Surprises and Developments

Disclaimer: The following is not used to make a profit or advertisement. Mass Effect is owned by EA/Bioware. Any original characters, elements, story, or dialogue are used for this story.

Author's Note: I apologize for the long delay and it shouldn't have taken this long. School had a lot to do with it, but I should have managed my time better. I am going to try to release chapters quicker by managing my time better by creating a schedule to help me. It has been a problem of mine and it needs to stop. Again, I do apologize for the long delay and hope you enjoy the chapter.

August 21, 2165

Arcturus, Arcturus Station

Udina was standing by his desk looking out the window, contemplating the Parliament's decision. The Parliament was made up of representatives from nearly every nation on Earth and its colonies. The Geth had become a part of the parliament, though they only had to send Plura, which still felt odd to Udina since the prime always stuck out among the thousands of humans. It was amazing how fast the Geth could reach a consensus and send data, especially since the Geth usually only needed one platform to provide a way of communication with the station's geth hub. They were always the first ones to cast a vote and come up with possible suggestions.

He could again see Hackett's ship returning to the station. The guy was really something and Udina wouldn't be surprised if he made Admiral in the next ten years. His thoughts were interrupted by the hiss of his office door opening.

"Sir, the krogan are coming up the elevator. Plura and The President are arriving with them."

Udina turned to the owner of the voice. "Thank you Taylor." The young Corporal gave a small nod of respect and exited the door. He sat down at his desk and rubbed his hands through his hair. It had been a stressful couple of weeks. So much had changed to fast for his liking and it was daunting trying to keep up with everything. The knowledge of a war that was certainly going to be the death of billions was finally beginning to dawn on him and it made the Council's response that much more infuriating for him. The Geth had offered great advancements for humanity and he had been beginning to feel the Coalition could stand up to anything together. His thoughts were again interrupted by the hiss of his office door.

Everyone took their seats except the prime who continued to stand on the left side of Udina's desk.

"We will cut right to the chase. You both have been here long enough and are probably ready for some answers," Udina said.

Dresher nodded in agreement and spoke. "The Parliament was in a flux during the meeting, not that it hasn't already been, but we were able to come to an agreement rather quickly."

Plura's flaps shifted in several directions before they heard the synthetic's booming voice. "We will not be able to offer any assistance at this time. If tensions between the Council and Coalition improve over time, we will consider speaking with the Council. The Krogan will also need to show clear signs of cooperation as a whole."

"This does not make you a member of the Coalition, nor is it an assurance of assistance. Your plan must show progress before we will even consider aiding you in the future. As you probably know, communication will be difficult and it could be years before you have any contact with us in the future. We simply can't have ships wandering in Council Space at this time and we can't have many ships coming from Council Space without it looking suspicious." Udina replied.

The two krogan looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking. Lakarta nodded and turned back to the three individuals in front of them.

"That was all we were hoping for at this moment. We thank you for giving us this opportunity and I promise we will not let you down," she replied.

She turned back to Dresher. "We will not take any more of your time President. You have given my people something that we have not had for centuries; a future to look forward too."

Dresher nodded with a small smile on her face. There was a short silence broken by Udina. "Just one more thing before you both leave. Have you gathered any intel that could help aid us for our search for the Quarians?"

Both of the krogan turned to each other until Wrex turned back to the man. "I don't think you should worry about trying to find them right now human." He saw the vice president raise his eyebrows and continued. "My contact told me some news a few hours ago that sounded troubling."

Udina leaned back in his chair and shook his head in agitation. "We don't care how terrible the news is. Just tell us."

The battlemaster narrowed his eyes at the man and turned to the prime. "Your alliance caused quite a storm for your your creators. Many Quarians are being looked at with more suspicion than ever before and Quarians on different worlds have been booking passage off of them. Everyone knows they are headed back to the fleet. The thing is, almost every one of them has some sort of armament or weapon."

Dresher looked down at her knees and shook her head. It seemed like they were given a new problem to deal with each day. She turned to Plura.

"Did you know about any of this? Dresher asked

The prime's flaps moved in several directions before it spoke. "This platform has only had contact with Arcturus's main hub for 30 Earth days. We have not had contact with the Geth Collective since then."

Outside, Udina looked as if he was calm, but in reality, he was fuming inside.

"Thank you for that Urdnot Wrex," Dresher replied with a small nod.

Wrex nodded and got up. He motioned for his friend to get up and turned back to Dresher with a possible smile. "I have to say human. Your race has a quad. Approaching the Council like that really had those pyjacks sweating. I loved every minute of it. His face turned serious. I hope I can see you humans in action one day." He turned and headed out the door. Lakarta stood up and held out her hand to Dresher who took it in a firm grasp, giving her a small smile while doing so. The krogan turned to the prime who had already held its hand out. The woman was amazed at how firmly the prime shook her hand.

Udina nodded, stood up, and also took the krogans hand into his own. The shaman turned and followed her friend out the door.

