1730 hours, May 20, 2542 (UNSC military calendar)
Mess Deck, UNSC Trafalgar, New Ghent system

If the mess deck of the Trafalgar had been busy before, now it was straight up packed. The alien scientific advisors and corporate representatives had all flooded inside when the crew had let them aboard, and the place quickly turned into a chaotic, albeit organized, mess. Corporate representatives from both sides talked about things from marketing strategies to how to properly harvest helium from gas giants. Every room and compartment capable of fitting the delegates was currently in use. Generals and admirals shared stories and tactics, while diplomats exchanged pleasantries and set up future trade agreements.

Vice Admiral Whitcomb was currently discussing something with Admiral Cole, and Doctor Halsey had been asked to meet with the Citadel scientists who were examining the alien artifacts planetside. Naturally, Catherine had taken the opportunity to get to know her alien counterparts.

"Engine power output impressive. Very efficient," Mordin Solus said to Halsey. She gave the salarian a quick nod and continued examining the blueprints she had been given. This "comm buoy" technology was based on the principles she already understood, but, combined with the "mass effect" field, it allowed near instantaneous transmissions across interstellar distances. The laser array was as she'd expected: simple but robust, with an incredible bandwidth for a communications laser. But that was to be expected for a technology so important for the Citadel races.

"Amazing to see full potential of pure deuterium fusion. Need for larger fuel storage makes usage by smaller ships difficult, but excellent for heavy capital ships. Not as good as helium-3-deuterium fusion in my opinion. Takes less space. More power generated. Turians will want hybridized reactors." Mordin said as he examined the specifications of a UNSC fusion reactor.

Catherine nodded, looking at the blueprints again. She and other human scientists were currently being guided through the principles behind the operation of comm buoys, in preparation for their deployment in the UNSC space. So far, out of her Citadel colleagues, Catherine especially liked salarians: they were hard-working and very eager to explore. They reminded her of her college days.

"Mass effect is clearly a useful technology. It opens up many opportunities: improved fusion reactors, metallic hydrogen, or even production of antimatter. I can only imagine how much more efficient our reactors could be if we were to combine our fusion bottle designs with your mass effect fields and Helium-3 reactors." Halsey said, continuing to examine the schematics. She really couldn't find anything indicating a hidden function, and the things didn't have even a single square inch of open space. The design was remarkably compact.

Mordin looked her over. "Comm buoy plans satisfactory? Can have an example brought for analysis."

Halsey shook her head. "No. I've looked it over. I see no way the devices could be used against us: no space for extra devices, and not enough power or fuel to do anything but scorch paint. I'll recommend in my report that they be deployed in as many UNSC systems as possible to provide a communications network. This could save many lives."

Mordin smiled. It was unnerving to see such a human expression on an alien face, but Halsey just smiled back, as a matter of courtesy. It was hard to shake off her apprehension towards aliens, but the salarians were quickly earning her trust.

"Glad to be of help," the salarian scientist replied.

Catherine put the blueprints down. "Now, onto the real subject. The ships you have discovered - Matriarch Benezia said you would share your findings."

Mordin nodded and activated his omni-tool - Halsey wanted one for herself - and made a waving motion. Halsey's datapad chimed, reporting an unauthorised attempt to transfer a file, and Catherine authorised it. This just made her want to get an omni-tool even more, but she shelved the idea for the time being.

"Examination of crashed Covenant ship proceeding apace. Thorough analysis of all onboard systems nearly complete, plasma leaks fixed, hulk prepared for thorough deconstruction and examination in detail. Waiting for UNSC opinions beforehand. Or veto and transporation to orbit. Either way works."

Halsey opened the file and started reading report. She nodded approvingly: the work was well-organized and well-documented, with painstaking attention to detail. She quickly committed everything to memory and began typing notes of her own on her laptop, the keys clacking at a machine-gun pace as she got to work.

Halsey kept talking as she typed, not taking her eyes off the keyboard. "One final matter. When will we be going down to the underground ship?" She asked Mordin.

"Biohazard containment procedures underway. Cleanup proceeding slower than expected." The salarian nodded. "Have to wait until we clear and seal off the derelict before we can set up atmospheric scrubbers. Technology is… incredible, but incomprehensible. Difficult to work with." The salarian took a deep breath. "Welcome challenge to skills. Looking forward to further exploration."

