreme and Aun'O, he snapped to attention just ahead of the four Shas'Vre's that made up Shi'Ores's honour guard. He could see the admiration in the eyes of his Shas'Vre's; for before them was not just a single Aun but several of the highest within the entirety of the Empire, a sight which few Tau will ever see. His old honour guard would not have done so but they unfortunately perished serving the Greater Good in the re-capture of Kronus.
As Shi'Ores had been his mentor and close friend for many years now, 'O Kais was not so affected by the overwhelming aura that the Aun's exuded. Enough so that he could still find the will in him to offer capable and competent advice rather than simple blind agreement. Zeal for the Greater Good was a fine weapon when tempered with precise planning.
"Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores, Shas'O T'au Kais; I must commend you for your victory on the world of Kronus for the Greater Good." The Aun'Va passively congratulated Shi'Ores with a polite but brief clap of hands that was soon joined by the other Ethereals. 'O Kais stiffened his spine in pride at the mention of his name, but kept his face completely neutral. It was only for the Greater Good.
"Our thanks Aun'O." Shi'Ores politely responded for them both. Aun'Va inclined his head in acknowledgment as an indication of accepting the thanks.
"It is in fact, your stellar performance that has this Council nominate you for this new task." Aun'Va announced; slowly pressing buttons on a blue holographic screen, he brought up a large holographic image that appeared directly above and behind him drawing everyone's attention to it. The main interest of the large image was easily identified. There; drifting in the dark tides of space were two long thin objects that were obviously artificial.
But whereas one was brimming with a bright blue energy, the other was dark and silent as it brooded behind its glowing sibling. They were nothing like they had ever seen; it was clearly not of Tau origin and lacked the clunky industrial look or the makeshift form that marred Imperium and Ork constructs. While it bore some resemblance to the smooth aesthetic of the Eldar it paled in comparison to the admittedly beautiful work of the ancient race.
Despite his inability to manufacture an answer to the origin of the constructs; 'O Kais's mind was already piecing together what manner of task that Aun'Va intended for them to perform. The last time that the Empire had been able to discover, salvage and reverse engineer unknown alien technology; the Empire had been able to embark on a glorious phase of Expansion which allowed the Tau Empire to take the first step to its destiny. If this construct was even half the value of their earlier discovery, the Empire would surely flourish.
"A Nicassar exploration fleet discovered this on the fringe of the Tash'Var Sept. Upon discovery both relics were in what appears to be an inactive state. The Nicassar managed to activate one of the relics and from experiments performed on site; they believe that these relics offer a means of Faster than light travel that far surpasses our current technology. The Nicassar themselves, had travelled the equivalent distance of Tash'Var to T'au in an instant." Aun'Va offered a lengthy recap of events. When he finished, neither Shi'Ores nor 'O Kais spoke.
'O Kais had never been invested enough interest in the Empire's means of intergalactic space travel to learn the inner workings of it. He just knew, despite the silence of the Water Caste in this matter, that their FTL was poorer than the Imperiums and that it was one of the main limiters on the Empire that prevented it from expanding too far before resources would be stretched too thin. But to travel the distance of T'au to Tash'Var in an instant instead of the lengthy period it would require otherwise…
"I believe you can understand the importance of these relics to the Empire." Aun'Va assumed. 'O Kais could only manage a slight nod in response, the implications of this device was clear. The advantages they could have from analysing and producing similar constructs thus speeding up their own space flight significantly could revolutionise the Empire and spark a Fourth Sphere of Expansion.
"Of course, Aun'O. We will claim it for the Greater Good." Shi'Ores impeccably replied. As expected, Shi'Ores had also deduced the task that the Aun'O wished for them to perform.
The Aun'O nodded and with a graceful swipe of his hand, he brought up a new screen filled with long lists in pale white lettering that contrasted with the deep blue screen. Recognising the lists as a record of all the assets that will be made available to them, he widened his eyes slightly at the sheer amount that Shi'Ores would have command of.
Two full T'au and one Tash'Vor fleets comparable to the one they used for the re-capture of Kronus; fit with the latest and most powerful of the Kor'Vatta. And while he hadn't counted it yet; there was at least one hundred Hunter Cadres, including Kroot and Vespid auxiliaries, for him to command. But while he could understand the need for excess amounts of vessels, he failed to decipher why such a large ground force was necessary.
