AN: Thank you all for your interest and following my story. I bring you the third chapter earlier than I planned. I revised a few things. Hope you'll enjoy it. As for reviews, please let me know in them or through PM what your opinion is, what suggestions you have (please, nothing that wouldn't fit or be unreasonable), you know, the usual feedback thing.

Mustache twirling villains? Not the whole Council, mind you. I'm not going to turn the Council into a bunch of total dumbasses. They will suffer of the same faults as anyone – emotions and prejudices complemented by reason, faults as any human has. Worry not, I want to keep this as realistic as possible when it comes to confrontations.

Chapter 3: Per Aspera Ad Astra

SSV Spirit of Fire, CIC

Expeditionary Fleet, Relay 314's System

The whole of the Expeditionary Fleet appeared in brief flashes of light as they exited hyperspace. All vessels were in a defensive formation around the carrier SSV Sun Tzu and the battleships Minerva and Spirit of Fire.

"We've got 10 unknown contacts, IFF unknown. Same as the ones reported by the Desert Fox. Sensors are picking up many, many more in FTL, just like the stealth destroyer reported. They are on a steady course to the Relay… they are slowing down, sir," Evelyn reported.

"Helm, brake formation and slowly bring us forward. The other ships will keep formation. How are those nuclear warheads looking?" Averescu asked.

Natalia put down a holo pad she used to read reports. "Nuclear warheads primed in launch pods, Chimera Pods A, B and C have a firing solution on the Mass Relay with our most powerful nukes. They are not armed though."

"The SSV Desert Fox's cyber warfare AI managed to get us more of the possible enemy language and a rough translator. We also have some basic intel on them. They apparently suck at cyber warfare…" Evelyn said.

"That or they are feeding us the info. And it could be lies…" Averescu voiced his concerns.

"Admiral, their ships are very old too. Two of their 10 ships are nearly 100 years old and they look like they desperately need a refit if they want to keep flying. Just look at them, they're flying relics," Evelyn pointed out as she brought a representation of the ships she was referring to. "We've dated them and they are 96, respectively 98 years old."

"Evelyn, you guys sure? We can't jeopardize every human and AI that's living in the Alliance. There are still thousands of ships inbound. What's their ETA, by the way?" Commander Natalia asks.

"Calculating… Ten minutes according to available data," Evelyn said with a smile.

Averescu let out a long sigh. "Ah, blazes! Evelyn, give me what you know in 100 words or less. Also, prepare the first contact package."

"They're called Quarians, speaking Keelish, banished from their homeworld by the Geth, their AIs created for manual labor who rebelled. Never bothered to chase the Quarians outside their solar system. They're a desperate people wandering the stars," she said much to the shock of the people in the CIC who heard her.

The admiral nodded thoughtfully and ordered Evelyn to broadcast on all frequencies and channels and ordered her not to use any translators for now, only audio. He also ordered a QEC link to be established with Alliance Command.

"Alright ladies and gents, this is it. First fucking contact," Averescu said as he brought the intercom to his mouth. "This is Rear Admiral Leonard Averescu, senior officer of the Expeditionary Fleet of the Systems Alliance Navy and captain of the battleship SSV Spirit of Fire. On behalf of the Systems Alliance, the representing body of Earth and her colonies and its citizens, I greet you and extend you the hand of peace. Humanity's looking forward to a peaceful coexistence with your people. But should you attack us, know that we are no strangers to war and know how to defend ourselves."

MFV Alarei, Bridge

Relay 314's System

"We've dropped out of FTL, Admiral. We're in Relay 314's system. Proceeding as planned with sublight speed towards 314," the helm operator reported to Rael'Zorah.

"Very well. Any contacts? We need to pull this off without the Council finding out," Rael asked.

"No contacts. It look like our intel was right, the Turian patrol is not due for another two weeks. Plenty of time," another subordinate said.

Tali moved to his father's side. She wasn't sent on her Pilgrimage due to the change of plans the Migrant Fleet has gone through. Thus, she was assigned to the Alarei, a research vessel where her technological expertise comes in handy.

"Father, are you sure about this?" Tali asked.

"Yes. It is desperate but we can't wait around and die in the cold and vast space, my dear. The Flotilla is slowly dying. We need to escape the Council's imbecile policies and save our people. It's a matter of survival…" Rael replied.

"CONTACTS! 18 ships just appeared close to the Relay!"

"WHAT!? Whose ships are they?" Rael jumped.

"Unknown, Admiral! I'm running through our computers and comparing the readings we get on them. So far… no match," a Quarian male reported.

Rael's heart beat was picking its pace. Then, after several more seconds, the same subordinate spoke again, "No matches! We have unknown ships out there guarding that inactive Relay. They are maintaining a defensive formation around their three largest vessels."

"What do we know about those ships?" Rael asked.

"8 are around 400 meters long, small cruiser size. 6 of them are 800 meters long… 2 are… 1,500 meters in length… Ancestors… and one is 2,500 meters… They are bristling with guns and all except that 2,500 meter monster have spinal weapons. And little to no Eezo!"

"NO Eezo!? Good man, are you awake or are our sensors malfunctioning?" Rael asked.

"If they were not working, then we'd pick funny readings on our ships too. And these ships have an output power well over what we're used to… One's breaking formation! One of the 1,500 meters long ships is slowly advancing."

"Father, we might have a first contact scenario on our hands…" Tali said in a hushed voice.

"It might be so… yet I kind of doubt it. Ensign! Prepare a translation matrix for our language, we will need it. And hold position, don't look like we're charging them."

"The lead ship is broadcasting on every possible frequency, sir. Audio only. Patching it through."

A strange voice came on the speakers speaking an alien language. It sounded like a cross between an Asari voice and a male Quarian without his mask on.

