It had taken over three days for the system to return to a somewhat normal state after the destruction of the Batarian fleet. The string of debris and escape pods that stretched from the moon to the mass relay was quickly cleaned up by the crews of the starbase as the captured Batarian ship along with other more salvageable vessels were escorted back to more secure bases for further study by portions of the First Fleet that had deployed with the Avalon to Shanxi. The damaged Gollan II was also pulled into a stable orbit where its undamaged components could be used as spares for what was going to be the systems only defense platform.
Admiral Williams and the rest of the his detachment of the Ninth Fleet were surprised as the Avalon and its escorts were attached to his flotilla for the time being. Normally the First Fleet or which ever ship the Grandmaster or Grand Admiral had as their flagship would take precedence. But due to the working relationship the Admiral and his fleet had already formed with the Asari and Turians the Admiral had been allowed to retain command of the group.
Currently Admiral Corso Williams along with Major Vau and Jedi Knight Sheppard were sitting at a table opposite of the Grand Master of the Jedi Order Salvo Alinco and the holographic representation of President Anthony Hayes. John Sheppard was also in attendance at the meeting though the infant was more interested in playing with his own feet in Master Alinco's lap than listening to the conversation that was currently being held by the adults.
"So far first contact has not gone the way we expected it to. Though from what you told me it may end up making Operation Clipeus much easier to roll out." President Hayes said looking down at briefing notes that were just out of pickup range of the holocom.
"Yes sir. An alliance of nations already exists in the galaxy. This citadel council seems to control major military, political, and economic decisions for its member states. Though the members states are given some sense of autonomy. It will mean that we will not have as hard a time forming alliances as we thought. And of course the obvious that their are other non hostile races out there as well." Everything the admiral was saying was contained in the report the President had in front of him but it was better that they all refreshed on the state of the galaxy before their meeting with the Matriarch. "The only problem seems to be their reliance on Element Zero as well as their aversion to machine intelligences."
"According to Laranth the Matriarch seems to think Andy is some poor ensign we have stuffed in a dark hole somewhere running calculations all day." Said Major Vau. "Also it seemed like Element Zero is hardwired into just about every piece of technology and machinery they possess. Integrating our technology wouldn't just require building things from the ground up it would require an entire shift of their world view."
"That is if this Citadel Council even has anything to do with us." Master Alinco said over the giggles of the infant in his lap. "We were apparently very lucky to rescue such an important VIP as Matriarch Benezia. So unless she is playing up her importance or just playing us in general we already have a good contact who we can use to make inroads for us."
"The Matriarch certainly has her own plans. She is a politician after all." Hannah said earning a long suffering sigh from the president. "But from what I've been able to sense of her and the way her people and even the Turians talk of her I think we all want basically the same thing. She may use this to gain more personal power or power for her people but so would we if the tables were turned."
"And what of these Turians" The President asked as he not so subtly straighten the pair of wings he always wore on his suit to signify his time in the starfighter corps. "Apparently this Commander Duccellus came close to starting a diplomatic incident on the starbase?"
"Duccellus is interesting.." Williams said after a moment. "The Turians are a highly militaristic and orderly people who have acted as the council's space cops for the past twelve hundred years. That sort of society always has a chance of creating officers who are..lets say a little over zealous in their duties. However the rest of his crew has been nothing if not perfectly professional and courteous if a little standoffish. They all seem to be interested in our ships and starfighters."
"Aside from military tech both the Asari and Turians seemed really interested in our Medi-gel and some of the civilian technologies found in base." Hanna said as she watched Master Alinco lift the baby up over his head and start talking to him. She knew that despite how it looked the keen eared old man was listening to everything that was being said.
" And I can tell you from personal experience that the Asari are fans of our music and movies." With that Vau gave a knowing wink to Admiral Williams and it was Sheppards turn to release a long suffering sigh.
"Just what kind of movies have you been showing the young woman Major Vau?" Master Alinco said coming to Hannah's rescue. "And do remember that a child is present." Before Major Vau could continue Master Alinco continued on "While we still need to go over the possible social and economic possibilities I can sense that our guests are getting impatient. So it might be a good time to invite them into the conversation."
