Aboard the Silaris
Tau 30 system
Captain Dala T'Loni was, to put it mildly, quite distressed. First there was the first contact, and then there was the battle and the rather severe damage to the Hoplon, and now another first contact with a race that came from the Asteroid fields. Fortunately, or Unfortunately, it all depended on your point of view Dala guessed, one of them had managed to get to some kind of escape pod, and was now waiting aboard one of the airlocks of the Silaris. She was now headed there to hopefully learn if any further conflict could be avoided.
"So Dr. D'Avo, you think that these two groups of aliens have a history?"
"I believe so Captain. Based on what some of the Turian veterans who watched the battle told me, it was if these pilots flew a lot more aggressively and recklessly against the aliens we first met. I do believe they have a… history. If I may give an analogy, rather much like the Krogans and the Turians"
"Goddess…" exclaimed Dala. "We may have walked into the middle of a war we are entirely unprepared to fight."
"Then we must get them to understand that we want no part of it! "Shouted Dr. D'Avo.
"It won't be so easy…" Dala patiently explained "First, the alien commander will be here, we need him to communicate to the other alien that they want no part of their war. We only want peace. I imagine he'll have his own personal history with these aliens. I just do hope it won't be too bad…" she said as she entered the docking bay and waited for the leader to return.
Sure enough, there was the leader, his face visible behind the visor of his helmet, probably depolarized for the purposes of this conversation, walking towards them, alongside the same teammate as earlier. He seemed, despite the battle that occurred outside, confident and completely in control.
Goddess, she really didn't want to fight these people if they could remain that collected after a battle that tense.
"We talk now. Have new one. You speak him?" Dala asked, trying to sound as friendly and non-forceful as possible.
"You have friend? But all friend me?" the leader asked, a little bit of confusion in his voice. Not that it didn't elicit a bit of confusion in Dala as well.
"Again? No clear." Dala asked, trying to sound as confused as possible.
The leader thought it out a bit, his eyebrows scrunched in what Dala guessed in thought, probably trying to think of a way to explain the situation
"Me," he pointed to himself, "friend" he pointed to his guard, " other friends" he pointed towards the docking bay doors now, " that all. No more friend here."
Ah, that cleared things up a bit. "We have not friend. You speak his words. You speak him, tell we no fight."
The leaders' eyes widened, as if realizing what was going on. He chatted rather animatedly with his counterpart, too fast for her to follow. Then, he quickly stared at her with that unnervingly calm face of his.
"You have Molly." he said the word at the end with quite a bit of… anger in it? "We talk, and then take. He bad. "he commanded.
"Why?" Dala asked genuine curiosity in her voice. What could have these second aliens done to elicit emotion like anger out of what seemed to be an incredibly stoic race?
"Kill many people. Friends, dead. Molly did." the leader said, a little sorrow in his voice. He's lost comrades to them then, but there has to be more to it. Oh what she would give for the linguists to get a better program much faster!
"Talk yes. Take no. Need him say no want war to Molly." Dala said, trying to emphasize the no want war part.
"No need." the alien said, waving his hands, dismissively? "Bretonnia win soon. Molly run."
That was encouraging. They were making First contact with a race that has been waging war for a while now, but were winning. Perhaps after all this time all they would seek would be peace?
"Decide later. You talk now with Molly yes?' said Dala, trying to buy herself some time to figure out a reason why to keep the alien on-board, and then peacefully release him to his people.
"Yes." the leader replied, although Dala couldn't help but notice a bit of… frustration in his voice.
"Good. Follow. Lead to Molly." said Dala as she led them deeper into the cargo bay where the "Molly" was kept. Goddess, at least things couldn't get any more complicated.
The Silaris Cargo bay
Tau 30 system
from a dashingly successful combat, Perkins found himself walking back into what could barely be called negotiations. The Aliens here had managed to find a Molly survivor and they apparently want no part of the rebellion, and they want him to talk to the bugger and convey to them that message.
At least, he thinks that's what's going on.
"I don't like this sir, we're walking deeper into the ship and away from our ships, and all I have on me is my pistol, which I doubt will do us any good." Thatch said a little worry in his voice.
"Thatch, I think we've pretty clearly established ourselves as not wanting to fight them with our rather elaborate display of piloting out there. " said Perkins, waving his hand as if to remove the thought, "I'm more worried that they caught a Molly". He rather hoped they had the common sense to disarm the man.
Soon enough, their guide brought them to a holding chamber and there, Perkins could see through the chamber's window, was the Molly bugger, his helmet still on and polarized. He couldn't blame him really, he would've done the same if he was suddenly aboard an unknown ship, let alone one crewed by unknown aliens.
"Here is Molly." said the guide, pointing at the man, "talk him, and tell want peace. "She said in a tone that Perkins figured was pleading.
"No need. Bretonnia win." Perkins replied. It was after all true, while the Mollies were admittedly talented miners and quite numerous, they are no match for His Majesty's armed forces. They just needed to narrow down their location and then they will promptly be captured like the dogs they are.
"Will talk. Learn from him must. Tell your peace."
"Yes. Thanks." said the woman, a mix of both sorrow and hope in her voice. He couldn't quite guess where the sorrow came from though.
"Well this is bound to be an interesting chat sir." exclaimed Thatch, a little more snark in his voice.
