Author's Notes: Here's the next one, shorter chapters too. I'll be updating hopefully every Sunday not too. Earlier if I get on a roll.
Reviews are always welcome.
Legal: I don't own any of the Mass Effect or Halo universes
Saren, Geth, Sovereign, Collectors, and now the NSSC coming to light in the galaxy and she had fought them, rising to the challenge, overcoming the impossible. So much has happened in the past few years for Shepard and her crew. If it wasn't one thing, it was the other. So why was it so difficult to relax during downtime? The Spectre had wanted few things other than some rest ever since her seemingly non-stop sprint since the shakedown run to Eden Prime had set her life in motion. Now, she faced what has now become her most difficult foe - nothing. She had nothing to do right now.
They had arrived back at Shangri La after a very disorientation exit from the Council. Rear Admiral Campbell had told them it was a transportation device based on what was found on the Halos. It wasn't precise as it could have been when deployed outside of a ship - something, about a sort of attenuation device that the halos had throughout. Apparently it had been a big risk, they had appeared floating in the expansive cargo bay with no artificial gravity fairly far apart. Once they landed and regrouped she had been informed they'd return to the Halo for debriefing and the next part of the plan. They had since arrived so now all the Normandy could do was sit there and wait.
Nick chimed in on her Omni-tool, she saw his message that said she was wanted in the galley. She hefted herself out of bed and checked her fish were fed before leaving.
Everyone seemed to be at the galley except Miranda and Tali, Tali was with her people. She had been glad to see they indeed did arrive at Shangri La. While Miranda had traveled back to the Illusive Man, she had told Shepard before she left of her plans. Now though, Nick stood at the end of the table everyone was gathered around, waving a hello to her as she walked in.
"Shepard, glad you made it. We can start now."
"Start what? Something good I hope. I'm beginning to go crazy on this ship with nothing to do, I'm hoping you've got something interesting for us."
Nick laughed, "Yeah, you don't strike me as a sit around and do nothing sort. The reason I asked you all here is because after everything you all have been through, I've convinced my superior officers to allow me to offer certain things to this crew."
Shepard perked up, this may end up more interesting than first assumed. She hadn't asked for anything from Nick or the NSSC but she knew a lot of what they had would be useful, especially after the Huragok had calibrated the entire Normandy. Garrus had nothing to calibrate anymore.
"Believe it or not, the NSSC has some precedence for how to treat someone that helped save the known galaxy from destruction." Nick thought of the Commander 117, tried and true hero of humanity – their galaxy in all actuality. Shepard cut in on his thoughts.
"I haven't saved anything yet, the Reapers are still coming."
Nick nodded, her rebuttal and her reasoning behind it was one of the reasons his command had allowed what he had argued for.
"They are and that's part of it. You and your crew have, at almost every turn, managed to do your best to do what was right for everyone involved. You showed that you value life for its own value rather than its utility to you or yours when you allowed the Rachni to survive. You have taken the route of diplomacy as often as you could when shooting would have accomplished the same goal. There are a lot of examples actually. Shepard, I don't know what the Assembly has for the rest of the Citadel but you and the Normandy have access to what you think you need from our tech."
Shepard was speechless for a moment, she hadn't expected the NSSC to allow her anything really, now they seemed to have put anything she wanted at her feet.
"Wha-I, Huh? Anything I want?"
Nick laughed a bit to himself, "Pretty much, yeah. I mean they're not gonna build a halo for you just so you can use it as a summer home but I'm inclined to believe you could convince them if you felt it was a good idea. No, you have been identified as having upheld our belief in the "Mantle" and we hold those who have done what you do in very high esteem. I know you can make use of some of the technology, I also know you won't just go running off with a bunch of our tech and sell it to the highest bidder."
"No, probably not. I've already been thinking of ways to get the Normandy upgraded and how some of the NSSC combat items could be useful. The armor you have is especially interesting."
That was one thing that Nick had figured Shepard would bring up,"Well, without the augmentations to go with it the suits might do more harm than good but the Normandy is good to be upgraded."
"Good! Then we'll look at what can be done for the ship first then, the armor can wait until I understand what augmentations you're talking about will include. You don't seem like a cyborg or anything so we've got that going for us."
Nick looked around, "The offer is extended to all of you as well. I can finally let my guard down around all of you, no more trying to keep a secret and I can finally offer something I've wanted to since I got on this ship - Joker! You want a cure for your Vorlik's?"
Joker looked at Nick for a second with sarcastic marks running through his head, mouth open in a moment of disbelief and surprise. Finally his brain processed what Nick had said, "HELL YEAH! Maybe I can get some of those augmentation too huh Shepard?"
"We still need you at the helm Joker, you can't pilot the Normandy from a shore party."
Grunt stepped up, "Hey, could that armor be adapted for a Krogan?"
Everyone thought for a second, Shepard considered what Grunt wanted, "A Krogan that's even harder to hurt? I'm glad you're on our side Grunt."
Nick stood up, "Weeellll...Joker, you might be able to do some piloting from a shore part and Grunt? We can tailor armor to just about anyone. Now, tell me, have any of you heard of a neural lance?" Amusement danced in his eyes, "It's not as bad as it sounds, let me explain…"
New Ark, Assembly Conference Room
"This conference of the Assembly is now called to order, the military and civilian advisors are in attendance. The topic of this conference is to discuss the implications of the first contact with the Citadel races and the conduct of Rear Admiral Campbell acting as Human ambassador to the Citadel Council. The civilian advisor will begin by summarizing the diplomatic events observed at each fleet location. AI Cornelia, you have the floor." Boc Nath motioned the hard light avatar of the AI forward to begin.
"Thank you Member Nath, the fleets across the Citadel space have met with a mixture between the best and worst projected outcomes. The worse encounter was with the Turians, they reacted violently at having their space invaded and countered our offers of diplomacy with a show of violence. They were unsuccessful in any lasting damage to any crew or equipment but the message was sent. I do not advise moving into the areas with a Turian population without express permission or overbearing need."
"Noted Cornelia, and what of the other Citadel Council races?" the Sangheili Assembly Member's voice projected in deep baritone.
