1600 hours, May 21, 2542 (UNSC military calendar)
Hangar Deck Four, UNSC Trafalgar, New Ghent system

"So. That's that." Primarch Fedorian muttered, glancing at the other Citadel representatives. They'd moved back into the shuttle to discuss what they'd arranged with the humans. "What do you think, Matriarch Benezia? Can they be coaxed out of their paranoia?" he asked the Matriarch in question.

Benezia thought it over and then replied coolly, "Necessity will eventually force their hand. When their depots are packed so full of supplies they don't have room anymore, they will open up in order to be able to process all the aid we'll offer."

Jondum Bau raised an eyebrow. "You'd set up the scenario in such a way the humans will willingly give us what we want and think they came up with the idea themselves?" He nodded curtly. "Efficient. I agree. We'll just keep shipping them so many supplies that they'll eventually change the arrangement in order to accomodate all the shipments."

Fedorian frowned. Benezia clearly was a slicker negotiator than he'd initially thought when they departed for New Ghent. She'd used platitudes, well-placed words, and precise argumentation in order to make the humans do what was best for the war effort while thinking they did it for themselves. As Primarch of Palaven he had experience with this sort of thing, but that didn't change that this didn't sit too well with him. He preferred to be blunt in diplomacy. Still, this was why the Citadel Council existed: their races could combine their respective strengths to get the best possible result.

"I'll start writing my speech for the parade. I'll be coordinating with Admiral Cole about that. A crash course on their history would be useful here. Find anything I can refer to to make it resonate better with those listening. It's also time we gave them the full history of the Citadel."

Matriarch Benezia smiled. "Excellent."

The turian Primarch continued, "After Earth, I will be returning to Palaven. Fleet Admiral Karandis will assume my position in the Citadel Expeditionary Force. Benezia, has Matriarch Aethyta been briefed properly enough to take the asari seat on the War Council?"

Benezia nodded. "She has. She'll be an excellent military leader. I've contacted Tevos, and she told me to act as the ambassador to the UNSC. I'll be staying there for the time being."

Jondum Bau spoke up next. "I'll remain here then. I'll be working from New Ghent to coordinate our intelligence and research efforts. STG cells are much better in a support role. I'll be splitting the salarian army and fleet into detachments and attaching them to the Citadel Expeditionary Force. I suggest Matriarch Aethyta does the same with the asari military contingent. The turians are much better suited to this type of war. Now that we know what we're facing, I believe it was a mistake to come as three separate forces; we'll need the Citadel Expeditionary Force to be a joint command. Admiral Karandis will lead our space forces, Matriarch Aethyta the ground forces, and I'll be coordinating intelligence. The STG detachment, Citadel Expeditionary Force, is at your disposal."

Primarch Fedorian mulled it over. "That seems a prudent course of action," he agreed, already writing up orders on his omni-tool. Orders signed by his personal codes and biometric identifiers which would command the tactical and strategic VIs of the turian fleet to inform the Citadel forces of the reorganisation. There were contingencies and protocols to form a joint Citadel task force. It was just a matter of putting them into action.

"The orders have gone out. We'll begin reorganizing immediately. Commander Bau, I'll depart for Earth alongside our "parade" forces. I trust that you'll inform the War Council of our goals."

Jondum Bau nodded. "Consider it done." He paused. "It's been a great honor working alongside the two of you. I hope we'll meet soon under better circumstances."

"That we shall, Bau," Fedorian replied, cracking a rare smile.

"One last thing, Fedorian." Benezia said. "The UNSC and Citadel have both sent first contact packages, but I think it's time that we talked with them and revealed the things we've conveniently left out. They require our assistance, and they know what we have to offer. I think now would be a good time to tell them the whole truth. Get it over with."

-

Primarch Fedorian knocked on the door to Whitcomb's office. The guards standing on either side were noticeably ill at ease due the presence of an alien next to them. To their credit, the unease was barely visible.

The door slid open, showing Vice-Admiral Whitcomb at his desk, looking over some files.

"Primarch Fedorian, Matriarch Benezia, take a seat. How can I help?" The human pointed at a pair of simple chairs around a table evidently set for small meetings.

Benezia strode forward into the room, taking a seat, followed by Fedorian. "I've been contacted by my government and asked to serve as the official Ambassador to the UNSC. If we're to take that step, I think it's time that we both share our true histories, so that there are no secrets between us."

Vice-Admiral Whitcomb narrowed his eyes. "I assume you're talking to me instead of Admiral Cole, because he is not on the Security Council?"

