new chapter, ya. let me know what you thing.
as always betaed by halotoken
BOLD leaning type: text messages.
Leaning:thoughts plus song, also AI talk.
/Bold with slashs/:non sentint AI Thoughts and or speach
The relay hummed in the depth of space till with a flash of light it roared to life and the Normandy flared into existence.
The Alliance stealth ship had arrived at the citadel.
Since the first contact war the Citadel defence fleet had been fortified to fight either the Alliance or the Hierarchy, either were a massive threat.
Still it was plenty enough space for a single ship to manoeuvre.
As they made their way to the Citadel the forms of massive battle ships floated passed the view ports.
Team shadow from Eden Prime, barring Legion, watched them go past from the cockpit.
"Say that's the new Turian T-42 Predator?" Ashley asked the name, which was an Alliance designation for that class of cruiser.
"Ya." Shepard said fighting his impulse to lean closer to the view port.
Dedra chimed in over a nearby holographic port. Dedra's hologram of choice may have appeared to have just been a woman, but to those who knew a bit of her back story knew it was the image of her last synergy partner. "We have very limited knowledge of this class of ship. As far as I know this is the first time an Alliance ship has been in visual range of one. All we know is some rumours about a prototype cryo system for rapid fire."
Kaidan watched as Ashley kept eying the ships.
"You don't get off world much do you?" He said.
"I'm a marine of course I do." She said self defensively. "I just, have this thing with ships ever since I was a kid." With that the massive form of the Destiny Ascension filled the view port as they flew by.
This time it was Dedra's turn to geek out.
"So that's the Destiny Ascension? I calculate that it can destroy the Normandy six times over with a single shot." Suddenly Dedra was kicked from her holoport by the image of a woman in a red harlequin suit with a black diamond pattern.
"Thanks for that mental image Dedra, really, how do you like the idea of your body being run through six times? Oh I forgot your body's human that's normal." With that the AI cut out with a slight bit of outraged static.
"Who was that?" Ashley asked as Dedra hologram came back wearing an angry look.
"That was Nerm, Jokers AI, and the Normandy ship based AI."
"And you don't like her?" Ashley asked naively. Dedra huffed.
"In polite company we have a name for programs like her, Leets." With that the hologram shut down and moved her main run-times to Shepard brain.
"Did I say something?" Ashley said picking up heavily on the scorn in her tone.
"Nerm's just has a highly developed sense of humor." Shepard said drily, aware of the slight hostility buzzing in the back of his head. "She a mark II Mal class AI the humor, curiosity and general quirkiness is built into her personality."
"You mean she's an immature childish individual who needs to get reformatted and defragged not necessarily in that order." Dedra added from her privileged place in Shepard's skull.
"You're just mad she set your hologram to bubble gum pink and you could not change it for a week." Silence met the comment.
Shepard then leaned back and spoke up into a speaker on the ceiling. "Joker: ETA?"
"Just got transferred to alliance tower ETA five min's."
"Thanks Joker." Shepard said back.
SHIFT
"This is an outrage! You have no right to send any military forces into the Traverse!"
Udina turned to face the Councillors. "If this was a Turian colony that had been attacked the Council would have no objections to a mobilization of forces." The Turian: Valern remained just as defiant, though he was the only one.
Shrenda back tracked quickly. "Our only objections are to the volume of troops you plan to place on the border not the actual action."
"Not to mention the accusations you are leveling at one of our specters." Tevos finished up.
"And that's why I demand he be brought to justice." Udina said.
"You don't make demands of the council ambassador." Valern said.
"I have every right to do so when you are sheltering a war criminal!"
"Please Udina, nothing has been proven and Citadel security is investigating you claims. We will discussion their findings at the hearing not before." With that the three holograms cut out.
Smiling Udina turned to face Anderson who was standing behind him with the Normandy Shadow team.
"Perhaps I am slightly raciest but I do enjoy twisting the council's nose like that." Humanities very privileged position allowed them a great deal of lee way with their interactions with the council and it had to be said they enjoyed ever moment of it.