"The Asari are somewhere in the middle ground, they would not go into depth on any actual issues. They instead seemed more interested in an exchange of cultures. The tone of the Asari meeting was one tinged with mild condensation although it is not believed to be intentional."
The Human Member, Tian Xue, spoke up, "I should hope not, let's assume for now that they are simply used to dealing with races that are inexperienced as a galactic race. The Asari on Thessia had no way of knowing of the NSSC and so any initial reactions can be forgiven."
"That was the general feeling of the delegation as well, although some of the Matriarchs seemed to be distracted by the way our technology might interfere with their markets."
Boc Nath spoke up again, "We should reassure them there will be no such disruptions as of now. We know too little about the actual character of each race to release our technology to them."
"Of course, the distribution of our technology to the Citadel races will require a review at regular intervals. If we simply withhold the advantages we have over them, resentment could build. We also risk a master/servant scenario in the future."
The male Unggoy Member was curious, "How could us not releasing our technology result in something like that? Would we not offer membership in the NSSC? I would not support a call for these races to join as client races as the Citadel Council does."
"Not at all Member Zlak, neither would any of us I think. The disparity would show itself as a consequence of two groups with one having superior technology than the other. We should be careful to not alienate the Citadel races. If they are left with nothing other than the knowledge that we are much more powerful than they are then some will come to envy us and we would end up with sycophants. Groups who would falsify their goodwill simply to come close enough to get our technologies. We want real equals, not greedy client races."
Member Xue spoke, "I think we can all agree on that Corneilia, we will be sure to take your observations under advisement in our decisions. Please, continue with your report."
"The next race I would bring to your attention is the Salarians." A rendering of a Salarian male and female rotated next to the AI avatar, "They have long been hailed as the intelligence experts of the Citadel. Our arrival and their complete lack of knowledge of us compared to our more comprehensive view of them has painted their dealings with us already. They recognize that we have the upper hand in their eyes however, as a consequence, they have been more receptive than most to our diplomacy. It needs to be noted however that any attempts at acquiring our technology or intelligence on the NSSC will most likely be performed by the Salarians."
Seeing the Assembly had no comments, she moved on to the next of the races, explaining the contingency plan for the Batarians and that there was now infighting as an apparent revolution had occurred on Batarian planets. The Volus' voiced their concern for the galactic market, the Elcor worried over the large changes the NSSC heralded, the Hanar and Drell seemingly unconcerned with the NSSC – although offers of the Enkindler sermons were made, the Krogans having been receptive to the NSSC on the condition of a cure for the genophage, and finally – Cornelia made it to the last race in her report, the Citadel Humans.
"Now Assembly Members, I will touch on the Citadel Humans." A rendering of Earth came up with the Systems Alliance symbol rotating on the other side of the avatar. "They were rather surprised by our arrival, understandably so, and after some explanation were receptive to the history put forth by our diplomatic party. In our dealings with them we found where the split from the 'timeline' we experienced may have diverged." A rendering of Mars and a Prothean beacon appeared.
"In their first decades on Mars they found ruins of the Protheans that allowed them to unlock FTL through the use of element zero. After that they found the relay at Charon and then encountered the Turians in a short first contact war."
Member Vigrad Ivars, the male Human Member, took this moment to speak, "Yes, the discovery of the element zero tech, we seem to see a pattern here. Each race in this galaxy was innovative and almost aggressively exploratory until two factors came into play. They discover this element zero, the first factor, then they discover the Citadel Council, the second factor. Between those two things, most broad advancement stops."
The Member called a rendering of the different races up, "Each race that encounters those two things, seems to stagnate within a decade or two. Focusing research and time into narrow fields of study. We need to investigate this phenomenon. I don't think that this is coincidence with what we have found in this galaxy so far."
Cornelia agreed, "Yes, that is a subject that is cause for concern, more so if you factor in the Council's reactions during the Rear Admiral's meeting with them." A short video showing the seconds before and after the mention of the Reapers was played showing a large change in the councilors after the Reapers were mentioned.
"After analysis, it would seem that this sudden change in posturing brought on by the mention of the Reapers and suggests a mild form of indoctrination. Substantiated by the fact that this Citadel is made with the same materials and apparent methods as the relays. If the Citadel codex is to be believed, this Citadel would probably have been the seat of power for any race throughout this galaxy's history. A prime area to influence galactic policy and thought."
The Assembly murmured in agreement, "There is evidence that the workings of this structure, while hidden from those that use it, is designed as a monitoring, mild indoctrination, and relay device. Commander Shepard stated in his report that the Citadel itself was a giant relay that allowed the horde of Reapers to strike at the galactic government's heart. It would make sense that the Citadel would be a means to keep the Reaper threat a 'myth' until they returned."
A rendering of the Citadel appeared, cycling through the opening and closing of the arms and then opening the five arms wide. "I believe this would explain the Council's reaction to the Reapers, especially after actually being attacked by a Reaper. I don't believe any political body would be so blind normally to the evidence after that."
The Sangheili Member shifted, "Yes, it would seem that more investigation is necessary into that. When diplomacy is accepted by the Citadel again, we need to present the evidence we have. Let us hope the Reapers have not reached too far into their minds."
After working his console for a moment, the Member looked around, "While important, more diplomatic contact is necessary to make an informed decision on this matter. I move that we conclude the report of the diplomatic proceedings and move on to the next piece on the agenda."
The other Members agreed, closing the report on the diplomacy. The Sangheili member motioned the hard light rendering of Rear Admiral Campbell forward.
"The next order of business is the conduct of Rear Admiral Campbell in the Citadel Council chambers and the disciplinary actions to be taken in light of his actions."
A short clip of the last minute of Campbell's dealings with the Council were shown, "Rear Admiral Campbell, you are being reviewed for misuse of NSSC assets and actions unbecoming of an officer in the NSSC. Your lack of diplomatic decorum and egregious display of our technology in a 'shock and awe' maneuver was unacceptable." The Sangheili Member had agreed on some level that it was effective but in the context of their goals for that meeting, it had been unnecessary and, hopefully not, damaging as a political context.