As they were walking, Wrex turned to Lakarta. "You owe me big for playing nice with that male. The guy was an ass."

Lakarta didn't here and walked to the elevator with a smile on her face.

September 24, 2165

Athena Nebula, Thessia, Temple of Athemn

Thessia had always been a place of beauty and love among the galaxy, its many wonderful features staying true to that claim. The Temple of Athemn was no exception; with its beautiful artifacts, the glorious statue of the goddess, and a pleasing view of the city, one could get lost looking at these pleasing views. Many Asari had switched to other religions when they had made contact with new life, but there were still plenty that still believed in the Athemn doctrine and came to this temple, until now. Now the temple was heavily guarded with Saren Arterius looking out at the city.

Saren stood outside the now guarded temple with several dozen elite Asari commandoes. He was tired from another long night guarding this beacon. The Asari had become one of the most powerful races in the galaxy from the rich element zero that dotted their planet and great technological advancements that rivaled any known race, thanks to, in large part, the Protheans and this beacon. It had been a shock for many people, including Asari citizens, when the media had caught wind of this discovery. This artifact had been giving the Asari the knowledge to create amazing new technologies when they used it. The galaxy was giving all Asari a powerful backlash and they had almost lost their seat on the Council. Saren was still amazed that the Councilor's allowed Tevos to stay, but he had a feeling it was a means to keep the peacekeepers close by. The Coalition was gathering strength and many people were worried. It did not change the fact that functioning Prothean technology was rare and the galaxy had made great strides with the technology.

The Asari government had sent many of its brightest scholars and scientists to this temple to decode any new data that they could get with the other races also sending theres. The turian could hear them chatting away and reviewing their findings from the night before. He could hear the excitement in their voices, which caused him to shake his head in annoyance. He looked to his left and saw the sun had started to rise, the rays making the already beautiful city shine. He nearly caught himself falling asleep again and cursed under his breath. This had to be one of the most boring assignments a Spectre could be given. On the bright side, this standing around had given him time to think.

He still couldn't wrap his head around how that thing read his mind like that and he couldn't stop thinking about what he saw during that melding. He wasn't sure what to think of the visions he received, but they made his stomach turn when he thought of those aliens getting slaughtered by those synthetics. Many high officials were now looking at him with suspicion, including the two councilors. It infuriated him. Tevos had been the only one who had seen the same thing and they had both been questioned by doctors and psychologists for hours.

It had been after Tevos's meeting with the doctors that she had scheduled a meeting with the councilors and told them about a way to possibly get some proof for their claims, this temple. This whole thing was supposed to be kept quiet, but the news had somehow been leaked. Many people were blaming the Shadow Broker, but this was impossible to confirm. He finally turned and walked back into the temple, passing by many researchers on the way; the statue looming over him as he sat down in one of the secluded seats.

October 11, 2165

Hubble Crescent, Freyja

Joseph's legs were killing him and his heavy load was not making it easy for him. His school had just had a science fair and he had received a first place medal that gleamed in the sun as it hung and swayed around his neck. He would switch from using his biotics to carrying the project. He had created a Virtual Intelligence repair drone with aid from his mom and dad, who had been on shore leave while his cruiser received repairs. He now carried the drone back home since the power ran out. He had learned quite a bit about Virtual Intelligence by watching his father work whenever he was home, since he was an engineer that worked on the London, and by continually asking Legion about the Geth when the synthetic came to visit.

He treasured each moment he had with the both of them since his dad was on active duty often after enlisting to give his family money after he lost his original job as a mechanic. His mother would always putting a smile on his face whenever he felt sad. Although his real father had left his mother before he was born, she married while he was still a imphant so he always felt that he had a father.

Legion had always been a close friend for many years and he enjoyed the days when the alien was working close by their house. The kid had apparently made it out of the house one night while the house was locked up tight, a mystery that his mother could never solve, and wondered over to a joint construction site headed by the two species. His mother had been about to call the city police to look for him until she heard a light knock on the door and found her son clinging to a metallic, gray, three fingered hand that belonged to an average sized geth.

He had apparently walked several blocks until he came to the construction site. Joseph, not knowing any better, entered the house until he walked into the synthetic. He had heard the workers refer to him as Legion. Ever since that encounter, he had observed the Geth work and they eventually began talking on many occasions.

He could see his house in the distance and made a sprint for the door. His mother had sent him a message on his Omni-Tool that had said there would be a surprise waiting for him at home and it made him very excited. It was not his birthday, but he had won at the science fair. Joseph was always fascinated with space and technology and hoped to go to some of those other planets one day.

He eventually reached the steps to his house and walked inside. He could smell something already cooking on the stove, which made his stomach growl. He set his stuff down on the couch and headed towards the kitchen.

His mother poked her head around the corner with a warm smile on her face and walked over and gave him a hug.

"What's the surprise mom?" Joseph asked, looking up at his mother with a gleam in his eyes.

