Author's Note: Here's a quick overview of my Admiralty Board:
* Yessi'Sheyn vas Rayya: The calm voice of reason among the Admirals, and often the "swing vote" in controversial decisions.
* Neel'Koris vas Relnara: Ancestor of Zaal'Koris. Strong colonization advocate pre-Keel'naha, and often favored bold, decisive action for the Quarians. Post-Keel'naha, he's much more cautious.
* Nezu'Gerrel vas Shellen: Ancestor of Han'Gerrel. Unlike his would-be descendant, he is a pacifist and was one of the strongest opponents of going to war over Keel'naha.
* Mera'Kuun vas Usela: Xenophobic and short-tempered. Reclamation advocate pre-Keel'naha. Not impressed with humanity.
* Nurn'Xen vas Alarei: Ancestor of Daro'Xen. More into the soft sciences than the hard ones, and is the Migrant Fleet's leading sociologist. Egotism runs in the family.
Chapter 2: Third Stone From the Sun
July 3, 1968
In orbit above "Earth"/"Terre", liveship Rayya
"This Conclave is brought to order," Admiral Yessi'Sheyn ritually recited. "Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai."
The Conclave repeated "Keelah se'lai" back, more hopefully than they had since the start of the Second Exile (as their current predicament was being called), but with nervousness. The entirety of the Migrant Fleet was stationed in-between Earth and the red planet "Mars", and there was no more time for putting off decisions.
Once the first ships had gotten close enough to get detailed scans on the planet and intercept recent radio broadcasts, the Fleet's best engineers (and that was really saying something) had gotten to work translating two of the most common languages spoken, "English" and "rússkiy yazýk". The former was a bit easier, but still confusing, and both were easy compared to those ridiculously complex symbol-based languages. As the Migrant Fleet made its way past the system's local gas giants (one of which was one of the largest any of them had ever seen), dutifully extracting resources along the way, the engineers had finally managed to get working translators for most of the radio and video broadcasts they were receiving.
Some of the transmissions had artistic content (most commonly music, which was primitive but strangely endearing) or news broadcasts. The latter were why the meeting was being called.
"As you are all no doubt aware by now, we are currently orbiting a planet that is home to a sentient early spaceflight civilization known as 'humans' or 'homo-sapiens'," Yessi'Sheyn began. "Has the Conclave had time to review the relevant material on this species?"
"Yes, Admirals, we have," Captain Lon'Rettel vas Mosus of the Civilian Fleet said in reply, standing up as he spoke. "And I must say, we have very bad timing."
"The situation is not optimal, true," Admiral Nezu'Gerrel spoke for the first time. He was getting old, and wondered why the Lon'Rettel and the rest of the civilians loved him so much. "But this new species presents an excellent opportunity for our people. Uplifting is never an easy process, but-"
"Uplifting?!" Admiral Mera'Kuun could stay silent no more. He didn't trust any aliens, even undiscovered ones, and the translations had done little to assuage his concerns. "Have you even read these reports, Nezu'Gerrel? Aside from using incredibly primitive technology that actively damages their environment, their entire planet is apparently embroiled in some sort of massive social crisis."
"It's more than just a social crisis," Admiral Neel'Koris replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Allow me to elaborate," replied the ever-so-humble Admiral Nurn'Xen, sociologist extraordinaire. "Humanity is a Level 3 Pre-Spaceflight Species on the standard Council scale - electricity and developed industry, but only rudimentary spacefaring capabilities limited to satellites and slower than light ships with limited lifespans. However, their social development lags significantly behind compared to most species at this stage. Skin tone and gender are still important class distinctions, though both of these are being challenged in the current environment."
She activated her omni-tool and began looking through recent historical human videos. "As we have gotten closer to this planet, it has become possible for us to intercept video broadcasts nearly instantaneously. Many have caught my attention, but one recurring theme are the protests. Protests against their leaders, against each other, and as of the last few weeks, protests against us." The last bit caused the optimism in the Conclave to quickly recede. "To be clear, the news of our impending arrival is not the root cause of this unrest. It began before we entered the system, though we seem to have made it worse. I've managed to intercept and translate a repeat broadcast of a news report from several months before we entered through the Mass Relay."
Her omni-tool connected to the Conclave's main computer and the black-and-white video began playing, dated in both standard human time ("October 21, 1967") and Citadel time. The quality was terrible, but the Khelish subtitles translating the news report provided enough context for the images to be understood.
"Today, more than 50,000 Americans [NATION, RESIDENTS] marched on the Pentagon [MILITARY] to demand an end to American involvement in Vietnam [NATION]. Fathers, housewives, and veterans created a diverse crowd as they made their way from the Lincoln Memorial to the headquarters of the American military."
The video was silent for a moment, and members of the Conclave could be heard gasping as many saw images of "humans" for the first time. They looked exactly like the asari! Well, not exactly like them, they had hair and different skin tones…actually, they didn't look all that different from quarians...
"As they reached the Pentagon, they were greeted by military police, and the peaceful demonstration soon turned violent", the narrator continued, and the quarians saw uniformed men brandishing primitive weapons confronting the demonstrators. The news report continued for some time, with interviews with some of the protestors, until Nurn'Xen finally stopped the video.
"The nation this footage is from, the United States of America, is currently engaged in a conflict with a smaller nation, Vietnam, which is itself part of a larger global conflict between it and the other planet's main nation, the Soviet Union. From what I can ascertain, their 'Cold War' is named as such because the two powers have never directly engaged each other militarily, despite coming very close several years ago. The 'Vietnam War' is currently tearing the social fabric of the United States apart, and it is a very volatile environment. To make matters worse, they are engaged in a divisive political election campaign. Hence, I argue we should not land our delegation there."