"Don't let your amusement get ahead of your job ambassador." Anderson said crossing his arms. He enjoyed doing it to but for him it was just politicians in general not just the council. Something he picked up from Sheppard he supposed.
"I won't, and who's this? Did you bring the entire crew of the Normandy with you?"
"This is the ground team form Eden Prime baring Jenkins."
"Yes I heard nerve gas how dare the Geth!" Udina turned and walked to his desk picking a piece of paper up. "See this? This is a paper with the complete list of symptoms when a human is exposed to nerve gas. I read it when I heard what happened and I had nightmares the next night."
He then glared at Shepard. "Shepard I read the report from Eden prime." Shepard braced himself for the criticism. "As you know AI's are barred from testifying in court in the Council space and they're using that justification to throw the recording you made at Eden prime out."
"What? How can they do that?" Ashley almost shouted and if everyone else had not felt like shouting she would likely have been shouted down herself.
"Shepard had Dedra run a comparative check on him and then using that as if the AI had given testimony."
"They can't do that!" Shepard growled. "If I had used a VI there would be no problem at all!"
"No need to preach to me, Shepard." Udina snapped. "But an AI handled the data and that means the data is not admissible in court." He growled "That means the only piece of evidence tying him to Eden Prime is gone and he walks." Silence met that remark. Oddly Ashley smiled.
"Good then." Everyone looked at her. "We now have excuses to kill him ourselves."
"Ashley." Udina started in politicians patented bull shit tone. "The Alliance would never kill injury, harm or unlawfully detain any Council citizen much less a council specter." Every one believed that.
Of course they did.
"The meetings going to be in couple of hours so we have a chance to clear your vision up before you get called to testify."
"What do you mean?" Shepard asked. Anderson spoke up.
"A new technique we only recently figured out. Are you aware of the Asari melding ability's?"
"Yes sir, but I fail to see the implications."
"Well to be brief Asari can copy Masari ciphers and place copies in other species." For a second the full implications did not hit, but when they did they hit hard.
"You mean, you can turn a human and make them interface with Masari technology?"
"Not just humans, any one. Suffice it to say were keeping this a bit close to our belt. If it was widely known then every enkindlers in a thousand miles would be banging on our door."
"Sir do we really want to give that out? If we give it to someone who knows where it will go next." Ashley said speaking up from beside Shepard.
"That's why were using the most trust worthy." Udina whispered to himself under Anderson conversation. "And expensive."
"Person we can think of, the Consort. Go there, get the Cipher and then go straight to the Citadel tower."
"Yes sir." Shepard said with a salute to the Admiral he then turned and left to the Consort chambers.
SHIFT
"Please Udina, nothing has been proven and Citadel security is investigating you claims. We will discussion their findings at the hearing not before." With that Udina hologram cut out.
For a moment the tree councillors were silent and then Tevos summoned up her omni tool and tapped it linking the holo port to it and calling up the person on the other end.
His hologram filled the holo port.
"Councillors." he said curtly
"Saren." Tevos said sharply. The specter looked for all the world slightly bored. "We both know you will be found innocent, their only evidence is tainted by AI's."
"I know, so why are we having this discussion?" The Turian said.
"The problem is Saren is the evidence is still evidence. Just because by are law it can't be used against you does not invalided what it shows. You working with Geth to attack the Alliance, going contrary to are entire relationship with them!" Valern started normally and ended up almost yelling. "They are sending army's, army's as in plural, into the verge and then the terminus do you have any idea what you have done?"
Saren didn't say anything, what could he say?
Silence stretched. Shrenda had a facial expression like he was eating popcorn in a theater.
"We may not be able to publicly do anything Saren but understand this." Valern leaned closer to the holographic specter. "There will be a reckoning, you are here by ordered in no uncertain term to return to the Citadel if, and I strongly suspect when, you don't start to return you will be declared a rouge agent and we will come down on you like a Krogan army. Do you understand?"
"Crystal." With that the hologram cut out. They watched the empty air for a few more moments before Shrenda spoke.
