Standard disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, nor any other content that you recognise. Some characters and systems are original creations. I am receiving no money for my work.
Zodiac System – Zodiac Group
2112.11.10
The asari shuttle cruised gracefully through space as it departed the Asari Republics Huntress Destiny Ascension. Four salarian frigates fell into escort formation around it as it cleared the Council bannership and flew towards the human flagship, led by the battered SSV Trafalgar.
What the humans didn't know was that the cruiser filling the last slot of the escort formation, the ARH Cybaen, was unique among the asari fleet. A mix up in the cruisers construction had resulted in it having unusually large drive cores installed. Rather than rip out and replace the cores, the shipyard had made the call to simply redesigned the cruiser around them. Which meant that despite it having a cruisers size and firepower, the ARH Cybaen had dreadnought strength barriers and a flank speed that nearly equalled an asari frigates.
If the humans were duplicitous and opened fire, then the shuttle could quickly retreat behind Cybaen's barriers and the cruiser had both the barrier strength and the speed to escape a trap that would annihilate a normal cruiser. It would be a rude awakening for any human ambush force.
None of this was making the head of security for Matriarch Benezia feel any better. Ripped from the shadowy recesses of the Destiny Ascension's bridge by Matriarch Benezia's decision to hold first contact aboard the human flagship, Matriarch Aethyta T'Soni sat glowering at her bondmate as both the commando squads, and the ambassadorial aides that were crammed into the shuttle as well, tried to focus on anything other than the two squabbling matriarchs.
"I still can't believe you're doing this." Matriarch Aethyta muttered as the shuttle passed the half way point between the fleets. "Even with the Cybaen flying escort it's a hell of a risk, a risk we don't need to take 'Nezzie. They've captured a turian dreadnought for Athame's sake, they have to know how large and powerful the Republics are. We could have just demanded that they meet us on the Ascension, where I could keep you safe."
"There it is again." Matriarch Benezia snarked. "That smug confidence in asari superiority. I know that the asari are stuck in the past 'Thyta, but even here, at first contact, you still can't grasp that the way forward is to make alliances. Full and equal alliances, not to fold in upon ourselves and make everyone bow to us. We need to have a greater role in shaping galactic events, but we can only do that by talking to everyone, convincing them that our way is the best way. Not by extracting compliance with the threat of our military."
"I can't believe you're doing this now." Matriarch Aethyta's voice hardened with anger. "We're flying into a potentially hostile situation, with little chance of escape if things go to hell once we've docked, and you still want to paint me as some kind of warmonger. Being practically independent of all the other races, able to stand on our own without having to resort to turian muscle or salarian spies, isn't making others bow Benezia! Its recognising that we can't go a single asari lifetime without a major war breaking out! And that our reliance on allies, or cat's paws as some on the Council of Matriarch's see them, is leaving us very vulnerable if everything goes to hell."
"Of course, that's why you want to force a new race to meet us on the bannership. A race that's scared and confused, attacked by the very peacekeepers that are supposed to stop this from happening! Of course they should be forced to recognise asari superiority by prostrating themselves under the threat of the bannership's guns before we will even deign to talk to them. That sounds perfectly reasonable." The sarcasm dripping from Matriarch Benezia's voice made Matriarch Aethyta rear back, surprised and hurt.
"I'm trying to keep you safe Benezia! Though goddess only knows why at the moment! Have you thought of Liara at all? She's only 35. Forget the humans, how scared and confused do you think she's going to be if her mother doesn't come home?" Matriarch Aethyta hissed.
"That was low, even for you." Matriarch Benezia kept her voice down, but anger still coursed through it. "I always think of Liara, I want her to grow up safe - in a galaxy of friends - not of races hiding behind their borders staring suspiciously at each other. Just waiting for a chance to go to war."
"Being prepared doesn't mean beating the crap out of each other, and that's another thing, your stifling her. She's already headstrong at the age most kids are still clinging to their parent's skirts. Your treating her like a baby bird, well I've got news for you 'Nezzie, she's going to raise one hell of a storm with those little wings." Matriarch Aethyta stated with absolute conviction. She may not yet know what their daughter's future held, but she was certain that it was going to be spectacular.
