Private lab space, North Vegas:
Mordin Solus was a complicated man, well, Salarian. He'd lived a long, for a Salarian, life that was filled with interesting work, many memories, and even a nephew he was fond off. Once upon a time he would have considered it a good life, but as his last decade ticked closer to another spin on the wheel of life he wasn't so sure. Shepard had pulled the curtain back on his life's work, the rejuvenation of the genophage at the core of it, and shown him that in his near fifty years he may have done more harm than good.
He was an old Salarian, very old by his species standards. At fifty he should have been sitting in a quiet retirement estate the government had set aside for him, but Mordin was an oddity in more ways than one. Decades of tinkering with medicine, genetics, and augmentation had allowed Mordin to add a few years onto his life span of course, most of the Salarian high command earned a few extra years that way. But to Mordin he never quite knew why he was doing it beyond simply to do it. Until that was he came across FEV.
"Remarkable organism." He muttered to himself as he watched the sample bind to the Krogan blood under his microscope. "Unprecedented genetic grafting with no mutation. No immune response whatsoever. Almost as if virus is invisible."
"I don't like invisible." Grunt said, drawing Mordin out of his contemplation. "Invisible means something sneaking in the shadows, means that I'll waste ammo trying to make it bleed."
The young Krogan was pacing around the exam table he'd been sitting on for the blood Mordin had performed. Grunt had taken to wandering the wastes, joining the almost militia like bands of Mojave citizens dedicated to fighting back the mutated fauna of the wasteland. Only coming back into New Vegas to have Shepard bail him out of trouble or resupply his supply of ammunition. Mordin had asked him to stay in town long enough for Mordin to collect enough blood samples to test with the FEV Penelope had traded for copies of his custom gene analysis .
"Figure of speech." Mordin said, looking back to the slide only to discover that the "blank" FEV he'd exposed the blood too had altered itself radically, hardening as it bonded to and began modifying the Krogan blood cells. "FEV answer to many problems. Medical and biological. Yes. Fascinating that this universe's humanity perfected it. All things considered."
"Well you know humans, Frog." Grunt said, stopping to look at the specimen rack containing three large vials of his blood. "Leave em alone with nothing but a little food and some ammo and they'll pull something crazy out of their ass. These humans especially, I like these ones. No offense to Shepard, but most of her humans are pampered little squats while these people are warriors every one."
"How so?" Mordin asked as he carefully slid the slide containing the now FEV infected blood into a miniature incinerator. "Only appreciable difference is exposure to junk FEV strain in air. Humans in our universe exposed to just as much radiation on average through space travel."
"And here I thought you had a philosophical side, Frog." Grunt said, chuckling. "Listen, most humans live and die on their home worlds, sure they've got poverty and crime and all that stuff but what do these humans have? A mostly destroyed planet and maybe a hope for a better future if they fight for it. The average child wandering the streets is probably more dangerous than an adult human from our universe."
"Would need more data to make a proper hypothesis." Mordin said, tapping his chin. "Would probably bet on child all things considered."
"Ha, remind me to take you with me next time I hit the Thorn." Grunt said, his smile fading as he stared at the vials. "So, uh, do you think it will work? Using the FEV or whatever it is for a Genophage cure?"
"Genophage cure possible without it." Mordin said, tapping his chin. "FEV offers considerable shortcut. Could be used in concert with Maelon's research to create "healthy" Krogan genome. Could be used as template for new strain. New strain could then be altered to safely replace Genophage damaged genes without further damaging Krogan genetic structure. Courier's own genetics were enhanced in similar fashion."
"What's a "healthy" Krogan genome in your eyes?" Grunt asked, looking up from the vials.
"Hm. Big question. Assume you want short answer?" Mordin asked.
"At least an answer I'll understand." Grunt said, rolling his eyes.
"Perfect Krogan genome would actually be two templates." Mordin explained. "One male. One Female. Raptor strain of FEV robust enough to hold both genomes within internal structure. Simple matter to make it target damaged or lacking DNA based on sex. Could even wipe out recessive genes responsible for diseases and developmental conditions. Need near perfect Krogan for that though. Need you Grunt."