"Hopefully he'll be killed by Alliance assassins before he gets to us. One less problem to deal with."
"Or of course our own deal with him when he does not show up." Valern said with as the other councillors nodded in agreement.
"Right so how do we plan to spin these Alliance Automaton regiment things?" Tevos asked.
"I did some research on them." Shrenda said and waved his omni tool filling the holographic terminal with the image of the MKXX model Automaton.
It stood almost two meters feet tall, broad with a head set into an armoured release between two solders pads. It had two large thick arms with large fingers for using heavy and weighty weapons. It chest plates could unfold revealing a pair of far more dexterous arms for fine work. It legs were equally thick and ended with massive booted feet.
"They are monsters! The only analogue I can find to them is the power of the Krogan, crossed with the sheer numbers of the Rachni, and the tactics and intelligence of STG!" Silence met that remark.
"How much time do we have?" Tevos asked.
"Weeks maybe days." Shrenda said grimly. "STG are saying the only limiting factor is they don't keep any of their weapons in storage, much less this since it was literally designed a few days ago by modifying power suits. Add to that a very brief field testing and they can get this force moving fast."
"How many did they say they were moving to the Verge again?" Tevos asked.
"Almost 12 million." Shrenda said grimly. "And they can make more whenever they get the resources, even from their own fallen."
Valern numbly walked over to a couch and sat down in a huff.
"My god. There not just going to 'pacify' the Geth or heretics or whatever the hell they call them. They're going to conquer the whole damn Terminus."
SHIFT
In the galactic standard Codex humans were categorized as 'highly dangerous' it went on to say it was due not to an inbuilt aggression but the fact that humans were all combat trained.
If you met a human in the street odds were he could kill you with a pencil eraser from 20 feet and everyone knew it.
Suffice to say people tended to be wiry around humans.
Especially a small fire team of humans packing the standard human light infantry package, minus the flamethrowers. Military or not C-sec drew the line at heavy weapons. Especially quasi illegal flamethrowers.
Not that Shepard missed them as he led his team through the presidium, heavens knows a fully armoured squad was enough of a shock to the crusty old diplomats.
Now that he thought about it you could say that about humanity in general to galactic culture.
"Ahead five meter exit right."
"Dedra why are you impersonating a Garmin?"
"What? No! I uploaded a VI program so I don't have to think about guiding you."
"So what are you doing?"
"Online poker championship."
Shepard shook his head as the small team approached the Consort chambers. Unexpectedly the receptionist was a human.
"Hello and welcome to the Consulate how may I assist you?" Her eye darted over the heavily armed squad. "And please don't tell me you here to start trouble."
"We're not." Shepard assured her.
"Well good didn't think I have enough guns to deal with you." She said. "Any way do you have an appointment?"
"I do, but what do you mean by 'enough guns?" Shepard asked.
"I'm the door women." She said, "It's my job to keep psychos away from Consort and there are lots of them."
"How many could there be?" Kaidan asked.
"The Consort's more famous then some rock stars back in the Alliance and we get some serious problems once in a while. Used to have a former eclipse merc here but, well." She rubbed the back of her head with a nervous smile. "Humans tend to ward off people better the Asari; we have a much high reputation for badassary I suppose. I mean did you see the new special issue of Badass weekly? It says all of human history is one long crowning moment of badassary. The fact that the first thing we ended up doing to the Turians, the old bad asses, was cleaning their clocks helps."
"Hate to remind you sir but we are on a time limit." Ashley gently said.
"Sorry." Shepard reply then to the door women. "Yes I believe we do have an appointment. I think it's under Alliance Embassy."
"Okay just let me check." She looked down and began to thumb though a book. Seems the Consort had transferred to 'solid state' since Alliance AI's made computers too dicey.
"I'm sorry sir, there does not seem to be anything listed under the Alliance. I can set you up for a meeting in 6-8 months."
Shepard frowned. "I was told there would be one; can you check again maybe it's under Udina?"
"I'll check sir." She did just that. "Again there does not seem to be anything set up for the Alliance or Udina today."