The grey metal door at the far end of the room slid open allowing Matriarch Benezia to enter the room as well as a female Turian officer who they had yet to meet. The two women were quickly introduced to everyone and given seats.
"I apologize for the Commanders absence" Captain Sittia Regula was the captain of the Graviton and Commander Ducellus' second in command. "He means no disrespect, the commander has just gotten caught up in reviewing the repairs done to our ships." Everyone nodded their heads in understanding while secretly being glad that the Commander had been so detained. What little they had spoken with him in the last three days had been short and strained. He didn't seem to be fond of his own allies, let alone aliens.
"Captain Sittia is here as the Turian representative. It would be nice to have a Salarian here so that every council member could be represented but even so it needs to be understood that everything we say is just to be taken as suggestions, we can't actually form any binding treaties ourselves." The matriarch looked over John as he squirmed in the lap of the old man who had introduced himself as the leader of the Jedi Order. She had seen him a time or two before and from what she had noticed human babies were not all that different from Asari ones.
"Of course, we understand and are happy for any suggestions you can give us that will be able to make a future alliance easier to set up." President Hayes took a moment to look at the two aliens sitting at the end of the table. He had seen pictures and videos of them but it was different to see them in the flesh so to speak. Let alone to be talking to them. "If I may ask why aren't there any Salarians present? Do your people not serve on the same ships?"
"While you can easily find mixed species crews in the private sector and among some of the gangs our nations feel that we would each play to our unique strengths better if we served on our own ships." Sittia said surprising some of the human members who thought the junior officer would end up relying on the Matriarch to do most of the talking.
"So we have three unique nations with three uniqe sets of naval doctrine and priorities all working together." Admiral Williams said and made a note to bring that up later after the meeting. It could be a slight kink in the plan or it could reveal the best places for each one to fit. Still it would require consideration as things progressed.
"Yes, the council tends to think their way is the best way to do things." The matriarch said to the surprise of the President and the Master Alcinco who had yet to learn just how outspoken the Matriarch was about her own people and the citadel council. Even Captain Sittia seemed unsurprised to hear the matriarch voicing such concerns. "Don't get me wrong this has led to great advancements in our preferred fields but at times it does make working together...less than ideal"
President Hayes started to ask questions about the proper diplomatic proceedings and behaviour when given an audience with the council and matters soon turned more day to day planning of the upcoming trip to the Citadel before drifting from economics and entertainment to colonization efforts energy needs. Thirty minutes later John's hungry cry signaled the end of the meeting with everyone agreeing to come back after a long lunch break.
"Matriarch" Master Alinco said rising slowly rising from his chair with a loud groan as the other members of the group made their way towards the door "Would you do an old man a favor and accompany him on a short walk."
Matriarch Benezia tried to contain a small smile at the old man's antics. Walks between foerign dignitaries after sitting down to discuss diplomacy must be a universal constant she imagined. And despite his age, which was considerable for a human, he had been nothing if not sharp and clear headed during the discussion and was obviously playing up this part of the ritual for their own amusement.
"I would be delighted Master Alinco" Benezia said extending her arm for Alinco to take. "It has been some time since I have been able to take a walk with such an aged and experienced statesman such as yourself."
"And it's been awhile since I have had the pleasure of taking a walk with such a beautiful and successful woman as yourself Matriarch."
"Didn't Jedi Sheppard escort you onto the station?" Benezia teased.
"Family doesn't count." Master alinco said throwing the Matriarch a sideways wink. The two spent their walk to one of the forward observation bubbles of the station making small talk about family and their homeworlds. As they walked Benezia's mind was stuck on how right all of this felt. For the past two weeks their human hosts had been nothing if not gracious and hospitable with them as well as being forthcoming about what was obviously common knowledge to them. It felt like there was some connection that had been made. And yes, logically, she knew that such bonds tend to form during times of stress and that it didn't hurt either group that they were so closely similar in appearance. And yes, a large part of it was her wanting to be able to use this new tech to advance her people's society and finally clear out the threats to galactic stability. But it wasn't just her, all of her crew seemed to be finding the same sort of connections with this new race. For a moment she considered if they possessed some sort of mental manipulation that drew other races to them like some claimed the Asari did.