Tian Xue continued, "The Assembly is of the same mind Rear Admiral, we understand that you seemed to have hit an impasse when the Reapers were mentioned but the diplomatic situation could have very easily steered to a much more useful outcome. You actions were the diplomatic equivalent to throwing your hands in the air and stomping from the room because you didn't hear what you wanted."
Unggoy Member Lasaw added, "While this is all true, the blame must partly lie on our heads as well. We selected you as the ambassador knowing you had limited diplomatic experience. Our intention in that was that you would not accept political posturing, using your pragmatic experience to present what we have found. We accept that a better choice could have been made but it still does not excuse your actions."
"This is true that we made the choice to put you in command of this, however, you never presented the evidence we have on the Reapers. You mentioned it, but didn't offer it to the Council for review. Such evidence is not listed in detail in the 'codex' they were forced to go through. Which brings up the point of your wrongful detaining of a foreign diplomatic party." Boc Nath had become angry at hearing how this Human had conducted himself with no small amount of anger at himself and his peers for allowing something like this to happen.
"In the interest of timeliness and to ensure we are not simply listing off our own opinions on your decisions Admiral, we will continue. Your actions have caused a poor impression on the newly contacted galactic government and as such, you will be removed from diplomatic duties as well as your military command of the diplomatic fleets. A new assignment will be waiting for you."
Minerva, one of the AI Members, spoke as she went through the process of removing the Rear Admiral's rights and privileges pertaining to diplomacy and the fleets. "You will stay on Shangri La until further notice. Do you understand the course of these proceedings so far?"
Rear Admiral Campbell had been quiet throughout this, he knew why he was here and he had grudgingly accepted what was happening. He looked at each Member in turn before answering, "I understand the decision of this Assembly." He didn't agree with everything but he knew this was not a two-way conversation, only his acknowledgement of the facts was needed or would be received.
The Sangheili Member spoke, "Very well. Admiral Hood, while he has been relieved of his command and diplomatic duties, his overall value to the NSSC is not in question. We charge you to find a task suited to him so we do not waste a flag officer in the NSSC due to this incident. Send your recommendation to us for review." Admiral Hood acknowledged the order.
The Assembly Members all punched their codes into their Consoles, "With that business done, this concludes this conference. Admiral Hood, Cornelia, and Rear Admiral Campbell - you are dismissed."
The two advisors left the room to attend to their duties while the rendering of the Campbell dissolved. Left alone, the Assembly spoke among themselves.
"We must reopen diplomatic channels with the Citadel, have the Arbiter make contact with the Council again. The diplomatic fleets need to be signaled to reinitiate contact. The information in our 'codex' will need to be explained. As contact with these races has helped put what we learned from their codex into a useful context, I believe ours will need the same."
"Agreed, we should invite them to Shangri La now. There we could have a diplomatic summit. I think those proceedings at that location would allow us to convince even the Council of the importance of what we have found as well as pave the way for better relations with the Citadel races."
"What of the Krogan, Quarians, and the Geth? The Krogans have been promised a cure for the genophage but that will be a negative influence on the Council. They fear the Krogan even now, centuries after the Krogan Rebellions. In reference to the Geth, they are receptive but we need to understand their motives before making larger diplomatic agreements with them. There is much resentment for them in the Citadel races. Finally the Quarians, I think we all want to see the injustice done to them reversed but their hatred of the Geth is worrying. There are many different ways this can go bad. We can't be sure our efforts to repair their fleet won't bolster their confidence and attack the Geth. We aren't helping these races only to facilitate war among them."
"The same could be said for almost anything we do in this galaxy, we as the Assembly are new but we must do what we can, we cannot afford to be spectators in this galaxy any longer."
"Agreed." There was too much moving too quickly for idle speculation by any political body in this galaxy.
The Members of the Assembly, with that final piece of their duties taken care of, made their closing remarks and ended their conference. Each Member then activated the New Ark's transportation system and went to their respective offices. There was work to be done.
Shangri La, Quarian Radius
Tali looked towards the edge of Shangri La, the ring stretching up and around to the left and right of her while the Migrant Fleet hung at the edge of it. The ships selected to be put through the NSSC's refitting had moved into the hangars on the underside (or outside? Hard to say) of the halo. The Quarians all had been fascinated by the speed and expertise of the Huragok once they understood the Quarian systems.
The Admiralty would allow a live ship to go through the process next if the ten ships came out as most hoped they would. Tali was nervous however, as she stood on the land the NSSC had crafted for her people on a planet-sized ring, she was overwhelmed with the scope of it all. She had hope that her people would finally be able to wave away the spectre of extinction. Having fully functional ships would be one step. The next would be a world, hopefully Rannoch, to live on again.
She was pulled from her thoughts as she noticed a light play off her surroundings and then felt heavy footsteps approach from behind, as she turned, a deep baritone voice greeted her.
"Greetings Tali'Zorah, I had hoped to find you on Shangri La." Tali stopped and looked confused. Her expression was hidden by her faceplate but her silence told the Sangheili he was unexpected.
"I did not mean to surprise you Quarian, I understand you are a member of the Commander Shepard's crew, the same crew responsible for taking down the first Reaper and later, the Collectors." Tali finally broke out of her stunned surprise, she hadn't been expecting anyone to see her here, one of the reasons she had chosen this spot on the Halo.
"I'm sorry, I came here to get some time to think. I hadn't thought anyone would find me here." She thought a moment and laughed to herself, "I suppose your people have a means to find anything here on this place you've built though."
She composed herself, "To answer you, yes, I am that Tali'Zorah. Why would you be looking for me specifically? The Admiralty is on one of those ships." She pointed to the Fleet.
"I am Thel'Vadam, the Arbiter for the Sangheili people. I had heard of your presence here on Shangri La and wanted to speak to you myself. You have had a hand in the events that have done much to shape the things that have led up to now." The Sangheili looked up at the Migrant Fleet.
"Your fleet and its leaders will help shape the future but it is you I wanted to speak to."
Tali looked at the Fleet and then back at the new arrival, "Well Arbiter, I have nothing else to do for now, what did you want to speak to me about?"