"Oh, so we're on to parenting skills now? Wonderful."
"Well when else do I have your attention anymore? It's not like you listen to me at home. You haven't for years."
"There's a reason for that, all we do is fight."
"Because you won't listen."
"No, because you won't abandon this insane crusade. Wasn't getting laughed off the Council of Matriarchs enough for you?"
"Thank you so much for reminding me of that! I'm just surprised you didn't throw me out of the house as well. Goddess only knows we wouldn't want to stain your immaculate reputation with those old crones now would we."
"Right now, I wish I had thrown you out!"
Total silence fell across the shuttle's passenger compartment, the only sound was the engines pushing them towards the human fleet. Matriarch Benezia looked shocked at her own words, but Matriarch Aethyta just looked sad and resigned as she stared at her bondmate. "I'll start packing when we get back to Thessia."
"'Thyta, that wasn't…. I didn't mean…." Matriarch Benezia stammered incoherently, the exact opposite of the calm and composed ambassador and matriarch she was at almost all times.
"What is it you always say about making difficult opponents angry in negotiations 'Nezzie? It's helpful because it's revealing, an angry person's words are a calm person's thoughts." Matriarch Aethyta smiled sadly at the person she had spent the last hundred years with. "It's over Benezia. It's been over for years, we've just avoided actually ending it."
"Matriarchs." One of the commandoes spoke up, despite looking like she would have preferred to poke a thresher maw with a stick. "We're about to dock."
"We'll finish this conversation when we get home." Matriarch Benezia said, dropping into a light meditation and centring herself for the negotiations ahead.
"What's left to say?" Matriarch Aethyta whispered, heartbrokenly, before turning to her commandoes and barking out orders. "Alright ladies, form up. I want you primed to throw barriers and warps at the first sign of trouble, but don't fire unless fired upon. If they do turn out to be treacherous it's barriers to protect the Matriarch, warps to clear enemy troops, and if we've left the docking bay…"
Aethyta grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Follow me, I'll warp us a path back to the docking bay that doesn't rely on the human's corridors and hatches. Salarians, rapid fire on targets of opportunity, tech grenades at any survivors of the biotics or any defence hardpoints. Techs, system infiltration. I want their monitoring programs blinded, their reinforcements cut off and their computer-controlled weaponry disabled."
The shuttle filled with blue and orange glows as the occupants stretched their biotics, checked their omitools, and prepared to disembark as it flew into the docking bay of the human dreadnought.
Zodiac System – Zodiac Group
2112.11.10
The briefing room for the marines stationed aboard SSV Cotopaxi had been quickly repurposed due to its size and its proximity to the docking bay. Admiral Drescher sat on one side of the long table with Lt. Commander Edouard Bordey, Captain of the SSV Trafalgar, seated on her left and her Flag Lieutenant Stephen Hackett seated on her right.
With negotiations with the Citadel Council the intended outcome of the Grand Fleet's mission they had been assigned an ambassador, but they had fallen afoul of the cosmic balance. The universe apparently felt that it had given them enough good luck when the turian Admiral decided to surrender his fleet rather than fight to the death. To make up for that, the universe gave them some bad luck, namely the death of the ambassador in the battle to liberate the Theta system.
Admiral Drescher sighed, the sound reverberating around her sealed helmet. She had told the ambassador to stay with the fleet train, safe from battle as the fleet train was in no way suited for combat and was thus always kept a system behind the advancing fleet. But the ambassador had demanded to be present with the warships, not trusting the military to await their arrival should a cease fire occur.
They had paid the price for that lack of trust when their quarters on the SSV Everest were destroyed by one of the few shots to make it passed that dreadnoughts barriers. Thankfully Admiral Dresher was authorised to negotiate an armistice in the event the ambassador was killed, but it meant that she – a military officer – was engaging a much more experienced diplomat on their home turf.
