June 29th 2161. The Widow system. 09:11. Terran standard time. The Citadel.
Jason Werzik's eyes flew around his head. He had never seen so many wonders in his long illustrious life. The sheer size of the space station, the lakes and forests, the statues and artworks, and all those aliens! He forced himself to stare straight ahead, to look dignified and walk with his back straight. He was the ambassador of the human race and he had to look his regal and poised best.
Walking through the streets of the Citadel, he could see that the alien guards were clearing a way though the quickly gathering crowd, all of the gathered civilians gawking at him, staring at the 'Alien'. He could understand how they felt, he was feeling exactly the same a thousand times over every minute. Seeing all these aliens, the Turians, Asari, Salarian, Hanar and Elcor, he was close to fainting. His brain was overloading with all the information he was trying to work through and comprehend.
He was happy that he would not be the one to negotiate with the alien leader. A last minute change meant that he would simply carry the holo-projector and act as the human ambassador to any press or news media outside the chambers. He had been given the newest translator-updates to his multi-tool, and had read every report regarding each of the citadel races, including those regarding their role within the citadel, their biology and other information that was deemed important.
He could see how the alien guards looked at him with a mixture of interest, trepidation and calculation. He did strike an imposing figure. Ex-legion of almost two meters of height, with an IQ of one-hundred-and-forty-two, he was at a peak physical condition while also being extremely intelligent. His augmentations meant that he could process knowledge at a fifty-five percent increased capacity. He was a true superhuman, and he had been elected to be the face of humanity for that very reason.
"VIP en route to CC. Group 2-5 moving through sector G-3, are we clear to go over?"
The Turian guard who held his multi-tool close was searching the nearby balconies for threats, not that anyone was expecting anything to happen, but still. They were all on edge, he recognized the signs from the files that they had downloaded, and he understood why. They were guarding an alien dignitary, no one had ever met a human before, as alien as they were to him, he was to them. And he had to get to the council, alive and unharmed.
"All go VIP escort, you are clear for transport. Move to sector H-2 and await pickup, over."
He was escorted to a landing pad where the squads of security fanned out and set up a secure perimeter. He recognized the pattern easily and was somehow comforted by the resemblance to human tactics. Three armored shuttles landed, and he was huddled into the middle one before they took off at great speed.
He had thought that being confined within the windowless shuttles would give him some breathing room and some time to clear his mind before meeting with the alien council. But being in such close proximity to so many aliens was unsettling. He was literally rubbing shoulders with a Turian and a Salarian, and he found it uncomfortable. He could see how the other occupants in the cabin tried vainly to conceal their curiosity by looking anywhere else than at him.
The awkward and uncomfortable ride lasted less than five minutes before he was ushered out of the vehicle. If he had thought that the vistas of his previous route through the Citadel had been amazing, then it what he witnessed now shamed everything humanity had ever created.
He was walking along a metal walkway, flanked on either side by red leafed trees, purple and blue bushes with flowers every color of the rainbow, with small rivers of the deepest blue and purple liquids running along the path on either side. Looking up, he could see the glass ceiling, through which was a breathtaking view of the purple Widow system, and a huge dreadnought flying just outside. Truly, it was a wonder to behold.
He followed the path up onto a glass podium. Now looking across the room, he could see three terminals, currently unoccupied, across a small gap between his podium and their position. The murmurs of the collected officials and dignitaries filled the large room. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see numerous aliens gathering on the nearby balconies to have a better view of the proceedings. They were no doubt curious as to what these 'Humans' looked like, and they would clearly love to see how the Council would act.
After another minute of waiting, which felt like an eternity to the heavily sweating and extremely nervous ex-legionnaire, the three councilors made their entry.
As their intel had suggested, the council consisted of a Turian, an Asari and a Salarian. They were all dressed in what he suspected was either formal or traditional clothes, they all had some sort of white facial tattoos or face paint, he couldn't tell which, and the entire chamber immediately fell silent upon their entry.
They looked at him apprehensively, seizing him up, analyzing him, his posture, his eyes, his hands. They were all making mental notes to themselves regarding his stress level or his biology, everything that might give them an edge. It was a good thing that he wasn't going to be the one negotiating, that would put them off. However, humanity was still at a disadvantage since the Asari that they had escorted back had managed to send a report to her superiors. They had been unable to block it or decrypt it, so they had no idea what the council knew or what she had told them. The Salarian councilor cleared his throat to show his intent to speak.
"The council is assembled. We welcome the dignitary of the human race to our citadel and to the galactic community."
He noticed how he used the possessive term when she presented the station. He knew that he had been taken along the most scenic and impressive route to these chambers. He had even been allowed to see the huge space ships guarding the station, lingering at the doc long enough to get a good view of them. All part of the game.
He made a shallow bow and waited for her to continue, but instead, it was the Turian who spoke, his slightly resonating voice sounding odd in the vast chambers.
"We have received the report of the events in human area of influence from our spectre. It was an… unfortunate event caused by overzealous human defenders that will be resolved at a later time. For now we will simply start by negotiating the boundaries of human territory and their sphere of influence. Furthermore we will have to establish some ground relations with your government and also negotiate the human race in regards to standing conventions and agreements."