"This is Rear Admiral Leonard Averescu, senior officer of the Expeditionary Fleet of the Systems Alliance Navy and captain of the battleship SSV Spirit of Fire. On behalf of the Systems Alliance, the representing body of Earth and her colonies and its citizens, I greet you and extend you the hand of peace. Humanity's looking forward to a peaceful coexistence with your people. But should you attack us, know that we are no strangers to war and know how to defend ourselves."

The bridge was silent. Nobody understood a thing what the alien said. It took Rael half a minute to analyze the implications and opportunities of such an encounter with another spacefaring species.

Then, another packet came. It was the first contact message. It began by showing the flag of the Human Systems Alliance dancing in the wind, the camera zooming out to reveal a large building with a plethora of flags, all of Earth's nations' flags, along a pedestrian road leading into the building. There were many people around in the background. Rael guessed these must be the aliens.

Then, the camera zoomed out again into orbit and showed Earth with several ships of the Home Fleet flying by. A voice spoke "EARTH" and text appeared on screen. The frame of a male and female appeared, accompanied by more spelling from their language. Rael deduced by their frame that these should be representations for genders.

The globe began spinning somewhat faster and the next thing it showed was again to zoom in on certain places of the globe and present landscapes and the people that live there. From Japan and Mount Fuji, to the European cities and the Mediterranean beaches, to the African deserts, to the freezing north of Canada and the Americas.

It also showed pictures from Earth's history – the Roman legionaries, Greek hoplites and monuments of Antiquity, the Japanese samurai, medieval knights, Napoleonic Era soldiers, World War One and Two infantrymen and tanks, warships and airplanes, 21st century aircraft carriers and other military hardware, and ended with the modern day Alliance Marines and warships serenely sailing the void between planets. This was more meant as a warning that Humanity knew what war is and had the means to defend itself from any foreign threat.

Admiral Rael'Zorah digested what he just saw with his entire bridge crew, curiosity and awe filling their eyes. He was able to gather himself and give out an order.

"Send the translation matrix and our language and pictures associated to everything that can be represented with pictures to make them understand Keelish faster so we can communicate more efficiently. What's the Fleet's ETA?"

"Transmission away, sir. They're receiving. And the Fleet should be here within the minute."

SSV Spirit of Fire, CIC

Expeditionary Fleet, Relay 314

The CIC was watching the tactical map for any aggressive move from the aliens. Averescu was starting to lose his patience.

"When's Ambassador Goyle's shuttle gonna' arrive?" Averescu asked.

"Sun Tzu is giving us an ETA of 30 minutes. The shuttle hasn't even left the carrier," Natalia replied.

"Incoming message! Analyzing… Admiral, we've got the basis for a translator for their language. But we kind of cleared that. I'll make some final touches to the translator. Should be ready within the minute," Evelyn informed.

"MULTIPLE CONTACTS!" an ensign shouted. "Alien fleet dropping out of FTL! One thousand… Three thousand ships… Ten thousand… Twenty… Thirty… it's still rising! Forty five! Forty nine! We're counting nearly 50,000 vessels out there, Admiral!"

They all stiffened. Surely didn't expect that many.

"Every ship, half charge ion cannons! Load shells into the MAC guns! BUT DO NOT FIRE! Engage only if fired upon. Stand by for Hackett-Anderson protocol!" Averescu ordered. "Evelyn! Get that translator already!"

"Their fleet is advancing very slowly," Natalia remarked. "Sir, I don't think they want to attack."

"Translator's finished, sir. Hailing Quarian ship now," Evelyn said.

"Evelyn, audio and video this time."

"Aye, sir."

MFV Alarei, Bridge

Migrant Fleet, Relay 314's

Rael'Zorah was waiting for another transmission from the aliens. Seconds seemed to pass like hours. Either they are a kind and good enough race to help his people, uncaring and indifferent and not even bother with the Migrant Fleet… or warlike, a scenario Rael didn't like at all. But also a scenario he considered highly unlikely since they made peaceful contact thus far, they did while the Quarians sent just a language package. Or they could be tricking them…

"Admiral! They are charging weapons systems! Energy levels in their spinal cannons are steady for now," one of the men on bridge reported.

"The whole of the Migrant Fleet just jumped in, they must be startled by this. Understandable. Keep weapon systems cool and inform the Fleet of the current situation," Rael ordered.

"Sending message to the Fleet…"

"Incoming transmission from alien dreadnought! We've got both audio and video, sir."

"On screen! Right now!"

"Patching it."

On the screen on the bridge the face of a crewmember of the ships appeared. Rael carefully observed his appearance. His face resembled so much that of an Asari that one would pass it as an Asari with skin illness. Of course, if it had the tentacles on their head instead of hair, just like the Quarians have. But another interesting thing is that the alien had hair on his face too, extending from temples to chin and upwards from chin to above his lips.

His eyes were brown and held intelligence, fierceness and determination if Rael was right. He was wearing a blue uniform, black on certain parts such as the shoulders, with golden strips and lines and other decorations. The alien fixed a device at his right ear.

"This is Rear Admiral Leonard Averescu to the Quarian fleet, can you understand me?" it said.

"Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Alarei speaking, I'm glad you were able to formulate a translator so quickly, Rear Admiral. On behalf of the Quarian people, I greet you and welcome you among the stars. I'd also like to extend you the hand of friendship, Admiral," Rael said with enthusiasm.

"Admiral Rael'Zorah, you have no idea how happy we are that you are not bearing hostile intentions. On behalf of the Systems Alliance and Humanity, I accept your offer of friendship and return the gesture in kind. I dare say, Admiral Zorah, for an alien species you look surprisingly human." Averescu said with amazement.