Finally they made it to a small park that sat inside an observation dome pointed at the planet. From the dome she could see the sparkling blue oceans and wide plains of the planet as well as many of the Ninth Fleet's ships passing by as they rotated around towards the nightside of the planet.
"I think it was the will of the force we met you first." Master Alinco said removing his arm from hers and using the guide rail to lean on.
"I can understand how Commander Ducclleus would have caused a strain between any future relations between our people, maybe even a war. But he shouldn't be taken as an example of what all turians are like." Benezia said turning away from ships floating outside to look at the flowers and trees surrounding the patio. Human design while being more hard lines and functional edges like the turians also seemed to still leave room for beauty.
"Yes I think Captain Sittia is proof of that. But I wasn't talking about the Turians or even your race in particular. Though I would be lying if I said that meeting a species so much like ourselves has helped a lot more than if we had met say the Volus or Hanar" He said referring to a pair of the species mentioned in the Codex they had been given to go over. "I am talking about you specifically."
At any number of other occasions Matriarch Benezia would have thought the man was flattering her or coming on to her. But the sincerity in his voice was just a little to real, a little too serious to be fake. "I was just doing my duty as a diplomat to warn you about the Batarian threat and try to prepare you to enter the galactic stage." She said in a reflexive motion. She wasn't sure where the man was going with this but his next words shocked her with their bluntness.
"And your duty to your people to secure a new and powerful ally. One that can be used to help your people advance technologically and maintain their position in galactic politics as well as act as a layer of defense against these threats in the Terminus and Batarian Hegemony." Alinco's tone didn't hold any hint of condemnation or scorn. It was just said as a straight fact like the eta of an orbital shuttle to its landing pad. Benezia started to respond but Alinco held up a hand to quiet her. " That is to be expected. Especially from a long lived race such as yours that must see everyone else as children playing with toys. But what is admirable is your reasons for doing it. If what your people say is true, and if what my Granddaughter and myself sense from you is correct you are not doing this just for personal power or just to ensure that your people stay in power, but because you feel that it is best for the security and safety of the galaxy as a whole"
A silence fell over the observatory as Benzia chewed on his words. The Humans were unlike any previous race they had met. Technologically they were on par or more advanced than the citadel in many areas. And the size and cultural strength of their Alliance was to big for them to be bullied and persuaded by the Matriarchs on Thessia like the other council worlds were. Finally there was a race that could force a change in the status quo, that could pull their wizened old heads out of the sand. And one that seemed to want to help them.
A long shadow passed over the observation bubble casting it in darkness and causing the lamps in the artificial park to turn on. Benezia looked up and watched as a tiny sliver of the Avalon passed over them like a whale in an aquarium. "You can't bring the Avalon to the Citadel. You would scare every member of the council and end up with every fleet in the sector showing up."
"Good they need to be afraid." Alinco said in a voice that was as cold and icy as the void between them and the Avalon. Benezia knew that wasn't a threat. Even if she hadn't been with the humans for nearly a month she would have known by the barely perceptible hint of fear in the man's voice that it wasn't a threat, it was a warning.
"The video Admiral Williams showed us. That's what we need to be worried about isn't it." Galactic invaders were nothing new to the Alliance. First the Rachni and then the Korgan who were used to deal with the Rachni had left the Citadel aware of the horrors that could be lurking in the stars. It was why they had stopped exploration of relay systems. "That's why you've built all of this. Incase those things come back." She said looking at the Master and for a moment she could see the years that weighed on the man's shoulders. "Its surprising that you're people are not entirely xenophobic"
"One of the perks of being old and wizened is that one can talk more freely about things and it will just be chalked up to an old man rambling on." Alinco said as he took a small round device out of his pocket and placed it on the railing between them. A series of small beeps sounded in quick succession before a small shroud of light came out to envelop the two of them preventing anyone overhearing what was being said. "I'm going to explain something to you. Something some may think I shouldn't. But you know how us old people like to ramble on and on about things."
