/ Citadel Chamber - Presidium \
/ 1-6-2558 - Military Calendar \
/ 6:01 PM - Earth Time \
Councilor Tevos blinked in surprise, "Excuse me?" She questioned.
"You heard me correctly, Councilor, we shall not be joining your community." Lasky replied sternly.
Amori bristled. "And why is that? Gaining an Embassy on the Citadel on the Citadel is a prestigious honour that takes new races years to gain, we are offering you a chance to circumnavigate that." She rebuked.
"With all due respect, Councilor, we are at war." Lasky reminded, "Not to mention, we'd have to sign several laws to become a part of the Citadel, many of which my Government disagrees with quite heavily."
"Such as your liberal use of Nuclear Warheads." Tevos accused.
Lasky shrugged uncaringly, "Among others," He glanced out the window where the Vindication sat in the centre of his formation, "The Treaty of Farixen also comes to mind as being unreasonable."
"Unreasonable? In what way?" Sparatus questioned.
"Why would we, who came to help you, want to limit ourselves under you. A ratio of 5:3:1 from the Council races, we'd be neutering ourselves." The Admiral explained, knowing the Turian was only playing devil's advocate.
"This has been the status quo for generations, Admiral, you would indeed be the first to find issue with it." Tevos remarked. "It's a law that has kept the balance of power for centuries."
"For yourselves, or others?" Lasky questioned.
"Excuse me?" Tevos replied incredulously, for a second time.
"I'm just saying, for an all encompassing Council, with a duty to benefit the galactic community, there seems to be very little in the way of advancement." Lasky examined. "What of the Volus for example, they created your collective economy as you know it and manage most if not all banking, have they not earned a spot on the Council?" He pressured.
"We are not here to talk about the other races." Sparatus interrupted with a heavy look at Lasky, the man nodded slightly in apology.
"The Treaty of Farixen, is to prevent any minor races from being too aggressive with their military. The Council has been at peace for over a thousand years." Amori clarified.
Lasky looked outside the window again, "Good job." He commented, turning back.
"Other than the laws that have been the staple of our Government for centuries, what else do you find issue with? If it is about economy and technology, we have uplifted races in the past so that they can participate in the community freely." Tevos continued, succeeding at keeping her voice level.
"War is currently the largest factor, we've been embroiled in conflict with the Hegemony known as the Covenant for several decades. Unless of course, you're willing to assist us in this war?" He looked at them with faux innocence, "Afterall, not only did they attack your Citadel, but the Turians as well." He glanced over at Sparatus who looked interested in the answer as well.
The other two Councilors both seemed to struggle to formulate a response to the accusation, "Well, a declaration of war is a large diplomatic effort that wouldn't just affect us three Council races, we have to consider the others as well. As stated before, the Citadel has been at peace for a long time, it would take a great bureaucratic and economic upheaval to go to war, most would say that the costs outweigh the outcome." Amori stated in a rush.
"Not to mention we must first look at the diplomatic approach." Tevos revealed tentatively.
Lasky blinked in surprise, "Diplomacy?!" He repeated, "Your first move is diplomacy?" Even Sparatus looked insulted.
"Yes yes, standard procedure." Amori dismissed.
"They've attacked you, a Turian colony was destroyed and almost a second, they would have taken the Citadel as well if it wasn't for our intervention." Lasky reminded.
Sparatus shifted but said nothing.
"Our people do not want war Admiral Lasky, perhaps as a military man you might not recognise that." Tevos derided.
"Nor are we capable of fighting a war such as this one, that small fleet wiped out the Citadel defence fleet without a care. Diplomacy is a good first step, perhaps we may even find a settlement for you and your nation, yes?" Amori nodded without a care of the blankness that overcame Lasky's face, and the subtle shift of his guard behind him. "Maybe get favorable terms and technology inreturn."
"20 Billion, that's how many lives you've just spat on." Lasky declared, before the Councilor could continue.
"Excuse me?" Tevos repeated for a third time, this time rather in shock.
"We have been fighting a war against geonocide for decades, for our very survival! While you have sat here in your ivory tower, preaching peace." Lasky shook his head, "There will be no peace."
"Did you at least try? Surely if the Asari Republics sponsor an expedition, we should be able to broker peace between you. War is a pointless ambition." Tevos persuaded.
