Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - Mechwarrior/Battletech - Mass Effect multicrossover. Thank you for the continued support that you have shown my stories. I deeply appreciate the feedback you have given me, and I hope you continue to provide feedback as the story progresses. As always, leave a review and enjoy!
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Serpent Nebula
Citadel
June 29th, 3058
Tevos smoothed down her dress for the umpteenth time as she awaited the arrival of the Terrans. Next to her were Councilors Maelus and Sparatus, the former having neatly cleaned his clothes until there wasn't even a speck of dust on them. Sparatus, on the other had, was wearing clean clothes suited to his station, with his hands clasped behind his back in a parade rest that told others who was in charge. Despite his relative newness to the station, Sparatus was doing fairly well, and had learned to control his expressions while under emotional duress.
Looking at the time, Tevos began to wonder when the Terrans would arrive, as they said they would arrive soon, thought that was highly subjective. 'Soon' could mean a few minutes, or even half a day. Still, Tevos knew that patience was a virtue, one that Asari had in spades.
That brought her back to the events that had happened earlier. After the Turians had made First Contact with the Terran Star League, they had an internal debate as to whether or not they should inform the Council. Eventually, it was decided that the Hierarchy would contact the Citadel and inform them of the Terran's meeting with them. At the same time, they extended an invite to the Terrans to come to the Citadel in the hopes of discussing a potential agreement, an invitation that was accepted.
When they accepted, the Terrans had sent along a version of the Council's own Codex, known as the Star League Encyclopedia. While it was informative, Tevos could see that it had been modified, which she learned was due to the Star League Penal Code, more specifically Section 50, Article 20, Paragraph 4, which strictly prohibited the distribution of information and/or technology to non-allied governments. While that was a bit of a loss, as none of the Council could gain access to information regarding the more classified aspects of the Star League, they were allowed to gain access to it's history, from the creation of the first K-F Drive, to the present day Star League.
In that regard, the SLE had been extremely informative. In her opinion, the first 800 of Terran space exploration were marked by bumbling errors, half measures, yet at the same time rapid technological growth and massive colonization efforts. After the 'Succession War', however, Tevos found that the Terrans not only mostly eliminated the needless fighting and warring that had plagued the early Star League, they had begun to massively grow in technology.
The most mind boggling part, though, was the FTL drive the Terrans called the 'Kearny-Fuchida Drive' or K-F Drive for short; the idea of using seven previously hidden dimensions to travel vast distances in space was unheard of, yet the Terrans had done just that for over 950 years. While the first 600 years, give or take a couple decades, of Hyperspace flight were accomplished with primitive JumpShips with solar sails, the latter half of the Terran's current space faring history had been accomplished with highly advanced K-F Drives. While they had only recently begun using Element Zero, it had allowed them to extend their Jump Range greatly, though the Terrans found the K-F Drive 'too useful' to replace.
On top of that, the use of this K-F Drive had allowed the Terrans to explore space beyond the Mass Relay Network, allowing them to go anywhere they wanted. The only limitations for the K-F Drive were range and the requirement of a gravitationally neutral zone for the Hyperspace field to form. The Terran's use of Element Zero had solved both problems quite nicely, but Tevos had been surprised when the Terrans found a way to reduce the amount of Element Zero needed for their ships, allowing them to build truly massive WarShips.
Either way, the fact that there was a species far more advanced than the Asari bugged Tevos to no end. Still, Tevos knew that she couldn't allow this emotion to surface during the negotiations; if they wanted the Terrans as a member of the Citadel Council, she would have to be perfect in her negotiation skills. So, with that in mind, she decided to wait for the Terran ship to arrive. Making conversation, she said, "I hope these Terrans don't cause a repeat of the Krogan Rebellions. I've seen some of their history and it unnerves me."
"I agree," the Salarian Councilor, Councilor Maelan, remarked, his large eyes holding a hint of concern. "They have a long history of warfare in their region of space. For instance, there was a 150 year long period of uninterrupted fighting between the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere, which they called the 'Age of War.' It was only after the signing of the Star League Accords that this fighting mostly stopped, though there was some intermittent, low level fighting.
