Author's Note: The quarians are, in fact, a communist society - there is no private industry, resources are collectively managed and distributed among the Migrant Fleet, etc. It fits the communist model quite well. Now, it was perhaps not a good idea for Neel'Koris and Nezu'Gerrel to reveal that without some more context as to why the Migrant Fleet is like this, as we will see...
Chapter 4 - Light My Fire
In orbit above Geneva, Switzerland, civilian ship Tonbay
July 5, 1968
Admirals Neel'Koris and Nezu'Gerrel looked at the video screen as the Tonbay made its final descent into Geneva.
After initial First Contact, the Admirals had set up a direct line of communication with NASA in Houston. The humans on the other end of the line seemed grateful for the peaceful encounter, but like the Captain were annoyed at the Tonbay choosing to land in Switzerland. Neel'Koris had mollified them somewhat by informing them that the Tonbay would also stop in Washington, D.C. following the initial Geneva landing to return Captain Schirra. Once they made the communication public and he was being broadcasted live around the world, the Admiral had delivered a simple message of peace and cooperation, promising to share details of his people at Geneva.
Yet somehow, they doubted it would be this simple. Nurn'Xen was annoyed that she wasn't being included in the initial delegation party, but the other Admirals unanimously agreed that her...mannerisms...were not appropriate for First Contact, and they couldn't send the entire Board in the event that the humans proved hostile. Yessi'Sheyn was anxious, and Mera'Kuun was his usual surly self. None were exactly enthusiastic about this, but the quarians needed friends. They needed help, even if they had to help out a lot in turn.
"I've never been to Geneva before," Captain Schirra said, breaking the silence. "It's a beautiful city."
"I agree," Nezu'Gerrel replied. They were still in the hangar, but a live feed of the city outside was being provided by external cameras. "This 'Palace of Nations' seems like a good place to send our delegation. As I said about an hour ago, we will be landing off of Lake Geneva right next to the Palace."
"Do you think they will agree with your plan?" Schirra asked. "For...'uplifting' us?"
"I certainly hope so," Nezu'Gerrel said. "But the tensions and conflict of the Cold War will not go away. Both your nation and the Soviets will want extrasolar colonies, mass effect-based weapon technology, and other wonders your people simply are not ready for yet."
"But we are ready for the Solar System?"
"Your system has a remarkable number of second-tier habitable planets. While changing an atmosphere is outside of our technological reach, setting up habitats should be simple enough. It will satisfy your curiosity to explore the stars, but at a rate that can be managed."
"And the rest of your technology? You think they're just going to let you dish it out incrementally like that?"
"We have no choice," Neel'Koris said, reminded that humans used some odd expressions. "At the stage of development we are moving you towards, most species already have a unified government and social order. Your closest analogue, the 'United Nations', is both lacking in power and headquartered in your own country."
"Well, I hope you know what you're doing," Schirra replied uneasily. "Things are about to change a lot on this little blue rock."
Los Angeles, California
The aliens are coming!
So we heard Houston say!
The aliens are coming!
So we must-
No, no, that was wrong! Jim Morrison sighed and crumpled up the piece of paper. His poetry wasn't quite where he wanted it to be for this occasion. He had to write something great, and maybe not with a song attached to it. More people needed to see the written side of his art.
Still, it was hard to be frustrated on a day like this. Aliens! Peaceful aliens! Where were they from? Why did they have so many ships? And most importantly, when could he talk to one?
As he started on yet another poem attempt, his mind drifted to The Doors' last album. Waiting for the Aliens was good, but if only he had had a little more advance notice on them coming. Maybe the aliens would like music, and he could drift into a wonderful new plane of thought with one of them when he began working on his next project.
In orbit above Geneva, Switzerland, civilian ship Tonbay
"You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say it to you
Girl we couldn't get much higher
Come on baby light my fire
Come on baby light my fire
Try to set the night on fire!"