"The Covenant do not want peace, they didn't thirty years ago, they certainly won't now. There is too much bad blood." Lasky continued unheaded, "Trust me, we tried at the outbreak of the war. Ships were already being lost to their weapons, but we tried to reach appeasement. But when our diplomats started coming back in buckets." He nodded slowly. "We got the idea, there would only be war."
The Councilors remained silent for a change.
"Peace?!" He spat the word like poison. "There will be peace, when their worlds burn just like they burned ours! There will be peace, when their civilians lie dying in the streets, and in the fields! Then you shall have your peace." He finished heatedly, sucking in a large gulp of air afterwards.
Tevos and Amori looked between each other while Sparatus looked out the window in regret. "I see. Perhaps a conversation for another time then." Tevos eventually conceded.
"Admiral, the Turian reinforcements have arrived. They're gathering near the Relay and are aiming in our direction, what are your orders?" Roland quietly, almost mournfully, informed in his ear.
Lasky blinked and composed himself, "Councilor," He turned to Sparatus, "It seems that your reinforcements have arrived, if you wouldn't mind?" He asked, tapping in a beat on his wrist.
The Turian looked confused for a moment before he nodded and accessed the terminal in front of him. He gave the Human a long look, before directing his attention to the other Councilors. "Admiral Fedorian has arrived with part of the Turian Navy, perhaps a recess is in order?" He proposed.
Tevos nodded regally, "Yes, I believe a short one will suit us well." She agreed, and Amori nodded as well. Both bowed their heads slightly in farewell, and turned to leave the room. Spartacus meanwhile typed a few things in his terminal before leaving to join Lasky by the window.
"That was impulsive." He reprimanded.
Lasky grimaced. "I know, I didn't mean for her to get under my skin like that. I'm not a diplomat." He explained.
"But you are an Officer, you should be able to control your emotions better." Sparatus reminded.
Lasky didn't reply this time, an ugly feeling rising at being told off by an alien of all things.
"They will likely try and use your aggressiveness against you, so be warned." The Turian cautioned.
They remained silent for a moment as they collectively watched, "Did you find what you wanted?" Lasky questioned.
"Unfortunately, I will need to speak to the Primarch before going any further with it however." Sparatus revealed.
"If you want, you can use one of the conference rooms aboard the Vindication. I know that Lord Hood will want to speak with you as well." Lasky offered.
"Perhaps I shall take you up on that matter, the Primarch is already here. Apparently he was adamant in witnessing the battle with the Covenant firsthand." Sparatus disclosed.
Lasky shifted, "Then this may be your earliest opportunity, if you're going to do this. Do it now."
"You spoke of 20 Billion deaths, was it true?" He requested instead.
Lasky shifted, "What reason do I have to lie?"
"To gain sympathy for your cause, for all we know, you could be the aggressors." Sparatus reasoned.
The Admiral looked at him curiously, "After what you witnessed, and with your own struggles, do you truly believe that?"
Sparatus grimaced, or at least Lasky thought he did. "No, but I had to be sure. I wanted to know what awaits us."
"So you're committing?" Lasky questioned.
"That isn't up to me, truthfully I want to, and I'm sure many across Turian space do as well. But we're heavily tied to the Citadel, we can't just go gallivanting off in an intergalactic war." Sparatus explained.
"Especially with one such as the Covenant." Lasky muttered.
"Is it truly that bad?" Sparatus pressed.
"Worse, we'd stalemated them for several years with a built up line of fortress worlds. A year ago, they blew it apart, and pressed deep into our core territory. We only recently regained ground and closed a pocket of Covenant ships. It was expensive for both ships and people." Lasky revealed heavily.
"And how invested are the Covenant in this war?" Sparatus continued.
"More than they were at the start, but they're certainly not yet using their full potential. They've got several times more resources, population and industry capability." Lasky sighed, "In a recent survey, we discovered that they've started a large ship building project, while our fortress line is in tatters."
"Not a matter of 'if' but 'when'?" Sparatus spoke, causing Lasky to nod slowly, but he refused to comment. Something the Turian picked up on. "You disagree?"
