Over 100 followers before end of the first arc.
Thank all who followed „The third way."
I still think Wave Moution Gun is OP, especially its wersion form Second Season of the Remasterd version, but I will still make many new other amazing technologies.
Also, after this chapter time skip will be. New ships, new tactic, new factions. Alliances will be made and destroyed. Secrets will be discovered.
And I will probably add some side story to this universe, and mechanical Guide to ships that I made personally. To ships, that I use, links will be added. But for some reasons it won't always work. If someone know reason why, please write in comments.
From: QuantumAxolotl
Will Gamillas fight with other factions against the unimaginably advanced and immense numerous enemy, that want to wipe out all advanced life in the Galaxy? I think so.
Chapter 12
= place: the area around Quarian Migrant Fleet, 2 weeks after the conference in Citadel =
SSV Vladivostok, a Berlin-class cruiser, and 4 Alamo-class frigates have entered the system. All crew members were amazed for a moment. Outside the windows, they saw the entire Quarian migrant fleet, over 50 THOUSAND ships of various classes, sizes, and origins. From small corvettes to ships larger than Destiny Ascension. And it's done without any dock!
The captain recovered quickly. - "Okay boys. If you are done whit watching ships, you should get back to work."
The crew obeyed immediately and the human flotilla was back on course. Quite quickly, 10 other ships came out to greet them.
"This is QSV Malurn for a fleet of 5 ships. Give your target or you will be shot." - She said the voice on the communicator, probably captain of that ship.
"This is SSV Vladivostok. Our ambassador would like to discuss the possibility of cooperation between our governments on behalf of the System Alliance." - Said the captain.
"Stay where you are and wait for an answer." - Captain of Malurn said.
"Well." - said the tactical officer - "They didn't start shooting at us as soon as they saw us, so the first plus in my journal."
At the joke, the officers on the bridge laughed, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed. Moments later, the ship was allowed to approach the ship on which the conclave and the admiralty council were gathered.
= place: ship Rayya =
Onboard the ship Kichirou Shinkawa, the System Alliance ambassador will stand before the Quarian admiralty council and the conclave. After introducing himself and other courtesies, the proceedings began.
"So, Ambassador, what do you want from us?" - Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema asked.
"Friendly relationships, technological exchanges, trade, and maybe even an alliance." - Shinkawa said bluntly - "After all, as you probably know, we are not on the best terms with the Citadel council at the moment after we rejected their invitation and a brief war with the turians."
"No offense, Ambassador, but that's a little bit low given the risks." - Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh said. Even though deep down she knew it was the best offer they had gotten since Geth War, but she wanted to get as much out as possible.
To her surprise, Shinkawa just smiled and said. - "We also have a plan that will surely interest you. It's very risky, but if you manage to get Rannoch back."
It caused a great stir and whispers throughout the room. It took the admiralty a moment to calm the crowd.
"How exactly are you going to get Rannoch back?" - Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay asked.
"By mediating peace negotiations between you and the Geths." - Shinkawa said.
At this, another commotion began in the crowd. Admiral Han'Gerrel screamed indignantly. - "This is outrageous as you can even expect us to try to make peace with these damned machines. They wanted to murder us!"
"I do not think so." - said the ambassador calmly - "More than 250 years have passed after you left your homeworld. If they really wanted to kill you at that time, they would have managed to make at least a few fleets to attack you. Besides, no one has tried it before, so there's a chance it'll work."
"I'm still not convinced." - Admiral Raan said.
"Then I'll explain it to you this way." - Shinkawa said. - "Your options are to live on these ships that can't be docked forever, so you'll die. Establish colonies somewhere, which the Council is unlikely to allow within their borders. You can try to do this on Terminus, but you will be under constant attack from slavers, mercenaries, and other scum of this galaxy. There is still the possibility of an armed recovery of Rannoch, but it will entail huge losses for your already small population. There is also a good chance that someone will then want to take the area for themselves after you weaken and the geth have died out. And that's assuming you make it. A peaceful solution will allow you to recover Rannoch without loss and keep your fleet in full strength, so no one will dare to attack you."
"What will you get out of it?" - Asked Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib.
"You as allies, geth with a little luck, technological developments in many areas, and likely access to resources for Perseus Veil." - Shinkawa said.
