The Matriarch's Report

The Matriarch stood before the holoterminal, her face grim as a connection was established with the Citadel. Normally she would have typed up a report and waited until the council wanted to contact her, but today was different. Today she had a major incident to report, and she could not let it be delayed any further.

"Matriarch," Councillor Tevos greeted the ambassador calmly, "I presume that you have success to report."

"No, Councillor." she replied, "As a result of the Turian ultimatum, I was unable to proceed in a suitable manner."

"Nonsense," Councillor Sparatus scoffed, "Eight weeks is more than sufficient to establish the peaceful integration of a new race into the Ascension process, unless they are hostile as the Rachni."

"That may have been true, Sparatus," the Matriarch spoke stiffly, "If you had started counting from the time we had actually established viable communications with the race in question. After the Turian patrol blew apart their probe, we knew nothing of them save the fact that they existed. It took us weeks to track down another of their probes; and weeks more to establish a minimal communications link through an unmanned device that was never intended to function as such a relay. By which point your appointed time frame had elapsed. Though their ambassador made himself available with commendable alacrity, I could only hope to avert your warmongering if he chose to immediately submit within the first hour of our meeting."

"I find that an unlikely turn of events." the Salarian councillor interjected, "No race is known to move with such haste, not even the Vorcha."

"Correct, Councillor." the Matriarch replied, "There is, however, one means of speeding the dialogue that remained available to me."

"Matriarch," Tevos voice was grim and steady, "Are you meaning to intimate that you melded with the alien Ambassador?"

"Attempted to, Councillor." the Matriarch corrected, "His response was somewhat... surprising. I attached our security recordings to the report, but they won't show everything."

"Peculiar ship," the Salarian muttered to himself, obviously reading the report in the background.

"Indeed, Councillor." the Matriarch replied, "Cruiser weight, yet built in three distinct segments – a tubular main body, with a circular hull attached atop and two large nacelles to the rear. Each segment separate and distinct, frigate weight, yet altogether the vessel itself is cruiser weight. I believe that it was a diplomatic gesture – though the vessel itself is cruiser weight, and could support cruiser grade barriers and armour, it could not mount a cruiser grade gun. Clearly, this new species can build cruisers, but are peaceable enough not to send them to greet a peaceful emissary."

"And their deployment of this vessel suggests that they are very familiar with such vessels, able to deploy them in number." the Salarian was thinking aloud by this point, scanning the written report for more.

"True, but that is in my written report." the Matriarch retook control of the conversation, "I called to speak of the organic element. Their diplomatic cruiser deployed a smaller vessel from approximately 50,000 km away, which travelled at sublight velocities to a designated landing bay. Fortunately, we had been able to work out enough of a proto-language to transmit basic directions. Not that it would help in a face-to-face meeting, but at least it got us there."

The Matriarch paused and sighed, her mind playing back over the event.

"There were six of them," she recalled, her eyes distant, "Two in light environment suits, sensible I suppose, their heads exposed through the transparent helmets. The remaining four, completely concealed by their armour, were most likely bodyguards."

"What kind of bloodthirsty thug sends four bodyguards to a peace conference," Sparatus snorted.

"Besides a Turian?" the Matriarch's voice cut sharply through Sparatus' diatribe, "Perhaps one spooked by the blatant hostility of an alien race that blew apart one of it's unmanned vessels? Regardless, it is beside the point. Two of the guards stayed at the shuttle, rifles pointed down in an exaggerated show of peaceful intent, the other two shadowed the Ambassadors, their rifles stowed. After meeting them, I managed to convey my intent. Their was some discussion, most likely about the air, before one of the Ambassadors removed his helmet and I attempted the meld. I failed."

"Failed?" Tevos voice held a curious note, "I have never heard of a meld failing, Matriarch, were they machines?"

"No, Councillor, they were as biological as you or I." the Matriarch sighed in response, "And 'failed' was perhaps a poor analogy. I was repelled."

The Matriarch fixed each of the stunned councillors with a steely gaze before continuing, "When I first attempted the connection, I felt mild curiosity and hope, which immediately flashed into a sense of fear, fury and betrayal."

"Obviously these primitives intended to betray us from the start," Sparatus smugly asserted, but the Matriarch shook her head.

