A/N alright here it is, I hope people like what I have done with the Raloi and enjoy the story.


Normandy

Chiron and his squad met Kayla in the CIC to give their reports, "So, a giant mind controlling plant caused the colonists to go crazy and held a cipher that Saren used to understand a vision that the artifact gave him." Kayla said, "The same vision that you are saying was given to you Chiron?"

"Are you sure you haven't just lost it Chiron?" she asked.

Chiron shook his head, "Tali and Vasir can vouch for me, I wasn't the only one that saw the plant." he replied, "As for the vision, I don't know but I could really use some rest to try and figure this out."

Kayla nodded, "Very well, just file your report and hit the sleeping pod."

Chiron saluted and left as Vasir stepped forward, "Commander, I would like to ask your permission to use you comm. system to contact the Council and send in my report." she said.

Kayla nodded, "Permission granted, but I'll be sending Barras in with you, for obvious reasons."

Tali came up to Kayla next, "Umm, Commander, I was wondering" she began, "What happened between the Wraiths and the Spectres? Chiron said he would explain later, but I don't want to bother him while he is resting."

"Ah, yes, I was afraid that would come up." Kayla said, "Well, shortly after the end of the First Contact War, Emperor Saian revealed the Wraith organization."

"The Wraiths were meant to be the left hand of the Empire, as such, they were sent to probe Council defenses in the wake of the war." she continued, "Little did we know, that the Council had the same idea with their Spectres, it caused a bit of rivalry and one-upmanship between the groups, considering how feared they tend to be in both societies, I suppose it made a bit of sense."

Tali tilted her head in surprise, "It almost sounds like they were friends to each other, but they were working on the opposite sides, why wouldn't they develop hatred?" she asked.

Kayla chuckled, "Friendly, might be too strong of a word, but you have to understand, most of the missions from both sides, was largely sabotage and espionage, and while some deaths were inevitable, they were largely accidents, at least the Wraiths began to see it as a sort of game." she explained.

Tali nodded, "Thank you for explaining Commander, I'll get out of your way now." she said gratefully.

Kayla nodded and headed up to the Galaxy Map, but as she was about to plot a new destination, Joker's voice came on over the intercom, "Commander, message from Grand Marshall Hackett, patching him through." he said.

"Commander, the Empire has need of you, beyond your current mission." he said, "A few years back, we had reports of the Council making contact with a new species called the Raloi, however, their welcoming ceremony fell through when the species contracted an alien disease from one of the dignitaries, the virus was immediate with the first signs of infection being a paling of the feathers, sadly no one noticed until there were hundreds dead."

"Since then, our scientists had the opportunity to study the virus, they discovered that most species carry a form of the virus, though it is harmless to us, it is deadly to the Raloi, luckily we also discovered a way to make a vaccine." Hackett continued, "I would like you to be the one to get the vaccine from our diplomatic vessel in orbit in the Raloi system and deliver it to them, with the intent of inducting them into the Empire."

Kayla raised an eyebrow, "With all due respect sir, shouldn't this be a job for the diplomats, not myself?" she asked.

"Normally, Commander yes, but the Normandy is a symbol of co-operation between the Empire and non-affiliated races, it would be a good statement if we send it to try and induct new species." he explained, "As for you, Commander, you shouldn't sell yourself short, you proved how charismatic of an individual you can be when you rallied then entire colony of Elysium, which had previously been developing anti-imperial ideas, against a Terminus raiding fleet and turned it into one of our most loyal colonies in the Galaxy."

Kayla nodded slowly, "Very, well War Marshall, send me the co-ordinates of the diplomatic vessel and I will head there right away, for the Empire." Kayla said.

"For the Empire." repeated Hackett as he disconnected.

Kayla looked up towards the intercom, "You heard him Joker, punch in the co-ordinates and lets go make some friends."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am." replied Joker.

Turvess

In orbit near the SSV Lethon

Kayla met the diplomats in the conference room as her soldiers grabbed the cure for safety, "So, is there anything I should know before I head down there?" she asked.

The leading diplomat, Ambassador Preston, nodded his head, "The Raloi are an avian type race and, as such, they tend to exhibit some of the habits that birds on Earth do, so whatever you do, please don't stare." he said, "Also, it is important that you wear an environmental suit, as it is respectful to them while on their home planet, at least until they can be sure that we wont contaminate their species."

Kayla nodded, "What about translators?" she asked.

"They have leftovers from when the Council came here." the ambassador said, "Also I might recommend a show of strength, they are a predator race so they should be able to respect armed diplomats."

Kayla nodded, "Very well, if that is all ambassador, I will get the suits ready and head planet side, with a squad."