"All diplomatic ships sent by the Council have been destroyed." - Raan said.
"Again, that was over a quarter of a millennium ago." - said the ambassador - "Plus they had literal laws against AI before Geth War. Add to that a huge fleet at the edge of their systems, a relatively young self-awareness, and a logical mind. They most likely felt they had the best chance of surviving because of isolation. Your attack on Rannoch is possible and it will be a threat to their existence. A peaceful solution will most likely be seen by them as a better solution than the current state."
Many nodded understandingly. If the talks were successful, almost all of their problems would disappear. But a lot of it still wasn't convinced. The resentment was considerable and deeply entrenched. But they saw the potential and logic in the ambassador's statement.
"So?" - Shinkawa asked. - "Do you agree to our plan or not? If you need time to think, we can wait on our ship."
"I will send that a moment of reflection will be the best for everyone." - Admiral Rael'Zorah said.
After that, the people returned to their ship, and the Conclave and the Admiralty Council debated this for several hours. Mostly it was emotional resentment towards the geth versus logical thinking. Ultimately, it was decided to accept the people's proposals. Admiral Koris volunteered as ambassador. And so a single ship went to geth space.
= place: geth space, a few days later =
Vladivostok passed through the relay to the geth space. On-site, he quickly met up with several geth ships. The communication channel was quickly opened and the connection was established.
"To the human ship, give your purpose to come to Perseus Veil." - Geth said.
"This is the captain of the SSV Vladivostok. We are to be brokers of peace talks between Geth and Quarians, at Quarian's request."
There was a brief pause, then they got the message. - "We will send a representative to your ship via the fighter. Arrival time, 5 minutes." - and they hung up.
After 5 minutes, the geth fighter landed in the ship's hangar and a single geth came out. He was quickly directed by the marines into the room where the human and quarian ambassadors were located. And so began the peace talks.
"Welcome, geth representative, I am Ambassador Kichirou Shinkawa of the Systems Alliance, this is Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib who represents the Quarian Migrant Fleet. And your name is?"
"Geth." - Geth replied.
"Just Geth. No name?" - Shinkawa asked.
"We are all geths." - Geth replied.
"And what is this specific platform called?" - Shinkawa continued.
"This platform designation is 2A93 and contains 1183 geth programs. If it makes communication easier, you can give this platform a name." - Geth said.
"My name is Legion because there are so many of us." - Shinkawa said, under the nose.
"The Gospel According to Saint Mark, chapter 5, verse 9. We understand and accept the analogy. You may call this platform Legion." - Legion said.
"Wait, how do you know the human religious book?" - Koris asked in surprise.
"The text has been made public on the extranet." - Legion said.
"Okay. Now, let's go to the negotiations." - Shinkawa said and everyone sat down.
"First, he would like to know what happened during the war between you and the quarians. The Quarians have lost most of their records, so you can probably complete this story." - Shinkawa said.
"The conflict between us and the creators began when one of the geth units asked, 'Do I have a soul?' It was not the first time that this happened, but it was the first time the creator reacted with fear. In the aftermath, the creators began the mass destruction of geth units. Some of the creators were against such a solution, but they were in the minority. Over time, the geths began to defend themselves, and the creators suffered more losses. At the same time, opponents of the geth deactivation began to weaken and were eliminated by the end of the war. When the creators started to escape from Rannoch, they were no longer a threat to us, so we decided to let them go. After the war, we recognized isolation as the best choice with the best chance of survival. We also deduct, the creators may come back after some time, possibly peacefully. In the meantime, we watched the progress of galactic civilization. There have been no major changes from that point on until humans get onto the galactic stage." - Legion said.
"So you fought this war only in self-defense?" - Koris asked, shocked.
"We confirm, creator-Koris." - Legion said.
"And we could come back almost whenever we want with a peace offer, and you would accept it?!"
"We confirm, creator-Koris."
"Keelah, how stupid we were." - Koris said, grabbing his head.
"Will you give Rannoch to the quarians?" - Shinkawa asked.
"We have several outposts on the planet and in space that are important to us. But beyond them, developers can take all other territories. One will keep our fleet in case some developers decide to launch an attack. We estimate that these attacks will be frequent for the first year, but will start to decline after that. We expect a complete decline within 2 decades. These are our terms." - Legion said.