"I'd have to say the same about your people, Admiral. Your species… humans, you look like a cross between the Asari and the Quarians. You have hair just like us and your face structure is similar but other would say you're an Asari with a skin illness, to give you an idea how much you resemble them."

"Admiral Zorah… is Asari another species?"

"Indeed."

"How many intelligent species are out there, Admital Zorah? You know a lot, it seems."

"Let me enumerate them and we'll count along… so, we have the Asari, Salarians, Turians, Elcor, Volus, Hanar, Krogan, Batarians, Drell and us, the Quarians," Rael said. He watched Averescu's jaw drop as the list progressed. "The Vorcha are too stupid to get a post on my list. These are the most common, 10 I'd say… judging from your expression…"

"I'm sorry, we knew aliens existed but… didn't expect that many. And these are only the ones who must be spacefaring species. 11 with us, humans. Admiral, I'd like to ask you one thing. Since you say you extend the hand of friendship, why am I reading close to 50,000 ships on my tactical table?"

Rael lowered his head. He always found it difficult to talk about the curse that fell on his people. "What you see is my whole species, Admiral. We were forced off our homeworld 300 years ago and the other species refused to help us, saw us as thieves and scum, suit rats they called us." By now, Averescu's face showed sympathy. "We were left to die in the cold void. We weren't allowed to colonize another planet. And our dextro biology meant that we needed an adequate planet, not just any garden world. And, after unfortunate political incidents between the Migrant Fleet and the Council… we're now trying to flee known space or die within the next decade. We're at our limit, Admiral. We want to travel through the Relay and look for a home where we can settle in peace."

"I… I'm really sorry for your people, Admiral Zorah. But I can't allow you to activate the Relay. It is off limits and unless my superiors give me permission I will not allow you passage. If you force my hand and try to activate it, I will blow the Relay to kingdom come with the most powerful nukes I've got aboard. Please tell your ships to refrain from activating it."

Rael cringed. 'Nuclear weapons? Ancestors… Are they like the Krogan?' and then another thought dawned on him. 'Wait… activate the Relay? If the Relay is inactive… then how… interesting!'

"The Relay is still inactive? How… Admiral Averescu, how do you plan to return home without the use of the Relay?"

"Suffice to say Humanity refused to rely on the too ineffective Eezo based technology and we developed another FTL method. We still employ Eezo based tech, but not as much. Admiral, if you'd like, I'm inviting you aboard my ship to meet and continue the dialogue. It would be much more comfortable. What do you say?"

"I accept your invitation, Rear Admiral Averescu. I will ask for one more of the Admiralty Board to be there with me and a security detail. We'll be there within the hour."

"Glad to hear that. I'm sending you coordinates and everything immediately… just need to get some math out of the way. Averescu out."

Rael froze in his seat. First contact was going very well so far. They were blockading the Mass Relay which was troublesome, but Rael was confident they will overcome the situation. He turned towards the communications officer.

"Tell the Fleet to hold position, inform them of the latest events and tell them to stay calm. Don't do anything stupid. Just stay put. Also, tell Admiral Shala'Raan to meet me aboard the Alarei, I want her to come with me and meet these humans."

SSV Spirit of Fire, Hangar

Expeditionary Fleet, Relay 314's System

Every Spirit-Class battleship has a small hangar for its small complement of fighters, bombers and Kodiak shuttles. And in the hangar of the Spirit, an hour later, Averescu found himself with his XO, Commander Natalia Novitska, a complement of marines to act as an honor guard and Ambassador Anita Goyle.

Behind them, painted on the hangar wall, was the emblem of the ship – a blazing phoenix with its wings span open and covering a circular text on the bottom side saying SPIRIT OF FIRE, and on the upper half was written, in the same circular arching style, FOR EARTH AND HER COLONIES.

The Quarian shuttle passed over the right side of the ship along its length and saw the name of the ship written in large white letters over the royal blue background of the vessel. They entered through the mass effect field that kept the hangar from venting into the void. It gently landed and powered down.

Averescu checked one more time his uniform to make sure everything was nice and in place. He was proud of his uniform and everything it represented.

"Don't worry, you look nice," Evelyn said as her avatar popped up.

"Oh why, thank you. Evelyn, don't hold it against me but stay hidden for the time being. They have a bad history with AI and you might scare them," Averescu told the ship's Smart AI.

"No wonder you're a lone wolf when you talk like that to ladies," Evelyn said on a playful tone and disappeared. Natalia suppressed a laugh at that.

"Well… in mere seconds we're making real face to face fist contact with an alien species. Ladies, I don't know about you but I'm terribly calm right now. I think my insanity is kicking in," he said.

"I'm very anxious, sir. From preliminary talks you've had with them I'd say they're decent people," Natalia voiced her opinion.

"Let us hope for the best," Goyle's voice finally came to life. "We're all terribly anxious about this and nervous at the same time. The translators are working, right?"

"Yep."

The shuttle's door opened slowly and five figures were visible. Averescu recognized Rael'Zorah by his clothing but the others were a mystery.

'Damn! To see them for real… they look so… human! Two legs, two arms, one head… and she has breasts! Has to be a she. God… Guess the other three are their security detail,' the Rear Admiral mentally remarked.

Just as Rael made the first step out of the shuttle, a voice rang among the two lines of Marines. "PRESEEENT ARMS!" and the soldiers snapped straight and brought their M7 Lancer assault rifles up to their chests and held them straight. The Quarians were startled at first by the sudden short lived action.

Rael and Raan looked at each other for a second before walking down the small distance between them and the Human CO of the fleet. They analyzed as best they could the weapons and armor of the Marines and they were impressed. Finally they came face to face with their counterparts. Averescu and Natalia gave them a military salute.