"Okeer bred me to be the ultimate Krogan." Grunt said, thumping his chest. "In my blood is the lineages of Shiagur, Kredak, Moro, Terg, Wrend, and Veeoll. That lineage made manifest in my service to Shepard and the crucible that was the Collector's base. I am the perfect Krogan, and don't you forget it, Frog."
"Certainly a perfect example of Krogan arrogance. Yes." Mordin said, chuckling. "You will supply male genome. Need to introduce process to randomize genetic structure in replaced genes. Will have to do the same for female genome. Do not want to make all Krogan siblings. Make for very awkward dating pool. Hm. Could graft segment of Asari genetic code into virus. No. Too complicated."
Mordin lost himself in thought for a moment, filing that idea away for later before looking at Grunt.
"Why the interest?" He asked. "Never seen much interest in Genophage from you. "Purpose" was to provide example. So Krogan could ignore the Genophage. Cure should be irrelevant to you."
"You doctor's are supposed to keep your traps shut about your patients, right?" Grunt asked.
"Of course." Mordin said, putting a hand over his heart. "Patient doctor confidentiality foundational to whole profession."
"Good." Grunt said, sitting down on the exam table. "So, you know the group of council races from this universe?"
"Am familiar." Mordin said. "Mostly Turian and Quarian crew in orbit with majority Krogan diplomatic team on surface. Do not know what is more novel. Quarians without suits or Krogan diplomats."
"The Krogan are why I'm asking about the cure." Grunt said, not looking Mordin in the eyes. "It's all I can think about since I saw her and I don't know why. You see, there's this female in the old woman's group, and when I first saw her I...I don't know how to describe it. Okeer gave me words for so many things, but all of them stemmed from rage or domination. This is different."
"How so?" Mordin asked.
"This female, she's not like any I've ever come across even when Shepard and I would visit Tuchanka when the female clans came to Urdnot." Grunt said, wringing his hands. "Her eyes were a shade of blue I've never seen before and they were lit not with rage or defiance but strength like no other female's. When she looked at me my hearts stopped and my palms started to sweat. I've never fled from battle but I fled from her, and now all I can think about is seeing her again and reproduction! Mordin tell me what's wrong with me, please."
"Oh boy." Mordin said, scratching his head as he held back a laugh. "You are suffering from a very dangerous condition."
"What is it?!" Grunt asked. "Tell me so that I may correct it and return to my hunts."
"Some call it love." Mordin said, unable to stop a chuckle. "Lust too. But not much difference at your age. Especially in Krogan."
?
Somewhere near the Hoover Dam:
"So, always a turn coat or just get fed up with the Courier?" Arthur asked as he and Boone hiked through the rocks.
The two of them had been dropped off by a shielded NCR vertibird twenty klicks from the dam the night before and they'd made gradual progress towards their target. A mobile sentry tower erected in a little used outpost that over looked the dam where Boone would use the rifle on his back to shoot Rex and start another war. He stopped and leaned against an outcropping, holding up a hand to stop Arthur as well as a patrol of Securitrons wheeled past down a small service road.
"They've boosted patrols since I left." Arthur said, using his spotter's scope he watched them disappear down the road before he looked to Boone. "Cross the road and down that maintenance path there, should take us to where we need to go. So, which is it? "
"Neither." Boone said, as he double checked the road and sprinted across it, taking advantage of the shadows cast by the rising sun.
"Really?" Arthur asked as he followed Boone into a sunken path protected by a craggy outcropping of rock that would take them all the way to their destination. "You're about to fire the opening salvo of a full blown assault against the Mojave and you answer "neither"?"
"It's more complicated than that, kid." Boone said, double checking the special round he held in his hand, his metal fingers gripped tight around the altered bullet like it was a safety blanket. "Rex and I have our disagreements, sure I didn't appreciate him fucking over the NCR for the dam and all the trade and tax bullshit he used to keep them in line, but that's not why we're here. All I want to do is fire this bullet into a skull, no more no less. Neither of us are paid to consider why the other's doing this."
"You're getting paid?" Arthur said, sticking to the shade as he walked.
"In more ways than you know, kid." Boone said in a tone that probably meant he wanted to drop the conversation.
