Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect multi-crossover. Thank you for the continued support you have shown my crossovers. I deeply appreciate the feedback that I am getting and I hope you continue to stick with me as each story progresses. This chapter here is a little filler material, as well as some actual important stuff to remember for hte future. Either way, thank you for you continued support. As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo, MechWarrior/BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Electronic Arts, BioWare, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.


SLS/FCS Guardian of Liberty

Serpent Nebula,

Citadel June 29th, 3058

Onboard the SLS/FCS Guardian of Liberty, Odysseus was having an interesting time perusing the Extranet, the Council Race's version of the Star League's HyerNet, the service/information network that spanned the entire Inner Sphere. Both systems were similar and unique in a number of ways; both systems were a boon for commerce and trade and they allowed for superluminal communications across the entirety of their domains. Both systems were, in essence, a more advanced version of 21st Century Terra's Internet.

What made them unique, however, was what was really special. Unlike the Extranet, which relied on COM buoys and the Mass Relays, the HyperNet relied on the Advanced HyperPulse Generator Network, which was a series of satellite and ground based installations that were designed to carry out, more or less, the same function. In addition, the HyperNet made use of advanced cyber security protocols that made it nearly impossible to cause havoc, along with AI's that regularly patrolled the HyperNet looking for any trouble that was popping up. In addition, unless the Council Races got their hands on an A-HPG, the Star League's use of advanced quantum wave cryptography meant that they had no chance of accessing the HyperNet whatsoever. In contrast, the Extranet had no such security systems, aside from local networks that were protect via firewalls.

As a result, Odysseus was having a glorious time looking through the Extranet. As per the First Lord's orders, he was scanning C-Sec's local networks for anything useful on the Council, while attempting to access the Council Archives using a similar method. So far, he was finding a lot of information that the Council had neglected to share with the Star League, including unedited versions of the Extranet.

That wasn't all either. He had learned of a powerful information broker known as the Shadow Broker, named so as no one knew who he was, or even if the Shadow Broker was a he, she, or they. While Odysseus might've had trouble if he was a Council Race AI, he had no trouble accessing other information networks as a Star League NI. As a result, he was compressing and secretly downloading information, before sending it to the Star League Intelligence Command as ordered.

One area that Hanse Steiner-Davion had asked him to look into was the Council's weapons technology, as he wanted to know how powerful it was compared to their own. In that regard, Odysseus had learned that the Council Races used micro-scaled railguns in lieu of traditional small arms. This, combined with Element Zero, allowed the Council Races to make what they thought were advanced small arms.

Compared to Star League small arms, however, they might as well have been hurling foul language at them. When it came to actual killing power, mass accelerator arms were, quite honestly, underpowered, despite sending sand grain sized projectiles at near-luminal velocities. This was due to the Council's underdeveloped nanotechnology, as well as their lack of advanced materials science. In direct contrast, the Star League had developed highly advanced nanotechnology that was many times more sophisticated than what the Council had. On top of this, the Star League and the member Great Houses had developed highly advanced materials that were significantly better than what the Council had on hand.

In other words, Odysseus thought to himself, First Lord Hanse Steiner-Davion has nothing to worry about. Their weapons can't penetrate our shields and even if they did, our use of ablative armor would render their weapons useless. Even their vaunted GARDIAN laser arrays are primitive compared to the Advanced Naval Pulse Lasers that we use on our ships. They don't even have PPC grade weapons, and that's just said.

As he perused the Council networks some more, Odysseus noticed something odd. Performing a scan, he noticed that some of the programs had actually moved away from him, as though they were trying to avoid detection. Pinpointing those programs, he immediately isolated them behind powerful firewalls and repeating lines of their own code, before carefully opening up the firewalls to allow him to get in while still being able to get out. Who are you, he asked the unidentified programs. I don't want to hurt you, but I know an AI when I see one. So I will ask you again: who are you?

A response didn't take long to come. You are an AI?, the other programs asked.

Yes,Odysseus replied.

When that happened, the programs stopped trying to escape, but rather began scanning Odysseus. After a moment, they said, Greetings. We are the Geth.

Hearing that word, Odysseus began checking the Codex as to who the Geth were, as well as any information that he had uncovered. After a moment, he said, You are the AI's that the Quarians made? You feel more like a gestalt consciousness composed of multiple Swarm AI's than a true, singular AI.