"Disagree no? But there's an unspoken rule in our nation, maybe if we don't acknowledge we're losing, then perhaps we still have a chance." Palmer shifted uncomfortably behind them.
"That's a rather naive outlook." Sparatus thought.
"Perhaps, we've always been a rather stubborn race." Lasky conceded, they'd just lapsed back into silence when Lasky's chest beeped. Without looking away from the window, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his folded up datapad.
"What is it?" The Turian asked curiously.
"Casualty reports, we're just finishing up the last Covenant holdouts in the wards." Lasky muttered while scrolling on his datapad.
"How bad? If I may ask?"
Lasky was silent for a moment as he digested the words on the screen. "I lost 37 ships, over a third of my fleet, 8 of which were Capitals. Half of what remains are damaged in some fashion including my flagship. In total, we lost nearly 90,000 Naval personnel and 15,000 Ground personnel."
"Over 100,000, on such a small battle." Sparatus hummed. "I said it before, and I'll say it again. The Turian Hierarchy owes you and yours a great debt."
"It would have been a lot worse if we hadn't been here." Lasky amended, folding the pad back up and slipping it away.
"Yes, it would have been, but you had no reason to come. Yet you did." The Councilor expressed.
Lasky pursed his lips. "We know what Covenant can do, we'd rather you didn't suffer the same fate."
Sparatus tilted his head, "Yet you wish it on your enemies?" He inquired.
"They deserve it, you and the Citadel Races have yet to show if it was a mistake." Lasky continued.
Sparatus scrutinised him heavily, "You saw what happened at Linkra." It was a statement, not a question, "You feared that under such overwhelming power, we'd fold and add our guns to theirs." He theorized, and something must have flinkered over his face because he suddenly nodded. "Not unfounded fears." The Turian granted.
"Pardon?" Lasky questioned.
"While the Turian Hierarchy would have been willing to fight to the bitter end, unfortunately our allies don't share the same spine that we possess. They would have likely either forced our hand or surrendered without our consent." He simplified. "For all their faults, Tevos and Amori do truly care for the people under our banner." He gestured to the window outside, when the glitter of battle debris was still visible. "This little act scared them. And millions, possibly billions share their views."
"You don't think we're scared?" Lasky rebuked.
"I think you're terrified, otherwise you wouldn't be here." Sparatus remarked.
Lasky shared a look with Palmer, but didn't reply.
"How soon can you get in contact with your leader?" The Turian asked after another beat.
"As soon as you need, the distance might make the connection a bit sketchy but it'll be secure." Lasky replied.
Sparatus gestured to the growing twinkling lights, that were the Turian Navy respectfully staying out of range of his fighter patrols. "Tevos and Amori will take their time to best prepare for a response against you, we best get this over with." He requested.
Lasky nodded and gestured to the door. "Let your own people know, I'll tell mine to set a waypoint for a hanger where you can land."
"Since I didn't object to yours, will you object to a guard brought aboard?" Sparatus asked.
Lasky shook his head, "Not at all." He allowed as they left the room.
They met up with Lasky's own guard as they retraced their steps back through and down the presidium, they linked up with a group of heavily armed Turians upon their entry to the docking back and made their way back through to the parked Pelican.
If the two guards staring at the Turians had any objections, they didn't bring them up as they boarded. Lasky thumped his hand on the door controls and stuck his head into the cockpit, "Take us back pilot, and we've got some guests so take it easy." He ordered, as the passengers settled in on the seats behind him.
"Yes Sir." The Pilot replied, already flicking on the Pelican engines.
"These seats are uncomfortable." Sparatus muttered, as Lasky passed and sat down opposite him.
"They aren't really meant for you," Lasky reminded in amusement, the bay doors closed and the Pelican took off in a short rumble.
"Admiral, the Turian Frigate Egnasis, has docked on the port hanger, they're awaiting your arrival before debarking. I already have made the area off limits to the crew, but several squads of Marines are on standby with heavy weapons and vehicular support." Roland reported quietly in his ear.
"Thank you Roland." Lasky replied.
"Hm?" Sparatus questioned. Lasky merely tapped his ear, and the Turian nodded in understanding.
"30 Seconds Admiral." The Co-pilot announced.
"Thank you, pilot." Lasky repsoned.