"What gets me really concerned, however, is their technology. It's clear that the lack of Mass Relays in their region, as well as the lack of Element Zero use for nearly 950 years, forced them to explore different avenues of technology. For instance, they use this 'Kearny-Fuchida Drive' to travel long distances in just a few seconds, distances that would take days for our ships to travel through."
Looking to her right, Tevos could see that Sparatus was still standing at his parade rest stance, both eyes focused on their conversation. From what she could recall, Sparatus was the newest member of the Citadel Council, having replaced the previous Councilor when she died of complications due to cancer. Rumor had it that Sparatus had admired the previous Councilor for her intelligence, cunning as well as her honesty, traits that he was striving to emulate, with considerable success. It was because of those traits that he shared, as well as the fact that no one else was willing to do the job, that he had become the Turian Councilor; since then, however, he had made it clear that was doing this because he wanted to serve his people, not because he liked being flattered by the other Councilors and other foreign heads of state.
As a result, he was the only Councilor that wasn't alarmed by the Terrans history, as well as the fact that they had modified their standard Star League Encyclopedia to remove any sensitive information. Looking at the information that Tevos was reading, he made a sound that was a cross between a hum and a purr before he joined the conversation. "That might be," he remarked, his voice rumbling as he spoke, "but there is more to the Terrans than just uninterrupted warfare. For one, there's a long, 200 year long duration where the Star League succeeded at it's goals in keeping the peace and maintaining law and order. The only times where the Star League had trouble was during their Amaris Civil War and the Succession War, after which House Cameron was succeeded by House Davion.
"What really interests me is their form of government. In terms of government type, Maelan, their governments resemble the feudal governments of your species quite closely, even having lords, ladies, Princes and Archons. The Draconis Combine is closer to the Hierarchy in that regard, as it's an autocracy where the Coordinator is, effectively, a military dictator. If I had a choice of which government to ally with, however, it would be the Federated Commonwealth. They seem to be the most reasonable out of the Great Houses and they also understand what we Turians do: that you need a strong, well trained, well equipped and highly disciplined military to keep the galaxy and your people safe. I also wouldn't mind being friends with the Warden Clans. Out of all the Terran governments, they are the closest the Terrans have come to the Turian Hierarchy."
"Something tells me you admire the Terrans, Sparatus," Tevos remarked.
She was surprised when Sparatus' mandibles spread to the sides, while his mouth opened slightly, the Turian equivalent of an Asari smiling. "That's true," he remarked. "They had a rough start, but in the end, they created something that is not only beautiful, but highly effective as well." His smile faded as he continued speaking. "Though, what gets me is that they encountered a spatial anomaly that led into, of all things, another universe. That is concerning."
"Yes, that," Tevos remarked, a frown on her face. One of the entries that had been highly detailed was what the Star League called the 'UNSC-Covenant-Star League War.' When they'd learned that the Star League had not only traveled into another universe, but had ended a war there, none of the Councilors could believe their eyes or ears. It was only when Captain Xavoria Jhirix had given her eyewitness account, as well as information the Star League had disclosed, that they had realized that the Star League wasn't lying: they really had found a wormhole to another universe, with this universe having it's own alien species and version of Humanity.
When they learned of the Covenant-UNSC War, as well as what happened during that time, Tevos had been shocked by the level of violence that had happened. Spartaus had simply bowed his head in silent at the loss of so much innocent life, while Maelan had almost panicked at the idea of two factions that were more advanced than the Council Races. While the war had ended in a victory for the UNSC, the SLE had noted that the damage was so severe that it would take the UNSC decades, if not centuries, to recover completely from the conflict. According to the SLE, the Star League had agreed to assist the UNSC in defending itself until said UNSC was capable of doing so without outside help.
When it came to the Covenant, it had temporarily fallen apart during the tail end of the Covenant-Human War, with the government undergoing heavy reforms after the former leaders, the Hierarchs, were dead. After four years, the Covenant had become a neo-feudal government that not only saw Humanity as an ally, but had begun working to reverse the damage it had done. The end result were two, no, three factions that were more advanced than the Council. On top of that, the wormhole was stable, meaning that it was going to last far longer than the current age of the Universe
Which means we'll have to deal with them for a long time, Tevos thought. Clearing her throat, she said, "It's obvious that we will have to make the Terrans a client race of the Citadel Council. If we don't, we'll have a faction that is not only more powerful than we are, but is also capable of wiping out the Council Races in their entirety."