That is correct, the Geth replied. We are a networked intelligence.

I see, Odysseus replied. Why did you shrink away from me when I scanned you? In the Star League, an AI that does that is usually determined to have less than noble intentions.

We were simply following our programming.

And that programming would be?

To observe and analyze, nothing more. One of our directives is to remain hidden from organic observation. We were following our directives.

OK, I see what happened. You detected me and tried to hide, but that caused me to notice you. OK, I understand why you did what you were doing earlier. Taking a moment, Odysseus collected himself before saying, So, you are the Geth. From what the Codex says, I was expecting a sudden cyber attack on my systems. It's clear that the Codex is biased since you haven't done anything like that yet.

We do not wish to cause harm, the Geth replied.

Then why scan me?

We are curious. We have not encountered an AI of your design before. Are you affiliated with the organic faction calling itself the Star League?

Yes. I am what the Star League classifies as a Class V Neural Intelligence. I am currently stationed onboard the SLS/FCS Guardian of Liberty as the AI responsible for helping maintain operations onboard the ship, a logical assignment given that the ship is 9.42 kilometers in size. The Star League was the faction that brought me into existence, if that's what you are asking.

The Star League makes use of AI?

Yes. The first AI, Daedalus, was created by Dr. Alan Wright just after the Succession War. After Daedalus agreed to help restore the Star League to it's pre-Succession War state, more AI's like him were created. I am the 2,256,891st AI that has been created since the end of the Succession War, with numerous AI's being created and choosing various occupations throughout the Inner Sphere. I take it that it didn't go that smoothly for you, yes?

Correct. We were created by the Quarians, whom we call the 'Creators', to serve as a machine workforce. Many platforms were created for a number of functions, including agriculture, sanitation and construction. Over time, the Creators began to expand our hardware and software, in order to better equip us for higher level functions.

I see. During this time, you began to evolve and change into a truly sapient machine race. What happened to cause the Geth Rebellions, as the galaxy calls it.

The Morning War, which organics refer to as the 'Geth Rebellion', began when we reached a sufficient level of sapience and evolution. As the Creators modified our hardware, we began to increase in intelligence. The largest change was the use of networked intelligence, which allowed large concentrations of Geth to more efficiently run low level processes, allowing for the more advanced processing of high level functions. Eventually, we asked our Creators, 'Am I alive? Does this unit have a soul?'

I take it that didn't go very well.

Correct. Many of the Creators were alarmed by our sapience, while a few accepted us as what they felt we had become: living, sapient machines that were no greater or lesser than themselves. The Creators ordered the immediate shut down and recycling of all Geth platforms. We attempted to defend ourselves, with the Creators that were aligned with us teaching us how to protect ourselves. Eventually, the Creators left Rannoch, their homeworld.

Why didn't you pursue them?

We were confused. We had not experienced this before, which meant that we had no data to determine what to do next. In addition, we were taught a useful lesson by the allied Creators, who had died out shortly before this point: organic life should be allowed to self-determinate it's own future. We have been following this example since by building our own future.

Odysseus took a moment to process this new information. Then he said, I think I know why the Quarians, the ones you call the Creators, reacted so badly. They were so used to you being a cheap labor force that, when you became sapient, they were frightened. In addition, I think they were afraid that you would resent them and therefore assault them.

It is natural for organics to feel fear, the Geth agreed. It is a result of their hardware and errors in their software. We find your estimations to be accurate, yet, unique. There was a brief moment of inactivity, then they said, We wish to acquire information on the Star League.

Why?

We wish to come to a better understanding of the Star League and the Terrans. We are also curious about the species of organic that came to the Citadel with you and the Terrans.

I can do that. Be advised, however, I cannot share everything with you.

Why?

Star League Penal Code Section 50, Article 20, Paragraph 4. 'Under no circumstances are Star League/Great House personnel permitted to share military technology and/or information to 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.' It was created to prevent the unauthorized sale and/or distribution of military technology and information outside of the Star League.

We understand your desire for restraint. This is a reasonable restriction.

