**Only slightly related plug:**

After a rather successful interview with one of my viewers, I am looking for volunteers to drop by the stream and talk about their work! (Unless you work in Finance or Law.) Anything from retail, to engineering, to research, or even just a desk jockey in the middle of a mind-numbing bureaucracy! I am very friendly~ and my listeners and I just wish to learn more about everyone's work and industry.

For an example, this was the first interview: [Muses Interviews an Experienced Oil Services Worker]( YouTube | PSPHL10Ynyc )

Please DM me if interested~ (Also, you can be like our first guest who straight called my regular viewers, a bunch of Laywers, Bankers, and Analysts, "childish"!~ How excellent, show them your contempt!)

| [The Solar Research Council x Mass Effect]( r/MinimalistMusings/collection/8c229702-4e70-44af-8392-68df4c49ff19) | [Chapter Icon]( r/MinimalistMusings/comments/op07ea/20210721_srcxme_263_the_visit/) |

| I was peer pressured into playing Scarlet Nexus: [Muses Predicts Scarlet Nexus in Real Time]( YouTube | UbOWBnPEdz8 ) |

Proper Story Note: Welcome everyone to a new segment of the SRC-mediated introspection of the Mass Effect universe~ Serendipitously, Humanity, via Cerberus, has a lot more that needs to be done that could use a ... distinct application of force.


The Visit

**Year FC 1** (Year 1 of the Human First Contact Era)

"Benezia."

"Wrex!"

When Harper told him that Humanity had Matriarch Benezia in custody he did not really want to believe her, what hold did that Turian have over the girl that he could convince her to bring her fleet into a suppression movement . That old crone and him go way back, and while he did not exactly like her, he respected her enough to *almost* feel sorry for her. For a matriarch of her stature being captured was no small thing. He wondered what Aethyta thought of it all.

"So, Benezia. They've left you here to rot?"

"It... it's actually not been so bad. I have access to Humanity's version of the extranet. Obviously I have been unable to post my thoughts, but I have had plenty of time to watch their society in action through something called 'reality television'. Did you know that they celebrate the most fascinating kinds of entertainment? I assume these people are actors, but they seemingly just spend all day yelling at each other about the smallest perceived slights and then complain about it to their friends... I could get the same thing by just walking into the Temple of Athame."

He watched the ancient (compared to anyone but him) Asari through the single pane of glass. The transparent wall was of such purity that it was hardly visible, but it divided the large room between the lavishly appointed multi-room holding area, and a small visitor's space. He continued to look at her for a long moment, before he sat on a Krogan-sized chair beside the intercom. He could see that Benezia was very comfortable in her day-to-day living, there even was a robotic servant that offered her the luxury of the best Hotels in Citadel space.

As he continued to sit across from her in silence, it was Benezia who spoke first. "I know you are not here to get me out, Harper drops by every month and keeps me appraised of much of the situation. I must say, my sisters are really doing a disservice to themselves by hiding, I wonder what Aethyta is doing to push them? She would never sit idly by while an entire Asari fleet was captured like this..." There the Matriarch shook her head, "Why are you here, Wrex?"

It was interesting to Wrex, the Benezia he remembered was not this ... conversational. Even if it was a few centuries ago, she was at the apex of Asari society, and played the part of wise matriarch perfectly. For her to have so many words to a simple prompt of his was unusual. At first he assumed it was isolation that was causing this, but he no longer thought so, the old Krogan looked at Benezia curiously. She was usually so composed, but her body language suggested that she was struggling with self control, and focus.

Perhaps her soft imprisonment has left her with an abundance of time to think, and question her own actions. Though her last question did give him pause. When Harper had told him about Benezia's name on the prisoners of war manifest, he had requested to come speak with her, though he did not truly know why. Between their offer to the Quarians, and the demonstration match with Grunt, he was sure that Humanity was encroaching diplomatically on Citadel space.

And what better way to start than by prying away two neglected species? Of course, he wasn't innocent enough to simply trust the humans, but the situation, especially Harper's proposal on the Krogan Security Strike Force, was a chance for his people to grow. While he did not necessarily consider the Matriarch a friend, he knew that she would give him her honest opinion on the offer.

He did not know how much information security was intended, but since it was Harper herself who approved his visit, he would simply treat it as if there were no limits. Without any preamble, he spoke to Benezia about everything that had happened since he first received the message from Grunt. While the conversation was not especially illuminating, one thing that Benezia said stood out to him.

"- When I first entered the Matriarch stage, there was a small group of us, Aethyta included, who wanted to see the Krogan developing a new culture, one that took you away from the past and into the future together with the rest of the Galaxy. Unfortunately, Asari have long memories, and whining mothers who still remember the Rebellion in every detail ... and we were simply overruled by the overwhelming majority who wanted the status quo."

