In the year 2170, a naval patrol from the Turian Hierarchy encountered unidentified space-faring vessels belonging to the Shen Dynasty. The years that followed after the first contact were tumultuous. Refusing to join the Council, aggressive expansion, and the general fear of the enigmatic empire most viewed the Shen negatively. The Council is troubled over the sudden and quick actions of the Shen destroying the status quo piece by piece. And year by year the Council is slowly being convinced of their threat. As for the Shen Dynasty...
It's just another stepping stone in the road to their destiny.
And from here they will be taking their first step.
The embassy of the Shen Dynasty to the Citadel is an odd one. Built three months after first contact the embassy building feels less more than a building and more of a palace. The sheer size of the embassy earned jealous remarks from other species who had to share their embassies with others.
The ornate red pillars of the entrance paifang gate and support pillars of the beautiful azure pagoda roof, the detailed golden dragon statues spread throughout the palace and placed deemed suitable by Lhuren architects, the architecture of the embassy really radiates the Lhuren culture and also displays their power. Some say it is deliberate, they say it is to intimidate the Council and other member species.
They are correct.
What they don't know is how, they may say it is the architecture but in reality, it is something else. Impressive as the building may be, the architecture alone cannot intimidate the Krogan who steers clear of the embassy.
"Your Excellency, the QFG Machine is now online. No anomalies were found with the new updates on its Qi dispenser." said a young aide
"Good, have the engineers focused on the machine. The Minister will request updates on the effects and possible defects of the machine, this will be a test run for the new updates so make sure everything goes well" said a man in blue silk robes.
That's how the Lhuren make their embassy intimidating, through a magic machine. And where is the magic from? From its makers of course.
The magic that the Lhuren people posses shaped not only their diplomacy but also warfare, trade, architecture and their general way of life. And it translates to their governing ethics as well influencing social, political, and economic structures promoting the ideas of meritocracy thus making the Shen Dynasty a familiar yet unique civilization.
"Shang, have we received news from our embassy in Arcturus" asked the ambassador
"Yes your Excellency, we have received a report earlier about the negotiations with the Alliance. I have already forwarded it to your data storage device." said his aid
The ambassador smiled in response to the new developments. He pulled out a strange small jade colored object and closed his eyes as he absorbed the report stored in the device
"Great. Looks like out negotiations with Arcturus went through. Shang, prepare my personal shuttle I'll be leaving for the human embassy in 10 minutes. And before I forget, contact Captain Shen and have him meet me here at 14:00" the ambassador said as he left his office. His aide, Shang, turned to face his back and bowed
"At once, Your Excellency"
The Lhuren are a sophisticated people, of high taste, noble and everything you can describe a pompous noble jackass. In the perspective of any xeno species, a nightclub is the last place they think a Lhuren would go to, an honorable officer of the army at that and not even a gentleman's club but a dingy criminal den. Outrageous in the eyes of a xeno and fellow Lhuren.
The officer in question continuously drank in rapid succession. Some looked at him in disdain, others in fear, and most of them are Asari.
Outwardly uncaring of the current image he is showing and the predicament that he is in. Knowing no one would hear him he lowered his head like a drunkard about to collapse and grumbled.
"10 years of service, awards that rivals that of a Commandant and the son of the heir of the Empire and this is the glorious task the ambassador thought fit to assign me. Drinking and gathering intelligence in this dirty bar? I shudder to think what my mother would think of me right now"
Like in the militaries of other civilizations officers are expected to behave in a more professional manner, in Lhuren society more so. Vices such as alcoholic drinks are heavily discouraged, gambling is controlled by the government but still heavily discouraged, anything that might compromise the discipline of a person is heavily discouraged sometimes outright banned.
"Goddamnit ambassador, if it were anyone else I would've had them executed. Thank the emperor that you are my master" he said quietly.
The captain continued as he licked the alcohol in his lips. "But still I fail to understand the reasoning of my posting here. Aside from the common petty smuggler, not much information that can be of interest to the embassy" he added.
After much more grumbling he raised his head up and examined his surroundings. He counted no more than fifty individuals in the room and started to think of ways to get exit the room stealthily and other scenarios like everyone suddenly becoming a Jiangshi and attacked him or that drunken human officer is actually a terrorist wanting to blow up this club.
He silently laughed at the scenarios he thought up, some would say it is a result of many battles but in reality, the captain just has a creative imagination.
As he was about to raise his hand to ask for another bottle of alcohol his communication device embedded into him suddenly pinged. He immediately and stealthily brought out his other device from his body and activated it.
"Finally, time for some questions, Master" he then stood, paid for his drinks, and exited the club. As he went out the door the Krogan bouncers quietly growled and stared at the captain's presence though the captain didn't care and went on his way.
Back at the club the dancers who were seemingly dancing out fear now danced with relief. Other customers sighed relief along with some Krogans.
An Asari customer drank their wine and smiled at the absence of the captain.