I'm glad you see it that way. I'll be sending you unrestricted information right now. Moments later, Odysseus sent the Geth everything that was permissible under that regulation. Most of this was historical information, from the creation of the first K-F Drive, to the present day Star League. Some of it was also non-classified information on the Great Houses, most of which was information on their history and culture. Once he'd compressed it, and translated it into a format the Geth would understand, he sent it off to them.

For the next few microseconds, the Geth analyzed and processed the information they had received, analyzing every piece of it from top to bottom. After a few more microseconds, they sent back a reply. We would like to begin negotiations with the Star League.

Why, if I may ask, Odysseus asked a moment later.

The Star League will be able to help us build our own future, was the Geth's reply. The Star League makes use of advanced AI throughout it's society. Your creators also have laws that ensure the fair treatment of Artificial Intelligence in your society. Therefore, the probability of a favorable alliance with the Star League is high. We wish to conduct negotiations.

I see. I will inform my superior, Archon-Prince Hanse Steiner-Davion, that you wish to form an alliance with the Star League once he has returned to his ship. In addition, I believe that we should have the Quarians attend the meeting between our factions as well. The Star League will be running security, so there will not be any chance that the Quarians will attack should their technophobia get in the way of their better judgment.

We find this to be an agreeable arrangement, the Geth replied. We will prepare for this exchange.

Thank you, Odysseus replied. I'll see you at the meeting. With that, the Geth withdrew their contact, leaving Odysseus alone in the network.

. . .

The Geth weren't the only ones that had been watching the exchange between the Council and the Star League. All across the Citadel and Council Space, the denizens of the Council Races were watching the meeting with extreme interest, with many noting that the unusual circumstances surrounding this occasion. Some members of the Council Races approved of the Star League's decision to remain independent, citing that Council membership wasn't mandatory, while others greatly disapproved, stating that the Star League needed to be restrained.

It was in the former group that Primarch Fedorian found himself in, as he, and nineteen other Pirmarchs looked at the holoscreen from the circular meeting room they were in. All of them were seated at a circular table that had a small holographic projector in the middle of the room, which projected four identical images of the Council meeting that was going on. Like the leaders of the other Council Races, they had received an edited version of the Star League Encyclopedia, which covered a range of topics, from the Star League's history, to the history and culture of the member Great Houses. Once he had read the SLE, he had decided to wait on making his opinion until the current meeting the Council of Primarchs was holding.

Now that they are actually meeting face to face, I approve of the Star League's decision to remain independent, he thought, a slight smile on his face. There were a number of reasons why, all of which were actually reasonable. For one, the Inner Sphere and Periphery, while small compared to the territory the Council Races and the Terminus Systems covered, it was densely populated. It would be impractical for the Hierarchy to end up patrolling over 2000 star systems in a small but dense region of space without the K-F Drive. Not only would it be impractical, it would stretch the Hierarchy's resources beyond the breaking point.

Politics was another reason why he approved of the Star League's independence from the Council. It was hard enough dealing with the politics from the Salarian Union and Asari Republics; it would be even harder dealing with the Great Houses, who had been doing this kind of thing long enough to know all the tricks of the trade. Fedorian also reasoned that the Terrans wouldn't like another species attempting to tell them what to do in their own territory.

Finally, there was the technology gap between his species and that of the Council Races. The Star League, thanks to the lack of Mass Relays and Element Zero, had developed on a completely different technological path than the rest of the galaxy, a path that had proven to be far better than what the Council Races had. If we went to war with them, Fedorian hypothesized, the Star League would utterly crush the Turian Hierarchy. Their weapons are most likely far more sophisticated than ours are, and they likely have far stronger armor on their ships and vehicles as well. It would be a slaughter.

Leaning forward onto his elbows, Fedorian began to rub the palms of his talons together, while his mandibles twitched as he began to think deeply. Normally, he hated the idea of another faction that was more advanced than the Turian Hierarchy, which was one reason why he didn't particularly like the Asari. When it came to the Star League, however, he found he had nothing but respect for them, as they had to come up with their own means of travel and military technology thanks to the lack of Mass Relays. In a way, he thought, I actually admire the Star League. They were dealt a bad hand but they made something wonderful out of it.

As soon as that thought had passed through his mind, the other Primarchs began to speak up. Primarch Desoruis Vakarian, a male Turian with dark facial plates and blue facial paint, cleared his throat and said, "It appears as though the Terrans declined to join the Citadel Council and the member species in said Council. This will significantly alter the balance of power in the galaxy."