"What's your poison?" Arthur asked, not wanting to comply with anything the turncoat sniper wanted. "They must have something on you, is is it chems? Girls? Boys?"
Boone stopped walking and turned to glare at him.
"Touch a nerve?" Arthur asked.
"I'm doing this for the good of my country." Boone said, turning around and walking away.
"Speaking as someone who was bred to run wars, how does a war with the Mojave serve the NCR?" Arthur asked. "Even if this little operation works and all the cunning little tricks pay out for you, you have to know the Mojave will splinter and put you in the same position the bear was in before the Second battle for Hoover dam."
"You don't need to know the strategy to know your part in it." Boone said. "What the NCR does is none of my concern after my part's done."
"Spoken like a true...patriot." Arthur said, stopping in place as a thought occurred to him. "When you say "for the good of my country" you mean the NCR, right?"
Boone didn't answer as he stepped closer to their target.
/
New Columbia, Mayor's office:
"You're sure about this intel?" Alyssa asked, looking up from the report into Sarah's concerned face.
"It's been confirmed by three separate scouts on patrol around the Dam." Sarah reported. "Arthur's been spotted skulking about with one of the Courier's old companions, Craig Boone if I remember his name right. We only spotted them because my scouts were keeping an eye on Moira's "baby" and they had to cross a service road."
"And we haven't heard anything from his convoy or the Lost Hills brotherhood?" She asked, tapping her pen against the report.
"No." Sarah said, concern on her face. "Lost Hills has been isolated for years now thanks to their war with the NCR going south and Arthur's group went dark when they passed into NCR proper. I assumed Arthur was skilled enough to make it through undetected, but if he's skulking around with an NCR expat there's evidence to say he got caught."
"This doesn't bode well with the certification ceremony tomorrow." Alyssa said. "Did you submit this to the Newsmen?"
"No, I was in New Vegas fishing some of the pride out of the Ultra Luxe's fountain when the initial report came in." Sarah said. "Handed the info straight to Rex, funny thing is, he told me to pass it on to you and only you. Not to Veronica, the Regulars, or even the Newsmen."
"So he's up to something." Alyssa said, rolling her eyes. "God, I miss the days when all I had to worry about was some genocidal enclave members and the occasional weirdo in a costume. Alright, I'm going to go see Rex myself, but I want you and the active members of the Pride to head west to the old NCR outpost. Don't set up shop on the premises, but watch the entrance to the Long Fifteen and report any activity that's irregular to me."
"Wow, I miss the days when you were a polite little traveling surgeon and now you're giving orders like a general." Sarah said, smiling as she saluted. "When you speak to Rex, ask him about that power armor I dropped off. It's that old set you found in the Outcast bunker, thought he could shine it up for me since my old suit is running down."
"Of course Sarah." Alyssa said, nodding at the implication.
Her old suit had been her father's when he was a knight and replacing it was a big event in her friend's life. Sarah being the type of woman who'd rather take a laser blast to the face and quip about than actually discuss her inner life, Alyssa decided to let the comment go. She'd hear all about it when Sarah was good and ready.
"Alyssa, that woman's living there." Sarah said. "You know that right?"
"I know." Alyssa said, standing up. "Roxanne and I need to talk eventually, and if its today then so be it. I can't keep avoiding the Strip."
"If you need back up just give me a call." Sarah said, patting Alyssa on the shoulder as she passed.
After a quick teleportation, Alyssa found herself on the Strip as the noon day sun baked everything unshaded. Ducking beneath a public water dispenser station's protection, she took a moment to absorb what the Strip had become even in the short year she'd lived in the Mojave. The walls had come down and all around her the city was opening up as new buildings rose and old buildings were brought back to life. People, human and otherwise, from all walks of life mingling together to form a whole new type of community and one day they'd go to the stars together. Alyssa allowed herself a little satisfaction that she was a major factor in that eventuality, considering she'd stolen the space ship in the first place.
Once, she'd felt the same about the Capital wastes. Felt that project purity could have been the nexus of a whole new era for the east coast, but then the Enclave had released the plague and she had to burn it all. As she walked towards Rex's home, she wondered if the people of the Commonwealth to the north even realized what she'd sacrificed to protect them.
