NOTE1: Hey, folks! Welcome to a new chapter of The Iron Heart of Man. Just a quick reminder for anonymous reviewers: I want to get in touch with you via PM, but that is kinda impossible. So I want to tell those who review and mention some of the "errors" within the story, like the QEC review I got after I posted the 17th chapter. I explained what happened. If I let something slip (like Alex's eyesight problems) is because I really want to, 'cause I like that character too much and it's part of the story. She's based on an actual person in reality (with inspiration from others). I explained most of the things pointed out in the story, but I get the impression some folks who say "hey, you got this wrong" don't read the whole story, for if they would they'd see I raised that issue through narration or dialogue.
NOTE2: Yeah, I tend to develop a megalomania when writing these chapters. I tend to write in excess of 14,000 words and that means I cannot respect my self imposed deadline. I wrote again kilometric codex updates… aw hell. Enjoy! Do let me know what you think about the historical and political context I have created so far for the story. And what you think about the two codex entries of this chapter.
NOTE3: Yeah… I said I'd add a lot more, but I really feel bad for not updating in so long. I think the next chapter will focus on the characters and their development more than the plot itself. Alas, I apologize once more for the late update. I know I promised faster updates, but I underestimated the effect 8h of work has on a person's energy in the evening.
AUTHOR's RECOMMENDATION: Queue the album Departure Songs by Hammock if you want to experience the chapter like I did while writing it. I mostly listened to Hammock - Departure Songs while writing it.
Chapter 18: Together Alone
The Asari are nothing more than morally corrupt parasites. They send their maidens into our space to subdue our noble species. They trick our youngsters to mate and bond with them. They've been doing it for hundreds of years. Not only with the Turians, but with the other species as well. We're seeing more and more flocking to the Asari and their… liberal and democratic ways, instead of upholding our traditions. This is a slow process of racial substitution. In a few more thousand years we might as well become a minority on our own homeworld. Their peaceful and loving ways are only the weapons they employ in this war for galactic domination.
They fear the Turian Hierarchy. Every single one of them fears us. Our triumph over the Krogans made that abundantly clear. What the Krogans weren't able to achieve by force, the Council is slowly but surely achieving through diplomacy and economy. They let us take the brunt of the war effort during the Rebellions, while they focused on rebuilding their infrastructure and consolidating their economy. After a generation of total war, we won. But at what cost? We became dependent on the foreign aid that now binds us to them. They placated us with a duty of galactic peacekeepers, of defenders, in which we were contempt.
They fear us. We are the most progressive of the Citadel races. They fear us because of that. We are quickly catching up in every single field and threatening to surpass them. That is why they got us by our crests with this dependency on their economy. We are no longer a truly sovereign power. I aim to redress that!
(Primarch Santis Tyraeus, then a Fleet Admiral, in the speech he announced his candidacy to Primacy)
I'm happy to announce that as of today, September 22nd 2180, the Human Systems Alliance became trade partners of the Turian Hierarchy, the Courts of Dekuuna, and the Krogan people under the leadership of Urdnot Wrex, as well as forming a defensive military alliance with the latter under our protection. We are also assuming our responsibility to help the natives of Tuchanka rebuild while the Alliance Navy and Marine Corps maintains the peace in their solar system and on their homeworld with the Turian Navy. […] It is my sincere desire that we slowly put behind the bad taste the war left in our mouths and move on, forge new friendships with the people of the galaxy, and bravely venture into the future!
(President Kevin Montgomery announcing the outcome of the negotiations with the Citadel Council, Citadel affiliated races, and Urdnot Wrex).
Aralakh System, SSV Kuznetsov
Conference room
Fireteam Viper walked into the conference room the Kuznetsov was fitted with. All Alliance vessels from cruiser up had a conference room. The large table had multiple holographic projectors mounted in it. They were alone in the room.
"Lieutenant, I don't like this one bit," Hellas complained as she noticed the two guards at the door didn't follow them inside, nor was there any other officer.
"I don't like it either," Logan said. He checked the chairs for any explosives or any traps that could cause harm before sitting on one. His paranoia was at an all times high since their mission on Tuchanka.
"First we find that weird telekinetic box. Then, out of nowhere, the Admiral quarantines us and puts us into solitary. Then, they run a million medical tests on us every day! What the fuck is going on?" Igor angrily ranted. The Ukrainian leaned against the wall.
"We did find a… telekinetic… box. Maybe the Admiral believes it tried to mess with our heads. Or, at least, the Lieutenant's," Erwin tried to reason.
"I think we deserve some explanations. Don't you, guys?" Igor asked.
"That's what you're getting today, Sergeant," a man's filtered voice spoke through the call communications device fitted on the table in the middle. They all turned their attention to the holographic projector. The device came to life and a mysterious figure was looking at them.
Thorgin straightened his back. He recognized the man as what the Marines call a spook. He definitely was a high ranking spook. The authority and confidence behind his masked voice were clear.
"Fireteam Viper, welcome to the briefing," he told them.
"Briefing for what?" Thorgin asked after he silently ordered his team to sit down at the table. Two years of staying together were enough for this team's members to look at each other to convey a message.
"Your next missions, of course."
"And who are you?" Hellas asked.
"Your coordinator for the foreseeable future, codename The Illusive Man. From now on you will be working for Alliance Intelligence Command on a series of missions that concerns the very survival of our species," the newly 'identified' Illusive Man said. "This will not be your regular missions. And the information I'm about to disclose is confidential. I also want to remind you that Admiral Radovid was following orders when he put you through all those medical evaluations and solitary confinement. Don't hold it against him. Hold it against me."
The Illusive Man's hidden figure was replaced with the representation of the sphere they found. "This sphere you found was confiscated by the AIC under my orders as soon as we heard about its existence. It's what was inside that crate carried by the Turians in Urdnot's territory. This, lady and gentlemen, is an extremely dangerous piece of alien technology that brainwashes you. We do not understand how it works and who made it. Uranium dating places its age in the range of hundreds of millions of years."
Silent amazement went through the Marines. Hundreds of millions of years old. Hundreds. Of millions. To say that the implications of this revelation frightened the four Humans was an understatement. The possibility of an extremely advanced alien race existing out there and manipulating people was truly a catastrophic prospect.
"We've first discovered one in 2157 in the possession of a colonial governor on Eternium. Another one was dug out from a Prothean archaeological site a year later. Both were studied thoroughly by an AIC cell dedicated to technologic breakthroughs. In just six months, the whole cell was compromised by these artifacts. They started to act different than before, began to do random weird things. Even randomly trying to inflict harm on other people and themselves. One of them even attempted to detonate a homemade antimatter bomb on Arcturus Station. The whole cell and anyone who's been in contact with the artifacts for more than a week had to be terminated, and the artifacts destroyed. It took us 20 years to completely clean up that mess.
Fortunately, you've been exposed to it for a few seconds and the sphere was encased in a black box ever since. Brain scans performed by the Kuznetsov's medical team shows no signs of brainwashing. But you'll go through periodic examinations while you do this set of missions."
"Hold on," Thorgin raised his hand as he spoke. "How does this thing even work? How does it brainwash you? How does it talk to you?"
