NOTE1: Hello, folks! Apologies for the late update. Again, had a lot to do and little time to write. Please read the notes at the end (notes 2 & 3). Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 21: Water's Sweet But Blood Is Thicker
I'm sorry, but what do you expect to happen when you push someone so important to the edge? Expect them to disappear forever? Atelas Razea's contributions to the galactic war effort against the Reapers are undeniable. She was a major player on the scenes, especially in the March Through Terminus, Attican Campaign and the Thessia Campaign. Not to mention one of the most capable officers of the Legion. To think that the one they ousted away was the one to help preserve the Republics when the Reapers smashed their way through Council space… it must greatly hurt her surviving political opposition. We suffered for accepting her, but it was worth it. There was unrest, there was political intrigue, and there most certainly was conflict.
(Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett in a private interview for the canceled documentary Atelas Razea – Traitor, Hero, Legend)
Delta Kaph System, Eternium
Unknown location
"What did the Asari and Turians say?" a woman asked.
"The councilors promised to support us in our quest for independence," the main speaker said.
"Has your contact received guarantees?" a man asked in the dark room.
"As much a guarantee she can get. We need to do our part and help will come."
"And what do they ask in return?"
"An FTL drive," the main speaker answered again. Silence ensued.
"I don't like this. I don't trust the aliens. I don't want to live under the Alliance, but neither do I want to betray Humanity to aliens," somebody else commented.
"The Alliance's main goal is to support Earth and the big colonies! All our riches flow to Earth, to Reach, to Terra Nova, to Eden Prime… the Alliance can go to hell! The 2140s and 2150s have shown that all too well! We're only living to serve Earth. Nothing more."
"They'd even kill us, shut democracy down for the sake of… of what? Unity? Freedom!?"
"It's not right to seek help from the aliens! They'll turn against us!"
"Then you come forth with an idea to support the cause! Propaganda does not work, we get jailed by the AIC for that. I say we hear Santiago's plan."
Silence settled over the room where a short argument raged moments earlier.
"The strategy is simple. We'll force the Alliance to fight on two fronts. Soon, the blue sun shall rise again over Eternium!"
Citadel, Zakera Ward
Archangel Hideout
"Are you crazy, kid!?" Casius asked almost incredulously.
Garrus had let them in on his intentions of investigating the maintenance tunnels on Zakera Ward just after they came to the hideout from their second day's jobs.
"Got better ideas?" Garrus asked in return. Casius crossed his arms and said something under his breath while walking in circles in the room. "What is it, Casius?"
Casius rested his body in the closest chair. He took the coat off his shoulders and let it fall on the chair's backrest. "Classified update from Palaven to Hierarchy Intelligence officers at Naval Base Arx. General Oraka will bring a Blackwatch platoon with him. They'll be stationed on the Presidium as part of his staff. Undercover business, of course."
"Blackwatch?" Metiana asked. "What are they doing here? With Oraka?"
"Blackwatch troops have never cooperated with Asari commandos or STG. They definitely are not here to play nice and smile," Garrus commented.
"I don't know the reason behind this move. We've only been informed that we'll have a Blackwatch platoon on the Citadel," Casius said. "Although, considering they were stationed on the Verrikan, it is Fleet Admiral Coronati who sent them. For what reason… I don't know."
"Some black op we might never hear of," Metiana commented as she focused on her computer. "They've let us know so we'll assist when the call comes."
Garrus considered the circumstances a bit before replying. "If by black op you mean an elite unit that will take down Sparatus and Pallin should they try anything… then yeah."
"If only the two of them alone are in on this. Who knows what other senior officer is involved," Casius completed.
"We're getting sidetracked," Garrus said. "I want the best surveillance micro gear you can fetch me to plant in those tunnels."
The older Turian snapped back to the alert state he was in when Garrus said it the first time around. "Absolutely not! You're going to get yourself killed! We would lose our only ace!" he retorted.
"Those Salarians have been going in and out! There's something down there! Something that we must learn of if we want to make any progress."
"Let's just calm down," Metiana chimed in. "Casius, why are you so opposed?" she asked.
"I've already said why," the older Turian replied.
"If the Salarian traffickers come in and out of there, then it isn't impossible," Metiana argued in Garrus' favor. "I will go with him, stay nearby to intervene if things go bad."
"You think Hierarchy Intelligence hasn't tried to explore and jury-rig the Keeper tunnels in the past?" Casius tried to reason with them. "There is a damn good reason why we gave up on that. We've lost too many agents!"
"I'm the lead investigator in this operation, Casius," Garrus stepped in. "I'm going. If you don't want to help me, then stay here and monitor the area via camera feeds."
The older man finally gave up. He threw his hands up, got up and walked into the kitchen to get some water. Garrus waved a hand in a dismissing manner in his general direction.
"He's just caring too much," Metiana said as she sat down and brought up an interface on her omnitool. "I will bring the necessary equipment for this op. We want to wiretap those tunnels, plant some surveillance probes down there and keep an eye on what is going on."