With a sigh, she pushed that particular thought back down and walked towards Rex's home and noticed the heavier than normal Mojave Regular presence. The soldiers were stationed all around the street, mostly watching the foot traffic, but as Alyssa came closer to the home she noted that most were very much watching her. Maybe Veronica was just paranoid and trying to keep him safe, but if Rex was up to something she wondered if he'd factored all these extra eyes into his plans.
"Halt." A security drone at the door said. "Identify."
"Alyssa, leader of New Columbia and friend to Rex." She said, raising an eyebrow at the jury rigged sentry.
"Checking database." It said, internal machinery whirring more for effect than function if she had to guess before continuing. "Entry approved. Please wipe your feet on the way in."
"Thanks." She said, rolling her eyes and stepping into the house.
Inside she found a stack of luggage and Alena sitting on top of it chewing on jerky as she stared down a mousy haired young woman Alyssa knew to be Rex's older daughter from another universe.
"Miss Alyssa!" Alena said, breaking the eye contact to hop off the luggage excitedly. "What brings you here?"
"Oh I just need to run somethings by your dad." Alyssa said, smiling at the odd eyed girl. "Looks like I've caught you before leaving town, where are you all going?"
"Not all of us, just me and Penelope and Aunt Roxanne." Alena said happily. "We're going on a big trip with my class to the Midwest Brotherhood's scribe retreat."
"Oh I heard about that, should be very enlightening for all of you." Alyssa said, turning to Rex's other daughter and offered her hand. "I'm Alyssa by the way, a friend of your father's on the Mojave council."
"Oh yes, Father speaks highly of you." The young woman said, shaking Alyssa's hand with all the detachment of someone who was more used to handling syringes more often than handshakes. "You're the shotgun surgeon from what he's told us. I am Penelope, something of a doctor myself."
"You're dad's too kind." Alyssa said, mentally filing away why his daughter looks to be in her early twenties when Rex himself could only have been in his early thirties. "My dad was a doctor in the Vault I grew up in and I wanted to be just like him, so I decided to take up a doctor's bag. The shotgun didn't come until a little later. So, I assume you and...Roxanne are going on this trip as chaperons for Alena here?"
"Yes, I have some samples that will take a few weeks to mature and Roxanne has been itching to put some distance between herself and..." She trailed off before clearing her throat and continuing: "New Vegas. She gets into wandering moods you see."
"Yeah, I remember that about her." Alyssa said, her alternate memory whispering to her from the back of her mind. "Is she in? I do want to speak to her when I'm done with your father."
"Roxanne is busy picking out which of her brass knuckles she wants to bring." Rex said appearing at Alyssa's side, managing to sneak up on her despite his pronounced limp and cane. "What can I do for you Alyssa?"
"Just some questions regarding a prodigal son and a sniper you used to know." Alyssa said. "Sarah already brought it to your attention, but I'd like you to clarify a few things."
"Walk with me." Rex said, plating a kiss on Alena' forehead as he led her into the workshop. "Sarah tells me Arthur is back in town."
"He is." Alyssa said as they took a seat at his workbench. "Skulking around the dam with an old friend of yours."
"Yes, bit rude of Boone to visit the Mojave and not so much as stop by for an insult or two." Rex said, offering a half sincere smile. "Those who need to be aware are aware, Arthur's a bit of an unknown but I've been expecting Boone."
"What are you up to?" Alyssa asked. "And how can I help?"
"You don't even know what I'm doing and you want to help?" He asked.
"I trust you Rex, we're friends and partners." Alyssa said. "You love the Mojave more than anyone I know and whatever you're doing, I know you at least believe it's for the best. Plus, Veronica's been snubbing all of my calls and letting Regier run amok on the council, so you're my favorite person in government at the moment."
"I'm not in government at the moment." Rex said.
"Sure you aren't." Alyssa said, giving him a knowing look.
"You know, I know I have a reputation as a sneaky bastard and all that but everyone assuming I'm actually pulling the strings is getting old." Rex said.
"So you're not pulling any strings at all?" She asked.