"Admiral Rael'Zorah, welcome aboard the Systems Alliance Navy battleship SSV Spirit of Fire. I am Rear Admiral Leonard Averescu, commanding officer of this ship and fleet. To my right is my XO, Commander Natalia Novitska. To my left is Ambassador Anita Goyle. On behalf of the Systems Alliance and its citizens, I greet you and your colleagues."

"Greetings Admiral, Commander, Ambassador. I'm Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Alarei and this here is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. We're the representatives of the Quarian people."

The Humans smiled. Everything was going so well with first contact.

"Admirals, I saw you tense when the Marines stood at attention there for a moment. If you have any lingering thoughts about it, don't worry. It is customary for our people to welcome foreign dignitaries with a small military… ceremony, if you will. It is a tradition that's been running for hundreds of years for us," Averescu told them, also subtly hinting at the fact that the military was a very important part of human culture.

"I see, thank you. It looks like we could learn many things from each other," Raan said with hope.

"We have a small conference room prepared if you'd like to follow us there. It's much better than standing around and tiring our legs," Natalia said.

"Of course, please lead the way," Rael was more than happy to oblige.

The walk to the conference room wasn't long. But it was enough to give the two Quarian officials an insight on the Humans before actually talking to them in detail. They were shaken by the eerie similarity they had with the Asari, especially the females of their species. They also liked to mix utility with a bit of aesthetics. Finally they reach the conference room. There was a large table with many seats and a large screen on the far side. They all took seats at the end of the table and opposite of each other so they could all see each other, with Averescu taking the seat at the head of the table.

"I… noticed that your crew was tense and everybody was geared up," Rael said.

"Right, we were expecting trouble. It's not too often that you see an armada of 50,000 vessels show up at your doorstep. Let me fix that. Evelyn, secure from battle stations, but keep the nuclear weapons hot," Averescu ordered the ship's AI.

The Quarians were wondering who he was speaking to before a feminine voice echoed through the speakers. "Aye, sir!" and then the same voice a bit harder, "Weapons systems stand by. The rest, secure from battle stations."

"So Admirals, I think that after we've introduced each other, should we talk about our people?" Goyle asked. "I'm personally very eager to learn about you."

"Of course," Raan said and went ahead to tell the Humans of their recent history. "I believe that what is relevant is what happened after the Geth Rebellion. We were part of a galactic government called the Citadel Council but not as a species part of the Council itself, we were a client race like many others. And one of the many laws the Council has is the ban of creating and housing AIs. We developed the Geth as a smarter VI for different tasks within our society. But they slowly gained sentience and turned into what we believe is a hive mind AI. It all started with one question asked by a Geth…"

"Does this unit have a soul?" Rael said. This earned them every drop of curiosity their Human counterparts had. Averescu seemed to be deep in thought.

"Exactly. Our ancestors tried to eliminate the Geth and they rebelled against us, driving us off our homeworld and colonies. We asked for help from the Council but they simply revoked our embassy on the Citadel and refused to help us. They threw us out in our darkest hour and since then have been doing everything they can to isolate us in our ships. Never helped us. Whenever we wanted to settle a planet, they'd come along and say that we are forbidden to colonize any world as part of our punishment for creating the Geth. The Turians are the most notorious for taking these kinds of action against us. Now, as Rael might have told you, we want to leave known Citadel space. We've been avoiding their ships for a while now," Raan explained.

"I think Admiral Zorah mentioned something about recent political incidents. What happened between you and this Council in the very recent past?" Goyle asked them.

"One of our scouting ships came across a considerable Eezo deposit. But there were the Elcor too, one of the client races to the Citadel Council. Unlike the other species, the Elcor went against some of the laws of the Council to actually help us. They knew of our troubles and agreed not to share the information that a new large Eezo deposit was found and we split the resource 50-50. Then, the Council caught wind of what was going on and sent the Turian ships to secure the deposit from us. One of our ships was blown up without any provocation, thus a skirmish ensued between our warships and the Turians. We also destroyed the largest asteroid when several Council ships approached it and then left the scene.

We called back every Quarian that was on its Pilgrimage back to the Flotilla and they brought news of what the Council decided to do regarding the incident. The Elcor had their home system under a blockade by a Council fleet, their already small defensive fleet was cut down further on, one of their largest Eezo mines seized and their metal exports embargoed for five years. And the metal exports represented the largest percentage of their economy's income… Now the Council is surely looking for us, eager for some payback after we ...'undermined' their authority on many occasions, the recent incident being the cherry on top of the cake," Rael said. The looks on the Humans' faces were of dumbfounded.

Averescu immediately cut in, "Wait… hold on a minute. So, just to make sure I'm not getting this wrong… this Council bullied you and those who tried to help you for no particular reason other than they hold a three century old stupid grudge against a species that lost its homeworld and didn't actually seek conflict with them but their help?" Raan and Rael nodded. "That's… wow. I can't even… alright," Averescu blabbered with an expression he put on when he faced extremely stupid and incredulous situations.

"And you say this is an… interspecies galactic government?" Natalia asked.

"Yes. On paper it mostly works like an economic union and military alliance. But the clauses of the treaties signed remained empty words. The three Council species, the Asari, Salarians and Turians, are only concerned for themselves. Here," Rael puts a small chip on the table, "this is a copy of the galactic codex. Has everything you need to know about the other species. Our version might be a bit outdated regarding the recent history, but it has the essentials."

"Thank you, Admiral. Will definitely put this to good use. I dare say, for a galactic government, this Council is very immature, idiotic in its ways and stupid," Averescu said.

"The entirety of the Quarian race agrees with you, Rear Admiral. What can you tell us about you?"

Goyle and the two officers looked at each other for a few moments as if trying to decide who should break the news after they heard of the trouble the Quarians had with AI. Finally, Averescu decided to speak. He cleared his throat as he put order in his thoughts.