"We examined the brains of the victims to this phenomenon. The brain shows subtle signs of hyperactivity. However, as time passes, this hyperactivity becomes more and more pregnant. Our psychologists who investigated it believe this syndrome is due to the person's mind fighting the process of brainwashing. The Human mind actively opposes these changes. Furthermore, the doctors predict that this hyperactivity might cause brain damage in a decade if left untreated. Autopsy revealed that neural tissue also suffers changes at the synaptic level. The term coined for this process is indoctrination."
"How does it do that? Are there no treatments for those affected?" Erwin questioned.
"The only treatment is to discover it and take the person from its influence as soon as possible. Stay away from those things, at least 15 meters. If the damage is already done, i.e. you spent more than a week near that thing, you're terminated. As for how it does that, research shows that it emits a high frequency electromagnetic signal when a person comes close. But that shouldn't be enough to affect the brain. I'm ashamed to say that we don't know how it communicates with the mind other than telekinetic capabilities," the Illusive Man explained.
"Damn…" Igor said and whispered a few curses. "Guess we lucked out, then?"
"Perhaps. The problem is that these aliens, the Turians, have some in their possession. This particular sphere was meant to be placed somewhere where it would brainwash Urdnot's warriors after they gassed them."
"If the Turians have those artifacts… then could it mean they've been brainwashed as well?"
"They surely were. The soldiers you killed were Blackwatch. That's pretty high up in the Turian military, like N7 level in the Alliance Marine Corps. The Primarch didn't give off this vibe at the negotiations. Quite on the contrary, he seemed with his head on his shoulders. So we assume that a group, or a cell, in the Turian military was brainwashed and are up to no good."
"And how do you know if the symptoms are the same for Turians as they are for Humans when this… indoctrination occurs?" Thorgin asked.
General Desolas' figure took the Illusive Man's place. "This is General Desolas Arterius, the man in command of the Turian forces that attacked Shanxi. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't die on Shanxi. We smuggled him out. He and one more officer show signs of aggression similar to Alliance incidents of indoctrination. Brain examinations performed by the AIC personnel responsible for the POWs discovered a consistent pattern: the General's brains are going through the final stage of indoctrination as we know it. He is turning into a dead brain thing. His Colonel has a few years at most before brain damage occurs. The other POWs' results were clean."
"He's turning into a husk?" Hellas asked.
"He's being dumbed down and, literally, zombified into a mindless aggressive thing?" Thorgin couldn't help but ask.
"Yes. We've seen it happen to a man before," Illusive Man said and brought up a man's profile. He had a long face, accented eyebrows, pronounced chin, a large mouth, black hair that was starting to recede into baldness. "Raymond Ashe, former AIC operative. He was part of the cell investigating the artifacts and was indoctrinated. When we started to crack down on the cell, he ran away with a piece of technology very similar to the spheres. It was a miniaturized pocket version. It kept chipping away at his sanity for more than 15 years until we've found him hiding in the sewers of Asgard, on the colony Valhalla. He was acting on instinct by then – more like an animal defending its territory with physical violence. A zombie, a husk of its former self… We had to eliminate 11 other people – civilians who had nothing to do with him, because of him indoctrinating them with the artifact he stole."
"I remember that. I'm from a town near Asgard," Igor said. "The press reported it as a local savage criminal finally brought to justice after two people went missing, their remains found in the criminal's hideout in the sewers… Believable story."
Thorgin looked like he would smack this Illusive Man if he was in the room with him. And not only him, his three teammates as well. "Why did you kill those people?" he asked, mustering years of training and discipline. "Did you check them before?"
"You're angry, I get it. But don't judge us by our means. Judge us by our end goal. It's not pleasant to kill those you swore to protect. But those people had already been compromised. We made sure the companies they were working for sent them to perform extensive medical analysis. We had to send every damn employee just to cover it up. Do you know how much time and money that cost us? We killed people who would have killed many others in the future. Keep that in mind, Marines."
"Goddamn spooks," Hellas cursed under her breath. "I don't like this, sir," she whispered to Thorgin who only nodded. "Ain't right to mix with them."
"Why not let the Special Forces, the Corps, or the whole military deal with indoctrinated aliens? You might ask this. But…" Illusive Man spoke again.
Thorgin thought about it for a second before answering. "We just came out of a war and mobilizing the military again won't be the best idea. Plus it would alert the enemy if massive movement was spotted, it could possibly leak to the populace and sow panic. And the AIC is the only one with the resources to support this operation efficiently. Information."
"Correct. The bigger a fuss we're making with this, the bigger the chances the ones we're hunting will know about it and hide until they are ready to do real damage. They, or their alien masters who created this sick technology can use them at the opportune moment."
"That'd be a perfect plan. Brainwash a few people, work your way up into the government, brainwash them too with a seemingly innocent piece of art, or a precious artifact… Jesus! This way they could cripple the leadership of any government if they are in a hurry. Or, if patient, indoctrinate and subjugate a whole population," Erwin concluded. "We can't let that happen to Humanity!"
"Fireteam Viper, welcome to Cerberus Division," the Illusive Man said with what Thorgin could guess a smile on their new boss's lips. "A ship will pick you up in five days time. You'll report to the CO at Tartarus Installation for a more thorough briefing on what you need to know, and on what you will be doing for the foreseeable future," the Illusive Man said. "But know that you may emerge from this more dead than alive."
Widow System, 500km from the Citadel
THW Bellicose, Primarch's quarters
The negotiations and ceremonies at the Citadel were over. The meetings with the allied government representatives were over. The formal inspection of the Turian contingent of the Citadel's garrison was over. The highest ranking officials were now returning to their work while the civilians stayed for more days to learn more about Humanity. Not that people like Fedorian wouldn't hear about anything new from their subordinates. The Turian sat down in his chair, perfectly designed to comfort the bony Turian ass after a day's work. Only if his work was over.
Being Primarch is as much an honor as it is a responsibility. And that responsibility drags tons of work after itself, work that needs to be done. He took off his formal coat and threw it on the personal bed. Damn thing was getting heavy due to the many medals pinned on it. Or maybe Fedorian was entering the final stage of his life – the elder years. He could feel the raw power he once possessed as a young man fade.
The communications console mounted in the desk in front of him blipped. He had a call. He answered. The ship's commanding officer's face was projected by small holographic projectors.
"Primarch, sir, you have a call. It came through the Hierarchy's military communications buoys, not through standard Citadel military buoys. Should I forward it to you now or later on?" he asked.
"Patch it through," Fedorian ordered. "Make sure the channel is encrypted."
"Yes, sir."
And his face was replaced by that of Corinthus'.
"Corinthus, how are you doing?" he asked his friend.
"Probably better than you," the General said. "Things aren't as quiet on Palaven. The Generals and Admirals you recalled home? The ones whose psycho evaluations showed major deviations? They're not happy. Not one bit. They're quite vocal about it too. What about you? How are you holding up after all that politicking?"
Fedorian knew this was coming. "What are they saying?"
"Among others, that you want to get rid of them. That they should be with their men and ships, not their former second in command. They're saying that you might even be planning a purge in the military," Corinthus said.