"I am, but it's still annoying." Rex said, rolling his eyes. "Fine, all I need you to do is get everyone in New Columbia in town and hunkered down. Keep the pride close and watching the roads, there's a storm coming and I want to break it."
"Invasion?" Alyssa asked.
"We've already been invaded." Rex admitted with a sigh. "For almost three years now the NCR's been as bloated and self defeating as ever and we needed them for trade. Naturally that's allowed for a certain level of corruption and espionage to be tolerated. We'd be completely independent within five years, much sooner after the absorption of the Normandy's tech and data banks, and we could play hard ball with them. That was a miscalculation, now we've got whole elements of the government being run by lackeys for the NCR and out west the Government is shifting towards letting a fascist take control."
"So the attack's going to come from within not without." Alyssa said. "I don't suppose the agricultural collapse, the slew of storms, and the crash of their currency we arranged is doing anything to help that?"
"Figured out it was us, eh?" Rex asked.
"Brent Buxton figured it out, Rex." Alyssa said, rolling her eyes. "The only thing I'm questioning is why do it in the first place?"
"We'll start wit the easy one, currency." Rex said. "The NCR's dollar was going to shit long before the Mojave rose up, and instead of a long slow death that would have bled the people, many of which were already using caps by default, dry before the inevitable change over came to pass we added an acccelerant."
"The mysterious printing of millions of dollars in NCR dollars." Alyssa said.
"Yes, we had some of our newsmen steal printing plates and a press allowing them to print so much money in secret that the moment it hit the market it knocked fifty percent of the value off." Rex explained. "Now even with all the hate spewed at the Mojave the only thing that has value is our Caps and our products."
"Okay, what about causing the famine?" Alyssa said. "Was that inevitable too?"
"Yes actually, do you know what the staple crop in the NCR is? Beyond Brahmin that is." Rex asked.
"Maize if I recall, mostly to feed their Brahmin." Alyssa said.
"Exactly, the NCR would never admit it but those Brahmin barons that fucking run everything have been muscling out the farmers for years so they can feed bigger and bigger herds." Rex said. "Crop diversity fell as more resources were being thrown into feeding Brahmin so the bubble wouldn't pop. Before our intervention sixty percent of NCR agriculture was feeding into the Brahmin trade, while the Brahmin themselves were being bred for quantity not quality. Meanwhile, the Mojave started to provide food stuffs that not only had variety but actually cheaper than the piss poor beef they were slinging at home. Seeing a pattern?"
"Given enough time that means a tipping point will be reached, when too many resources are consumed to support an industry that's not actually feeding people." Alyssa said. "Plus, as the Mojave became more and more independent I suppose those herd sizes were looking more and more unsustainable."
"Exactly, the Turncoat legions have more than enough domesticated herds to sustain themselves and the protein needs of the Mojave proper." Rex said, snapping his fingers. "Now, the cattle barons wouldn't purge half of their herds on their own. Make too much money running the feed markets alongside being over paid for beef by the NCR government, and with the political power they hold no one was going to force them to. So we introduce a few parasites into the mix, one tailored to target the junk crops that only exist to feed Brahmin and the other to kill the worst bred Brahmin."
"While also providing nutritional aid along with agricultural plans to help them restore it." Alyssa said, thinking it over. "Which would align the more sensible people who could see the problem coming to you while sending your enemies into a frothing fervor. Forcing the NCR to actually choose to do something for once."
"The NCR was always going to fall to a man like Voorhees, democracies are weak to fascists who know how to play the stupid against those of us who paid attention to history." Rex said. "Problem is, I don't have years to wait for the tumors in my own government to let down the gates and let men like him in."
"So you goaded Voorhees' contingent into acting." Alyssa said. "Sped things along until they had to act or cooler heads would prevail. Either you force the NCR to confront its worst elements or you can be justified in taking out an enemy. Clever if a bit machiavellian."
"Alyssa, my father was obsessed with history." Rex explained. "Saw the rise and fall of empires as evolution in process, and considered the ones smart enough to push for something akin to democracy and work around its failures to be the pinnacle of said evolution. I know what's coming, good and bad, the world's about to change and I can't play with the fucking NCR while the stars are waiting to eat us whole. By acting now, the NCR will only suffer some unrest and a few months of eating nutrient packs if this pays off, rest assured I'm not planning a genocide."