Granted she had been through so many budget meetings that it wasn't as if she was completely ignorant of politics and negotiation, but she was still an amateur going up against a veteran. Thankfully the Alliance had recognised this and authorised her only to negotiate an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Given Lt. Commander Bordey's previous dealings with the asari she had asked that he be 'good cop', taking their side and shooting down Lieutenant Hackett's 'bad cop' comments, making her seem reasonable and central. It was a simple trick, and one the Council ambassador was sure to recognise, but every little helped.
Sitting down in their full biohazard suits, chosen over the marine's battle armour as they gave others an unobstructed view of the wearer's face, the three Alliance officers sat down as the Citadel ambassador did the same.
Admiral Drescher started the talks. "Are you sure you do not wish to wear fully sealed armour ambassador? We would not wish to cause you any illness."
Matriarch Benezia, as she had introduced herself, was wearing a form fitting body suit with an open thigh length coat over the top – an ensemble that the Admiral would bet was a lot more armoured than it looked – and had only a transparent breathing mask covering the lower half of her face.
The rest of her head was covered in an elaborate headdress that the ambassador said was used to show her position as a high priestess of the asari goddess Athame. It looked ridiculous to Katrine Dresher, but then she thought the same of the hat worn by the Archbishop of Paris whenever she saw a religious ceremony on her trips home.
Matriarch Benezia smiled gently but it was one of her two salarian aides that answered. Katrine got the impression that in normal circumstances one of those aides would have been turian.
"Risk of interspecies plague highly exaggerated in fiction. Sure you have found the same when colonising new worlds. Diseases very unlikely to cross species, require intense and prolonged contact in unsanitary conditions, unless exceedingly unlucky. Air filters more than sufficient for brief contact such as this. But respect cautious attitude shown by yourselves. Prevention better than cure."
The Salarian tilted their head, pointing their cranial horns away from Admiral Drescher, she assumed it was their equivalent of a nod of respect. Deliberately pointing one of your natural defences away from a possible opponent.
"The VIPER, excuse me – the Vaccine, Plague and Epidemic Response branch of the Citadel Council – regulations have been tried and tested over thousands of years. We are comfortable with just air masks, as an ambassador of the Citadel I will accept full responsibility should a plague jump species during these negotiations. No blame will be placed on you." Matriarch Benezia stated with confidence.
"As you have captured a turian dreadnought and made it operational, I assume you are aware of the Citadel Council? Captain Bordey was given an in depth briefing whilst he was a guest of the Asari Republics. How did you manage to get that operational by the way?"
Admiral Drescher nodded, not fooled by the casual and tacked on nature of an important intelligence question. "Captain Bordey has confirmed what we have summarised about the Citadel Council to be true. We will take a deeper look at the information you have provided tonight, to ensure that there are no misunderstandings in our current view of it."
"As to the capture and recommissioning of HWS Enforcer? Well there are always those that can be swayed by privileges. Money, luxury goods, better quality accommodation. There are always going to be some of them in a fleet that large, I admit there were less than we were expecting, it seems that the turian preoccupation with duty is not just propaganda, but there were enough."
Katrine studiously did not mention that there hadn't been anywhere near enough turian turncoats to bring the dreadnought back to full operational status. The skeleton crew with its turian advisors could move the ship and raise its barriers, and a jury-rigged work around enabled them to fire its main gun, but everything else from its guardian arrays to its broadside guns were out of action. Hidden behind encryption that her computer techs hadn't managed to break, and the turncoats didn't have the rank to deactivate.
The ship was essentially a giant – vulnerable – artillery platform rather than a true warship. But as long as they didn't actually engage in battle the Council Fleet wouldn't be able to figure that out. That the Alliance had been able to get that much use out of it was purely because the turian scuttling protocols simply wiped their computers data.
They didn't destroy the operating systems or reduce the physical computers themselves to slag, like human scuttling protocols did. Apparently, humans were closer to salarians than turians when it came to paranoia.
"Yes, there were plenty of volunteers, once we convinced the turians we weren't going to eat them." Lieutenant Hackett muttered.