"Purges… this is for the greater good. I'm not purging anyone. I can't have aggressive over the head senior officers out there starting trouble, like General Arterius did," Fedorian said. "How are the planetary defense projects looking?"
"We're turning Menae into a veritable fortress. Building has started. We're placing city-grade kinetic barriers over the Scutum installations on Palaven and its moons, Menae and Nanus," Corinthus reported. "Should the Humans attack again, we will be ready."
The Scutum installations are a relatively recent addition to the Hierarchy's home defenses. They are underground bases housing huge cannons for orbital defense. These cannons, also nicknamed Scutum, are 2,000 meters long. You can't build ships bigger than a kilometer and a bit without huge costs for Eezo. But that doesn't mean that you can't build huge planetary cannons. Cannons need only to rotate, not move and go FTL. These monsters can accelerate a 30kg slug up to 3.7% the speed of light, compared to 1.3% a one kilometer dreadnought's cannon can do. The Citadel races overall didn't take it too well when the Hierarchy made this public 60 years ago. But they were placated by the fact that these wouldn't be mounted on ships, but on defensive installations in the Trebia System.
"And… there's something else. The true reason I called you."
Fedorian's relaxed body suddenly became tense, a reminder of his days in the military. Whenever bad news were coming, a Turian's reaction was to prepare for combat. His muscles were ready to strike at his foe, should one be present in his quarters.
"What is it, General?" he inquired, his voice devoid of all casualness. The more casual atmosphere was now replaced by professionalism.
"Sir, one of our outer system patrols found a stealth vessel, presumable STG. The cruiser Nkhadra and her escorts picked the ship on LADAR mostly because they were very close to it. They passed 100 km by each other. It evaded capture and went dark again. We have ships searching the system for it. Sir."
A guttural sound of annoyance specific to Turians erupted from the Primarch's throat. "How did it enter Trebia without being detected?" he asked.
"Vakarian worked with Intelligence on the matter. The ship sneaked in hiding under a Volus Kul class large cargo vessel's signature. It was a very risky maneuver. They could have hit each other at FTL speed when they dropped out of the Relay's mass effect field. I'm amazed they were able to pull this off," Corinthus explained.
"Put that freighter's crew under arrest!" Fedorian thundered. "Interrogate them. I want to know everything they know. I fear the crew might have been paid off to help with this stunt. But allow the STG ship to leave. Last thing we need is to give off the impression that we are up to something against the Council, like the STG and Dalatrasses believe, and have them descend on us with preemptive strikes."
"Sir, are you sure about that?" Corinthus asked with concern.
"I am. The Dalatrass Council thinks we have a part in Humanity's emergence, a plot of sorts. They believe we have purposely diverted the patrols from the Traverse, left the border defenses without naval support to make it easier for the Humans to destroy them. Spirits, they've lost a few STG listening outposts. And leave the Attican Traverse border systems undefended for pirates to attack. But no major pirate activity was seen and they believe it will be a full fledged offensive. They believe we're crippling the communications infrastructure from the Citadel through C-SEC…"
Fedorian sighed at the frustration of the situation. When the situation called for unity and increased cooperation with the other races, everything seemed to go the other way. The Salarians were too pessimistic and suspicious. The Asari matriarchs are either trying to scheme their way into gaining Humanity's technologies and political submission, or they're too busy blaming and setting each other up. Their military, Unified Fleet Command, just dismissed one of their senior officers to save face with the population for the disaster that was what's now dubbed the Surrender at Relay 314 and the Terran Blitz. The Hierarchy has problems with possible traitorous or separatist elements, a dozen generals and admirals are sowing discontent in the military, and half of the population is developing a grudge against the Humans for the blow they dealt to the Turians' pride. The latter is also directed against Fedorian for being so quick on making peace. The Elcor had been pushed to the side by the Eezo mine stunt. He would never forgive Sparatus for dispatching the flotilla commanded by the councilor's wife into that shitstorm. The Batarians are still playing ball, though. Every species was looking to gain an advantage over the others, even in times like these.
"Fallin, we're being marginalized…" he addressed his friend, and subordinate at the same time, with a guilty voice. "I should've been more considerate with my previous interventions in Citadel affairs. Look where that put the Hierarchy now…"
"If you're guilty of anything, Tiberius, it's your stubbornness for standing up for Turian principles, and for your personal principles. You didn't cave in to pressure when the matriarchy wanted to have its way with the Hierarchy after you became Primarch of Palaven and of all Turians. You didn't stand by neither when slavers and warlords threatened to pour into Turian space, nor did you take it lying down when we've lost a patrol near the Terminus borders. If anything, the Asari matriarchs are afraid they can't get to you in any meaningful way other than threaten with economic sanctions," Corinthus told him. "I didn't support you for the post you're occupying just because we are friends. I did it because I believe in you. Not like that old fool Petadros. I could smell the foreign support he had from a mile away. They're afraid of you. They're afraid of an economically independent Hierarchy. The one you've been trying to build."
"And what should we do? We may have reduced the percentage of our economy that's dependent on foreign support from 70% to 55%, but that's 15% in 25 years! The Asari and Volus have clawed their way into our economy because of those foolish Primarchs of the past. Aside from Tyraeus, Spirits bless his name, they developed the military infrastructure without developing the economy, leaving it all in the hands of the galaxy. And look where it took us! The Turian people have severely stagnated since joining the Council. The damn Council keeps cockblocking us whenever we want to expand and seek resources. Or whenever we want to make new technologic breakthroughs. Somehow they get mingled in and everything goes to hell. And all my previous arguments with the Council didn't do us any favors," Fedorian said with an ever louder voice. "Even Sparatus turned on me recently. My own people are turning against me!"
"You're not alone. Leave part of the responsibilities to your administration. You'll drag the Hierarchy out of this, even if it wants to or not," Corinthus reassured him. "These are better times than the Krogan Rebellions. Now I know my responsibility lies with the military, but what will we do as a nation?"
"We'll pull through. That's what we'll do," Fedorian said with newfound conviction. "We'll pass reforms in the military. And continue those already implemented in the economic sector. We'll seek trade agreements with the Humans and Quarians. But we won't do so blindly."
"What are you saying?" Corinthus asked.
"The message is clear. They've spoken it loud and clear for everybody to hear. The Humans don't want to give up their nukes. Even more, they're not shy from using them against sapient life. We've seen it first hand at Shanxi and in the raids on Annos Basin."
"They signed a treaty that forbids its use in warfare."
"And they won't hesitate a moment to use it if they believe the situation calls for it," Fedorian replied. "I also doubt they'll stop producing them as one of the articles stipulates. No. They're too much like us. Proud and full of unwavering conviction. I regret it that we had to meet on bad terms, thanks to that idiot Desolas and Eudorian for not stopping him. But the Hierarchy won't sit idle while possible enemies have a vast nuclear arsenal ready to deploy against Turians. No. We will open the stocks of our old nuclear warheads and reactivate them. And I'm also reactivating Project PATRIA. We can play dirty too if shove comes to push."
Corinthus didn't know what to say for a few moments. He was baffled by what Fedorian proposed.
