Chapter 7
The day after the tribute, Hackett reconvened with some of the prominent survivors of the war. The primarch brought Tadius in with him, and Tadius was pleased to see Kasumi sitting off in the corner, her knee pulled up and her arm draped casually over it.
Pvt. Cantor, however, was nowhere to be found; it wasn't that surprising considering his outburst last time, but Tadius regretted that he wasn't here. He had come to consider the human a friend over the last week, working together to rescue survivors and getting power back online.
Liara was there, as were Tali and Garrus. Together they stood around a galaxy map projection, talking quietly amongst themselves. Admiral Hackett cleared his throat, and the room instantly fell silent.
"You all know why we are here today; we have to try and find a solution to start getting everyone home, most critically the Turians to Palaven and the Quarians home to Rannoch. We have in here some of the brightest minds of the galaxy. So, let's find a solution ladies and gentlemen."
"Just out of curiosity," one soldier said, a human, "how long would it take to get there doing a hard burn with the FTL drive?"
"You mean if you manage to do it without imploding your eezo drive?" another human asked, leaning forward in his chair. "Months, if not years, just to get to the closest system, like Sur'Kesh. Never mind getting to Palaven."
"Lieutenant Moreau is correct," Hackett admitted, albeit regrettably. "The risk of drive core failure on a burn like that is too high for it to be a viable option."
"What is the current state of the mass relays? Are they completely obliterated, or somewhat salvageable?" Liara asked, her arms crossed.
"From what I have been given to understand, the Sol relay is mostly intact, split into about three large chunks and several smaller pieces. I suppose if we had schematics or something along those lines, repairing them could be an option; as far as I know however, all layouts of the relay's were on the Citadel."
"Maybe not," announced an Asari, drawing the gaze of everyone in the room. "I studied the relays extensively in the past. I still have most of the layouts and schematics on hand."
Admiral Hackett was obviously surprised. "That's excellent news! If we are able to get our fleets operational and working on this, we just might be able to get everyone home. But I have to ask, why did you study the relays, and why still carry all that stuff around?"
The Asari made a guttural sound in her throat that reminded Tadius more of a Krogan than an Asari. "I believed that the Asari should spend less time stripping in bars and focus on military preparedness; I also believed that it would be a good idea for the Asari to build their own mass relays. However, when I presented my ideas, they laughed—"
"The blue off your ass, yes, we all remember," the Asari councilor finished, shaking her head. "Matriarch Aethyta has a point however. Her plans could be useful in any endeavor to repair the mass relay network."
"Useful?" Aethyta growled indignantly. "Saving your sorry ass is more like it! You never thought I would—"
Liara placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, interrupting her rant. Aethyta closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
"The plans are yours, if you choose to use them. That is all."
Aethyta turned and stormed out of the tent. Liara turned to follow.
"I'm just going to make sure she is okay. Please, continue in my absence."
"Very well, Dr. T'Soni. Now, I believe that the best course of action is to use the matriarch's schematics to begin rebuilding the relays. It is the best chance we have of getting everyone home."
"I would like to say something, if possible," Tali said, raising her hand to be recognized. Hackett nodded to her, welcoming her to speak. "I know that everyone is very anxious to get home; believe me, my people have been wanting to go home for 300 years. But," she said, looking around nervously, "I don't think it is a good idea to rebuild the mass relays."
There was a lot of muttering around the room after that, mostly from the Turians and the other Quarians. Another one of the Quarian Admirals, Admiral Raan, turned to look at Tali.
"Why not, Admiral Tali'Zorah? We have relied on the relays for millennia, and countless species before us. Why now should we abandon them?"
Tali sighed, leaning against the galaxy map projector. "Legion once told me that the Reapers created the mass relays to ensure that our societies grew along the paths that they desired. It was just a design to keep us stagnant and ready for their harvest. We never looked to develop new technology for long distance travel because the relays were provided for us. If we repair them, we are knowingly using Reaper tech and…I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. I don't think Shepard would approve."
"It is a nice sentiment, Tali'Zorah," the Asari councilor replied, "but I don't think we have any choice. Trying to develop our own technology for that kind of travel would probably take decades. Your people don't have that long, and neither do the Turians."
"Not to mention that anything developed would probably be derived from the mass relay technology, at least as a starting point. We have no choice. We must rebuild the mass relays." Hackett told her.
Tali raised her hands in surrender. "Then you will hear nothing more about it from me. I understand your points, but I do not approve."
Tadius saw Garrus grab her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. Almost involuntarily he glanced over at where Kasumi was sitting, but she had disappeared again.
"We will use the quantum entanglement system to establish contact with survivors on the other planets. They will have to rebuild the relay on their end so we can jump there from the Sol relay when it is finished." Hackett snapped an honorary salute.
"Let's make it happen people."