"I agree," Maelan replied. "The Terrans obviously need to be regulated if peace is to ensue."
"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," Sparatus remarked. "The Terrans have obviously done well on their own, without our intervention or even the knowledge that we existed. If we attempt to make them a client race of the Council, we might end up making the gulf between our governments wide enough that we might never be able to bridge the gap. Besides, if war was to break out, they would obviously destroy us. If they could handle the Covenant with ease, then what chance do we have against them?"
Maelan was about to retort when Tevos saw it: a large, rectangular region of space that was literally glowing a blue-white color. A moment later, something extruded out from that large, blue-white rectangle, before fading away to reveal a ship. When she saw that ship, she nearly fainted out of shock.
The ship was absolutely massive, at a length that made Tevos wonder just how truly massive the ship was. A moment later, when she got a report from C-Sec's Executor, she nearly fainted again when she saw that the ship was over 9.4 kilometers long, about 23.5% the size of the Citadel itself! Keeping herself from losing consciousness, Tevos could clearly tell that the Terrans were not lying when they said they were the most advanced species in the galaxy: if they could build ships this large, then that fact was fully true.
Sparatus was thoroughly impressed, his mandibles twitching as soon as he saw the ship appear. Even at this distance, he could see the words written on the ship's side: SLS Guardian of Liberty. Even though it had a noble name, Sparatus had every reason to believe that the Terran Hyper-Dreadnought was more than capable of devastating the Citadel with it's arsenal. The strategist inside of him was deeply impressed with the size of the ship, as well as what he could tell were armaments on it's hull. The ambassador inside of him, though, was sincerely hoping that the Terrans would be reasonable enough to come to an agreement, rather than decide to wage war against the Council races.
Nearby, Maelan was in a state of near-panic, as well as pure amazement. Apparently, the Terrans technology was so advanced that they could build ships that were far larger than any other type of ship in Council space. The technologist inside of him was going squee at the prospects of gaining access to this technology, while the politician inside of him was starting to sweat buckets at the idea of a faction in their universe that was more powerful than the Salarian Union.
"That's… that's their dreadnought?!," Tevos practically screamed.
"Apparently," Sparatus replied. "That's what we would call a 'Hyper-Dreadnought.' Look at the size of that thing! It's almost a quarter of the Citadel's size, and I can clearly see weapon mounts on it's hull. I would not want to be on the wrong end of that hulk of a ship." He trailed off a moment later, while Maelan's mouth flapped open and closed as he gazed at the ship, eyes as wide as they could go.
A moment later, they heard the Executor tell them over the COM link, "Councilors, the Terran Ambassadors are coming in what they call a 'DropShip.' They'll be landing at one of the bays rated for larger vessels. Expect them to arrive shortly."
"Thank you for the information," Tevos replied. Closing the COM link, she looked up towards the Terran Hyper-Dreadnought, both eyes wide as the ship slowly drifted towards the Citadel. This was going to be a very long day for her.
. . .
At Docking Bay 45-B, Executor Venari Pallin thought he had seen everything during his time in the Hierarchy Army, as well as his current job as Citadel Security's Executor. Now that he was looking at a Terran Hyper-Dreadnought, though, he now felt a twinge of fear for himself, a fear that he hoped was irrational as he watched the Terran DropShip approach. The Terran ship that was arriving, which they called a Leopard-IV DropShip, was very large and tall, at a length of 70 meters and a height of 25 meters, and a width of 55 meters. Pallin had also heard that the Terrans made sure their DropShips were heavily armored and armed, a fact supported by the sight of multiple weapon hardpoints on the DropShip, as well as the thick, angular armor.
A moment later, Sparatus watched as the DropShip slid into the open bay with an unusual level of grace for a ship of this size. Once the magnetic/mass effect clamps had locked into place, Pallin watched as the ship extended out what appeared to be a passenger loading/unloading ramp, which gently lowered into place onto the ground near the normal passenger ramp. As soon as the ramp secured itself via magnetic clamps, Pallin watched as the door leading to the interior of the DropShip opened.