"Excuse me? Eat them?" Matriarch Benezia's smile had become rather fixed as her guards visibly tensed, especially the head of the detail who somehow looked deadlier than all the rest combined.
Lt. Commander Bordey sighed and answered with the weary tone of someone who really hoped this topic wasn't going to come up. "Turians are visually somewhat similar to birds, one of which is a staple of the human diet. It is known as chicken and one of the most popular ways to serve it is deep fried in a blend of spices, when served this way it is known as kentucky fried chicken."
The Admiral steeled herself as the other humans in the room all tried to suppress grins. "Whilst being held captive and being interrogated by Superior Captain Solona Kandros about the tactics and objectives of Commodore Lalla Hansa, one of the marines – a sniper with the callsign tiger – decided to try psychological warfare on his captors."
"He got the two cells of prisoners to chant at each other: 'Kentucky fried chicken, Hansa's gonna eat you! Kentucky fried chicken, the Commodore's getting hungry! Kentucky fried chicken, Hansa's gonna eat you!' They kept it up constantly, for weeks, until their morale was broken with Commodore Hansa's defeat and death."
"Interesting. Did it work?" The second salarian aide asked curiously.
"Yes." Lieutenant Hackett grinned. "Apparently the prison guards on that ship had to be cycled three times faster than usual and spent most of their shifts muttering 'don't they ever stop? Just make them stop!'"
Matriarch Benezia was finding hiding her own amusement increasingly difficult as her chief bodyguard openly laughed. "Just to be clear, I take it you do not actually eat other sapient species?"
"No." Admiral Drescher replied, relieved. "We have several non-sapient animals we farm as a food source, but we don't eat other sentient species."
"Well, with that out of the way, I hope we are able to begin peace negotiations. I am vested with the full authority of the Citadel Council to negotiate a peace treaty on their behalf. Do you have the same authority from the human government?" Matriarch Benezia's face became serene again as she returned to business.
"In a manner of speaking." Admiral Drescher replied, taking note of the look of confusion on the asari's face. The fact that their facial expressions were so close to humans was a major help to her.
Body language was out, and she didn't have the experience to gauge people's thoughts from their tone and vocal patterns like the best career diplomats did. "How do asari negotiate peace treaties? That might expose any confusion that we have."
Matriarch Benezia explained. "When asari decide to negotiate peace, both sides return to their closest barracks or shipyards, prominent matriarchs are exchanged as hostages while the negotiations take place, and the two negotiating ambassadors come to a full and comprehensive agreement. How do humans negotiate peace?"
"Human peace negotiations, when not demanding an unconditional surrender, or a conditional surrender to previously publicly announced conditions, are a little different Matriarch." Admiral Drescher said carefully as both the asari and salarians shifted in their seats.
"Humans first negotiate something called an armistice. This is a cessation of military hostilities with a set expiry date and possible exchange of prisoners of war, the terms are unique each time. Then, while this is in effect, both sides consult their governments as to what would be acceptable peace terms. When the deadline comes the two sides decide whether to enter peace negotiations or restart the war."
"Should they decide to negotiate, the armistice stays in effect for the duration and the lead ambassadors then decide the main points in general terms. Once they have decided on a point it is sent to a team of aides from both sides who work out the details of the proposal and send it back to the ambassadors for approval. The final peace deal is then sent back to both sides governments for ratification."
"I see." Matriarch Benezia stated curiously.
"Curious. Both faster and slower than asari negotiations in different ways." The first salarian aide spoke up again. "Armistice allows temporary pause in war without committing to loss. Implications; interesting."
"I am not authorised to negotiate a peace treaty with you Matriarch, I am however authorised to negotiate an armistice." Admiral Drescher stated confidently. Trying to hide the fact that one of the main reasons that the Alliance couldn't authorise her to negotiate peace was because it didn't have a functioning government at the moment.
It had a diminished Executive Council holding joint power with the leaders of a military coup while an election was organised. That bastardisation of a government could hold everyone to an armistice, but a full peace treaty? Not a chance.