"Right then." Shepard said imagining the talk with Udina to follow. "Well thank you anyway, seems I was mistaken."
"Again sorry," Before she could say sir she cocked her head at an angle a bit like she had heard a whistle only she could hear. It was an unconscious bit of body language showing she was receiving a call over a surgically implanted micro speaker in her ear. Hence the head tilt since she was actually hearing something as compared to having it streamed into your head.
Sub vocalizing, her lips barely moving she replied back and then spoke to Shepard.
"Seems I was mistake you're listed under Anderson. Sorry for the inconvenience the Consort will see you now."
Shepard nodded his thanks and peeled away from her and enters the chambers passing by the occasional visitor, turning a corner, and met one of the few things that could freeze him up like a rabbit.
To either side of the door stood a Masari discipline each stiffly holding reflux rifle.
Rapidly unfreezing he kept walking forward now curious what was going on?
The two guards did not stop him, clearly he was expected and the door opened with a hiss and he finally entered the Consorts chambers.
In the centre of the room stood the Asari that could only be her. But leaning back on a sofa, legs crossed looking for all the world like a gangster just chilling, was the prince of the Masari throne Zessus.
"Zessus? I err," Shepard started only to get flustered mid way though, damn it! Meeting royalty that could kill you with their mind was not in basic training! Dedra noticed.
"Smooth like sand paper. When do you want your execution and do I have to be there?"
"Shut up." Shepard fired back.
"You must be Shepard." Zessus said with a smile he stood up and extended his hand. "I, as have most of the Alliance heard things about you. Not the most loyal marine, but the most principled and that is more important. I am honored to meet you."
"As am I." Shepard said taking the hand and shaking it.
"So, umm why are you here Prince?"
"Sha'ira needed to acquire a royal grade cipher from someone. I volunteered."
"Royal grade?"
The Sha'ira coughed into her hand to get attention. She was rarely overshadowed, even rarer in her own chambers.
"It just a blunt term for it. There are multiple levels of ciphers and different mental encodings a Royal cipher is a universal override. Are you ready Shepard?"
"Better now than latter." With that Shepard sat down on a sofa and removed his helmet.
"Forgive me, but if you can you power down any Cranial Augments."
"Any reason why?" Shepard asked.
She shivered in some memory. "The nerve to neuron link means for a moment when I link to a human I experience everything their augments do and you humans unconsciously shift through a lot of information."
With a shrug Shepard shut down his augments.
Everything was silent. She was right humans got a lot of information subconsciously and without it, he just felt,,, wrong.
Sha'ira quickly placed her hand on her head, "Calm you self, focus your mind, Embrace Eternity!"
A dull buzz grew in the back of Shepard's head, as the two nervous systems linked and the cipher was passed on.
Nothing happened. When Sha'ira drew her hand away Shepard quickly turned his augments back and focused on the data packet in his mind. Nothing again.
"Umm, should I be seeing a vision flash before my eyes or something?"
Zessus frowned "We thought this may happen. The Cipher is representative of the Masari mindset and thinking view, our culture. And culture can change."
"Meaning?" Shepard asked.
"Meaning that oddly unencrypted message. Those that need only a Masari mindset can be impossible for even us to read. Normally culture changes too slow to be a factor but over 50,000 years can do a lot."
Shepard nodded and stood up. "What about encrypted messages?"
Zessus shrugged, a human expression that he had picked up, then again he was half human. "Those are more of an actual security code. Those were formed to yield to the royal cipher and so will be unlocked by the royal cipher."
"I'm sorry." Ashley muttered leaning closer to Kaiden. "Are we just now talking about possibly being able to access ancient Masari knowledge that may or may not have information about our accelerated evolution as a sentient species?"
"You picked up the subtext as well?" Kaiden said back.
For a moment Shepard thought about that. "So the Beacon information is still unavailable."
"We will likely never know what was on the beacon." Zessus said solemnly.
"Shepard the clocks ticking." He nodded in agreement.
