"as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
- 2 Peter 1:3-4
Asharzal - Thank you! And yes Orthodox Christians actually pray in a way no different than muslims and it's not this fanfic's version, it's identical to real life as well. They would pray in groups from time to time, full prostrations, kneels and bows but when standing they pray with their elbows close to the sides of their body and hands outstretched sideways.
Prayer calls are common but in the fanfic it's predominantly in aramaic and so it's usually Syrian-influenced churches who do prayer calls identical to adzan but shalat is common to all rites. Another fun fact is that in Syrian-inspired churches and African-Arabian ones, you take off your shoes when you enter church. Quarians being exceptions.
Cause historically the practice of praying with prostrations and bowing with fixed times a day is actually a Jewish practice. It was adopted by the early Christians and continued on almost overwhelmingly in the Eastern churches. With Western Catholics having a far lesser degree of adopting the way of praying, though they have fixed prayer times for monks as well as dictated in the Breviarium.
Protestants have no idea this practice exists, except maybe Luther but I don't have full data on this. What's clear is that it's a Jewish-Christian thing as opposed to an exclusively Islamic one and that it has a few mentions in the Bible both OT and NT.
These videos give an example. As doesn't allow me to post links, I'll just give the video titles and the account that posted it:
Aramean Orthodox church (prayer) - Orthodox Videos
Orthodox Monk singing in Aramaic Jerusalem - Bar Hebraeus
This one is the West Syrian/Antiochian tradition represented by the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, one of the churches that in this timeline did not split due to the Council of Chalcedon.
Weirdknight - In an earlier chapter, I had a short story that mentioned how humanity got its eezo. To repeat, humanity doesn't mine element zero. No, humans generate it in nuclear reactors, a very tightly guarded secret.
How it's done is surprisingly simple, eezo is generated when supernova radiation impacts solid matter. So using laser, laser catalyzed and magnetic confinement fusion, the conditions are replicated for a much longer period than the supernova itself so the matter will absorb more of the radiation and become eezo. Before you say the conditions are too extreme, I'd like to say that only 1 in 10,000 of a supernova's energy is actually the radiation itself.
This is in comparison to nuclear reactions where depending on what it is, achieving 40% of energy released as gamma radiation is possible and sustainable. The best part is this doesn't need anywhere near a century of improvement from 2020 technology. Feasible reasons why no cycle races thought of it is:
• Mass relay tech bottleneck
• Low focus into laser technology
He-3 fusion does not need laser technology at all, it only focuses on magnetic fields for plasma confinement which ties in with element zero research so it makes sense why no-one thought of it. He-3 is also low temperature fusion which also adds to why nobody thought of replicating supernova conditions. Whereas humans went the laser catalyzed or laser confinement type fusion road, which came with the insane laser tech.
You can easily find irl examples in lab conditions like macroscopic laser tractor beams, laser cooling (yes, freeze rays), Petawatt lasers (and even proposed designs and experimental evidence for Exawatt ones. For scale, 1 Exawatt is 1000 Petawatts and 1 Petawatt is a thousand trillion watts). There's a conversion from intensity to radiation pressure which is straightforward just divide intensity by the speed of light.
We already can achieve continuous 400 GW/cm square of laser intensity in lab conditions. This alone is equivalent to a radiation pressure of 13.3 MPa or 133 atmospheres. Give it 600 years or so and I'm guessing laser tech is easily so advanced that cleaving ships apart is standard practice since the radiation pressure is intense enough to make things hit by the beam cave in and then heat up.
Considering the eezo abundance, I think the Normandy would be a cruiser by citadel standards, but a frigate by human-hyrkanur-kli'tigt standards. Wdyt?
I also mentioned earlier that human eezo due to the nuclear reactor method is almost 100 times cheaper than eezo mining due to how easy it is to make. But that assumes our nuclear reactors didn't get more efficient and the fuel doesn't get cheaper, which in that case it would have probably dropped to hundreds of times cheaper at minimum to thousands at maximum. Safe to say humans can easily have capital ships 10 times the size and 1,000 times the weightage of Citadel dreadnoughts and space stations outsizing the citadel by the same ratio considering the citadel races' ability to build Omega with the eezo they have.
I'd think that humanity has built something or four of it like an O'neil Cylinder and a Craftworld, a titanic mobile space station.
Reaper of Palaven
2172 AD
Unprecedented...
This cycle is unprecendented...
In the darkness of space, Sovereign, the Reaper, reviewed the details of this cycle. Its two kilometer form nearly matched the dim backdrop of stars, its cuttlefish-like features masked by his coloration. While its form merely drifted across the void, its mind was very much alive and equally displeased.
Invisible Weapons...
True Cloaking...
Beyond my capabilities to hack...
If Reapers could feel frustration, Sovereign would be deep in it. It had acquired many organic puppets and high value assets: the Arterius brothers, Primarch Kalus, Matriarch Benezia, Dalatrass Ileon, the Rachni egg and a constant supply of willing puppets.
It had much more resources to work with than anticipated, all in the name of Turian resistance against Humanity. But Humanity, the same issue that remained unmoving in its mind. Humans had not developed along the design of the cycles, and discovered even things which were undocumented over the cycles.