Kayla walked out of the room and to the intercom, "I want Tali and Wrex to meet me in the drop bay and Wrex, we are going to need to get you into a Krogan sized environment suit." she said.

Turvess

Raloian Capital

Kayla looked at her companions, while she was sitting in the shuttle waiting to land. Tali shifted nervously in her seat as she looked out the windows. Wrex was wearing a large makeshift environment suit and was glaring towards the door, seeming to expect some kind of trouble to come through it.

The shuttle finally came to a stop and Kayla moved towards the door, "Well, lets go meet our new friends." she said to Wrex and Tali as she opened the door.

As soon as the door opened Kayla got her first look at one of the Raloi. Kayla noticed that they would tower over most humans at around seven feet tall. Their mouths were, surprisingly, lacking beaks and more closely resembled Turian mouths. The one standing in front of her had bare talons at his feet and was covered in black feathers.

She also noticed that the Raloi around them appeared to be wearing a crystal like substance for armor that hung around the back of their waists, much like an old tail coat, flowed around their bare chests, and holding jagged weapons designed for their talon like hands, "Hmm, soldiers." Kayla muttered as she looked up towards the Raloi who stood in front of her, "Hello, I come here representing the Empire, with a gift for your species."

The Raloi cocked it's head to the side as Kayla spoke, before letting out a high pitched screech, causing Kayla to flinch. Kayla looked around nervously, but saw that the Raloi were holstering their weapons and the soldiers were walking away, "Greetings, Imperial and welcome to Aram, city of the Falls." said the Raloi in a deep, echo like voice, "You may call me, Caer."

Kayla nodded, "Alright Caer, I'm Shepard, I must admit, that I'm slightly eager to learn about your people." she responded, grinning.

"Follow me Shepard and we can discuss this gift of yours." Caer said.

As Kayla followed Caer, she noticed that the feathers along his arms were slightly longer then the rest of his feathers and, while they wouldn't likely allow flight, they may be useful in gliding. She also noticed that Caer appeared to have a long feathered mane, leading down from the crest of his head, to the middle of his back.

When they reached a large meeting hall, type area, Caer opened a pair of double doors, revealing a large number of Raloi eating raw meat and fish, "This way, if you would Shepard, our Elders are waiting for you." Caer informed.

As they passed by the feasting Raloi, Kayla noted that they all seemed to be quite lean and most had bare chests with various designs of paint across their chests and backs.

Kayla and her team passed by the gathering, led by Caer to an adjoining room, "Hmm, these birds have some good taste." she heard Wrex mutter.

"Keelah, I hope they don't develop a desire to try Quarian." Tali muttered as she saw a couple Raloi tear apart a large six limbed monkey-like creature.

Caer lead them into a dark room that had a window looking out towards the city. At the end of the room sat five elderly-looking Raloi in light, hooded robes. As they approached Caer bent down onto his knee and placed his talon over his eyes, "Elders, these are the Imperials that we have been negotiating with remotely." he said, "They say they have a gift for us."

One of the elders stood and walked over towards Caer, prompting him to stand up and remove his talon. Kayla noticed that this Raloian was a bit slimmer then others she had noticed, "Thank you, son, now why don't you go and eat with your brothers and sisters." said the slightly feminine voice.

Caer nodded and headed out towards the other Raloi as the elder turned towards Kayla as she brought down her hood. Kayla noticed that the elder didn't have a mane of feathers on her head, "Caer is your son?" Kayla asked.

The Raloi nodded, "Yes, all Raloi are our children, as we are children of Chalack." she explained, "I'm Rae, speaker for the Elders."

Kayla bowed her head slightly in greeting, "If I may," she began, "I would like to ask some questions about your people."

Rae nodded her head, "Very well."

"What do the painting marks I've seen mean?" she asked, "and what is that armor your warriors where made of?"

"The paint is a mark of adulthood and the various designs tell where an individual succeeds, such as a Raloi who excels at distance shooting, might receive an arrow design pointing towards their face." Rae answered, "As for the armor, it is a crystal like material that grows on our planet, a gift from Chalack, that when implanted into our warrior's skin, helps them to move swiftly and access deep reserves of strength."

Kayla nodded with enthusiasm, "Could this material be used by other races?" she asked.

Rae shook her head slowly, "No, a Turian diplomat tried it once, thinking himself akin to us due to our similarities in appearance." she explained, "but it devoured him."

Rae look Kayla in the eyes, as if trying to peer into her soul, "Tell me now human, we know that your Empire has been trying to get us to join, what is this gift you have brought that your leaders think can convince us?" she asked, "We know that your people convinced the Batarians through a proxy coup, and this has lead us to be suspicious of dealing with you."