Nice. They had more or less just stated that they could dictate what they felt was an appropriate size for human territory and that they could more or less decide what humanity could and couldn't do. They were coming on hard, fast and strong. And that comment about the first contact incident? They made it sound like humanity had simply attacked a defenseless ship just minding its own business. He could see what the whole negotiation was coming too. He also understood their strategy of switching turns to speak. It made them look like they were agreed on everything. And it also threw of the other part. Clever.
They had got the whip, putting them in their place and asserting their authority over the newcomer human race to the masses who were undoubtedly watching through all the cameras and other recording devices which were placed in the room. Not that he could see them. Now they needed a carrot, designed to make whomever was at his end to feel privileged and honored, that way the council could coax whatever they wanted out of him and still look like the heroes to their people and to the newcomers.
Not that their tactic would work. The analytics had foreseen such a move, and had prepared accordingly. Now it would undoubtedly be the Asari councilors turn. Their intelligence had pointed to the Asari as the main diplomats of the Citadel, forging deals and usually acting as mediators in conflicts, they were the obvious choice as the warm, friendly and welcoming race.
Sure enough, the Asari made an interrupting sound, rehearsed to make it look like it was spontaneous, and then proceeded to speak.
"While we must place some ground rules for the sake of mutual security it is however an auspicious day. We are welcoming an entire new race to the galactic community. A race with its own history and culture, art and knowledge. While our initial meeting turned into an unfortunate incident our continued relations will see us exchange ideas and incorporate the human race into the galactic fold."
She smiled at him, and he mirrored the gesture. He knew what they were doing. They thought they were oh so clever, but in truth, they really had no idea.
The Asari continued.
"We must of course render assistance to the human race. Medically, technologically and economically, the citadel species can help the human race ascend to new heights and take its rightful place amongst the other species of the galaxy."
And finished. He knew what they had meant with the 'assistance'. Make humanity reliant on the technology of the citadel species, by 'economical' support, otherwise known as liberal business access, thereby outdo what they believed was available to humanity and make the entire race both economically and technologically dependent on the business of their own species. They had uncovered quite a large amount of knowledge of the citadel and its council. They had paid particular interest in how they had managed to incorporate the smaller and less powerful species such as the Hanar, Elcor and Volus.
She had made it sound like they would render assistance to a failing, weak and primitive race. They had really rehearsed it all it seemed. Now it was his turn to answer. And oh did he have a surprise for them.
"Members of the citadel council. I am honored and awed by your seat of government and the generosity of the species of the Citadel."
He could see their smug grins hidden behind a façade of polite, but proper, naturalness. They believed that they had made an irresistible offer, one that the newcomers in one way or the other, could not refuse.
"And I would also like to apologize on behalf of my species for the unfortunate incident, where an Asari military cruiser was destroyed by the defense turrets of one of our colonies."
He believed that he showed them the point there. They didn't get to hide behind 'we didn't do nothing' bullshit.
"We agree completely, that some ground rules must be placed, for the mutual security of our people."
He held up his hand in an apologetic gesture.
"But I'm afraid that I'm unable to make those negotiations myself."
He reached into his pocket and produced a small sphere. It was a mobile holographic platform. It would allow a holo-projected image of another person to walk and talk to those present without actually being in the room.
They had decided on this approach shortly before he left Earth. It would convey an appropriate message of superiority, like the one the Council was emitting now with their higher position, superior numbers, and the way they spoke down, both literally and metaphorically, to the occupant of the podium. It would also secure the integrity of the person negotiating, since he would not have been taken on the sightseeing he himself had endured. Furthermore, it would mean that a member of the human government of sufficient rank and influence would be able to negotiate with the council, without being present and therefore be in danger of capture or threat. The man on the other end had, of course, heard everything, since he had transmitted the negotiations through his multitool.
He placed the sphere on the floor and pressed a button on its side. It immediately sprung to life, rising a god meter above the ground before projecting a colored image of the man who would lead the negotiations.
"Greetings honored councilors of the Citadel. I am prime minister Liam Cunningham. I will be the negotiating on behalf of the Empire of Man."
June 29th 2161. The Widow system. 09:58. Terran standard time. The Citadel.
Markaus had expected to have a nice, relaxing evening with his family. They had planned this evening for months, his mate and their three youngest had flown all the way from Palavan to be with him. And now the evening was ruined. He had really looked forward to seeing his mate and his children again. Since they had to remain on Palavan while he was on the Citadel, due to an old convention about the Turian councilor and his family. He was lucky he had even been allowed to find a mate. Most councilors didn't get the permission.
His kids were a source of great pride to him, and great remorse. He had five, him and his lovely mate Nairya. But he had not seen any of them grow up. It had always been vid-calls and a few scattered days every other month when he got to spend time with his beloved family on their estate. He had even considered ignoring the call. But then his sense of duty had reasserted itself and he had apologized deeply to his mate before they touched foreheads and he left. She had been understanding. He would have felt better if she had yelled at him.
But now, seeing how the situation had evolved, he was happy that he had come. These 'Humans' were an interesting race. He had read the report of the incident, and he would have liked to commend the humans on their prompt and reasonable actions. If they had been Turian, they would probably have received commendations for their actions. But since they weren't, and since the Asari were allies, he had to condemn the incident.
