Mass Effect: Orion's Hunt

by TallYapflip

The Prothean Archives on Mars were corrupted, only scraps of data remaining. What little was left led to the single largest effort in Human history. This endeavor saw a colonial flotilla and millions of souls stranded a galaxy away from home. Two centuries later, a new nation far from Earth begins reaching for the stars in search of their old home.

5. Chapter 5: The New Army

Chapter 5: The New Army

March 23, 234

Erebus System, Tessera

General Kerensky couldn't help but smile as he watched the thousands of soldiers marching down the heart of Unity Square. It had taken seven years, but the Confederate military had finally been reorganized and federalized. Twenty years ago, Kerensky couldn't have imagined seeing the Confederacy begin to consolidate its authority, yet here he was. The old armed forces of the republics had been organized into territorial defense units, the Confederate-level forces had been made uniform, and the republics were even beginning to come around to the idea of a complete reorganization of the government.

Kerensky's smile broadened as he watched one of the new mixed-species units join the formation that was assembling before the First Minister, his cabinet, and the small army of the press that had gathered at the steps of Parliament Hall. The unit was mostly Asari, Turian, and Salarian, but there were a few Krogan and Quarians mixed in with them. With the sheer number of immigrants seeking a new life in the young nation, it came as little surprise that some decided to expedite their citizenship process by joining the Confederate Armed Forces.

The First Minister's speech was standard political fare, reaffirming his administration's commitment to the defense of the Confederacy against those who would do its people harm. Kerensky decided to take a different route when his turn at the podium came up. As much as he hated these public speaking arrangements, this was a unique moment for him. He had dedicated the last seven years of his life to rebuilding the Confederate military from the ground up. As strange as it was, he didn't feel that familiar tightening in his throat as he began addressing the assembled soldiers, civilians, and members of the press that had turned their attention to him.

"Let me begin by stating a simple fact… the goal is peace. What kind of a peace do I mean and what kind of a peace do we seek?" Kerensky began. "Not dominion forced onto others by Confederate weapons of war, not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace… the kind of peace that makes life worth living. The kind of peace that enables men and nations to grow and to hope. We have taken up the mantle of leadership here in the Spinward Terminus, and to truly achieve peace in this galaxy we must have strength. All of you before me, wearing the Confederate Greens, are that strength."

"I remember some three years ago, when we were first beginning to accept volunteers from immigrant populations that came to this nation seeking a brighter future. I remember the sideways looks, the whispers of distrust that were shared by some… yet here you are. Regardless of the wrongs of the past, Krogan are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Salarians and Turians in common purpose. I won't pretend that we're able to undo the centuries of distrust and hate that have fermented with a few speeches or military enlistments, but we've taken the first have all decided to meet the mission and responsibility of the Confederacy as its face."

"Of all the aims our nation has, first and foremost is affirming our commitment to the establishment of lasting peace in the Terminus. I have…a unique perspective on this. I was on Aeia with the 3rd Donegal Guards, I saw the conditions that those people were kept in. People of all species, all ages were kept in cages, fed drugged food to keep them docile. Let our friends and those who would do us ill take note: The Confederacy has an obligation to its people and to the people of this galaxy: never to let those who would destroy freedom dictate the future course of life in this galaxy."

"There are no words to express the extraordinary strength and character of this breed of people that I am proud to call my comrades and countrymen. Whether you are here because you believe in the principles on which this great nation was founded and are willing to sacrifice for them or not is irrelevant to me. You are here, wearing that uniform… and that's enough for me. I am honored to have played the part I did in making today possible, and I look forward to serving with all of you."

After offering a quick salute to the assembled troops before him, Kerensky stepped back from the podium, returning to his position beside the First Minister and his position of attention. As the applause was slowly drowned out by the Army band beginning to play the Confederate Anthem, Kerensky heard a chuckle from First Minister Severesk. "Tell me again how you don't want to get into politics."

"Nice try, sir." Kerensky smirked, keeping his eyes forward.

August 12, 237

Erebus System, Tessera (Parliament Hall)

"The whole damned galaxy knows what Aria's game is here!" A Turian committee member declared, jabbing a finger at the projection before her. The past seventy two hours had sent the Confederacy and the entire ETO by extension into a flurry of activity. Just a few short years after the formation of the alliance, and it was already facing a crisis. An ETO-aspirant colony in the Zaherin system within the Pylos Nebula had come under attack by a flotilla of vessels belonging to a hermit kingdom in the Omega Nebula, joined by a few battalions of the Eclipse merc outfit. The scant few signals that had reached Confederate comm buoys so far painted a grim picture, with the fledgling colony comprised mostly of Asari desperately attempting to keep the attackers at bay with little success.