Kayla nodded without breaking eye contact with Rae, "I understand Rae, the Empire would very much like to not have to use force in all of it's dealings with other races, especially ones that have been slighted by the Council."

Rae cocked her head in confusion, "Slighted?" she asked.

Kayla nodded, forming and acting a plan she had in her head, "Well, as you can see, we did our homework Rae, we did not want to put your people at unnecessary risk or inconvenience, while we negotiated." she said, "Can the Council say the same, I mean, I don't see them here offering you a cure for the disease that they unleashed."

Rae's eyes widened in surprise, "A vaccine?" she gasped, "But, with a vaccine we could begin colonizing, become a force of our own."

Kayla nodded and brought out a box containing the vaccine, "While the Council unleashed this disease, albeit unknowingly, it is the Arcturus Empire that cures it." she said handing the box to Rae, "You brought up the Batarians, and how we convinced them to join, but after they joined, you will find that they have flourished under Imperial rule, with their colonies and citizens being just as protected as Humans are."

"All we ask is that you and your people drink this vaccine, become strong, and use your strength to further protect the Empire and it's citizens." Kayla finished.

Rae looked back towards the other Elders and saw each of them nod slightly towards her. Rae nodded back and walked towards the hall where the Raloi were eating. As she walked towards the front of the hall, with Kayla following, she shrieked and grabbed the attention of the Raloi, "Caer, come here!" she said.

Caer leaped towards them and appeared in front of Rae in three long jumps, "Elder." he said kneeling.

Rae opened the box and pulled out one of the vials containing the vaccine, "Drink this my son." she ordered.

Caer drank a gulp of the vaccine, "How do you feel child?" Rae asked.

Caer shrugged, "The same as always Elder, why?"

Rae ignored the question and motioned for Kayla to come over, "Shepard, if you would, take off your helmet." she said.

Kayla nodded as most of the Raloi leaped away from Kayla. Rae stepped a distance back away from Kayla and motioned for Caer to stay still when he looked like he might flee. Kayla took off her helmet and smiled at Caer, "Nice to meet you without the helmet on." she said.

Caer looked down at himself but noticed that his feathers were still black, "Are you not infected?" he asked.

Kayla looked back at Tali, "Tali scan me with your omni-tool and display the readings, lets see if I carry the virus." she ordered.

Tali nodded and began her scan. As it finished Tali shook her head as she displayed the results, "I'm not a doctor but, these results show strands of contagions in the Commander's system that seem to match up with strands of the virus we have on record, you are a carrier Commander." Tali said.

Caer's eyes widened in shock, "But, how have I not contracted the disease then?" he asked.

"Because, the Empire provided us with a vaccine." Rae explained as she motioned for Kayla to put her helmet back on, "A vaccine that you just took."

Caer screeched in delight, "So we can finally fly amongst the stars now, Elder?" he asked excitedly, "Is the vaccine permanent?"

Kayla nodded, smiling at the Raloi's excitement as she put her helmet back on, "According to our scientists, as the vaccine enters your body, your system will absorb a counter strand of the virus, meant to kill it as it enters your body." she repeated from memory, "This absorption affects you on a molecular level, so once it is first absorbed, you wont need to ingest it again."

The Raloi screeched in excitement as Rae stepped forward, "Children, this is a sign from Chalack." she said, "The God of the Sky wants us to spread throughout his universe and the best way we can do that, is to help the Empire that has given us this gift to expand and survive."

The Raloi screeched again, seemingly in agreement as Rae chorused with her screech. When they all quieted down from their short celebration, Rae turned back towards Caer, "Son, my heir, you are the closest thing to an ambassador that we have." she said, "Therefore, you shall go back with our new siblings to swear our race to the Empire."

Caer nodded, "Gladly, Elder." he said, "I shall have the crystal implanted immediately and collect my gun."

Normandy

2 days after the celebrations in Aram ended

Kayla walked off the shuttle onto the Normandy, flanked by her companions and Caer. She had noticed that Caer's armor looked a lot more extravagant then the others she had see, and that it seemed to flow around his eyes in a half-helmet pattern.

"So, I've been meaning to ask Caer." Kayla said, "What kind of guns do your people use?"

Caer brought up his pistol, "We call them Kishok weapons." he said, "They are designed to project a Kishok's teeth at incredibly high speeds, carving through most types of protection, though it may not break through a star ship's hull."

Kayla looked at him in confusion, "Kishok?" she asked.

Caer nodded, "They are a predator on our planet, second to top of the food chain, with teeth that carve through steel with ease." he explained, "As we advanced, we realized that the creature's teeth would make great weapons against our enemies."

Kayla nodded, "Thank you for explaining, we have a room available to you while we head to Arcturus Station, feel free to treat this as a home away from home." she said.