As for the current negotiations with the humans. They had thought that they had been negotiating with some kind of authority, maybe even a leader, of the race. They had prepared themselves for a standard first-contact meeting. The council had plenty of experience with those, they had the knowledge of their predecessors meetings with the Krogan, Quarians, Elcor, Hanar, Drell and Volus. They had all acted more or less expectantly, awed by the power of the Citadel and the fleets of the combined species that made up the Council, and they had all eagerly accepted the possibility of trade and technological upgrades. But the humans had acted completely different, unpredictably.
The humans did not seem impressed in the least by the ships. Even the 'Destiny Ascension' the largest ship ever built by a council species, did not seem to bother them. They had conveniently placed it so it was obviously visible from the dock on the way to the Presidium. And now this? Normally, a race would send one of their leaders, if not The leader, to negotiate. But the humans had not even sent anyone of great importance. They weren't even going to meet in person?
"So prime minister. Do you speak for the human race? Are we to assume that you are the highest authority?"
Sadra Ilian's voice sounded a bit strained. He wouldn't have known if it wasn't because he had worked with her for thirty years. She could usually hide it, but they had just wasted one of their greatest weapons against newcomer species on a mere flunky. The initial meeting and first impression was, more than anything else, what secured a new species' compliance.
"No councilor, I am not. But I have been given permission to negotiate with the councilors of the Citadel on behalf of our leader."
He could feel pressure starting to build behind his temple-plate. This was going to be a trial. He assumed that it was his turn to speak, a way of keeping the newcomers off balance. He made sure that his voice sounded deep, and a little threatening, so that he would seem like the more unreasonable of the councilors. A 'good cop, bad cop' routine they had going.
"Well then the demands stand. Will humanity agree to limit its influence within a certain area, and to refrain from breeching standing conventions?"
It was not as much a question as a demand. They didn't really expect humanity to have a large sphere of influence. From what they knew, they had a home system, and no more than two or three colonies. And in regards to conventions they were not really that big an issue. The treaty of Farixen was the only real important one, and he highly doubted that they fielded many, if any, dreadnoughts at all.
The human minister looked at him intently. It was odd, talking to a hologram, and it showed these Humans potential as a member species. To have the ability to make a transportable holo-projector, one that could walk around at will no less, was no mean feat. It had eluded their own scientists for years. They had only recently been able to create the first prototype which still had some major glitches to be smoothed over. But this one worked perfectly.
The hologram nodded to the human in the room, who then produced another of the spherical devices. This one made a large map of the galaxy so everyone could clearly see it. Then, a large swathe of it turned red.
"The red marks the borders of the so called 'Terminus systems'. Am I to understand that these are outside your jurisdiction?"
Inostre nodded.
"Indeed, they are mostly out of Citadel space. They are, however, not considered a threat to our security."
Then another large swathe turned blue. Markaus saw that all the Citadel races' territories neatly fitted within the blue boundaries.
"And am I correct in assuming that this is the sphere of influence of the species affiliated with the Citadel?"
Markaus was impressed. How had they been able to acquire all this information? Had they been interrogating the Asari crew? Nothing in the report said anything about interrogation regarding the position of citadel territory.
His musings were interrupted by the prime minister who boldly pressed a few buttons on his omni-tool, another thing he was impressed to find that the humans had developed, before a large part of unexplored space turned purple. Along with a considerable part of the space that had previously been blue.
There were sounds of outrage from the crowd that had gathered to watch the negotiations. They council had made sure that this was an open session. Apparently, that had been a mistake. A considerable portion of Batarian territory had changed color, along with some of the red of the terminus system, but mostly it lay within the unexplored and unsettled Attican Traverse.
"Then we deem this to be an adequate size for human influence.
He had to stop himself from barking out a cry of disbelief. The nerve! What made them think they could demand such a large territory? Sadra leaned slightly forward and smiled in a warm gesture.
"Now now prime minister. You have to consider that the sphere of influence of any race cannot stretch further than twenty light-years from the nearest colony. It is one of our longest standing conventions regarding distribution of territory."
That was a neat little half-truth. While the rule did apply that a sphere of influence usually did not extend more than twenty light-years from a colony, there had never been any document confirming this by law. Only loose agreements.
The human did not seem perturbed at all. But he did change the settings to the map. Most of the purple in the Terminus systems turned back to red, and large swathes within the Attican Traverse likewise turned back to its previous grey color. But none of the Batarian sphere of influence resumed its blue color.
"We deem that the demand is both fair and reasonable. Then this would be more appropriate territory."
He must surely have been joking, perhaps it was cultural to joke in negotiations, but to have such a large territory without having made contact with the Citadel patrol fleets was unfeasible.
"Minister, I do not believe you realize the severity of the situation. This in no joking matter."
The human looked up, his eyes steely and his voice hard.
"I'm not joking."
June 29th 2161. The Widow system. 11:16. Terran standard time. The Citadel.
Sadra was losing her cool. In almost four hundred years as a counselor, she had been shot at, blackmailed, threatened and backstabbed more times than she could reasonably remember. But the negotiations with the humans ranked up in the top three of the most unpleasant events of her political career.