Outlying outposts had already been overrun, with smaller civilian settlements completely pillaged over the last two days. To complicate matters, the Eclipse had brought out some of their heavier equipment, including some warships. The small nation's fleet was a paltry matter: a few frigates and destroyers, but the Eclipse ships were notably more capable. What information they had on-hand painted two of them as heavy cruisers, and an additional three as light cruisers. As macabre as it was, Kerensky couldn't shake the idea that he was in the wrong line of work if merc outfits in the Terminus could raise the capital to commission and upkeep cruisers. To make matters even worse, the colony in question was under a complete blockade.

"The fact that the colonists have lasted this long is a miracle, Sereah." An Asari committee member responded. "A colony of less than twenty thousand holding out against this kind of assault for three days? It's only a matter of time before they get overwhelmed though. What good would getting involved do us?"

"Spirits, how about getting the ETO a foothold in the Traverse?" Sereah, the Turian, responded with a dumbfounded expression… at least that's what Kerensky assumed it was. "Not to mention that the planet has an abundance of mineral deposits that the Council deemed 'too costly' to extract. Imagine the economic boom that would bring to all of our nations if they could actually tap those deposits with our assistance!"

"As much as I hate to admit it, I think Sereah is right." The ETO Security Council's resident Krogan sighed, adjusting himself in his chair. "The Asari might have poked the nest by settling in the Traverse, but they reached out to us, and before we even had the chance to admit them to the ETO, those bastards attacked the planet to stall it, if not outright prevent it."

"And what good does going to war with the entire Omega Nebula do for us, exactly?" Captain Keh'Droga vas Chereun, the Migrant Fleet's Security Council representative asked. "This alliance was never meant to provoke wars, it was meant principally to prevent them."

Kerensky sighed, seeing the four present members of the council split evenly down the middle. "All of you are right." All eyes turned to him, seeing him speak up for the first time in nearly an hour. "Yes, the attack on Namakli was unprovoked. Yes, the planet would be a major strategic and economic boon to the ETO. Yes, this is an attempt to prevent a colony from joining the ETO by creating a territorial dispute and warzone where there wasn't one before. And yes, the ETO is a purely defensive alliance."

"So what? Because of all this bureaucracy those people are going to get wiped off the galactic map? Picked clean by scavengers in a few years when this is all over" Sereah asked. "We're in the Terminus! Those scum from Omega aren't going to play by our rules, all they understand is force!"

"Precisely, and force can be non-violent if applied properly.." Kerensky nodded. "One of the principles of this alliance is free trade and navigation, no? If we were to say… establish a military presence in the Nariph system to cut off any potential reinforcements, that might just by the colony time to shore up its defenses."

"And the troops already on Namakli?" The Asari asked.

"If there's anyone who can get much-needed supplies to the planet, it's the Confederacy." Kerensky nodded. "Ideally this would be a multilateral effort. Should any present be willing to… donate some of their stockpile to this effort, I'm sure the Confederacy can offer more… modern replacements as compensation." As all of the present members of the security council shared a glance, Kerensky couldn't help but smile. This was diplomacy at work, after all.

August 14, 237

Tessera, Erebus System

Kerensky sighed, staring at the imagery coming from Namakli with a mix of horror and grim determination. The emergency session of Parliament had already begun, and like was all-too-common in Confederate politics, it was slowly devolving into something closer to a shouting match than calm political discourse. Despite all of the crystal-clear imagery and accounts from the few refugees that made it to Confederate space, all corroborated by Confederate Intelligence, the Parliament was still split on how to act. The stage had already been set in the ETO for anything from indirect assistance in the form of military and economic shipments all the way to a full-blown military intervention… but Parliament's traditionally slow-moving systems were blocking action yet again.

Kerensky had watched as MPs from all parties and inclinations argued back and forth for hours at this point, but his blood didn't start to boil until an MP from Abbadiyah's voice rang out over her counterpart from Donegal: "How is it in our interest to get involved in this?"

The Speaker of Parliament evidently noticed Kerensky's exasperated look, but he finally banged his fist against the wooden desk when he saw the General's closed fist come up to his face like he was actively fighting the urge to speak up. "Order!" He attempted, only calming a few of the shouting MPs. "Order, damnit!" He shouted again, actually managing to bring the Parliament to relative silence for the first time in nearly two hours. "General Kerensky, perhaps there's something you can offer the esteemed Members of Parliament to get us just a bit closer to an agreement?"