"Well this was a dead end. Prince Zessus at your leave I have to head to the council chambers."
"Indeed." Zessus said. "I shall be leaving as well. Good bye Shepard I hope we meet again." With that the prince of the Masari, one of the most powerful being's in the galaxy in terms of light and dark energy left taking his guards with him.
For a moment the four people were silent then Sha'ira spoke up.
"Shepard since you here perhaps you can help me with a problem."
"I would love to Consort. But I have a meeting with the council soon." Her omni tool lit up as Dedra uploaded Shepard's video chat ID to it.
"Call me in a couple hours the meeting should be over by then." Then to Ashley and Kaidan.
"Let's move out gents we have politicians to impress. Joy." Shepard intoned.
-Codex: human relations-
Citadel races
In general tension permeates all levels of Alliance Citadel relations mostly due to the lingering memory's of the first contact war with the Turians and every other races close relationship to them.
Asari: Relation's with the Asari are generally much better than the Alliance's typical relationship with alien races and economic action between the two is common.
This worry's many STG long term planners due the level of mass produced and generally better Alliance goods are supplicating other races products culminating in recent interest in a mass effect ammo weapon much like the Alliance standard.
They fear the Alliance may gain an economic chock hold over the Asari Republic.
Turians: A combination of the first contact war and the continued Turian military caution over the Alliance's ability has kept Alliance Turian relations cold. The Normandy project is an attempted to warm these relations and it has yet to be seen how effective it is.
Volus: As a willing client race of the Turians the Volus are seen as the same as the Turians. It has been suggested that the Volus welcome the Turian aggression with the Alliance due to the Alliances economic power it's nanotechnology allows them. To them the high Turian Tax's on imports help level the playing field.
Salarians: In between the Asari and Turians the Salarians relationship is seen as the standard for what the alliance strives for at a minimum. No significant diplomatic actions between the two save for prisoner exchanges soon after first contact.
Drell/Hanar: In one word, uncomfortable. The Masari Prothean link has made life very hard for the Alliance. By Alliance law no being, AI, Human or Masari can be worshiped as a god, the problem is the Entire enkindler is built on Prothean, now Masari, worship. The light and dark powers of the Masari only amplify this god worship.
At times major power blocs within the Primacy have voted on officially partitioning on joining the Alliance, motivated by strong Enkindler moments, which would then have to be denied due to said religions tendency's. No vote has yet passed.
Politically the Hanar try to make themselves close to the Alliance, which in turn tries to be distant. The problem gets larger when the Hanar support's human views. Do they really support those views, or are they trying to get close the Masari? The Hanar are one long moral dilemma for the Alliance.
Elcor: No notable relation's.
Non citadel races.
In contrast the non Citadel races and governments have greater influence and standing with the Alliance then the Citadel ones.
Batarians: The exception to the above rule, the Batarians are often described in human media 'simmering in their own juices' and a state of hostility extends between the two races.
Krogan: Although no formal Krogan government exists Krogan generally think positively of humans, even if they have to fight in tin cans. Due in part to the ass kicking humans gave the Turians and also humans in built aggressiveness. Krogan Merc's working alongside blue sun groups are a common sight. Despite early hopes the Alliance cannot cure the Genophage due to the hormonal nature of the genetic alteration.
Quarians: The Alliance represents a mixed bag for the Quarians. On the one hand: it is a documented case that the Alliance can augment their immune system enough to not require a suit. On the other hand, AI and lots of them. Generally the Quarians tended to stay away from the Alliance with the exception of exiles.
The Largest non migrant fleet based population of Quarians is Libertà and due to the lack of population limits and improved immune systems the population is climbing fast. It is estimated that baring any major influx of refugees from a Geth Quarian war the Libertà based population will outnumber the fleet in 18 years.
Geth: The Alliance has maintained good relations with the Geth ever-since they first encountered them.
EDIT: Geth Alliances relations have soured over the Eden prime disaster despite Geth claims of the Heretics. The Alliance has recently begun to send in strike times to the terminus to ascertain the truth of the matter.