Benezia found herself leaning closer to try and hear him better. The old man was an expert storyteller, his voice dropping in volume and pitch to draw her inwards, to share a secret between just the two of them. "Humans are not pack animals in the way some predators are, though our families are very dear to us. Nor are we heard animals in the same way herbivores tend to be though we do find ourselves going along with what others are doing just to fit in. But we are social, highly highly social to the point where a lack of human contact for a prolonged period of time can lead to psychological and even physical problems. To a human being alone against their will is one of the worst things we can imagine." Benezia understood that. The Asari were a highly social people to the point that when it came to mating it was seen as better to mate with another species than to turn their backs on them and mate with an Asari.
" For centuries humans have looked to the skies to see if there was anyone out there. Giant telescopes were set up in deserts and on top of mountains pointed out into the galaxy hoping to pick up any sound that could tell us we were not alone." He turned to look at Benezia for a moment drawing her into the story. He didn't need to use the force at all to play with her emotions, what she had already seen was enough to do that. "But do you know what is worse than being alone?"
"Yes, we have the Rachni and the Krogans to show us that." Benezia said. Though they had been discovered well after the Salrians and after the Asari were strong enough to be able to protect them self. "Your people hadn't even left your system yet when you found that recording had you?"
"The video contained one final transmission with it. A signal from the Prothean homeworld to whoever was at that outpost. It only contained four words. Words that had been our greatest fear since starting the search." At this point Alinco's voice was nearly a whisper. "Run, they are coming".
"What about the crashed ship you found on your planets moon?" At this point Benezia was pulled into the story. The humans were not primitives. Having built what they had and risen as fast as they did from a single planet it was apparent. But still something had scared them the same way a tribe would be of thunder thinking it was an angry god.
"That is what may have saved us from being overtaken by xenophobia. And of course going down the same technological path". At this point Alinco's voice was more contemplative than quiet. "We had proof that there were others out there. At least in other galaxies. Maybe even in our own. People who would be our friends and allies. Do you know why we call ourself the Galactic Alliance? It is such a silly name for a political body that is made up of one species in a tiny section of the galaxy isn't it." Benezia didn't comment on the obvious hypothetical but it had been something she had wondered over. It had seemed like a bit of arrogance to name themselves such.
"As I said we are social animals. Ones that have found time and again that great alliances lead to peace, stability, and security. On the ship we found there were a dozen different alien bodies. They too called themselves an alliance. And their history spoke of how that alliance had liberated the galaxy from tyranny and protected it from extragalactic invaders. So in honor of them and built on our own history that is what we set out to form. A galaxy wide alliance that could defend the galaxy should whatever it was that destroyed the protheans returned."
"And you wish for me to help make this alliance happen?" Benezia's shock must have shown on her face as alinco laughed.
"I know it must sound strange but yes. We are going to need an ally who can help us make inroads. Bureaucracies are notoriously hard to change. Its a part of their design and a way to ensure stability. Of course their are going to be issues when it comes to our place in Galactic society and we will have a lot to iron out when it comes to trade and distribution of technology. But I am telling you this because I think meeting you was not just happenstance but the will of the force."
In all of her years as a matriarch or diplomat no one had ever been that blunt with her. Well one person had, Aethyta had been. She had been the one to open her eyes to the council and the matriarchs, to the stagnation of their society and infrastructure. And Aethyta proved that being blunt was not the same as being stupid. That there were times when laying everything out in the open made it clear that you were serious about the problem. These humans could help with the termanus system and the batarians and even help them prepare for this possibly unknown threat. Whatever they were going to do it was going to turn the galaxy on its head and it would be better for her to be there to help them. " I think this alliance is just what the citedal needs to get its but in gear"
"Good, I think it's time I told you about Operation Clipeus. We thought that while the Sofia Fos was docked with us it would be a good time to get started on seeing how well our technology and your's would work together"
A hundred meters underneath the observation platform Major Vau was standing at a firing range looking at the Alliance combat armor that hung loosely from the target hook. Though 'at' may have been giving too much credit to the armor in his mind as he could easily make out the holes in the rear wall where the mass effect rounds passed easily through the armor.