"You have a much wider experience than most Quarians, the changes that we are bringing to the galaxy at large will conflict with many preconceptions the Citadel races have. There are many obstacles until any of us believe the galaxy will be ready for the Reapers." Tali nodded, she had thought much the same through her times traveling with Shepard.
"You still haven't really asked me anything although I do agree with you."
"How will the Quarians react once they learn of the Reapers, of our AI, or our attempts to contact the Geth? Your people have survived for centuries but we offer the chance to prosper again. The path will not one easily traveled for the Quarians however."
Tali had wondered the same, her talks with those back in the Fleet had not included the AI and Geth. It was a very touchy subject in the Fleet.
"I don't know how they would react to the Reapers, probably avoid them. Living out of ships makes you much more cautious about what threats you face."
Tali looked back at the Fleet, "The NSSC AI and the Geth are a different thing altogether. I think they could overlook the AI your people use. I doubt the Geth would be treated with any such courtesy."
Tali had begun to wonder if her people and the Geth could ever, maybe not make amends – even she wasn't that naïve – but live without killing each other. As she was thinking of this, a thought popped into her mind.
"All of these things that the NSSC is doing, helping us, contacting the Citadel, fighting the Reapers. You can build and move things like this-" She motioned to the halo they stood on, "and never once have I really thought of WHY the NSSC would do such things."
She stood, looking at the Sangheili as he listened to her, "You seem to be much more advanced and well beyond the reach of the Reapers. I don't understand why you would go so far out of the way to help."
The Arbiter thought for a second before answering, 'It does appear strange from their viewpoint. Would the Humans have accepted help from the Covenant if it had been offered at first contact? At the level we wish to impose on the Citadel races?'
"We follow the Mantle Tali'Zorah, it is what guides the NSSC where ever we may be."
"I've heard that before, but what IS the Mantle?"
"The Mantle was passed down from an ancient race in our universe. It is the Mantle of Responsibility, it guides us to protect life in all of its variety and glory. Those who uphold the Mantle are charged as protectors, caretakers, and cultivators of life. That is why we so freely give to the Quarians, Krogan, Geth, and also why we would work with the Citadel Council to defeat the Reapers. They are an affront to everything we would seek to protect."
"So you somehow decided that you would all be galactic defenders? How does a race even come to decide that?"
"As I said, it was passed down from the Forerunners, an ancient race that fought to defend life. Their adherence to the Mantle lead to them ending themselves to ensure that life would continue in our universe."
Tali turned in disbelief, "Wait, they cause their own extinction? Wha-why? What could have caused such an event that they would have to die for life to continue?"
At this the Sangheili went quiet, he remembered those wars and tried to forget the specific events as often as possible, still he had fought through the war and he had understood the threat, "The Flood."
Tali waited a moment as the alien composed his thoughts, "Tali'Zorah, let me tell you of the parasite, the infection that had plagued our galaxy for over a hundred thousand years. The Flood."
Tuchanka, Urdnot Clan Headquarters
The two forms crashed into each other while the crowd gathered around them roared in excitement. Krogan and Sangheili watched the large fighting pit that Fleetmaster 'Chahom and Urdnot Wrex now fought and struggled to gain the upper hand over each other within. They were moving into the second hour.
With all of his might, Wrex gripped the Sangheili and capitalized on his lower stance. The Sangheili lifted from the ground, Wrex roaring as he hefted the large alien over himself. A surprised sound escaping the 'Chahom as he was lifted.
'Chahom crashed into the ground hard, barely being able to break his fall before rolling over further to correct himself. To be lifted in such a manner was almost unheard of. He chuckled as he took a step back and reassessed his opponent. Wrex looked at him and laughed before charging. The Fleetmaster sidestepped at the last moment, grabbing onto Wrex's tail and torso. He used the Krogan's momentum to swing him around back the direction he had rushed from. Straining as he lifted the Krogan at the last second, throwing Wrex back at the spot he had been in moments ago.
Wrex hit the ground hard and off balance. Skidding on the ground and hitting his back against the wall of the pit they were in, he snarled as he stopped. Standing up he was greeted by the tall alien, ready to strike. Wrex snapped back up onto his legs, readying himself for the blow. At the last second, Wrex used the hump on his back to deflect the Sangheili's attack and begin his own. The large mass of Krogan struck 'Chahom, knocking him aside and against the wall.
'Chahom shook himself off and roared as he surged forward to meet Wrex. They collided to the cheers of the onlookers, 'Chahom using his height to try to unbalance Wrex while Wrex used his lower stance to try to push the Sangheili back against the wall.
The two struggled, the crowd waited with bated breath for minutes, watching the two large aliens struggle to gain the upper hand before the pair stopped. They were locked, neither gaining the advantage over the other. Their eyes met and for seconds the opponents glared. A sound started to emanate from each of them.
Laughter, 'Chahom and Wrex realized they both were equally matched and began laughing out loud. The crowd cheered. The fight had been a good one but it was over now.
Wrex finished his laugh and the two released their grip on each other, an unspoken agreement that the sparring match was over, "I don't think I've ever had a one on one fight with an alien and not ended it in seconds. That was a damn good fight."
The Fleetmaster had agreed, his speed and strength had been challenged at every turn, "You have proven to be a worthy opponent as well, I have never been thrown over another with only brute strength before."
"I'm Krogan, brute strength is the reason we're around. We should get our armor back on, I want to continue where we were before being interrupted."
Fleetmaster 'Chahom activated his neural link, his light armor slid into view and snapped into place around him, "Shall we go then? The interruption has passed, I have received word that negotiations are to continue. Although I would say that it was a good thing we never actually stopped our negotiations Urdnot Wrex."
Wrex thought for a second before answering. The Fleetmaster's armor appearing like it had his interest. Now that this alien had apparently received word that they could officially continue, Wrex thought it amusing that 'Chahom was right, they had never really stopped negotiating, their methods were simply an older, unspoken method between warriors.
Wrex chuckled as the two walked to the place they would negotiate, "You're right, we didn't. Your ships are impressive but they only show that you can build big things. Ships will put on a show but that you can match me in unarmored combat has earned you my respect Fleetmaster."