Kerensky sighed, standing up from his seat at the table with the rest of the Confederate officers brought before Parliament to offer their insights on the conflict, only now getting the chance to actually speak today. "Forgive me for speaking out of my wheel-house on this, esteemed Members of the Parliament, but I've had quite a few hours to think about this now. I'd like to start by making one very important point; one that, with all due respect, I don't think the First Minister's administration or any members of Parliament today have accurately made. That is: what is our interest? Is there a vital interest in Namakli? Or maybe, as the esteemed MP from Abbadiyah offered: 'Does this action, as proposed, represent our interests and our values?'"

Kerensky took a moment to look around the hall of Parliament, surprised to see just about everyone actually paying attention to what he was saying. He wasn't sure why the mood in the hall had suddenly shifted, but he'd take it while he could get it. "If this action doesn't represent our values, then nothing does! How many in this hall know what the official motto of the Confederate Armed Forces is? All of you in this hall who have, like me, served this nation should! For those who don't know it, it's 'De Oppresso Liber' or 'To Liberate the Oppressed' for those of us who don't know Latin." Kerensky took a breath, looking to compose himself before he continued. "We may have been given that motto by Parliament eighty seven years ago, but we earned it on Aeia! And if we want to keep that motto, we should act! We are all extremely fortunate that we've never had to see a warzone on our own soil, never had to take up arms to defend what we have. Our ancestors did that for us, so we wouldn't have to! So yes, this does line up quite neatly with our interests, because this Confederacy exists thanks to selfless action and sacrifice, thanks to the brave souls who set their boots down on these four worlds two hundred and thirty seven years ago."

"You've all seen the images, heard the testimonies from the refugees. These pirates, mercenaries, slavers, and rogue states in the Terminus have launched a raiding campaign against Namakli with a coherent plan of terror. We've seen the settlements that have been raided after they've absconded with everything! We know that this is targeted. We've seen these 'bad actors' as the Council so eloquently described them lead the women and children off in one direction, then the men off in another. I'll give you all one solitary guess what they're doing! We as Humans have seen this before, far too many times than any of us should be comfortable admitting. This is genocide! And before any of the esteemed Members of this Parliament interrupt me with the question that I know is coming, Yes. This is genocide. This is the deliberate killing of thousands with the aim of eradicating the population of Namakli piece by piece! Aria is a war criminal! Isk, leader of the Eclipse mercenary company, is a war criminal! I keep hearing the question 'what is our interest?' Our interest is that history is repeating!"

Kerensky offered a hollow chuckle, shaking his head. "What I'm about to say is going to seriously jeopardize my career in the armed services, but it needs to be said: The Confederate Republics of Orion is the only nation in this galaxy capable of acting properly in this situation! There is no moral center in this galaxy save for this nation, right here!" Kerensky pointed to the ground, raising his voice considerably. "When in the last few centuries have the Salarians, Turians, Asari, Krogan, Hanar, Elcor, or Volus moved in a way to unify this galaxy to stand up to these atrocities? When have they done it?!" Kerensky turned, silently cursing himself as he glared straight at the MP from Abbadiyah that had set him off in the first place. "Ask any of the settlers in the Terminus who came here seeking a reprieve from the Council's frankly absurd taxation rates, draconian surveillance of its citizens, absolutely horrid civil rights record, mandatory military service, or simply to build a life far away from the center of galactic politics! Their answer will all be the exact same! Never! The only reason anything's improved in the Terminus, the only reason that people don't have to live in fear of a slaver raid, or pay tribute to some hermit kingdom that's gotten fat off the labors of innocent people is that the Confederacy finally, finally is understanding her role! Our role in this galaxy is to be a beacon of stability, safety, and liberty in the face of brutal oppression! But we cannot be that beacon if we are unwilling to act!"

Kerensky took a moment to compose himself, straightening out his uniform's jacket. "Esteemed members of Parliament, thank you for the time and attention. Unless any of my colleagues have anything to add, I believe that concludes the input from the representatives of the Confederate Armed Forces and ETO Security Council." As he sat down, he was surprised to hear a slow applause start building from the back of the Hall, with a few of the MPs that had been adamantly arguing in favor of action seeming to take his speech rather well. Much to his surprise, a few of the MPs that had argued against it also joined in. He wasn't sure if he changed any minds or would even keep his job as ETO representative, but it certainly felt good to say that.