After they had decided to postpone talks of territory when it became clear that the human would not decrease the size of their influence, an unreasonably enormous territory, they had moved on to other things. But they had proven to be just as infuriating regarding economics and technology. Not to mention military.
"… while we agree to decrease the scale of our terraforming activities on tier 5 stellar objects by seven-point-five percent, we cannot agree to cease any of our current operations or to decrease the operation already performed on viable planets."
It had been like this for almost two hours. The council would move on to another subject, where humanity would then make either outrageous claims, or unreasonable demands. They would then go back and forth until the minister would give a little ground, without it actually doing anything to solve the issue. It was as if the human was not interested in joining the citadel. But that was ridiculous.
"But standing conventions require that all terraforming operations be verified by the counsel. How many operations does the human empire currently have active?"
That was another thing that vexed her greatly. An Empire? Really? Such a barbaric notion. From what she had inferred through the long process of negotiating with the minister, the Emperor was an individual of singular power and wealth. She found the idea distasteful and primitive. For a species which had developed space capabilities and which had colonized foreign systems to be ruled by a monarch was an archaic notion. One that showed the dire situation the humans were in. They needed to become part of the Citadel so they could evolve, so they could prosper and cast off such barbaric notions.
"I am afraid that that is classified information counselor."
She sighed in exasperation. He kept saying that. She was close to having had enough.
"shall we call a short recess?"
She was surprised that the human minister would ask. Normally it was the council which would call a recess to make the newcomers nervous, to make them wait so they understood how little and insignificant they were compared to the council.
"I believe that a recess would be advisable."
Inostre caught her eye and she understood his intend. A recess was called reluctantly. The holographic image of the human disappeared while they walked into the back chamber, a private area, where they could discuss the events of the evening.
When they were finally alone, she could not stop herself from sighing loudly and hard.
"Well, that was a catastrophe."
She could hardly contain herself. Markaus had more or less stated what they all thought, but she didn't like it anymore because of it.
"They are primitive, barbaric, childish and uncooperative. It's like they don't understand the position they are in. Do they not see how hopeless their situation is?"
She could not help herself. It was true anyway. She had not experience anything like that since the Batarians had demanded that the abolition of slavery be recalled. But where the Batarians understood their inferiority, the Humans seemed to think that they owned the place. They had not even begun discussing the Farixen treaty, but with the way thing were going they would probably refuse to sign it.
Inostre's hand was holding his chin while he looked thoughtfully out at the ships patrolling right outside the Citadel.
"I have sent STG groups into the area they marked as their sphere of influence, they are coaming the systems for planets with a human population. Although I doubt that we will find many. I propose that it is time that we place an ultimatum on them."
She perked up at this. While she understood that Inostre was easily the smartest amongst them, his plans were usually clinical and often quite undiplomatic. But it seemed that if they had to get the Humans in line, that would be exactly what they needed.
"What do you have in mind?"
Inostre waited a minute before he couldn't wait to tell them anymore.
"From the way they are negotiating, and from their arrogant stance and claims, I believe that there are three reasons that could reasonably cause this behavior. One: it is culturally ingrained to negotiate in such a way. Two: that they are stalling to extract as much information as possible from our side, meaning that anything we say can and will be used to their advantage. I am certain that a considerable group of scientists, analytics and other such personal are close to the minister, providing information for his use. And three: they have, what they believe, is a large and powerful fleet."
She could not find a fault in his logic. As always, it was both sound and very astute.
"So what do you suggest?"
The equivalent of a Salarian smile crossed his large mouth.
When he explained his plan she could hardly help smile herself. It was sly, but forceful enough that the Humans would understand. Markaus disliked it. But after a long discussion he finally agreed on the condition that the Turians receive new equipment upgrades from the Salarians, to which Inostre agreed. And so, consensus reached, they travelled back into the chamber where the Human dignitary was waiting. As they entered he keyed his omni-tool and reactivated the holo-projetor.
"Counselors, I hope that the recess have done you well. Shall we continue our previous line of negotiations?"
She put on her diplomatic façade before she continued.
"Indeed counselor, we have decided to drop our current subject to move on to something we believe is of the greatest importance. One that is of the utmost importance for future relations between the council and humanity"
One of his eyebrows perked up as he changed his stance. This was new.
"It has come to our attention that humans are capable of creating dreadnought class ships. As these ships are of such singular size and power it is important to restrict their numbers."
That was another half-truth. While they had little to no Intel on the humans, it was safe to assume that they had the capability, if not the plans or resources, to build a dreadnought. While they had meant to make them sign the Farixen treaty all along, they had now changed tactics on how they would make them do it.
The minister perked up a bit.
"Indeed. They are very destructive and dangerous, and therefore, it is only prudent that their numbers be restricted."
Good, he was more cooperative than she had expected.
"Indeed, we believe that it is only fair and reasonable that humanity follow a ratio of one quarter of the Salarian ratio. Currently, the Turians field thirty-seven, the Asari field twenty-one and the Salarian field sixteen. This will allow humans to maintain a fleet of four dreadnoughts. A fair amount for a new and struggling species like your own. This is of the utmost importance. If humanity does not sign the treaty then we will have no choice but to declare embargo on your species to prevent you from building an unreasonable number of ships, while also barring your entry to the Citadel. It is for the security of the galaxy. Now if you were to join the Citadel then an allowance could be made. Humanity would be allowed to produce a further four dreadnoughts while maintaining all the colonies that you currently have."