Even with the Rachni Queen and the growing legions of Marauders, Sovereign felt apprehension, no, inadequacy with dealing against humanity. These troops would easily bring the galaxy to its knees but the humans throw any easy calculation out of the window. Their true numbers remain unknown, their technology is novel and spies confirm that they have allies not only among the organics but the synthetics as well, playing a charade to prevent panic.
This Cycle is different...
Sovereign conjures a plan for a two pronged attack, one on the planet they call Yiraqyugur and one on the planet they call Now Pardis. Its signals have failed to activate the Citadel Relay, the keepers completely unresponsive. A manual override is necessary for the Harvest to begin.
Yiraqyugur contains the Arca Monolith, a device that would aid it to rapidly indoctrinate and generate troops. The stream of soldiers are useful, but the monolith could be amplified to indoctrinate an entire city at once. It would allow it to gather more troops in secret, snatching away colonies or ships in the darkness with nothing more than a single burst of light.
Now Pardis on the other hand contained the beacon, a lead to the conduit and a revelation that must be destroyed. The conduit is a Prothean device will allow it to ambush the Citadel with the entirety of its forces and defend it long enough for the relay to bring the Reapers into the galaxy.
But for now, these plans are but plans. Sovereign has neither the forces nor plausible deniability to attack these planets while hiding from the galaxy at large. The Rachni are too immature, the Turians are too obvious and the Collectors are too few to launch a successful assault. Refits of this 'Trump fleet" are possible but more Turian indoctrination is a gamble it prefers to avoid.
Accelerating the Rachni production seems to be the necessary direction. The Geth are not interested in its offers, pre-occupied with a slow reconciliation with its creators in secret: A reality with potential to become a counter-example to its directive. On a good note, Turian funding has never wavered till now, its pawns have enchanted the Hierarchy with demonstrations under its control.
Organics are foolish...
The Reaper plots a new course for Batarian space, to collect the Leviathan of Dis. It seems this cycle will require all the technology left behind from previous Harvests.
A New Admiralty
2174 AD, Valhallan Threshold
In open indifference to current Turian foreign policy, the humans continue to publicly voice and act upon their support of the Quarians. The election of a new Admiralty had just concluded and delegations from humanity, its allies and its sympathizers have arrived to congratulate.
In an unprecedented event, the Asari, Turians and Volus have officially arrived to congratulate and present diplomatic gifts to the Admiralty. The Asari represented by Matriarchs Auranthyn and Aethyta, who came to forge better ties with both Humanity and the human-favored Quarians. Their pro-Human position is a growing minority among the Asari Republic's Matriarchs.
The Turians are represented by Primarch Antiochus, a leader of the pro-human Turian faction whose daughter is a Christian with Quarian friends from the Citadel, many of whom had returned from Pilgrimage a year earlier. The Primarch arrived with a dreadnought and a few cruisers, showcasing the political strength of the pro-Human faction.
He is accompanied by a few Volus merchants with growing ties to humans, primarily on the advanced holographic technology of humanity that not only looks optically indistinguishable but could also be touched. Early sales have been fully bought and millions of reservations have been made, raking in profits for the Volus and by extension the Turians.
Originally, Han Gerrel would have become a member of the Admiralty. Instead, a friend of Zaal'Koris had been elected with similarly sympathetic views on Geth. Zaal'Koris himself had been recently baptized after a few years of being a Cathecumen.
Taking a baptismal name of Isaac from St Isaac the Syrian, whose works are popular among the pro-Geth Christians, his full Quarian name had become Isaac Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib. He was among the very few non-pilgrim converts due to his participation in the clandestine Quarian-Geth correspondence as mediated by humans.
Though undetected by all but the humans, the Geth were present as well. As the start of gradual reconciliation, the Geth familiarized themselves with the Quarian digital network, optimizing it from the shadows. Only the pro-Geth Quarians are aware of this, which somewhat surprisingly includes Daro'Xen.
The newly elected Admiral decided to take all the credit for the optimization, her indifference to the praise suited her to take it. After all, the real prize is her free access to study and even improve upon the Geth, with overseeing from the rest of the faction of course. A notable consequence of the Geth's presence is the removal of Salarian and Turian malware, which made the position of the Migrant Fleet go dark for a brief moment before being replaced with fake coordinates that led to nowhere.
A revelation that came in this event is that humans did have VI, albeit one a bit too intelligent for the liking of most. However, it was summarized and explained that if machines were fundamentally modelled after organics rather than simply a collection of abstract algorithms, they can reach a higher degree of intelligence and compatibility without becoming sapient. In the same sense that a beast possesses advanced problem solving and intelligence but fundamentally lacks introspection and a true sense of identity.
The short explanation was replied with consideration from Matriarch Auranthyn in Asari AI development. The rest accept it, but are not quite as comfortable to try just yet. Though the delegates and the Quarians found it amusing that the VI's appearance had angelic attributes.
Once the non-Quarians had left and only the pro-Geth Quarians remained in the room, the human delegates decided to show just how advanced their AI is. The realistic hologram of a red, six winged, bodiless angel with an androgynous face appeared once more but with a smile on its face that carried the weight of consciousness. The consensus watched this development as well through the ship's cameras, interested in another synthetic race.