August 29, 237

Zaherin System, Pylos Nebula

Kerensky stepped into the command center of the CSV Kennedy, which was truly abuzz with activity as the fleet was still mid-FTL en route to Zaherin. The mass transit of so many Confederate warships couldn't be hidden for long, so it was likely that the rest of the Terminus, and galaxy by extension, would quickly learn about a Confederate intervention on Namakli. Kerensky and Carlsen had been given command over the ground and naval operations, and they both had agreed that shock and awe would be the most… effective solution.

Admiral Carlsen was staring at a holographic projection of the system, which was largely devoid of any artificial structures save for the pair of refueling stations near the edge of the solar system and a few small communications relay satellites orbiting Namakli. Judging by the fleet's current angle of approach, they'd be dropping out of FTL right on top of the refueling station at the spinward edge of the system.

"General…" Carlsen nodded, gesturing to the projection. "Glad to see your black budget paid off. We've got positive ID on several hostile strongpoints across the planet, mostly concentrated around the major resource production regions of the colonies. Locals are holed up in the residential areas, doing what they can to keep them at bay, but most of them aren't equipped for this kind of fighting."

Kerensky glanced over the data as Carlsen pulled it up onto the projection, happy to see that his Black Berets had done their jobs even beyond what he had expected of them. Some of the reconnaissance reports were so precise that they even had exact patrol routes, unit compositions, and even comms frequencies for this warlord's forces. A feeling of pride welled up in him as he read over the fact that one of his very own had managed to successfully eliminate one of the Eclipse field officers.

A droning alarm blared throughout the carrier as the FTL transit was coming to an end. With a slight shudder of the superstructure, the vessel and its escorts appeared at the edge of the system. The projection above the table updated with new information from the system, showing several small frigates and press-ganged cruisers orbiting Namakli moving into a defensive posture. One of the frigates that was siphoning fuel from the nearby station attempted to orient itself to fire on the task force. In less than ten seconds, its IFF signature disappeared from the display as two Confederate cruisers pummeled the vessel to dust. With a few quick swipes across the display, Carlsen broadcast a wideband message across the system.

"This is Fleet Admiral Nils Carlsen of the Confederate Navy's Task Force Zulu to all belligerent forces: cease all offensive operations and depart the system immediately. Failure to comply will be met with force."

After nearly five minutes of waiting for a reply, Carlsen received a communique from the planet, tagged as one of the Black Beret teams that had been inserted weeks ago. "Admiral, they've launched another offensive on the primary settlement, requesting assistance!"

Carlsen sighed, shaking his head. "All vessels, close and engage the enemy."

XXXXX

Captain Harper ducked as a missile streaked over her head, slamming into a prefab home at the edge of the settlement. The Eclipse mercenaries continued their advance towards the 'city' with their heavy mechs serving as shock troops. With a grunt, she leaned around the side of the crashed rover, firing off a HEDP grenade from her rifle's underbarrel launcher, striking the YMIR mech straight in its chest, causing it to stumble back. She managed to fire off four rounds from her rifle, dropping one of the Asari vanguards before return fire forced her back into cover.

She glanced to her right, only to see one of the Asari colonists get cut down by a burst from the same mech that she had hit with a grenade, the heavy coilgun slugs tearing the girl apart and spraying a fine red mist across the sand behind her. She yelled out for the rest of her team and the colonists holding the outermost perimeter to pull back, throwing a smoke grenade up and over her cover to mask their retreat from both the mercenaries and their mechs' imaging systems.

As the Black Berets and Asari colonists pulled back to the second line of makeshift defenses, stray fire from the mercenaries managed to strike Harper in the shoulder, the impact collapsing her kinetic barriers and causing her to tumble over herself. She hissed in pain as she found herself on her back. One of the colonists ran over to help her back up, only to be struck by a round through her torso, causing her to collapse on top of Harper.

She tore her eyes away from the panicked, gasping Asari for just long enough to see a series of bright flashes in the night sky. She couldn't quite believe her eyes when she saw a swarm of Confederate fighters and assault ships descending through the atmosphere tagged on her HUD. The entire area seemed to fall silent for a moment before the mercenaries started giving panicked shouts before a trio of guided bombs fell on their heads, scattering debris in all directions. The clattering against Harper's helmet shook her back into reality as she gently rolled the still-gasping Asari off her torso and began dragging her by the collar towards a nearby alleyway.