"How long will it take you to get all that gear?" Garrus asked.
"If you want the good gear, at least two weeks," Metiana answered.
"You're not going alone," Casius said as he came out of the kitchen. "I'm coming with you. Metiana, you stay behind and monitor from the hideout."
Garrus clicked his mandibles in a grin of satisfaction. "Thought you were chickening out, Casius. What changed?"
Casius glared at him. He didn't like when somebody talked to him like this when things were serious. Especially someone younger. "I guess you've borrowed this from your stay with the Humans. I'm not sure what it means, but I'm not letting you go there without backup, even if I'm opposing this idea. If we lose you, we lose our only ace. You're like a ghost right now. Dead man walking."
"Reminds me of a saying…" Metiana said, "Dead men tell no tales."
Garrus' eyes seemed to stare into the abyss as Metiana's words settled in. Then, with conviction, "This dead man will tell many tales," he said.
Annos Basin, Pranas System
Sur'Kesh, STG 3rd Infiltration Regiment HQ
Commander Jonis enjoyed Sur'Kesh more than any planet of the Salarian Union. Sur'Kesh is home to vast rain forests, similar to Earth's, that cover much of the continents. The humidity is at an all time high, like the natives of the planet like it. The STG base which houses the organization's 3rd Infiltration Regiment is located deep in the wilderness, built into the rocks of a valley with a river running through it. The base was also equipped with laboratories for advanced medical research.
Jonis was reading reports on the latest galactic activities. He was not in charge of only the 3rd Infiltration Regiment, but of a large portion of the STG. Every infiltration and disruption specialized unit reported directly to him. These were fresh reports he had before him. And they were painting a… shaky picture.
First, it was the relocation of Batarian assets from the Nemean Abyss to the Traverse. It was not much, a few ships and a couple hundred Batarians or mercenaries leaving the Nemean Abyss and heading to the Traverse, taking the long route across the galaxy via the Hourglass Nebula – Omega Nebula – Caleston Rift route.
Jonis thought why they would do that. They most certainly needed the manpower if they wanted to keep Anhur under their sphere of influence. The rebellion on Anhur was a bloody stalemate for the time being. The Republics were even sending 'volunteers' to aid the freedom fighters on Anhur. The Hegemony most certainly wanted to focus its forces in the region on Anhur. Unless…
Two scenarios flashed before Napol Jonis' eyes. The first one was that the Hegemony decided to abandon Anhur and focus on Camala and Erszbat. They could afford to lose Anhur, but not the other two. The former is an Eezo mine, the primary source of Eezo in the Hegemony. The latter is the largest producer of food for the Hegemony. But why not evacuate the External Forces from the planet first and send the mercenaries and pirates to replace them on the battlefield to buy them more time? Perhaps they wanted to redeploy more troops to Camala and Erszbat? But they had the standing military for that. The Hegemony is known for its large, yet somewhat underequipped and undertrained, conscription based army. No, this could not be it, Jonis reasoned. They would have heard a rumor or something about it. STG has agents on said planets. After all, they played a part in instigating that uprising. The STG's goal was to weaken the Hegemony and replace the standing regime. They were in bed with the Asari on this matter.
The second scenario was more in line with what the dalatrasses believed to be happening. Both the Hierarchy and the Union were rushing to reform the defenses destroyed by the Alliance along the Traverse border, but there was still much effort to be put for it to reach pre-war readiness. Since Councilor Valern reported the security breach on the Citadel's communications, the highest dalatrasses believed a Turian coup was brewing. Collected data indicated that the Turians helped Humanity ascend to the galactic stage to create chaos and take power.
By isolating the Citadel and opening the border to pirate and Human incursions, occupied with defending its space and unable to efficiently coordinate with the Asari, the Union would be rather unprepared for a full scale assault from the Turians. Fighting the Humans would have also taken STG's attention away from what they perceived as long standing allies, focusing on gathering intel on the new enemy. After all, Fedorian was no great fan of the Council. And many started to share his opinion. It was the Tyraeus episode all over again. Jonis had warned Fedorian and the latter's actions have shown that this scenario was not going to play out either. It had all been a misunderstanding, Sparatus seemingly at odds with the Primarch.
Something else must be the reason behind the movement of forces into the Traverse. The only plausible explanation is that the Hegemony wants to put pressure on the Alliance border. Perhaps attempt to hijack Human ships that ventured too far away? Could they afford that much given the current context? Highly unlikely. The Alliance has proven itself to be more than knowledgeable when it comes to deniable Hegemony operations.
The second red flag he learned about from the reports is the 'defection' of the former Admiral Razea to the Alliance, although calling it defection is far fetched. She was dishonorably discharged, no longer part of the military, pushed to the edge and sought safe harbor with the Humans, so it wasn't defection. It still made Jonis nervous. She could very well compromise the whole military of the Republics if she wanted. Well… whatever passed as the military of the race. Only Unified Fleet was a true military arm. An Asari never forgets such an affront to her persona as she suffered.