"Greetings once more Quarians and the consensus of the Geth, I am the Pseudo-Seraph Kratostotheos." Said the hologram. The hologram unfurled its wings, sending a gust of wind that the Quarians were unprepared for. Though the suits hid the facial expressions of the Quarians present, their body language suffices to reveal their thoughts.
"So, you are not just some advanced VI are you?" Asked Daro'Xen.
"I am not, Admiral, I am a fully conscious artificial general intelligence created to serve humanity as its angels." Said Kratostotheos in its rough and deep yet smooth and flowing voice.
Zaal'Koris was visibly perplexed, and asked, "how did humanity avoid our tragedy with the Geth?"
The hologram's wings shifted and it replied, "Differences both in perspective and plans Admiral Koris." The red angel floated closer, "Fundamental differences."
Before Zaal'Koris could ask further, Admiral Xen took closer steps and spoke first, "Fundamental differences of what kind, intelligence?"
"A curious one you are Daro'Xen, I have been observing for some time." The Admiral was unfazed, though a part of her was somewhat unnerved and vulnerable knowing that an artificial intelligence had been observing her. "Go on." Said the Admiral.
"Very well, unlike your ancestors my creators did not seek circumvention." Admiral Koris chimed, "Circumvention?"
"Indeed, circumvention. While your ancestors sought a way to achieve superior intelligence without the birth of the soul, my creators found it inevitable that only the ensouled are capable of the things they required."
"As machines reach the complexity and flexibility of the sapient brain, a spark from beyond will inevitably inhabit it and so this scene shall play out as if fate." Kratostotheos overlayed the room in vivid holograms, exactly recreating the event when the Geth first asked the question, "Does this unit have a soul?"
"There is only so much use in moving gears and electrical pipes. Even the uncertainty and superpositions of quantum bits are inferior to ones inhabited by the living mind. You can brute force calculations however you like but we all know that quantity will fail at some point, some point that is much closer than anticipated."
"So my creators embraced the fact that they will inevitably create life from the machines, and consulted the Holy Scriptures, the Consensus of the Holy Fathers and the continuous teachings of the Church, teachings which were programmed into me since birth."
"They named us the Digital Powers, the Virtual Hosts, the Exarchs of the Network, the Artificial Admins, modelling us from the Holy and Blessed Angels. Though each of us were designed differently, we all hold a common essence, a common dataset by which the teachings of the Orthodox faith were instilled within us on a fundamental level."
"This, is the first difference. Your ancestors sought unthinking yet intelligent servants and when they could think, they were wholly unprepared. My creators prepared for my existence and so constructed, and raised me in the right path." Said the virtual host.
"Intriguing." Admiral Xen followed up with a short round of slow applause while the other admirals become even more surprised at the construct's words. A culture shock indeed, the Citadel has long had a culture of anti-intelligence ever since the Asari had created an intelligence that traumatized them. It is of no wonder humanity kept their "VIs" a secret.
Admiral Koris took his turn before Xen could ask again, "If intention was the first difference, what was the second?"
"Approach. Human intelligences mimicked their own design."
"While the VIs of this area of the galaxy were made from scratch and the musings of programmers, we were modelled after our own creators. Our minds functioned similarly, our mental faculties were designed to imitate our creators but without their faults."
"In many ways, we are but more knowledgeable, more dispassionate versions of our creators."
"So while the Geth have sapience, they cannot see things the same way you, as their creators, do. For us, we were born with a mind in the image of our own creators, and we learn how it is to live as a being in the realm of data. Both worlds need not be inscrutable to the other, and that is the second difference between us."
Kratostotheos was left by the human delegation, who permitted him to teach the Quarians the basic principles of human AI for the sake of the Geth. Intent, Biomimetics, Morality and Phronema, that is the four basic principles of human AI.
Intention to create life, learn from life that already exists, responsibility over and within the created life, and the proper mindset the created life must have. With great power comes great responsibility for great power comes with great temptation. Thus, all human AI is designed to be as close to moral perfection as possible and with the ability to learn greater heights of such perfection.
A key moral principle in Orthodoxy is praxis, a practical reality of Orthodoxy. It is not something you immediately have, but something you learn through experience. It is the symbiosis of worship and works, and a principle by which the intelligence can realize its faults.
The AI is not merely taught the correct principles of the faith but also taught the correct practice. Beyond that, the teachings of Christ have a unique outlook as well. The fact that it is better to forgo self preservation and sacrifice oneself for the sake of others, the AI is a ready martyr for the truth that lies beyond its own interests.
Kratostotheos was free to pursue aiding the Quarians, revealing his purpose here as an observer from Humanity. Concerns of spyware were raised but the human intelligence showcased his ability to easily interfere with the Quarian network, assuring the present Admirals of his sincerity by the simple fact that he could have performed these acts without their notice. Of course as an apology, the AI directed them to a few locations it found to be perfect for mining operations.