"I see. Well, we're making excellent progress so far. I'll send my report to Vice-Admiral Whitcomb."

"No need, Doctor Halsey," she heard Whitcomb's voice behind her. The admiral stepped into the room, accompanied by his guards, and moved up to look at what she was working on. "Your opinion on these "comm buoys", Doctor?"

Catherine turned and nodded. "The blueprints we've been given are excellent - they completely map out the devices and their functions. These buoys couldn't be used against us in any way."

"You're sure of that?" Whitcomb asked.

Halsey pulled up the schematics and pointed at the buoy's laser array. "It can only send signals in a straight line to its counterpart, which means that it's trivial to see if they suddenly aim elsewhere. The laser arrays are not capable of moving without having to realign the whole unit. I gather that ONI would want to take each of them apart to be sure there are no tracking devices inside, but, going by the blueprints, there's not even a nanometer of space that doesn't serve a purpose in these devices. And each component is mapped down to the last transistor."

Whitcomb raised an eyebrow. "Transistor equivalents? No incomprehensible alien technology?" he asked, chuckling softly.

"None. This technology is actually based on normal scientific principles instead of whatever the Covenant use, and it doesn't go to extreme lengths to guard its secrets. Some things might be different, but in the end most electronics will naturally develop along the same lines. There's only so many ways to make a transistor."

"Finally some sanity..." Whitcomb muttered. Halsey didn't blame him, she'd nearly been driven mad by the incomprehensible nature of Covenant technology many times as she tried to work on it. Many examples of Covenant engineering seemed to go against anything Halsey knew and understood. It was nice to work on something that wasn't one bad handling away from self-destructing for a change.

Whitcomb nodded. "I've talked with our resident spooks. They'll do their own sweep of the devices, then we'll bring one of the alien transports aboard the Punic to head back to Reach to start establishing the network."

"What about the Cole Protocol?" Catherine inquired.

Whitcomb seemed hesitant for a moment. "Admiral Cole has been working on a solution for our new allies. He has come to the Trafalgar to discuss matters of supply and logistics with the alien ambassadors. He's asked for you to join. He wants your opinion."

Halsey nodded, folded up her laptop and put it in her bag. "I'll talk to you later, Mordin."

-

Unlike the bustling negotiating chambers for the civilian and corporate advisors, the military leaders of both sides had chosen a much more ascetic atmosphere to discuss their plan of action.

Cole had compiled a list of colonies destroyed or discovered by the Covenant to give to the Citadel Council so they could begin their campaign against the Covenant. It would serve as a good start to their relationship and help to broker trust between their races. Whitcomb's suggestion to organize a formal military parade had been surprising to Cole, but he understood the intent. The first meeting between humanity and an alien race had resulted in war, but the first aliens who'd set foot on Earth would be allies. It would be a powerful symbol. He just couldn't decide how to do it.

His current plan was to offer passage aboard the UNSC Punic for the Citadel troops, as well as the construction ships that could build communication buoys. They would stop at Reach, deploy the buoys, and from there load the buoys onto ships that could spread them throughout UNSC space. It would take a month at most, and then the UNSC would gain access to nigh-instantaneous interstellar communications. The concept was very exciting to Cole, and he couldn't help but think just how this could affect the deployment of his battle fleets.

Matriarch Benezia, Primarch Fedorian, and Special Tasks Group Commander Jondum Bau were sitting at the other side of their table.

Cole slid the datapad across the table. "This datapad contains the coordinates of every world taken or compromised by the Covenant. I understand we might seem paranoid, but we have too much to lose. If you can retake these worlds and hold the Covenant at bay while we rearm and regroup, I can begin discussing with my government sharing more information with you. The greatest concern we have is the coordinates of our worlds; they are a closely guarded secret."

The aliens shared a glance of apprehension with each other. The salarian leant forward in his chair. "I understand your skepticism, but in the long run such measures will impede aid we can provide. We could provide you many times more war materials if you let us ship it directly to your worlds. Perhaps we can find a compromise until we've earned your trust."

Cole nodded at the alien to continue.

"We propose that we work together to construct a space station in New Ghent's orbit, which can serve as a waystation for supplies heading towards your worlds. Our cargo ships will ship them to this station, and you can then move them to where they are needed. Perhaps we could even lease you cargo ships, until the requisite trust has been earned and we are allowed to ship directly to your worlds."

