I apologize for the long delay in updates, with work projects it is hard to get off time; but the worst part is that I had writer's block sorry. Well for those of you whom have waited for it, the next two chapters of Mass Relays and Stargates.
Tali's new Lab, Normandy's Maiden Hyper-space Flight and Rescue Doctor T'Soni
The first thing in Tali's mind when the group reached the docking slips where the Girty Lou's shuttle is stationed was 'they have been so kind, I wonder what it is like where they come from?' Tali had been trying to make sense of Ambassador Archer's claims that the GRA is located in not only another galaxy, but an entirely different galactic group. After trying several times to picture that her new friends traveled across the universe was not that hard, but Tali had to know if she is right and that they use sleeper pods for the long trip.
Turning to face Genray, she found that he moved off towards a human ship with the name Normandy proudly displayed along its haul. For a moment Tali was uncertain if she was to go with Commander Shepard or Kelms, but before she could ask Spartan 781 stopped to stand next to her. "Ma'am, they are going to launch the Normandy and meet us on the Girty Lou." With that 781 continues towards the green cylinder that Tali spotted with two other Spartans guarding, through why they would use two ships to reach the Girty Lou was not know to her.
Following Kelms and the Spartans into the cylinder Tali finds that despite the design differences, the cylinder based shuttle has nearly the same internal space as any shuttle of Citadel space. Taking in the shuttle's internal design, she finds that perhaps have of the available space is for cargo and/or passengers. The two bench like seats on either wall is nearly the length of the cargo/passenger area and above each are cargo nets that can contain any form of small cargo for transport.
Looking for a place to sit, Tali notices that each of the Spartans takes up nearly two positions worth of people on the benches. Moving to one side to make room for people to pass, Tali is able to glance into the forward compartment where the pilot is stationed. What she can see of the controls gains her complete interest to the point in which she has miss the attempts of the young Flight Corporal to get her attention. It is only when he steps partially into her line of sight that Tali finally notices his presence and jumps back in surprise.
"Ma'am, sorry about surprising you like that, but the Commander would like you to join us in the forward compartment." Tali, not trusting her voice for the moment nods and then follows him into the forward compartment and takes the empty seat that he escorts her towards. As everyone aboard the ship prepares to launch, another hidden being manages to slip on board just before the hatch seals shut. At the same time on the Normandy another being, this one disguised as a tech of the Systems Alliance silently worries about his partner on the alien shuttle. Both ships launch from the Citadel and make their way to the Girty Lou.
Citadel Council Asari Representative Office
After watching both the Girty Lou shuttle and Human Systems Alliance vessel Normandy clear the Citadel C-Sec docking area, the Representative switches off the security feed. It had been forty-five minutes since the Council meeting with the Systems Alliance and this GRA had been dismissed. She was quite impressed with how quickly Commander Kelms and Ambassador Archer had gotten the First Contact Package sent to the Citadel.
Reading the information contained had taken the better part of the past half hour and that is only the basic information such as the general descriptions of the member races and recent history. Inari actually had a flashback to when they had first encountered the Systems Alliance when she read the section about the Tua'ri. Never once had she considered that humans were so far spread throughout the cosmos, but here in front of her is digital proof of humans living outside of known space. She was finding it difficult to wrap her mind around the fact that humans exist outside of known space, but the more she read the more things about these people started to scare her.
The first being that the Lanteans whom have been known by at least seven varying names, the Ancients, the Ancestors, the Lords of Kobol, the Forerunners, the Alterrans and the Lanteans and one odd entry calling them the Time Lords. The Time Lords section stating that one of their own had broken their laws in regards to time travel and had contaminated a primitive culture with information about their world's future. The world in question is marked as a restricted area and that travel there will be denied until the GRA year of 6387; honestly Inari did not know if the restriction was still in effect, but did smile about trying to prevent any further damage.
Before she could go back to reading the package, the door chime sounds and thumbing the controls on her desktop. The door opened to reveal the Salarian Representative Robert Solus, the Salarians taking human names recently then when she first joined the Council. His Omni-Tool active and displaying what could only be the same package that is displayed on her desk, Robert moves to sit across from Inari.
"Inari, have you managed to read about these people beyond the general information located at the opening of the package?" Taking her silence as his answer he continues speaking "They have developed along an entirely different path technologically speaking. What they have mentioned of their technology shows no use or even mention of Element Zero, but their table of elements has mention of several similar materials located throughout their space." Inclining her head as a sign for him to continue, she opened the display to the same section as Robert on his Omni-Tool.