"Good. Though not under your command, Aun'Vre Fal'Shia Vash shall be leading a Fal'Shia fleet to construct a station by the constructs. You are to provide protection for them from any threat n his face at the mention of Orks. He had perhaps found a reason for all the ground forces.
Shas'O Kais gratefully sighed in relief upon seeing that there was nothing waiting for them except the darkness of space and the two still constructs. In an odd and possibly fatal mistake, the Custodian Class Mon Mesme was sent into FTL slightly earlier than the rest of T'au fleets. While the 5 km battleship was a formidable vessel to be sure, even it could be overwhelmed by sheer number of which Orks always had aplenty of. Even if there was no disaster this time around, such mistakes were
Leaving the disciplining of the erring crew member up to Kor'O T'au Elan, he focused his undivided attention to the constructs. They were vastly larger than any vessel of the Kor'Vatta yet couldn't compare to the size of the largest of Tau stations. The constant revolving of the rings that sheltered the glowing blue aura was mesmerizing as he watched.
He snapped back to reality upon hearing the excited voice of the Kor'O call out orders for the ship to close the distance to the inactive construct. He could not see any benefits in moving their sole vessel closer to the construct, which to his meagre understanding, could bring forth whoever was on the other side in an instant. Though, he was not versed in space navigation and tactics so he left it to 'O Elan to decide.
Tapping into an earpiece he used for communications, he connected to the special channel reserved for the Ethereals and only the highest ranking of the other Castes. As Kor'O Elan was busying himself with moving the Mon Mesme towards the construct, it was not unexpected to hear the channel empty of chatter until Shi'Ores himself tapped in.
"Shi'Ores, we've arrived in the system and are now moving onto the constructs." 'O Kais dutifully reported in for the Aun. No doubt, Shi'Ores would be most interested in seeing these constructs personally with his own eyes.
"Very well, I shall be at the bridge shortly." The Aun'El replied before the comm went silent. With nothing else left to do and being unable to help here on a ship, he resigned himself to watch space and all the infinite small stars that twinkled in the blackest of nights.
"Kor'O, contacts detected!" 'O Kais heard from one of the operators shout out from the mass of other operators working on the electronic terminals and blue holographic screens. Swiftly directing his eyes to the space ahead of them, he failed to see anything of these contacts at all; they weren't facing the right way!
"Where?" the Kor'O demanded from the operator. Already at the warning, the conditioned training of the Kor'Vatta kicked in for everyone else. The relatively calm pace that the Air Caste crew were working at before was now thrown off for a more attentive and tense poise for what was to come. They had no idea whether these contacts were friendly or hostile; but given everything 'O Kais knew about the races of the universe, there were exceedingly far more hostile than friendly species.
"Fourteen vessels approaching from the active construct, Kor'O." the same operator called out.
"Bring it to view." Elan commanded in a loud voice.
A large holographic screen blinked into life in front of him and the Kor'O. There in view were indeed at least forty space faring ships of unknown origin. The ships had a silvery, smooth sleek design that slightly reminded him of the wraithbone constructs of the Eldar, yet felt lacking compared to it. In fact, they did not look like anything he had ever seen in a ship: the impractical crudeness of the Orks, the eerie green lights of the Necrons or the religious structural design of the Imperials.
And staring right at the 5km from the bridge of his own dreadnought was Turian Admiral Aemilius. Being an Admiral of the Turian Hierarchy, it was both his duty and his job to think before jumping headfirst into a fight. And currently, the cogs in his head were churning with new information as he processed them.
The mission assigned to him from the Turian Hierarchy, and thus by extension the Citadel Council, had ordered him to investigate the sudden activation of a relay in the Crescent System against Council Law and to punish the wrongdoers. Of course, that order was given under the assumption that the instigators were the run of the mill pirates and slavers.
Yet the ridiculously sized ship before him was clearly beyond mere pirates. It was at least twice as big as the Destiny Asccension and the numerous weapon ports suggested that it was a warship of some kind. But who deploys a dreadnought independently and without any form of support from other ships?
Then perhaps the ship wasn't a dreadnought to the aliens and was rather a common patrol ship. Just envisioning the size and power of the alien's real battleships was a terrifying thought.
"Admiral. This is Captain Quintus. Requesting permission to open fire on the violating ship." He heard the message over comms from one of the captains of the fleet's cruisers.
"Denied." He slammed down on the captain. They were Turian Peacekeepers and attacking an unknown alien vessel over a law they logically would not be aware of did not advocate peace in the least. They were not trigger happy incompetents that went about starting wars!