"It's a good thing we none of the batarians on the ship had a personal shield" A sargent said as Vau inspected one of the holes with his armored finger. Her name plate said Dune and Skirata recognized her as one of the Basilisk shock troopers. "If even a handful of them had been equipped with kinetic barriers our boarding may have went differently." She said beating her fist against the grey metal chest plate she wore.
"Alliance armor was made to withstand plasma based weaponry like our blasters not slugthrowers" Vau said taking the armor off the rack and replacing it with a set taken from a dead batarian trooper.
"Their guns are a bit more than slugthrowers sir. As fast as they are sending bullets down range a single grain of sand could take off a troopers head. Good thing for us they overheat pretty fast" Dune said picking up a rifle that had been taken from the same dead batarian the armor had been.
Vau sent the new set of armor to the end of the range and instructed the computers to run a full spectrum scan on it as he tested out the kinetic barrier. Taking out his A-280 blaster rifle and sighting down range Vau pulled the trigger and didn't let go until the armor's personal shield let out a loud pop sound and he saw the blaster bolt impact armor. Checking the readout for the ammo Vau cursed loudly. "Nearly an entire clip just to drop the shield"
Over by the monitors sargent Dune watched as the armor started to grow brighter and brighter under the thermal energy monitor. The numbers reaching nearly a hundred degrees by the time Major Vau let go of the trigger and sat the blaster down on the table. "Yes sir, but according to these readings it's not going to take a whole clip to bring down the armor. Not unless our targets want to be broiled by their own shields"
Major Vau joined her at the monitors and whistled as the readout replayed the test fire. As soon as the first bullet impacted the shield the heat of the plasma started to get trapped between the shield and the armor raising the temperature by six or seven degrees, half a round of ammunition had raised it to seventy degrees celsius which was deadly to humans in under eight minutes. By the time the shield popped the armor was spiking at one-hundred and ten degrees, more than enough to fry most carbon based life forms.
"Unless they drop their shields to let the absorbed heat dissipate they are going to fry" Dune said turning to look at the armor. "In a way their personal shields have the same faults as ours. Except instead of frying them with radiation they would be killed by the build up of thermal energy" Calling the armor back to the front of the range Skirata laid it down on the table next to the shredded Alliance issue battle armor. "And it looks like once we get the shield down we should be able to take them out with one or two good shots" Sargent Dune said as Vau turned it over showing the large jagged hole that had been burnt through the armor.
"Still that shielding tech has us at a disadvantage. Our guys won't even get the chance to take out any hostels if all it takes is one shot from them while we have to put in at least fifteen good shots to make them drop their shields"
"Actually sir that's not really a problem, barely an inconvenience." Sargent Dune said "According to the codex we were giving the kinetic barriers are built into their armors using small mass effect field emitters. It shouldn't be any trouble for our guys at the Maw to quicky work up a new batch of amor with these emitters for use against these style of weapons"
Vau raised an eyebrow at that "So what then would be the barely inconvenient part of that Sargent?"
"Well sir," Dune was suddenly hesitant to explain her idea and the twitch of a smile on Vau's face wasn't helping "It's technically illegal."
"Only technically Sargent?" Vau pressed.
"Yes sir, technically we are not to use or adapt any element zero technology incase it could be used against us at a future time by the unknown aliens sir." Vau didn't say anything and waited for the sargent to figure a way out of the hole she had gotten into."
After a moment he decided to press her with a soft questioning "but?"
Dune took her time to think for another moment before looking up at him with renewed vigor "But the secondary mission of Operation Clipeus was to find technology and weaponry that we could use for our own defense. And using these barriers now would allow us to save lives while our scientists work on creating element zero free shielding."
"Good idea. Make sure to include that recommendation in the report you are writing for President Hayes" Vau said placing a hand on her shoulder as he walked by.
"Sir?" Sargent Dune asked turning to watch him head towards the door to the locker room.
"Perks of rank sergeant. I get to shoot the cool alien guns and you get to write the report." With that and a wave the door slid shut behind Vau leaving Dune alone with the armor and guns. Cara Dune looked at the guns for a moment before grabbing a target disk and placing it on the hook to be sent down range.