Harper set to work as she removed her IFAK from a compartment on her armor, tearing the Asari's jumpsuit open and examining the wound for a moment. Seeing that the stray round had punctured a lung and blood seemed to be bubbling out from the puncture wound, she started preparing a chest seal and a medi-gel injector as she spoke to the Asari. "Hey, keep calm… you'll be fine, I promise." Harper continued her work, almost as if she was on autopilot. She was only dragged from her almost automatic work as she heard a series of footsteps approaching from behind her. On reflex alone, she drew her handgun from its holster and wheeled around, seeing a quartet of shocked-looking Confederate Marines.

"Friendly!" The Marine Sergeant called out, prompting Harper to slide her handgun away.

"Any of you medics?" She asked, returning to trying to keep the Asari awake.

"Step aside, trooper… I got- Jesus!" A Corpsman began, walking up behind Harper. "You, keep the Asari awake." He dropped to a knee behind Harper and began collecting his own medical equipment from his pack.

Harper winced as the medic slammed an autoinjector into a port on the side of her armor. "The fuck was that for?" She demanded, shooting a glance over her shoulder at the Marine.

"Relax, trooper… you took a hit… or three." The medic explained as he carried on applying medi-gel to Harper. "Armor stopped most of it, but you've got a few holes in your back."

September 1, 237

Zaherin System, Namakli

Kerensky climbed out of the utility vehicle as it rolled to a stop just outside the colony. The Confederate troops had taken less than eight hours to clear out the Eclipse mercenaries and the Terminus troops that were assaulting the planet, but the weeks of fighting on the surface were readily apparent. Many of the prefabs had been burnt out completely and combat engineers were still working on helping people out from the rubble, collecting bodies, or disposing of unexploded ordnance. He and Carlsen already sent off the 'mission complete' burst back to Tessera, but now the real work was starting.

He proceeded down the dirt path towards the center of the colony, towards the series of prefabs that were still being built by the Confederate troops as a temporary headquarters while on-world. It was a marked improvement from when he had last personally seen a Confederate relief effort on Aeia. Things were proceeding far more orderly, though that was mostly thanks to the cooperative populace. Confederate troops were handing out clean water, food, and other emergency supplies to the colonists.

Kerensky returned a few salutes from the troops as he headed into the triage center and field hospital that had been set up near the center of the HQ, seeing Confederate Army doctors and local medical technicians working on nearly a hundred patients. Thankfully, the worst of the wounded had already been tended to. Now, they only had to worry about relatively minor injuries like burns, lacerations, and the like.

"General…" Kerensky gave a nod to the tired-looking field doctor as he noticed him. "Things are proceeding rather well, all things considered…"

"Good to hear." Kerensky nodded. "Are there any additional supplies you need called in from orbit?" He asked, walking towards the rear of the clinic alongside the doctor.

"Medi-gel stores are more than enough for now, but it looks like we'll need a few mobility exoskeletons for a few of the patients here. No more than twenty should suffice, hopefully…"

"I'll get them expedited." Kerensky nodded, tapping at his wrist-mounted computer for a moment. "They should be groundside in a few hours."

"Thank you, sir." The doctor nodded. "As for Captain Harper, well… Frankly, I'm amazed she stayed conscious given the wounds she sustained. She should be coming off the sedatives we used to counteract the combat stims now, so hopefully the crash doesn't knock her out too quick."

Kerensky chuckled. "Trust me, I'm more concerned with making sure she's comfortable… She is one of my own, after all."

"Right here, sir… I'll leave you be. I've got work to get back to." Kerensky nodded as the doctor headed off to see to more patients. Kerensky lightly tapped the panel on the wall, causing the modesty shutters to flutter open and allowing him to step inside. Amalee Harper laid on a bed with a bandage wrapped around her left shoulder and running all the way down to her midsection.

"Well, Captain… glad to see you're alright." Kerensky smirked, seeing Harper conscious and attempting to scratch an itch under the bandage on her chest.

"General Kerensky, sir." She saluted, only to find herself quickly cut off by Kerensky.

"No need for that, Amalee…" He chuckled, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. "That can wait until you're up and about. Figured I'd come give you a heads-up in person… least I can do."

"A… heads–up? What about?"

"Well, looks like you're getting two medals when you get home." Kerensky smirked. "I put all of the teams we sent down here up for the Distinguished Service Medallion, and the Defense Minister already approved it."

"Oh… thank you, Sir." Harper nodded, shocked. "I… didn't expect anything like this, honestly."

"I spent most of last night reviewing the reports and footage from all of the teams… you all earned this. For what it's worth, you've made the son of a bitch who put you all through hell pretty damn proud." He smirked, earning a laugh from Harper.