"Goddamned Lhuren. Don't get me wrong they look great kind of like us Asari and eerily similar to the humans. But there's just something about them that makes my skin crawl" she said to her other colleagues
"You got that right" her Turian friend said "I swear by the spirits every time I get in a fight with them there's some kind of spirits on them that makes me shutdown" he added
"Don't blame the spirits Aranth just admit that you lost. But I agree on there's something off with them. You know there are some studies about that" a Salarian said
"Yeah? And what do they say?" the Asari asked
"Inconclusive"the Asari chuckled at the answer of the Salarian.
"Of course it is, what about them that aren't unknown. I mean by the Goddess we don't even know their homeworld!" she said
The three of them then moved on to another topic and resumed their drinking
The Human Embassy is a small but compact one with the Ambassador's office is the largest. Unlike the Lhuren Embassy which is full of colors and elegant designs, the embassies of other species are monotone like in the Human Embassy but its monochromatic colors do some have beauty in it
And in the terne hallways of the embassy a young male human is briskly walking upon it heading towards the Ambassador's office. One look at him and anyone can see that he is jittery, erratic, and if one would look more closely you can see fear.
His eyes are hyper-focused, hands shaking, and as he stood in front of the door to the office his legs started to wobble. He gulped and steeled himself and entered the room
Behind the desk in the office is a man with eye bags working away on his workstation. Udina had received news from Arcturus some time ago about an important deal. Usually, he wouldn't be worked up about it, just a few years ago he had helped facilitate the joint construction of a stealth ship. The nature of the deal isn't bad, both parties will benefit from it. Just some ironing needs to be done and all is well.
But it isn't.
The deal itself isn't what worked up Udina, it's the people behind it. The Lhuren.
Udina had dealt with them before, and suffice to say he would prefer not to. They are good people, their diplomats are like the ones he is used to, in fact, he can be friends with many of them if he were to ignore one thing. The fucking fear they put on other people.
If anyone is behind Udina right now they can see Udina isn't actually working, he already did the finishing touches Arcturus wants for the deal. He is just pushing the 'A' button in capital without letting go.
"Mr. Ambassador?" the young man said
Udina still continued to press the 'A' button and kept on mumbling to himself
"Mr. Ambassador?" the young man asked again. This time it worked.
"Yes, what is it, Wells?" Udina asked recovering from his panic earlier
"Sir, we have received news from the Imperial Embassy here on the Citadel" Udina gulped as he heard that. But even if he is currently erratic, his years of serving in the Alliance Diplomatic Corps helped him to steel himself from the news he is going to receive.
"The Imperial Ambassador is on his way here to discuss the Mutual Cooperation Pact" though Udina had not been in the frontlines he felt like he was shot in the stomach, the bullet hitting the acid.
"He is expected to arrive within ten minutes" if earlier was a bullet this time it is a nuke. Though he sitting and his chair is made from quality Asari materials and craftsmanship, his chair broke and Udina fell on his ass.
The young didn't even bother smiling or chuckling at what happened because he knew he probably would've done worse if he was in that position.
"Goddamned Asari skycars, why is it so fast?!. Wells! Stay here and help me prepare for their arrival, contact the others as well and have them be on standby should our guests need anything."
"Yes sir" the young man didn't need to be told twice.
Exactly ten minutes later the Imperial ambassador along with some of his aides have arrived in front of the embassies.
The Imperial ambassador and his aides are dressed elegantly with the ambassador wearing the famous Azure robes to represent the will of the Emperor and his wisdom to rival the dragons. And the others wore black robes with ornate designs.
In comparison to the Alliance's diplomats and ambassador who were waiting in front of the embassy building to escort the Imperial envoy, they wore simple yet beautiful white and blue clothing similar to the ones worn by Asari diplomats. Speaking of Asari diplomats, some are present here. Though they are not diplomats of the Asari Republics, they answer to the authority of the Council
Udina stepped forward slightly bowed to the Imperial ambassador "Greetings, Mr. Chen. I am Donnel Udina, the Alliance's ambassador to the Council. I believe this is our first time meeting"
Ambassador Chen also bowed in response "Yes you are correct Mr. Udina. I look forward to furthering the relations between our two nations"
"I as well, please Mr. Chen allow us to escort you to my office. We have prepared some drinks and snacks to enjoy while we have our meeting" Udina said in a slightly higher tone than he intended
Chen chuckled a bit before answering "Of course Mr. Udina, I would very much appreciate it"
Both parties then went to hallway of the embassy, both of the ambassadors started a bit small talked and discussed some trivial matters such as schedules, jokes and blatant flattery to endear themselves. A few minutes later they entered Udina's office.
Just ten minutes before this the office was clean of any decorations and smelled like.. nothing. But now it is filled with some décor and a long table with chairs, the office's fragrance smells beautiful, in the corner of the room were few of the idle employees ready to serve snacks and beverages.
Both parties as well as the Council diplomats then entered the room and took a seat by the long table, and when the last person has taken their seat both parties are now separated on two sides, the Alliance by the left and the Imperials by the right.
After the two idle employees served the refreshments, Udina stood up with a hint of a twitching smile as he faced Imperial diplomats.