His mother bent down so that she was eyelevel with him. Joseph could tell this was going to be serious.

"Your father and I talked about it last week. Since your father's promotion, we have been getting more money. We remember how much you wanted a gun for your birthday. So we got you a little something." She said with a smile. She turned and walked into the dining room and came back out with a black case.

Joseph was beaming from ear to ear. He had gone to the targeting range for several months, with his mother watching him closely. He was always fascinated how guns worked and had stolen one from the targeting range to dismantle it. His mother had nearly made him deaf when she found out.

She gave him the case and, with great speed, he opened the box, looked inside, and felt his heart sink. He had been hoping for a much larger gun than this puny pistol. He looked up to his mother, a smile as a façade and hugged her.

"I am glad you like it. It is an older model of the current Phalanx with a few modifications from Legion. The scope on the top is actually much better than others. It can display a person's heartbeat, you can see people through smoke if you press the button on the edge of the scope, and it even has a counter that lets you know how many targets you hit, she said. "Of course we didn't buy thermal clips, but we can get those when you are older and you can still use it at the range.

The boy looked at the gun and took it out of the case, pointed the gun down the kitchen away from his mother, and looked through the scope. He moved his finger along the edge of the scope and found a small button and pressed it. He saw the scopes display change dramatically. A square box showed a number zero and he saw another have a flat line for heartbeats. He felt his mother touch the pistol and he now saw a purple laser extending from the scope.

Joseph was much happier about the scope and that his friends and family had got him a gun at all and continued to stare at it. It looked like a Phalanx, but he could see differences with the paint job and size. He had started memorizing guns in his spare time so he could easily tell the differences.

He lowered the pistol and turned to his mother and hugged her tightly and he felt her kiss him on the cheek. He loved his life right now.

?

?

It couldn't help but watch and listen to these events unfold with a growing interest. These humans were an interesting species. They had been able to adapt to a new situation faster than any other species in this cycle. Their technological advancements were expanding rapidly at an astounding rate and their species was different among each individuals way of thinking, something very unusual compared to the other species in this cycle.

It had been about to make these synthetics an asset to reopen the relay to the reaches of this galaxy, but that was out of the question now. Their existence would soon end with this entire galaxy. The message was being ignored. It knew they must have interfered, but they had only delayed this galaxy's destiny. The Harvest was inevitable. It would find a way.

CODEX

Biotics

Classes:

After humanity discovered the potential for biotics from the Geth, governments around the world decided to implement classes into their public school systems to train children who showed signs of having biotic potential. There has been a wide debate among critics who feel the training is too extreme for young children, but most classes have been shown to treat individuals well, and the programs can produce powerful individuals.

Planets

Freyja:

Freyja was discovered in the Exodus Cluster, several star systems over from the Utopia System in 2160. It is a planet of lush vegetation and an abundance of wealth. Like Eden Prime, the colony started out as a place mainly where agriculture grew in great abundance with small settlements dotting the country sides, but the discovery of element zero near the equator started a massive colonization effort that made the colony grow more rapidly than Terra Nova.

Human cities have nearly covered a third of the land with hundreds of geth station in orbit. The planet is a prime example how the two species have cooperated.

The Coalition

First Contact Aftermath:

After humanity made first contact with the Geth, the Systems Alliance voted whether to continue relations with this new alien species. Many people were shocked they had met an alien race already, let alone one that had been spying on them for years. The Parliament could not come to a consensus, since nearly half wished to open diplomatic relations while the other opposed anymore contact until more data could be collected.

It was not until October 21 2157, when the Geth and humanity began communicating. The SSV Everest, the first Alliance dreadnaught, had been tasked with a shakedown run to Terra Nova. The massive ship soon found itself in danger in the Orion System when it was nearly crushed in the gravity of a gas giant when it had been trying to refuel, due to an error in recording the giant's gravity in the giant's initial survey. Due to the dreadnaughts massive size and the planets heavy gravity, the crew was nearly doomed. Luckily for the humans, a geth ship had been in the same system, watching the organics as they had done for several years before contact, and allowed the crew to board. The Geth's small heroic action made enough individuals in the Systems Alliance want to continue contact and diplomatic relations have continued to this day.

Technology

Technological Development:

Immediately following the parliament's decision to start diplomatic relations, both races began trading vast sums of helium and other elements at once. Technology later followed by the end of 2159 after both races came to an agreement. Humanity was the one that benefited the most from this exchange, gaining improved thrusters, stealth systems, and weapons. Weapons now used mass effect fields and, what the synthetics called, thermal clips, making old guns relying on gunpowder obsolete. The Geth now had an ally that had begun to study Artificial Intelligence and geth programs soon became a true intelligence with each program capable of having intelligence with the capacity of 900 programs. Programs could choose to combine together to form a new entity capable of a greater thought process or act as they had done in the past with individual programs entering platforms and still remain independent. The Geth also offered completely new technologies like Omni-Tools and biotic implants.