Inostre's plan had been simple. If the humans negotiations really were cultural, then a direct approach of either yes or no would mean that they would have to answer one way or the other. If it was because they were stalling, then non existing room to maneuver would not let them to stall any longer. And if it was because they had a large fleet. Well, then she had just divulged the number of dreadnoughts the council races could field. Thereby dispelling any illusions that the foolish humans might have of their own power.
And not only that, they had directly stated that, should the humans not agree, then they would be denied entry to the citadel, which was already a part of the treaty anyway. Should they agree they would be permitted to build the fourth largest fleet in existence, minus the Quarians, and going against the conventional 5:3:1 ratio usually applied. This would make them the most influential of the lesser species. A considerable boon should they join, and deemed a sufficient perk for the humans to agree.
She was therefore completely surprised when the Prime minister answered.
"Would we be forced to retire already existing dreadnoughts?"
She had thought that the proposition was simple and straightforward enough that the humans would understand. Perhaps she had overestimated them. She tried to contain her rage but was unable to. For the first time in her long career, she lost control of her emotions.
"Listen minister. Your continued stalling and maneuvering has grown tiresome. While we appreciate that humanity is new to the galactic scene we must demand that you answer. No more lies or half-truths. No more exaggerations of your power or strength. If you do not immediately sign this treaty then humanity is barred entry and membership into the Citadel and is declared a rogue state."
It was unbecoming of a diplomat of her stature to stoop to threats and power struggles like this, but she had truly grown angry at the human dignitary. An answer was needed, and it was needed now. The whole farce had made the council look weak. Decisive action was needed to regain their position. Billions of citizens were watching the proceedings and they had been made to lose face.
But to her surprise, the human did not shy away a fraction. He returned her gaze and stepped forward to the edge of the podium. When he answered, his voice was strained by barely controlled rage and anger.
"You assume that have a wish to join the Citadel? To become one of your vassal states? You have made a grave mistake councilors. Humanity came here to talk as one sovereign nation to another. Not as an inferior talking to its superior. Your continued arrogance and demands have grown tiresome."
She could not believe it. They didn't want to join the Citadel? What kind of madness was that? The Citadel was the greatest peacekeeping and interstellar cooperation ever to have existed. By making each of the member species dependent of each other they secured peace amongst the stars.
That was why they treated the Quarians so harshly, that was why they needed the Humans to become a member species. If the humans didn't join the Citadel then they could give assistance to terrorists or pirates. Or they might even declare war on one of the Citadel species. They would lose, of course, but they might still do significant damage.
The human continued before she could say anything to interrupt.
"While the human empire only wish to peacefully coexists with the Citadel, we will not allow any military or espionage vessels from the Citadel to penetrate human space. We will treat any such vessels as having malicious intent and they will be shot down forth with."
She could hardly believe it. They were making demands, they were making threats to the council.
"In the spirit of peace and mutual trust, we will open an embassy on the citadel. The embassy will be sovereign Human territory, outside Citadel jurisdiction. We will receive a private doc where our ships can hold without citadel security having access or powers within that doc. None of our personal will be subject to citadel law. We will establish trade, and sharing of certain technology as a show of good faith. Citizens of the citadel will be allowed into human space, as long as they ask permission. We can work out other agreements latter in private, but this is our ultimatum. Either the council accepts, or humanity severs all contact with the citadel."
She was about to explode in outrage before a message popped up on her screen. She quickly read it before she complied.
"Apologies minister, but the council will have to convene in private to negotiate whether your proposal is acceptable."
She was shocked. In all the years that the council had existed, no species had ever made such outrageous claims. As she walked into the adjacent chamber, she and her fellow councilmembers were discussing the possibilities of actually accepting the human's proposal.
"No we cannot allow them to become a rogue state. It would violate everything the council have strived to do for a thousand years."
The other species would not admit it, but the council and the Citadel was mainly an Asari project. The other species lacked the farsightedness of her long-lived race, and they were prone to petty conflicts amongst themselves. While the Turians gave the citadel its military power, and the Salarians gave much of its technology and intelligence, the Asari gave it the cutting edge, it's economic power and its diplomatic stability.
She had hoped for support from the other councilors, but she was deeply disappointed.
"I do not see a disadvantage here. It could be quite advantageous for us to have a race that is both somewhat powerful but free of Citadel jurisdictions."
She was surprised by the Turian. She had thought that he would call for conflict, blockades or other such actions.
"What do you mean?"
She was puzzled. What did the Turian have in mind?
"If we could paint humanity as a warmongering and dangerous species, then we could have an outside enemy which is actually a threat, unlike the Krogan or the Quarians. That would help keep the other races in line, and we could step up military spending. This could actually help us in both the long and the short run."
She had to admit that it made sense, from a brutally military view. She looked at Inostre, he must have some other outlook. He was starring thoughtfully into empty air. He blinked once when he caught her looking at him before he said something.