Nela'Shar vas Tonbay found herself tapping her feet and humming along with the human music as the Tonbay made its way to the surface of Earth. As per the Captain's orders, civilians in the ship were free to listen to public unrestricted broadcasts, and she had found a local radio station dedicated to "rock" music. She found it odd to name a genre of music after a solid mineral, but it was catchy and fun nonetheless. It reminded her of old recordings of ancient asari music - the quality wasn't the best, but something about that gave it its charm. One music group in particular, called "The Doors", had caught her attention when the Tonbay had been intercepting terrestrial radio signals on the way to Earth, and she found to her delight that they were popular enough to be heard on these radio stations in Geneva.
She had surreptitiously recorded several of the music broadcasts on her omni-tool while on duty, and over the following months had been listening to them while working. Nurn'Xen had laughed in that annoying Nurn'Xen-y way when she had asked about getting more music, but nonetheless obliged, and it was a good way to familiarize herself with this "English" language and the humans' culture. Apparently humans were beginning to challenge some of the social norms of their society - some of them were, anyways - and the result was an outpouring of musical creativity. Something about the simplicity of the instruments paired with the singing had captivated her.
Nela was snapped out of her thoughts by the voice of the Captain Nara'Veel vas Tonbay. "All hands, we have arrived in the human city of Geneva. Myself and Admirals Neel'Koris and Nezu'Gerrel will be serving as the First Contact delegation. Everyone else is to remain in the Tonbay until we return or new orders have been given. XO Zorah has the deck."
As Nela looked out the windows and saw the large crowd of humans gathering around the ship, she felt content for the first time in years. These new humans were going to be good to the quarians, she just knew it. And maybe she could get a job at one of those radio stations...
Excerpt from Hope, Fear, and Aliens on the Campaign Trail '68 by Hunter S. Thompson:
People get the quarians wrong. They call them communists, and when it comes to how the Migrant Fleet did what it needed to do to keep them from going extinct, that's mostly right. But they're not, not really. They're collective opportunists.
What do I mean by that? Put yourself in the shoes of a quarian c. 1950, before they met us but before they got kicked out of the rest of the galaxy. You're a disrespected contradiction: hated for making the Geth, but valued for your engineering skills. Laughed at as a beggar and a thief, all the while knowing the reason you have to beg is because of the invisible Geth-shaped weight on your shoulders. You get paid less, are respected by almost nobody, and you can't even settle on a planet that you found, because you're being "punished" forever.
Who are you loyal to? The other 17 million bastards who also drew the short straw in life.
Most humans look out for number one, but quarians look out for each other. Pre-Contact, people said that was the language of the hippies. But when you're in a galaxy with trillions of other aliens, most of which call you suit rats with the gusto of George Wallace shouting nigger, "looking out for each other" means prioritizing those 17 million, and to hell with everyone else. That's what makes quarians different from Marx's ideal. If a bunch of aliens came to the communist utopia of the future, kicked the workers out of it, and forced them into a galaxy that hated them, they'd get pretty damn xenophobic too.
The Palace of Nations
July 5, 1968
The most important moment in human history did not turn out the way anyone thought it would. Pessimists predicted the aliens would use their fleet to invade and subjugate the Earth. Optimists countered that the wondrous technology of the aliens would end war and usher humanity into an incredible future.
Both and neither were true at the same time. Shit, as they say, really hit the fan.
Most historians, when analyzing the Geneva Summit, contextualize their analysis by taking each of Neel'Koris' and Nezu'Gerrel's "bombshells" and examining them individually, as trying to take on all at once inevitably leads to a paper or book which much greater scope than depth.
First was their history.
SOVIET AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS YAKOV MALIK: "...Admirals, I believe the most prudent question for us to begin with would be the one we have been asking for three months: why have you come to Earth?"
ADMIRAL NEEL'KORIS VAS RELNARA: "We are not the only species in the galaxy. There is another galactic community, based around an ancient space station known as the Citadel. We were recently exiled from this galactic community, and are searching for a new home. We found your planet by coincidence."
UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS ARTHUR GOLDBERG: "So you are criminals? Will these aliens come looking for you?"