To his surprise, the Terran Ambassadors were as varied as their outfits. One of the Ambassadors was a man with dark skin, black colored hair and bright green eyes. He had a scar over his left eye, but his left eye was completely unharmed. Another was a woman with blue eyes, blond hair and tanned skin, with a beautifully woven dress covering her features. Another of the ambassadors was a man with Oriental features, including his brown hair and light blue eyes, but he was wearing clothes that, according to the Terran's Codex, were styled after the outfits that the Samurai of Feudal Japan would wear, only much more elegant in appearance; Pallin then remembered that was the Draconis Combine's Coordinator, the leader of the Draconis Combine, who also acted as their ambassador.
There were a few other ambassadors here as well, with one wearing a military uniform, while the remaining Terran ambassadors were wearing what appeared to be business suits. Looking over the group, Pallin spotted one particular human that was wearing a white business suit, with that human having bright green eyes, black hair that was neatly combed to one side, as well as a strong nose and chin by Asari standards. Pallin didn't know why, but when he looked at this human, he had a feeling that this Terran could give a Salarian politician a run for her money. It was clear that this Terran was the First Lord of the Star League, as he radiated an aura of power and authority, but also an air of respect and nobility.
There were a few other people there that Pallin didn't recognize, indicating they were from the alternate reality. One was a Terran wearing a white dress uniform with gold pipping, with some medals on his chest, as well as what appeared to be some ribbons. The human's hazel colored eyes looked at Pallin, with the Turian realizing that he was looking at a military leader who had seen it all.. Two individuals in what appeared to be armor of some kind were standing on either side, with one wearing olive drab armor that completely covered his body, with only a gold visor interrupting the rest of the color theme.
If those humans were intimidating, then the aliens that were with the Terrans were even more so. Looking to his right, Pallin's eyes widened when he saw a massive, reptilian being standing in the rear. It was massive, standing tall enough to rival a Krogan in terms of height, with powerful digitigrade legs that ended in large hoofs while supporting a muscular torso. Said torso branched off into two arms that ended in hands that had two fingers and two thumbs. Looking upwards, Pallin could see that the neck of the alien attached to an elongated head that had two wide set eyes, a pair of nostrils a little further forwards, as well as what appeared to be four mandibles, in lieu of jaws, that were lined with sharp looking teeth. The alien's body was covered in a bodysuit that did nothing to hide the alien's powerful musculature, with what appeared to be a layer of gold colored armor on top. The two aliens standing nearby were just as exotic, with one having what appeared to be horns growing out of it's head, as well as a pair of teeth that were elongated into fangs.
Despite the unusual sight, Pallin swallowed his fear as best as he could and stepped forwards. "Greetings," he said a moment later. "I'm Executor Vinari Pallin. Welcome to the Citadel, ladies and gentlemen."
"Thank you," the human on his left said a moment later. "I believe introductions are in order for us as well. I am Hanse Steiner-Davion, the First Lord of the Star League. With me are Aleksandr Korolev of the Capellan Confederation, Theodore Kurita of the Draconis Combine, Alexandria Marik of the Free Worlds League and SaKhan Juliana Ebon of Clan Wolverine, who is also the acting Ambassador of the Warden Clans. Also with me is Admiral Lord Hood of the United Nations Space Command, as well as his best me, and Lord Thel 'Vadam, the Kaidon of 'Vadam Keep on Sangheilos, as well as the leader of the Sangheilians."
So those are what those aliens are, Pallin thought as he looked at Thel, who clenched a fist before pressing it against his chest, presumably as a his throat, he said, "Thank you all for coming. My current orders are to escort you to the Council Chambers. I must inform you, however, that weapons are not permitted in the Council Chambers. We will need to secure them for the time being."
"Then it's a good thing that we are not armed," Hanse Steiner-Davion remarked. "Lead us on, Executor. It would not do well for you if we became lost." Pallin nodded at that, with members of C-Sec standing around the group as they moved forwards.