"If we can establish neutral relations with the humans, we can get access to their technology and perhaps cultivate a market for illegal or dangerous research. Since they are not members of the Citadel we do not have to comply with the rules of patent or other such. We can use and produce anything they might have. This could be a boost to our economy."
Again, she could not fault his logic. Both of them had a point. But some of it was just… wrong. Humanity could progress along an unforeseen path. And they might actually become a threat. Furthermore she understood what they were looking to achieve. If they did not have to comply by the patent rules, then they might find a way to circumvent every patent in Citadel space. This could destroy the Asari economy.
"While you both make good arguments for allowing the humans to remain an outside species, they still remain a threat. If they are not controlled then they could wreak havoc across the Attican Traverse and our border systems. They might actually become a threat not just militarily, but also economically. Imagine the instability they could create."
They continued for almost an hour. She could not persuade the two other counselors from leaving their current line of negotiation. They just didn't see the big picture.
"I hardly believe that the Humans will have a military that would even remotely threaten our own. A conflict with them is improbable. And should a conflict arise, we can force them to surrender and enter the Citadel on our own terms. A conflict could be to our advantage in the long run. We could make them sign the treaty of Farixen, but instead of limiting them to a number of Dreadnoughts they agree to not build any more dreadnoughts than they already have."
Markaus' final argument had been what had persuaded her. But she still remained unconvinced that it was the right thing to do. And since they all agreed that the Humans could not possess a significant number of dreadnoughts, it seemed like a reasonable demand. They reconvened in the council chambers where all of the assembled awaited their judgment.
"The Council has reached a decision. We will allow humanity to remain a neutral and sovereign state outside of Council jurisdiction, on the condition that they do not build any more Dreadnought than they already possess. The humans will receive a private dock on the condition that no military vessel enter the system or any other system under council protection. Does humanity agree to these terms?"
She mentally prepared herself for another unreasonable refusal on some ridiculous grounds. So she was quite pleased when the minister nodded.
"Humanity accepts these terms and agreements, and will abide by them for as long as the council and the races affiliated with the Citadel abide by our demands."
With that, he apparently believed the session to have concluded. The hologram disappeared and the human dignitary stored the device in his pocket. He then turned and left without acknowledging the council further. She briefly considered grounding the human frigate, but then decided against it. It would be an undiplomatic move that would create more tension between the humans and the council, and she doubted that they could learn anything from it anyway.
As they left the council chambers through the back exit, she saw one of the news monitors that hung everywhere in the Citadel. On it was a vid of the council talking to the human minister. The text in the bottom read.
'Newcomer race arrogantly defies the council. Negotiations break down, parties are unable to reach an agreement, the Citadel council allows rogue state to form.'
By the goddess, this was really one of those days.
June 29th 2161. Empire city. 15:16. Terran standard time. The chambers of the inner council.
He wiped off some sweat that had formed on his brow as he turned to face the assembled group of human counselors and analytics. The emperor sat on his throne, looking quite pleased, while silence reigned in the chamber. Augustus was the first to speak.
"Well done prime minister. I commend you on your ability to keep the negotiations rolling, and your ability to circumvent their restrictions."
He felt exhilarated. Never had he faced such able opponents. He had met opposition at every turn, they had blocked, maneuvered and ignored his demands. That he had been able to keep them going long enough that they had actually been able to reach such a favorable agreement was a testament to his abilities as a politician. The Grand admiral seemed distraught however.
"How is this a success? They have crippled our fleet production. If we cannot build dreadnoughts how are we going to be able to defend ourselves?"
They all turned to Augustus. After they had learned that the Citadel restricted the production of Dreadnoughts for all species, he had given his permission to Cunningham to agree that they would not construct any more than they had. He didn't seem seriously distraught himself. His left eyebrow rose slightly.
"We agreed to halt our construction of dreadnought. We will focus on constructing capital ships. We shall expand our fleet with another ship of the same pattern as the two already under construction. That should make up for lost firepower and tonnage."
Cunningham did not like this liberal interpretation of the treaty.
"Will they not assume that we broke our agreement with them if they find out?"
Kathrina Le'chaun leaned forward. Her gaze hard and sure.
"We have developed new cloaking devices which should help hide our construction of these ships for a duration of..."
Augustus interrupted her with a raised hand.
"We do not classify our capital ships as dreadnoughts. Once we open our embassy on the Citadel we will make it a public secret that we are capable of building and fielding such ships but that they are not considered dreadnoughts and therefore our construction of them is not limited."
That was the end of that argument. He rose from his chair and addressed all of the assembled.
"You have all done well today. Humanity won a great victory. You are all dismissed. Special task force three are to assemble in meeting room six."
He motioned for Cunningham to follow him. While Liam could appreciate the boy's aptitude for leadership, he was still far too young and hot-headed to lead humanity. Liam did not outright dislike him, he had great respect for the cunning skill he had shown these last few days, but he still viewed him with some distrust.
They walked into the adjacent chambers, a smaller room with only enough chairs for five people to sit and talk. Augustus motioned for him to sit. When they were both seated, Augustus looked him straight in his eyes.
"Mr. Cunningham. While I appreciate that you and I have not always seen eye to eye, what you did in there was commendable."