Benezia replied, "This alliance is fragile and any secrets could damage it. We will give you the truth, but in exchange, we expect the same. If we find out you didn't tell us the truth, you can expect repercussions."

Whitcomb nodded slowly. "A harsh demand. But understandable. We're talking purely history? What you can read about in any history book?"

"Yes. Facts that would be easy to uncover after we've worked together for long enough. The details which would be impossible to hide. We want to get those out of the way before they become a hindrance," confirmed Benezia.

"Alright, that makes sense. Its not like those things will remain a secret for long." Whitcomb said. "You've given enough concessions for now. I'll share what you could learn from talking to an average citizen. No point in hiding those things."

Sighing heavily, Whitcomb began. "Early in our history of interplanetary colonisation, we had a brutal war called the Interplanetary War that nearly brought humanity to ruin. This war was fought over ideology, and it decided UNSC policy for centuries to come."

Primarch Fedorian nodded. "Such conflicts are an unfortunate regularity in galactic history. We fought a war like it ourselves."

This seemed to put the Vice Admiral at ease.

"This is the reason the UNSC does not allow any form of secessionism - the fear of a return to those days. We've had a golden age and centuries of peace, during which we discovered FTL travel and settled what we now call the Inner Colonies. These were colonized in the 24th century for the most part."

Benezia smiled at Whitcomb. "That sounds like the First Asari Expansion Wave. We have a lot in common."

Whitcombe smiled back. "Eventually we loosened colonization restrictions, and hundreds of new colony expeditions launched to found what we nowadays call the Outer Colonies. But due to the great distances involved, these colonies began to diverge…"

"And they rebelled," Fedorian joined in. "I assume you brought them back into line?" The situation reminded the Primarch of the Unification War that turians once went through. It would be a good thing to keep in mind when he made his speech. It was best to mention subjects humans could relate to.

Meanwhile, Whitcomb continued. "We at first tried to negotiate with the rebels, but due to corruption in our colonial administration many colonial forces defected to them instead. The insurrection quickly radicalized: for decades before the Covenant came in 2525, we'd been mired in a bloody insurgency that led to millions of deaths. Both sides kept escalating; even nuclear weapons came into play at some point. Fighting eventually spread to the Inner Colonies, and the rebels were very indiscriminate in their attacks. If not for the Covenant, we would most likely have destroyed - or at least crippled - ourselves eventually."

Now this did remind Fedorian strongly of the Unification War. "That's almost exactly like what happened to the turians in our Unification War. But we never stopped the secessionists.

"Instead, most rebellious colonies seceded and were taken over by warlords that began warring upon each other, while the loyalists dug in and let them fight things out. The rebels fought each other for several years in bloody wars that left whole colonies devastated."

Fedorian grinned wickedly. "Then, when the separatists had weakened each other, we struck. Within two years we'd retaken every colony, and within three decades all pockets of rebellion were crushed."

Whitcomb cupped his chin, looking lost in thought. Then he nodded. "That sounds like something the UNSC might have done if the situation kept deteriorating. Now it's your turn. Tell me what you didn't put in your first contact package."

"You've read of the Rachni Wars, I assume? It was in the package."

"The basics. Three centuries of galactic war against an insectoid race. Nasty." Whitcomb muttered. "I don't even want to know how hopeless humanity would get after three centuries of losing a war. Seventeen is bad enough." He gave a pained chuckle, as if he was trying to convince himself of something.

"And the krogan?"

"A reptilian race that led an uprising after aiding in defeating the rachni. What about them?" the vice-admiral asked. "The first contact package said they tried to conquer the rest of Citadel space due to their explosive reproduction. Seems like a lousy way to thank someone for lifting you out of radioactive muck."

Benezia shook her head. "This happened before the turians joined the Citadel Council. The krogan were uplifted by the salarians a century into the Rachni Wars. They were the only species who could withstand the toxic environment of rachni homeworlds, and they bred as fast as the rachni. We gave them worlds, weapons and fleets. And for two centuries the krogan and the rachni died by the billions each year. After two hundred years, the krogan assaulted the rachni homeworld after the queens refused to negotiate. The krogan set off thermonuclear and antimatter bombs in their hives and wiped out the rachni as a result."

Whitcomb grit his teeth, then looked up the first contact package again. "And this was more than a thousand years ago? Sounds like if you'd lost this war, we would have been exterminated by the rachni before humanity ever left Earth. I guess we should be thankful for that." Whitcomb said bemusedly. "Or the Covenant would have eventually gotten to those bugs, I guess."