In the middle of the group, however, Hanse and Thel shared a look with each other. What Pallin didn't know was that Hanse and the others were actually fully armed in the event a fight broke out, with concealed weapons that were hidden in scanner-proof parts of their attire. On top of that, many of them had martial arts training, with Hanse having a black belt in Jujitsu, Kung-Fu, as well as a number of other martial arts. Thel was similarly skilled, since all Sangheilians were taught how to protect themselves from a young age.
As they moved onward, Pallin began telling them about the various sights and locations on the part of the Citadel they were entering: the Presidium. After passing through a checkpoint that scanned them for weapons, Hanse and the others were led into the Presidium proper. Looking around, he could see that the Presidium was where the rich and affluent members of the Council Races tended to live at, with the large, ringed section of the station having a continuous river of water running through the middle, as well as an artificial sky that amplified incoming light, while making it appear as though it was a blue sky.
While it was a pretty sight, Hanse knew what it was. It's a status tool, he thought to himself as he walked forwards, designed to impress and intimidate any potential members by showing them the Council's economic might. It would've been equivalent to a military parade on New Avalon, with BattleMechs, AeroSpace Fighters and Combat Vehicles in lieu of gardens and well sculpted buildings.
Either way, they might as well be showcasing their military secrets, he thought as they continued to walk forwards. The Federated Commonwealth has been working on projects like this for quite some time, plus the Council Races are sitting at Tech Rating C. The Star League, and the Great House I was born in, would easily trump the Council Races in every regard. Still, he had to give them kudos for trying, as it was clear that they were trying to sell the benefits of Council membership as best as possible. Sadly, though, Hanse knew that the effect was lost on him, having been around advanced technology for a long time.
A moment later, they entered the elevator that would take them to the Council Chambers, with said elevator opening as soon as they reached the top. The interior of the Council Chambers was actually fairly beautiful, with glossy white flooring that gleamed in the interior lighting of the room, as well as upper levels that were supported by elegant, yet well designed support columns. A water fountain was in front of them, as well as garden plots that the group passed by as they moved upwards. Spotting a large, insectoid creature, Hanse was about to ask what it was when Thel beat him to the punch. "What is that," Thel asked, pointing a finger at the creature.
"That," Pallin asked as he followed Thel's finger. "That is a Keeper. They are an insectoid species that maintains and repairs systems onboard the Citadel. Not much is known about them, and our attempts to learn more about them have all ended in failure. I do not mean any offense, but why do you ask?"
"We have a similar species where I come from," Thel replied. "The Yanmee, or Drones, as the humans call them. They are an insectoid species that forms hives, and communicates via a hive mind."
"I see," Pallin remarked. With that, they reached the stairwell leading up to the podium. "The Councilors are waiting for you up ahead," he informed them moments later. "I hope that you have a wonderful discussion with them."
"Me too," Hanse replied. Inwardly, though, he knew that many of the Council's law were not compatible with the Star League and it's policies, a fact he was going to break to the Council. Here we go again, he thought. Once more, I play the chess game that is interstellar politics and political intrigue. Rolling his neck, he mentally prepared himself one more time before walking up the steps.
The podium that he and the others stood on extended out over what appeared to be a garden down below, with a glass ceiling that provided shelter for anyone down below. Above the podium, on one of the upper levels, were a trio of computer stands that were currently being attended to by three people, which Hanse assumed were the Councilors. As soon as he saw the arrangement, he immediately disliked it. It gives the Councilors an air of superiority which, while intimidating to any newcomers, isn't intimidating when a more advanced factions comes around. In fact, Hanse found it to be mildly insulting.
The three individuals that were standing at the computer podiums were a little more varied than most. The first, Hanse noticed, as a member of the Turian Hierarchy, as he was wearing a political dress uniform, was currently standing at a relaxed parade rest, and had white facial paint that highlighted a pair of piercing green eyes. The second Councilor, who was standing in the middle, was an Asari wearing an elegant blue-purple dress that extended down to her feet, with facial paint that subtly highlighted a pair of blue eyes that looked at him. Aside from the tentacle crest, she looked like a human woman that had blue skin. Finally, there was the Salarian Councilor, who was wearing a hooded cloak that concealed most of his body, with only his large eyes and mottled green skin being exposed, along with his fleshy horns, as well as his wide and creased mouth.