He could not help but nod his thanks. He was a little nervous if he had to be honest. He was aware that Augustus had learned of his support for those who opposed his ascend to the throne. He had expected some sort of punishment more or less immediately after he grabbed absolute power. It would be what he would have done. Instead he had been put in a unique position from which he could negotiate with the alien leader.
Augustus continued.
"You have served well as the prime minister of humanity. But at the upcoming ministerial election, it would perhaps be advisable if you quietly resigned."
So he was to be punished after all? That little shit actually had the balls to try and pry him away from his position as prime minister? He was about to say something before Augustus handed him a bunch of papers.
"I would like you, Mr. Cunningham, to assume the position of human ambassador on the citadel. You have shown you are more than capable of negotiating with these aliens. You could do humanity much good in such a position."
He looked at the pile of papers he had been given. He turned a few leaves and quickly read them. They described budgets, staff, furniture and other such necessities. Other papers regarded the short term goals of human/Citadel relations, trade rights, technology exchange and other such. It had obviously been made in a hurry before and during the meeting since he found two or three things that had already been settled.
He looked up at the boy, whom he still had trouble regarding as his superior, before leaning back in his chair, an innocent smile on his face. So, he thought that by giving him the position of ambassador, he could make him resign? Well then, he had another thing coming.
"I am sorry my lord, but I must decline your generous offer. I am quite content in the position which I currently occupy. I believe a good deal of my constituents would be very disappointed if I did not fulfill my role as this nation's second in command."
He knew he was laying it on thick, but apparently the boy had forgotten that, while he was emperor, and while he had emergency power, he still did not have the power to dismiss anyone from the ministry without a reason which could be verified by the Imperial court. He was not without resources himself, if Augustus tried to force him out of the ministry, he could have his friends in the court system help him out.
However, Augustus seemed unfazed by his rebuttal. Indeed, he looked like he had expected it. He silently and gracefully lifted another stack of papers from somewhere under the table and handed them to Liam.
"The position of ambassador is an illustrious position with a good deal of influence and a good salary. And it carries quite a number of perks with it as well. Diplomatic immunity amongst them."
He turned a page and was stunned to see a list of transactions from some of his secret bank accounts to some… Unpopular organizations. Many of them either filed as backing, or currently under investigations for, anti-imperial activities. He swallowed. These were fake, mostly, but he knew that the Emperor had apparently become aware that he had lend support to some such organizations. While he had been smart enough to cover his trail extensively, making sure that nothing led back to him, this was a clear declaration of war. Assisting anti-imperial behavior was high treason, therefore the punishment fell outside the normal court system. Which meant that the boy would have an extensive say in the verdict, and could have him executed for treason if he so desired. But that would cost him what little support he had left in the government.
It was clear that he was offering a way out for Liam. If he agreed, he would be untouchable for any offence carried out before his employment. Should he decline, well, then his career would be cut short by other means.
"I graciously accept your proposition my lord. I hope that I will be able to serve humanity in my new position as its ambassador."
He gave his broadest, most winning baby-kissing smile that he had master through dozens of election campaigns.
I will see you burn you little shit.
June 29th 2161. Empire city. 15:46. Terran standard time. The chambers of the inner council.
Augustus left the small chamber, leaving the prime minister to boil, and headed towards another similar, albeit larger, meeting room.
Entering, he saw the Consul, the grand admiral, the minister of finance, the minister of imperial intelligence and the newly appointed deputy prime minister, Mr. Vale Corant, assembled in the room. They were all eagerly discussing their newest findings.
"How many ships have we found thus far? What are their position? Their capabilities? Do we have a heading?"
Grand admiral Dao Uong was quite calm and collected, but still he bombarded Kathrine Le'chaun with questions which she barely had time to answer.
"we have positive sightings of circa twelve-thousand-four-hundred ships, They are currently going from sub-sector Bravo-5 to sub-sector Golf-2, we estimate their strongest ship to have the capabilities of a medium dreadnought while sixty-nine percent have the average ability of medium to large frigates, their heading is currently unknown but we believe that they are steering towards sector H-4. We have recently picked up disturbances in that area. For reasons unknown, all of their ships are in extremely bad condition, but the damage is not consistent with battle damage."
Augustus quickly got the picture. He picked up a recent report and silently skimmed it.
"Are we positive that this is the Quararians? Or is it a fleet from the Citadel?"
While he thought that it would be unlikely for the citadel council to send a fleet out this fast, the possibility could not be excluded.
"Negative sire, all evidence points to it being the fleets of the Quararians. I and my assorted staff conclude that we have indeed located them."
Good. Ever since they had decrypted the mission briefing from the Asari cruiser, alongside other materiel on the ship such a communications transcript, mission log, assorted files throughout the ship and from the, preciously, incomprehensible ramblings of the two Asari prisoners chosen for 'special' interrogations they had been searching for the Quararians fleet. It seemed that they had located them.
"Uong. Can we take them on? What are our projected loses?"
The admiral looked through his files on his multitool before concluding.
"With the current plan of attack against the highest numbers with the best equipment, we would lose circa forty-two percent of the fleets we have immediately ready."
At this the deputy prime minister interrupted.