"I again would like to greet Ambassador Chen and the rest of the Imperial diplomats. I look forward to a productive morning and the success of the Mutual Cooperation Pact" Udina said and sat down
As if on cue Chen spoke up "Us as well Mr. Udina. First of all, we would like to thank the hospitality Mr. Udina and the rest of the Alliance staff has given us. I would like to repay your hospitality by giving this gift" he then signaled for his aide Shang to bring out the gift he had prepared.
Shang brought out a set of ornate trinkets consisting of boxes, jewelry, and other ornaments. These objects glistened and took the attention of the many diplomats in the room. Others who didn't look at the trinkets noticed that the office somehow looks more refined and sophisticated.
"These, ladies and gentlemen, are a set of treasures made in our Empire by the most skilled artisans and craftsmen" Chen said. "These objects are known to give the environment it's in more aesthetically pleasing" he added
"Thank you for this wonderful gift Mr, Chen" Udina said. Though smiling wide, inside Udina groaned as he knew the meaning of these gifts "Why with these the Volus ambassador next door will be wheezing more out of jealousy" he said
"I would also like to congratulate everyone present as well as our colleagues in other places such as Arcturus and in Earth for pushing through with this mutual pact in order further deepen the relations of our two great nations as well as to strengthen our place within this ever-changing galaxy" Chen said
Everyone then lightly clapped at Mr. Chen's little speech. After everyone settled down an air of seriousness permeated the room. Chen then took the initiative to be the first to speak.
"We have received a report from my colleagues in Arcturus on their success. I assume everyone has read the report and knows the pact's details. I would like to ask the opinion of the Alliance on the terms of the pact"
"Yes" Udina said "We have also received a report from our counterparts in Arcturus and have prepared some changes according to the wishes of the civilian government on Earth. Before we present them I would like to ask some explanations and clarifications on some details as they were left vague"
"Of course, on what parts do you need explanations?"
"On the part of the military commitment"
"I apologize if I am not going to be clear enough as we weren't given much material on that subject. For that reason, I have here Colonel Wang the military attaché from the Imperial Army"
The discussion then went on and on for hours. They broached many topics about the pact that were left vague on the first draft. They discussed military exercises, trade agreements and regulation, the commitment of military forces, and other topics that will bring the Systems Alliance and the Shen Dynasty closer. And from time to time the Council diplomats chimed in to state their opinion.
At the end of their discussion, they didn't finish the pact. Signing a pact that compasses sectors like the economy and the military will take months. And even if they are at the very last stage of signing a pact it would not happen on the Citadel but on Arcturus. They were only discussing and adding the finer details of the pact, and also for the sake of the Council.
The pact that the Shen Dynasty and Alliance wants to sign is very much welcome within the Council, but with the current reputation of the Shen Dynasty and the changing political climate caused by the Shen's actions, the Council seeks to curb the growing influence of the Shen starting with here.
If the Council wants its way this meeting and the pact would never happen at all. But the Council won't get their way because they recognize the Shen's power. The previous conflict between the Council and the Shen Dynasty, the Battle of the Broken Planet has shown that.
So a compromise must happen, in exchange for the blessing of the Council as well as their full support for the pact the Shen Dynasty will give concessions such as compensation for the ships lost at the Battle of the Broken Planet and setting up border zones in sectors like the Skyllian Verge where the Shen are not allowed to expand in.
"I believe that will be all the time we have for today" Chen said as he stood up from his chair. "This has been a very productive day and we have made significant progress. I would like to also thank the Council's representatives for giving their insights on the pact. If I am correct it will be the same time next week?" he added.
"Correct Mr. Chen" Udina said. "Ah, before you leave Mr. Chen I would also like to present you a gift. It may not be much and it wouldn't match up to you gift earlier but I hope you will appreciate it nonetheless" he said as he brought out a pendant.
A golden pendant in the form of a shell in the shape of a helix.
As Chen stared at the object and tried to rummage his brain about human culture. After a brief second he finally realized the meaning and laughed loudly.
"Yes, it doesn't match up to my previous gift but there is beauty in it. I like it very much Mr. Udina" he said while holding the golden pendant up to eye level and his slight frown gone unnoticed
After a bit more small talk the Imperial diplomats said their farewells and left the embassy. Just as Chen sat in his seat inside his skycar he took out the golden pendant. He stared at the pendant like madman, his eyes almost bulging out, veins appearing both his face and eyes. And after long few seconds of Chen staring at the pendant as of it killed his puppy, he returned it to the small box it came from.
At the driver seat, the chauffeur made a big exhale of relief. Just a few seconds ago he was sweating bullets and his legs were so wobbly he almost accidentally accelerated. He tried to peek at his passenger via one of the mirrors in the car. Just taking a slight peek at the sleeves of Chen's robes made him look straight ahead.
"Let's go" Chen said in a very rough voice
"At once, Your Excellency"
Author's Notes: First time writing, leave suggestions and criticisms I guess. Honestly I have no idea about the words I used on the meeting with Chen and Udina. Probably wrote Udina wrong or something too.