"You're trying to unify the Mojave and the NCR, aren't you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just like you did with the Turncoat legion."
"If humanity wants to survive we need to rise as one." Rex said. "I pulled the Mojave together and dragged it kicking and screaming into a proto super power. People all around the Mojave and our eastern territories have government sponsored shelter, medical care, food, water, and access to education. Alyssa, what we're doing here is setting the ground for a rejuvenation of humanity, redemption and absolution all rolled into one. The NCR has always been flawed but it's the only democracy of the post war world, and to save it we're going to have to kill it a little."
"Just like chemo therapy?" She asked, looking him in his deep grey eyes. "Kill the cancer so the rest of the body can live?"
"Fate and my anger made me a monster." He said, his gaze not faltering for a moment. "The divide made me a mass murderer without me knowing it. But it was here in the Mojave, with the platinum chip and the battle for the dam that I became who I am now. Became the man behind the legend they whisper about out in the wastes, and I will do what ever it takes to protect our people and every innocent soul on this planet."
"And all of this because you got the wrong courier contract one day." Alyssa said, standing and offering her hand. "I'm with you Rex, the Mojave is just as much my home now as it is yours, and I'd like to see it prosper. To see everyone prosper."
"I'll do my best to see that they do." He said, grasping her hand and shaking it. "By the way, Roxanne's been standing in the front doorway for the last ten minutes and I was sort of monologing to buy some time."
"For her or me?" She asked, stiffening a little.
"Yes." Rex said, offering her an apologetic smile. "I can send her away if you want me to."
"Thank you but no." Alyssa said, releasing his hand and turning to look at Roxanne. "She and I need to talk."
Roxanne stood in the entry way to the workshop, looking at her with the grey eyes that drove her mad. Her chest tightened at the sight of her, not out of fear or hatred but with raw affection and need for her. Despite it all, their shared life that never was felt just as real as the memories without her. Alyssa couldn't hate Roxanne for trying to preserve that, but she wasn't just going to fall back into her arms either.
"You." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Meet me at the Cafe Moriarty in New Columbia at seven. Wear that nice black dress I like and make sure to bring your pocket book because you're buying dinner."
"Uh." Roxanne said, extending a finger before nodding. "Sure thing."
"Damn." Rex said, looking between his twin sister and Alyssa.
"Problem?" Alyssa asked.
"No, I just lost twenty caps to ED-E." Rex said. "I bet that you were going to hit her over the head with a drain pipe."
"Well, the day is young." Alyssa said, winking at Roxanne.
?
"Well Miss Santangelo, it seems your claims about the relay are true." Captain Nao Tiburtion said, as she activated a holo display of Pluto's moon, Charon. "At the core of this lump of ice is a dormant mass relay, a big one too judging by our scans. Certainly gives credence to your other claim of a Prothean cache on the planet you call Mars. Both of which are going to make your species very popular with the Council."
"That's good to hear." Veronica said, tapping into the data feed of Nao's omni tool with her own Omni-boy. "We honestly would have gone to Mars ourselves to confirm, but Prothean tech and language is a bit beyond us. As for the Relay, how long will it take to excavate it?"
"Two months if my head of engineering is to be believed." Nao said, raising a hand at Veronica's doubtful expression. "Before you ask if she's crazy, just know she graduated top of her class from a joint Quarian-Asari training academy and has served me for near a decade now. Did her graduation work on Mass Effect fields and come from a line of Asari relay builders. According to her, we should be able to set the Relay to a slow activation, gradually vibrating the ice encapsulating until the Relay's mass effect field clears it all always."
"You can build mass relays?" Veronica asked. "I thought only the Reapers knew how they really worked."
"Used to be, but the first thousand years or so of the Shard Council's history was dominated by one endeavor, building our own relays." Nao explained. "When the Asari learned the truth about the Reapers and the Relays from a Prothean VI left behind on the Shard, they wanted to develop relays of their own. So they brought the Salarians and Turians into the fold, with the Salarians acting as the brain power and the Turians supplying the raw "man" power and industrial infrastructure."