"I take it the sudden conformation of real – live – aliens has caused some disruption in the human government?" Matriarch Benezia asked kindly, almost managing to slip the incredibly potentially damaging intelligence query passed Katrine as casual, sympathetic, conversation.
Katrine shuddered at the thought of how close she had come to being outplayed and answered carefully. "There has indeed been some disruption Matriarch, I don't think anyone would believe me if I said there hadn't been. But the human government, we call it the Systems Alliance, is unified on the issue of protecting our space from invaders. I think the fact that this fleet is here with a turian dreadnought in its ranks is testament to that."
"As you said though the idea of living aliens is a lot to process, the idea of a multi species power such as the Citadel Council even more so. It will take time for the Alliance to decide what its ideal, likely, and minimum peace terms should be and appoint an ambassador."
The smirks on the faces of several of the asari guards weren't lost on the humans. The chief bodyguard looked like she was struggling to hold in laughter and in truth Admiral Drescher couldn't blame her.
To be quite frank the Systems Alliance would be forced to accept almost any peace terms that the Citadel Council decided to offer. The power discrepancy was just too great at the moment, though it was hidden from casual view behind the sheer number of human ships.
Human ships were still small compared to Citadel ones, with more of their internal volume dedicated to large and more primitive engines, kinetic barrier generators and guardian arrays with all of those parts being weaker than Citadel designs.
The data mined from the captured turian ships had been stark. Most human warships would barely classify as cutters in Citadel Space and would be outmatched by even a moderately wealthy planet's orbital guard cutters one on one, if not for their main guns.
Of the 3,000 Systems Alliance warships, barely 300 – the heavy cruisers and the three dreadnoughts – could be classified as warships by Citadel standards. The 1,900 cruisers would only be classified as orbital guard cutters by a generous inspector and the 800 frigates would be classified as police or modified civilian ships. Little more than target practice in a fleet battle.
The Alliance fleet had overwhelmed the turian Third Patrol Fleet with sheer numbers, and every human in that room knew it. They probably could take out this second Citadel Fleet, even its massive bannership if their frigates got lucky with a Bismarck style torpedo run, but it would be a pyrrhic victory. The Grand Fleet would be gutted, and Home Fleet wouldn't be able to stop even a turian patrol fleet from conquering Sol.
A comparison that showed the true state of things was the number of sailors in the navy. In the entire Alliance navy there were barely 3 million people. Even the navies of the Citadel Associate Races had similar numbers and the smallest Council Race navy, that of the Salarian Union, had over 10 million on active service even in its peacetime order of battle.
"Very well, an Armistice then." Matriarch Benezia stated, agreeing while tactfully avoiding pointing out that the Systems Alliance had very little say in the matter. The true powers in the peace negotiations, when they eventually got underway, would be Citadel public opinion and diplomatic calculation.
How much was the Council willing to offer to make up for the rogue turians actions and repair the spectacular black eye they had given the Citadel's peacekeeping forces? How much would the Council be willing to offer to keep the humans friendly towards the Citadel Council and out of the pockets of the Terminus Systems?
Either one of those calculations were vastly more important to Matriarch Benezia than the power of the Alliance Navy.
"What are the traditional terms?" The ancient Matriarch asked calmly, letting none of her thoughts show on her face or in her voice.
Admiral Drescher answered. "A set time frame, perhaps 16 weeks? After which a decision will be made to either enter into full peace negotiations or to restart the war. During that time neither side will reinforce the front line, damaged ships and injured soldiers may be rotated out and replaced but forces already present may not be increased. Likewise, infrastructure damage and damage to existing fortifications and logistics points may be repaired, but new ones may not be constructed. All present territory, material and prisoners will remain with their current controllers."
Matriarch Benezia shook her head sadly. "I am afraid that I will have to alter a small number of your suggestions Admiral. The first is the length of time that the armistice will last, 16 weeks is far too long. I could see the need if the Systems Alliance was in deep internal turmoil, but if it is just minor political disagreements then 8 weeks should be more than sufficient. The Citadel has many commitments, we must balance the time spent on each of them carefully."