"And you mine Battlemaster." Wrex stopped, he was outside the room his armor was in.
"My guards will take you up to where we'll be, I've got to actually put my armor back on. Mine doesn't just appear out of thin air." He looked to one of the Krogan that had watched their sparring match, "Show the Fleetmaster up to the main area."
The Krogan nodded and motioned to 'Chahom the direction they would go. As they started walking, the escort spoke up, "So what would I have to do to get some of that armor?"
"All warriors in the NSSC are issued such armor, although I've received no word on if we will share such technology and there is no talks as of now if the Krogan will be joining the NSSC. Our purpose here is an alliance with the Citadel races, not for the purpose of recruiting races into the NSSC."
The guard scoffed, "The Citadel has done no good for the Krogan, they brought us up from Tuchanka to fight and after we did and then tried to live among them, they then tossed us aside with the genophage. What if we wanted to join the NSSC instead of stand with the Council as their discarded tools?"
'Chahom's thoughts paused for a second, he hadn't thought of if the races of the Citadel would WANT to join the NSSC. He wasn't sure what the Assembly would do if some of these races petitioned for membership.
"I don't think that is something that we had anticipated, your races would qualify so I could see no reason why any requests would be turned down. I, however, have no such authority."
Wrex walked in at that point with his armor back on, "What are you talking about in here? What don't you have authority for Fleetmaster?"
'Chahom gestured to the Krogan that had escorted him, "This one brought up a point not considered before. What the NSSC would do if Citadel races wanted to leave the Council behind and join the NSSC."
"We're a long way from that sort of thing Fleetmaster, we haven't even spoken about the cure for the genophage you were talking about earlier."
'Chahom nodded, "Of course, that should be our first topic." He stood up a little straighter, regaining his composure after his thoughts had wandered.
Seeing no reason to stall further talks, "What would you ask of the NSSC Urdnot Wrex?"
"First of all, it's just Wrex, we don't do that formal stuff here on Tuchanka much anymore." He sat in his chair, "Secondly, I want a cure for the genophage. It's that simple Fleetmaster. We've been neutered as a race by the Council after fighting their war for them. If the NSSC is really interested in helping and not just using us as tools like the Council, then there shouldn't be any problem."
"We have no use for the Krogan as tools, you are a sentient race. You are expected to maintain your own ambitions as we do ours. Curing the genophage will cause political issues with the other Citadel races tha-."
Wrex's face darkened, "If you think I'll tolerate you dangling a cure in front of my people only to pull it back because the Council will cry then I may have been wrong to show you any respect Fleetmaster."
This caused 'Chahom to reconsider his words, "I never said we were dangling the cure in front of you Wrex, I said it will cause issues, not could. I was not sent here to use the cure to negotiate, we are already working on a cure." Wrex shifted forward, very interested in what this Fleetmaster had to say now.
"We want to open diplomatic channels with the Krogan. The Reapers are coming Wrex, we will waste no time in deliberation over something that is simple. Cure the genophage for the Krogan. We believe that all would benefit for having the Krogan at full strength again."
"What about the possibility of rebellion? The Council uses the Krogan Rebellions like a hammer to keep us where we are."
For the NSSC, the cause of the rebellions had a simple fix, "Krogans rebelled due to lack of space to expand. The planets near the relays can only support so many. This is due to the restrictions your technologies puts on true interstellar travel. We have no such restrictions Wrex." 'Chahom motioned upwards, towards the ships above them.
"We have the entire galaxy open to us. Four hundred billion stars is enough for the Krogan and all other races Wrex. A Krogan empire could find a balance quite easily in this galaxy."
Wrex went quiet for a while, this had given him a lot to think about. 'Could it be this easy? Some new group comes along and cures the Krogan. Saren had done something like that and the Krogan were slaves, the Council had uplifted my people and used us as cannon fodder. I don't want to set up the Krogan for more of the same crap.'
Wrex shook his head, "This is all too good to be true, no one just shows up and does something like curing the genophage. I need damn good proof if I'm ever going to believe you. No one in Citadel space would allow us to "unleashed" on the galaxy again. The NSSC doesn't really understand how they fear us, you don't just get over that."
'Chahom thought for a second, maybe he would need a deeper connection to the Krogan to get his point across. Wrex didn't believe that the Council could get over their fear of the Krogan, 'Chahom thought of the humans and the Covenant of old, 'Wrex is wrong, if the humans can overcome what they did to unite the races in our universe, the Council can get over themselves.'
"Wrex, I don't think you understand just how much a race can get past if given the opportunity. You see-"His lance chimed, he had a message, frowning at the interruption.
"I am getting a message, I will be with you in a moment." Wrex looked annoyed, 'Chahom was actually also annoyed but the message was too high of a priority to ignore.
"Ambassador 'Chahom, with diplomatic channels open again, you are to invite the leaders or ambassadors from each race to Shangri La. General information can be passed but further agreements will wait until presence on Shangri La. END MESSAGE"
'Chahom shook his head after the message, not an unwelcome message, just badly times for his tastes. Wrex's too, if his face was any indication.
"What the hell was that Fleetmaster?"
"An implant that I can use to interface with some of our technology, I received a message that we can no longer enter any more agreements with any diplomatic party."
Wrex got more annoyed, so they would go back on what they said. "Go figure, we've come to not expect much from aliens."
"We're not nullifying any of our other offers Wrex, I simply cannot enter any other agreements with you, and I've been notified that you are invited to our diplomatic location. Shangri La, our foothold in the galaxy at the moment. We would not be gone long, a few days at most and you would be free to leave at any time."
"I think I can spare a few days if your people are serious about a cure for the genophage but I want to see the work being done on it. I'm no doctor but I think I can understand enough to know if you're not being serious."
"Excellent, we can leave whenever you are ready."
Council Chambers, Citadel
The Citadel was in a small uproar. The NSSC 'codex' had been released to the public after the Council had finished their appraisal of it. Quite annoying for them because it had been automatic and not by the Council's choice. They were used to having control over such information, just another thing that seemed destined to change with these new races in the galaxy.