This was more like the old girl, answering the question while talking only about herself. Though in this case, she did answer a question he did not want to consider. A new Krogan Culture was a goal that Grunt and himself had been slowly working towards for the past few centuries, trying to encourage new thought every time either of them had gone back to Tuchanka. Of course, in those attempts, neither of them had much they could offer, not even for clan Urdnot, much less the Krogan people as a whole.

How ironic that the Asari, a species much less long-lived than the Krogan, would be discussing how to reshape Krogan culture. No, the Krogan would not allow anyone else to do so for them; they would rather go extinct than to accept another uplift. But Harper's offer was a chance for a reset, away from the millennia of bad will and accumulated baggage, not only for the Krogan, but for everyone in the galaxy.

Instead of accepting some sort of Human-derived culture, the formation of an organized Krogan fleet could provide a safe space for Krogan to develop. The fact that the KSSF was pitch as offensive action; i.e., that Krogan are to be hired to *attack* was merely icing on the cake. He would be able to sell that to Clan Urdnot.

"Wrex, more importantly, do you trust these Humans?"

He did not consider Benezia's question for a few minutes, so busy was he in his own thoughts about the future of his species. Only when she rapped sharply on the glass did he look at her,

"Trust? Not with my own life no. -

"But I trust them to look out for themselves. And right now, what Humanity really wants is to establish a friendly buffer-zone in the Attican Traverse between themselves, and the Citadel Council. Harper herself would never admit this, that would simply be bad diplomatic form, but her actions tell me as much, and from a selfish perspective it very much makes sense."

Before Benezia could interject, he continued,

"So even if I do not trust them with my own life, I do not think they are doing this to go *against* Krogan. This is about much more than myself or my species; the Krogan are as much a good tool, as a potentially good friend for them. - Yet for us, for a Krogan future guided by a renewed Krogan culture, this is too important to pass up."

He watched as her desire to cut him off faded the more he talked. It was fascinating, for the duration of their conversation, Benezia's face had been more animated than he had ever seen it. He was starting to note the way in which she processed his words, weighing them and considering her opinion. Every thought, though he did not know enough to really interpret it, was represented by a myriad small movements, whether it was a shift in her eyes, or a wrinkle of her brow.

Finally, after watching her struggle for five minutes, he stood up from his seat and nodded to the old girl. He needed to go, there was much for him to think about, much for him to plan. First, Clan Urdnot, then the female clans, and finally all of Krogan; he would drag them all kicking and screaming into the new era.

"Wrex." Her voice was brittle, as if she was barely winning against another force inside her. "If ... I ever get out of here. My Republic will establish diplomatic relationships with the KSSF on the day of my return."

He did not stop as he heard her words, he knew that she would not take it as an insult. As he left the building the old Matriarch was quartered in, he noted Marissa Harper herself leaning against the outside wall. He did not need to look at her to know that she had witnessed the entire exchange, and that even now, Cerberus was probably busy analysing the conversation for more knowledge on both Asari, and Krogan behaviour.

"Did she help you?"

"She did." He stopped and turned to her, a vicious smile on his face to show her that he knew she allowed him to talk to Benezia for her own reasons, "Did you get what you wanted?"

She merely grinned back and pushed herself off the wall to walk with him.


Marissa Harper sat in front of her terminal scrolling through unending documents and reports. The studies on the Citadel species ships captured in the battles around Relay 314 continued apace, and while her engineers worked well with the regular Engineering Corps, there were certain discrepancies showing up in their respective reports. Flagged to her by the Member representing Education and Public Communications, the discrepancies were concerning because they represented not only a difference in opinion between the Engineering Corps and Cerberus, but a fundamental discord in understanding.

Something was causing the military Engineers to under-report their findings from the Turian dreadnought. This was completely out of character for the Corps, which prided itself on the absolute clarity of its data. As she continued to study the differences, a sense of familiarity slowly crept up in the negative space of the information that was being left out. Then, suddenly, she knew.

Slowly, she opened a separate channel that was reserved for the deepest classified communications. "Invoke Project EVA. Have Miranda take control of the Turian Dreadnought wreck, *Immovable Spirit*."


For those who don't remember these terms from earlier in the story:

- Project EVA - A triple-airgapped Black-site project to study non-Prothean "Psychoactive" debris. Reinstated by Marissa Harper upon taking the Directorship of Cerberus.

- *Immovable Spirit* - Flagship of Primarch Meirix, Primarch of the Eastern Attican Exploratory Sector.