Mass Effect is the property of Bioware. 20th Century Fox owns the Alien/Predator franchise.
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Destiny Ascension
"Whoever you are, you are between my force and its objective. I recommend that you leave."
The words, impersonal and without genuine inflexion because of the imperfect translation software, echoed over the bridge.
Well, at least they are talking. Lidanya took a deep breath and activated the communication link again.
"Admiral... Drescher," The name was strange but pronounceable. "The Citadel Council does not desire war, but I cannot allow you to take control of this relay or enter Citadel Space. The strategic implications are too serious. If you proceed on your present course, I will have no choice but to engage your ships. You may think you can win that battle, you may even be right; but no matter what happens here, today, if you choose to engage the Citadel Defense Fleet, the Asari republics and the Salarian Union will be forced to enter the conflict and your people will end up fighting every government in Citadel Space. No matter how that war ends, it would be a tragedy that we should all try to avoid."
A few seconds passed as the signal made its way back and forth between the two fleets.
"Avoiding a tragedy, is that why you are here? This war has been going on for months! If either you or your Citadel Council had wanted to avoid a tragedy, you should have started sooner. Preferably, BEFORE your turian friends invaded us."
The accusation was hardly unexpected. Unfortunately, telling the truth was not an option. The last thing Lidanya wanted to do was admit just how limited the council's power actually was.
"Admiral, things simply happened too quickly. By the time the council was notified of the turian invasion plans, it was too late. The invasion fleet had already been dispatched. But, whatever has happened in the past, we are here, now. We can prevent further bloodshed."
"Prevent further bloodshed, really? How noble." The interactive software handling the translation seemed to be adapting to human speech patterns because even through the interface, a bit of the mocking tone came through. "Tell me, do you have any idea how much blood has been shed already."
"No, but I do know that-"
"Neither do I."
"- adding to it will serve no-"
Clearly, the human had not waited to hear out Lidanya's message, because her answer cut halfway through it.
"And the reason that I don't know is that we are still digging the corpses of our people out from under the rubble of their homes. The last time I checked the total death toll stood at twenty-three thousand four hundred and seventy-six. That does not include the more than one hundred fifty thousand that are still missing. Many of whom will probably never be found because they were blown to pieces by orbital bombardment. I'm not sure if the phrase: 'too little, too late' has any meaning in your language, but it applies perfectly in ours. The reality is that your precious council was perfectly willing to stand by and let the turians destroy us. Only now things have changed, haven't they? Your turian friends are running for their lives and suddenly the council wants to make peace. How very convenient."
-o-o-o-
USM Yamato
Drescher felt the eyes of her staff on her as she drew breath and made a conscious effort to calm down. As satisfying as it was to call the alien on her hypocrisy, it wouldn't do to appear as though she was losing control. This time it took a while before the blue-purplish skinned alien answered her.
"I understand your feelings, but does that not make it more imperative to put an end to this war before it spills out of control? I can assure you that, as tragic as your losses are today, they are nothing compared to what will occur in the future unless the war stops here and now. This war should never have occurred, but it did. That doesn't mean that it has to continue."
Drescher looked around her. "'This war should never have occurred.' Is she for real?"
She activated her communications again.
"With all due respect, matriarch, we're not talking about an earthquake or a volcano here. Wars don't just occur. They are started, by people, for reasons. Apparently, your turian friends think they have good reason to fight and I know of nothing that could have changed that perception. So, even if I take you at your word. Even if I choose to believe that you are sincere and that you aren't just playing for time. How can you, a third party in this conflict, guarantee an end to hostilities? What's to stop the turians from attacking us again a week or a month from now? No, better to finish things once and for all, rather than sit around and wait for that to happen."
"But you will not finish it, admiral, at least not quickly. The Hierarchy is far too powerful for that, and I very much doubt you have any idea of the combined strength of the council races, which is what you will face if you force me to engage your fleet. As to your question, I can assure you no-one wanted this war. Not the Citadel Council, not even the Hierarchy. I don't know what caused the initial fighting. I have seen the turian reports, but there is no way to tell for sure until we have examined your records of events as well. All I know is that somehow the first contact ended in a battle, which escalated. Unfortunately, neither occurrence is without precedent. First contacts are always dangerous. Usually, hostilities can be limited to a single exchange, before common sense prevails. This time, events spun out of control, but whatever you may think people have been working to stop things from getting worse. Even the invasion of your colony, unforgivable as it may seem to you, was intended as a means to end the war. The Hierarchy hoped that you would open negotiations once they occupied the planet. I don't deny that it was a bad idea, but that doesn't mean the sentiment behind it was wrong."