"Sir… should the Citadel Council and our allies learn about this…" he warned Fedorian.
"My decision is final on the matter. Make it happen, General. In secrecy," he ordered. "What about Agent Archangel and the internal investigation?"
"Archangel should already be on the Citadel. He will meet with a Hierarchy Intelligence cell on the Citadel. As for the internal investigation… we've found who approved the change in the patrols schedule near the Traverse. It was Admiral Drusna Olymnius. He's among the ones we've put under 'quarantine' for psychologic reevaluations. He also made and received a few calls from Councilor Sparatus prior to, and during the search effort for the Migrant Fleet. We are still trying to trace who transferred those sums of money to other high ranking officers, but no results so far. Vakarian believes the money's been laundered and transferred from multiple accounts of fictional people. We can't make any big move until we know for sure more on the perpetrators of this corruption."
"Keep looking into it with Vakarian, Corinthus. Keep me posted," Fedorian said.
"Certainly, sir," he said and cut the link.
Fedorian took out a solid metal mug and a bottle of strong Turian made alcohol as soon as the conversation was over. He poured himself a full mug. He needed a drink after all the shit that's he's been dealing with.
Citadel, Presidium
Alliance – Quarian Embassy
The Alliance – Quarian Embassy on the Citadel was something to behold. From outside it looked like any official building. From inside… well, let's just say that it was a whole other world. The furniture and decorations were shipped all the way from Earth. After all, it was only fitting for Humanity's embassy on alien soil to boast symbols of the homeworld.
The first thing that Ambassador Jath'Amon saw as he approached the embassy were the Human and Quarian flags fluttering in the artificial breeze of the Presidium. The Alliance flag with a representation of Earth, gods know what the four colors mean. The Quarian flag consisted in the representation of a traditional veil drawn up with straight lines, overlapping a picture of Rannoch, all over a purple background. Then the guards at the entrance greeted him. His own bodyguards had been stopped at the entrance. He complied with that request, as he was here to discuss business in a civil manner.
Jath'Amon was a rather peculiar Batarian. Compared to most of his kin, he was fat and liked to wear extravagant clothes. His neck was fatter than an average Batarian's, his nose mustache-like extensions were larger, he was taller as well. With the smile he was sporting he looked like a good old grandpa that was willing to give his favorite nephew his pension. His red and dark brown formal wear complemented his brown skin color.
Once inside, he was greeted at reception by one of Goyle's assistants. Various plants in ceramic hotchpotch decorated the corners of the corridors. A small fish tank with Earth fishes was on display in the main hall. Jath'Amon was escorted by the receptionist to Goyle's office. Just as they were about to enter the office after a brief walk, the woman knocked on the door. On the door was a metallic plaque with the words AMBASSADOR DR. GOYLE ANITA written in both English, as well as Galactic Standard. One Marine stood guard by her office door. Goyle welcomed them in and the aide left the two alone in the office.
"Ambassador Jath'Amon, welcome to the Alliance Embassy," Goyle formally welcomed him with a handshake which the Batarian found a bit odd. "Please, take a seat," she invited him with a hand gesture to sit in the chair by her desk. As the Batarian official sat down, Goyle walked to her chair, on the opposite side of the desk. "I was surprised when I learned that you wanted to talk to me. What can I help you with, Ambassador?"
Amon leaned back in the comfortable chair. His smile was just as alive. His four eyes rested on Goyle's face. "Thank you for having me on such a short notice, Ambassador Goyle. My government wishes to open negotiations with Humanity to discuss several topics of vital interest to both of us. I am authorized to begin those negotiations as soon as you can, even now," he told her with his heavy voice.
Intrigued by this, Goyle subtly turned on the recorder fitted in her desk before asking, "What is it that you wish to talk about?"
"It's quite a sensitive topic. It's mostly related to possible evolutions of Human – Batarian relations and the territorial conflict that's arisen in the Skyllian Verge," Amon said.
"Ah," Goyle softly exclaimed. "Is this related to the… public warning you extended us after the festivities at the Grand Citadel Arena?"
"To a certain extent. We are aware that you don't see us in a very good light. Not something new considering that some of my kind are still practicing slavery, something every race frowns upon, and for good reason. However, no matter my personal opinion on the matter, it is part of our cultural heritage, thus protected by the Citadel Charters. The Hegemony was deeply saddened by how your President pointed the accusing finger at my government and spread unfounded accusations," Jath'Amon said as formally as he could. Goyle paid attention to his choice of words.
"Ambassador, those accusations might look unfounded to you, but not to everybody else. High caste Batarians are the biggest slave owners in the galaxy. We've had a bad history with such practices and cannot, with good conscience, condone its practice among civilized life. The people are upset about this. The leadership is upset just as well. This will always be a sore point for both our governments. But not a deal breaker," Goyle explained somewhat sympathetically.
Jath'Amon seemed resigned with that answer beforehand. He dealt with this before, used to this kind of answer.
"Perhaps so," he said. "What of the overlapping borders in the Verge? Are you open and authorized to negotiate on the matter?"
"Authorized in the sense that I can listen to you and pass your proposal to the President, Parliament and Government, and in the sense that I can tell you what is in the Alliance's interest as far as I was briefed," Goyle answered. "What interests does the Hegemony have in the Skyllian Verge?"
"I don't know if you've been informed yet, but the Hegemony obtained colonization rights to that region of space from the Council. A century long process of careful mapping and exploration followed. We have been slowly colonizing the Verge for two decades. However, my government fears territorial disputes will arise sooner or later from this. It's vital that we draw permanent borders."
"If I'm not mistaken, the territory you've claimed severely overlaps over ours to the point we'd have to give you two colonies and other settlements. That is unacceptable to the Alliance, Ambassador," Goyle explained. "We have to reach a compromise if we're to draw permanent borders."
"What are your government's desired borders?" Goyle asked. Jath'Amon used his omnitool to project a three dimensional map of the Skyllian Verge. Blue represented Alliance territory, green stood for Batarian. Then, a red zone took the place of the sector of space the Batarians wanted from the Alliance. Goyle suppressed an angry scowl. A Mass Relay that connected it to the Batarian colonized part of the Verge stood in the middle of that red area. Other Mass Relays mapped by the Batarians dotted the Verge.
"This red sector is the part of the Verge that the Hegemony wishes to have it on its side of the border. I know it's quite deep in your claimed space, but you have to understand that we went to great length for this colonization effort. In exchange, we can offer gradual compensation, either in credits or materials," Jath'Amon offered.
Goyle put her elbows on her desk, intertwined her fingers and rested her chin on the bridge formed by her palms and fingers. She looked a few seconds more at the map before glancing at her interlocutor. Elysium and Mindoir were fairly close to that space, in the Human controlled sector of the Verge. Rich mining outposts were along the red zone as well.
"Ambassador, I'm afraid this is beyond what the Alliance would accept, even with compensation. You're asking for too much territory, territory of vital interest to Humanity," Goyle replied.
Jath'Amon looked a bit disheartened to hear that answer. "I'm… sorry to hear that, Ambassador Goyle."
"I will however pass your proposition to my superiors and come back with a response in the very near future," she assured him as he got up.