Still… he still had to come up with how to deal with this situation. He had not planned for a first contact scenario and had no provisions for it either. Spirits… but he was a military man and he had no idea of how to go about a diplomatic venture with an alien race.
"But sir, they are in violation of the Council Law." Captain Quintus objected over comms again. His outbursts were not really helping him think at on how to approach the situation in the least.
"Think for a moment Captain Quintus. Do you really think aliens who had never met the Citadel could know of the law?" Admiral Aemilius rhetorically asked, in a vain hope to quieten the captain down.
"Not being aware of the Citadel Law is no excuse for breaking them!" the good captain now loudly declared. Aemilius sighed in exasperation and resisted the urge to shout back at the idiot.
"So… you are proposing we start shooting at oversized alien dreadnought when we know nothing about its capabilities or technology." Aemilius asked skeptically. If so then he questions how the good captain managed to get his rank.
There was a good long pause before his question. No doubt, the good captain was taking in the size of the ship and the rather large guns now trained on them. Perhaps that would persuade him that attacking was a bad idea and get him to shut up.
"…My ship's scanners are picking up no Eezo on board." Captain Quintus suddenly said. No eezo? And interesting tidbit though one could already suspect that these aliens were different since they managed to get to this system without a relay in the first place.
"And…?" for he was sure that the good captain had something to add.
"I imagine that, despite the size, the aliens are in actuality primitive. Quality over quantity." The captain argued. Aemilius scoffed at the words; he had forty ships in his fleet and they were more than enough for one oversized dreadnought. But it was the consequences of such that gave him pause.
"Captain Quintus, consider for a moment on how the alien ship arrived in the system and remember that we came through the only open relay." Captain Artillius, commander of one of his frigates, interjected for him. It was comforting to know that there were still others who possessed common sense.
Because really; this system seemed to have nothing but rocks and asteroids. The only unique features was that it had two relays; one of which they came through. Now, a perceptive Turian would have picked up on that there was no way that the alien could have arrived here unless they either travelled here slowly with STL or they had alternates means of FTL outside of relays. Both of which raised them above the 'primitive' levels.
"Admiral! I'm detecting several new ships!" a crewman shouted out from his station. He knew that his fleet was not meant to be receiving reinforcements so that most likely meant…
Without a word, he signalled for the new arrivals to be brought on screen, already have a foreboding for who they were going to be. Unsurprisingly, he found out where the rest of the alien fleet was.
The new arrivals had the same tan gold colour scheme and a similar design to the oversized dreadnought; favouring plain and simplistic aesthetics. Counting them quickly, he noted that his fleet still had numerical superiority if by just. Though, he sourly added, that would hardly matter since just about all of them fell into a dreadnought classification.
"So… Captain Quintus, do you still think we can easily crush these 'primitives'?" Captain Artillius snidely remarked, trying to sound calm despite the obvious tension in his voice. And at least for his credit, the good captain finally had nothing else to say.
And even if for whatever Spirit begotten reason, it was silenced with the sudden 'appearance' of yet another alien fleet. Oddly enough, while it shared the same design of the others, this new fleet had a muddy brown green colour scheme though the new ships overall seem to be working in coherence with the gold tan one. Spirits… but that was a lot of dreadnoughts…
"Sir! The first alien ship is releasing something out of what appears to be a hanger." Turning his attention back the screen with the live feed of the first oversized dreadnought, he easily spotted something small, round and of the same tan gold hurtling out the side of the ship.
"…and exploration drone, Aun'El. Designed and produced by a cooperation between the Water and Earth Castes and put to use by the Air Caste. Its intent is to allow the Empire to spread the creed of the Greater Good and to smoothen contact with other races. It has all the very basic data necessary to facilitate an understanding with new races." Kor'O Elan finished his lengthy explanation of the drone with a long breath.
The tension and apprehension in the air was understandably less heavy on the bridge. This was in part, due to the arrival of not just their own fleet but also the Tash'Var fleet as well. But it was the very presence of Aun'El that brought about this calming effect on the otherwise worried and stressed crew.
"Excellent." Shi'Ores commented with but a single word. But this word was enough to get 'O Elan to straighten himself up in pride with the simple praise. 'O Kais watched on impassively, he had been doing this for a lot of time recently. He felt… empty without something to occupy his mind.
He ignored the sounds of satisfaction and success of the crew as the drone was peacefully picked up by the alien fleet. It was a momentary and short celebration as the hours passed with no interaction with the alien fleet.