"Their drive technology center around the use of Mass Effect fields, but the generation based off of the information provided is through a method not to dissimilar to our own. But the lack of Element Zero and the use of space time subspace strata show a level of scientific understanding that only the Protheans have even come close to. Even if half of what their history says is true, then these people are not as constrained as we are; we are bound to the Mass Relays for intra-cluster travel, they are not." Inari and Robert shared a look for a moment.
Continuing with another piece of information "Then there is this Stargate Network of theirs; I have read everything about it that they have provided and what I have come to understand frightens me greatly." This caused Inari to give her colleague a look of shock and surprise, mostly due to the fact that most Salarians show more interest that fear. "Robert, what do you mean? For all the years I have known you, you have never expressed fear openly without logic or interest involved."
Not waiting an instant, he replies "Inari, this Stargate Network might be the basis of the Mass Relays." This caught Inari with surprise; these people might have been the cause of the Protheans constructing the Mass Relays to match this Stargate Network. Robert waited in silence while Inari looked for the information on the Stargates; he was rewarded with the shocked expression on her face. Looking promptly at him she was barely able to stutter out "Over fifty million years?" Robert could only nod his head in response, it came as quite a shock to him that these people claim that the Stargate Network is over fifty million years old.
The only thing that either feared more than the possibility of this information being true is how the Turians would react when they found that the Systems Alliance might be connected to these people as very distant cousins. This fear only grew stronger when Robert pointed out the section of the Lanteans history stating that for a time they were a space wondering race and this only reminded them of the current lot of the Quarians. Hopefully their fears will be unfounded with information showing that the Lanteans had not been able to affect the Citadel space worlds of humanity.
How little do they realize that one fundamental truth of Murphy's Law of 'What can happen will more then likely occur' will be waiting to strike when they are not ready.
SSV Normandy immediately after leaving the Citadel
Joker couldn't keep the smile off of his face, he hated sitting around for any length of time and the only thing that could help with the feeling of sitting still is flying. But he had to wait until given the order for Normandy to launch from the Citadel, so when he got the order to take the Normandy barely two hundred thousand kilometers out from the Citadel he smiled. Barely a stretch of the legs but infinitely better then just sitting there, Joker and most of the crew had no idea what to expect during the approach to the alien battleship.
Pressly and most of the Normandy's senior staff outside of Engineer Adams and Doctor Chakwas had all but crowded the bridge right behind him to catch a better view of the alien ship. Just as they had done back on Eden Prime, except then they were a bit more sedated about it then now and the Captain was not on board. Luckily Joker knew why the Captain had missed this little rump was due to the fact that the Commander would be taking command of the Normandy for some political bullshit or something equally as bad.
Personally Joker can accept the Commander as the new CO, but for Captain Anderson to be reassigned just after their first mission as a crew does not sit well with him. Already rumors are spreading that the Commander had been given Spectre status to deal with another Spectre and that this little rump to the alien ship and Captain Anderson's reassignment is related to that. Shaking himself clear of wild thoughts, Joker spotted something along the forward haul, barely able to make it out even with his greater attention to detail. The dark color of the haul in comparison to the strange thing towards the bow shows some kind of lettering; instantly Joker puts it together, the spot he is looking at is the ship's nameplate.
Having some of the same letters of the Truth's Light, Joker compares the names and is able to make out "irt Lu". Not realizing he had spoken aloud until Pressly turns to him "What was that Joker?" Dividing his attention, "Sir it has the same writing as the Truth's Light and I am able to see a few letters in common. They spell out irt Lu but most of the nameplate is written with something else but has to be the same language. This ship has to be from the same people as the Truth's Light". With that now Pressly tries to make out the nameplate that Joker has obviously found along the haul.
Not able to find it Pressly is about to have Joker point it out to him when Private Chambers from Truth's Light walks up to them. "Navigator Pressly, Helmsman Moreau. That is the Girty Lou." Joker looks towards her for a moment, even with the helmet on he can make out her red hair that is barely visible. She had stood near by during their approach to the Citadel after taking the Truth's shuttle aboard after coming through the Relay.
Sensing his unspoken question Chambers, "The Captain asked me to assist you during docking with the Girty Lou. I have some flight training despite the fact that I have not been able to apply for Officer's Training." Both Pressly and Joker nodded in understanding, Pressly having undergone Officer's Training and Joker knowing full well that he would never make the cut. Waving her to take one of the Co-Pilot seats before turning back to controlling the Normandy's approach, Joker is able to make out her surprise on display.