"I'm glad to hear it. Perhaps we can still work something out. As neighbors, we wish for peaceful coexistence with the Alliance. Perhaps our governments will be able to reach an amiable agreement on the borders in the near future."
"I'm sure we will, Ambassador," Goyle said as the brief but to the point discussion was over. She had a feeling there were things the Batarian were not telling him. And they were not all that good.
Citadel, Presidium
Councilor Tevos' Office
It was good to finally find peace in the quiet room that was Tevos' office when she wasn't with her colleagues in public hearings. Of course, considering the recent events, for a matriarch of her standing, this was the peace she needed to plan ahead on the political arena. There was nobody but her in the office. And nobody was to disturb her.
Her eyes fell on the amulet with Athame's figure engraved on it. Tevos wasn't a truly religious person. Not like the Asari of old. Siari, which translates as 'all is one', the main religion of her species, gained popularity over the worship of Athame. Its followers believe in the concept that everyone is part of a greater whole, and that death is the means by which one's spirit merges back into the greater universal consciousness. Tevos's mother and 'father' were followers of Athame. She adopted their belief to some degree. Since she became important enough, she learned some of the secrets behind Athame, such as the Prothean beacon masqueraded as a statue of Athame in the Temple of Athame, in Armali.
For years the beacon was a source of major technologic breakthroughs in Asari society. That is why the Republics were always ahead of the other races and why Armali dominated the other Asari pre-spaceflight republics. Every time a race was about to make a breakthrough, the Asari came out first, claiming all the credit. That is why the rule regarding the sharing of Prothean technology was proposed and adopted. So the Asari will know as soon as possible if there was something better than they had in the beacon.
Now that supremacy was threatened by the Humans. Tevos invested a good amount of time into studying their history. The results were painting a dire picture. The rate of technologic advancement of Humanity surpassed even that of the Turians. And that's saying something, considering the fact that the Republics and the Union did their best to hinder that progress. In 60 years, from the first airplane flight they moved to their planet's moon. Then, after a period of probing the solar system with unmanned crafts, they left their homeworld for their nearest neighbor planet. What followed was the most important series of technologic leaps made by Humanity, and the known galaxy, in mere decades.
Tevos now put the Turians second on the list of the most progressive species. The bird people of Palaven were determined to make leaps in various fields of science and technology. This showed through the years, especially in the Krogan Rebellions when they came up with hundreds of different weapons and technologies to kill their enemies. Most of those became civilian commodities later on, though. The Asari and Salarians really didn't want a Hierarchy with the most advanced technologies to threaten them.
They managed to coerce the Turians into taking up the role of protectors of the galaxy, their own sense of duty and honor used against them. But this wasn't enough in the past to stop people like Primarch Tyraeus to abuse the strength at his disposal. Neither would it be enough sometime later on in the future, considering the path Primarch Fedorian is walking. So far, the Council was able to avoid to a good degree the question 'How loyal are the Turian peacekeeping fleets to the Citadel?'
It was a truly frightening idea for the matriarchs and dalatrasses – to have the greatest military force equipped with top of the line technologies. How long until that force would say 'Why should we not rule the galaxy?' if they were to be able to close the gap between their tech and that of the Asari. Turian history is rich enough in imperialistic tendencies. They even refer to their state as an empire, unofficially, of course.
There's a reason why the Asari build their dreadnoughts of large size, even by Citadel standards. Why their size comes with the most advanced and toughest armor plating the natives of Thessia have forged. Why their cannons are the largest and most powerful. Why the power generators and Eezo core feed the toughest and most advanced kinetic barrier projectors in the known galaxy. They're an excellent deterrent against the Turians. Especially the Ascension class of dreadnoughts, of which only the Destiny Ascension has been built, with the keel of the Dardana Isona laid down 60 years after the Destiny was commissioned. One vessel of this class of warships could take on three Turian dreadnoughts and come out on top, ready to take on their escorting fleets. They'd have to build up some more now that another threat was looming over the galaxy. Literally.
With their plans shattered, Tevos and the matriarchs of the Armali Council had to cook up a new one to keep the Turians in line. What they had been planning prior to the Migrant Fleet's departure from known space was very similar to the Terminus Insurgencies. They would instigate a conflict large enough to satisfy the Turians, large enough to show how horrific war is and how dangerous it is to venture into the Terminus and prevent the Turians from expanding significantly, but small enough so that it wouldn't spiral out of control and turn into a galactic wide war. It almost came to that with the Alliance when one assumption about the Quarians didn't go according to plan. It is unfortunate that, for some reason, sometimes intelligent life seeks conflict just for the heck of it.
The Quarians – yet again causing trouble. Tevos sympathized with their situation prior to recent history, but they had to be taken down before they threatened to overtake the Asari. The Geth Uprising had been a most fortunate turn of events for the Asari Republics' matriarchy. This way, the second greatest rivals to their technologic dominance over the galaxy had been cast down. They publicly tried to offer Rannoch help while they schemed behind the scenes to prevent Turian military intervention in the area. To the public it looked like the Turians did not want to bother with helping them, wanted to make sure the dextro worlds would be left to them, etc. If Tyraeus or Hortenraka were alive during the Geth Uprising, the Hierarchy would have intervened in favor of the Quarians at the time, spilt the fire onto the galactic stage and threaten the balance of power in the long run.
With the recounting of all that information over, Tevos considered how to proceed. They still needed to get rid of the Batarian Hegemony. Kill the Hegemony and instate another regime, preferably a more liberal and democratic one. The first step in that direction, with the least losses at the end of the day, was to strap the Hegemony of its influence over their part of the Terminus. This would severely hinder the Hegemony's capabilities for covert operations. After all, this was how the Hegemony came after the Citadel – by launching deniable covert ops with the help of slavers and pirates supported by troops of the Special Intervention Unit, or SIU for short, or of the Batarian External Forces.
Put those rebellious Humans and the Batarians into their place… 'Wait!' she suddenly thought. 'What if we can play the two against each other? It would give us the perfect opening. And, perhaps, we could get three for the price of one if we time it all right.'
Citadel, Kithoi Ward docks
Turian Naval Base Arx
The small naval base operated by the Hierarchy in the Kithoi Ward docks was established after the Turians joined the Council. Although under Turian administration, it serves as a military naval base not just for the Hierarchy Navy, but for the other races too. It was a widely acclaimed move at the time by the populace, the Rebellions fresh in their minds. But, as time passed on, many voices questioned why the Hierarchy had a base of their own when they could use the docks dedicated to the ships of the Citadel Joint Fleets stationed in the Widow System.
SPECTRE Nihlus Kryik oversaw the transfer of POWs from the Alliance – Council War, prisoners taken at Shanxi, all in the name of the Council. They were unloading from an Alliance transport vessel. Nihlus analyzed the faces of the small contingent of Asari Eclipse mercenaries that were coming down the ramp. Their faces spoke of the horrors they've been through. Hell, he couldn't spot one that wasn't wounded. His gaze fell on what looked like a maiden or early matron with her face melted. She still had bandages covering her eyes. One other was holding her hand to help her move around. Her head crests looked like they've been through an acid rain. In reality, she was hit directly by a white phosphorus mortar shell. Another merc that caught his attention had her left leg missing, using crutches to move along. A stump all the way near the abdomen was all that was left of her leg.