"Admiral Rael'Zorah, Shala'Raan… before we tell you about the Systems Alliance… there is something we must get out of the way. Please, do not panic or take any hostile action and keep an open mind here. You might have noticed me saying 'the Alliance and its citizens'…"

At this moment, the two admirals and three Marines had a sinking feeling in their stomachs. Their guards were tensing.

"Evelyn, please come out and introduce yourself," Averescu said and a Human woman clad in medieval armor and with a sword appeared in the form of a hologram on a projector incorporated in the large table. The Quarians were shifting in their seats.

"Greetings Admirals of the Migrant Fleet. My name is Evelyn, I am one of the many Smart AIs and a citizen of the Systems Alliance. I serve as the ship's AI for the SSV Spirit of Fire. Pleased to make your acquaintance," she said and gave a respectful bow.

"GETH!" a Quarian Marine shouted and leveled his rifle at the hologram. Just as he was about to fire, Rael stood up and deflected his aim towards the ceiling.

"STOP! Stay calm, soldiers!" he ordered the three. "If anyone of you ruins these negotiations I'll personally take off your masks and throw you in the most unsanitary place I could find on the Alarei!"

As the three resumed a more relaxed stance, Rael stood down and then turned towards Averescu. "I don't know if I should tell you again how dangerous AIs are, Admiral. They've evicted us off Rannoch and killed us in the billions. They have no use for organic life forms and the two groups will always be in conflict with each other."

"No offense meant, Admiral Rael'Zorah, but that argument is just stupid," Evelyn said much to the amazement of the two. "We are dangerous only to those who are a threat to us. As you said, when the Geth became sentient and turned into AIs you tried to destroy them. Your predecessors tried to commit genocide on a fully aware race of synthetic life forms and they only defended themselves. If you actually tried to communicate with them and teach them like any responsible parent would teach its children about the world, then you wouldn't be in this situation.

And no, we won't hurt our Human creators. They gave us life after all. The Alliance recognizes every Smart AI as a full citizen with every right and benefits a Human has. We work in every field, including the military. I prefer to 'live' inside the ship's systems but others have a mobile platform that imitates the human body. Each of us is a different individual with unique personalities. This makes us very different from the Geth your people have created. We'll always stand by our Human friends' side. We even identify ourselves as Human because of the way we think and because our basic architecture is based on the human brain. The only time we hurt any man was during the Insurrection," Evelyn said. This seemed to put the Quarians' concerns at rest for now.

"What happened during the Insurrection? Some kind of mutiny?" Raan asked.

Goyle nodded. "You could say so. Let me give you a brief history of the Systems Alliance. The very foundation for it was set after World War Two when the United Nations was formed. Later on, this UN became a regulating body to keep Earth's nations in check and oversee a peaceful coexistence between Humans. Sadly, we succumbed to wars between us.

Then, one day, an international group assassinated most of the troublemaking politicians around the world and others took their place. They left a message to every politician who came after that day stating that the people come first and the greed of individuals in high positions will be punished with death. This was enough motivation to push mankind towards a more peaceful coexistence. Frankly, the common folk wanted to live in peace and tend to their families. It was the people in nice suits with ties that caused most of the trouble. We grew and developed a lot but never forgot our past.

Then, it all changed when we found the Prothean ruins on Mars, one of the planets in our solar system. The findings proved to be a boon and our technology advanced much faster. At this point we were already working for an FTL method but when we found that FTL was possible in real space most of the staff researching out FTL abandoned the project. Ultimately, the Prothean technology motivated us to develop our own technology because many saw the …mass effect technology as very limiting and inferior to what we had in mind.

And true to human spirit, we came up with something better. With the hyperspace drive at our disposal we were able to colonize planets outside of the Mass Relay network. The Systems Alliance was born to govern Earth and her colonies, the Systems Alliance Armed Forces, which is composed of the Navy, Marine Corps and Army, became its sword and shield. There is the president, Parliament who passes laws and the Government. We are a democracy.

But not everybody was pleased and two colonies thought it was a good idea to secede from the Alliance. The Alliance said that everything can be solved through diplomatic channels and insisted that our species should stay united in the face of the galaxy. But everything degenerated and the Insurrection began when we waged yet again another war between us. The Alliance won and pacified the rebel colonies. Now… here we are, a stronger Humanity making our very first contact with another species."

"That is quite something, Ambassador. But I want to address an issue of critical importance to the Quarian people, one concerning our very survival. Our ships are old and we are running low on resources. Everybody except you and the Elcor treated us like scum and vermin. We need to use the Relay and flee known Council space," Rael brought up the issue.

Averescu was uncomfortable yet again. Natalia saw this, "We can't just leave them like that, we must do something," she said.

"Agreed, we must do something," Goyle said. "Admirals, I hope you understand us here but we will need a day before we can come up with a definitive answer…"

"That won't be necessary," a manly voice said and another hologram appeared beside Evelyn. It was a man in formal clothing, age somewhere near 60. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kevin Montgomery, acting president of the Systems Alliance. Please excuse me for the sudden appearance Admirals, but I had to. I'd like to congratulate Rear Admiral Averescu for initiating first contact with success. Now for my interruption. The Spirit of Fire was transmitting live through QEC to Alliance Command and from there we were transmitting to the Parliament which met for an emergency session for this historical event.

Admirals of the Migrant Fleet, the Systems Alliance will grant you aid in your hour of need. We have surveyed multiple habitable planets and we can give you at least one to colonize. Now, according to a report you are a dextro-amino based species. Fortunately, we have discovered a planet with such life forms. We haven't colonized it but you can if you want to." the president said.

The two admirals were taken aback by the offer. Never before had somebody offered them this. A planet to establish on. And a dextro compatible one too.

