Halo New galaxy Ch15 Success and Failure
27th July 2174 CE
Inner Council space, Citadel
Presidium, Human embassy
Udina was dressed in a fancy white suite with matching suit pants. The suit had a golden emblem on the right side of the upper chest, dark grey lines along the edges and a small collar. He was going through his liquor cabinet to find a fitting drink to offer the alien soon to sit across his oak desk. He had switched out his former desk earlier this morning with a strong and firm oak one that had been transported from Earth by the Light Cruiser UNSC Nebraska.
The Nebraska had just arrived using the Mass Relay, becoming the first known successful UNSC ship to do so. Off course it had been a slight shock for the Citadel Council to figure out the humans had figured it out on their own and didn't need their assistance in treaties. They didn't need to give up anything or make any concessions. The Council weren't the only ones surprised however. The Assembly and Security Committee had both been surprised and frustrated when ONI Director Albert Forsberg came out and informed them that ONI-thanks to some unknown means-had discovered and tested the use of Mass Relays. If they had mentioned it during negotiations weeks earlier it would have been very helpful and the Assembly could have avoided the headache from the public outrage over the pact promising mutual assistance. Udina had been astonished to discover that Mass Relay travel was not nearly as complicated as the Council led them to believe, without a doubt to achieve their own goals.
Udina picked out a pretty bottle of Asari Honey mead but paused in mid-motion. Maybe he should offer a simple wine from Earth. He had a few French bottles. Something the Salarian University Professor hadn't tested before. Think it a better idea he put the Honey Mead back and took out a dark green glass bottle of French wine.
It had taken Professor Ohall Hamin over a month to get mutual clearance from both Citadel and UNSC information about what was commonly referred to as the Relay 314 Incident. Nothing classified was to be given out by Udina, just a share of information for historical purposes. It would have been easy to just send a message to the Professor and have it done with but Udina was more of a people person and agreed to meet in person when Hamin requested it.
"Excuse me Ambassador," his Asari assistant said through the intercom. "Professor Hamin is here to see you."
"Thank you Melia, send him in," Udina said.
The light green skin Salarian stepped inside his office. He had a medium high, for a Salarian with large circular eyes. He wore a dark brown coat with a light blue buttoned shirt underneath. His pants was black with white stripes.
"Good afternoon Ambassador," he greeted politely with a comfortable smile.
Udina was already heading over to shake his hand.
"Welcome to the human embassy Professor," he returned and shook the Salarians hand. "Please, have a seat."
"Certainly."
They sat down on opposite sides of the desk.
"A glass of wine perhaps?" Udina offered. "From Earth. European continent, former nation state of France."
"Off course. I am always happy to try a new brew," Professor Hamin said delightful.
Udina poured him a glass and then one for himself.
"Well than, Professor…" he leaned back in his chair. "…by government was more than a little suspicious about your request. They found it…unusual. As did I, actually."
Hamin nodded and continued smiling.
"I understand. And, I am grateful that your people agreed."
Udina nodded slightly.
"Where would you like to begin Professor?"
"I'd say we start with everything we both already know," Hamin suggested. Udina nodded. The Salarian looked down at his Omni-tool. "At the 22nd of February of 2154 of your military calendar and 2174 of our calendar a small force on UNSC starships discovered and investigated your first Mass Relay."
So far it fit, Udina thought. Part of his assumed the story would go in the advantage of the Turians since they were a Council race. But Hamin seemed a decent fellow who might put a neutral spin on things. History is written by the victors they say, and although technically nobody won, the UNSC and Council knew the UNSC kicked the Turians steel colored butts.
"Four UNSC starships-Corvette classification-was attacked by a Turian patrol of ten Frigates and two Cruisers," Professor Hamin continued to iterate the official record. "The Patrols Cos rash actions led him to attack immediately upon discovering your starships messing with the Relay-witch was against Citadel laws, something your people obviously could not have known about. In the battle three Turian Frigates was destroyed and one UNSC Corvette. It led to your ships retreating to friendly territory, the colony world you named Shanxi."
He paused and sipped from the wine.
"Ah. Delicious. Simply delicious. Your people know wine Ambassador."
Udina nodded with a smile. "We're good at many things that might surprise you Professor."
The Professor returned to going over the next events.