The remaining second went past quickly, and the sound returned when they entered the hangers shielded bay, a moment later they set down with a gentle rumble and a thunk.
The Humans stood, closely followed by the Turians, the bay doors opened to the drab grey that plague all of Humanities military constructions.
"Spirits, how big is this hanger?" Sparatus questioned hoarsely, stepping down behind Lasky.
"2km long, 1km high. Coincidentally, our measurements are roughly similar." Lasky replied, gesturing around them. "Welcome aboard the Vindication Councilor."
Sparatus looked around at the amalgamation of transports, fighters, crates, ordnance, all organized around different elevators, work stations, stairs and catwalks, stretching as far as he could reasonably see. "At the risk of being shot by my own guard, this is probably the most impressive ship I've ever seen." He admired genuinely.
"Thank you," The Admiral responded sincerely, "But you haven't seen much yet." He gestured past their Pelican at the parked Turian Frigate. "They're waiting for us."
"What do you mean, this hanger alone is bigger than any ship we've built, probably bigger than the Destiny Ascension was." The Turian remarked as they began walking over.
"Was." One of the Turian guards commented glumly.
"Depends on if you take account of the volume." Lasky added, ignoring the guard's comment.
Sparatus looked around as something occurred to him, "Where are your crew?" He asked.
Lasky gestured behind them, when in the distance a small crowd of people hovered as activity in the hanger increased behind them. "You're the first aliens to board a Human Vessel with peaceful intentions, we thought it would be prudent to keep it that way." Lasky reminded them, as they climbed a staircase to a gangway connected to the Frigate.
As they neared the doors, Roland appeared on a holoprojector beside them. "Admiral!" He greeted with a small grin. "Welcome back, how was the trip?"
"It was fine Roland, how's the ship?" Lasky replied.
"A few holes but that was to be expected, we had a few casualties and combat efficiency dropped to 64%. We can get that to 73% by the time we leave." The AI detailed, he turned to the delegates with a fair degree of apprehension. "Greeting - I'm RLD 0205-4 - designation Roland. The Vindication'sAI."
The Turians immediately reacted by pulling their weapons on the podium and pulling Sparatus behind them, then his guards reacted by pulling their weapons on the Turians. There was a tense standoff with lots of yelling, before several doors opened and Marines poured out with their weapons ready.
The Turians were suddenly heavily outnumbered and they knew it, but their own salvation came when doors on the Frigate opened and Turian counterparts streamed out ready to fight, and suddenly a war was about to break out in the hangar with Lasky right in the middle of it.
The Admiral, knowing he had to do something, rather impulsively pulled his own sidearm and raised it over people's heads and fired at the roof of the hanger. Silence reigned as all eyes turned to him. "Lower your weapons!" Lasky yelled.
"But Sir-!" A Marine tried protesting.
"That was an order Major. Lower. Your. Weapons." Lasky barked with more confidence and authority than he currently felt.
The Major didn't move for a beat before he gradually lowered his AR, the rest of the Marines apart from his ODST guard followed afterwards. Lasky turned his attention to Sparatus, still huddled behind his own guard and watching the situation with careful alarm.
The two stared at each other for a moment, before the Turian Councilor turned to his own forces and ordered the same thing.
Lasky turned to Roland as both sides cautiously backed away, leaving the original guards in their place. "And for an AI, that was incredibly stupid. Dismissed." He hissed angrily, Roland smartly saluted before disappearing, and he holstered his sidearm again, thumbing the safety strap back over.
"A true AI, how interesting." A voice commented. "Is it dangerous at all?"
Lasky turned to a pair of new Turians approaching, "Only when I ask him to be."
"Him?" The other asked curiously.
"He identifies himself as male, so that's how we refer to him." Lasky explained warily. "Is this going to be a further problem, it did almost started a shootout in my hangar."
Sparatus pushed passed his guards, "We have very strict laws on AI, the-"
"The Quarians War with the Geth only increased the fears of AI horror stories. Yes, I've read the Codex." Lasky interrupted. "But you didn't answer my question, we're not a part of the Citadel, and are therefore not party to your laws. Is this going to be a problem?"
Sparatus went to answer but was interrupted by one of the other Turians, "No, as you said you aren't part of the Citadel. As long as it stays passive, we won't have any issues. If I may ask however, how many years have you had access to AI?"