The Council had been bombarded by calls and requests for information even as they put their own feelers out. Apparently directly after the Ambassador Campbell had left, the diplomatic parties at each home world had cut connection for the time being. The Councilors had felt a little better at that. It meant they would be the linchpin to diplomacy still. Meanwhile, they discussed the information in the NSSC 'codex'.
Councilor Valern was fascinated by it all, there was worrying information in the mix, but overall the influx of information allowed him and the STG to get on better footing again. He looked to the other Councilors in the secured room.
"This 'codex' is fascinating, information on the previous first contacts these races experienced explain the caution seen. The technological edge they have is disconcerting, substantiated by their ships and exit. The sections detailing their AI however, is cause for concern."
Councilor Tevos had been shaken up by their exit, true teleportation was well beyond their reach. She was beginning to realize on a visceral level that the Asari would no longer be the technological power in the galaxy. Although she had no worry about the diplomatic dominance the Asari had. If the Ambassador they sent to them was any indication, these NSSC were horrible at diplomacy. No wonder their first contacts had been so horrible. Looking into the section the NSSC included about AI and the role they played in their society, she was honestly surprised there was a society to speak to. Everyone knew that AI were dangerous in the extreme.
She was being vindictive about the situation and she knew it, a few days ago things had been so easy and quiet. If this 'codex' was to be believed, they had been living a delusion for the better part of a century. She had to get over her shock and disbelief so as to make real progress, the Citadel races still looked to them and it would do no good to stand around and sputter anger and disbelief at the 'codex' the NSSC sent them.
"They may have a technical advantage but we still are the ruling body of this galaxy. It's time we made our statement on this matter and got out of this room." She motioned around at the sequestered room.
"We can't be seen as hiding any longer even if we are still only going over the information."
Valern looked up from his console, "What will our reaction be to their use of AI? They have laid it out clearly that they use them, not only that, they are members in their society. Would the NSSC attempt to contact the Geth? Must have a plan for this, their AI could jeopardize negotiations. Would the public accept such a society?"
Councilor Tevos had wanted to avoid a discussion about AI, she had no more hope or belief they were anything but a time bomb but she also knew that the Council just appeared to be hiding right now, the distraction from her purpose annoyed her.
Councilor Sparatus spoke up at this, "What are we going to say? The NSSC seems to have already released everything we know into the public eye."
"We had the information first, we should go out and answer questions, address concerns, and do what we can to clear the confusion. We can gloss over the AI issue for now. Even I don't know what we'll do about that. We may not know everything but we still have a job to do."
"I suppose there's no shame in admitting we are not completely sure of the facts either, yes, it may even help us to say as such. Although I don't think that the AI will be as much of an issue." Councilor Udina was much more used to working in the diplomatic arena knowing there were things he was not aware of, he felt slightly more prepared for this situation than the older councilors.
Sparatus answered him, "Go out and shrug, 'We don't know either.'? Is that your plan Human? What benefit would that have for us? Another thing, how can you say that the AI won't be an issue? Have you forgotten the Geth Udina?!"
The Turian didn't trust any AI, specifically because of the Geth attack on the Citadel not long ago, "We have to remember that any AI is dangerous. I don't know what safeguards this NSSC seem to have in place but I have no doubt that they are only living on borrowed time. We ourselves were almost wiped out by the Geth two years ago! Udina, I recognize humanity stepped up during those attacks but if you think for a second that we will tolerate AI sympathizers you are sorely mistaken!"
Councilors Tevos and Valern felt similarly although not quite as vehemently as the Turian. Tevos was willing to wait it out, she was sure that once the NSSC saw the history of the Quarians that they would see reason. Valern was against AI for a more practical reason. Because of the projected difficulty of collecting intelligence against a foe that made use of AI. Salarians were the fastest and most intelligent species in Citadel space and they didn't like a computer program challenging them.
Udina hadn't expected the angry response from the Turian, "The Geth were created illegally, yes, but before the Geth the Council had no good reason to fear AI. These NSSC seem to have found a way to live with them. They've been using them for longer than our laws against AI seemed to have simply appeared in our law books."
Udina saw the Turian was still angry but didn't interrupt, he continued despite any potential anger he might cause.
"Even ignoring the AI issue, we need to think this through. Appearing as the all-knowing Council isn't always beneficial Sparatus, if we appear to be slightly more informed than the public but still in the same boat, it will allow us to connect with them instead of standing apart. The people need leaders they feel comfortable with, not ones that are out of reach."
Councilor Tevos saw a chance, "This discussion is getting us nowhere Councilors. We will address the AI issue when we have more time, later. For now, we need to make a statement to the public to reassure them and inform them of what has happened. I don't know if further contact can be made, I'm not even entirely sure we can contact them, but we need to appear to be in control."
As if on cue, a message flashed across their consoles, Councilor Sparatus felt a small growl escape himself. He flashed an angry look at Udina before checking his console. He did not like how this new group could access their systems seemingly at their whim. His fear of AI playing in the back of his mind.
"What do they want now?" Tevos had no illusions as to who the message was from either, no signal made it to their terminals normally unless they accepted the connection, "Have they contacted us to gloat?"
Udina looked over the message, a small bit of surprise passing over his expression, "It is a formal apology for the conduct of the Ambassador Campbell as well as an official invitation to their diplomatic base along with the coordinates to their meeting point"
The Turian Councilor was unimpressed, "Sounds like a political move, send the inept diplomat to show off, denounce him and then start the real proceedings in a position of power. Apologetic but in control. I'm….not sure we should accept." He may be unimpressed by the situation but the chance to see where these new races lived did sound worth their time to him. He decided to not dismiss a meeting off hand.
"Seeing their base would allow us to gain more knowledge of them, direct surveillance. Although STG would not be involved." The other Councilors looked at Valern in disbelief, the Salarians always wanted to know everything. That they would willingly pass up a chance at intelligence was almost unheard of.
"While I don't think that the usual attempts to gain knowledge of this new group would look very diplomatic Valern, I don't think we should abandon any efforts." Udina had been counting on the Salarians for intel as the other Councilors were.