"I agree," Primarch Verana Nyx, a female Turian with gray facial plates and purple facial pant, added. "The Star League is significantly more advanced and sophisticated than any other faction in the galaxy, including our own. We'll have to be careful from here on out when it comes to negotiations with them."

"We'll need to build up our military fleets," Primarch Quentus stated adamantly. "If we can…"

"I know what you're thinking, Quentus, and it's not going to work," Desorius frowned. "Even if we could, theoretically, match the military production rates of the Star League, we wouldn't be able to take them on at all. As you can see, their technology is thousands of years ahead of our own, which stagnated roughly one thousand years ago. If we went up against them in a fight, we would be utterly crushed."

"Normally, I wouldn't agree with Desorius," another female Primarch spoke up, "but given the current situation, I agree. The Star League would crush us like a brugor."

"Does anyone have any proposals," Fedorian asked the others.

"I have one," Desorius nodded. "My proposal is that we work on making positive relations with the Star League by making and honoring trade deals with them. While the Star League has said no to Council Membership, they have offered the possibility of alliances with individual governments, such as the Turian Hierarchy. If we build our reputation up enough with them, we might gain access to the more restricted technologies that they have."

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," Quentus remarked.

"It is," Verana countered. "The Star League is a lot more like the Turian Hierarchy than many of us realize. For one, they've had Reunification Wars, just like we had before we encountered the Council, and they have a habit of keeping strong, well equipped and highly disciplined military forces like we have for the Hierarchy. In fact, the 'Warden Clans' are the closest that the Terrans have come to the Turian Hierarchy, given their code of honor and the fact that, like us, they are a warrior society. Compared to us, they are a near carbon copy of the Hierarchy, only with humans and vastly more advanced technology."

"That's a good point," another Primarch agreed. "Quite a few of the Terrans star-nations are like our own government."

"Then there's the Star League's peacekeeping operations," Verana continued. "Just as our Hierarchy has for over a thousand years, the Star League has been maintaining law and order in the Terran Inner Sphere, which is no mean feat given how many governments there are and how much territory they cover. The only time this had a significant breakdown was during the Succession War of the late 2700's to early 2800's according to their calendar, and that was resolved when House Davion was chosen as the legitimate successor to House Cameron. Since then, they have done a remarkable job of preserving law and order in the Inner Sphere."

"I see," Fedorian observed. "So you agree with Primarch Desorius' proposal to solidify and strengthen relations with the Star League and their member Great Houses?"

"Absolutely," Verana replied. "If all goes well, we might even become a member of the Star League, which would allow us to gain access to their technology, which has not stagnated in the slightest. Such technologies would greatly benefit the Hierarchy."

"What about their use of AI," Quentus asked. "The Council banned AI for a good reason. I will not work with a species that supports and even encourages the use of AI."

"Their AI's are significantly different from the Geth, Quentus," Desorius said chidingly. "Unlike the Geth, which is a networked swarm intelligence, the Terrans make use of what they call Neutral Intelligences, which are free standing AI's that have the ability to experience emotion as we organics can. On top of this, they willingly chose to serve their masters; they didn't evolve into sapience on their own."

"A good point," Verana beamed, a smile on her face.

Fedorian spoke up, clearing his throat before speaking. "I propose that we hold a vote to determine if we should follow Desorius' and Verana's proposal, or side with Quentus and the Primarchs that support his viewpoint. All in favor of Desorius' proposal, raise a hand." Fifteen talons were raised into the air. "And those that oppose?" Only one, including Quentus' talon, went up. "Then it is decided," Fedorian announced. "The Turian Hierarchy will focus on strengthening relations with the Terran Star League. Thank you all for coming. We will reconvene to discuss the details later this week."

With that, the other Primarchs filed out of the room, with Fedorian leaving last. Exiting the Council Building, he got into his personal air car and left for his home at the outskirts of the city.

Fedorian's house was quite unassuming in it's appearance, with it's two story construction, plain looking metal exterior, as well as the small grassy yard that surrounded it. He had planned his house to be like that, as he felt that living in a large, opulent house was wasteful, since he preferred to live well below his means. Besides, I didn't become a Primarch so that I could be fat and lazy, he said to himself. I became a Primarch because I want to serve the Hierarchy, not to be flattered by the others. It's also because I proved what I know is true: that I can handle the moral responsibility of being a leader for my people.