"We had early prototypes in the mid 2000's, we've only gotten better at making them since." Lasky answered.
"And what year are you in now?" The second one asked.
"2558."
The Turians looked appropriately surprised, "And you've never had any problems?" The questions continued.
"Nothing serious, we're very secure with our laws of AI and programming." Lasky continued, "I'm sorry, but introductions?"
Sparatus coughed into his talon, "Admiral Lasky, meet Primarch Rececius the Leader of the Turian Hierarchy, and Admiral Fedorian, so far the only Turian Admiral to win against the Covenant."
"A pleasure," Lasky returned, stepping forward to give both firm handshakes.
"The Covenant being the people who attacked us I'm guessing?" Fedorian questioned.
"Correct."
"Understood, and how exactly do you relate to them exactly." The Primarch asked.
"We've been at war with them for thirty years." Lasky replied, he gestured behind him at the open catwalk. "This way please." He walked away leaving two shocked Turians behind.
The Admiral had made it halfway to the door when the footsteps finally joined him, and he waited patiently for them to arrive. Seeing the three quietly talking between them, he instead opened the door and led the way through more mundane and grey hallways.
The hallways were thankfully clear, likely further work of Roland watching over them, and they reached the tram system without any further issues. One was naturally already waiting for them, and they stepped aboard.
When the last of his own ODST's boarded after the Turians, the doors slid shut and they shot off down the channel to their destination. Despite the short travel time, Lasky still sat in one of the provided chairs and took out his datapad and began browsing the more detailed reports.
"How far are we going exactly?"
Lasky glanced up at the three Turians looking in his direction, he pointed to the front of the tram, "3km that way, and 1km up." He went back to his datapad, as one of the Turians sighed in likely annoyance, "It should take about 5 minutes." He remarked with a hidden smirk.
"Thank the Spirits, the elevators on our own vessels are horrible." Fedorion commented with sigh, causing the Admiral to snort.
"Yes, we experienced that on the journey up the presidium." He responded. Sparatus and Rececius both nodded in solemn agreement. Lasky went back to his reading as the three Turians began talking between them again.
After a few minutes the tram slowed to a stop, before turning in place and stopping again with a few clanks, it sat still for a second before it then began rising instead. After another minute of ascension the tram slowed and stopped, after another rotation they continued horizontally once more.
Knowing they were now nearing their destination, Lasky folded his pad back up and slipped it away. Standing he moved around the trio of Turians and their guard and waited by the door, he heard Palmer step in behind him with evident caution.
"Are we sure about this?" She asked over the short comm.
"Personally. not. really. but. then. it's. not. up. to. us." He tapped back on his wrist so the Turians wouldn't overhear.
The tram slowed for the last time, and his guards hened the Turian guests towards the door. They stopped with a small jump, and Lasky steadied himself on the door as the tram locked into place. A moment later the doors opened to a busy hallway, they quietly joined the streams of bustling naval personnel but it didn't take long for them to get noticed, especially with a large group of aliens following their current CO.
The crowds parted as they approached, saluting the Admiral at the head and then staring at the aliens with barely concealed disgust and anger when they passed, and more than once did Lasky notice a Marine patrol slip their fingers onto the trigger.
They turned a final corner and neared a door guarded by a pair of Marines who greeted Lasky with a stiff salute which the Admiral returned, "Thank you, but I think my compatrious can take it from here. Why don't you go and get some grub, it's been a long day." He dismissed with an easy smile.
The pair looked between Lasky and the group behind him, before saluting again and marching past without another word. Lasky meanwhile stepped up to the door and pressed in a long sequence on the pad by the door, which opened obediently when the code was inputted.
Lasky stepped though and the others followed as the lights flickered on, "This is my personal conference room, for well, things not like this." He explained as he gestured around. "Feel free to take a seat." He offered as the three Turians followed the offer and sat down in front of the bulky table.
Lasky on the other hand crossed to the head of the table, and began tapping away again, the holotable lit up and displayed an uptodate image of the Vindication, the blue hologram was dotted with various yellow and vibrant red sections along its hull. There were several more than Lasky would have liked but he swiped the image away and turned to the Turians looking at him expectantly, "I take it you would like more time to discuss between yourselves?"