A more minor finding was the detection of what looked like pirates or privateers entering Council space from the Nemean Abyss via the Asari border. It was strange, indeed. How could they slip by Asari border patrols? It's not like they have massive borders. It's Mass Relays, they are bottlenecks. This should not slip by. The situation must be monitored by all means possible. It will be hard to send ships in Asari space without raising a few alarms, but STG has a network of spies and informants. They should be able to have a track of these ships' path.
Dismissing the thoughts for later on, he instructed the VI to compile a brief report that will be forwarded to the Dalatrass Council. The Dalatrass Council is, for all intents and purposes, a reunion of dalatrasses in charge of the biggest, wealthiest and most influential clans of the Salarians. In some regards it was similar to the Armali Council of the Asari, only that the Armali Council used more underhanded methods to manipulate the public opinion, giving a somewhat false sense of democracy. Sure, the popular opinion counted, but it could also be shifted with the adequate words at the appropriate time. The Union was more transparent than that – the Dalatrass Council ordered, the Union executed.
The reason why the females of the Salarian race are the ones who are at the forefront of political and military matters is simple, really. The ratio of Salarian females to males is extremely low. That is easily explained by how the Salarian mating rituals have developed. A female can lay as many eggs as she want, but unfertilized by a male, these will produce males. Only fertilized eggs produce females. Due to the complicated mating rituals, only the most prominent and prestigious Salarians get to pass on their genes. And the leadership of a clan or a house is passed down from the dalatrass to the eldest and most promising female.
Due to this disparity between the ratio of sexes and the cultural evolution of Salarian society, a dalatrass is considered at the top of the social hierarchy, with the males serving her and the clan's benefits. It lived on into the space age of the species. This also lead to the development of espionage, subterfuge and assassination as the main pillars of Salarian military doctrine. Many clans were destroyed by simply killing off its leadership. Or caught ill prepared for a surprise attack that decimated them.
Jonis knew that the heads of the most important clans composed the Dalatrass Council. The military followed the politics of the state. It either conserved its integrity, or exercised its force to strengthen the state at the cost of other parties. He wondered if it was truly wise to allow the military to do the bidding of the dalatrasses. They have a long history of power abuse, or simply taking military decisions instead of letting the truly qualified people to do that. Even now they truly considered a preemptive strike against the Hierarchy. But the military had talked them out of it. The Union was this close to hitting the Turians due to shaky intelligence and paranoia. They did not have the whole picture to send the military in. Jonis was glad that it didn't come to it. And Fedorian's latest moves only dissuaded the Union's leadership.
At least they had that going for them.
Citadel, Presidium
Citadel General Hospital
Captain Bailey's footsteps echoed like thunder in the halls of the hospital. His boots hit the floor with loud metallic sounds each time. His black and dark blue Marine Corps light battle dress uniform – or LBDU for short, only accented the angry features plastered on his face. Officially named light battle dress uniform, it isn't normally worn in combat if the soldier has any time to prepare and put its T-Kev armor on. The LBDU, in reality, is the normal, off duty fatigues, with Kevlar and small metallic plates woven into the uniform to provide protection against flying objects or against stabbing. It is issued to troops on tours [2]. The cap sporting a camouflage pattern covered his hair. The two thick vertical bars linked by two thinner horizontal bars on the forehead of the cap signaled to everyone who knows Alliance rank pins that he's a Captain.
Bailey was flanked by two other Marines from the 4th Company that he was in charge of, the Alliance Embassy's security on the Citadel. The medics on the hallway didn't try to get in his way. Neither did the Turians of the private security company who knew what his job at the hospital was. There were pairs of Turians here and there, stationed on every level of the hospital to intervene if shit hit the fan. They could be distinguished from the normal staff by their uniforms.
He finally found the room he was looking for. A C-SEC officer was stationed on the right side of the door. He was a Turian as well, dressed in the characteristic C-SEC black with ocean blue lines armor. Light blue lights were present in some places on the armor. An M-15 Vindicator assault rifle was clutched in his arms and held at chest level. An M-3 Predator was visible on his leg, the weapon held there by the magnetic clamping mechanism. The officer noticed the three Marines.
"Access is restricted to this room. Citadel Security Investigation business," he shortly told the Marines.
Bailey frowned at that answer. He had a feeling that this Turian had a poor opinion on Humans. And a grudge too. Probably for the episode that was Shanxi and the Terran Blitz.
"I'm the commanding officer of the two soldiers inside. My visit here has been cleared with C-SEC already. Please step aside," Bailey told the officer.
The Turian simply stood there. "I'm under orders by my superior to restrict access until they finish questioning the Humans. You will have to provide proof that you are commanding officer."
Bailey's nerves were being forced. He pointed to the pin on his cap. "See this? That's a Captain pin. Armando-Owen Bailey, Alliance Marine Corps! Stop playing the bad cop and get the hell out of my way!" he half shouted and pushed his way past the Turian. He opened the door and stepped inside the room where his two soldiers were interned. There were two beds on opposite walls of each other, a window offering a glimpse into the Presidium's traffic lines. A soldier sat in each bed, both of them conscious and looking at their superior officer with a look that said 'ah, shiet!'