"So we have already decided on this aggressive course of action? None of the information we have been able to collect paints the Quararians as a particularly aggressive race, albeit it does paint them as scavengers and thieves. But still, are diplomatic means off the table?"
Augustus conceded that he had a point.
"While I will not completely write off a diplomatic approach, I believe that we have to prepare for the worst. Our information is second hand and therefore it is not completely reliable. Still a casualty percentage of such a magnitude is unacceptable."
The grand admiral looked flustered.
"If our intelligence is to be believed, this is merely a fifth of the full power of the Quararian navy. If we attack now, we could severely cripple them while the rest of the fleet prepare. Our own attack is barely with a tenth of the Sol-system defense fleet. I believe that, while initial casualties are high, they are acceptable in the grand scheme."
Consul Kiel immediately stood up.
"Why fight them in the first place? They are light years away from our nearest colony or traffic lane. In case they do attack then we have a legitimate war on our hands but until then we have to admit that we have no clue as what to do. They are probably oblivious to our existence. A conflict need not arise because of speculations."
There was some murmur of consent amongst the gathered, Uong excluded, but Augustus wished to hear more.
"While I agree that we cannot attack them out of hand simply because of speculation, we can neither tolerate a fleet of such magnitude to roam around our borders. What if they become aware of our existence? It is only a matter of time. What then?"
This made Kiel sit down in contemplation. Silence reigned for a good minute before Dulo Muba, the minister of finance, saw fit to break it.
"Why not make our existence known then? We could create some diplomatic bonds between us. They need not be enemies if we extend the hand of friendship. At the very least it will dispel any fears of an attacked based on ignorance."
At the last remark he looked pointedly at the admiral who stared right back. Speaking next, his voice dripping with sarcasm, he addressed both the minister and the assembly.
"Your philanthropic views, although charming, has no place in reality. Why should a species with such a large fleet desire peace? We have little knowledge of why they are roaming the galaxy. Perhaps the information about them being thieves is correct? Perhaps they strip-mine planets and colonies and then flee on their ships to other, more choice targets. How can we know?"
The argument grew heated. It soon became a shouting match between mostly Dulo Mubo and Dao Uong, with the occasional interruption from Mr. Corant and consul Kiel.
Through it all, Augustus remained passive, listening intently but keeping his own counsel. While the meeting with the alien government had shown him a thing or two, he still felt that there were far too many unknowns for his liking. Why were the Quararians there? Why did they roam the galaxy? Why could they find no records of them having a home world or colonies? Why were their ships in such bad condition?
He got up from his chair and called for silence.
"Mr. Uong. How soon before we can have the whole Terran defense fleet ready?"
He quickly checked his multitool before answering.
"In less than twenty-four hours we can have the full might of the TDF at the ready. Another twenty-four and we can bolster that with more than a hundred legion fleets."
He nodded to the admiral before turning to Le'chaun.
"Ms. Le'chauns. Do we have precise coordinates for the origin of the activity? Is there a pattern?"
She nodded eagerly.
"Yes my lord. It seems to revolve around a newly discovered planetoid. It is a T1 world but it has not been colonized due to the alien protein culture of the flora and fauna."
Good. He now addressed the gathered assembly.
"While we must prepare our navy for an imminent confrontation, I do not believe our first action need be violent."
He received a look of dismay from the Grand admiral, but of approval form the minister of finance and the Consul.
"I propose that we send a communication. One that states that we are aware of their existence while also proclaiming our own. We will invite them for a mutual meeting on territory nearby to provide a base for negotiations. I believe it is safe to assume that one of the languages collected from the Asari cruiser is compatible with theirs. We should be able to communicate with them. Meanwhile I want every military unite standing by for an immediate and violent retaliation should it become clear that they are indeed hostile."
They nodded. Some of them might not agree, but this was a direct order from the highest authority. Augustus was pleased to see that they were finally starting to respect him. He was no longer viewed as a lost little boy, but as the monarch and supreme ruler of humanity.
"You are all dismissed. I shall draft the initial communique and send it when we reconvene in the Council chambers at nineteen hundred hours."
At that he turned and left. He needed to draft a speech. While he agreed that he could not allow a fleet of such size to run rampant though his territory, he believed that he had found a solution. He had thought about it since before the meeting. Even during the negotiations with the Citadel Council his mind had been occupied with finding a solution to the next problem. The biggest obstacle was to keep everyone busy until he could realize his plan. And he had come up with a plan, one that would satisfy all parties. Maybe except the Quararians.
A/N
This was, if possible, even harder to write than first contact. Hope everyone liked it. I know some of you thinks that i have it out for the Asari, and you are correct. I thought that it would be intertaining to see one of them loose her cool to a 'Primitive' human while i also showed why i believe that the Council act as they do towards the Quarians and why they believe that Humans are primitive. I initially planned for each council member to have a scene, but the Salarian never came out right and it was so deprived of emotion that it became to boring. Hope nobody minds that i removed it.
On a note, i made the Humans call the Quarians, Quararians instead because i thought that it would be more authentic if there was some tranlation errors.
Again, really hope you enjoyed this chapter, remember to review :) If anyone has a desire for more Lore, post a suggestion. I am thinking of outlining the goverment more, but it might become to cunfusing. Hope to post another chapter before i go on vacation.