Chapter 4- Revelations
The diplomats had taken their respective positions, ready to negotiate the future of humanity. The humans sat in front of, and below the council, who stood on a raised podium. The other diplomats stood at the balconies on the side of the council chamber. Several reporters for the Citadel News Network, and a human reporting for ANN, all had their camera drones deployed. Then, the talks began.
"Approximately how long ago did your race develop mass effect technology?" Tevos asked, getting straight to the point.
"We launched our first starship just over 120 years ago. That would be approximately 132 Thessian years." The lead human ambassador, Alexei Rozhenko, answered her.
"That is impossible. It took the turians hundreds of years to leave their home system, and even then it was in primitive ships. You are saying that your kind went from primitive mass effect ships to fleets of dreadnoughts in only 96 of our years?" Sparatus said, disbelief evident on his face. "You could not have done that on your own. That is impossible."
"We found a prothean archive on Mars, the fourth world in our system. Much of our technology is based on what we found there." The human replied.
"Yes, the asari also found a prothean archive on Thessia, which allowed us to reach our technological level as it is today, but even then it only shortened the time needed by only a few hundred years! You likely would have needed to acquire a functional prothean starship to advance so fast! And that is just to reach our technological level. To be able to build such massive starships should have been the result of centuries of research, not decades." Tevos said, skepticism apparent in her voice.
"Yes, we did find functional mass effect technology. Do you have a comment to make on the subject, Councilor Verlin?" The human ambassador said. The turian and asari councilors turned to the salarian, expecting a reply.
"No, I have nothing to say on the situation." She said, although to a trained eye, she was exhibiting signs of extreme nervousness.
"Then you were not the one to send several STG ships to uplift us?" The human said.
The entire chamber went silent. Several seconds passed, before Tevos turned to Verlin, fury evident in her voice as she asked, "Is this true, Councilor?"
Every eye in the chamber was staring at the salarian councilor. On every vidscreen in citadel space, the cameras were zoomed in on her. Billions were watching her as she gave her reply.
"Yes. My predecessor sent several STG teams to uplift the human race, with the intent of turning them into a salarian client state."
The entire chamber dissolved into chaos as spectators began shouting. Sparatus walked up to Verlin, and in a voice colder than the void of space, said one word. "Explain."
"The salarians have always had a weak military. We focus too much on intelligence. We even have entire fleets composed of nothing but spy ships and drones! We cannot hold our own in military action!" Verlin said.
"Then build more ships! There is nothing holding you back!" Sparatus said.
"We cannot! Our ships are much too expensive to build. Do you have any idea how much a single ultraviolet GARDIAN laser costs? We needed something that could take the cost for us!"
"So you uplifted us looking for cheap labor and cannon fodder?" Alexei stood up, outrage clear on his face.
"Yes, we did. Our projections indicated three hundred years at most before the turians would attempt to take over council space! We needed an army to counteract that! We needed an army not limited by the treaty of Farixen, and a race unaffiliated with the council would let us make one!"
"So your predecessor attempted to blatantly violate one of the longest standing pacts between council members based on a few simulations?" Sparatus seethed.
"Yes, although our simulations have not failed us yet." Verlin said. "We gave you turians free reign to build as many ships as you wanted at our expense! Your rebellion would have been inevitable!"
"So you would throw our race into a battle we wouldn't want, against a foe we didn't know, just to save yourselves?" Alexei shouted.
"Yes."
"How did you find humanity anyway?" Councilor Tevos asked.
"We... covertly activated several mass relays, chief among them being relay 314." Verlin replied.
"And so your kind breaks a second law of this council." Sparatus said.
"My predecessor was an idiot, and I would be the first to admit that! By the time I took office, it had already been done!"
"Then why did you not declassify it? You could have avoided this!"
"And incur heavy sanctions on my people? I think not!"
"Right now, your people's very presence on this council is in jeopardy. By hiding this evidence, you are considered a willing accomplice!" Sparatus thundered.
"We will discuss this later Verlin, right now, we have negotiations to attend to." Tevos said, turning to the humans.
"When you join the citadel, you will join as a client race. Most races stay client races for extended periods of time, until they have proven their worth to this council. Then, and only then, will they be given a seat on this council. You must agree to abide by council laws and treaties, chief among them being the treaty of Farixen. This treaty is designed to limit the production of dreadnoughts by council client races. Each client race is capable of producing 1 dreadnought for every three asari or salarian dreadnoughts, and every five turian dreadnoughts."
"What defines a dreadnought?" Rozhenko asked the councilor.
"A dreadnought is a ship at least a kilometer in length, with a main gun of similar size."
"By that definition, we would have to dismantle over 90% of our fleet, as all human ships larger than corvettes are at least 1 kilometer in length, and carry similarly sized main guns."
Councilor Sparatus' eyes shot wide open at those words.
"Impossible! No race could have so many dreadnoughts and remain unknown for so long!" Sparatus said. "How big are the ships you classify as dreadnoughts?"
"We have 108 ships that we classify as dreadnoughts, which are over 7.5 kilometers in length, and 8 super dreadnoughts, one of which was part of the fleet that brought us here. In addition, we have 139 dreadnought sized ships that are used as fighter carriers."