Two C-SEC Turians, one male and one female, were in there as well. The male had his omnitool activated and recording when Bailey entered the room. The female was more of an adjutant. Both of them suddenly turned their attention to Bailey. The male reached for his M-3 pistol while the female had a retractable electric baton at the ready.
"What is the meaning of this?" the female demanded.
"You tell me! I've cleared all this with C-SEC. And what the hell are you doing with that electric baton!? Get that thing out of my face!" Bailey ordered.
The woman looked at her colleague. The male nodded, signaling her to deactivate the baton and collapse it. "Captain Bailey, I assume?" the male asked.
"Yeah, that's me. I'd like to have a word with my subordinates."
"Of course,. We'll be waiting outside," he simply said and left the room with his adjutant. Bailey could have sworn he heard her muttering something along the lines of 'undisciplined pyjaks'. He decided to shrug that one off and not raise the already high tension level. His attention turned to the two Marines. One of them had bandages on his torso and the other one had pronounced bruises and a broken arm.
"Sir, I know how this looks-" the one with bandages wanted to say but was cut off by Bailey.
"Shut up! The ambassador is fuming right now. What the fuck is wrong with you, soldiers? Do you know what every fucking headline on this God damned station says?" he asked.
"Bunch of Batarian idiots get trashed by Alliance Marines?" the second one answered. He was in the mood to make jokes at such a time.
"Stop being a smartass, Corporal Pavlov! Chora's Den is a fucking mess, ten people are in the hospital, two of which you, and two other Marines are in a cell at the C-SEC headquarters in Zakera. How did one of my men get stabbed and the other one beaten to this sorry state? How the hell did the whole thing start? Did you drink that much?" Bailey questioned.
The one with the broken arm, Pavlov, started to explain. "Sir, it was the Batarian group who started it. The four of us were enjoying our drinks when they came in and picked on us. It was self defense."
"And how did the Krogan bouncer end up hospitalized in an even worse condition than you?"
"He wanted to break the fight by using too much force. Everybody jumped on him after that…"
"So you're saying you did not start the fight?" Bailey asked, his anger fading from his voice.
"No, sir. Those Turians should have the surveillance camera footage from the bar. You can check it, sir. The Batarians came right at us once they spotted us. Picked on the Asari waitress first, then on us."
Bailey nodded as he listened to his subordinate. He placed his hands on his waist and walked around the room. "What did C-SEC say earlier?"
"They asked us what happened. The guy just confirmed what we said with the surveillance footage. We're getting off the hook."
"Good to hear. At least I'll have some good news for the ambassador. Sergeant Elia will be here in 20 minutes to tend to your wounds. I don't fully trust the hospital staff to keep you nutjobs here. Aliens don't know Human anatomy. The two Marines outside will stay here until we sort all this mess out."
"Apologies, Captain. We did not want to put the Alliance in this spot," the stabbed one said.
Bailey shook his head before answering. "Try to not make it worse. Answer whatever questions C-SEC asks, but only related to the investigation, and let the politicians do damage control. I'm going to bail the other two idiots out of jail," he said and left the room. The C-SEC detective and his female colleague entered the room to continue their questions, the third one staying outside with the Marines.
Citadel, Presidium
Alliance – Quarian Embassy
Ambassador Goyle woke up to bad news this morning. She wasn't pleased one bit by it. She found herself in Rael's office at this moment of the day, serving the morning coffee with her peer. Rael had his mask off, now a common sight among the Quarian population. Goyle wondered why they did not trade their suits for more normal clothing. She thought they were still fond of their suits, becoming the norm in terms of clothing for them. The immune boosters developed by a joint Alliance – Quarian consortium were making wonders for the former nomads.
She sipped from her hot coffee, her eyes trying to see determine the outline of Rael's iris over the luminous eye sclera. The latter was enjoying a drink based on flavored plants from New Rannoch. It was tea essentially, plants dipped in hot water.
"How are we going to handle the situation, Ambassador Goyle?" he asked.
Goyle thought of an answer to the question as more coffee flooded her tongue. "Shutting down the news would be an idea."
Rael gave a faint smile. "It would be an idea. But that will only play in your disadvantage. I have a nagging feeling that somebody is manipulating the media to illustrate the four soldiers involved in the bar fight as the perpetrators and, considering the damage they inflicted upon the Batarians, brutes."
Goyle nodded thoughtfully. "I get that vibe as well. They are not being as subtle as they might think. It will have bad repercussions on our relations with the Batarian Hegemony. We just agreed on the matter of overlapping borders in the Verge."
Rael brought the holographic interface of his omnitool to show Goyle some highlighted text from an article. "You will like this: one of the Batarians who was hospitalized went ahead to make some rather… spicy comments about the treaty."
Goyle shook her head. "This will only create unnecessary tensions, both at home and abroad."