"You need some help?" he offered to the marine now sitting next to him. The look on her face is priceless until her response "If you don't mind, we don't use holographic interfaces for much beyond displays and certainly not as operation controls." This caught both Pressly and Joker, everyone both in and outside of Citadel space use holographic interface controls with humans using it barely over a hundred years since discovery of the Prothean ruins on Mars. But to hear that the Truth's Light whom is apparently advanced beyond the level of the Normandy does not have holographic interfaces that are a common technology in known space.
Joker taking the chance asks "What do you guys use then, a keyboard and mouse?" The last part being more of a joke then a serious question, the look he sported with her response caused Pressly to laugh at his expense. "Yes, that is exactly what we use is a keyboard system." Pressly barely even registered the reply, while Joker had to make sense of how someone advanced enough to build a ship like the Truth's Light would use something as low tech as keyboards.
Before Joker could begin to put together his next question, movement from the underside of the Girty Lou grabs his attention. A light source makes itself known with an every growing display as some kind of cargo doors opened to reveal a ship leaving the Girty Lou. The small ship was slightly larger than the Normandy and is smoother in appearance with little to no edges, save for where the upper and lower hauls meet. Using the Normandy's visual scanners to get a better look Joker begins to make out glowing blue and red sections near the, what could be the rear of the ship on both sides.
Private Chambers lets out a whistle just before saying "That is a beauty; the Starfleet engineers really out did themselves designing that ship class." Both Joker and Pressly exchanged glances for a moment before Pressly asked "I thought that you are Star Forces and what is Starfleet?" Not even taking her eyes off of the ship clearing the Girty Lou, "The military is the Galactic Star Forces, but our government setup and placed under civilian control our Exploration Arm the Galactic Starfleet. That ship is a diplomatic cruiser known as a Wells class starship; she carries a standard crew of twenty at least seven of which are Ambassador Archer's staff. The class has three decks and is seventy-five meters from bow to stern and she has a maximum FTL speed of warp six."
Joker chuckled at her response and stealing a quick glance "Sounds like you're a ship fan. Can you tell us how fast that warp six thing is?" Chambers response was nearly immediate with "Warp Six is roughly three hundred and ninety-two times the speed of light or about forty thousand PSL give or take." Silence was all she got for a moment until both Pressly and Joker made a 'WHA' sound; this caused Chambers to turn to see a stunned Joker and a paling Pressly.
Joker stammered for a moment before saying "How; that is nearly twice our top speed and the Normandy is the fastest ship in the Alliance. How can a ship that is barely twenty meters bigger then us be twice as fast?" Pressly just shook his head in aspiration of Joker's attitude, since being assigned as the Normandy's helmsman only a few weeks ago Joker had all but claimed the ship as his own. Pushing that aside for the time being and focusing on Chambers explanation about how the slightly larger ship is faster than the Normandy.
"Well, Starfleet ships use an FTL methodology of creating a depression into subspace and riding the subspace wave currents created by that depression. As your Engineer Adams explained to me, you use the Mass Effect core to generate a field around the Normandy to lower her mass until it is nearly zero. From there you like the Star Forces use your normal space drive to push yourselves to FTL speed; this is where Starfleet FTL of Warp Drive is different. Warp drive pushes against subspace as the means of locomotion but they do not use their normal space drives to achieve this, but as I said they use depressions into subspace to archive FTL speeds allowing them to go faster than either Mass Effect drives or Star Forces normal space drives can reach."
During the conversation Joker pulls the Normandy into place where the Wells class had just vacated, directly below the docking bay hatch on the underside of the Girty Lou. Within minutes of the signal to cut thrust, the Normandy is pulled inside and the entire process lost to Joker as he pays rapid attention to Private Chambers as she talks about the Starfleet ship. While in CIC Commander Shepard is having a similar conversation with Captain Mazikowski about the equipment loan of the Normandy's new hyper-drive.
Girty Lou Rear Landing Bay
After departing the shuttle Tali turns around to get a full view of the docking area; many of the people in view are like Kelms and the others. Turning back to rejoin Kelms, Tali stops short of one of the human crew that appears to be talking with Kelms; turning to acknowledge Tali, Kelms "Tali, let me introduce you to my Executive Office Colonel Mu." Taking a step back Tali stares in surprise; from her point of view Mu looks nothing like an AI, but he was mentioned in the Citadel Council chambers as the ship's AI. Both Mu and Kelms ignore Tali's fear of AIs for the moment as Mu turns his head towards the nearby bulkhead for a moment, at the nod of his head "Ma'am, we just achieved two way contact with the outpost. Major Sterling is requesting our presence to speak with the Protheans."