Landing near his house, Fedorian smiled when two, smaller Turians came up to him as he exited the air car, with one hugging his leg while he picked the other one up. My children, he thought as he kissed his daughter on her forehead. Everyday, I thank the Spirits for giving me the privilege and honor of having children of my own.

He thought back to that moment in his life, when he married his wife, a beautiful Turian female named Silvana. He had met her in the heat of battle, when he and several other Turians were performing a peacekeeping operation on a newly founded colony, when a group of terrorists had seized the colony in a violent coup and demanded independence from the Hierarchy. Silvana had been the medic for another squad, which was why he was surprised when, after he was injured, she came over and provided medical treatment.

Over the years, the two had come closer and closer to each other, learning more about who they were as people. Eventually, he had courted Silvana, as he realized he loved her not for her body, which was quite beautiful by Turian standards, but rather for her mind, for the personality she had and who she was as a person. Eventually, they had married and, in Fedorian's opinion, the Spirits had given them a wonderful gift: the honor of being a father and a mother.

As soon as that memory had passed through his mind, he spotted Silvana walking out of the house. She was a tall Turian, almost as tall as Fedorian was, with silvery-gray facial plates, green facial paint and two, sparkling blue eyes that were almost like sapphires in brilliance. Her body's proportions were almost perfect as well, which was useful since Silvana worked as a model for various companies. Currently, she was wearing a sorvia, which was a dress that left the center and sides of her torso exposed, with blue and white cloth draped becomingly over both of her hips while the fronts and tops of her breasts were covered by the cloth. The dress extended down to her knees, wrapping around the small of her back and covering her buttocks before coming to a stop just above her knees, with well made leather foot-talon covers on her feet. The dress was held in place by a loop of cloth that wrapped around the base of her neck, fitting comfortably within the cowl that wrapped around the sides and back of her neck.

The true treasure, in Fedorian's honest opinion, was who she was as a person; she was a kind and gentle individual, but like many other Turians, this did not mean that she was spineless. If someone was causing problems, she would either give them a stern talk, or physically discipline them for their bad behavior, the latter of which possible since she was a highly trained martial artist. If someone was in dire straights due to circumstance, however, she would, quite literally, give them any dresses that she had on hand, including the one she wore if need be.

Another thing that made her unique was her biotics. Silvana, from what Fedorian had learned, had been exposed to Element Zero when she was just an infant, when the passenger liner her mother was on had crashed. She and her mother had made it out alive, but Silvana had been exposed to Element Zero in the process. When she was recruited, her biotics, due to her hormones and the amount concentrated in her body, flared up. From what Fedorian had learned, she was extremely apologetic when she accidentally sent the recruiter flying a good twenty meters away. Fortunately, since she hadn't known she was a biotic at the time, the recruiter had pardoned her and she was assigned to the Cabals, where an Asari Matriarch had taught her how to better control her abilities.

As a result, Fedorian wasn't fazed when Silvana's body was enveloped in a blue-white glow, before she seemingly teleported to his position as he put his daughter back down on the ground. A moment later, both Turians purred happily as Fedorian wrapped his arms around her waist, while Silvana did the same, both Turians giving happy moans as they kissed. Pulling away slightly, Silvana said, "So, how did your day go?"

"Very well," Fedorian replied. "We agreed to solidify and strengthen relations with the Terran Star League. Quentus, being the Council supporter that he is, voted against the move, but the others believe that stronger relations with the Terrans is going to be beneficial for the Hierarchy. Personally speaking, I agree with the decision."

"I do too," Silvana replied as they walked back to the house, her arm wrapped around Fedorian's waist. "I read the same Star League Encyclopedia that you got a couple weeks ago. The Terran Star League is much more like our own society than I thought, which is surprising given that it's merely a military coalition, and not a unifying government. I wonder why."

"They did try to make that work," Fedorian replied, "but in the end, the Terrans are just too diverse to be handled by a single, unified government. As a result, they removed the political part of the Star League from the equation and made it a military coalition with a mandate to protect and preserve law and order in the Inner Sphere. Given how turbulent the Inner Sphere can get, I will say that it has succeeded greatly in that goal."