"The Turian Patrol fleet followed and eventually attacked Shanxi's orbiting small fleet. Thanks to your peoples superiority in armaments you held out for days, despite being outnumbered as both fleets circled around each other like Varren's around a strong but wounded prey. Thanks to their higher maneuverability the Turians had their own advantage, but realized they needed overwhelming numbers to prevail." He sipped from his wine slightly and took a breath of fresh air. "Eventually reinforcements arrived and the Turians gained in the arena of space. For the moment."
"An accurate representation of events," Udina agreed.
He sipped from his own glass.
"Thank you, I try." He cleared his throat. "The colony came under Turian control after a short ground campaign. Several UNSC units turned to guerilla warfare and disappeared into the terrain. For months both sides pushed at each other until the 1st of April when UNSC reinforcements arrived in form of a fleet of over sixty starships, including your giants. A demolished Turian fleet withdrew and an outnumbered and outgunned ground task force capitulated on the 3rd."
Udina appreciated how this document Professor Hamin was writing wasn't one-sided. It pointed out that the Turians had been the aggressors and sited general facts from both sides. He doubted a Turian professor would have written in from a neutral perspective.
He put his hands together on his stomach.
"On the 3rd an official Citadel diplomatic envoy arrived also arrived and a peace treaty started taking form." He straightened his back. "Now, this is the overall events that transpired. The final document will be more detailed off course. What I miss now is the UNSCs official losses."
Udina picked up a datapad from his desk.
"Right here. Where do you want to start?"
"With the obvious bit," Hamin said. "Losses in starships. An overwhelming number was Turian, but a few UNSC joined the unfortunate mix. Your majestic and giant ships took out their toll on the Turians in the end. A total of thirty-nine Turian ships was lost between February and April."
Udina kept himself from whistling. He knew it was high but he didn't know it was that high. That wasn't even close to their losses. While many ships had been damaged only a very few had been destroyed.
"The UNSC navy lost five ships."
Hamin noted it in his Omni-tool.
"Casualties then," he said in a plain voice. "Including the crews of the starships lost, the Turian Task Force suffered twenty-three thousand three-hundred and fourteen fatalities and seventeen thousand nine-hundred and two wounded. My estimates put the UNSC bellow on both accounts."
"Correct," Udina confirmed. He shook his head at the relatively high casualties. It was nothing compared to the Human-Covenant war though. "Nine thousand six-hundred and forty fatalities with fifteen thousand and four-hundred and three wounded."
Hamin noted the numbers.
"How did the colonists fair during the short occupation?"
"Well. Not as bad as expected," Udina explained. "It was the first time a human world had been invaded and the local's population hadn't been wiped out. So all in all, it wasn't too bad. Everyone first expected to die when an alien fleet started deploying troops."
"Your war with the Covenant, yes," Hamin remembered reading about it. "Terrible business that."
"You have no idea," Udina said firmly.
Garrus strolled in through the entrance to Everlasting Night. He had changed from his C-Sec armor. He wore a silver colored armor with dark red markings. He missed the old armor but the new was more comfortable.
The bar was half filled with people which was a regular number before the weekend hit home and everyone started coming off work. The establishment owner Ren Plik was casually chitchatting with a pair of Asari. After joking about something he returned to his usual position behind the bar.
"Ah, Mr Vakarian!" He called the Turian over.
"Hi Ren, looks like calm before the storm around here," Garrus said. He leaned in against the bar and pulled out a stool.
"Pretty much," Ren said, his voice lowering and glanced off towards the far corner of the establishment. He nodded carefully in that direction.
Garrus looked and spotted a certain Turian sitting at a table with an Asari woman. He wore a comfy-looking yellow and blue suit while she wore a purple long dress with a careful amount of makeup. She was sitting next to him and gently hung over his shoulders. He was conversing with a human across the table. They weren't alone though. Five Turians acting bodyguards was sitting at two nearby tables.
"Mar," Garrus grumbled. "Why's he here?"
"Don't know," Ren whispered. "Came in about an hour ago, the human he's with showed up say, twenty minutes later. They ordered some food and drinks. Couldn't deny the human without looking like a racist and Mar hasn't broken any laws so I can't throw him out."
"Correction, it hasn't been proven he's broken any laws, yet." He groaned slightly and paused. "Strange location to meet someone in. Make sense if he thought it'd be trouble. Meet in C-Sec's favorite bar so to keep some law enforcement officers close at hand."
Garrus turned his head back to Ren.