"Admiral," commander Singh spoke up. "whether we believe her or not, she has a point. There is no way we can win this war quickly, and god only knows what happens if we lose. Can we pass up an opportunity to put an end to it?"
"If that is what this is." Drescher shrugged. "Even if she's sincere; even if she actually believes everything she is saying; can we be sure that she can deliver on her promises? Nothing I've seen so far would indicate that those turians will stop fighting, simply because someone else tells them to." She sighed. "Alright, let's see if she has an answer to that question."
-o-o-o-
Destiny Ascension
For the first time since the conversation had begun, Lidanya allowed herself to relax a tiny fraction. The danger was far from over, but the human commander was still talking and the conversation seemed to be going in the right direction. Explaining the intricacies of interstellar politics would take a lot of time, especially considering all the things she should avoid to mention, but that was fine. In fact, the longer it took, the better.
"Admiral, as I stated before, the Hierarchy didn't want to go to war in the first place. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose, especially now that you have proven how dangerous such a war would be." Flattery couldn't hurt "Furthermore, the Hierarchy is subject to Council oversight, like every government in Citadel Space. I will not deny that their pride has been hurt by their recent defeat, but they will not act to break a truce that has been negotiated by a diplomatic envoy appointed by the Council." Let's hope that is true. If councillor Sparatus fails to convince the Primarch they might actually do it and that will be the end of galactic peace; perhaps even the end of the Council. "Such an envoy is waiting at the other end of the relay connection until I give the signal. All I need is a guarantee that you will not initiate hostilities."
"And then what?" The human countered. "You may have an envoy waiting, but I don't. I am not empowered to negotiate on behalf of the Alliance of United Systems. That is a job for diplomats and politicians, civilians. My authority is limited to military operations as specified by my orders, and those orders are to secure the relay."
Lidanya cursed softly. It was always the small things that messed up the biggest plans. General Oraka had shared his data on human society with her, but it had been confusing and, in many ways, contradictory. That was not uncommon. An alien civilisation always appeared strange to an outsider, especially when you saw data without proper context. One of the things that had stood out was the sheer convoluted-ness of their government structure, which seemed to be an utter mess of different branches with overlapping responsibilities. Now one simple thing became clear. The human military and civilian leadership were separate organisations, which meant that while soldiers could fight a war, they couldn't end it.
"It seems our orders are designed to bring us into conflict. My orders are to keep you from reaching the relay. But the people who wrote our orders aren't here. We are. If you cannot negotiate, what can you do? Surely you have some authority as to when you do or do not fight."
Seconds went by, each seemingly interminable.
-o-o-o-
USM Yamato
There was a part, a very large part, of admiral Drescher's mind that could not quite believe she was actually considering this. She was here to kill aliens, not make peace. It would be so simple, just give the order and send in the strike force. All it takes is one shot and then we can all go back to doing what we do best: killing. Your orders are clear: secure that relay. No-one can blame you for shooting your way through an alien fleet, any alien fleet, to do just that. After all, you've warned them. If they don't want to die, they can just pack up and leave.
Unfortunately, whoever had written those orders had not taken this situation into account. The United Systems Military had learned of additional species and the existence of this Citadel Council through interrogation of turian prisoners. The general assumption had been that the other species would either join the turians in their war effort or stay out of it altogether. A peacekeeping force had not been expected. And the alien did have a point, as did commander Singh for that matter. If she could end the war, permanently, what would that be worth? Strictly speaking, it would be a violation of her orders, but then again, she had not been authorised to start a war with several other species either.
The admiral took a deep breath. "I can declare a cease-fire. I do have that authority. No hostile actions to be initiated for a limited period of time. But I will need guarantees, strong guarantees that you and the turians will hold up your end of the bargain.
-o-o-o-
Destiny Ascension
Lidanya permitted herself to relax a bit further. Another obstacle removed. Now, how to do this?