It was approximately eight standard hours and 46 standard minutes before the Tau finally got a response in the form a disjointed archaic communication used in the First Sphere of Expansion.
This Turian 46 fleet. We approach peace. Identify unknown fleet.
This is T'au Four Fifth Fleet of the Tau Empire. We seek peace in the name of the Greater Good.
Impressed… would not be the word that would adequately describe how 'O Kais felt as he laid his disappointed eyes onto this much esteemed 'Citadel'. 'Disappointed'… that would be the word.
This Citadel, described as the political, cultural and financial capital of the galactic community, was just so… small. It was about the same size as those numerous defence stations that orbit T'au. The two Ta'Shiro Fortress Stations, continent sized cities themselves, that lay in orbit above T'au was more impressive than this. Though he really shouldn't have taken that 'Codex' of theirs at face value. In-depth and complicated it may be, what was contained within it would be affected by bias and other factors which questioned its reliability as a resource.
But whether it impressed him or not mattered little for this diplomatic venture. And if not for his insistence to accompany Shi'Ores, he would be still be back in the system that those 'Turians' call the Crescent System.
His scarred hands roamed his new suit of armour and equipment given to him for this, testing it for any faults with an experienced and perceptive eye. The armour straps were tightened and the plates themselves were in pristine condition. The HUD of his helmet was operational and without faults and a Pulse Carbine was slung by his side.
…It's been over a decade since he last wore the basic combat armour of the base Fire Warrior. Ever since he became a Shas'Ui, he had been piloting a battlesuit for all his battles. But between campaigns, he always found himself time to practice his accuracy and occasionally directing the mock combat training that Shas'Saal engaged in. While he may be out of practice, he was confident that he was still a capable Fire Warrior.
And it was this confidence that he knew that Shi'Ores would remain safe under his protection. If this Citadel was to turn into a trap, he was more than willing to cut his way down through the innumerable enemies back to the ship, even at the cost of his own life, to ensure the Ethereals safety.
Though it was not as if he had not prepared for provisions in the case of them needing to escape the Citadel. Several teams of XV8 Crisis Battlesuits were on standby in the hanger bays of the all Battleships and Cruisers present, waiting to be inserted in to aid with the evacuation if necessary. Likewise, every single ship in the fleet had standing orders to destroy the Citadel's meagre defence fleets and then open fire on the Citadel itself to aid their evacuation.
And… if the unthinkable was to happen. Then the Fleet was fully authorized to deliver fusion bombs onto the Citadel to destroy the main hub of the Citadel in preparation for the eventual annexation of the Citadel races by the Tau Empire for the Greater Good.
Shaking dark thoughts out of his mind, he approached a waiting Shi'Ores and Water Caste advisor, standing in the middle of the Honour Guard. The Shas'Vre's in the rest of the Honour guard nodded respectfully and willingly stood aside for him to take the lead. "We are ready Aun'El."
"Then let us begin." Shi'Ores calmly stated as he stepped forward into the Orca that would take them down to the Citadel. The rest of the delegation followed him in at a respectable pace, easily fitting into the dropship designed to hold up to an entire Hunter Cadre.
It was a short and brief descent down to the prearranged dock prepared for them by these 'C-Sec'. When the shuttle doors opened, the aliens on the other side were likely more surprised than they. In between the lengthy travel times of the Tau's FTL, there was an abundance of time to familiarise themselves with the Citadel aliens with the 'Codex' they provided. But again, while the general information was unlikely to be false, it did not mean that everything in it was true. No one would be foolish enough to give away every information they possessed.
There were four aliens in blue armour awaiting them outside: three of those Turians and a sole 'Asari'. For whatever reason, they were not wearing helmets with their armour though he supposed that was to appear friendlier somehow. The Por'El accompanying them would be better at identifying these little details that actually meant a great deal.
"Welcome to the Citadel. We will escort you to the Presidium where the Council is waiting." The sole Asari said in a fluid voice. Hmm… even he caught the overtone of that. The way she phrased that seemed to imply that this Council was in a superior position to which the Tau were clamouring to meet.
"Of course." The Por'El replied politely. 'O Kais was expecting some form of witty or intelligent answer that would return the dominance to the Tau but he was sadly disappointed.
The Tau Honour Guard marched in unison, with him as the lead, behind the two leading C-Sec while the remaining two flanked them. The dock was near empty of life; only numerous C-sec positioned at junctions kept it from being completely void of life. 'O Kais made special note of where they were all stationed just in case.