"The problems at home are indeed only minor bickering, 8 weeks is not ideal, but it might finally light a fire under some of the more obstinate people's arse's. Don't you agree Admiral?" Lieutenant Hackett spoke up.
Thankfully Admiral Drescher had asked for double the time she needed. The election was in 6 weeks, 2 weeks to agree a negotiating position was tight, but doable and the ambassador could always drag their feet in the negotiations if the new Assembly didn't have everything worked out when peace talks commenced. She nodded her acquiescence.
"Excellent."
Katrine was almost certain that Benezia saw right through her, but it didn't matter. As long as she got the terms the Alliance desperately needed into this armistice she would happily be outplayed by a veteran diplomat.
"The restrictions on fleet movements, ground troop reinforcement, repairs, holding captured territory, all of these seem perfectly reasonable to me. I assure you they are not necessary, none of the Citadel race's governments wish you harm. But as the injured party I do understand your caution. All of these stipulations can stand."
"Thank you, Matriarch. My time with the asari let me see your good intentions, but others have only rogue turians as a reference point. Your willingness to let these stipulations stand will undoubtedly go a long way to calming their concerns."
Katrine personally thought that Lt. Commander Bordey was laying it on a bit thick, but it seemed to do the job. Or at least none of the Citadel diplomats called out such blatantly insincere bootlicking.
"The last stipulation though, that of holding captured troops and material. I'm afraid that that is going to be a problem for us." Matriarch Benezia spoke calmly. "The Turian Hierarchy will never allow so many of their ships and their people to be held captive for any length of time."
"Maybe they shouldn't have sent them to invade a peaceful species then." Lieutenant Hackett replied obstinately. "No way will we let them go only to have them turn around and threaten us again."
"I assure you that the regrettable incident with the Third Patrol Fleet will not be allowed to reoccur. The Citadel will ensure…."
"Yeh, I'm sure the turians will keep a nice tight leash on their fellow turians. Absolutely smashing, no problems there."
Stephens' sarcasm could have stripped the paint from the bulkheads. Katrine wanted to kick him to let him know he was dangerously close to going too far, but she couldn't let any sign of dissent be visible at this crucial moment.
"The ASARI and SALARIANS will ensure that they do not repeat their actions. Should it make you feel more comfortable, we will be willing to impound both the troops and the ships until the peace negotiations are concluded. The fleet did break Citadel law after all, the turians will have to concede that." Matriarch Benezia emphasised each species name while speaking directly to Admiral Drescher. She had definitely deduced that Lieutenant Hackett had been deliberately ordered to be antagonistic.
"That is indeed generous Matriarch, but it is still difficult. Many of our people will see it as the turians escaping justice for their actions. I have a counter proposal. We transfer all ships apart from HWS Enforcer to an impoundment facility under asari and salarian control. We also transfer all prisoners of war apart from Admiral Arterius and the other surviving fleet and army banner officers. We keep all of the ground equipment, there's too much of it to move easily."
Matriarch Benezia looked faintly displeased at Admiral Drescher's counter proposal, but eventually she agreed. "It is not ideal, but given the Third Patrol Fleet's actions I think that we can accept it for the moment." Her face adequately suggested what would normally happen to those who dared to try and pass judgement on the Council's peacekeepers.
"I hope you understand that the health and wellbeing of the banner officers is entirely the responsibility of the Systems Alliance, and that the Citadel Council will not be forgiving of any…accidents… that may befall them. Permanent or not."
"We do understand Matriarch." Admiral Drescher replied, hiding her relief. "I take it you will need to confer with the Citadel, given that the nature of the armistice differs to the peace negotiations that they were expecting to take place? The document will need to be drawn up for signing as well. Shall we reconvene here tomorrow at 11:00 for the signing?"
"I could speak to the Citadel Council within the hour and a printed document could be produced and ready for signing an hour after that. Why do you want to delay another day?" Matriarch Benezia was confused, but not suspicious. She had not gotten the impression that Katrine Drescher could be duplicitous even if she wanted to. Not to her at least.