"Not a feeling of enacting betrayal, a feeling of falling victim to one." she corrected him, "Under it all, though, there was a steely will,a firm determination. It seemed to be a trained response, directed squarely at me as an intruder. All that I felt from him, I felt in less than a second of contact. First I was blocked, then I was immediately forced from his mind. It was extremely disconcerting to experience."

"I take it these aliens have similar abilities, and found your attempt offensive?" the Salarian councillor suggested.

"Perhaps, I can not say for certain, though his following actions suggest otherwise. The Ambassador dropped to his knees, half turned, and put his hands behind his head whilst shouting a single syllable. It clearly meant something to the others, who reacted with impressive alacrity. The other Ambassador struck me with his sword whilst the guards drew their guns."

At this the Matriarch raised her right arm – what was left of it. Her forearm had been cleanly sliced through, the wound cauterised by the strike. As the Councillor's stared in shock at the injury, the Matriarch continued unperturbed.

"I underestimated the weapon, and the speed with which she could strike. The first blow severed my arm before I could raise a barrier, the second sent me flying. The guards opened fire as the swordsman firmly bound the one with whom I had attempted to commune and dragged him back to the shuttle. The Five of them moved with commendable discipline – had they intended to make a fight of it, rather than simply retreat, I am quite certain that they could have captured our vessel. Three Commandos, 4 Turian guards and a Salarian sniper were killed, out of seenteen wounded. Not counting myself," She gestured with her missing limb, "Do not make the mistake of thinking that their blades are purely ceremonial. They may be intended as such, but they are made to be used, and their wielders are trained appropriately."

"Odd behaviour," the Salarian Councillor murmured, "Armed ambassadors suggests violent species, as does their lethality, but violent would have attacked, not retreated. Especially when it became clear they were superior."

"My own analysis was that they are more paranoid than violent." the Matriarch asserted, "Perhaps they had their own Rachni encounter, and treat each contact as the potential to follow suit."

"Perhaps," Tevos allowed, "If so, we must seek more peaceful relations with them."

"Nonsense," Sparatus scoffed, "They are worse than Krogan, clearly, and we all remember how they turned out."

"No, not really." Salarian replied, "No indication of Krogan tendencies. Krogan would have charged, even as they were overwhelmed by their foes. These aliens fell back even as they overwhelmed their enemies."

"You will need to sue for peace," the Matriarch informed them, her tone brooking no argument.

"Preposterous," Sparatus snarled, "They attack us, and you want us to back down?"

"As far as they are concerned, I declared war on them," the Matriarch reminded them, her voice as warm as the wastes of Noveria, "You will have to be the one's to convince them otherwise."

"Easily done," Sparatus told her, "I'll contact the Primarch, have an occupation fleet sent in. They'll soon change their minds when they see themselves loosing."

"If they loose," she retorted, "Which I doubt will be half as easy as you are intimating; they have proven far too competent for that. Even then, persuading the aliens that our intentions are genocidal will go a long way towards dissuading them from peace."

"Nonsense," Sparatus dismissed her, "Once we conquer them they will have no choice but to accept Citadel rule."

"Too many variables, not enough data." the Salarian muttered to himself, "Will take time before we can confront them. Have you managed to establish a dialogue?"

"We developed a digital proto-language," she replied, "I included it in my report. It will be enough to establish negotiations, but not complete them. You will need to include linguistic experts in the process to program our translators with the alien language, whatever it may be."

"We will make do with what we have, for now." Tevos interrupted her colleagues, "Matriarch, make your way back to the Citadel. I would debrief you in person. You are our only asset with any experience of the aliens, we will need that if we are to attempt a more peaceful encounter."

"Our vessel is en-route to the system the Turian Strike fleet is gathering in, for discharge." the Matriarch informed them, "I will advise our captain to make all speed for the Citadel once that is done."

"Thank you, Matriarch," Tevos spoke smoothly over Sparatus's blustering, "I look forward to our face to face meeting."

Matriarch Benezia T'soni was killed later that same day when her ship, the A.R.S. Integration, was destroyed in the first battle of the Human-Citadel war. Her last known communique was a private message addressed to a "Little Wing", sent through civilian channels. As the recipient has yet to come forth with the message, this holocall stands as the Matriarch's last known words.