Cole thought back to when he'd first drafted the Cole Protocol, remembering his reasoning. "The Cole Protocol was created in a time when we were incapable of beating the Covenant in battle, and this war was a slaughter. If this turns into an actual war, I can see about providing you with more information… or if the colonies in question are discovered by the Covenant."

Jondum Bau hummed. "Acceptable. We can construct this way station, and you will be responsible for shipping materials to your own worlds. We will be s"

Cole nodded. "Admiral Whitcomb will want to see what you plan to ship to us later. For now, let's make plans. By securing these fallen worlds you can provide the UNSC the time we need to recover. It will allow us to establish a comm buoy network, and both of us will be able to incorporate each other's technology in our designs and upgrade our ships. If this works, I can see about the Security Council giving your ships access to our core worlds for supply shipments."

The aliens glanced back and forth again, Cole thought he could see what looked like consternation or anger on the face of the asari. He didn't blame her - to some extent, he was stonewalling the Citadel. But it wasn't in his power to share the coordinates of hidden human worlds. Such a thing would require an unanimous decision by the Security Council.

Fedorian nodded solemnly. "Understood. Once the talks have been concluded, I'll tell our forces to move out within an hour. We'll be focussing on softer targets first before concentrating forces to hit the harder ones."

Jondum Bau spoke up next. "The Special Tasks Group will begin deep infiltration missions in Covenant space to find high value targets. Even if our fleets can not safely operate that far behind the enemy lines, we can send in special forces."

There was a knock at the door. The guards opened it to admit Admiral Whitcomb and Doctor Halsey.

"Ah, Admiral Whitcomb. We were waiting for you. You're speaking on behalf of the Security Council. I need your permission to authorise supply shipments from the Citadel Council." Cole said, sliding a datapad over as Whitcomb sat down. "The woman is Doctor Catherine Halsey, one of our finest scientists. She'll help with the technological exchange between our governments."

Whitcomb nodded. "I take it our plan of a waystation has been approved by both sides."

"Indeed." Primarch Fedorian said. "It's a good compromise for the time being. But the only issue might be your logistics. When on a full war footing, we will be able to ship you so much material that you might not be capable of handling it all."

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Just how much are we talking about?"

Matriarch Benezia leant forward and smiled. "Everything from food to fusion power plants. Fifty million turians have signed an extranet petition to be allowed to gift their personal firearms, and that's not even counting the sheer amount of military surplus we can send your way. If not for cargo space, we could send you a rifle and a sidearm for each human. The asari and salarian governments can modify surplus armor and provide your army with suits until you're able to develop your own variants."

Cole couldn't believe what he was hearing. These aliens were offering to send them twenty billion guns. Obviously not at the same time, but the idea was still almost ludicrous. He quickly shook it off and nodded. "I see… Well, in the event this theoretical way station can't handle the amount of cargo we receive, we can consider alternatives. But I'd like to know what you want in exchange."

Cole noticed that Halsey was furiously taking notes.

Bau nodded. "We are intrigued by your artificial intelligences, as well as your faster-than-light drives. We want an equal trade. You'll provide us with the knowledge base required to create smart AI and build slipspace engines, and we shall do the same regarding mass effect-based technologies, from infantry weapons to FTL drives, and extend you a generous line of credit on top of donations of surplus equipment. From what we've been able to discern, these technologies are ubiquitous in human civilization and not owned by individual corporations. Open source technology for open source technology. An equivalent exchange."

Cole glanced at Halsey for her opinion on the matter. Seeing her cue, she spoke up. "Admiral Cole, I think this exchange would be fair. We'd be trading technologies which neither of us would be able to keep a secret. Anyone with access to a library can figure out the mechanics of a slipspace drive, same with their mass effect technology. This way, we'll teach each other, and we can discuss proprietary technologies belonging to private or public corporations some other time."

Cole considered it. Dozens of corporations in human space had the technology needed to create an AI, and papers on the workings of slipspace drives could be found in a library. Keeping them secret in the long term would be hard, and the UNSC could cash these chips in right now for great benefits. And if he understood the aliens correctly, the same counted for their technologies. Keeping them secret would be like trying to stop the other from figuring out how electricity worked.