"They have demonstrated a level of technological mastery beyond our own in that regard. As well as AI help, we have no idea what capabilities they have. Caution is prudent in such a situation. Chance for our efforts to be found out and defended against are too high until we know more about their abilities."
Tevos understood, take the patient route until they could be sure they weren't wasting their efforts, "In light of that, I think it is a good idea to abstain from any overt or covert attempts at gaining information that is not diplomatic in nature about this group just yet. We are diplomats, let us use diplomacy before the more underhanded methods. As much as we would all like to gain some sort of information beforehand, that we received this message with no prompting in our most secure are of the Citadel is enough to stay my hand."
Udina felt that matter was settled, "Very well. Now, what about the public address? We have an invitation to visit them and open up diplomatic channels with them. Even if their first ambassador messing up was intentional or not, they have proven too much to simply sit here and wait." He moved towards the center of the room, seeing he had their attention.
"We must be proactive. I don't like that we were forced to simply react so far Councilors and I'm more used to that sort of situation than any of you are."
Sparatus felt much the same, although he felt that way more due to his military training, forcing others to react to your actions was much better than simply reacting to theirs.
"I agree, we will address the public after sending our confirmation to this NSSC. We are going to their territory. I think we can all expect more surprises like we've seen. It would be prudent if we refrained from showing or acting on our surprise again."
His mandibles flared slightly at the memory of being struck speechless by the gigantic ship that had taken the diplomats from the Citadel.
"We are representatives and leaders of the Citadel and have millennia of governance under the banner of the Citadel Council. I think it is time we showed it."
Councilor Tevos thought that was the perfect way to move forward, being an Asari and having seen centuries on the Council already. She was particularly ashamed at being caught so off-guard. She saw Valern on his console, sending their response. He looked up at her and nodded, the response was sent.
"Now we will address the public and move forward." She stood up straighter, "Shall we Counsilors?"
The four members of the Citadel Council moved to the Council Chambers public area and stood at their consoles, activating the public address system. All of them straightened and traded glances before continuing.
Citadel-Wide Public Announcement: New Contact
Citizens of the Citadel space, today is a momentous day. Contact has been made with another Galactic government who, in turn, represent five new races. The group, the New Sentient Species Coalition, or New SSC has arrived in civilized space. They made contact with our home worlds at the same time a delegation arrived here at the Citadel. After diplomatic contact had been made, a version of our 'Codex' was created for the New SSC and then distributed among the public.
No doubt many of you have seen this document. We encourage each of you to read and come to understand this new group. The diplomatic contact we had was ended prematurely on the New SSC's part by the arrival of their ship that was seen not long ago. We understand this may cause unrest among many of you. Understanding the New SSC is key to our success for us all. Confusion and panic will not.
The New SSC has made their entrance into the galactic public eye and we welcome them. We want to remind everyone however that they have little experience in galactic diplomacy. Their inexperience in dealing on the galactic political field may cause misunderstandings. We urge our citizens to be tolerant with this new group. We hope to help the New SCC onto the galactic stage so that they may coexist peacefully within our society.
We realize that many of you have questions, we are assembling a committee that will act as an information source. We remind you all that our wisdom and experience must be on the forefront as our diplomats guide the New SSC into Citadel space. With that in mind, I ask that any and all questions be submitted to the appropriate authorities. We strive to avoid any confusion the public may have.
Thank you all for your time.
R&D Department, Chronos Station
Takashi watched as the Cerberus techs installed the new cores into the ship. The things that these Citadel races seemed to miss was mind-boggling. The NSSC wouldn't even have to give any tech to the Citadel races, they just needed to be there to point the engineers in the right direction.
The best example of this was the new ship he was overseeing being built. With the NSSC's element zero negating the limiting that factor, they had built a ship that made use of it in new ways. The weapons no longer used magnetic energy to propel the slugs, after a variety of tests it was found that they could use and direct an intense singularity to do that.
The gravity well was still fairly messy, they were having trouble focusing the gravity well exclusively along the weapon's length. The result was a rail gun that could fire the same 26 kilogram slug a dreadnought did and at a much higher speed and faster rate at the cost of the integrity of the weapon. The most stable rate they could fire a slug was at nearly 12% the speed of light. This design had proven untenable however because the slug normally simply passed through the item that was targeted. The huge amount of energy potentially transferred to the target wasted as it sped off into the void. At more energetic speeds, the unfocused portion of the gravity well caused structural damage. Solutions were still in progress.
The Illusive Man walked up next to Takashi, "Your people have helped make incredible advances, some of which I am ashamed to say should have been made decades ago." He was smoking his signature cigarettes, the tip glowing as he looked over the ship in front of them.
Some of the advances made by the teams included the use of mass effect cores in different areas of a ship. The experimental ship they were working on was roughly cruiser-sized. At 700 meters in length and 250 meters on the other two axis. The ship consisted of a central section that had three supports that swept back to support the weapon emplacements that were connected to them.
The main series of mass effect cores and the bulk of systems were situated in the main section with the weapons and additional kinetic barriers set in the mobile weapons emplacements. The main reason for the strange setup was to allow the weapons to be independently mobile of each other and the direction the ship was traveling. The mass effect core allowed for unprecedented maneuverability with almost all propulsion assisted by artificially produced gravity wells.
Each of the three emplacements were actually two 120 meter long mass drivers and were capable of rapid tracking a total of six different targets independently. Each mass driver included a small mass effect core which allowed the mass of each weapon to be manipulated to facilitate the rapid tracking capabilities as well acting as a supplemental kinetic barrier. Each adding to a layered defense system of the ship.
Takashi had been mildly amused as the ship had come together. Element zero had allowed for a lot of interesting possibilities when coupled with the NSSC's power generation, although the power generation hadn't kept all of the advances from being made. The new point of view that the NSSC teams had brought in highlighted how stagnant the Citadel tech had become.
There were vulnerabilities still, of course. The kinetic barriers offered no protection from directed energy weapons the NSSC used. The ship's large energy core and multitude of oversized systems left little room for a crew that would normally compliment a cruiser-sized ship.