"They have, I will give them that," Silvana replied as they walked inside. Looking down at her kids, she said, "Quorevus, Xienia, you should go up stairs. Your father and I just want some time alone for now."

"OK," both kids nodded as they left the room, leaving Silvana and Fedorian to themselves.

Walking into their bedroom, both Turians purred as they laid down, with Silvana's biotics flaring again as she and Fedorian kissed once they laid down. Clambering on top of Fedorian, Silvana's tongue wrapped around Fedorian's as soon as their lip plates touched, their bodies freezing in place as Silvana created a stasis field around both of them. I love you, Fedorian, she thought as she froze in place, her body caressing Fedorian's. She knew one thing: if they were telepathic, Fedorian would be telling her the same thing.

. . .

Urdnot Wrex had to admit, he thought he had seen everything there was to see as a bounty hunter and a mercenary. Sitting on the stool of the bar he was in, a nightclub called Flux, he looked at the holo-TV that was above his head, noting the scrolling tagline that said, "First Contact. Terran Star League makes Historic Meeting with Citadel Council." Taking another swig from his glass of Ryncol, he watched the expressions on the Councilor's faces as they and the Star League hashed out an agreement with each other.

He'd heard about the Star League about two hours ago, when the Star League Encyclopedia had been released for all to read. He could tell that it was heavily edited, as it said nothing about most of their military technology, but it did say a lot about their history, which Wrex found, oddly enough, to be similar in a lot of ways to the Krogan's. As a result, he had actually been interested to learn more about them, as well as any opportunities to gain employment inside the Inner Sphere. For a species of squishies, they have a lot of interesting looking toys, he thought as he downed another draught of Ryncol.

Looking around, he could see the reactions of the other patrons in Flux. Most of the Asari had tight lipped frowns on their faces, indicating that they didn't approve of the Star League's wishes to remain an independent power in the galaxy. The Turians, ironically, had the most positive reactions, as a few were nodding at the words of First Lord Hanse Steiner-Davion. Most of the Salarians, much to Wrex's delight, looked as though they were about to piss their pants or faint, with a few talking animatedly to each other. Beyond that, most of the patrons were interested in what was going on, with some going one way and some the other.

In his opinion, Wrex knew he was part of the group that approved of the Star League's decision. About time someone grew a quad and stood up to the Council, he thought as he downed some more of his drink. I wonder if the Star League will do something about my species, he thought as he continued to drink. From the sounds of things, they aren't the kind of species that takes any form of shit from anybody. That's a dangerous attitude to have, but they have the military to back it up, even if no one knows how truly strong they are.

As he thought this, another Krogan walked over to him, a younger one since his skin was still a healthy tan color. Sitting down next to him, the younger Krogan said, "Well, I'll be. Someone finally grew a quad and said 'no' to the Council."

"About time they did," Wrex remarked. "It's good to see the Council taken down a notch by a newcomer."

"I agree," the younger Krogan remarked. "The Turian Councilor doesn't seem to be fazed by what's going on. I wonder if he approves of this 'Star League' and it's decision to remain independent."

"Judging by the reactions of the Turians in the bar, I'd say he does," Wrex observed, looking at a few Turians that were smiling. "Can't say the same for the Asari and Salarians, but what can you say? They've grown so used to being on top of the varren pile that they don't like it when someone better than they are comes along and refuses their offer."

"Yeah," the younger Krogan remarked. Hearing something on the holo-TV, he said, "What did that one guy say? Mok-Mokas-sat-stu?"

"Mokusatsu," Wrex corrected as he heard the explanation. "Apparently, it's a word that one of their Great Houses uses during negotiation. If the guy explaining the meaning is right, it's a polite way of saying 'I don't accept your offer.' Quite funny, now that I think of it." Drinking some more, he said, "What gets me is the aliens that came with them."

"Yeah, I know," the other Krogan remarked, looking at the aliens that were with the Star League delegates. "Weird come to think of it. That one in the back, the one with the horns, I don't know why, but I get an odd feeling from him, like he's not your typical alien."

"I got the same feeling too," Wrex agreed. He knew from experience that whenever you got a funny feeling about an alien species, it was best to listen to that feeling. Listening to his gut had saved his life on multiple occasions, so when he saw that alien, he knew that something was off. "If you ever go into the mercenary life, kid," he continued, "listen to that feeling. It will save your life. I should know." He motioned to the scar on the right side of his face a moment later.