The Verge Treaty is the document signed between the Human Systems Alliance and the Batarian Hegemony through their ambassadors on the Citadel. The focus of the treaty is on the territorial dispute the two governments had. In essence, it states that the Hegemony can colonize certain systems within Alliance claimed space, and the Alliance can colonize systems outside of viable Mass Effect FTL reach. Smaller concessions have been made, but those involve monetary and material concessions. However, the treaty puts the colony of Mindoir one relay jump from the Hegemony's new borders.
"The press, both from home and from the Citadel, will demand a statement from the Alliance on the incident," Goyle noted.
Rael looked at her. "You must be careful with what you say. Pointing fingers will not be beneficial in the relations with the new neighbors. One soldier was stabbed and another beaten badly, ending with one arm broken. A Krogan was hospitalized with severe injuries. Two Turians, one with its mandible broken, the other poisoned with levo alcohol, were hospitalized as well. And the five Batarians, one of which might not survive his wounds. Might I also say that the owner of the club, Fist, is too a Batarian. What will you say?"
"The sensible thing to say – that whoever is responsible for the whole mess will be brought to justice. Nothing more," Goyle answered. "Anyway, how are things going for you?"
Rael put his empty cup on the table. "We are making good progress. Our cities on New Rannoch are growing faster than we thought. The economy is starting to look like an actual economy. We will put products on the galactic market by the end of the year. The private sector is already interested in our offers for advanced integration of VIs into industrial processes and omnitools. Not to mention of some of the products we'll sell under license. That experience exchange program instructed our engineers very well. All thanks to the Alliance."
Goyle smiled. "Glad to hear it, Ambassador Zorah. How is your daughter doing?"
"Tali?" Rael asked. "She is making me proud with every passing day. Right now, she's working on a research project for the Heavy Fleet. She's applying everything she learned while on your warship. The Normandy was it?"
Goyle nodded. "Nothing too dangerous, I assume?" she asked.
"No, you can be sure of that. It is for self defense. Can't afford anything crazy with our small population. Not that we'd even think of it. We just want to rebuild…" Rael spoke, his voice betraying something akin to nostalgia if Goyle guessed correctly. "Although, if I'm honest with you, we are planning something on the offensive side… offensive is an exaggeration, really," Rael admitted. It was something Han'Gerrel came up with, an idea Zaal'Koris considered as well, but with a lot less violence than Gerrel envisioned.
Goyle was caught by surprise by the twist. She set her cup on the table and crossed her legs, a hand resting on her lap and another on the chair's armrest. "What are you planning?" she asked with care, her voice curious enough, but not aggressive. She knew that if the Quarians botched something up, it would be the Alliance covering their backs.
"I don't know if you are aware about how things work on Illium. Have you heard about indentured servitude?" Rael asked.
"Not too much, unfortunately. I know that it is a law that basically legalizes slavery. Anyone who falls on bad luck resorts to it. Or are forced into it to pay their debts," Goyle answered. "What does it h- Ooh!" she wanted to say, but caught on to what the Quarians wanted. "Before you made contact with us, before you left the known galaxy, some of your people were caught in this situation."
Rael nodded. "Indeed. We recalled everyone on the Pilgrimage to the Fleet. But not all could return. Many are on Illium, serving in indentured servitude indefinitely. There are at least 5,000 Quarians on that planet. We want to bring them home."
"Do you have any guarantee that they have been forced into this, instead of volunteering for a safe place to live in, and food on their table?" Goyle asked.
"Volunteer," Rael mockingly said the words. "Illium is run by Asari corporations. Their economy is so large that they even have military ties with a good number of republics in Asari space. Their money is what's influencing the Fledgling States' external politics. The practice of tricking Quarians on their Pilgrimage into their twisted system was perfected to …perfection. They want us because they know we are the best technicians in the galaxy. What three or five Asari do, a Quarian does the same work in a shorter time. It's like the Hegemony's slavery system, but wearing fancy clothes and gallant titles. However you look at it, it's slavery," Rael clarified with sentiment in his words. He paused for a moment. "We want to free our people and bring them back."
Goyle thought of what he told her. Knowing Koris, he would not resort to violence. He would try diplomacy over and over to win his people back. But she also knew how proud the Asari are. That much she was able to extrapolate from her interactions with them. And from galactic history. Razea's own dismissal spoke volumes of it. The blow the Alliance dealt to the Republics and their whole race was monumental. Not only did they raid the Parnitha System, but they overtook the Asari in technological and cultural fields too. And, to add the cherry on top of the cake, they refused to submit to their authority. If she said that the matriarchy – which are the true leaders of the Asari – are fuming inside while maintaining a calm and warm façade, she would be right on point.
They will most likely refuse to release them from the contracts. After all, the Quarians are directly responsible for bringing Humanity on the galactic scene like this. For poisoning their minds with lies and using them as pawns to get back at the Council. Goyle shuddered at the thought that Humanity is very much like that in the short run. Perhaps not overly aggressive as the Asari, but Humans know how to hold a grudge in the right circumstances. But the overwhelming majority of Humans are not plagued by a complex of superiority. If the Illium based Asari corporatists were to release the Quarians, it would only damage their pride and prestige, both as individuals, as well as a race. Even make it look like they can be manhandled to the rest of the galaxy.