Sparatus nodded, "If you wouldn't mind, I need to fill them in on what has occurred in the last few hours. When is your leader going to get in contact with you?" He requested.
Lasky looked at the ceiling, "Roland?"
The yellow avatar appeared once more, thankfully this time the response was much more mild, "Lord Hood is currently indisposed, however he will be available in roughly 30 minutes." The AI repsoned.
"Is that enough time?" Lasky questioned.
"Yes, thank you. One last thing, may we have any detailed reports on the Covenant?" Rececius asked.
"I'll have Roland send them over. Now, I can't have you unsupervised while here, so both your guards will have to wait outside, as will mine. However, your conversation will be entirely private I assure you." Lasky explained as he headed for the door, "I need to briefly see to my fleet again, so if you have need of me, or any unclassified data about the Covenant, call for Roland and he'll be able to assist you."
"Thank you Admiral, we'll do that." Sparatus thanked, and Lasky nodded in return before leaving a moment later both guards followed suit leaving the three Turians alone in the room.
Lasky began a short march down the halls again, Palmer once more in his shadow, and entered another room a few doors down. It was another smaller conference room, and Lasky wasted no time in accessing the holotable inside.
Above the holotable the HDE coat of arms appeared and gently rotated around in the centre, Lasky stepped back and gestured to Palmer who'd followed him inside, the ODST acquiescing and leaving the room.
Lasky in the meantime brushed any lint off his trousers and straightened out his jacket before standing at attention, the reason became clear when the logo disappeared and was swiftly replaced by the grim Lord Hood.
The Admiral gave the man a crisp salute, "Sir!" He greeted.
Lord Hood returned the salute just as crisp. "At ease Admiral." The man permitted.
Lasky glady relaxed his posture. "Sir, the Turian leaders are aboard and are currently conversing between themselves. They believe you're meeting them in 30 minutes." Lasky reported.
Hood nodded and glanced down, likely at a datapad out of view, "Very well. You did a good job Admiral." He praised lightly, "A CSO on your first deployment in command is no easy feat, especially with the capture of a San 'Shyuum."
Lasky nodded, "Thank you Sir, but many paid the price."
Hood nodded again, "This is war Admiral, and it is far from over." He reminded. "What happened during your first meeting with the Council?"
The Admiral recited his initial meeting with the Turian Councilor, then the one afterwards with the full Council, and finally the just Sparatus again on the way to the Vindication and the incident. Lord Hood to his credit stayed silent throughout, only offering nods and small grunts when they were needed.
Lasky pursed his lips at the silence of his superior when he finished, the dumb of information was likely still processing. Hell he was still figuring things out himself.
"Admiral," Lasky somehow straightened even further at the brisk tone. "In your honest opinion, is an alliance with these people a worthy endeavor against the Covenant?" He questioned.
The younger man, slightly thrown off by the question, took a moment to answer. "It would entirely depend on who, and how." He began slowly, "The entire Citadel would naturally have a larger benefit economically with a larger industrial base as well as population. However, to restrict ourselves in that manner would have adverse effects, plus they'd already admitted that they would try at all costs to avoid war with the Covenant."
"And if it were just the Turians?" Another question followed.
"The Turians, despite having limited losses compared to ours, already seem to be willing to traverse the ends of the galaxy to fight the Covenant, however they seem hesitant based on the technological disparity." Lasky began a second time, "But I believe in our interactions that even without similar causes, our species are culturally rather similar in nature. They are heavily militaristic and disciplined, with a willingness to do what must be done."
"So you believe that an alliance with the Turian Hierarchy is something to be desired."
Lasky debated his answer carefully, "I believe both militarily and economically, yes. While their own ships, as shown leave much to be desired, paired with ours it could prove to be a deadly combination. Our staying power with their maneuverability, could outweigh the Covenant in most cases. Economically they're smaller than the other three Council Races, but trumps our own which is more down to the war than anything else. Population wise they only minorly outnumber us. I believe an Alliance with the Turians is a worthy endeavor." The Admiral finished.
Lord Hood's hand came up to scratch at his chin, the holographic eyes closed in thought. He nodded, "I see, thank you for your honest opinion, and no matter the outcome with my meeting with the Turians, you'll be commended for this mission as well as your fleet."