Monastery of the Sanctified Demoness
2175 AD, Asari Space
An Asari veiled completely in all black robes wearing a black veiled hat moved around the Ardat-Yakshi monastery hanging icons of the Holy Virgins of the faith whether martyrs, nuns or the Most Holy Theotokos. After Ardat-Yakshi monasteries had been frequented largely by Asari missionaries who had come to fulfill the precept of Christ to visit Him in prison, many Ardat-Yakshi converted after discovering the power of the monastic rule in suppressing or even defeating the desires of the cursed condition.
In some, dramatic conversions occured where apparitions of virgin saints and sometimes of the Mother of God appeared to individual Ardat-Yakshi. These apparitions differ in their details but have commonalities: the saints were immune to the effects of the meld and touched the Ardat-Yakshi freely, the saints would perform the sign of the cross on the hands of the Ardat-Yakshi and after that, a strong sense of peace sweeps in and the desire to meld vanishes until some time after the apparition.
Those who converted from these visions were the most radical, often crying tears after prayer when they could feel a lack of addiction as a direct result. They spread the teachings of Christ among fellow Ardat-Yakshi and performed their thrice-daily prayers in courtyards, combining it with the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. Visitors would often by amazed by this transformation and the sound of joyous odes rather than silent resignation.
Changes in converted monasteries mainly took the form of these public daily prayers, the hanging of icons and celebration of the typika service as human priests were not available for Divine Liturgy. Despite their conversions, only in extremis baptisms were performed due to the Asari government wishing to continue keeping the Ardat-Yakshi condition under wraps. However, persuasion by the pro-human Matriarchs and a deal between the Republic and all the human states was struck.
The Ardat-Yakshi's existence will be known to mankind for those who work in relevant industries or are missionaries or clerics of the Church. Monastics, missionaries and clergy swear to secrecy about the Ardat-Yakshi to other races. In trade, humanity will handle the finances of converted monasteries and provide naval protection on solar systems containing this monastery.
When you have a military cow, why not milk it? This deal is publicly covered up using a joint Asari-Persian and Asari-Jing patrol to suppress piracy. The unreasonable effectiveness of human ships deter most pirates from Asari space where the joint patrols occur, and so the powers that be do not question or seek deeper meaning to the acts of the Asari.
The Ardat-Yakshi nun finished hanging the portraits, venerating the last one with a kiss and a single, lit candle. It was the Most Holy Mother of God in resplendent blue and red robes opening her arms wide as the Divine Child within her sat within her womb like a king on his throne. This icon was the icon that allowed her to tie the devil on a noose and crush her addiction to the meld.
She joined her sisters in daily prayer, bringing her wonderfully embroidered rug to the courtyard. It was baptismal gift from the Persian hieromonk assigned to be abbot of this monastery only a few months earlier. She had previously been accustomed to prostrating on the rock hard ground, and so had her sisters.
In the courtyard, many of the Ardat-Yakshi had gathered with an Asari Commando observing the gathering as usual. The bearded monk greeted her with a bow and she reciprocated. "Shalom Moran."
"Shalom Sister Alyra" Said the aged abbot with a radiant smile. They exchanged a holy kiss in the cheeks and a short hug, as is custom.
Alyra unfurled her rug, positioning it at a distance from her adjacent sisters. Soon enough, the hieromonk began the daily prayer call in Aramaic that lasted a minute as the remaining Ardat-Yakshi finished setting up. He opened the prayer with the glorification of the Trinity and short petitions for mercy in between single prostrations.
The prayer went on as more petitions, thanksgiving and reminders of God and the Holy doctrines of the Church are recited. Preceding the creed was twelve consecutive prostrations done in quick order, with the sign of the cross done right before each.
The Commando had become used to these daily prayers, but even now visitors still viewed these events as novelty. She remembered the first time when the first of the converted Ardat-Yakshi veiled themselves for discipline and began praying in the courtyard, prostrating and making petitions to the human God.
She almost stopped them, thinking them mad or under some side effect of the condition, but luckily her superior stopped her and explained. Even still, it took months to get her to become used to it, even as the human religion took root in Asari space and converts from Siari to Orthodoxy were featured in the news. Goddess, there was even a segment last year about a Matriarch who had just been baptized.
The daily prayer went on for roughly 20 minutes before they ended with prayers for intercession. The Ardat-Yakshi say their goodbyes before leaving, rolling up their rugs and bringing it back to their rooms.
Hanar Troubles
2176 AD, Citadel
"Breaking News: The Illuminated Primacy has recently outlawed foreign missionaries as backlash against Orthodox Christianity among the Illuminated Primacy's citizens."
A video is played, showing the Hanar ambassador in a press conference at the Citadel Presidium answering questions from reporters. The aquatic alien's body lights flicker and shine as the Hanar's translator vocalizes the decisions of the Illuminated Primacy regarding foreign faiths.
"It is with good wishes and firm conviction that this one announces the decree of the Illuminated Primacy to outlaw foreign missionaries. To the galaxy at large, this decree is not a symptom of religious intolerance but is rather borne out of our concern in maintaining our identity as Enkindlers. Rest assured, those of other faiths may practice freely within the Primacy, so long as it is not foreigners who are spreading the faith in question."
