Urdnot Capital, Tuchanka, January 2070

The past few months for Wrex were nothing but work, and discussion, and some more discussions, with the occasional agreement in one topic, only for the consensus to collapse and they had to start anew.

Sometimes, Wrex missed his own brand of politics that involved headbutts, krantt, and the threat of violence and sometimes the actual violence. But he endured, the Shaman agreed with him, the females had to take a bigger role in future Krogan society, if not the biggest role outright. So Wrex endured trough endless debates, nights of talks and mornings watching the sun rise as those talks came to an end.

Still, they made progress. Since he killed his idiot brother Wreav and sent the call to all krogran clans to come to the Hollows for negotiations, he'd probably gotten some 80% of all clans under his leadership. It did help immensely that the female clans gave their unconditional support for his plan. The shaman of the Urdnot female clan, a nameless matriarch, soon surged to be his most trusted advisor, along the old shaman of Urdnot. Together, they started to plan something that would surely show the galaxy - and the Asari and the Europeans- that the krogan could be effective members of society.

The plan was simple: one of the old ziggurats standing close to Kalros's territories managed to survive a nuclear war, the aftermath of a nuclear war, the uplifting of the krogan, the genophage and the post-genophage krogan. In other words, the building was practically indestructible.

And they were going to rebuild it, make it the capital of Urdnot, the United Clans. But for that, he needed materials: where to find water, how to get water, electricity, all the hardware that went in a massive city. The institutions that permitted such a place to function, even in the absence of its leaders. They needed it all. So Wrex decided to take a gamble. He went to the Citadel and asked for the European ambassador

Urdnot Ziggurat, Tuchanka, January 2071

Koopmans and Benezia didn't know what to expect when Wrex had invited them to see the progress they already did. The heat was almost unbearable for two people who came from sea dwelling ancient ancestors. But they forged ahead. They had to admit that the impressive pyramid rising from the sands was something better than a bombed-out hole in the middle of nowhere.

Wrex's boisterous laughter and disproportional hug reminded both women why they should probably had taken some armor with then. Alas, it was a short greet, and Wrex immediately rushed both to his office, where two very old krogan were waiting. He decided to do the honors:

"Matriarch Benezia, Ambassador Koopmans, the two fossils over there are the Urdnot Shaman and the Female Urdnot Shamam"

Benezia and Koopmans exchange a look, and slowly they started staring the shamans Koopmans, as always, broke the silence

"So, err, you guys don't have names we can use? Because calling the "Urdnot Shaman" is going to cause some, lots of, trouble"

The krogan matriarch smiled at the youngling. "We renounce our names the day we became shamans for our sisters and brothers". The other shaman just nodded.

Benezia, ever more diplomatic, took over "I'm most honored to be in your presence, a krogan matriarch and a krogan patriarch, who no doubt holds much to teach for the future krogan generations"

Wrex gave a hearty chuckle and yelled: "HA! It means both of you are old, so, let's begin before the old couple needs to take their afternoon nap"

Everyone took a seat, Wrex offered Ryncol and the krogan accepted. Koopmans and Benezia kindly rejected and produced their own bottles – tea for Benezia and coffee for Koops.

"Well, my friends", said Koops, taking a sip of her coffee, "let's cut to the chase, it's a very impressive building you guys have here, and according to the reports, you guys cleaned it from everything including a thresher maw nest, a pirate base, several varren nest, a vorcha infestation and assorted cleaning needs"

Wrex gave a chuckle "heh, yeah we did clean this whole place out, thousands of years just laying around tend to make even the mightiest palace into a junkyard."

The female shaman continued. "But, as you most certainly saw, despite the pristine condition of the structure itself, we are sorely lacking everything else that could make this place a home, and a fortress, for our females and younglings."

"And that's where you two come in" Wrex said, eager to pitch his sales pitch, or rather, eager to see if the humans and asari could give him what he wanted and not bothered asking something in return. "We need to make these place into a home. By my estimates, more than one and a half million people want to live here, and that´s just the ones we can fit in here. Most of them are old people and females and kids. The rest are able bodied males to defend the place."