Benezia continued. "After this, we rewarded the krogan for their service. Made them galactic peacekeepers, gave them dozens of worlds, celebrated them for decades. But the krogan were drunk on their victory. They kept breeding no matter how many times we asked them to stop. They drank worlds dry and destroyed whole ecosystems, and when they left a world a barren husk, they went to the next. We tried diplomacy, but they refused each request to limit their expansion."

Benezia sighed with the weariness of a thousand years. "Then they began conquering worlds belonging to other races. We gave them an ultimatum to stop. The krogan refused. We declared war and opened with a preemptive attack against their military industry. But they just recovered from a blow that would have crippled any other species."

Whitcomb nodded slowly. "You should have struck earlier, the moment you saw how fast they bred, when they made clear they wouldn't stop." He stated bluntly.

"Yes. We should have. It would have saved many lives. The Krogan were merciless: they put populations of entire worlds in slave labor camps, if they didn't just eat them."

Whitcomb raised an eyebrow at that. "They sound like Brutes."

Benezia shivered. "The asari they subjected to genocidal slave labor programmes and the tender mercies of their soldiers, but they kept the salarians as slaves for their eggs. We resisted fiercely, but there were just too many of them. Hope seemed lost when we discovered the Turian Hierarchy."

Fedorian continued like they'd rehearsed. "We made contact with the asari, and when we learned of the Krogans we threw our might at them. We liberated many worlds in our early offensives, but there were just too many krogan: a single krogan female could lay a thousand eggs in a year, and they grew up fast. We were pushed back, and the krogan began targeting turian worlds. They slammed moons into our worlds and took no prisoners. At the turning point of the war, the krogan seemed poised to take Palaven, our homeworld."

Whitcomb's eyes went wide in surprise. "They crashed moons into worlds that resisted? Sounds like they had a lot in common with the Covenant. But… moons. That's a whole new level of destruction. How did you beat them?"

"Genetic engineering. The salarians created the Genophage - a bioweapon that attacked the krogan reproductive system, making only one in a thousand births viable. We delivered it to every krogan world, every krogan colony. They didn't stop their wasteful mass assault tactics and quickly began running out of troops." There was fire in Fedorian's voice. "We struck back, drove the Krogan back to their homeworld, and kicked them off every other world. We bombed Tuchanka back into a post-apocalyptic hell and then took the fight to the surface. It took decades, but eventually the main Krogan government surrendered. But many warbands remained; some still operate to this day, centuries later."

Benezia continued from there. "The Genophage left enough krogan alive that they should still have positive population growth. But they're just too proud and violent. Any attempt to negotiate a settlement is rebuffed, and any krogan warlord that tries to drag his people into the modern age is quickly killed by a jealous rival. Nowadays the krogan are a scattered people, slowly killing themselves off due to infighting, general violence and a refusal to change. It's a sad state of affairs."

"Why didn't you exterminate them?" Whitcomb asked.

"What?" Fedorian and Benezia blurted out at the same time.

Whitcomb looked directly into the Primarch's eyes. "If a race dropped moons on our colonies, and they had to be driven back to their homeworld before they even considered negotiations? We wouldn't have bothered invading their planet, we would have just nuked it until there was nothing but slag."

"And that's what you'd do to the Covenant, if you could?" Fedorian asked hesitantly.

"If I could, I would unleash a thousand Genophages upon the Covenant."

There was silence in the room, then Benezia hesitantly spoke.

"I can't even imagine how much the Covenant has hurt your people, and we will do everything we can to assist. But genocide is not something we'll consider. Not now, hopefully never."

"Perhaps you say that now." Whitcomb admitted. "But if the Covenant were moments from glassing our homeworld… what would you do?" And then there was the unspoken question - what would the Citadel do if their homeworlds and their very survival were on the line?

Benezia went silent for a few seconds, then answered. "You're our allies. Your homeworld falling is considered unacceptable, just as our homeworlds being destroyed is unacceptable. We'd unleash the most horrific weapons we have, lift all restrictions we have if it came down to that."

"I understand." Whitcomb said. "I'll compile a report on this. Do you have more accurate historical texts o-"

"I'll have datapads containing a thorough report on the galactic history brought to you. Will you do the same?"

Vice-Admiral Whitcomb nodded. "I'll see to it. Thank you for your honesty. It's good to see you are as flawed as we are."