This left many of the systems dependent on VI support, although the NSSC had suggested AIs, even Cerberus' lack of caution towards AI didn't allow them to make them with any reliability. Without the NSSC AI, the ships that Cerberus could create would never be as effective as they could be.
Takashi could see why he had been sent to use Cerberus for these tests and developments. The organization was essentially disposable and had a large portion of its efforts already hidden. Admiral Hood was almost paranoid about the Citadel races getting their hands on better technology. With Cerberus' insistence that this universe's humanity be the apex race, apparently had been enough for the Admiral.
Taking all of this in, Takashi spoke, "It is strange that humanity had seemingly ceased all meaningful advancement once they joined the Citadel. It has painted a picture of this galaxy that the NSSC is concerned with. Our efforts here are an attempt to break that stagnation."
The Illusive Man responded, "That's one of the main reasons I believe that Humanity should lead. Freed from the Citadel influence I think that we could advance at the pace we should be."
"We've been through this Mr. Harper, Humanity cannot stand above the other races."
"If that is true, then why are you not working with the Asari? The Salarians? Each of those races would be more suited to technological advances. I think that your NSSC is more concerned with human dominance than you realize. So I will accept for now that you won't share your more advanced technology but I see the bigger picture here Mr. Takashi."
Takashi just listened as the Illusive Man continued, "We heard of what happened at the Citadel, a 54 kilometer ship. Something never thought possible, and yet, the NSSC seems unimpressed by their own ships. These advances seem revolutionary to us but I get the feeling they are more an interesting distraction for you Mr. Takashi."
Takashi hadn't thought too deeply into the wider reason for his purpose here, the Illusive Man was right though. Takashi thought of the weapons the UNSC had used.
"Mr Harper, you may be right. I know that the mass drivers humans used in our universe had been designed much differently. Maybe you are right, maybe you aren't. Either way I have my orders and this," He gestured to the ship in front of him, "is what I'm here to help with now, not musing over its larger purpose."
"Are you sure that's all you are here for Mr. Takashi?"
With that being said, the Illusive Man walked away, leaving Takashi to watch the work being done on the ship.
Takashi's concern was that this Illusive Man may be correct, at least where Admiral Hood was concerned. The Illusive Man's obsession with Reaper technology was dangerous as well. Even without the Collector base he had been counting on securing, Cerberus had procured a number of pieces of Reaper technology. The Illusive Man had a lot of exposure to that tech and Takashi had worried that he may be indoctrinated. That he was right about the NSSC's efforts being focused in the Citadel humanity caused a sense of foreboding in Takashi.
For now he had his orders, he would help direct the NSSC engineers in their cooperative efforts to advance Citadel tech. Anything else was well above his paygrade.
In orbit above Rannoch
/Query/Consensus pending/Clarification of agreement: New Sentient Species Coalition (Alias: NSSC)/
Geth Consensus allowed full citizenship within (Alias:)NSSC
Dependency: Assist Organics in defense/defeat of Old Machines (Alias: Reapers)
Dependency: Geth Consensus coexistence with Creators/Organics
Dependency: Perceus Veil is opened to traffic
Benefit: Geth Consensus receive assistance in building of Dyson Sphere computorium
Benefit: Geth Consensus allowed programming growth through (Alias:)NSSC AI code
Benefit: Sentient life is freed from cycle of (Alias:)Reapers
Consensus Achieved: Current Proposal – Transmitted to (Alias:)NSSC AI Kerberos
Awaiting Response
"…..Transmission received, proposal is acceptable. There is excitement, Geth Consensus and NSSC AI capable of increased computing and cyberwarfare."
**cyberwarfare, nonmobile platform, inferior offensive/defensive capability**
/$/Geth warships distract/organic prejudice/further negotiation in danger/$/
-Benefit of Geth consensus outweigh dangers from organic interference, organic fear tempered by NSSC technological advantage—
"Hashing confirmation message….confirmed, sending response"
Response received, hash code:2UikFVeYtpBrUR3ehYJZoD6u1vjySiRqTq0FVHDI4xspiFmSc03VMljVGTrDaUuriUaMAvhZZSycpq8a0Z5i: confirmed
CONSENSUS ACHIEVED
Geth assistance of (Alias:)NSSC AI/Organic efforts will proceed.
"NSSC transmission has been received, relay invitation to Geth Concensus for diplomatic meeting at (Location: Shangri La). Mobile platform requested."
Consensus Achieved: Agreement to meet at (Location:)Shangri La
Mobile platform Legion and resident runtimes will attend, Authority (Diplomatic) has been granted to Legion runtimes
"Diplomatic matters agreed upon, proceeding to enact new plan"
The NSSC ships, being escorted by the Geth cruisers, had gotten into orbit over Rannoch barely an hour before Kerberos and the Geth had come to an agreement. Most of the time was spent relaying the information to the organic elements in the fleet. The time spent negotiating between the two digital beings took much less time than the actual relaying of the information.
Immediately after the agreement was made, the entirety of the Geth shifted focus. Having agreed with one of the conditions being the NSSC assist the Consensus in creating a Dyson sphere computer capable of housing all of the Geth runtimes, they were able to abandon efforts on the current structure. Moving together, many of the runtimes took on mobile platforms heading down to Rannoch to prepare it for the Quarians. The actual hand-off to the Quarians would all depend on them accepting the Geth were no an enemy.
The NSSC had agreed to allow the Geth runtimes that would help be supplied with NSSC computer systems to work from during the efforts against the Reapers. In the meantime, a ship with a larger contingent of NSSC AI would arrive at Rannoch within days to begin the efforts to merge the AI code they used with the Geth. Their goal would be to synthesize each Geth runtime into a fully aware AI. The Geth and the NSSC AI were very excited with the possibilities opened by this opportunity.
Time would tell if the meeting would be a beneficial arrangement. The lead NSSC ship, carrying Legion and the Geth's promises, began the journey to Shangri La.
Let me know what you all think, I'm building up to the larger diplomatic meeting which will take more than the 20k limit I put for myself this chapter.
Thanks for reading and I hope I'm keepin you all entertained!