"Please don't do anything rash, Ambassador. Consider every possibility and lane of approach to this. The Alliance will be happy to support you in this quest," Goyle assured Rael.
"Thank you, Ambassador," he said. "Although that operation is planned for the future, it is good to know that we can count on your support. How is the Alliance doing?"
"We are… slowly making ourselves comfortable in the galaxy. We just got trade deals with the Turians, the Batarians, and the Elcor. The first batch of Elcor metals is already being turned into ships and building materials. One treaty is in the work with the Salarians and Asari. They need ratification before companies are allowed to interact with them on the market," Goyle answered.
"I noticed you're very reticent with the Republics, yet already trading with the Turians."
"You can blame the president for that. He is very paranoid when it comes to the Republics. I can't blame him. Their ideas and demands of free trade are not so in line with the Alliance's security policies. In the end, if they keep it up, I can see Montgomery and the whole Alliance give them the middle finger and get it over with," Goyle added. Her lips curled into a smile at the thought. "It would be amusing to see their faces."
"And lose the opportunity to trade with the largest economy in the galaxy?" Rael asked.
Goyle scoffed. "And miss the opportunity to trade with the new guys on the block? They'll come around, you can be sure of that."
Rael nodded. "And how are things looking on the Krogan front?" he asked her.
"Urdnot Wrex met with the president on Arcturus. They agreed to be part of the Arcturus Federation, both in the political and economic aspects of it. Humanitarian efforts are the norm on Tuchanka. More and more clans are coming under Urdnot's leadership now. The Salarians and Asari keep protesting on the matter, though. Only the Turians have accepted the situation and are already cooperating."
"Turian honor. You can always count on it. So… everything going well, then?"
"I would say so."
"Happy to hear. Any word from the Alliance on Razea's request?" Rael asked.
"You'd be surprised. They accepted her request. She'll be offered a place to live in Alliance space. Most likely on Arcturus Station or Shanxi, although the latter wouldn't be a great idea since the locals hate her race for what those mercenaries did."
"… Is it wise to take her in?"
A brief moment of silence followed Rael's question. Goyle finished her coffee, avoiding eye contact with her interlocutor. "I hope so. Not the most popular move, but the right one. Thank you for the morning coffee, Ambassador Zorah," she said as she stood up from her chair and retrieved her coat from the hanger. "But I must speak to Ambassador Quentius in 45 minutes. Better not be late for the appointment."
Rael stood up as well. "It was a pleasure talking with you. If I may, what business brings you to the Turian Embassy?"
"The Alliance will hold a military ceremony on Shanxi on 7th of January. The president wants me to personally invite Primarch Fedorian through the embassy," she answered. She reached for an envelope inside the coat. Her hand extended in Rael's direction. "This is for you, Ambassador. President Montgomery will talk to Representative Koris in person later today and invite him as well."
Rael accepted the envelope. "I see. Thank you," he said. His three fingered hand opened it and a formal letter written in Keelish dialect. Printed, actually. He briefly gazed over the message inside. "I will be there, Ambassador."
Goyle was near the door at this point. She said a simple "Have a good day, Ambassador Zorah," before leaving.
Citadel, Presidium
Docking Bay D24
Citadel Security, or C-SEC for short, is composed of multiple divisions. The largest division is Enforcement – uniformed officers who patrol the Citadel, maintain the peace on the streets, make regular arrests and respond to emergencies. Investigations is the division composed of detectives. They solve various cases by chasing leads, gathering evidence and finding the culprit. Enforcement usually supports Investigations in the field. The Customs division is tasked with monitoring the people and cargo that passes through the Citadel's ports, mostly for wanted criminals, illegals, smugglers and contraband. The Network division deals with cybercrimes, including VI and AI infractions.
Special Response is the Police equivalent of SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics). It can also be compared to the Alliance Intelligence Counter Terrorist units. Special Response is called in to deal with hostage situations, heavily armed criminals, bomb situations. They are the crème a la crème of C-SEC. Due to the hazardous tasks they're confronted with, Special Response is equipped with near military grade weapons and armor. The last, but not least, is the Patrol division of C-SEC, or the coast guard. Serving aboard Citadel Security starships, their coast guard niche includes search and rescue, minor piracy suppression, and interdiction.
The Customs C-SEC officer was checking her digital papers from across the counter. Multiple Turian and two Asari officers were screening the people going in and out of the Alliance dock. There were two Humans with the officers. Perhaps to validate C-SEC's screening. One wouldn't want to let slip a spy or a terrorist. Atelas looked to her right. The ship that would take her to Shanxi. From there… she didn't know what would await her. But it would be a good outcome, she reasoned. The Alliance was drooling at the thought of having a former admiral of the Republics as their protégé.