Getting a nod in acknowledgement, Mu's form disappears from view while Kelms turns to the Jumper Flight crew. "Corporal Kros," her call is answered by the same human that had brought Tali to the front of the small ship back on the Citadel. Now standing before them the young man stands at attention, "Corporal, I want you to take this storage module and escort Tali to Science Lab Charlie. Once there inform Lieutenant Jefferson that Tali is to have unrestricted access to the item in the storage module and other than that it is still her lab. After which report to the Quartermaster and have one of the quest quarters setup for non-carbon life with sterilization of the environment on a constant for Tali's health, have the CMO involved."
With a salute, "Yes Ma'am" and with a questioning expression "Ma'am, her lab?" Kelms handed the module to the Corporal and responded with that it is Lieutenant Jefferson's private business; getting a nod in reply Kelms left the landing bay for the bridge. During the exchange Tali tried to make sense of some of the expressions shown by both humans, but to last part went without understanding for her. The Corporal motioned for her to follow him and together they left the landing bay, the trip to the science lab showed that the ship design is towards utility and function. Terminals lined the walls every so often with access panels all long the entirety, her curiosity getting the better of her "Excuse me Corporal, but what did you mean when you asked 'her lab?'"
Stopping to look at Tali for a moment, "When I came on board for my first tour, I meet Lieutenant Jefferson. I had gotten lost considering that I came directly from the Academy I had never been on a Titan class ship before. I had gotten myself lost and ended up in Science Lab Charlie, Lieutenant Jefferson was at a terminal when I entered and assumed that I was delivering lunch from the mess hall." Breaking for a moment to allow her to say anything on her mind; with her silence he continues "Well to make a long story short when I mentioned that I come aboard only an hour before and that I was lost, well lets just say the he was not as understanding as the other crew." This caused Tali to stare at him for a moment processing the end of his story about meeting Lieutenant Jefferson.
It took her only a moment before asking "You said he, but Captain Kelms said her; is Lieutenant Jefferson a man or woman?" Shrugging his shoulders, "Who knows; when I meet the Lieutenant, he was definitely a man but that might not be correct now." Turning back to continue the Corporal barely made it five feet before Tali asked "Is it that normal that you can just ignore something that you think is inconsistent with your memory of someone." Looking in deep thought for a moment he looked back to Tali "Well to be honest we have some weird stuff back home; a good example is when I was a kid, I had a best friend that grew up with me until his parents got a divorce. We were brothers in all but blood, but his mom moved them to Amalias Colony; I didn't see him again until we both entered the Academy to join the Star Forces."
Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, "At first I didn't realize it was my best friend Sam until we bumped into each other and Sam remembered me." Tali interrupted him for a moment with "He must have changed a great deal for you not to recognize him." Shaking his head while motioning her to continue following him through the corridors, "You're right Sam did change, you don't hear a lot about Amalias Colony unless you live there. Apparently the have this weird law and since all colonies are allow to self govern, nearly no one outside of the colony knows about this law." Stopping while some of the crew pass by, he waits for them to be out of hearing range before continuing.
Taking a quick look he pulls Tali aside into a side corridor, "What I am about to say is not to be repeated to anyone. Sam took a great risk telling me and I am doing the same now, since this is not my Milky Way and Amalias is millions of light years away I am hoping this won't get back to them." Tali looked surprised for a moment, was this human truly about to impart information so classified that it could break their laws and why was he even trusting her with this. Getting silence from Tali, he looked to the main corridor for a moment before "On Amalias there is a law stating that no male over the age of fifteen is allow to live in the colony. Since legally on most colonies and home-worlds the youngest age for adults is eighteen, they couldn't force him to leave, but at the same time no male was allow to stay. So since the Amalias minimum age of adulthood is sixteen they gave him a choice to leave of become a true member of the colony."
"I won't mince words and get straight to it; they injected him with a RNA retrovirus to alter his body and made him into a full citizen of the colony." Now Tali was worried, what could this colony have done to this Sam person and why it would leave the Corporal before her open to strange things. "Miss Tali, my friend's name when we were boys was Samuel Earnest Wilder; the name Sam goes by now is Samantha Emily Wilder. Apparently Amalias is what we call an ultra-feminist colony, meaning no men; Sam was a victim of circumstance since the colonies are allow to self govern and according to the colony she made the choice to become a woman." Tali was speechless, these people are definitely different than the peoples of Citadel space; to think that they have such things that are allowed in their space.