Admiral Drescher smiled sadly. "Tomorrow is the 11th of November. At 11:00, nearly 200 years ago, the armistice that ended the first modern, worldwide war ended. It wasn't our deadliest war, that started about 20 years later, but it was the first and its death toll was truly horrific."
"There were over 41 million casualties, 18 million dead and 23 million wounded which was nearly 4% of our entire species at that time. We'd never seen anything like it before, so it left a deep mark on our memories. Ever since Armistice day has remained the same, the 11th of November with the ceremonies at 11:00 to remember the fallen in all of our wars."
The Admiral shrugged as she finished her explanation. "There is no real reason for the delay, we can sign tonight if you desire it Matriarch, but it seemed fitting somehow, to end our First Contact War on the anniversary of the end of the First World War."
There was silence from the asari delegation. After the turian unification wars, the rachni wars, the krogan rebellions and finally the geth war, huge death tolls were nothing new to the asari. Indeed, by the standards of most galactic wars the death toll Admiral Drescher mentioned was pitiful, so was the percentage when only a few years before this war had apparently broken out the quarrians had lost over 99% of their population, massacred by their own creations.
It was the personal connection that caused them to reflect on the human war. If this First World War had taken place less than 200 years ago, then every asari in the room was older than that. They were all drinking tea, dancing in a bar, living life to the full. All while the ancestors of the humans they were talking to had been fighting and dying. Hidden from the galaxy.
"11:00 tomorrow is fine." Matriarch Benezia replied after a moments silence. "We will arrive at 10:00 so that the signing may proceed without incident."
"Thank you, Matriarch." Admiral Drescher replied as the asari delegation got up to leave.
At the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month 1918 Common Era, an armistice was signed in a railway train at Compiegne in northern France, ending humanities First World War.
At the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month 2112 Common Era, an armistice was signed aboard a human dreadnought in the Zodiac system, and humanities First Contact War came to an end.
Codex Entry: The Vaccine, Plague and Epidemic Response branch of the Citadel Council (VIPER)
(Citadel Codex, First Human SPECTRE Collector's Edition, 2183)
To understand VIPER and the risk of interspecies plague, first you must understand what is actually meant by the term. Diseases – such as the common cold (humans) – are very different to plagues.
This is due to a specific difference between disease and plague. Disease's don't want to kill their host's, for the same reason that you do not wish to burn down your own home, they need a place to live. This is why the worst diseases, such as leprosy in humans, are the ones that are the best at living in their hosts without killing them.
Plague's on the other hand, rip through populations at lightning speed, spreading fast and killing anyone not immune very quickly. Upon contracting a plague, the host will generally be dead in 7-30 days (for humans). If the host survives they will be immune and will never be harmed by that plague again. However, they can still be carriers, infecting other people despite being immune themselves.
The problem for the plague organisms is that if the population density is not high enough and constantly replenished, the plague burns through the whole population. Killing all who are susceptible, leaving only the immune. With nowhere left to go the plague then dies out, it is a fire that burns through its fuel. This would seem to be a poor evolutionary path for plague organisms to take, as they would burn out before being able to spread without cities and mobile populations.
This is entirely true and the reason for this effect only emphasises the difference between plagues and diseases. Plague lethality is an accident.
A plague is a disease that is native to another species, usually a livestock animal on the relative species homeworld. It thinks it is in another animal entirely. Taking Earth as an example: measles, tuberculosis and smallpox are all plagues that affect humans.
They are also all standard diseases for a livestock animal native to Earth known as a cow. For a cow they are mild inconveniences', similar to colds for humans, but the things that they do to their host to make a cow a little sick - to enable themselves to spread - make a human very sick, deadly sick.
Germs jumping species like this is incredibly rare, which is why there are only a handful of plagues that affect each individual species. It is also why when the two halves of Earth's biosphere met with the arrival of Europeans in the America's, the population of the America's declined 90%. The native population was virtually wiped out by plague, whereas the European explorers and colonisers were unaffected.