The ship was docked some 150 meters from her position. A few armed Marines were patrolling around the dock. The vessel itself wasn't an ordinary one. The design was totally different from the standard civilian Citadel designs. It was pretty large too, 300 meters long or more. Huge green letters were painted on the black and white background, probably the name – ARCTURIAN JADE. It could accommodate 3,000 passengers, with rooms to sleep in, to serve food, and even to pass time. Advertised as a luxury liner, after all, for long travels.
Her attention turned back to the Turian officer across the counter of the checkpoint. He lookez up to her after reading through her file. He then turned to look towards the Human's direction. The latter was seated in front of a computer and he simply gave a thumbs up sign towards the Turian. Some sign of confirmation.
"I'll never understand why he does that every time. It's like he's too lazy to talk," the officer complained. "You are cleared to proceed."
"Thank you," Atelas said and moved forward. Once she was clear of the corridor, she noticed there was a lounge set up just near the dock. Drinks and food was on sale. Multiple Humans were having a conversation at a table, some steaming drink in a tall cup held in their hands.
Thinking it would be a waste of time to hang around, she made a bee line for the boarding ramp into the vessel. She didn't want to spend any more time on the Citadel either. The sooner she left the den of vipers behind, the better. In her opinion, the station has become a symbol of the matriarchy's power. As they turned their back to her, so would Atelas turn her back to the matriarchy.
Thinking of matriarchs, she failed to spot Matriarch Lidanya, in the crowd until it was too late. Lidanya smiled to Atelas while putting herself between the ship and Atelas. The latter came to an abrupt halt, a hand on her backpack's handgrip and the other in a pocket.
"Matron Razea," Lidanya spoke as she blocked Atelas' path.
"Matriarch," she acknowledged her presence. Atelas made a move to bypass her and continue her way to the ship, but Lidanya gently moved sideways, blocking her again. "What are you doing?" Atelas half asked, half demanded from the commanding officer of the Citadel Joint Fleets.
Lidanya's eyes hardened, her smile subsiding. "Making sure where your loyalties belong," she said with an even tone.
"Aaa… the matriarchs want to know if I will give the Humans and Quarians more than I gave for you or the Republics?"
"I don't care about the other matriarchs. Most of those in powerful positions have never set foot in a military base in military uniform. I care about the Republics, about the Asari. You are a potential threat to our security right now."
"What are you talking about?" Atelas feigned ignorance.
"You know what I'm talking about, so don't try to shrug it off just because of the political stunt that made you the scapegoat. I supported you and I lost much political clout for it," told her.
Atelas' resentment for Lidanya gave way for a bit of sympathy. "I will not make you any promises, matriarch. I will no longer serve for the matriarchy's interests in any shape or form. But don't any one of you question my integrity," she bit back.
Lidanya's right hand's fingers curled on Atelas' forearm, a gentle squeeze following it. "Remember, sister, that water's sweet, but blood is thicker," she said and let go of her hand. Lidanya walked away from the matron, heading to the C-SEC checkpoint. [3]
Atelas watched her as the distance between the two increased. An old saying among the Asari, one since they were still living in tribes. The matriarchs might have refused Atelas, the Humans accepting her in return. The Humans were somewhat friendly to her, possibly giving her what the matriarchs had taken away. But the Asari are her kin, not some aliens thousands of light years away. After all, one takes more to their kin than to strangers.
Citadel, Presidium
Council Private Chambers
"-and this would be the last item on the list of internal, intra Citadel affairs we had scheduled to discuss today," Tevos said as the regular meeting of the councilor neared its end.
"Would there be external matters that Councilor Tevos wishes to bring up?" Valern asked.
Sparatus was half detached from the meeting. His mind was occupied with other matters. Stress would even show on his face from time to time. Those who could read Turian body language would observe the detail. Valern's statement, however, brought his attention in full to the table.
Tevos met Valern's eyes while putting the words together into a sentence. "The Courts of Dekuuna are about to put the Eezo procured from the Alliance on the market."
"An embargo is still in place," Sparatus noted.
"On their metal mining industry, not Eezo industry," Valern reminded him. "There is nothing legally stopping private companies from buying the product."
"The Asari are concerned about a possible Elcor secession from the Citadel in the future," Tevos said.
"Secession? What are you talking about, Councilor Tevos?" Valern asked.
"We are living interesting times, Councilor Valern," she continued. "The Elcor who normally are the slowest of the known species have radically changed in a mere year. They are stepping out of their comfort zone and we have been rather oblivious to it. They are strengthening ties with the Alliance. The Asari are concerned that this little friendship will see the space administered by the Courts of Dekuuna become a Human enclave within Citadel space. Just like the Krogan DMZ."
"We cannot move within the Krogan DMZ," Sparatus commented. "Primarch Fedorian is vehemently opposing Council security interests in the area. If I'm so bold as to say, he's even sympathizing with the Quarians and the Humans. He seems dedicated to the humanitarian and security effort for the Krogans."