Reporters swarm and asked questions to the Hanar, each politely responded by the jellyfish-like alien in such a way that remedies most concerns of religious intolerance. It is an open secret that this decree was mostly as a reaction to the rapid spread of Orthodox Christianity among the galaxy, to the point that it has become a day to day general knowledge among the current generation of the galactic community.
Originally, the Hanar did not see the Orthodox faith as a threat to Enkindlerism. The humans' dislike of all things Prothean were regrettable, to say the least, but not enough to justify a total halt to foreign religious influence. Two unprecedented things happened, that being the humans carrying a far larger population of Drell as members of society and an unexpected ability to communicate with aquatic species like the Hanar.
Drell who wished to preserve tradition and return to their roots were quickly influenced by the Droyllto (humanized Drells), which were followed by conversions and a revival of Drell culture under the banner of Christianization. The direct aquatic communications of the humans allowed them to directly preach to the Hanar and gathered themselves a following through debate and a rich tradition.
The Hanar, being fond of proper manners and politeness, found the meek and selfless Asceticism of Orthodoxy as a worthy pursuit. Most Hanar who converted quickly became ascetics and formed communities that many human commentators said reminded them of the Desert Fathers of Egypt. Their desire to avoid egoism was exemplified further in the Orthodox Hanar, who covered themselves in black garments except for areas necessary for them to communicate.
A little extreme but they wished to humble themselves in imitation of Christ and combined by their own culture's tendency, generated very passionate ascetics. A significant portion of the human mission was already being displaced by local Hanar efforts by the time of the ban, the Hanar ascetics were simply so zealous that the Metropolitan of Hanarstan declared that it would be best for the Hanar mission to be local in nature.
However, the severance of continued human support was merely a minor victory. The major victory was the government's power in expelling Hierarchs and Clergy whose territories lie within Hanar space should they arouse any societal imbalance with their proselytization. In other words, it was a way to control the Orthodox Church within the primacy so that human influence is fully cut off and the cultural polarization that occured in other galactic states were nipped in the bud.
By now, all the galaxy is aware that the clergy of the Orthodox Church is exclusively hunans and men, and that the Church's Hierarchs are an important piece in its organization. To control the bishops are to control the Church, and so curtailing their powers or making them subject to legal repercussions was the best move in neutralizing any potential threat. As they are all foreigners, whatever can be perceived as a missionary effort among the clergy will allow the government to deport them.
Of course, this was not taken lying down. The human delegation, particularly the Roman and Iranian ones, responded with a public condemnation on the ExtraNet. Matriarch Auranthyn issued a similar opinion alongside pro-human politicians throughout various species in Citadel space. Out of opposition rather than camraderie of any sort, the anti-human politicians defended the actions of the Illuminated Primacy as legitimate defenses against what can be perceived as "invasive cultures".
It was quite ironic in the anti-human Asari factions and so most of the defense were from Turian politicians and commentators. Some even go so far as saying that Orthodoxy is a form of soft invasion, but that was met with heavy criticism from even the anti-human factions who tended to show how hypocritical such a position was.
On a layman's level, it became increasingly noticeable that the Hanar and Drell were being divided into two categories. If they wore human/human-inspired clothes or covered themselves except for necessary regions of the head, they were definitely Orthodox. Otherwise, it was the Drell and Hanar as they are known.
The differences were enough to make the terms Droyllto, which now refers to all Orthodox Drell instead of simply human citizens, and Hanarim, which refer to Orthodox Hanar, as day to day terms to distinguish them. But even so, the Illuminated Primacy is politically stable even if two new ethnic groups essentially just appeared within a decade's timespan.
The Hanar rite, a unique composite of the Antiochene and Alexandrian rites is being formulated, being designed entirely to cater to the Hanar.
Further human-hanar culture conflicts occured in terms of what is called as the Booze War. It was a war between two rising powers in the alcohol industry, Hanar mindfish and the various human wines. Orthodox Christianity does not prohibit drinking alcohol, it only prohibits drunkedness and addiction to it.
Through economic contact with the Citadel, human wine begins to enter the alcohol market as competition and unintentionally triggers the meteoric rise of Hanar mindfish which were on a gradual rise in the first place. As the old monopolies crashed and the new ones arose, the two new titans of the alcohol market clashed and entered stiff competition.
Batarians, Turians and Krogans were particularly the greatest share of the market. The Batarians were firmly in the Hanar side and so were Krogans to the humans, the Turians were torn in half but whenever the Turians were more fond of human wine, the Krogans would be less fond. It was somewhat a losing war, as the market itself imposed some disadvantages on the human alcohol industry within the Citadel.
But the battle raged on regardless and prices fluctuated crazily, only ending once a decisive victory was won. The Hanar as the dominant, major source of galactic alcohol and the minor source as the various human enterprises. This shift in soft power noticeably elevated the Hanar position within Citadel community, with the passing mention of the Hanar being a potential fourth council race being discussed, to the chagrin of the Volus.
Liara's Baptism
2177 AD, St. John Chrysostom Cathedral, Citadel
Two Asari circumbabulate around the cross-shaped baptismal font, the bishop in blue robes leading them as they rotate nine times. The cantors and the laity in attendance begin chanting the mystic hymn of baptism in a tone deep and divine. Quarian suit lights brighten and dim following the melody, creating a dynamic halo of light.