"Would… would you freely assist us like that? Why?" Raan asked President Kevin.

"We recognize the Quarian people's situation as a humanitarian crisis and we would fail ourselves as human beings if we didn't help you, we wouldn't uphold our principles and ideas we preached and embraced so far. It is unacceptable to leave you to your fate considering the state you're in, Admirals."

"And are you willing to trust us so quick to help us and divert resources your people could use? And how are we supposed to trust you that this isn't a scheme?" Rael asked, he was probing the ground.

Kevin smiled faintly at that. "Trust begins with a leap of faith at first. While you may outnumber us ship wise, according to some of our scans of your ships, you're desperately in need of repairs and not in fighting shape. Should you prove hostile and betray the trust we'd put in you, then we'll simply put you down. Humanity is my first priority and I'll do everything within my power to protect it. As for why you should trust us? Again, take a leap of faith. We have everything we need right now and it is common sense, our duty as sapient species to help each other. While the other races of the galaxy you mentioned have left you to die, except for the… the Elcor, it doesn't mean we'll treat you like second rate peoples with very biased opinions. Why make enemies when we can make friends?"

"How will we reach the planet you mentioned if we can't pass through the Relay? Our ships rely on a different technology than yours," the same Rael pointed out.

"Ah, the Mass Relay. We have a way of circumnavigating that problem. Rear Admiral Averescu, what do you think of our fleet of packer ships?"

Averescu rubbed his chin for a moment as he thought about it. "Admirals, what is your largest ships?" he asked.

"Those would be the liveships at 2,800 meters length and 1,500 meters height. The rest of the fleet is below 1,000 meter with most ranging from 300 – 400 to 600 – 700 meters. Several at 1,000 but they are few in numbers. What idea do you have?"

"Well, you see, we have those things called packer ships. We designed them to ferry ships across large distances and other huge constructs. In two or three days we could relocate the whole of the Migrant Fleet. The Titan-Class is 5,000 meters long by 1,000 in height and 850 width. We have 40 of those. And there's also the Prometheus-Class with 9,000 by 3,000 by 1,500. And we have 10 Prometheus packers. Their huge cargo bays can accommodate a big number of your ships and transport them, they were after all designed to transport damaged warships," Averescu told them.

The looks on Shala'Raan's and Rael'Zorah's faces was priceless if one could see through their visors. They simply froze in their seats and their guards became statues too.

"I don't know if you are joking or actually telling the truth…" Raan said while resting her head in her palms.

"We're not lying. We actually have those ships and they can do the work. Evelyn, please bring up the Prometheus on the holo," Natalia said and her avatar was replaced by the 3D image of the ship of interest.

"I also understand that you really rely on Mass Relays. Well, there is a Relay in the system that links to the Arcturus node. We will open them and allow you to use it to meet us at Arcturus for commerce and the such until we retrofit your ships with hyperspace drives," the president said. Averescu immediately turned and locked eyes with him and a look on his face asking 'The fuck!?'. "Don't worry, Rear Admiral. That is only if the Quarians prove trustworthy. Until then, the Relay will be our line of communication with their planet, should they choose to establish on it. We could arrange for Quarian engineers to take part in ship building projects with our own and learn how to operate the technologies we're disposed to share with them. But that will require to earn our trust and we will, as always, bring failsafe mechanisms so that our technology cannot be copied and will self destroy if tampered with. What do you say, Admirals Rael'Zorah and Shala'Raan?"

The two glanced at each other.

"I am more than willing to accept your more than kind offer, President," Rael said.

"As am I. But we must bring this before the Conclave and the other two admirals. I see no reason why they'd refuse but we must convene a meeting for this," explained Raan. "If you'll excuse us, we'd like to return to the Fleet to bring the news."

"Of course. We'll be waiting for your answer. We'll have everything ready within one or two days for this operation. Rear Admiral Leonard Averescu, your orders have been updated. Provide security to the Quarian Migrant Fleet for the time being. Admirals, I've forwarded the Spirit of Fire's AI a document to summarize our discussion, she'll have it ready for you before you depart so you can present it before your council," Kevin said.

The Quarian delegation departed the Spirit of Fire and the humans were left to their own devices yet again. They watched from the hangar as they took off and left through the barrier that holds in the atmosphere inside.

"Penny for your thoughts, Ambassador and Admiral?" Natalia asks.

"Just one word: wow! That was so unexpectedly expected," Goyle said.

"Let me guess. So alien yet so human, right? Same thing from me. I'm pleasantly surprised by this first meeting we've had. But I still don't like the fact that I'm dealing with thousands of ships," Averescu said.

"Well, we must help them now. Actively protect them. Hell, we're even making allies so far," Natalia speaks again with enthusiasm.

"Don't be so happy, Commander. We've got this Citadel Council to deal with if we help them. And I've got absolutely nothing against helping them. I'm pro helping them. But it's my duty to be somewhat paranoid and defend Humanity and the Alliance at all costs. And soon, ladies… soon we'll have to deal with the bullies of the playground. And the way I see this going down is us, a seemingly average kid who comes on the playground and makes friends with the lonely kid and the bullies will pick on us for that. And we'll give them some bloody noses until they back off," Averescu explains.

Timeline after first contact

February 25th 2180: First contact is made with the Quarian Migrant Fleet and preliminary negotiations take place. The Systems Alliance offers help to the Quarians. The Alliance Expeditionary Fleet continues to blockade Relay 314.

February 26th 2180: The Quarians accept Alliance's offer after a long day of deliberations. Alliance Prometheus and Titan-Class packer ships are dispatched to transport the Migrant Fleet to the planet they were promised. A small fleet of merchant ships with medical supplies and spare parts tags along.