Moving back towards the main corridor something hit Tali's mind, "Why are you telling me this? I mean what have I done to earn your trust?" Without looking back he replies "Nothing, I just thought it might be helpful to be open minded in order to not be caught off guard by anything you might find weird. Back home this stuff is normal and other than Amalias keeping the law a secret it is widely accepted by everyone." Taking a moment to digest that, Tali has one more question "Why will you be in trouble if the people of Amalias learn that you told someone about this law of theirs?" Looking back to her with a smile on his face "Like with the Lieutenant it is private, but let's just say that Sam and I are closer than ever and they will deny my citizenship request before Sam and I can get married. Do take this advice to heart is to be open minded and be willing to accept that we are different from what you know."
The remainder of the trip was made in silence, but the whole while Tali's mind was spinning with revelations coming from all directions. First was the immediate acceptance and understanding that Tali and her people are no longer at fault for the Geth. The second is that the technological wonders of a people from so far away that she would have never had known about it during her lifetime. And now the fact that these people can change themselves and that their society was so open minded that male and female can switch roles without stigma of the people at large. Upon entering Science Lab Charlie, Tali was faced with physical evidence of their open minded ways when she was introduce to Lieutenant Jocelyn Jefferson.
Bridge
Upon entering the bridge Alex was able to see the distress on Major Clarissa Sterling's face, to the side Mu is trying his level best to retrain his visible angry. Standing before two of her officers/friends is a eight to eleven foot tall being with tentacles as apart of it's face, the voice sounding like that of a male is dismissed given that some species lack the understandable genders of most humanoids.
I demand to speak with your Captain immediately, it is a matter of the up most importance and trusting it to anyone else is not acceptable. The knowledge about the constructs that have nearly wiped out my people must be know to your leadership in Atlantis so that they can be prepare to fight them.
Stepping forward Alex places her hand on Clarissa's shoulder in silent request for her to step back. Acknowledging Alex's request Clarissa turns to the being once more "Minister Or'ni, this is my Commanding Officer Alexandria Kelms, Captain of the Girty Lou." With that Or'ni turns to face Alex and before speaking looks her up and down before settling into what could be an expression of mild annoyance.
Captain, it is good that you are there; when my people detected your ship we began transmitting a message to gain your attention. There is much we need to discuss, but first there is the Reaper threat; the Reapers swept through the galaxy nearly fifty thousand solar rotations ago systematically wiping out my people. Those of us that managed to escape the destruction arrived here at your outpost, but we were unable to use most of the technology present and as thus we were unable to do much beyond simply survive.
Alex listened intently to the minister as he spoke about the Reaper threat and his people's survival up till this point. As he finished the bridge crew was quickly able to discern several facts about the Prothean colony and the outpost; the first being that the outpost itself is still operating as it had been millennia ago. The second is that the Protheans had built their colony around the outpost and that they are actively using the systems capable of interface with non Lanteans.
Before Alex could comment on anything she had just heard, one of the CIC crewmen approached and whispered into her ear the results of a SDU sent into the Artemis Tau cluster. Turning back to Minister Or'ni, "Minister, with your permission we will enter orbit of your colony within the next three hours and can continue our conversation then." The minister quickly gave permission and then ended the communications link; with this Alex began issuing orders.
"Contact the Normandy and inform Commander Shepard of the current status in Artemis Tau; I want the Truth's Light to check out this Feros colony. Open a comm. link to the Citadel and find out when the Council chosen Representative will be ready to transfer aboard." Looking at Mu for a moment, her as of yet question was answered "Alex, I had the SDUs use the Mass Relays." Alex nodded at that, it explained how the SDU in Artemis Tau had gotten there so quickly when it would normally take at least half a day to cover the distance.
During the next forty minutes the Truth's Light followed by the Normandy with both an engineering team and Spartans about in addition the Truth's Marine Team-1 set off. Both ships using the Citadel Mass Relay to cover most of the distance as quickly as possible, the Normandy would still use the Mass Effect FTL until the engineering team completes the install of the Pelican hyper-drive. After both ships had transitioned through the Mass Relay the Council Spectre T'Lana shuttled over from the Citadel and join those on the bridge as the Titan class ship entered hyperspace heading for the outpost and the Protheans.
Next Time: Arrival in Artemis Tau and Spartans vs. Geth
In the Next Chapter, after leaving the Citadel via the Mass Relay the Normandy makes for the world identified at Therum. Commander Shepard and team are witness to the first encounters between the Geth and the Spartan Super Soldiers. As the Spartans handle the Geth above, Shepard and team head into the ruins to locate and rescue Doctor Liara T'Soni. This chapter will revolve around only those about the Normandy, with the next two accompanying chapters focusing on both the Truth's Light and the Girty Lou and their respective missions.