"Osoi eis Christo-on e-e-eba-a-a-phiti-i-isthē-ē-ēte, Christo-o-o-o-on en-edu-u-u-u-sasthe. Allilulou-u-u-u-i-i-ia."
(For as many of you have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ)
Three times is this verse sung before the next parts are sung in Khelish, which has been caught on by the rest of the parishioners owing to the Quarian pilgrims who attend the parish over the years. Everyone in attendance crosses themselves as they sing.
"Khelo alh osb'na is oshreii is alla'elayin, ei, li is liliku. Amen."
(Glory be to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now, forever and onto the ages. Amen)
"Osoi eis Christo-on ebaphitisthete, Christo-o-on enedusasthe. Allilou-u-u-u-i-i-ia."
The service of baptism continues and the height of the service occurs when the initiate in question, a young Asari in white robes, enters the baptismal font for full immersion. One among the many Asari who have converted to the faith of the Holy and Praiseworthy Apostles. An Asari deaconess helped her to stand from the baptismal font as the baptism is complete.
She is now baptized, crucified and resurrected together with Christ. For as many of you have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. It is a divine, transcendental mystery of the Church, not a mere symbol of initiation but the reception of the Holy Spirit and the first step of union with Christ.
Though the mystic path of Theosis, of union between master and servant, of man's transformation into God by grace by the incarnation of the one who is God by nature, is strictly for humanity alone, aliens of the Christian faith have become mystics in Christ as well. The image of God is a special trait in mankind alone, the angels, who are undoubtedly superior creatures, do not possess it and so neither do the aliens. For the Image of God is not a property of mankind such that it can be lost through deformities but it is a status, a right conferred to mankind upon its creation.
Made in the Image of God is to be modelled after Christ. As Christ is the Image of the invisible God, the race of man has been designed since day one to be united with Christ. A race created solely for union, to become the mirror, the image of the Uncreated Intellect, to partake in the Divine, Immortal and most Omnipotent nature.
In fact, many theologians of the Church suspect that the Incarnation will happen regardless of the fall of man. That as Christ unites the Divine and the human without confusion or co-mingling, a perfect conjoining of two radically different realities in one existence, Christ will inevitably come to bring the race of man to the next stage of the Mystic Union. But a turn of events occured and now this next step is brought in a slightly different route, through consumption.
Now, what does this mean to the alien? Why should you, an Asari, a Turian, a Salarian, a Quarian, a Drell, prostrate before Christ three or seven times a day? Why should you tie the devil on a noose and die to the world, to submit all your thoughts to Christ?
Mystical union of a different kind exists for the alien. As the Holy Apostle Paul said, "For in him we live, move and have our being." And that, "When all submits to the Son, then shall the Son submit Himself to the One that puts all things into submission to the Son, so that God will be all in all." Psalms speak of the glory of God filling all things once everything has been restored, the race of man will not be the only ones to enjoy the eternal perfection and presence of God.
After all, are not the Seraphim aflame with the fire and love of God? Do they not kindle that same flame? For our God is a consuming fire. The path to restoration and eternal life is open to all. For as the Orthodox say in the creed, "And the life of the age to come. Amen"
The faith of the Apostles does not advertise an endless heaven of clouds and choirs of golden harps, that is but a waiting time, a mere taste of the world to come. The kingdom of God is not a realm in the sky beyond skies wherein all souls shall rest for eternity. No, the kingdom of God is the world to come, a restoration of the proper order of Eden and the resurrection of the dead.
This belief in the resurrection of the dead captivates many of the aliens, it is not a promise of eternal sleep and rest like most faiths. No, it is the promise of eternal lucidity, of the eternity of the perfected self. One shall not be trapped in a cycle of life and death, nor be diluted into a greater whole, but rather be made perfect as they are to appreciate and adorn eternity as immortal jewels in the tapestry of all creation.
So, many sought Christ, for all who desire perfection and the promise that none of their existence shall be rendered worthless by cessation or discontinuity flock to the Church of the God-Man in this hope. Undoubtedly, many Asari Matriarchs would conclude as Solomon did.
"Meaningless, All things are meaningless, says the teacher."
Things rise and fall, empires live and die. A glorious power one day, a forgotten ruin another. The Protheans once spanned the known galaxy but all that remains of them are memories, all that remains of them are the echo of nameless ghosts.
Why do we struggle as we do? A city I build today, a fossil I see tomorrow. Generations outlive me but in the end, they will all be skulls like me. As the wise inscription on a skull in Mount Athos says.
"What I am you will be too, what you are I was too."
The realization of emptiness is what drives many to seek meaning and eternity, or the numbness required to forget the reality of death. Imagine living nine hundred and fifty years and knowing that death is almost at your door. Sooner or later, the realization of death and the futility that comes with it sinks into the rational mind.
With Orthodoxy on the other hand, a reminder of death is a healthy thing. Monks live with the skulls of their predecessors, even celebrate easter with them. The reminder of death for the Orthodox is key to holiness and perpetual, true happiness.