And then they were released into what seemed to be a main road. There, large crowds of aliens congregated around to catch a glimpse of them, the hordes held back by rigid lines of C-Sec troops. Up above them were several anti-grav vehicles hovering overhead which made him think of why this Council couldn't arrange for some proper transport instead of making them march a parade up to their Presidium
He resisted the urge to look around like a dumbstruck fool, which was without doubt the intent of this: to show off the Citadel to the newcomers.
"I am concerned about them" The Turian Councillor Sparatus commented on the fleet of Tau dreadnoughts that waited just beyond the arms of the Citadel, waving at the graphic image of them for extra emphasis. "It says much of this Empire when they bring a war fleet to a peaceful diplomatic meeting."
"Indeed." The Salarian Councillor Valern agreed dryly as he too was deeply worried about the Tau fleet. The hasty report from the Turian fleet that had initiated contact with the Tau had revealed very little of these Tau. They were only able to confirm that their ships were all oversized and that it was because they did not utilise element zero in the least. That left many uncertainties of the capabilities of their fleet and he certainly did not want to test them on this day.
"Not just their means of diplomacy but also the strength of their industry. They do have another similar fleet in the Crescent System and this fleet's designation, 'Four Fifth', suggests that there are many more like them. Certainly, it would take more than a handful of developed worlds to manage large amounts of these fleets." The Asari Councillor Tevos analysed and returned her observations and musings.
"Perhaps… but what if this is merely a ruse to misguide us on their true strength. This could be half their entire navy for all we know." Sparatus speculated sceptically.
"Unlikely. That would mean the other half is still in the Crescent system leaving nothing to defend their own territory. It would be illogical to do so for a temporary ruse." Valern objectively pointed out.
"I agree. There is very little to gain from misleading us. And this was just speculation on my part anyhow." Tevos nodded with Valern's conclusion.
"And what of the Tau's lack of eezo? While I don't doubt the word of Admiral Aemilius, I, for one, find it hard to believe. No race encountered by the Council in thousands of years has not used element zero for a basis of their technology." Sparatus shared with his fellow councillors.
"I also find it rather difficult to believe but not completely unbelievable. If the Tau prove hospitable then I am sure that a limited technology exchange could be arranged." Tevos stated to the Turian Councillor.
"Yes. Studying a non eezo based technology would be interesting." Valern agreed, already envisioning the possibilities of a FTL not based on element zero. They would be far freer in building colonies and perhaps even the eventual problem of overcrowding in Citadel space, due to the policy of not activating new relays, could be solved.
Sparatus looked like he was about speak some more, his mouth twitching before he spotted the Tau delegates entering the Council chambers. The originally five bodyguards seemed to have been whittled down to only two, no doubt the other three were being waiting just outside the hall under C-Sec watch.
It was plainly simple to identify the figures that needed to be paid attention to. Two of the Tau were wearing plain amour and despite usual Council laws, short carbines, the same colour of their armour, were in their hands as their head cautiously turned about searching for any threats to their charge. These were the soldiers, protection and ultimately irrelevant.
The two they were protecting were the important ones, the one that would be doing all the talking on behalf of their Tau Empire. On the left was one in regal and elaborate robes not too unlike the one that Valern wore. But it was the one with the staff that was clearly in the lead, even from up on her elevated position, she could see the obvious deference that the others held for him.
"On behalf of the Citadel Council, I welcome you to the Citadel and hope this meeting today will be the opening of a positive and beneficial relationship between your Tau Empire and the Citadel Council." Tevos started with a political greeting to the ambassadors of the new race.
"I am Councillor Tevos." Tevos introduced herself first. Gesturing to her left, "This is Councillor Valern." Valern gave a brief nod. And finally indicating to Sparatus. "And this is Councillor Sparatus."
The Tau with the staff gave brief nods of acknowledgements in return. "I am Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores. With me is Por'El T'au Dao and Shas'O T'au Kais. I in turn bring you greetings from the Tau Empire and I too pray that our meeting will benefit us both for the Greater Good." Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores gestured to the appropriate person with each of their names. And their names were quite the handful.
"Now that I suppose that the pleasantries are over. I would like to perhaps know your reasoning for bringing such a large fleet to a peaceful meeting." Sparatus bluntly burst out.
"Large? I assure you that the Four Fifth fleet is the standard size for a Kor'Vatta fleet." Por'El T'au Dao replied, his face looked somewhat surprised to Tevos. Though she had no idea how these Tau expressed their emotions so it might actually be scorn for all she knew.