He assumed the human was here as a member of the diplomatic envoy, since there were no civilian transports between Council and UNSC space he would have a hard time getting here otherwise. Normally he would have check him up personally but he wasn't with C-Sec anymore and the others present had probably already had the idea.
"Enough of Mar now, yes?" Ren suggested in a happy voice. "What can I get you? Turian Brandy?"
"Sounds good. But just a glass. Not here for pleasure today. Meeting a guy."
"If you say so." Ren got out a bottle and poured a glass. "OH. Congratulations to become a Spectre, by the way."
"Hmm. Thanks."
Ren leaned over the bar.
"You don't sound too thrilled. You'd have jumped at the chance to become a Spectre not long ago," he noted.
Garrus sighed and sipped from his drink.
"Yeah. It just new right now. Shock still kickin' in."
"I suppose I wouldn't know," the Salarian shrugged. "Just a bartender, lil' old me."
Garrus drank from his glass and waited. He was waiting to meet with a Sergeant that he had asked to join his team. He had received a ton of different information on people to build a team from. His first addition was a Turian marine by the name Saren Arterius. He was a Sergeant with a distinguished record of service. The most recent part of interest in his file-to Garrus-was that he partook in the occupation Shanxi. Apparently he had been there from start to finish. He became a POW after the ground commander was forced to surrender and was exchanged along with the rest of the POWs on both sides.
Saren wore a dark and light green camouflaged armor as he entered Everlasting Night. He had arrived on the Citadel three hours ago and managed to get some sleep before meeting the Spectre. That was fine since he slept on the transport. He knew why he was here and what his purpose was. He didn't know the mission the Spectre was embarking on but any mission given to a Spectre was bound to be important. He was ready to do whatever was needed to complete the mission ahead and this was the first time he had ever worked with a Spectre.
He located Spectre Vakarian at the bar. He cleared his throat and stepped over. When he met the man's gaze he snapped off a salute.
"Sergeant Saren Arterius, sir," he introduced himself.
Garrus got up and offered his hand.
"At ease Sergeant," he told him. "This is unofficial anyways. Hitting to birds with one stone and that." He gestured to the drink and waved Ren over. "What's your poison Sergeant?"
Saren sat down beside the man he would soon act as second in command to.
"Turian Brandy works," he supposed and looked at the Salarian bartender.
"You got it," Ren confirmed.
28th July 2554
Riga Lillo system, Rio orbit
CCS class Battlecruiser Warlord's Judgement
Vezk's little flotilla had arrived in the Riga Lillo system thirty minutes ago and was on the final approach for Rio. They had watched the battle unfold between a fleet loyal to a Sangheili named Jul Mdama and the UNSC. It had been a third but the last Covenant of the Hand ships had retreated before Vezk arrived according to Sax. He was certain a third navy had been there but clearly wasn't anymore. He claimed the little intelligence they had was certain of it. Anyway now the UNSC and ex-Covie fleets was taking a pause in the fighting.
"Warlord," a Krogan said. "The human fleet is repositioning itself."
"They think we're enemy reinforcements," Vezk assumed.
He did bring six Covenant warships after all, one of them being a Battlecruiser. It was bound to look suspicious at best, at worst as enemy reinforcements. It definitely looked like the humans was assuming them being reinforcements.
"Contact them," Vezk said and chuckled. "Don't want them getting too scared." He crossed his arms over his chest.
"They're responding Warlord. Putting them on screen."
On the screen a human elderly looking woman with wrinkles and blonde hair mixed with grey. She held a stone-face as she stared back at Vezk. If she was surprised to see a Krogan on board the Battlecruiser she didn't show it.
"I am Vice Admiral Hammond, identify yourselves and your purpose in UNSC space," she demanded in a strong voice.
Vezk raised a hand. "Relax little human. We aren't here to fight you." Sax rolled his eyes at the example of Krogan diplomacy. "In fact, it's your lucky day cus I'm here to assist you in your war, for a price."
Hammond remained stoic, not revealing a single emotion.
In the background on the bridge of their own ship Sax grew in irritation and tension. Vezk's ability to negotiate was nonexistent. He didn't inspire trust in any way. Maybe that bravado worked on Tuchanka and in Citadel space but not here.
"No," the stoic admiral said. "You will leave our space or face the consequences."
The channel died, leaving Vezk standing there, blinking in surprise. It brought a careful smirk to Sax's beak.
I know it took an age and I'm sorry about that guys.