As soon as he and the group with him had come to a stop, the Asari Councilor spoke. "Welcome to the Council Chambers," she said to them, though Hanse could hear what he thought was a slight break in her voice. "I am Councilor Tevos of the Asari Republics, and with me are Councilors Sparatus of the Turian Hierarchy, and Councilor Maelan of the Salarian Union. Welcome to the Citadel."
"Thank you for the opportunity," Hanse Steiner-Davion replied, though inwardly he wasn't too pleased by the Council's current introduction. "I am Hanse Steiner-Davion, the First Lord of the Star League. With me are ambassadors from the Great Houses, as well as ambassadors from the UNSC and Covenant."
"Indeed," Tevos remarked. "It's rare that we have so many different species coming to the Citadel at once. It was only during the founding of the Council that we had so many unique species coming to the Citadel. I'm certain that you have many questions about our governments and our societies, questions that my colleagues and I are more than willing to answer."
"I see," Hanse remarked. "In that case, I would like to ask some questions about the Council, more appropriately the requirements for membership, as well as the perks that would come with it."
"Becoming a member of the Council has a number of unique benefits," Tevos replied. "For one, members of the Council enjoy colonization rights to major portions of the galaxy that we are in, as well as a unified defensive coalition. In addition to this, any complaints that you have can be rectified and ironed out once an embassy has been established."
"And the costs," Hanse asked.
"Members of the Council that join will need to have limits imposed onto their military production," Tevos replied. "In addition, the use of Artificial Intelligence is outlawed, due in part to a tragic accident that happened roughly 300 years ago, when the Quarians illegally created the Geth. In addition, trade agreements need to be conducted in order to ensure smooth economic trading between members."
"In addition, the Hierarchy will have to patrol the regions of space that are part of the new members of the Council for some time," Sparatus added. "The Hierarchy holds the peace keeping role in the Citadel Council, a privilege that was held by the Krogan before the Krogan Rebellions. Any member races that are found to be violating the law usually have trade sanctions imposed and, if necessary, military action is to be performed."
"I see," Hanse remarked. Pacing back and forth, he said, "I have been studying this Codex of yours for some time, making note of every detail that I could." Clearing his throat, he said, "It is with great regret that I must inform you that we will not be joining the Council."
When he said this, the room fell so silent that one could've heard a pin drop. "I-I beg your pardon," Tevos stammered. "Did you say that you won't be joining the Council?"
"That's correct," Hanse replied.
"This is unprecedented," Maelan stammered. "No species has ever refused the chance to join the Citadel Council!"
"There's a saying we Terrans have," SaKhan Juliana replied. "There is a first for everything."
"Before you begin flinging accusations around, I would like to explain why," Hanse continued. "Many of the technologies of the Inner Sphere would be in violation of Council law. The first of these technologies is the use of Neural Intelligence, which is our version of Artificial Intelligence. When AI's were first created, the Star League's members ratified and signed the AI Accords of 2800, which granted AI's the same rights and privileges of human beings in the Star League. This was done to prevent an AI uprising, which it has successfully done so for centuries."
"You use AI," Maelan gasped. "Why would you use AI?"
"For a number of reasons," Hanse replied. "For one, many of our technologies require AI, and our R&D Complex owes it's efficiency and speed to AI. In addition, Neural Intelligences, due to their architecture, are counted in the AI Accords as living, sapient beings that are worthy of the same respect and dignity given to normal, organic beings."
"Aren't you worried that they will rebel against you some day? After all, AI's don't need organics like us. They would simply see us as refuse or obstacles to their growth."
"Didn't you listen to what I said earlier? The Star League AI Accords prevents such an uprising from happening. In addition, our AI's willing chose to serve the Star League and the citizens within. They want to work with us because they see us as their creators, whom they have deemed worthy of preservation and companionship."
When Hanse said this, Maelan went silent, as he had no intelligent rebuttal against Hanse's words. "I see," Tevos remarked. "Are there any other reasons why you have decided to say no?"