"With a Molly Thatch, it'll always be interesting." said Perkins as he entered the room and got his first glimpse of the man he would be talking to for a while.
"Captain" messaged Dr. Aela D'Avo, on Dala's comm"we've hit a breakthrough in the alien language. It's maddeningly both complex and simple at the same time, often rather contradictory as well. However, we on the linguistics team believe that we've manage to crack it, and we should be at a more fluent level of translation now." she exclaimed rather excitedly and Dala couldn't blame her. To be able to figure out an alien language so soon… it must be one that is rather fluid to be deciphered so quickly.
"Excellent! We can listen in on the leader's talks with the alien and then we can properly communicate after!" exclaimed Dala. Finally some progress after that incredibly tragedy that was the battle.
"Indeed Captain! I look forward to learning more about the aliens! We will continue to listen in and hopefully correct any mistakes the translator may have made."
"Good Work Doctor D'Avo. We will continue this later after my own talks." messaged Dala as she now carefully watched the alien walk into the room.
The leader started the… conversation with The Molly, casually grabbing a chair and sitting on it while his teammate started leaning against the wall. Here she had a moment to observe the two different species. The leader was wearing his jumpsuit, with red dominant throughout it, with the occasional flecks of blue and gold, and was, despite the battle outside, rather neat and well kept. The other alien though… his jumpsuit was dirty and ramshackle and if she didn't know any better, could've sworn that the dirty brown-grey thing would fall apart if the man attempted to wash it.
"I'm Commander James Perkins of His Majesty's BAF, but I'm sure you knew that bit lad." the alien, Perkins said, his voice remaining rather calm and Dala guessed stoic. "And this man to my right," he pointed to the teammate, " Is Lieutenant Thaddeus Thatcher, and he's here to make sure you don't do any of your dastardly Molly tricks here old boy. "
" You can go rot in hell you mac soith!" the Molly said, removing his helmet as if to toss it, and-
Dala gasped. "By the Goddess!" Though Dala was no xenobiologist, she was quite confident in stating that the two were the same species! It was quite likely that they have just walked into the middle of a civil war.
Still, she drove those thoughts from her mind. She could speculate later. Now was the time to observe and learn more of the situation. She quickly took note of what looked like had happened while she had lost precious few seconds on speculation.
The helmet had missed completely and had hit the wall. Meanwhile, the man, Thatch, had stood upright but the leader, Perkins had his hand raised.
"Now now Thatch," Perkins exclaimed, his voice still calm despite what happened, "don't overreact. This man merely acted as an uncultured man would. Something I would expect given that this bloke was just a miner."
Miners? Those pilots who performed a precision attack on the Hoplon were miners? Goddess, she hoped that she would never face the real true pilots of this race.
"I may just be a miner, but I fight for a just and true cause you basterds!" the Molly, shouted, clearly cursing the men in front of him. "The Dublin system will be free from Bretonnian tyranny!"
"Lad," Perkins replied, in a disapproving voice, as if he was educating the man in front of him, "The crown needs that gold. Yes Graves pushed you lot hard, but these are times when the crown needs funds! Rhineland is in economic shambles and we have an opportunity to take advantage of it! We need only the funds that Dublin gold can provide!"
"If you want our gold, you can take it from our cold dead hands! Graves worked us to the bone and dozens of us died under his command! Not one little bit of safety equipment was given to us and you expected us to get you more gold under harsher deadlines with bigger quotas!?" the man wildly shouted, his hands waving about.
A miners rebellion? This was a civil war between miners and the government?
"Look lad, if you lot simply stopped at overthrowing and killing Graves, the King would've granted you leniency… but after what you did to the Hood…"
"The Hood deserved what it got, like all you scum! We'll do whatever it takes to free Dublin!"
"Including those attacks you made on New London and Leeds?' Perkins exclaimed, real anger leaking into his voice, "Including the bombings on innocent men, women and children!?"
"Whatever it takes. Freedom at any cost from you lot!" roared the man and he jumped right at them with a small object that Dala hadn't noticed before and Dala panicked for a moment and was about to call for security until the man Thatch, quick as a snap, downed the man with his pistol.
Goddess, were they a rather violent people. Thatch's pistol seemed to have left a rather large hole where the man's chest was.
"Thanks Thatch. Bugger certainly deserved that, though I do wish you didn't make such a mess out of him." calmly said Perkins as he stood up, and dusted off his jumpsuit.
"Sorry sir." said Thatch as he calmly put his pistol back into its holster.
"No problem Thatch. Let's go back to our lady friends and see if we can continue our talks." said Perkins as he left the room.
Goddess, this is going to be one difficult set of negotiations. She had to play dumb for now; this was a card she could most certainly keep close to her.
"Hello" the man said, still in broken Asari." Molly dead. Tried kill" he made a line across his throat with his finger, as if… slitting a throat? "Sorry."
"Sad I am." Dala said. IT was true. Despite his attempt to kill Perkins, life was something precious. "But understand. Leave now. Go to not sad place. Room for words yes?"
"Yes. Follow" said the man, Perkins.
As Dala walked along towards the conference room, she messaged Dr. D'Avo with some very important instructions. This would be critical to making sure the negotiations went smoothly.