February 27th 2180: Systems Alliance President Kevin Montgomery publicly announces the successful first contact with the Quarians. The people, Human and AI alike, welcome the news and look forward for a better future together with the aliens.

March 2nd 2180: The Migrant Fleet finally arrives in its entirety to its destination. The planet is named New Rannoch due to the similarities it shares with the Quarian homeworld of Rannoch. The New Rannoch – Arcturus Mass Relay link is activated. Even if the Alliance's seat of power is Earth with the Parliament and Government, Arcturus mostly serves as a military station and on a lesser note as an administrative one. The shipyards at Arcturus immediately begin repairs on Quarian ships.

March 3rd 2180: The Alliance Navy dispatches a fleet of 100 ships as extra security for New Rannoch. Some Quarians touch down on New Rannoch. Plans are drawn for several cities. The Admiralty Board is invited to Earth for further negotiations. Rear Admiral Leonard Averescu's fleet is ordered to retreat to Shanxi until further orders and he is recalled to Earth for the signing of the Alliance – Quarian treaty. The Alliance begins colonization of Shanxi after a long time of planning.

Earth, Brussels (capital of former Belgium)

Systems Alliance Parliament

To say that the four Admirals were impressed when they saw Earth for the first time would be an understatement. Probably because of the fact they were so used to the space and not so much to planets. And most of the time when they approached a planet, the other races would pop up and hush them away.

They were greeted by the President, Hackett, Averescu and a much more impressive honor guard than on the Spirit of Fire. And this honor guard seemed to be wearing older clothes, like the honor guards of the 21st century. After touching down at the spaceport, they took a limousine to the Parliament where they would talk with the Quarians, the Alliance having established beforehand what they were willing to accept.

And they arrived after a short ride as the streets were cleared of traffic. The large building of steel and glass made another impression on the four. Rael recognized it from the first contact package.

"Keelah…" they muttered in unison. They walked up the stairs, the flags of every nation of Earth were dancing in the wind on large poles. Even if the Alliance formed from the merging of the countries, they were still represented here and around other Alliance locations on Earth.

High up close to the roof were large stone blocks on which was inscribed "PER ASPERA AD ASTRA". The Quarians had no idea what that meant so they asked Hackett.

"Admiral Hackett, what do those words mean?" Zaal'Koris asked him.

Hackett glanced up to the inscription and smiled. "'Per aspera ad astra'. It means 'through hardships to the stars'. It is an old saying from an ancient writing of Humanity. Only through hard work can you achieve the great, nothing comes already prepared on a silver plate. Alliance's motto, if you will," Hackett answered.

They were first given a quick tour of the Parliament building before retreating into a small conference room.

"I must say, your planet is beautiful and you're quite the interesting people judging from the little I've seen so far," Shala'Raan says.

"Indeed. I want to thank you for the fine tour. Maybe one day we will give you a tour of ours on New Rannoch," Rael said.

"We really appreciate your kind words, Admirals. With some help from us, maybe New Rannoch will look even better. So, shall we proceed with the main purpose of our meeting?" asked President Kevin.

"Of course, what do you have in mind, President?" Han'Gerrel asks.

"Lady and gentlemen, the Alliance wants to propose a mutually beneficial treaty. I will now list what we can offer and ask from you. The Alliance wishes for a political and military alliance between our peoples; we will help each other if faced with foreign aggression, and by foreign aggression I'm looking at the Citadel Council mentioned in your codex. The ones who concern me the most are the… Batarians and Turians," Kevin states.

"We too recognize the threat they pose. The Batarian system is barbaric. They even oppress their own kind and force them into slavery. A rich and morally corrupt elite. The Turians are also overzealous and will shoot first and ask questions later. They have a… bone to pick with us, as I've heard you people say. We accept the alliance," Gerrel says after he gets his colleagues' approval through nods.

"We are glad to hear it. We'd also like to begin a technology and experience transfer program. What do you think of this?"

Rael tilted his head sideways a bit. "I understand what technology transfer is but what do you mean by experience?" he asked.

"We send engineers to you so they work together and get a better understanding of Eezo based technology. I believe this will come in handy when we will have to deal with the other species in the near future since we're the only species that developed on a different path than the Council affiliates and don't have an understanding as profound as you do. And you say you're the best engineers in Council space, and I'd bet Alliance space too if you managed to keep some ships running for so long.

And you send engineers and people to work with us and get a better grasp of the technology we can give you. We can offer you medical solutions and technologies as a start. In the near future even shielding or hyperspace drives. And, with your help, we can improve the shields which were originally kinetic barriers we've kept upgrading and adapting to different requirements. But there is only one condition we'd like to make clear at this chapter," Kevin stated.

"What condition, Mr. President?"Rael asks.

"Failsafe mechanisms," Hackett takes the word. "We understand some of our tech is unique and don't want it to fall on wrong hands. We took paranoia to a new level to make sure possible foes cannot use our gear against us. And you must accept that what we give you comes with such mechanisms incorporated. If somebody with no knowledge tries to tamper with said equipment or reverse engineer it will be pointless because the piece of equipment will destroy itself to the point where components look like a soup of molten metal. And we'd also like you to enforce what we call the Hackett-Anderson Protocol to safeguard the secrecy of our planets' locations. Here's all you need to know about it."

Rael goes over the contents of a datapad and nods thoughtfully, "Most reasonable and understandable. As I'm the head of this department in the Migrant Fleet, I accept and abide by this condition and accept this offer."

Kevin smiles big time at this. "Wonderful! I think together we can come up with more than interesting projects. We'd like to offer assistance in colonizing New Rannoch, assistance in engineers and materiel. The exchange program can very well start in a week or two since we just began colonization of Shanxi and we can exchange engineers already for these two endeavors. As we already know, the Arcturus Shipyards are already repairing some of your ships as part of the assistance we're offering. And, if you want, you can dedicate a number of ships for mining efforts alongside the Alliance, and prospecting."