'Spirits!' he said in his mind. 'It must have been hell there.' His mind brought forth an image he hoped to never see again. Of a Turian's face melting down as he screamed in pain. How he turned into a slimy goo. Another imaged flashed before his eyes, an Asari being pierced by metal tubes that pumped some black liquid into her.
"Nihlus!" a familiar voice called out to him. Nihlus realized his breathing was picking up and calmed himself down before sparing the source of the voice a long look. The other Turian, clad in his personalized grey and blue armor, a sharp contrast to Nihlus's red and black, approached him.
"Saren," Nihlus acknowledged his presence. "You're back early."
"Nothing found. Those Collectors you spoke of… if they are more than scare stories, I didn't find anything to indicate that," Saren said.
"I know what I've been through, Saren. I know what I've seen."
"I don't doubt that you've been through hell all those years ago," Saren said in a sympathetic voice. "But the shock and trauma of the experience might have… had an effect on how you saw things. Perhaps your mind blew it out of proportion."
Nihlus looked at Saren as if he was betrayed by the man. "You're pushing the same varren shit down my throat the politicians did," he said with a barely audible voice. He walked closer to Saren."I was there with my comrades, in that cell on that Spirits forsaken station. I've seen how the damn monsters were melting the crew of the Truskar into… genetic goo! How they were turning good Turians into robotic monsters! How they turned Asari into doomsday abominations. Or Krogans into… whatever the hell those things were!"
"Calm down, Nihlus."
Nihlus stepped even closer to Saren. "They all gave their lives for me to get out of there and warn the galaxy of the danger. They all gave their lives so that I, Wrex and Inira to have a chance. You may be my mentor and my friend, Saren. But don't insult the memory of my platoon, of my crewmates, my brothers and sisters who died in the line of duty. It's hard enough that nobody believed me, with that Spirits damned EMP frying all I had."
Saren backed off and turned his gaze away. "I trained you because I believed you at first. I even proposed for the SPECTREs and you got in so you can pursue this threat. Here we are now, 15 years later and nothing turned up. It also didn't help that you went out after Eclipse cells when you were on your missions."
"That maniac, Jona Sederis, kidnapped Asari and Krogans to sell them to the Collectors. Now that Vasir is out of the picture… well, let's say that Sederis lost her only cover and protection. Her time will come," Nihlus replied and turned to continue his supervision of the prisoner transfer.
"Yeah… Vasir was killed. That was a stupid move on her part. The real enemy are the Humans, not the Collectors," Saren tried to reason.
"Yeah… a serene galaxy, unaware of the greater dangers. Everyone believed to be safe and sound until the Humans attacked back. Thessia, Sur'Kesh… how safe are we, really? What happened at Relay 314 was a disaster from every point of view. Your brother's fo-" Nihlus stopped himself before insulting Saren's brother. "…I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you… We should be sorry for the colonists on Magna as well… The Primarch didn't take it well when he saw the effects of energy weapons used as tools for orbital bombardment. A time for reckoning will come for the Humans," the younger Arterius said through gritted teeth. "But… for now let's prepare…"
"For what? You just came back."
"For the next war. Anyone who believes this was the last with the upstarts is sorely mistaken," Saren said before giving Nihlus a cheeky elbow and slowly walking away with purpose. Nihlus was left alone to ponder on his own at what his friend meant.
CODEX UPDATE
SANTIS TYRAEUS
Santis Tyraeus (1654 CE – 1760 CE) was a Turian politician and Fleet Admiral of the Hierarchy Navy who served as Primarch of Palaven during the era marked by the rise of the Geth. Prior to his ascendance to the rank of Primarch, he served as the Turian equivalent of Chief of Naval Operations.
Born in the city of Vallum, the colonial capital of the tumultuous Taetrus, Tyraeus grew up in a very patriotic community, perhaps bordering fanaticism and isolationism towards alien species. His youth wasn't much different than any Turian's. At the age of fifteen, he was conscripted into the Hierarchy's military. After training, Tyraeus served his first tour on the cruiser THW Oktana as a Leading Private in the Naval Infantry unit stationed on the ship.
Tyraeus' rise through the ranks came after he finished his mandatory service in the military. He followed an extensive training program at the Hierarchy Naval Academy of Cipritine to join the Hierarchy Navy. He would take on hazardous commands in the Attican Traverse and on the Terminus borders in his early command years.
Tyraeus became famous during the Fourth Terminus Insurgency. He fired the first and last shots of the conflict, and bravely lead his ships in every engagement against Terminus and pirate forces. His tactical and strategic genius shone through as he, with only 34 ships under his command at the start of the campaign, was able to destroy and rout a fleet of 91 ships strong and secure the Nariph System in the Pylos Nebula stellar cluster. With help from the Quarian Navy, Tyraeus was able to defend this Turian beachhead against Terminus counterattacks, thus threatening Omega itself. Where the grand old Admiral Ciro failed, Tyraeus succeeded. His merit was recognized after the conflict was over and was promoted to Admiral by the Hierarchy's rules and conditions of advancement.
He promoted a policy of active and aggressive presence in the occupied clusters after the war was over, something the other galactic powers would criticize him for, especially the Asari Republics. He publicly clashed with the pacifists of the galaxy through interviews during this period. The Quarians were the only ones, aside from the Hierarchy's councilor, officially supporting him on the political arena. The Batarian Hegemony was most vocal on the matter, stating that they feel threatened by not only the lawless forces of the Terminus being instigated by Tyraeus' aggressive stance, but by Tyraeus himself who was looking more and more like a conqueror.
Primarch Rusolia Genelius, one of the few female Turians to be appointed, gave in to international pressure and pulled all Hierarchy assets from the region back. The Quarians, the second largest participators on the Citadel's side in the war, now facing constant small scale attacks from Terminus forces, were forced to give up what they and the Turians occupied during the war.
Tyraeus would take this personally. He used his military success to further his political agenda. His campaign to become popular with the masses relied on what he learned in his childhood: patriotism. His speeches were filled with xenophobic feelings, feelings aimed at the Asari, Salarians, Elcor, Volus and Batarians. Among others, he claimed that the Asari matriarchs are slowly using their maidens as weapons, [quote] "DNA stealing whores", to slowly replace the Turian race by tricking Turians into mating with the Asari. The offspring would always be Asari, loyal to the Republics and not to the Hierarchy.
By the year 1725 CE, Tyraeus was the most popular Turian alive. In 1727 CE, he succeeded Rusolia Genelius as Primarch of Palaven. Tyraeus' policies mostly aimed to restore Turian economic independence from the Citadel, put down [quote] "STG instigated rebellions" and restore order in the colonies, increase the number of capital warships in service with the Navy, and expand Turian space into the virgin Traverse. The Hierarchy saw a significant rise in its economic and military sectors under Tyraeus' administration.