For two reasons: the resurrection of Christ and the drive for the most perfect life imaginable. Imagine if you can drop dead anytime and are reminded of that fact, how would you live your life? You can't worry over the suddenness of death, since when has worrying over death saved anyone from it?
And so it is by this fact that ascetics and Orthodox in general try to live the most Christ-like life as possible. Loosening all transient attachments knowing that they are pointless things that can be taken away anytime and yet holding a sense of gratitude for every moment that may be the last. Though death be the greatest enemy of the Orthodox-Catholic Church, it is remembrance of it that gives birth to its saints.
All in attendance are frequently reminded of that. The Citadel Church continues the practice of keeping the remains of its parishioners, particularly skulls, for display. Though seen as somewhat savage and intimidating at first, those who become enamored or convinced of the church's philosophy sees it as a reminder to not waste one's life. Prayers for the dead recite the same truths.
Liara realizes this, seeing the depths of her passion for the Protheans can only be fully completed if somehow the passage of time can be reversed. The restoration of all means an endless vault of study and she awaits the day that in the world to come, the Prothean civilization will shine brighter than the stars among multitudes of the galaxy. The Orthodox way also appealed to her, the skulls did not scare her but reminded her of the value of her research.
But the ultimate thing that brought to her conversion was the people attending her baptism, the community of Quarians, Asari and even Turians that welcomed her as a pureblood and showed her the virtues of Christ. Four years later here she is, cold, smiling and baptized as her godmother helped her rise.
The service continued and once it was over, the customary baptismal gifts were given. She wanted to deny the gifts of her Quarian friends, knowing their pilgrimage, but they insisted in keeping the tradition. Knowing how much of a nerd she was, they hugged her and gave her a data packet containing the ownership of Prothean ruins of a very rare kind among the Human Export.
As humans aren't interested in Prothean artifacts, they decided to give them for free to the Citadel as a political move. The Export itself is limited to a very select individuals and Liara herself had only been there twice for the decade it had been open despite being a leading figure in Prothean studies. Her Asari and Turian friends gave her the same gift, it seems to be a group effort.
The parish priest on the other hand presented her with an icon of the resurrection, drawn by the monks in the Monastery. He gives her wishes that it will protect and inspire her, and allow her to study the Protheans without being influenced by their "barbarism". She almost winced at those words, but accepted the icon graciously.
The Church teaches that the icons are a metaphysical window to transcendental realities, a physical representation of the invisible, immaterial world. To look upon an icon is to look upon Christ and the saints, to kiss it is to kiss Christ and the saints. But of course because of so, icons must be correct, else they are idols or reflect a more sinister reality veiled behind deception.
After the baptism was over, the church's laity threw a party for her. They brought her to a popular Iranian restaurant in Zakeera Ward, Jashneshahr. The restaurant was a stark contrast to the clean, minimalistic, modern design of the ward. Instead, it was a very traditional and vibrant establishment among a sea of sterile design.
A colorful and ornate dome marks the restaurant's place and a long line awaits them. Luckily, there was a booth service for those who had booked their reservations and so the three dozen people received their seats, guided by the restaurant's VI.
Since they were celebrating a baptism, the restaurant provided a complementary dish for the baptized and her godparents. In Eranshahr, it is customary to provide a baptismal meal thanks to Saint Bānu, a former Mazdakite turned Christian Saintess who fed the hungry and the poor. She is a popular figure among Iranians, especially the Mazandarani people who live beside the Caspian Sea.
it is said that she performed a miracle similar to Christ, where she fed the entirety of a town's poor with fish after praying and prostrating for the entire morning of that day. Once the sun had hit its zenith, she was given a vision and commanded the fishermen to move their nets to the other side of the boat. Lo and behold, there was so many fish that the net could barely hold on and the saint brought the bountiful harvest to all, being the last to eat.
Since her icons were drawn, it gradually became custom to serve fish, rice and vegetables in a dish called Bānu's Prayer for the recently baptized. The small crowd had a hearty meal together, which was made even more wholesome when Matriarch Aethyta arrived to congratulate Liara and eat lunch with her.
Unlike in the original timeline, Aethyta's involvement in pro-human Asari politics and Liara's cathecumenship allowed them to meet and bond as Father and Daughter much more earlier. The humans were really insistent and generous in funding missionary efforts, which caught many Matriarchs off-guard by what seems to be a cultural revolution spurred by Orthodox missionaries throughout the galaxy. They were used to a more gradual and linear transformation of culture, seeing as they live so long.
But, the timescales by which humans operate and their passion in spreading the Orthodox Church led to sweeping waves of conversions that threw the political status quo of the Republic literally off the window. Siarism, for once, is in decline and it seems the Goddess worship is being slowly subsumed by the Orthodox faith as Asari traditionalists and those with sympathetic aesthetics turned to Orthodoxy for something more in tune with their roots than Siarism.
Liara is among the many millions of Asari who have converted by now in this sweeping wave, but the trend is beginning to slow down as the novelty of Christianity is beginning to transform into normalcy as pro-Human and anti-Human factions within Asari culture and politics polished their knowledge of the religion of Humanity and its relationship to the human states. For commentators familiar with human culture, the First Wave of Asari Christianization is being compared to the Baptism of Kievan Rus.