"Perhaps… but regardless; is an entire fleet necessary?" Sparatus continued with his complaint.
"You will have to forgive us, but it is standard procedure to have a fleet nearby while negotiating with intergalactic powers. It is for protection and deterrent purposes." Por'El T'au Dao stated firmly. Immediately, Tevos caught the piece of information and from the looks of it; Valern did as well. They were not the first intergalactic power that these Tau have encountered.
"Of course. But I am most interested in knowing who these other intergalactic powers are?" Tevos suddenly interjected before Sparatus could derail the conversation elsewhere.
Por'El T'au Dao glanced over to Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores for a moment and it was only with Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores's nod of approval did Por'El T'au Dao continue. Tevos already had an inkling that Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores was the superior but that just confirmed it. "They call themselves the Imperium of Mankind. We are currently in a… uneasy relation with them due to conflicting interests."
"But we are not here to discuss the Imperium today." Por'El T'au Dao quickly changed to subject. "I am certain that this goes without saying; but the Tau Empire does not wish to engage in any form of hostilities with the Citadel Council."
"Agreed. The Council is a committed to maintaining peace and stability in the galaxy. We are not warmongers lusting for conquest." Valern quickly snapped up.
"You have our thanks." Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores thanked graciously. "Now, about the Mass Relays…"
Urgent: Report on Alien Constructs (Mass Relays) and Citadel Council
To: High Council, T'au
From: Aun'El T'au Shi'Ores
Upon arrival in the system that contained the constructs we have encountered a new alien race, the Turians, and initiated first contact. It is through them that we are now in a diplomatic relation with another galactic civilization that calls themselves the Citadel Council. Fortunately, they do not seem to share the aggressiveness of the Gue'la and are content with what they currently have.
I am aware that my objective is the establishment and research of the alien constructs, mass transit devices that the Citadel has dubbed Mass Relays, but I believe that there are now numerous opportunities the Greater Good and the Tau with it. The station that will soon be constructed in the Crescent System would be best served as a launch pad to spread our reach into the galaxy. Attached to this file is a compendium dubbed the Codex that possesses mass information about this Citadel and the relays that would prove very interesting.
Regarding the integration of the races to the Empire: given the standard of living and the modest protection that membership with the Council grants; many of the Citadel races would be difficult to sway to the Greater Good. Thus I suggest that the Water Caste should first focus on these races:
Quarian: They are an exiled race and currently reside in a fleet of ship so large that it outnumbers even the Kor'Vatta. However the vast majority of these ships are used to house their exiled population and the Kor'Vatta will likely make short work of the Quarians Migrant Fleet, as they designate themselves. Integration with the Empire will be a simple matter. Their desires for a home planet and protection is well within the powers of the Empire.
Krogan: These barbarians are not too unlike the Orks in their savagery, lust for bloody combat and their incredible reproduction rate. Currently their population is kept to a minimum with regards to a previous Council measure which has limited their growth. The Water Caste could perhaps come to an agreement with these savages though I believe it is unlikely as they will no doubt want a cure to their declining birth rates and a second Ork race could devastate the Empire. The Krogan may perhaps be the second race that must be forsaken and exterminated for the Greater Good.
Batarians: Yet another barbaric race that practices the enslavement of other races, though they could perhaps still be turned to the Greater Good. I would advise the use of the cause of liberating their slaves to enforce such change upon them. Such a deed will without doubt show the Citadel the righteousness of the Greater Good and strengthen our position with the Citadel races.
Vorcha: A primitive species that is mostly trapped within their own desolate homeworld in a state of constant infighting for the few remaining resources. They are an aggressive species though amazingly adaptable on an individual level, however the Codex states that their aggressiveness is not an innate nature and they can be trained to be civilised. I would suggest that tests must be taken to confirm this. If it is true then perhaps we can uplift them and guide them onto a better path that would serve the Greater Good.
Terminus Systems: An extremely loose confederation of independent systems that is often plagued by lawlessness and slavers. I do not doubt that many of such planets would welcome the Tau Empire and the protection that we bring. The more reluctant of such systems would soon see the error of their ways when they are attacked by pirates and their ilk. Of course, the Kor'Vatta shall be nearby and show these systems the benefit of joining with the Greater Good.
Just wanted to get the blue space communists out of the way since they're probably the only ones that would have a peaceful first contact. I don't think I'm too great at the political things as well either :(