Kerensky glanced over his shoulder as he heard the modesty shutter click open behind him, revealing a purple-skinned Asari standing there with a surprised look on her face. "O-oh… I'm sorry!"

"No worries, ma'am…" Kerensky gave a friendly smile, stepping aside and allowing her inside. He noticed the bandage covering her back underneath the tank top she was wearing.

"I… I just wanted to thank Captain Harper in person." The Asari blushed slightly. "She… saved my life."

"It was nothing Narissa…" Harper grunted, sitting upright.

"Nothing?" Narissa chuckled. "We're all alive thanks to you guys… Seems like a lot more than 'nothing' to me."

Harper gave a smile. "I had the best armor and weapons the Confederacy has… you all held off hardened mercenaries in your work clothes for weeks before we showed up… People like you are the reason we had anyone to help down here." Kerensky smiled at Harper's humility.

Narissa looked at Harper for a moment, then glanced over to Kerensky. "Still… thank you. Both of you. This galaxy sure as hell doesn't deserve you."

September 19, 2101

Widow Nebula, Citadel

Tevos stared at the projected image in awe. It had taken a few weeks for the information to reach the rest of the galaxy thanks to the Eclipse destroying the comm buoys in Nariph, but the Confederate Embassy had just dumped a veritable tsunami of information on the galaxy. Rather than join the ETO as they had originally intended, Namakli had petitioned to outright join the Confederacy as a constituent republic, a petition that the Confederacy quickly accepted after a near-unanimous vote in their Parliament. The Terminus state that had hired the Eclipse to launch the raids on Namakli had launched a series of retaliatory strikes against the Confederacy's fringe, all of which had been thwarted by ETO fleet patrols with almost no casualties.

With the Confederacy effectively controlling the entire Pylos Nebula after establishing a fleet presence in the cluster, they had even further stunned the galaxy by offering the world of Boro in the Satent system to Volus colonists. The Volus had long eyed this world, though the Council had been fairly noncommittal when it came to their requests for protection given how close the world was to the Terminus. Now that the system was widely considered Confederate space, the Volus quickly jumped at the opportunity. The Confederacy had even offered the Turians the ability to host a fleet anchorage over the colony to offer additional deterrence against pirates.

"Officially, the Pylos Nebula lies outside of claimed space, so there's nothing expressly prohibiting the Confederacy from doing this." The Turian councilor explained, leaning against the conference table as he spoke to the Salarian councilor. "I understand that you have your reservations about these newcomers, but they've demonstrated time and again that they're more than capable of being rational actors on the galactic stage."

"You don't see the expansion of a potential rival as a problem?" The Salarian argued, glaring at the Turian.

"They'll only be a rival if we begin antagonizing them." The Turian shrugged. "Sure, it would have been nice if they notified us of their intentions, but communications to and from their home system are difficult at the best of times, impossible at worst. Given the circumstances, their ambassador has been an excellent partner to this Council."

"The Batarians have already threatened to close their embassy permanently and disregard the treaty of Farixen." The Salarian countered again. "Are you really willing to allow the Batarians unrestricted fleet tonnages just to keep these newcomers happy?"

"You and I both know that the Batarians haven't given a damn about the treaty since they signed it." The Turian sighed. "They pay lip service, then go back to building their dreadnoughts. Negotiations with the Batarians already feel schizophrenic given how often they cycle ambassadors to and from the Citadel."

"Look, why not try what the Confederate ambassador suggested?" Tevos asked. "Give the Batarians the option of either staying on the Citadel, retaining their embassy and the ability to negotiate, or face similar economic sanctions to the ones the Confederates have already imposed."

"And if those sanctions inspire them to attack rather than roll over?" The Salarian asked. "Need I remind you which of the Council races shares a border with the Batarians?"

"If I get the Primarch to agree to increase fleet patrols in systems that connect to the Hegemony?" The Turian asked, looking to his Salarian counterpart.

The Salarian sighed, seeing that he was clearly outnumbered. "Very well… only on the condition that the border systems with the Hegemony receive additional patrols… and the STG be cleared to step up intelligence gathering operations in Batarian space."

"Then it's settled." Tevos sighed. "We recognize the Confederate claim on the Pylos Nebula."

A/N: Been a fat minute, and I've been busy as hell with a new job and a whole heap of real-life events that have given me shockingly little time for writing. Hopefully, I can get back into the swing of things now that it seems to be calming down a bit.