As Kayla was about to head towards the CIC to report to Hackett, she was stopped by Wrex, "We need to talk Shepard." he said.

Kayla looked at the Krogan, "Alright Wrex, what about?"

"Did you mean what you said to the Raloi?" he asked, "About how your Empire treats it's members, about how your members thrive?"

Kayla nodded, "Of course Wrex, I'm not in the business of lying." she responded, "Why?"

Wrex shrugged, "We'll see." he grunted, dismissing Kayla's question.

Kayla shrugged and headed to the CIC. As she entered the room, she nearly ran into Tela Vasir, "So, the Raloi." Vasir simply said.

Kayla nodded, "They are an interesting culture." she responded.

Vasir nodded, "Indeed, a shame you beat us to the negotiation table, one of the flaws with the Citadel, we can never seem to get much done where politics are concerned." she complained.

Kayla grinned, "You know, the Asari would probably be welcomed into the Empire as well." she offered.

Vasir laughed, "Good shot Commander, but your not that good of a diplomat, the Council is our baby, and even with its flaws, it is where the Asari belong." she said

Kayla nodded and continued past her towards the comm. room, "Grand Marshall, I have news on the Raloi." she said as she linked the comm. to Arcturus Station.

"I'll bet Commander, my reports say that you have gotten the Raloi to join us and are on your way to conduct the ceremony." Hackett said.

Kayla nodded, "That's correct sir, the Raloi take their ceremonies seriously and insisted that we head to the station right away to induct their representative." she said.

"That's good Commander, The Emperor himself is interested in this species and believe they could prove to be an asset on the ground." Hackett said, "While your at the Station, your crew is free to move around, though the Council members will be watched, but you must bring the representative to the War Room as soon as you arrive."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Kayla responded as she cut the communication, "To Arcturus Station Joker."

Arcturus Station

War Room

Kayla stood behind Hackett with another soldier and looked around the room. She saw the Emperor Saian sitting in the chair at the middle of the table, with the current leader of the Wraiths standing to his left, a man with black hair and blue eyes that almost seemed to glow. glancing at the Emperor, she noticed that he had sandy hair and dark green eyes. He was wearing an outfit that resembled a Wraith's uniform, except for being white.

Kayla then turned her head away from the table and looked at where Caer was currently kneeling before the Emperor, "The Elders have sent me as their representative, my lord." he said, remembering his discussions with Kayla on how to address the Emperor, "The Raloi desire to join our family with yours, to strike down those who would harm our new siblings, to assist our new family in prospering and expanding, to ensure that we all might fly among the stars, as you have allowed us."

"As the speaker for the Raloi, I swear by Chalack, God of the Sky, that we shall forever be bound to our new family." Caer finished.

The Emperor stood from his seat and slowly made his way around the table to Caer, flanked by the Wraith, "Well said Caer, I would be more than happy to welcome a people that offer such devotion into the Empire." he said, "Now stand as an equal among my people and ready to co-ordinate your people's integration into the Empire's sectors."

Caer nodded and stood, "As you command, Father." he replied, forgetting the honorifics he was supposed to use. Before he could correct himself the Emperor chuckled and walked towards his shuttle.

Kayla noticed that everyone seemed to relax and go back to their normal routines as the Emperor left. She walked up towards Caer, "Congratulations Caer, I'm glad to have your people in the Empire." she said.

Caer gave what sounded like a chuckle, "Thank you Shepard, it seems I have some work to do now." he said.

Kayla nodded, "Indeed, but it will be worth it, I'm sure." she replied, "I should be getting back to my mission now, take care Caer, and let me know if you have any warriors who would like to serve aboard the Normandy some time, I wouldn't mind one of your people around."

Caer nodded as Kayla walked out of the room towards her ship.

Normandy

Chiron stood near the airlock door as Kayla came in, "So, how is your future husband, sister?" he asked.

Kayla blushed, "Would you shut up." she said, "I'm not the one with a fetish here, that would be you Mr. Quarian man."

"Maybe you aren't a Xenophobe, Kayla, you just needed to find the right species." he laughed as she punched his shoulder

"I said shut up." she responded, "Joker, I have some information on where we can go next."

"Where to Commander?" Joker asked

"Intelligence discovered that Matriarch Beneziah has a daughter, who is currently doing some archaeology work on some Prothean ruins on Therum." she said.

"Alright Commander, I'll plot in the course as soon as your ready." Joker replied

Kayla nodded, "Good, we will let the team have a day of shore leave and then leave as soon as they are all back aboard."

"Aye, aye Ma'am." Joker replied.


A/N Alright, got some foreshadowing in there and we can head back to the main game section of the story and to the rescue of Ms. Archaeologist extraordinaire!