Koopmans produced a low whistle. "It's a mighty fine thing you are asking us Wrex, us to provide everything a city need, a city of 1.5 million"

Wrex grumbled "yes, we tried to buy these things on our own, but we don't have much to sell right? We've been hunting Threshers and Klixen for their hide and scales and fire bags, but this shit just doesn't bring us much money. Sending krogan to fight as mercenaries is off the table, no guarantee they would ever come back. So, if we can build a city where our weaker can be safe, and be well treated, then we can liberate several females and males from protection duties to go do something else. Maybe Thresher hunting in colonies with infestations, maybe trying to restart old weapons factories around Tuchanka."

"What Wrex means is", said the female shaman, "we don't have an economic base, and it's impossible for us to built one when so many sanction are still in place. If the Krogan can be seen as a valuable member of galactic society, we must build an economy, first and foremost. But we have no opportunities to do so."

Benezia and Koopmans prepared for this question. They had discussed in length what to expect from the weekly reports they got from Tuchanka, and what their governments could offer the krogan. Benezia started "We understand your problem regarding your economics, and we may have a solution. First, let me assure you that the infrastructure needed to make your new… ziggurat functional will come. We will build small apartments for families, medical clinics, workshops for your artisans, schools for the younglings and more."

Koopmans took from where Benezia had ended. "And Europe can start an investment plan on Tuchanka, bringing in capital to build infrastructure, energy systems, a decent port, and some manufacturing. We will also put our scientist to work to see what kind of plant and stock can survive this place"

"And how exactly will we pay for all this?"

Koopmans grinned. "Don't worry, that's for the bureaucrats back in Brussels and Armali to decide. Suffice to say that you won't be paying upfront, not in a long future. You guys should really start a local currency, kick the credit out. You can "pay" us by giving us government debt bonds, basically a contract where you say "we are borrowing x moneys from Koops and, in the future, we will pay her back 2x moneys"

"And you would let us do that?" asked the male Shaman

"Of course! It's basic fiscal policy and since you guys will be, you know, a nation, you ought to have your own. The European government and the Asari can buy the bulk of your bonds, give you all the money necessary to modernize your economy and when its modern and competitive, you pay us back. BUT, even if it fails, and by the end you don't have a decent economy…. Well, our central banks can simply let this bad debt rot in their assets wallet, sterilizing them. The amount estimated by the Ministry of Finances was actually quite low comparing to the amount of assets currently on the European Central Bank's wallets, it's one city, and the costlier part is up already, which is the building proper.

"Your economics don't make sense", Wrex complained

"Doesn't need to big guy! The gist of it is you tell us what you want, and we will pay you what you want, on the condition you will pay us back with interest in the future"

Benezia, who was silently appreciating the very… unconventional Fiscal Policy class, gave her approval to the plan.

"Urdnot, as a Krogan government can issue treasury bills, denominated in Galactic Credits, no need to just change currencies yet, and the Asari and Europeans will gladly buy them. Now it's just a matter of scale – how much money you need – and some technocratic magic to make it happen."

"Also, Wrex, if you want, we can send some economic advisors to Tuchanka, help you make the best decisions with your newfound billions"

Wrex was admittedly dumbfolded with everything that had just happened, so his answer was a simple "yes".

Urdnot Ziggurat, Tuchanka, December 2072

Benezia and Koopmans were true to their words, and in the months since they departed Tuchanka, several cargo ships started to move much needed equipment to make the ancient structure a new home. Now, krogan families of mother, pups and elders all had their own little apartments on the upper levels of the tower. The ground level was made into a market, krogan, human, asari and even a couple of very brave volus selling whatever people wanted. At the top of the structure lay a hospital, top of the line asari and European equipment's modified to cater for Krogan needs. Schools where pups could learn the basics and spent time among peers. At the top of that sat a command center for the Clan Chief. His quarters, meeting rooms, several displays showing every inch of Tuchanka and an impressive communications array, that could instantly connect the capital of Urdnot to Thessia and Earth.

On the bowels of the structure lay the most impressive part of it. Immense machines drilled the hard soil of Tuchanka to bring water to the surface. Giant hydroponics garden, to rival the liveships of the quarians producing all the food the inhabitants needed, and stocks for feeding the varrens and pyjacks that made the protein part of the Krogan diet. With a couple of years of work, the Urdnot City was an impressive sight to behold, housing almost a million krogan, and waiting lists for a free space there were growing by the day. Urdnot had become the shining beacon of a new Tuchanka, and more and more clans were eager to join Wrex's plan for the future of the Krogan.