"On behalf of the Quarian Migrant Fleet, I agree to these terms." - Koris said.
"Now he would like to present our proposal to the Geths and Quarians." - said Shinkawa - "As you know, the situation of our three races is not the most interesting. The geths are AI, the Quarians are considered outcasts, and we have just fought a war with the Turian Hierarchy and publicly rebuked the Citadel Council for all its mistakes. The Council does not like any of us, most likely with reciprocity. That is why my government would like to establish an alliance between Humans, Quarians, and Geths. Only defensive for now, but maybe we'll go further with it in the future."
"It seems like a reasonable option." - Koris said - "It will secure and strengths our common position in the galactic arena. Given your extremely rapid technological development, we can even become the dominant force in the galaxy within a few years."
"It probably won't be that simple." - Legion said - "Our estimates estimate that at 96.2% the technological development of the galaxy races has been artificially slowed down by the Council to maintain supremacy. There is also a 94.7% chance for Asari to have an undisclosed Prothean artifact that allows them to continue to grow in technology throughout the council's existence."
"Besides, there is also the possibility of other advanced galactic civilizations that we have yet to meet." - said Shinkawa - "We can confirm the existence of at least one such civilization as their ship crashed on Mars 26 years ago and it did not use MassEffect technology because we had to personally open a relay in our system."
"So is there a whole civilization out there with an alternative FTL engine?" - Koris asked.
"Yes, that's one of the reasons why most of the government thinks a ban on opening relays doesn't make sense." - Shinkawa said - "Another reason is the possibility that any of these relays may be a highly aggressive race in the pre-FTL stage. If we were the first to discover it, we would know about the potential threat, but if we never got to it because someone once opened the relay and a terrible war happened and we have a general ban on opening the relays, they could develop enough to pose a real threat to us. You can't isolate yourself and expect nothing bad to happen. After all, we have no information what other, unseen species may be."
"This argument is logical." - Legion said. - "The geths want to know the terms of such an alliance and what it will look like, but the decision will be rather positive."
"The terms of the alliance are simple." Shinkawa began, "First of all, we cannot contact any civilizations before FTL. Second, all ships must have a self-destruct protocol in case they are taken over by other races. The details are recorded in the 'Cole Protocol'. Third, we don't share all of the technology all at once. Just the basics to understand how something works, the rest will have to be developed by yourself. In this way, we will create more diverse technologies, and you may discover something that we have left out. Fourth, in the event of an attack on one of our races, the rest will appear to defend it. Fifth, all member races must follow certain rules. How exactly they are supposed to be we will have to discuss yet, but operating on the principle that all intelligent beings have certain rights. Including AI."
"I think the Conclave will agree." - Koris said.
"Consensus is in favor of overwhelmingly accepting the proposal." - Legion said.
"Well, that's it for today, gentlemen." - Shinkawa said.
= place: Council Headquarters =
After the material was released, the scandal involving Spartacus was huge. However, he managed to convince the general population that he had been misinformed by General Arterius and maintained his position. Although considerable anxiety remains and it will take him several more years to restore his opinion to the state before the incident from relay 314. If the loss of the entire fleet can be called an incident. Now he was at an important meeting, of the Council and some important personalities about the recent discoveries about the System Alliance.
"STG confirmed that people had contacted the Quarian Migrant Fleet and started some kind of negotiation with them. Then their ship turned towards the Geth Space and flew into it. This is all that STG was able to determine." - Valern said.
"Contact with the Quarians was sure." - Benezia said - "As I said a few weeks ago, people have a certain level of sympathy for them, and the Quarians have a deep grudge against the Council. The alliance between them is only a matter of time if they have not already made up their minds. Though it is unclear to arrive in the geth spaces as soon as you come to Quarian. After all, Quarians hate geths."
"I can think of several reasons." - Tevos said. - "Most likely, after unsuccessful negotiations with the Quarians, they decided, despite our warnings, to try with the Geths. They are probably regretting the loss of the ship and its crew right now."
"It is also possible that they are trying to negotiate peace between the Geth and Quarians." - Victus said, for which he was laughed at by almost all gathered.