"Yes," Alexandria Marik replied. "The Star League, as you know, covers over 510lys of space, with over two thousand words and growing inside of it. Because of this, large, well trained, well equipped and highly disciplined military forces are required to maintain peace and order in the Inner Sphere." Looking at Sparatus, she said, "Given the government of the Turian Hierarchy, I believe that your kind would understand quite well the need for a strong military, yes?"
"Yes," Sparatus replied. "I think that is a very good reason as to why. Any restrictions on military production in this case would probably be more harmful than beneficial. I do have to ask, though: how turbulent can the Inner Sphere get?"
"Quite," Alexandria replied. "While we are in a peaceful state right now, that might not last. The Succession War, for example, not only spanned the entire Inner Sphere, but also resulted in billions of casualties and a temporary technological regression in the Inner Sphere. It was only after Paul Davion II became First Lord of the Star League that we recovered fully. Over twenty five billion people died in the Succession War before it was halted."
Sparatus' eyes widened at that. "Twenty five billion," he nearly stammered. "That's more than the population of all the Hierarchy worlds combined! It was that devastating?!" When Hanse nodded, Sparatus fell silent, clearly stunned by the cost of the Succession War.
"Is there another reason why you can't join the Council," Tevos asked. While it didn't seem to show, Hanse could tell that Tevos was becoming more desperate as time passed.
"Yes," SaKhan Juliana replied. "Joining the Council would mandate that we share our technology with the other Council Races. This is prohibited by Section 50 of the Star League Penal Code, which was created to prevent non-allied governments and/or nonvoting members of the Star League from gaining access to Star League level technology. If we were to join, the galaxy would gain access to advanced energy weapons, ablative armor, among other technologies. Many of those technologies would allow the Council Races to engage in devastating wars that even your Council might not be able to stop."
"Agreed," Hanse replied. "I will not have an Age of War on my conscience, less so one taking place across the entire galaxy."
A moment later, Theodore Kurita began to speak, with his translator translating what he was saying. "Lord Kurita says that, in addition to this, genetic engineering is commonplace in the Inner Sphere," his translator said,"Council regulations outlaw the use of genetic engineering, which would prove to be utterly devastating to the Inner Sphere, which uses gene editing and advanced nanotechnology to extend our life expectancy, eliminate horrific diseases, while making Terrans stronger, faster and more intelligent. It is because of this that we 'mokusatsu' your agreement."
When he said this, Maelan was confused. "Wha-what does that word mean?"
"I can explain," the translator replied. "It is a word seldom used in the Draconis Combine outside of negotiation or bargaining. Literally speaking, it means 'to kill with silence.'"
"So, he's just refused our offer entirely," Tevos asked.
"That's one meaning of the word," the Coordinator's translator replied. "The meaning changes depending on the context and who uses the word. If it is used by someone of a particular age in the highest social order, he might mean something somewhat different."
"Such as," Tevos asked.
A moment later, the translator looked down before saying, "I would like to buy your shoes. I offer you 100 C-Bills for a pair of shoes, you want 500. But you do not wish to insult me by saying my offer is not good enough. Instead you say nothing; you pretend I have said nothing, and then I realize, you are asking me to change my offer."
"That's confusing," Sparatus remarked.
"So it could mean he wants to negotiate," Tevos remarked, feeling a burst of elation.
That elation was promptly crushed when the translator said, "It could mean that. Based on the context of what the Coordinator has said, however, I know for certain that he wishes to be seen as holding your offer in silent contempt. In other words, he does not wish to negotiate."
The moment Tevos heard that, she immediately realized what the Coordinator was saying. By holding the Council's offer of membership in silent contempt, Theodore Kurita was making it clear that he did not like the Council at all, and wasn't interested at all in trading with them. When she heard that, her slight smile disappeared, replaced by a frown on her face when she realized the implications.
Shaking off her foul mood, she said, "Perhaps we can come to a trade agreement of some kind?"
"That is allowable," Hanse replied. "However, I must warn you, we cannot share all of our technology. Star League Penal Code Section 50, Article 20 Paragraph 4 states, and I quote, 'Under no circumstances are Star League/Great House personnel permitted to share military technology and/or information with non-allied governments outside of the Star League or Great Houses, with the exception of allied governments and voting members of the Star League. Failure to follow this regulation is punishable with a 20,000,000 C-Bill fine and/or a life sentence in a Star League/Great House penitentiary.'"