In the year 1744 CE, Tyraeus shocked the galaxy. After the independent colony of Triginta Petra was raided by a sizeable force of slavers, presumably sponsored by the Batarian Hegemony, Tyraeus threatened the Hegemony with war if every single kidnapped Turian wasn't returned safely to the Hierarchy's care. Unwilling to give up the slaves captured at a significant cost in manpower, the Hegemony lobbied its way in the political arena.
But, try as they might, Tyraeus didn't give in to international pressure like Genelius did. He shocked the galaxy once more when he raised the level of readiness throughout the Hierarchy's military and moved three fleets to the Traverse – Batarian border. It became clear that he was dead serious, and that he was confident of the Hegemony's involvement in the raid. By the end of 1744 CE, all Turians taken into slavery were repatriated by the Hegemony, who, in their own words, "went to great extents to track down the slavers, free the slaves, and administer punishment on the slavers. All because a megalomaniac blamed us for something we did not partake in."
Hailed as a national hero once more since the Fourth Terminus Insurgency by the Hierarchy, as well as by the colonists of Triginta Petra, Tyraeus made use of this window of opportunity to boost the Hierarchy's image as protector of Turians who not only are citizens of the state, but also those who chose to forego the state and went out there to establish a new colony with no obligations to, nor benefits from, the Hierarchy.
Although no proof emerged, it is rumored that Tyraeus was instigating a new war with the Terminus powers prior to his death. His administration saw the establishment of the very successful colony of Syglar. Some say that the colony was intended to be used as a staging point for an invasion of the Terminus Systems due to its proximity to the Turian – Traverse border.
To some degree, Tyraeus was the Che Guevara of the galaxy's political scene. Loved by many, hated by others, he was a person of action, and of extremes. He would never take no for an answer. Tyraeus was canonized by most Turians, and demonized by groups of Turians bonded to Asari, or by groups of other races. Hero, megalomaniac, conqueror, xenophobe, patriot – all words used to describe him. The Hierarchy's leadership under Primarch Callatis Hortenraka, a supporter of Tyraeus and his successor, continued his reforms for two more decades until Hortenraka's premature death. As his right wing charged atmosphere started to subside in Turian society, the soured relations between the Citadel and the Hierarchy started to normalize again.
THE TERMINUS INSURGENCIES
The Terminus Insurgencies are a series of armed conflicts between Terminus powers and the Citadel that stretches on a time window from 1490 CE to 1825 CE. More precisely, between Terminus powers and the Turian – Quarian allied forces.
Once more, the maximum "Geography determines destiny" holds true. The causes for the wars can be traced back to the original Quarian Republic's emergence on the galactic scene when the Quarians made contact with the Batarian Hegemony. The Hegemony's leadership was upset by this turn of events, as they were planning to assert further influence into the Terminus. Perhaps the most upsetting fact was that the secondary corridors of Mass Relays used by the Hegemony to safely travel between Terminus and Batarian space had been claimed by the Quarians. This land grab left the Batarians with the perilous corridors through the Attican Traverse, under the threat of Turian patrols and disloyal smugglers, pirates, or warlords.
The Council species favored the Quarians over the Batarians due to the bad image the Hegemony built for itself. The Turians even dispatched the 17th Patrol Fleet into Quarian space in the year 1481 CE to put extra pressure on the Terminus. Salarian STG cells used this opportunity to extend their network in the lawless sector and the Asari put pressure on the Crescent Nebula front.
Although the Krogan Rebellions were over for nearly five centuries, there still were many Krogan warriors who fled Citadel space to the Terminus and continued the fight in some shape or form. The fighting mostly took place in the Attican Traverse which became a no man's land and along the Terminus border. It mostly consisted in Turian patrol squadrons being ambushed by vicious hit and run strikes, this leading to punitive operations on behalf of the Hierarchy. These punitive expeditions never reached far into the Terminus, getting bogged down in logistic problems and fighting, the Hierarchy having to stretch its supply lines along a distance of more than 70,000 LY.
Once the Hegemony made contact with the Citadel, it realized the danger they posed to the government. The Citadel's principles were against Hegemony laws and constitution. Feeling threatened, the Batarian high caste played its geographic position to its advantage and resorted to an uneasy pact with more and more Terminus warlords behind the curtains. The Quarian Republic's entry onto the scene completely threatened that strategy. As a consequence, the Terminus Insurgencies followed, in an attempt of the Hegemony to once again gain the upper hand.
The First Terminus Insurgency stretched from 1490 CE to 1497 CE. It officially kicked off when a large force of Warlord Jorm supported by ships of the Hegemony's 2nd Fleet attacked the Quarian outer colony of Tekka. The attack was sudden and brutal, the colony sacked. The Hierarchy's 17th Patrol Fleet was also harassed and sustained light losses. The 17th was redeployed to Tekka and to the Phoenix Massing in response, thus blocking the main Mass Relay node on a radius of 10,000 LY. The conflict was intense only in the beginning, ending in a stalemate between the young and small Quarian naval forces, and the Terminus and Batarian forces. The colony of Tekka was abandoned to the enemy, with no real offensive operations mounted by the Council in response. Brief skirmishes were common until the end of the war. It was a strategic victory for the Batarian Hegemony in the coming years.
The Second Terminus Insurgency started in 1520 CE when the Quarian Republic launched a powerful offensive against the forces of Warlord Jorm and the Batarian External Forces detachments that were supporting him. In a furious offensive, the larger, stronger and reorganized Quarian Navy regained lost systems and occupied everything up to the demarcation line drawn up when they signed the Citadel Charter. Warlord Jorm was assassinated by a platoon of Quarian Marines specialized in special operations in 1521 CE, thus quickly ending the second conflict of the series.
The repercussions of the second war have been felt by the Terminus powers, as well as by the Citadel. The Asari recognized this would drag on for many years without a proper conclusion. And if there was to be a conclusion, it would have to be with the Terminus under the boot. Such a scenario was near impossible. True to their way of thinking in public, and also scheming behind closed doors, the Republics only refrained to patrolling the Crescent Nebula sector of space to make sure nobody would invade there. The Elcor, having a small military force, never dedicated forces outside their own space. The Salarians only dispatched infiltrator teams, but the purpose was to spy instead of helping the Quarians with intelligence.
The only Citadel affiliated power besides the Quarians to participate in the conflicts was the Hierarchy. Throughout the wars, the 17th Patrol Fleet was stationed in Quarian space with Quarian accord. The brunt of the fighting was done by the Quarian people. The Turians wouldn't commit more forces to the theatre due to logistic problems, and they didn't trust the Quarians enough to ask them for help with Hierarchy military technologies that would take the strain off the supply routes by locally fabricating the supplies and parts required. The Batarian Hegemony was now back to where it started from – the path opened by the first war was closed again.
Between the Crescent Nebula and the Hourglass Nebula, many independent colonies were witnesses to large flux of colonists hailing from Citadel space or displaced from the Quarian sector of the galaxy due to fighting. With a rise in demographics, these colonies took the first step towards establishing what is today known as the Fledgling States.