"We have a fair number of vessels dedicated to this task and we'd be more than happy to assist. We'd like to forward you the galactic map we have. It contains every location of interest known to the Council and more. We charted more than they know since we're… since we were would be the better word, we aren't nomads anymore," Shala'Raan says.

"Thank you, Admiral. That will help us greatly. And… if you're interested, we will start working on something to help your immune system. We understand that you have trouble with that and that is why you need to live inside suits. Quarian and Alliance scientists can begin work on something to get you rid of that problem," Kevin says.

Silence ensued. The four Admirals seemed yet again stunned.

"You've already done more for us than anyone else did in the 300 years we've been wandering the stars as outcasts, for which we are more thankful, believe me. But why do all this? Go through this trouble?" Koris ask the President.

"I've already told the reasons to Admirals Raan and Zorah when they were aboard the Spirit. Nothing changed since then," Kevin answered. "We already have nanobots specialized for different tasks in the fields of medicine. If our scientists can work together, we can adapt them to your biology and in due time come up with something at… even the deepest level of genetics to help you with this matter. Preliminary meetings between some of our scientists concluded that the nanobots can do a good work at start and even on long term, but an actual organic catalyst to your immune system would be preferable."

"We will bring this before the Conclave yet again, it is not something we want to decide without the consent of our people. There will be those who will want to accept it and those who won't," Rael said.

"There is no need for the whole population to want it. Even if there's a small minority, we'll work for it if there's interest," Kevin reassured.

"We are glad to hear it, President."

"The immune system issue is off the treaty. The documents should be ready to sign within the hour and we'll have a press conference for it. Are you ok with it?"

Every Quarian nods in approval.

Reach, N7 Marine Corps HQ

Major John Shepard

John Shepard was sitting at his desk doing paperwork, something he loathes. He just watched the press conference held in the Parliament building on Earth with the occasion of the signing of a mutually beneficial treaty between the Quarians and the Alliance. The masses and media were addicted to this new event and for good cause - it isn't everyday that you meet a friendly alien race and get on a good footing with them.

Now Shepard was back to the work ahead. He was sifting through the dossiers of his teammates. He and the other top graduates of the N7 program of his year were to form Fireteam Immortal and be assigned to the SSV Normandy under Captain David Edward Anderson. He knows well enough his colleagues as he had served with them before in raids on pirate stations scattered across Alliance space. Piracy was still an issue, although a very minor one, to this day. With the latest raids they were effectively shut down.

He had one more good look at the paper which had them listed with their position in the team, role and specialization.

Fireteam Immortal

Major John Shepard (Immortal One) – CO, rifleman

Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko (Immortal Two) – XO, rifleman, medic

Warrant Officer James Vega (Immortal Three) – rifleman, explosives specialist (includes antitank weapon, dependent on mission)

Chief Warrant Officer Ashley Williams (Immortal Four) – rifleman, squad designated marksman (main weapon dependent on mission)

Sergeant Major EDI (Immortal Five) – rifleman, cyber warfare specialist

Sergeant Major Alex Valentine Wyatt (Immortal Six) – light machine gunner, engineer

Shepard knew EDI was a Smart AI. While it was not a regular sight, there were Smart AIs in the Marine Corps with N7 training. The training was adapted for AIs too and promoted interoperability between AI and human soldiers. EDI was one of those AIs and was also proficient in cyber warfare. She is supposed to deploy groundside only when necessary since she was also the Normandy's AI.

The last name on the list was somewhat new to Shepard, Alex Valentine Wyatt. He heard her name during N7 training but never met the woman. He took a brief resume of Alex to see who she was in a nutshell.

Name: Alex Valentine Wyatt

Gender: F

Age: 24

Place of birth: Earth, Australia, Adelaide

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Green on right, blue on left (heterochromia iridium)

Height: 6' (1.80 meters)

Personality: erratic at times, follows orders well, very protective

Skills: Engineering, proficient in Close Quarters Combat

Bio: Alex is the oldest of her other two sisters, whom she cares very deeply for; explains her very protective attitude of comrades. She signed up for the Alliance to see the galaxy and help support her two sisters. Alex, with her skills with machines, moved up to the Alliance Marine Engineer Corps. Later, due to commendable skill shown in combat situations, she was offered N1 to N7 training. She's vision impaired, meaning without her glasses or contacts, she is, and as she quoted, "Blind as a bloody bat". On an interesting note, throughout her entire family line, nearly all members of the Wyatt family line had Heterochromia iridium, and were both vision impaired. She says it's a family trait they had.

(AN: Alex V. Wyatt is an OC provided by VRGL1337)

Shepard nodded in approval of what he read. She seemed quite the fella to have in your team. At that young age to be an N7 it meant that she was extremely good. A shame the Alliance didn't have a cure for everything yet, if she had good natural eyesight it would be a huge bonus.

After finally finishing everything he had to do, he got up from his seat and walked up to a window with a view over a huge city which served as the capital for the colony of Reach. He sighed, soon he will be aboard the new warship under the command of a man he knew for a while now. And if the experience exchange program was something to go by, he's expecting a Quarian member too.

Then he switched his gaze towards the sky. 'What's life without some adventure and action?' he asked himself. A quiet and cozy place, Shepard. A quiet and cozy place.

AN: Please leave feedback and stay tuned for more! Will update slower. I will remind you again that this story WILL NOT die. I have it thought out to the end and totally intend on finishing it. This and my other ongoing story.

A STORY BROUGHT TO YOU BY Apollonir

CONSULTANT FOR OCs & BETA FEEDBACK: VRGL1337