NEEL'KORIS: "No, they will not. We were forced out against our will after attempting to colonize a planet. We lost the resulting war to defend it."
YAKOV MALIK: "And why did they force you off this planet? Did you take it from another species?"
ADMIRAL NEZU'GERREL VAS SHELLEN: "No, Ambassador, we were not allowed to settle a planet. Approximately one Earth century ago, we created a race of machines known as the Geth. Council law does not allow for advanced machine intelligences, and so we programmed them to be simple enough to follow orders but not advanced enough to have awareness. Unfortunately, by sharing processing power, they eventually 'woke up' around 70 Earth years ago. When we attempted to shut them down, they massacred the vast majority of our population, and we were reduced to living on thousands of nomadic ships - the Migrant Fleet."
ARTHUR GOLDBERG: "Yes, Captain Schirra described your war with the Geth in his report. But this story has some issues."
NEEL'KORIS: "I beg your pardon, Ambassador?"
ARTHUR GOLDBERG: "You accidentally created a race of intelligent machines who nearly destroyed your people, and you were punished for this? What sort of government would punish you by demanding you stay off of any planet, even one you've discovered yourselves? This 'Council' seems more of a caricature than a real government."
NEZU'GERREL: "Ambassador, I can assure you that our story is true. You can see the archived recordings for yourself. The Council wanted to make us into an example, a lesson of what happens to those who create artificial intelligence. Prior to our Exile from the known galaxy, we were commonly stereotyped as beggars and thieves, and often suffered discrimination as a result."
That did it.
Interview of Admiral Neel'Koris vas Relnara by Mike Wallace of CBS News
July 11, 1968
ADMIRAL NEEL'KORIS VAS RELNARA: "As I have tried to make clear, Mr. Wallace, we do not wish to interfere in the internal politics of Earth nations."
MIKE WALLACE: "But the terms of the Geneva Agreement make that impossible. 500,000 quarians are going to be living in the United States soon. You're going to have thoughts and opinions on the way we run our society."
NEEL'KORIS: "We will, yes, but our main concern is with the improvement of your technology-"
MIKE WALLACE: "Admiral, you yourself said that quarians suffer from discrimination in the wider galaxy. Here in America, we're having a very divisive debate on the subject of discrimination, and what to do about it. Will you add to this conversation?"
NEEL'KORIS: "Our purpose is not to actively shape the direction of your politics. We will ask our opinion if offered."
MIKE WALLACE: "That's an evasive answer."
NEEL'KORIS: "Mr. Wallace, while we sympathize with the goals of the Civil Rights Movement, we are not seeking to-."
MIKE WALLACE: "So you sympathize with African-Americans and others being discriminated against?"
NEEL'KORIS: "Yes, of course I do!" [pause] "But..."
The New York Times, July 14, 1968:
GEORGE WALLACE: "SUIT RATS" NOT WELCOME IN ALABAMA
Responding for the first time to Neel'Koris vas Relnara's highly controversial CBS interview, George Wallace pledged at a campaign stop in Charlotte, North Carolina to oppose quarian residency in Alabama.
"Folks, segregation worked just fine before the eggheads and elitists up in Washington started telling us how the South needs to be," Wallace said. "And now these aliens, who know nothing about Earth and even less about Dixie, want to tell us how to run our governments! Well I can tell you right now that the Council had it right when it kicked those suit rats out, and I won't let the great state of Alabama get infiltrated by communists! As President, I will not allow the Geneva Agreement to infect our society with alien Marxism, and pledge to closely monitor and deport any troublemakers."
Wallace's remarks were immediately condemned by Alabama Governor Albert Brewer, who pledged to work closely with the quarian leadership to ensure a smooth and safe arrival for all new residents of the state. Wallace has steadily risen in the polls over the last week, and appears to be rapidly consolidating the anti-quarian vote in the upcoming Presidential election. Both Robert Kennedy and Richard Nixon have pledged to uphold the Geneva Agreement and its provisions for technological and social integration.