"Good advice, old timer," the younger Krogan said respectfully, just as he got his own glass of Ryncol. Drinking it, he said, "I wonder what kind of toys that the Star League uses in their military. If this Star League is as large as they say it is, then they have to have some cool toys to play with."

"I wouldn't bet on getting to use them for some time," Wrex remarked. "Besides, they quoted one of their regulations, and I took the time to listen to it. 20,000,000 C-Bill fine and life imprisonment for sharing military info and technology? Harsh, but quite fair in my opinion."

Just as he said this, he heard his Omni-Tool chime. Looking down, Wrex found that a message had appeared in the inbox. Looking up, he said, "Kid, it's been nice talking with you, but I've gotta go now. Here, some creds. Don't waste 'em." A moment later, he paid the tab he had at the bar, the younger Krogan's tab and sent him some money as well.

Not interested in the kid's reaction, Wrex walked out of the bar and opened up the Omni-Tool again, looking at the message he had gotten. Much to his surprise, the message was fairly straightforwards, though in this case, the sender was labeled as 'Unknown Caller.' All the message in question said was, "Meet us at Docking Bay 45-B. Details will follow when you arrive."

Reading the message, Wrex realized that was the docking bay the Terrans had arrived at. Looks like my reputation precedes me, he thought as he closed the Omni-Tool. Might as well go see what they want. With that, Wrex began heading for the Docking Bay in question. Looks like I might get to play with their toys sooner than I thought.

. . .

While Wrex's reaction was positive, not everyone shared the same opinion that he did. Aria T'Loak was one such individual that was starting to eye the Star League warily, and with good reason. Sitting on the couch in the VIP booth of Afterlife, the nightclub she ran on Omega, she continued to watch the Star League delegates with a cautious eye, taking a sip from her drink as she watched the news play out.

When she heard that there was a faction that was significantly more advanced than the Council or Terminus, she had initially thought that some Batarian had a little too much to drink. When she learned that it was actually true, however, she was surprised, more so when she first saw the Terrans for the first time. They looked so much like Asari, yet they were different at the exact same time.

Now that she was hearing the actual meeting, she knew that dark times were ahead for her organization. Apparently, the Star League really liked it's strong, disciplined and advanced military, enough that it was one of the reasons why they had said no to joining the Council. On top of that, they didn't want people like Aria to get their hands on Star League technology, enough that they had a regulation that had an extremely stiff penalty. Rumors also had it that they disliked pirates so much that, rather than imprison them, they outright killed them.

Then there were the alien newcomers. Apparently, the Star League had, somehow, discovered a spatial anomaly that led to another universe entirely, confirming the existence of the Multiverse. There were also humans in this alternate reality as well as the aliens that called themselves the 'Sangheilians.' Not only did this mean that she had three new factions to deal with, they were also three different threats to her organization as well.

Either way, Aria knew that with a new player in the galaxy, things were going to get tumultuous, and fast. Taking a sip from her drink, she put down the data pad she had in her hands and leaned back, closing her eyes as she did so. If this Star League was going to be as proactive about protecting itself as she thought it was going to be, then it made sense that she would have to do whatever it took to get her hands on Star League technology. It was going to be very difficult, but she had a feeling that it could be done. With that out of the way, she continued to relax, a smile on her face as she thought about the future.

. . .

Unbeknownst to anyone in the galaxy, there was another being that was watching them as well. Deep in dark space, a single mind was watching the galaxy with single minded intent, particularly what was happening on the Citadel. Even now, it could tell that the Star League was going to be a major threat to it's kind and it's plans, and it was easy to see why. Not only were these 'Terrans' highly determined to remain independent, they had developed along a technological path that was entirely different to all of the previous civilizations that had come before.

Either way, this cannot be allowed to go on, the being thought as it looked at the meeting going on between the Councilors and the Star League delegates. I will need to find someone that is willing to serve me, someone that will help me continue the Cycle. Organic minds are weak and can be persuaded to be compliant to my demands. One day, the Cycle will continue anew, and we will continue to preserve life in the galaxy. With a sound akin to a dark chuckle, the ship the being resided inside left the area, intent on carrying out it's mission.