The reason was sadly very simple, as the America's did not have domesticated animals – apart from very limited lama domestication – they did not spend enough time in close proximity – and unsanitary enough conditions – with other species for germs to jump species.
As such, the America's had no plague to infect the Europeans with and the no-immunity disaster was confined to the population of the new world. Leaving them without the numbers to effectively defend themselves from the unaffected European colonisers.
For further data on plagues and the difference between them and normal diseases' this codex recommends 'Americapox: The Missing Plague'. Published by 'CGP Grey' on the youtube extranet site.
This is the context in which the Vaccine, Plague and Epidemic Response (VIPER) branch of the Citadel Council operates.
Upon meeting a new race VIPER takes the following steps.
1.) The complete sequencing of the new race's genome if it has not already been completed by said race.
2.) The exposure of the new race's genome to all existing Citadel race plagues and vaccines, both via computer modelling and via flash grown – brain dead – clones.
3.) The indexing of all plagues and vaccines known to the new race.
4.) The exposure of the Citadel race's genomes to all new race plague and vaccines both via computer modelling and via flash grown – brain dead – clones.
5.) The issuing of all currently existing non-harmful and effective vaccines to the new race's public health bodies with a strong suggestion – (mandatory if beginning the Citadel Ascension Process) – of an immediate and mandatory species wide vaccination programme and permanent inclusion of the vaccines in the new race's infant vaccination schedules.
6.) A mandatory Citadel Space wide vaccination programme – and permanent inclusion in the infant vaccination schedules – of all new race vaccines that are found to be effective and non-harmful for Citadel races.
7.) The development of new vaccines that are compatible with the new race's biology for all Citadel race plagues whose existing vaccines were found to be ineffective or dangerous to the new race, due to them being designed for aliens. Step 5 is repeated when each new vaccine is developed.
8.) The development of new vaccines that are compatible with Citadel race's biology for all new race plagues whose existing vaccines were found to be ineffective or dangerous to one or more Citadel races, due to them being designed for aliens. Step 6 is repeated when each new vaccine is developed.
9.) All new race plagues without a vaccine are added to VIPER's research list.
10.) Medical professionals and knowledge are recruited and obtained from the new race and are added to VIPER's research programmes, treatment methods and information base for use on all plagues without vaccines. Several vaccines for existing Citadel plagues have been created when new race's medical data has suggested a radical new approach.
VIPER also functions as the Citadel's defensive biological warfare branch. Whenever a weaponised plague is deployed in the galaxy, VIPER goes to great lengths to obtain a sample and develop both a cure and a vaccine.
Should a weaponised plague be deployed in Citadel Space, VIPER is charged with the containment as well as the treatment of the plague. This can be a thankless task, watching both the original victims and the VIPER volunteers deployed to help local healthcare die as no cure can be found in time.
A VIPER quarantine is the single non-Council order that agents of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel Council (SPECTRES) are obligated to follow.
The Council's reaction to the only SPECTRE to violate a VIPER quarantine is legendary. The SPECTRE's ship was held in the tractor beam of one of the quarantine enforcement fleet's ships, before having its engines disabled with a surgical mass driver strike and being launched into the local sun with the offending SPECTRE still aboard.
The dramatic and final nature of the message is credited with the achievement that none of these notoriously independent agents have violated a VIPER quarantine without specific Council authorisation since.
The Citadel Council does not maintain an offensive biological warfare branch. Critics of this form of warfare state that this is not due to the publicly stated moral objection to it following the deployment of the genophage, but rather only because the Council knows it could never even come close to matching the biological weaponization programmes of the Salarian Union.
So, this is my first time creating a branch of the Citadel Council, we only ever see SPECial Tactics and REcon in canon. What do you guys think of the VaccIne, Plague and Epidemic Response branch?
Timeline Changes So Far
First colony on mars: 27 years earlier than cannon
Discovery of Prothean ruins: 64 years earlier than cannon
Founding of the Systems Alliance (council of nations version): 63 years earlier than cannon
First Contact War: 45 years earlier than cannon