"It took a thousand years and three species to reproduce them?" Veronica asked.
"Yes Ma'am." Nao said, nodding. "The Relays seem simple at first glance, basically colossal mass acceleration cannons, but in reality they're some of the most complex constructs in the galaxy. Millions of moving parts, all working in sequence for millions if not billions of years makes them and the science behind their function incredibly difficult to understand let alone replicate. But two thousand years ago we managed it, an Asari scientist and her Salarian husband cracked the theoretical side of things and a Hegemony engineer reproduced the hardware. Not only giving us nigh unlimited access to the stars but also binding our three people's together until the Asari Insurrection fractured the Asari in two."
"So how many relays do you have under your control?" Veronica asked, fascinated by the utter dedication implied in the history.
"Tough to say, some have been lost to war or accident and the scout fleets are always on the hunt for undiscovered relays." Nao said, tapping her mandible thoughtfully. "From what I remember, counting yours there are seventy three Reaper built relays, still some of the most powerful relays in the galaxy, in addition to the six hundred greater and lesser relays the council and the ascendancy control."
"What's the difference between a greater and lesser relay?" Veronica said, taking notes.
"A greater relay is much like the one you have in system, designed for long distance jumps around the galaxy." Nao said, bringing up an image of a variety of Relay designs. "A lesser relay is designed for short jumps between systems or even on a planets surface with the smaller designs. Both types are all tied together in what we call the relay matrix, and if you have a properly trained Navigator AI you can reach almost any developed section of the galaxy within a day."
"And here we were thinking that we were hot shit." Veronica said, the implications of a civilization with that level of mobility overwhelming her for a moment.
"We all started as savages playing with sticks and bones in the muck, even the Asari." Nao said, chuckling. "Wrail seems to think your species has great potential, and I'm starting to agree. Humanity will go far under Krogan guidance, and from what I've seen with their help on securing monopolies on Earth's unique resources you'll be quite wealthy within a generation or two. Pity I wasn't carrying a Turian diplomatic envoy, you could certainly do more for us than the Hanar, that's for sure."
"Well, it's nice to be wanted." Veronica said, chuckling. "So the Krogan are going to get the credit for bringing us into the fold?"
"Yes, standard protocol on any Shard ship of mixed species states that if a diplomatic envoy is present representing the interest of a senior council race then their species becomes responsible if the species in question is willing to join the council." Nao said. "Once the Sol system is opened to the wider galaxy you'll probably get a Krogan defense fleet stationed in system along with an aid fleet. The former will defend your holdings and begin training your military in modern defense while the latter will begin the process of uplifting those factions that are aligned with you."
"Wow." Veronica said. "You guys certainly have this down to a process, don't you?"
"We do." Nao said proudly. "We've had enough accidents in the past, the Rachni and the scowering of the Bolus, but the Council is dedicated to uplifting talented young races wherever we find them. It's only through cooperation and trans species fraternity that we became strong in the first place. Uplifting species like humanity safely is vital to that, as I'm sure Wrail has explained to Mr. Craster."
"I suppose she has seeing as she paid him a visit a few days ago." Veronica said, a slight twinge at the back of her eyes distorting her visit for a moment before she continued. "You two realize that Rex is not officially part of the Mojave government at the moment, right?"
"We do, and Wrail has convinced me of a solution to any unrest created by this shift in power." Nao said. "From what I understand Mr. Craster is something of a legend among your people, you are too if my Geth analysts are as good as they claim to be, but Craster has a certain gravitas to him that draws people to him. Right now, you have a schism growing in your government and among your people because you moth balled him, but what if I told you that there was a way to take the knife out of your friend's back and solidify your own power at the same time."
"I'd say..." She said, her vision tinting green for a moment before she could continue. "I'd say I'm interested."
"Glad to hear it." Nao said, smiling. "The Shard Council is actually two councils, the Senior council made up by the Krogan, the Salarians, the Quarians, Turians, and Volus are the arbiters of everything in council space. The Junior council is made up of the races the senior races have brought into the fold,with each councilor having similar powers and duties to a senior councilor but far less reach. Now, when a species is inducted into the Shard Council they are given a seat on the Junior council so that they can learn to represent their species in the galactic community. The heads of both fleets will probably choose a councilor to represent you on the junior council, probably someone who commands respect but you wouldn't mind stepping back from a direct in politics."