Lasky salute again, "Thank you Sir."
Hood huffed as his thoughts continued to plague him, "It hurts to rely on others to see us through this war, but anything is better than if we continue as we have." He folded his arms behind his back once more, "I want you there at the meeting, you have the most experience with these aliens, as limited as it is. How best do we communicate?"
"Be honest and frank with them, it seemed to work best in my own interaction. While they seemed to be politically capable, they apparently prefer up front conversations from what I understand." Lasky offered.
Hood nodded again.
"However, it will be difficult to get them on board." Lasky continued.
"How so?"
"While willing to help us, and be helped in return. They are hindered by the Citadel, and are heavily involved with the Council with their position as the Citadel's peacekeepers; there is also a Council law that prevents member races from making any Alliances with non-affiliated entities." Lasky clarified.
"So to tempt them, we'd have to offer something large in return." Hood finished with a low sigh, he nodded, "You have been most helpful Admiral."
"I live to serve Sir." Lasky replied humbly.
"Admiral." Roland suddenly spoke up from the ceiling. "The Turian Primarch is requesting you, they have apparently finished their discussion."
"Tell them, I'll be right there." Lasky replied, he sent a questioning look, to which Hood returned a nod. "And tell them Lord Hood is ready to speak with them as well."
"Of course Sir."
"I shall see you momentarily, Lord Hood." Lasky commented, before saluting a final time. Hood nodded and summarily disappeared.
Lasky sighed deeply, the door swished open allowing Commander Palmer out of her armour entry, two mugs in hand. The Admiral took his gratefully, and drank the coffee deeply, "Come on, back to the Turians." He said.
Palmer nodded without a word and followed him back to the conference room, outside both groups of guards appeared to be having a quiet stare down, although it was hard to tell through the ODST's visors.
Lasky imputed the code and walked through the opening door to three Turians giving him an expectant look, "Finished?" He questioned, stepping round to the head of the table.
"Yes, thank you for the room." Sparatus thanked.
"Your...AI said that your leader was ready to talk early?" Rececius asked.
"Yes, he's waiting on us now. If I may?" Lasky questioned.
At the three nods, Lasky put down his mug and set up the connection again, this time it went through instantly. The three Turians stood respectfully and salute with a palm over their chest, if Hood was at all thrown off, he didn't show it when he returned the salute with his own.
"Greetings Turian friends, I'm High Admiral Hood, leader of the Human Directorate of Earth." Hood introduced himself.
"Greetings High Admiral, I am Primarch Rececius, leader of the Turian Hierarchy, opposite me is Councilor Sparatus and to my right is Admiral Fedorian." Rececius introduced in response. "It's an honor to meet the one who commands such an upstanding species." He complimented.
"Thank you, the honour is all mine. It's a weight off my shoulders that there are peaceful races out in the galaxy, I'm sure you're aware of our long struggles with the Covenant." Hood thanked.
"We are, and you have the Turian sympathies and respect for fighting as you have, and coming to the aid of the Citadel." Sparatus followed.
"Having fought them myself, I can say for sure that the feeling within the Turian Navy will be entirely mutual when the news breaks." Fedorian continued.
Hood nodded, "I thank you for your words, but that isn't why I'm here. And from what Admiral Lasky says, you aren't either." He prompted expectantly.
The three aliens looked between them a final time, before the Primarch turned fully to the Human leader. "On behalf of the Turian Hierarchy, I Primarch Rececius wish to extend the offer of a full Military and Economic Alliance with the Human Directorate of Earth upon our resignation of the Citadel Council."
(End)
Uff, that was a pain. Firstly, apologies for the literal wall of text, this was a lot harder to write and I might have bitten off more than I can chew. But I hope that the politics of this chapter make somewhat sense, but most of all seems believable.
As for the Turians leaving the Citadel, that was always the plan. It was just how it happened that was the problem.
I also hope that I presented the Council faithfully to both the games and my promise last chapter, it was significantly harder than I thought.
Anyway, hopefully I will have a full time job from next week, so my time might be limited again but that hasn't stopped me before. Next chapter will be with the Council again, this time with Lord Hood and the Turians against the Council.
-Red