"A 20,000,000 C-Bill fine and/or a life sentence in a Star League/Great House penitentiary," Tevos stammered. "Isn't that a little steep of a punishment?"
"It is precisely what we needed," Hanse replied. "Only two individuals were punished in this method. Since then, there have been no further violations of that part of the Star League Penal Code."
"I see," Tevos remarked. "So, what can you share?"
"Minor technologies and products," Hanse replied, "such as Fusion Engines and consumer electronics, among other things. Selling military technologies, however, are prohibited, as is stated in the Penal Code. Medical technologies can be shared, but only minor ones, such as Nano-Gel, which is our version of your 'Medi-Gel', as well as minor gene editing technologies. I will state, however, that we will not be sharing our WarShip production technologies with the Council at all, as in never happening. Before the meeting is over, we will be sending over a list of prohibited and permitted technologies."
"I see," Tevos remarked. Inwardly, however, she was fuming at the loss of not only a potential member for the Council, but also at the loss of studying their more advanced technologies. Looking at one of the non-human members of the group, she said, "Perhaps an agreement with the newly reformed Covenant is possible."
Thel's reply promptly smashed that possibility. "No," he said a moment later. "We Sangheilians value our independence as well as our alliance with the Humans. In addition, I agree with Alexandria Marik's observations when it comes to our technologies. We reject any offer that the Council extends to us outside of trade agreements." Nearby, one of his bodyguards nodded in approval.
"What of the UNSC?"
"I'm afraid that I must concur with the former Arbiter," Admiral Hood replied. "We won't be sharing technology with you as well. In addition, with the Star League as our ally, what could you offer us that we don't already have?" Even from her podium, Tevos had to admit, that was a good point.
As the minutes ticked by, Tevos quickly became alarmed at how skilled at negotiation the Star League, Covenant and UNSC were. By the time, the meeting was finished, Tevos had a slight frown on her face, while Maelan was starting to lose a little bit of his composure. The only one that was still calm and collected was Sparatus, who remained silent for the rest of the meeting.
Eventually, at the end of the meeting, Tevos cleared her throat. "It is the decision of the Council and the Star League that a trade agreement is to be formed between the two factions. No military technologies will be shared, nor will any technologies banned from dissemination by Star League Penal Code Section 50. The Council would like to thank the Star League, Covenant and UNSC for coming to the Citadel."
"You're welcome," Hanse replied, thoroughly happy with the agreement that he and the others had come to. "I look forward to conducting business with you all in the future."
"The same here," Tevos replied. "This meeting is adjourned." With that, the Star League, Covenant and UNSC delegates walked out of the Council Chambers, entering the elevator before descending. Once they were out of sight, she said, "Well, that could have gone better."
"They absolutely milked us," Maelan nearly screamed, "and they rejected our offer completely! Now we have a faction that is more advanced than we are that is free to do as it pleases! This was a disaster!" Glaring at Sparatus, he snarled, "On top of that, you did not make one suggestion besides what was at the beginning of this meeting! How could you not support us?!"
"I understood what you failed to do so earlier," Sparatus calmly replied, as though he was the voice of reason and logic in the Council. "The Star League is powerful enough that it can protect itself, and it covers an area of space that is far more densely populated than our own. Who are we to attempt to force them to obey laws that they clearly have no desire to obey for logical reasons? Besides, all we can do now is watch and wait; I have a good feeling about the Star League, so I don't think we should worry at all."
Normally, Tevos would've given her own retort, but when Sparatus spoke, she found that she couldn't help but agree with him. The Star League was powerful enough that it could adequately protect it's borders and stop needless death and destruction from tearing through it's territory. On top of that, the advanced technologies it had, combined with the territory it covered, meant that it had everything it wanted. A moment later, she sighed before saying, "I'm afraid I must agree with Sparatus, Maelan. The Star League has shown a considerable amount of restraint, more so than the Krogan have by far. I don't think we need to worry about them at all. They've maintained their current status for hundreds of years, so it's not unreasonable to think that they can do the same for another few centuries." With that, Maelan's hopes of raising an emotional discourse for restricting the Star League died out.