"I see." Veronica said. "And you think Rex is a good pick to be our first councilor?"
"Wrail seems to think so." Nao said. "I've worked with the woman on sixteen operations in my career, and in all of them she's shown impeccable judgment and intuition. Right now, Humanity has valuable assets in your sciences, peoples, and leaders. If you ally with the Krogan I have no doubt you'll secure monopolies and with Rex representing you, mentored by Wrail, you'll have deals with the other Shard races within a generation. Your home world's an irradiated ruin, but if the Krogan are anything to go off of that can just the fertile soil needed for a truly powerful civilization to sprout from."
"That's something to think about." Veronica said, the twinging in the back of her skull acting up again.
"That's months off, so don't worry too much about." Nao said. "You have domestic issues to worry about in the mean time."
"Yes." Veronica said, rubbing her temples and sighing. "Yes we do."
?
Somewhere in the Northern NCR
"We're so close now." General Voorhees said, savoring the words as he looked over the map of known territories. "The vaccine's been distributed and all of the selected pops have been inoculated while the application teams are already hard at work hitting the refugee camps and population centers. I can taste those emergency powers."
"Try a little whiskey dad." Lenore Voorhees said as she flicked through a report. "It'll improve the taste."
"Oh no, I never go into battle unless I'm sober." Vorhees said, rapping a knuckle against the map. "I won't enjoy a drop of the good stuff until the victory toast, and your mother's got a lovely whiskey all lined up."
"Soldiers and their superstitions." Lenore said, rolling her eyes. "Where's Pammy anyway?"
"I'm right here." Pamela Voorhees said, entering the family study and handing her father a report. "This is the updated list of attack sites in the Mojave, only made one addition. It's a public park and botanical testing ground that our operatives recently became aware of. Supposed to be showing off the future of New Vegas agriculture, figured burning it down and killing some civilians would send a powerful message."
"I do so love it when you get visibly aroused by the prospect of terrorism." Lenore said.
"Fuck off Lenny." Pamela said, flipping her the bird. "We're a day away from executing the greatest military coup of post war history, your snippy comments are unappreciated."
"Girls, love the passion but shut the fuck up." Voorhees said before looking to Pamela. "How's getting a hold of my after party snacks coming?"
"The Courier's moved her and her little friend to a Midwest Brotherhood facility, but it's relativley lightly protected and Muto squad will be able to breach it easily." Pamela explained, producing a printed photo of a thin redheaded girl wearing goggles. "Regier's access to the teleportation matrix should allow them a chance to grab the prizes and retreat in the confusion of the operation. They'll be in the stronghold and waiting for you by the time the Courier's body is cold."
"And Lenore, you've managed to get a seat at the Courier's speech at the dam, yes?" Voorhees asked.
"Yes dad, I'll be moving with Moore's party and should be able to confirm the Courier's there in person." Lenore said.
"Excellent." Voorhees said, tossing her a holodisk. "Give him that, and make sure he looks at it before he goes on stage."
"What is it?" Lenore asked, looking at the label: Memories of a Rose.
"Just a little show of what I did to his beautiful little sister." Her father said, licking his lips at the memory. "And what I'm going to do to his daughter. God, it's going to be good to finally fuck the Craster bloodline into the sand and off into the afterlife. Mutants and traitors all."
"Are...are you sure it's wise to reveal your...involvment with his family?" Lenore asked. "You and your men burnt down his village and killed his parents, not to mention what you did to...his sister. What if this just enrages him?"
"Then he shoots you in the head and I get to start a war the legal way." Voorhees said, smiling at her. "We have a world to cleanse Lenore, everyone in this room has to be ready to sacrifice themselves for that ideal."
"Of course dad." She said, slipping the disk into a pocket as she made for the door.
"Oh, and Lenore." he said, stopping her in the doorway.
"Yes dad?" She asked, turning to look her monster of a father in the eye.
"Love you sweetie." He said, blowing her a kiss.