"No reason I can't write the report and shoot the cool alien guns. Sir." She said to herself as she picked up the rifle.
Onboard the Sofia Fos Benezia sat on a circle of pillows cradling a warm tea from the southern isles of Thessia in her hands. As much as she had been enjoying her time with the humans and as much effort as they made to be inclusive to the Asari it was still nice to be able to retreat back to a private space that was totally familiar to her.
Around her sat Laranth, the Sofia Fos' pilot and Aerith the ships communications officer. Each were relaxing on the pillows sipping their own tea or swirling it around in their cups waiting for it to cool down. "You know, Skirata was telling me about an ancient Alliance empire that conquered three fourths of their world just to get better prices for their tea." Laranth said testing the brownish liquid with her lips.
"We'll put tea down as a potential export then." Benezia said before adding "At reduced prices of course" this earned a small polite laugh from the other two women. "So Laranth did what Master Alinco say check out?"
"Yes ma'am" Laranth said sitting down her cup and picking up a datapad, "I went over this ship stem to stern and checked all of the little additions their engineers had added. A lot of it was based off of napkin sketches they came up with while talking to our crew and is highly experimental. But I can see how it was already being used to gauge the compatibility of our two systems."
"And is it?" Benezia asked. When Alinco had told her that Operation Cliepus was about arming any potential allies with scaled down versions of their own weapons to help defend against the return of the unknown aliens it had made a lot of their behaviour more understandable. They weren't being forthcoming with information just because they liked the Asari but because their plan of defense was built upon the idea of multiple nations acting as one with nearly the same level of technology. Benezia new better than to demand the same level of technology as the alliance had right off the bat. That much trust would take time to build. She just hopped the Citadel would see it that way.
"Not even close ma'am. The secondary systems can all be easily upgraded with their tech but something like their canons or engines would need more power than we have to run them. And any one of their generators would fry our energy conduits. We would need a whole secondary set of generators and power conduits just to attach one of their blasters to the Sofia Fos"
"So we are talking total refits for every ship. Maybe even scrapping them down to the hull and rebuilding them. That would take years and years to do." Benezia didn't much like the sound of that. A decade or even two wasn't that long to a Asari but it would still be a drain on resources and manpower to have to rotate an entire fleet though and rebuild them from the ground up"
"Possibly though I get the feeling that it's not what the Alliance has in mind. They have already been testing some of my staff on their flight sims and weapon displays. And when asked about adding mass effect tech into their systems they are highly reluctant to do it"
"And are you getting all of this from your new friend?" Aerith asked. She normally wouldn't make such a childish tease in front of a matriarch but it was to fun to watch her normally stern commander squirm like a maiden.
"Major Vau has been a great companion during these trying times and I am simply doing by best to further Human-Asari relations" Laranth said.
'You and just about every other unmarried asari on the ship' Benezia thought. Not that she blamed them. If she hadn't been thinking of Liara's father so often she may have tried to further relations with Admiral Williams. "Speaking of relationships how are the Turians doing? Were you able to find out what the Commander Duccellus told the Hierarchy?"
"Yes ma'am, despite first contact regulations he was using standard level 1 encryption on his transmission. From what was said we can most likely expect a large Turian presence at the Citadel when we return." Aerith couldn't stop rolling her eyes at the machismo that dripped from the message. The Turians always seemed to be worried about losing their place as the strongest members of the galaxy. Even though they had only gotten there because of the genophage nearly wiping out the Krogans.
"On the one hand I really don't blame them. A new power with a large navy entering the galactic stage could be a threat to the citadel. They don't know the Alliance like we do yet so I can understand why they are nervous. still I hope they don't make it too difficult." Benezia contemplated the issue. They were going to need a way to get the Turians on board quickly before they could feel like they were losing their social standing. The Hanar, Elcor, and Volus would all just be happy for new markets to sell to or people to preach to. And she was sure that the prospect of new technology would be enough to bring the majority of Salarians into the fold. It was really just her own people and the more hardline Turians who would have a problem with the new state of affairs.