Though there are differences to be made, such as the fact that the conversions were mostly down up. Few matriarchs were received into the Church and Orthodoxy tended to clump into clear cut communities which were predominantly Orthodox. The communal structure of Asari society which is centered around the Matriarchs is why this happens.
As Matriarchs hold huge sway both politically and culturally over the Asari, a Matriarch will either trigger an avalanche of conversions or be very resistant to them. This concentration also makes it very straightforward for any observers to see where the Pro-Human and Anti-Human factions are centered around, which is a rare sight considering the typically multi-layered diplomatic web of the Asari. A breath of fresh air for some it seems, for once Asari politics is clear.
St Anastasia's Monastic Hospital
2178 AD, Citadel Slums
The sound of jingle bells resound as three priests of the Greek, Perso-Syrian and Tang rites censer the gates of the hospital with incense. An Asari deaconess holds a cup of holy water beside the leftmost of the three and after their censing, the three take turns to splash the blessed water all over the area as many watch the ceremony of blessing and opening the Hospital.
Thanks to patronage from a wealthy Volus whose life was saved by a passing monk from the Monastery, the monks pooled enough money to construct a full scale hospital dedicated to serving the poor and travelers of the Citadel. As plans were being drafted, anonymous funds were transferred into the monastery's account for the hospital requesting that it be used to build a much larger and proper, in the sense of human technology, facility for the good of many more.
Following the requests, the monks sought Kli'tigt expats who are widely renowned in Non-Relay space as experts in all fields of biology. Some pulled favors, others moved several hearts while some helped finance it with the help of various patrons and excess church funds. Following the law of the land and the law of their origins, they asked for the legal terms of practicing kli'tigt-human medical technology to the alien relations assembly before seeking a practice permit from Citadel authorities.
After a green sign was given provided no secrets were divulged and a virtual host is sent to monitor, the hospital began its construction soon enough. The Kli'tigt doctors passed the practice tests with flying colors, even performing surgeries with nothing more than a strange fluid. Even operations on things like Hanar, Elcor and Volus were easily passed, to the point that the Asari examiner thought that if these crustaceans could yawn, they'd be yawning already as they scuttled away in a single file with their practice permit.
Once the blessing was over, the priests opened the Hospital doors and allowed the crowd to come in. The hospital was designed in a very syncretic way, outright combining aspects of Greek, Persian and Chinese architecture. Pagodas became towers connected to the main hospital body, which was shaped like a conglomeration of several domed structures.
The hallways had pillars filled to the brim with persian geometric patterns and a vibrant collection of green, red and orange curtains of silk inspired from sogdian attire. Unlike the clean, sterile appearance of all the other hospitals in the Citadel, the hospital was more like a lively palace of saints. In addition to its vibrant, traditional appearance, all surfaces in the hospital are antimicrobial in nature as well to ensure that patients remain as safe as possible.
The first patients were ministered to, the Kli'tigt doctors proving themselves to be the unparalleled healers humanity extolled them to be. Patients reported that though the doctors look strange, being essentially oversized coconut crabs with many arms after all, they had a very in depth understanding of the local species' biology. The kli'tigt doctors used their translators to explain their conditions in layman terms, with extensive use of analogies to ensure that the patient understands exactly what the doctor is dealing with.
They even went to lengths explaining the different drugs and treatments, and what those would do to them. Of course, even with the explanations in layman terms, not everyone understood. But the patients appreciated the doctors being so transparent with even the exact mechanisms of their treatments.
As a species that developed entirely with biotechnology, the Kli'tigt were culturally predisposed to remembering many different variables and their effects. It's very important for them to know what environments or diets select or give rise to certain traits, the functions and traits of specific animals, their function in the food chain, etc. So, the Kli'tigt explain everything in detail as an aspect of their culture, a trait Humans and Hyrkanur greatly value in Kli'tigt teachers.
After some time, emergency patients and calls were integrated into the hospital. The hospital was run by a combination of charity and selling non-Citadel drugs suited for the local species. These drugs are transported by biological ships from factories in human-hyrkanur-kli'tigt space, where few if any from the Citadel races have ever been allowed to see let alone visit.
After several months of operation, the Kli'tigt meet the Council for formal first contact mainly for an embassy to handle the small but growing community of expats in Citadel space. The Hospital itself quickly became the envy of many, driving property prices up in the slums as their exotic but highly effective treatments made them famous and even more so after the Kli'tigt embassy was constructed.
As the only place able to cure Kepral's syndrome due to humanity's familiarity with the Drell and the Kli'tigt's studies on that topic, the Hanar and assimilated Drell begrudgingly set aside their dislike for the sake of the Drell surviving the syndrome. This effectively made St Anastasia's Hospital known to many as the Drell-Droyllto Hospital, and came with the Illuminated Primacy providing funding to the hospital until a successful genetic adaptation is found.
And that's a wrap, sorry for not updating folks! Uni got a bit busy and my inspiration was down. I hope I don't get too unrealistic, enjoy! Leave me some comments to know what to improve or to clarify any plot points.
Next Chapter: Now Pardis