The Third Terminus Insurgency kicked off in 1580 CE. After a period of Quarian expansion into the Traverse and Terminus, the natives of Rannoch were subject to a new and vigorous wave of attacks from bands of pirates and warlords sponsored by the Batarian Hegemony. The new strategy employed was to severely damage the Quarian economy that it won't be able to sustain a military large enough. The end goal was to discourage Citadel companies from trading with the Quarians by constantly raiding the shipping lanes. In a sense, it was similar to the submarine campaigns employed by Germany against Great Britain in the two world wars.
The Turian 17th Patrol Fleet was deployed by the Hierarchy along the shipping lanes in the Traverse in an effort to discourage the raids, but this would have little to no effect, the privateers evading the Turian patrols due to a constant flux of reliable intelligence from Batarian sources. By 1582, due to significant merchant losses, the Quarians adopted the convoy system. Due to limitations imposed by the Treaty of Farixen and lack of Turian dreadnoughts in the 17th Patrol Fleet, the Quarian Republic couldn't dedicate more than two dreadnoughts to escort operations. Only the largest of convoys were escorted by a dreadnought and its assisting escort fleet. The Quarian Merchant Fleet grew in size from merely 6,000 state owned ships to 40,000 in this period and following decades as a contingency to have enough vessels to keep the economy afloat.
This campaign dragged on until 1593 CE when the Quarian Navy located and attacked multiple raider outposts that acted as repair and resupply bases for the privateers. This was also where captured loot was dropped. Multiple joint Turian – Quarian ground invasions took place against independent Terminus colonies along the frontier who were known to harbor perpetrators of the raids. Admiral Ciro of the 17th Patrol Fleet was the mastermind behind this strategy of seizing colonies, but it ended in failure as local partisans forced them off world shortly after.
But the damage was done, Quarian economy dropped by 20% in the 13 years of raiding. Many Citadel traders were discouraged to trade even after the shipping lanes were safe (to a certain extent) once again. With high losses, Hegemony owned Terminus raiders, pirates, slavers and warlords have achieved their strategic objective. During this time, the Hegemony also worked on establishing its influence in the Nemean Abyss. The Nemean Abyss earned its name due to the frequency ships and people went missing there along the years. It is a haven for slavers, pirates, cutthroats, terrorists, mercenaries, and other insidious groups. Once dominated by Turian factions, it was now dominated by Batarian groups. This would play a major role in the Fourth Insurgency.
Confident that this wouldn't be the last time the Terminus bothers them, the Quarians thought of a strategy in advance. In 1686 CE, in blatant violation of the Treaty of Farixen, with the newly christened 8th dreadnought, the QRBV Hasar as its flagship, the 6th Defense Fleet was accepted as part of the Citadel's peacekeeping fleets. It was deployed in the vicinity of the Crescent Nebula to facilitate Asari supervision. Major technologic upgrades went into building the vessel. It rivaled THW Indaraka, the most advanced Turian dreadnought of the time. Quarian military technology was quickly catching up with the most advanced the galaxy had to offer. A necessity due to fighting too often. It was a major economic effort considering the losses sustained in the previous wars. Once on the other side of the Terminus, the Quarians noticed that things were not quite right
In 1702 CE, Rear Admiral Santis Tyraeus assumes command of a 34 ships strong squadron of the 17th Patrol Fleet. In 1704, tipped by an anonymous source, he decides to move his forces into the Nariph System where he stumbled upon a fleet of old Batarian warships operated by Batarian loyal warlords and Omega forces. Tyraeus immediately hailed them and ordered their surrender, but the only response was silence and lots of commotion from the other ships. Taking this as a hostile act, as well as taking advantage of the tactical situation, as well as in contradiction to Turian military doctrine, he immediately engaged them in battle and defeated them in a brilliant display of tactical prowess. The Fourth Terminus Insurgency officially started.
This was going to be a surprise raid deep in the Attican Traverse and along the Turian frontier. The leader of Omega, a Krogan who's known by his alias Patriarch, sought to strike against the Citadel for multiple transgressions in recent history against the Terminus, or the land of the free as Patriarch put it. If there was one thing every criminal organization, or just the average civilian living in the Terminus disliked and banded together against, it was the Citadel Council. It was at this time that incursions into Asari space were witnessed through secondary corridors along the frontier with the Fledgling States and the Nemean Abyss.
The Quarian 6th Defense Fleet immediately abandoned its peacekeeping duties, leaving only a handful of ships behind, and attacked pirate strongholds in the Nemean Abyss in a preemptive strike against the Terminus. This time they opened a second front on the other side of the Terminus like the Asari should have done in the past conflicts. This move greatly upset the Republics, and, to a lesser degree, the Salarian Union. The Hierarchy, while not entirely agreeing with it, saw its strategic value.
Pressured on both sides, with Omega waiting for Tyraeus to attack, with all their counterattacks failing, Batarian sponsored pirates and fanatics initiated a campaign of terror attacks on Asari colonies. This would only play in favor of the Terminus during the brief negotiations between the Citadel and Omega. The Fledgling States saw intense fighting as the clashes in the Nemean Abyss between the Quarians and pirates spilled into their territory. The independent colonies armed themselves and formed alliances with each other to safeguard their independence and wellbeing. This confederation born of necessity was slowly growing. The Fourth Terminus Insurgency officially ended in 1706.
The last of the wars, the Fifth Terminus Insurgency, was actually a series of brief conflicts fought between the Quarians, now without Turian support since Hortenraka's death, and the forces of Omega and Hegemony loyal warlords between 1760 CE to 1825 CE. The Geth made their debut as combat platforms during this era to replace the Quarian ground troops. The Fifth Terminus Insurgency ended once the Morning War – or better known as the Geth Uprising – began.
In the end, more than 30 million total lives were lost. The Quarian Republic lost more than 6 million lives, 900,000 of which were military. The Hierarchy paid with the lives of a third a million total military personnel. The Batarian External Forces are estimated at 800,000 lives lost. Casualties of the Terminus factions are estimated in the one and a half million. The rest were civilian losses. Many were killed during the Sack of Tekka. Most succumbed to disease, famine, or were collateral victims during the engagements. It estimated that 200,000 civilians of the Quarian merchant fleet lost their lives in the Third Terminus Insurgency. The number of total spacefaring vessels destroyed is estimated at 30,000.
NOTE4: Thank you for reading the 18th chapter of The Iron Heart Of Man! I won't promise anything on the next chapter's content. You'll just have to wait and see :) aaaand I tend to skip some of it, or condense it, or just postpone it for the second next chapter because I develop megalomania when writing for this story. If it was up to me I'd write a 20k long chapter. But my conscience got the better of me. Again. I also want to focus on quality, not just quantity. Don't forget to give me your feedback on the historical and political context I've created for the story!
NOTE5: Thank you for your generous reviews! I still owe dozens of you PMs in response. Hell, know that I truly appreciate your feedback and it counts a lot. It helps me know whether I'm doing something right here, taking ideas, etc. informedterran, I know I still owe you that review for the latest chapter of your story, mate! Apologies! Know that it was really great, but I keep forgetting to write it down. Read it while at work through 5 minute breaks.
NOTE6: I'll focus some more on The Lost Civilization and War of the Worlds now that I updated this one. I hope to update after 1 month… hopefully, I won't overstep that deadline too. Meh! See you all!
A STORY BROUGHT TO YOU BY Apollonir