Now that they had a minimum of infrastructure, albeit only one city worth of it, they were ready to start attracting some much-needed investments. Wrex was adamant that any deal with foreign companies must include technology transfers, so that the krogan could learn how to do things, instead of just producing them for others to profit. European Heavy Industries agreed to construct a brand-new steel mill on Tuchanka, first utilizing the scraps of the surface to recycle material. The krogan already had that technology but could never muster the political will or the funds to build a factory, so they agreed with EHI's terms of discount sales for them. The bond selling scheme was doing well enough, but Wrex didn't understand it still, the female Shaman taking the lead on all things technical for the matter. He only knew that in a few years, they would need to start exporting things, to pay the relatively high interests on the bonds.

Wrex was hopeful for that deal, because if it was successful, he would have more leverage to expand it, inviting the mighty European conglomerate of mining companies to open old iron and other metals mines. And that meant something to export. He also overheard that some Europeans were impressed by krogan's Tomkahs, the giant vehicles able to withstand pretty much anything and with an impressive cargo capacity, since they had to transport several half-ton krogan at once. Maybe getting a line of production was a feasible idea.

Brussels, January 2072

Prime Minister Giovana Bianchi had called Ambassador Koopmans for an "informal" chat regarding the pending elections for parliament. Koopmans knew what the boss really wanted: that she ran for party's leadership. But she didn't want to, didn't feel prepared to. When she entered the spacious office that the currently occupant hoped would be hers in a few months, she decided to just lay everything on the table.

"Hey boss, I know why I'm here, and the answer is no"

PM Bianchi stopped pouring coffee into her mug and just stared at her younger companion. "And why, Ambassador, are you declining the leadership of our great party?". She wasn't one for skirting around an issue, so she appreciated the young woman's directness.

"I don't feel prepared, and I'd like to see all the things I helped set in motion completed, you know? The alliance with the Asari, the krogan… I can still do much good at the Citadel"

Bianchi sighed, truly, she couldn't think of anyone more capable, and more electable than the care-free, irreverent woman in front of her. "Julia, let me be honest, you're a prodigy in this government, you got your Law degree at what, 21? And then you got a Ph.D at 23 in Political Sciences, by the age 25 you were already serving the diplomatic corps, helping defuse some serious situations in the Middle East. You became the youngest ambassador to the UN from any Security Council member, and you're the youngest cabinet member from the Casteaux's gang. You are, if anything, overly prepared for this job."

Koopmans was, uncharacteristically, very subdued today. She took a deep breath and continued. "I know, but all of… that? It's different, I'm pretty good at what I do, which is diplomacy. But having to manage a whole government? I don't know… And, serious, I really want to see the krogan deal trough."

Bianchi knew that the stubborn woman wouldn't budge if she thought she was right, but neither would she shy away from what she perceived as a duty to Europe. So, for the sake of her colleague, she tried to offer a compromise. "I can try to convince Suri to run for leadership, Kowalski wants to retire after the elections, and Nader and Wallerstein are off the table since they come from allied parties, not the SDP. But you'd have to promise me: you will spend more time in Europe, even changing job, so you can learn the ins and outs of being the head of government. Casteaux wanted you to succeed him, and the party also thinks very highly of you."

A smile crept in Koopman's face. "That would be very cool, and you have my word, so long I can still do my job with the asari and the krogan, I can spend more time here in Europe. But how would we do it? And what about Suri? Is he okay serving as a stop-gap measure?

Bianchi chuckled. "I think that by telling him he would only be up for one term until you got your bearings is what will convince him of taking the job. He never did like the idea of being the public face of the party. Always preferred to work as a bureaucrat. As for how, I mean, you spent the whole time as Ambassador really being another Foreign Minister, just more focused on the alien races. I think I can change the portfolios and divide foreign affairs into "human" and "alien", so you could better divide your time between Brussels and the Citadel"

Koopmans really smiled this time. "Ok! I can get behind this plan, you have yourself a deal boss"

A/N: So there we have it! Our favorite angry turtle building a new home for his kin. He's very confused by what the humans call "fiscal policy" and Bakara had to intervene. Several classes with top economist latter, she had a pretty good gasp at the concept. Wrex was happy to just delegate.