"Admiral, my position here is purely defensive. There is no way I can reach your ships unless you allow me to do so, but neither can you reach the relay without coming within my effective range. I would suggest that we both hold our current positions until your government has been notified. Even if the Hierarchy sends a force through the relay, I will be between you and them. That gives me the chance to call them off, and it gives you the time to take whatever measure you deem necessary. I don't know how long it will take for you to receive new instructions, but as long as neither of us does anything foolish, we should be able to keep the situation under control until then. Meanwhile, I can report to the Council that we have agreed to suspend hostilities. That will make it easier for my superiors to ensure that no further hostile action is taken by the Hierarchy."
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USM Yamato
"Well, now what?"
"Admiral," commander Singh spoke up again. "We cannot ignore this opportunity-"
"And what if it is a trick?" lieutenant Mikhailovich, one of the staff officers, asked. "What if this tentacle-headed smurf is just stalling until the turians can reinforce her? We may end up facing overwhelming odds."
"Which we can simply avoid," Singh countered. "She is right about that. There is no way for her, or anyone coming through the relay to get within attack range unless we let them. If the odds are too much against us we can simply leave the system."
"And lose our best chance to seize this relay," Drescher commented sourly. "Still, how much of a loss is that in the long run? One way or another, we're not going to reach the damn relay without a fight, either against blue-chick over there, the turians, or both of them. Even if we win here, it will cost us. Our current strength and supply situation would only allow for limited deployment through the relay, even under ideal circumstances. If I weigh that against the possibility to end this war..." She shook her head. "It isn't worth it. Recall the fighters, I'll inform my new BFF"
She turned back to the monitor.
"Alright, we'll do it your way, for now. Make sure you keep your ships as far away from mine as possible, though. The last thing we need is another incident." She paused for a moment. IN general, it seemed a bad idea to reveal her capabilities, but the existence of FTL communication buoys was hardly a secret. "I can send an FTL message directly to our nearby colony. They will transmit it through their relay to our government. After that, it will be up to the politicians, but I would expect to receive an answer within a few days. I suppose we can all ignore each other politely for that long. Unless you happen to have a deck of cards...?"
The alien's confused look made her smile briefly.
"Never mind." Something occurred to her. "Actually, now that we're all just waiting, there is something we can do: You said you had seen the turian report of the first encounter. I've seen our own records. Let's see what actually happened."
-o-o-o-
Destiny Ascension
"Human fighters are returning to their motherships, ma'am. I think... I think you've done it."
Lidanya nodded. It had been close, far too close, but it looked like no-one would have to die, at least not today.
She considered the human's suggestion. It seemed reasonable enough. If some unknown species started shooting at her, she'd certainly wish to find out why. Still, she'd have to be careful. It was bound to be a sensitive topic and the last thing she wanted was to anger the human commander. She re-activated the communication channel.
"You have to understand, that my knowledge on this subject is limited. The turian officers that were present at the original contact are still in the Hierarchy, so all I have to go on is a second-hand report. Still, from what I understand, the turian patrol encountered your ships as they approached a dormant relay in one of the nearby star systems. You have no way to be aware of this, but we have very strict regulations regarding such relays..."
o-o-o-
USM Yamato
"Wait! What?" Admiral Drescher could no longer control herself as she listened with growing disbelieve while the alien went on and on about laws, rules, conventions, and relays. "Let me get this straight: They didn't want us to touch the relay? That what this is all about? Thousands dead, a planet in ruins, just because some trigger-happy fool wanted to keep us from activating a bloody relay. And all of that for a law that is supposed to prevent wars? What did that moron think was going to happen when he opened fire? Besides-" A sense of terrible irony came over her. "Lady, I have news for you. We opened that relay a few days ago. All we can see on the other side is a bunch of empty star systems.
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A/N
Your brains: Never leave home without them. It's nice to write about reasonable people.
I've also updated my parallel story 'Intelligence reports' again. I had those two chapters finished a long time ago, but I felt it was too early to release them.
The death toll is much higher than in canon. Frankly, that number (623) never made sense. Just a few destroyed ships would have accounted for that, never mind orbital bombardment. Drescher is overestimating, though. Many of the missing people have just fled into the countryside and it will take some time to locate them all.
Drescher is a bit over the top here, but it always bothered me that in canon no-one called the council on their delays. They stood by for months before interfering. Either they didn't know what was happening, which makes them idiots, or they were ok with what the turians were doing as long as it didn't backfire. Of course, in my version, they actually had a reason for the delay, but Drescher doesn't know that.