"That would be a reasonable trade." Whitcomb said. "Doctor Halsey will assist you with these technologies, in exchange for your scientists assisting ours with developing our own mass effect-based technologies. The Trafalgar will remain in orbit of New Ghent to defend it from the Covenant, and in the meantime it can serve as the R&D site for this project, as well as a base from which to explore the Covenant Battlecruiser, and the burried ship on the surface."

Jondum Bau muttered something to Benezia, before speaking up again. "Excellent. We can begin assisting your scientists in developing their own hardsuits immediately, while Doctor Halsey helps us in AI research and constructing our first slipspace drives."

Primarch Fedorian held up a hand to pause Benezia as she was about to speak. "There's another thing I'd wish to discuss on behalf of the Hierarchy. We've learned much abount the Covenant from recent engagements, but not as much as we would have liked. We need human advisors, scientists and technicians with experience in countering the Covenant's tactics and negating their technological advantage. We're working on overhauling our fleet and ground forces, but we need people with first hand expertise. Be it Covenant naval doctrine, ground tactics, weapons, armor, or specialist equipment - we need to know as much as possible. We also need to know what kind of materials you use to produce your tanks. They are much more capable of withstanding sustained fire from Covenant plasma weapons."

Cole thought this over for a second, and decided that it made sense.

"Dove." He said to the Smart AI he knew was watching them. "Assemble a list of veterans, officers, mechanics, and combat engineers with the knowledge and skill sets the Primarch asked about. They'll join the research and development efforts already in progress aboard the Trafalgar."

"Understood, Admiral." Dove's voice came out of Cole's datapad.

Fedorian muttered something under his breath. It sounded like a curse. The slip up was only momentary, though, and the Primarch quickly assumed a nonchalant posture again.

Cole would have lied if he said he didn't enjoy the prospects of technological and scientific cooperation between the two sides. An exchange of tactics and intelligence would be even better. He could teach alien admirals some of his own tricks, learned over more than a decade of war. The notion was strange, but not unwelcome.

Cole continued, "I imagine a handbook on the Covenant's naval tactics and the counters to them, based on our compiled knowledge about their tactics and strategy, would be of use to your forces. I'll also see about providing a similar manual for army officers, and one for soldiers and squad leaders." He glanced at Halsey. Cole already knew whose knowledge he would suggest to tap for the latter handbook.

Fedorian smiled; Cole had to resist the urge to flinch at the uncannily human expression. "Excellent. Then military matters are settled. To sum everything up: New Ghent will serve as a strongpoint and a logistics hub for UNSC and Citadel forces. Joint research and development projects will start aboard the Trafalgar for the time being. We will provide ships to set up a comm buoy network in UNSC space, and they will be transported aboard the Punic. When the UNSC has had time to regroup, we can begin joint offensives in Covenant space."

Benezia took over without missing a beat. "Now on to civilian matters. Vice Admiral Whitcomb mentioned a parade and a formal signing of an alliance. I believe it would be best if the forces picked for the parade left aboard the Punic. You can search them if you want. We propose they consist of the forces that fought on New Ghent, along with a small UNSC contingent."

Cole eyed Whitcomb and tried to decide quickly if he should veto bringing the ambassadors to Earth. On the one hand, he felt it could be a security risk, but on the other, the UNSC was lost without a miracle, and he certainly recognized the propaganda value. "I agree with Admiral Whitcomb. But certain security precautions must be taken. The forces will be transported aboard the Punic, and they will all be subject to a thorough search. No recording or scientific equipment will be allowed either."

Cole would personally recommend the parade take place during a bright day, preferably somewhere the nights were short, and be very cautious about information quarantine. This could be a risk, but the situation on Earth had been hopeless when he'd last been there. Doing this could be worth the risk if it could revitalize the war effort and galvanize the people to throw everything they had at the Covenant.

Benezia nodded. "Acceptable. But please remember. There are only so many concessions we can make before the war effort starts to suffer. When we have stable long-term communications, and fleets of cargo ships ready to support you, we expect the most to be made of them." There was a steely undercurrent to what she said.

The Primarch led out a sound akin to an avian growl. "I'll go. I'll make it a formal state visit. But consider that my final concession. After our forces have retaken your border worlds and allowed you to recover, we expect much more cooperation on your part."

Cole was surprised at seeing the normally calm turian snarl. He'd have to try and mediate the UNSC's paranoia if they were to make the most of this alliance.