"I have observed you have been at odds with Primarch Fedorian in the near past," Tevos says. "If I may, what caused such a rift between two hard working colleagues, even friends?"
Sparatus thought this would be the moment to gather Council support for his faction. "I will admit that I sympathized with his visions of a new Hierarchy, even if his vision bordered the one Tyraeus and Hortenraka had for the Turians at the cost of relations with the other species. He grew more and more isolationist towards the Council over the years, passed economic reforms that buried many projects, even went as far as to hinder the military apparatus when it came to combat threats," the Turian councilor explained. "When it came to the Eezo incident with the Elcor and Quarians, it was I who dispatched the ships to enforce the laws of the Citadel Charter."
Valern's face didn't betray any of his thoughts. He was trying to gauge out Sparatus' intentions. As far as he knew, only he and a dozen folks in STG are aware of what the Turian Councilor might have tried to pull off during the war. "Are we to understand the Hierarchy is having internal issues that this Council should be aware of?" he asked.
"Primarch Fedorian has recalled two admirals and a dozen generals of the military from active duty. They are confined to Palaven Command for a time now, away from their fleets or legions – forces stationed in important sectors of Hierarchy space. Take it as you will," Sparatus stated. "I would like to ask for the Council's help. Put pressure on the Primarch to turn him around, make him see the right path."
Valern felt Tevos' eyes fall on him. It was a simple, but subtle move that put the light on Valern. It was subtle, tangible pressure put on him to force him to voice his answer. Tevos wanted to know what the Salarian thought on this before giving or denying Sparatus his request for help. Valern didn't budge, returning the glare for a second until Sparatus too looked at Tevos. She had lost the duel.
The Asari Councilor shifted her eyes to her Turian colleague as the words began to leave her mouth. "The Republics will do their best to support the Hierarchy without overstepping my jurisdiction or infringing upon the Turian state's sovereignty," she carefully chose his words.
Then, attention returned to Valern. "I will not take sides in an internal conflict of a sovereign power," he stated. "I will, however, pass your request to my superiors."
It was not that Valern did not prefer Fedorian removed from the Hierarchy's leading position. He has the Union's interests to uphold, and Fedorian's policy is hurting the Union overall. It was that he refused to play to Sparatus' tune. He was still suspecting him of shadow work that would lead to a greater crisis than Fedorian was able of. The episode of the Citadel's communication sabotage was still fresh on the Salarian's mind.
[1] There is no item 1 in this list. It got deleted and I was too lazy to rectify the numbering.
[2] I mean something similar to Anderson's battle dress uniform in Mass Effect 3 while he is stuck on Earth.
[3] I know these same words (an old proverb dating back to late 12th century Germany) are said in the song Hey Brother by Avicii, and is probably the reason for its popularity among millennial youth, but they hold too much meaning to be dismissed. They are especially fitting in this context. And, for those who have brothers and sisters, younger ones at that, it is a truth they most likely live by. For some reason, we older siblings are much more preoccupied with ensuring our younger siblings the best we can. Perhaps more so than for our parents.
NOTE2: Thank you for reading the latest chapter of my main story! What I want to tell you is that I am working on rewriting the first chapter according to consistent feedback. The next update should take a bit longer. It will either come before or with the rewrite of first chapter. Anyway, don't worry, I will let you know via an author note that it was updated.
NOTE3: So, as you can see, the pieces are moving into position. Expect the next chapter to start the brewing shitstorm! I wanted to add one more scene with the Quarians (Tali) and the Normandy, but I guess these can appear in the next chapter as well. Or the one after the next. So, what will the Alliance secessionists do? What will Garrus discover in the Citadel's maintenance tunnels? What is going on with the mercenaries and pirates moving into the Traverse? What's the real story behind the bar fight? And what more has the Reaper substory to reveal? Stay tuned to find out!
NOTE4: On the topic of feedback – don't be shy to post from your accounts. I don't hold it against anyone if they are critical of my work. As long as it is constructive criticism and not flaming or bashing. I approve all feedback that cross the line of common sense. I did want to rewrite the first chapter of them all most, but time constraints held me back. Anyway, know that I truly listen to feedback. As long as it is not toxic, it gets posted. I'm not censoring reviews and only show nice ones. No, I show both sides. This way, if a possible reader looks at the reviews to see what others think of the story, he doesn't see it all shiny and then be disappointed. Remember to leave as much feedback as possible! Even short, encouraging words are a great motivator.
NOTE5: Now, I know some of you might be wondering what Garrus' current story arc is all about. I mean, he seems to be herp-a-derping, right? Know that his current arc has a major impact in the future of the story. If I may be so bold as to possibly give you a spoiler, the future of the galaxy.
Shout outs to stories with great potential out there (discovered them while browsing this community): Asari Effect by CheshireTwilight, The Fourth Council Race by Knight Vigilant Koren, Extinction by Chris7221 (SG Atlantis x ME). If you're enjoying this story, you might enjoy these two as well.
A STORY BROUGHT TO YOU BY Apollonir