A captain from the Heavy Fleet raised an objection before Mera'Kuun could. "If we must do this, then landing in one of their cities will just cause the panic to escalate further."
"I agree," Nezu'Gerrel chimed in, much to the surprise of Mera'Kuun. "Fortunately, Admiral Sheyn has shared her reason for calling this meeting with me. The matter will resolve itself soon."
"What?" Many members of the conclave simultaneously replied.
Excerpts from The New York Times, May-June 1968
APOLLO 7 SET FOR JULY 4 LAUNCH: LIMITED-USE "BARE BONES" ORBITAL STATION INTENDED FOR SHORT FIRST CONTACT
May 20, 1968
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Addressing the press for the first time about the unidentified objects in the sky, President Lyndon Baines Johnson confirmed that they are indeed alien vessels of unknown design. "At this time we can observe that the ships appear to be heading steadily towards our planet, and the majority should be in orbit by June. After careful consultation with NASA and leading researchers in the private sector, we believe there are roughly 1,000 ships in total." (This reporter questioned the President on that claim, with some observatories reporting ship estimates as high as 60,000, but did not receive further clarification.) Johnson then confirmed that he had signed an executive order modifying the timetable and nature of the Apollo project.
Apollo 7, previously intended to be a three-man mission that would have included the first live television broadcast in space, will instead be a one-man mission on a small spacecraft designed to rendezvous with the alien ships and make First Contact. Veteran astronaut Captain Walter "Wally" Schirra has been chosen for the Apollo 7 mission. If all goes well, he will be the first human to make contact with an alien race.
When asked about the possible risks posed to the Captain and humanity as a whole, President Johnson replied that Schirra personally volunteered for the mission and the world needed to "give the aliens the benefit of the doubt. They are technologically superior to us, and we can't resort to war with them as a first option." Some reporters said the rhetoric seemed strange coming from a President who had escalated American involvement in Vietnam, to which Johnson countered "These aliens aren't communists. The two situations are not comparable in the least."
The Kremlin has yet to issue a statement on the Apollo 7 program, but sources inside the Soviet government report that the Politburo is unhappy the United States will make contact before they do and intend to make sure they also receive technological benefits in the event that the alien race proves to be peaceful.
KENNEDY CLAIMS VICTORY IN CALIFORNIA, CALLS FOR "HAND OF FRIENDSHIP" TO ALIENS; EUGENE MCCARTHY DROPS OUT
June 5, 1968
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - Choosing to close out his statewide victory in California's capital, Robert F. Kennedy addressed a crowd of enthusiastic supporters Tuesday night as he called for peace and brotherhood between races and towards the unidentified aliens heading towards Earth.
"The last few months have seen our nation's spirit tested, its creed disregarded by proponents of hatred and violence who have taken some of our brightest and most compassionate minds from us," Kennedy said, apparently referencing the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in April. "In the words of Thomas Paine, these are the times that try men's souls. Now, in this period of great uncertainty, we have been introduced to yet another, even greater uncertainty. Many fear that these aliens have come to weaken us, or destroy us. But when fear demands we listen to it, above all other emotions and higher thought, that is the time when we must listen to reason."
Kennedy argued for giving the aliens the benefit of the doubt, and implored all audience members to wait for the result of the Apollo 7's rendezvous with the ships currently stationed above Earth.
The White House
July 1, 1968
President Lyndon B. Johnson: "So if stoners, rioting negroes, and George fucking Wallace wasn't enough for me to deal with, now we've got aliens. Clark, I love this job and wouldn't trade it for the world, but this is…[sighs] Christ almighty, what a mess."
Defense Secretary Clark Clifford: "I agree, Mr. President, but it appears we have little choice in the matter. Your decision on the Apollo 7 seems like the best way to deal with the problem immediately."
Johnson [eyebrow raised]: "That so? Usually you just pretend to agree with me. Sometimes I wonder if I should've kept Robert around."
Clifford [slightly uncomfortable due to that jab]: "Mr. President, it is my job to offer you my opinion and follow your orders regardless of it. It is true we sometimes disagree on policy-
Johnson: "Disagree? McNamara wanted me to give in to those hippies! And you haven't been much better!"
Clifford [carefully]: "To be honest, sir, Vietnam hasn't exactly been at the forefront of my mind lately."
Johnson: "Really now? That's interesting, because I have had a lot of thoughts on our war."
Clifford [thinking God, please don't let this go where I think it's going]: "As…as they relate to the aliens sir?"
Johnson [slyly smiling]: "Yes. The Soviets can't get their asses in gear, which means we get to meet them first. If they're hostile then we're not going to win. Don't give me that look, Clark, you know what we're up against. But if we're first, and they perhaps need a place to settle down or some resources for their ships, we might able to make some…trades."
Clifford: "Trades?"
Johnson: "Transportation and food technology for the press to eat up. For us, behind the scenes…weapons. Weapons we can use and the Viet Cong and their buddies up north can't."
Clifford [terrified]: "But when the Soviets find out…"
Johnson: "We stall them, as long as we can, until the war is won. Then we deal with the political blowback."
As Clark Clifford left the White House, he felt a chill go down his spine. He was not opposed to finishing the job in Vietnam, but this…this could turn Vietnam into a smoking crater if the aliens were as advanced as they suspected. If the President got his way, this was going to get much worse before it got better - not for them, but for the Vietnamese.