"According to Major Vau the fleet should be ready to jump out tomorrow morning and make their way to the Citadel" Laranth said sitting her cup down on the floor and grabbing some of the biscuits and placing them between her tea cup and the carrying tray. "The reason we have had to wait so long was because they needed to plot the best route to the Citadel for their ships." Munching on a biscuit Laranth grabbed a teaspoon and placed it on the edge of the tray. "Let's say that this tray is Shanxi and my cup is the Citadel and each of these biscuits are a neighboring system." She said pointing the spoon at the food arranged on the floor in a neat line. "If we want to get home we would just slingshot from one cluster to the next until we came out at the end of that branch of the network." Laranth picked up the cookies from their straight line and let them drop back onto the floor landing in a random pile between her cup and the plate. "However unless the Alliance wants to stop in each system and recalculate their FTL jump they have to find the path that avoids the largest mass shadows created by planetary systems."
"So other than making a mess on the floor what you are saying is that the trip is going to be a lot of stopping and starting over and over for the Alliance fleet while we just get a nice straight shot home." Benezia said as Laranth quickly picked up the biscuits and what crumbs she could.
"Yes. Which gives us a slight advantage when it comes to moving around the galaxy. We are able to travel nearly instantly from relay to relay while they require a path clear of mass shadows and other hazards"
"That sounds like more than slight to me." Aerith said placing her tea cup on the serving dish. "How long are we going to end up waiting for them if we go on ahead?"
"Well that's why I said a slight advantage. Not every system in a cluster has a mass relay. How long does it take for ftl to get you from system to system?" Laranth asked but continued on before anyone could answer. "About 15 light years a day right? Their ftl is a dozen times faster than that. From the numbers I saw they could cross from one side of the galaxy to another in anywhere from two to three weeks depending on the path. We may be able to instantly travel to any cluster we want but inside that cluster their ships would be able to beat us from system to system" Laranth wasn't trying very hard to hide the excitement in her voice. To the pilot and many of the engineers the past week and a half had been like going to a theme park.
Since the creation of the Citadel the Asari had been the dominant cultural force and Benezia could imagine that the speed at which her crew were adopting and taking to the newcomers would frighten many of the matriarchs. Though from what little she was able to overhear it seemed that the feeling was mutual on the Alliance side and they were as taken with the Asari and the younger more social turians.
"No wonder they explore so much further from the relays than we do." Benezia said. "But still it will take the fleet what? A week to reach the Citadel then?"
"More like a week and a half but yes."
"Hmm that is a long time to let the Turians and council stew and come up with worst case scenarios . And even if we could get there today the Council isn't going to like an entire fleet just showing up at their doorstep unannounced. It might be best if I send you along with the Sofia Fos ahead with the Turian fleet while I stay behind and act as an envoy for the Citadel."
"I think if we can get Captain Sittia to help us we should be able to keep them from having every ship in the galaxy sitting there waiting for the Alliance by the time they arrive. Does the Council even know how large the incoming fleet is?" Laranth asked Aerith
"So far all of the messages that have made it out system have just listed the number of ships in the fleet by their designated role. Nothing has been said about their size or weight class." There was a light emphasis on the "made it out" part that made Laranth quirk her eyeridge.
The following day Benezia watched the Sofia Fos and the Turian fleet leap out of system from the viewport of the Avalon. The Far Ranger was still the flagship of the fleet but Master Alinco had convinced her that the short trip would be more comfortable in the VIP cabins aboard the Avalon than it would be in one of the unused officer cabins on the Far Ranger. After the battle the fleet had been rearranged. With the Avalon carrying its own wing of starfighters the Pearl Harbor was being left behind with the picket ships and the three MC-30 Frigates. The Avalon was going to be escorted by the six majestic-class heavy cruisers, two republic- class star destroyers, the Far Ranger, and the remaining two MC-30 Frigates for Admiral Williams fleet. Along with the Avalons own complement of destroyers, frigates, cruisers, and other ships meant to secure the safety of the alliances most prized ship. As one the 28 ship fleet turned towards the stars and quickly disappeared into the tunnel of Hyperspace.
Far away from Shanxi on an asteroid orbiting a sun in its final death throes a pair of eyes glanced over a new message. The iriss matching the dying star in the view screen they quickly read over the message. First contact had been made.