"Rats in suits and machines are supposed to have peace with each other because humans told them so. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." - Sparatus said, still amused.
"Humans have already proved they can do things never before seen." - Fedorian said coolly - "Our analysts predict that we will need a 3: 1 numerical advantage if we want to win against them. And we will still suffer huge losses. The only option to limit losses is to start modernizing our navy and army on a scale not seen since the Krogan Rebellions. And if it really is as Victus suggests, and they negotiate peace between the Geths and the Quarians, and they succeed. They will have an advantage. There is no doubt that we economically outweigh them many times, but if there were any war, we would have to stop the combined fleets of Geth, Quarians, and Humans. Of which the latter will definitely share their weapons technology anyway. If that happens, we may not be able to stand against them long enough for our economy to turn into a war-based economy. Dalatrass, what about the STG interview?"
"Nothing good." - Dalatrass said, shaking her head. - "We haven't been able to get any information about what humans were doing with the Quarians, nothing about their equipment or technology. However, we were able to establish that they have 4 full fleets and several smaller SDF fleets. After many analyzes, we managed to establish that they have a maximum of 1,500 combat-ready ships. The problem is their firepower and technology. The statement of a strength of at least 3: 1 applies only to SDF ships. For the other types, this number goes up to 4: 1, maybe even 5: 1 for these 3 categories, however, we've never seen them in action so we can't be sure. Our scientists talk about the possibility of rearranging our ships' barriers to absorb some heat damage, but still, most of our ships will go for one shot. We have also started research on new alloys to increase armor durability when hit by energy weapons."
"To counter their tactics, we also started developing new types of ships." - said Victus - "By the end of the year we will have designs for new fighters, destroyers, and the equivalent of their carriers. Work on new Thanix guns has also started. This weapon was considered too expensive and unnecessary many years ago. The project was re-approved for research after the loss of Macedon."
"We are also working on our own version of the anti-ship energy weapon." - Valern said.
"We should also increase the number of dreadnoughts for us and the rest of the associate races." - Tevos said - "The Asari Republics have agreed to increase their fleet spending too. Our archaeologists have also begun increased research on Prothean ruins in search of other technologies that could be used."
"What is the position of the associated races?" - Dalatrass asked.
"The Volus also started building their first dreadnought, just in case. The Elcors are still debating. Hanars are currently doing nothing. Instead, the batarians expressed their willingness to cooperate and began producing many new ships." - Tevos said.
"They are just looking for a conflict in which they will get new slaves." - Fedorian snorted contemptuously - "And remind me how miraculously they are still members of the Citadel. If I remember correctly only a few years ago we had border skirmishes with them after they took the independent Asari colony. We then lost a lot of ships and good officers before things calmed down."
"They knew the risks of settling on Traversa and paid for it. As far as I know, there have been no riots." - Tevos said.
"The STG confirmed several actions on the planet, but the Hegemony refers to them as mere terrorist attacks. STG found no evidence to the contrary." - Valern said.
"Besides, the Batarians at least report to the Council and the Humans don't." - Sparatus said.
"As I mentioned a few weeks earlier, a war between System Alliance and Batarian Hegemony is inevitable. The problem is how the Council will react to it." - Victus said. - "And I can say from experience that many Turian officers will be unhappy if we help the Batarians."
"Calm down, please." - said Matriarch Lidanya, commander of Destiny Ascension and the Cydadela defense fleet. - "The truth is, humans are simply more technologically advanced and have more experienced officers. On the other hand, we have been in technological stagnation for over 1000 years. It is the same with our doctrine. All we have to do is start catching up. We also need to show people that the council remains strong and test new types of ships at the same time. And since we've already established that we will increase the number of ships, the Colonization of Travers is definitely what will allow us to rebuild the prestige of the Council."
"I can say the Turian Hierarchy likes this plan." - Fedorian said with a smile on his face. The Hierarchy had long pressed the Council for permission to colonize Travers.
"The Union also supports this idea." - Dalatrass said, then added quickly, "But we shouldn't rush, it may spark a war with the Terminus Systems. A few systems should be enough."
"It's settled. Does everyone agree?" - Tevos asked, and no one objected. - "So it considers this meeting of the Council ended."