"How did your kind manage to build so many ships?" Sparatus gasped as he heard the numbers.
"That is where my kind comes in. We control the automated ship production lines in human stardocks in orbit of their colony worlds, as well as their shipyards on Luna." Lia stated.
"Accepting this treaty of Farixen would force our defense fleets to be spread thin, with only corvettes and a tiny amount of frigates left to defend our colonies." Ambassador Rozhenko said. "Due to these problems, I cannot, in good conscience, accept your generous offer of council membership. In addition, judging by your reaction to Lia, I would guess that AIs are illegal in council space, and joining you would require is to slaughter approximately half of the citizens of the alliance due to the simple fact that they are illegal here. I cannot allow that to happen." He finished speaking, before sitting down.
"Then you would lose the ability to colonize in council space, and would have your expansion severely limited." Tevos said.
"We examined our star charts, and we saw that your people colonize worlds within a 20 light year radius of an active mass relay, with other worlds being too far away from the relay for your ships to efficiently reach. Due to our unique FTL drive, we do not require mass relays, and are able to colonize areas that your ships cannot reach. We would love to enjoy a peaceful relationship with your council, and are more than happy to allow resource trade between us and the council, but we cannot join you." Alexei said with finality.
"Very well, we would let you remain independent, but only if you provide us with your unique FTL technology." Verlin spoke for the first time.
"Again, I must deny that. Even if I had the clearance to give you human tech, I would not do so, because in doing that I would be giving away the biggest advantage humanity has to you."
"Then what will you give us to show that you have peaceful intentions?" Tevos asked.
"As I said before, we are more than happy to open trading posts in the Relay 314 system, and are willing to trade resources mined from human systems."
"That is not enough. Your FTL system leaves our entire space vulnerable to you, and you have massive fleets composed of nothing but dreadnoughts!"
"If we wanted to attack you, we would have done so by now. The very fact that I am here, negotiating with you, proves it. Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, humanity will not be joining you, nor will it be giving you its technology. This is your chance to make a profit for the council by brokering trade agreements."
"The Human is *wheeze* right." Wheezed Din Korlack, the Volus ambassador. "Judging by the *wheeze* report from the *wheeze* cruiser that I sent into a *wheeze* Human system, the humans have sealed away all *wheeze* relays leading into their *wheeze* space. We cannot *wheeze* enter it unless they *wheeze* want us to."
"The Volus is right. You cannot enter our systems through the relays without our permission. The only relay leading into our space is relay 314, and we have secured it."
"Very well. You humans are permitted to establish yourselves as an independent state. However, this council will not assist you should you require our help." Tevos said.
"Will human trading ships be allowed to dock with the citadel?" Another human ambassador, Donnell Udina, said.
"Yes."
"Then will you allow us to build specialized docking cradles into the citadel, as our freighters cannot fit into the docking bays you have currently installed. Our modular freighters are very large craft, many being several kilometers long."
"Yes. You are allowed to build a set of docking cradles. We will set aside a zone for you to construct them." Tevos said, messaging some of her assistants to find an area to build them.
"Very well. The last thing we ask for is that the Relay 314 system be made into a neutral ground where both powers are welcome."
"That is acceptable. What do you plan to do in that system?" Tevos asked.
"As I said previously, we plan to establish a trading station in that system, as well as provide a way of easily entering human space." Alexei said.
"All these terms are agreeable. Have a pleasant day on the citadel." Tevos said, before ending the meeting. The diplomats drifted apart, some heading to their respective embassies, while others stayed in the presidium. The press crew shut off their drones, before heading out. The human delegates waited for the reporter to arrive, then stepped into the elevator to begin the journey home.
As soon as the councilors were alone in the room, Sparatus turned to Verlin, grabbing the councilor by the front of her robe, before saying "Now you explain to us why we just lost one of the greatest allies we could have had, and why you cost us some of the greatest technological gains of our time."
"Enough Sparatus. The humans would have said that regardless of what Verlin did. However, we do deserve an explanation." Tevos said.
"I already explained myself while we were talking with the humans. My predecessor feared a turian rebellion, so she decided to uplift the humans as a counter!" Verlin said.
"We are not the krogan! We have no intention of rebellion, although should the humans ever go to war with you, I have half a mind to join them." Sparatus growled.
"Enough, both of you! Arguing like this gets us nowhere! However, as a form of apology, you salarians are to cede all your holdings in the Attican Traverse to humanity. You have 1 standard year to evacuate them."
"WHAT? That is an outrage! Those holdings were a multi billion credit investment! I cannot just evacuate them all!" Verlin cried.
"You can, and you will, or the turian hierarchy will take corrective action." Sparatus said. "Your kind risked another rachni war, and my race would have been thrown into the fire had it come to that!" Sparatus shouted.
"Very well," Verlin said, sending the message, "but do not expect us to continue our amicable trade relations with you."
"That is a sacrifice we can afford to make. After all, our clients, the volus, have secured several lucrative trade agreements with humanity." Sparatus said, before turning, and leaving the council chambers, Tevos following shortly afterwards, leaving Verlin alone on the council podium.
DUN DUN DUUUUNNNNNN!