The Palace of Nations
July 5, 1968
After their history was revealed, the Geneva Summit quickly switched to the details of quarian plans for integration and technological uplifting. Neel'Koris knew ahead of time that he was adding "fuel to the fire," as the humans said, but they were smart enough to figure out why the Admirals would choose to land the majority of the fleet on barren, desolate Mars if he didn't tell them.
FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS ARMAND BERARD: "Admirals, we have established that you are looking for a new home, and 17 million is a number Earth can easily support. But it will be considerably more difficult to find the space necessary to land your ships, simply because of how numerous they are."
NEEL'KORIS: "I understand, and thankfully we already have a solution. While the majority of our civilian population will live on Earth for the time being, we plan to land most of our ships on Mars. We will be constructing sealed environmental habitats as well, and I would like to formally invite any interested human scientists to join us on our outposts there."
ARTHUR GOLDBERG: "I'm sure many of our scientists are jumping with joy like schoolchildren right about now." [laughter] "If I may, Admiral, why Mars? We know of no resources that could be of great use to you there."
[Silence.]
ARTHUR GOLDBERG: "Admiral?"
NEEL'KORIS: "Ambassador, people of Earth, it is time we told you about the Protheans."
And so they did, and there was much shouting.
Eventually, the shouting stopped. Briefly.
LORD CARADON, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM TO THE UNITED NATIONS: "Admirals, please tell us of your plans for the galaxy. As a species, we have only recently begun to reach for the heavens, and now because of you they are within our grasp."
NEZU'GERREL: "We understand and share your desire to explore the galaxy. However, you must remember that a species at your stage of development normally has not yet discovered mass effect technology. Without a unified government, you may find it difficult to control colonies beyond the Mass Relay-"
YAKOV MALIK: "With all due respect, Admirals, are you saying we will be confined to Earth?"
NEEL'KORIS: "Not at all. Ordinarily, most species must leave their home system in order to establish colonies beyond their homeworlds. Your Solar System, however, has no less than four planets which could be made habitable through the use of sealed environments: Mars and the gas giant moons of Europa, Enceladus, and Titan. We propose that joint human-quarian colonies be established on these four planets within 15 Earth years, for the purpose of both settlement and harvesting the resources of Saturn, Jupiter, and the Martian ruins. During this time, the Migrant Fleet will continue to search the Mass Relays for a world which contains dextro-protein based life. Should we find such a world, we will begin settling it while maintaining a presence here on Earth and allowing any quarians to stay here permanently if they so choose."
He expected looks of awe and wonder. Maybe even cheering. Instead, shockingly, they looked skeptical.
ARTHUR GOLDBERG: "Apologies, Admiral, but could you please clarify what you meant by 'joint human-quarian colonies'?"
NEEL'KORIS: "We propose that the human intrasolar colonies be jointly administered and owned by the Migrant Fleet and the United Nations, the latter on behalf of the human race."
That didn't go over well.
Headlines around the world, July 6-7, 1968
ALIEN RUINS ON MARS! QUARIANS CLAIM ANCIENT ALIEN CIVILIZATION MONITORED PRIMITIVE HUMANS!
THE NEW SPACE RACE: WHO WILL GET THE GAS GIANTS?
QUARIANS AND HUMANS DISAGREE ON TERMS OF SPACE COLONIES: UNITED STATES, SOVIET UNION STRONGLY OPPOSE UNITED NATIONS OWNERSHIP
PRESIDENT JOHNSON: "THE SOVIET UNION WILL NOT RECEIVE ONE QUARIAN IMMIGRANT MORE THAN AMERICA DOES"
POLL: WALLACE, KENNEDY, NIXON EVENLY MATCHED: ELECTION EXPECTED TO BE CLOSEST SINCE 1960
QUARIANS LAY OUT "UPLIFT" PLAN: TRANSPORTATION, MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY MAIN FOCUS
REPORT: WHITE HOUSE "DETERMINED" TO GET ACCESS TO QUARIAN WEAPONRY