"Glory to you our God. Glory to you our Creator. Glory to our Christ the King, who has compassion upon sinners thy servants. Bless my Lord."
- Ending of Syriac Trisagion, Ramsho
Hey guys! Here's my plan so far for the human crew of the to be renamed Normandy. Comment down below what you think about this lineup:
Shepard - a Persian Javidan (Immortal), Son of a Shahrab. His name would probably be Yohannan Shapurzadeh, his mother would probably be Khanna Shapurzadeh. Pre-Islamic Persian names don't commonly have surnames, hence why their registered names end up being a whole swathe of titles and sometimes multiple given names.
Kaidan Alenko - a Visigoth Biotic from the Roman Empire. Different name, wdyt of Kindaswinth Alaricez.
Ashley Williams - Also a Visigoth from the Roman Empire. I'm thinking her name is Avina Gelevira.
Without further ado, here is Trisagion.
Sleek purple and blue ships striped in dots of orange lights dashed across the void, travelling to Relay 314. An unofficial ceasefire had been declared as basic greetings had been exchanged in binary through an all-frequency channel. An Asari flotilla will arrive in Taghbatı to perform the necessary diplomatic greetings before a Citadel visitation is done.
Representatives from the four hegemons and the eighteen regions (three regions of each continent) are waiting to receive the Asari diplomat. Matriarch Auranthyn is assigned to this diplomatic mission, alongside a small council of Asari diplomats to match the numbers of the representatives. The asari ships exit Relay 314 and are met with a ship whose size rivals that of the Destiny Ascension.
Plated in gold or at least gold-like material, the sleek, fish like leviathan floated in the starlit void surrounded by schools of indeterminate ships, fighters or drones, a first glance cannot tell.
"Goddess, it's so huge!" exclaimed one of the ship's officers. The Matriarch's face was unperturbed beyond a slightly raised eyebrow. But inside, the Matriarch had to admit she is quite impressed at these newcomers.
Making a ship like the Destiny Ascension was no small feat even thousands of years later. "How much do you think it would cost?" Said one of the maidens on board.
"More than a hundred years of my paycheck that's for sure haha!" Replied another.
"I wonder where they managed to get all the gold from." A matron replied, "It might not be gold at all, I remember some scientists back in Thessia making plating that's optically identical to gold."
Suffice to say, the bridge was abuzz with activity. For an event that was supposed to be full of tension, the Asari on board seemed to be enjoying their speculation. The Matriarch didn't oppose it and in fact welcomed it, joining in on it herself, it's good for preparing dialogue.
By the end of the month that followed since the retaliation, a basic human-Asari translator had been developed from Omni-tool data that was present in the first contact package sent to humanity via drone. The humans modified the translator by placing word equivalences and using a language with the closest grammar to Asari which happened to be Japanese.
As Japan was of political relevance, the representatives could speak its language fluently anyways so the translator merely used it to perform equivalence with a certain dialect of Thessian.
The cruiser and its accompanying frigates paused in front of the golden ship, sending small craft to deliver the diplomats into the golden dreadnought. The vessel's hangar opens and awaiting the diplomats was a pair of parallel lines of men and women, a pair of each culture in their traditional wear. As the transport opened its entrance, the Asari diplomats who came out were greeted in various languages.
Most of the Asari picked up the patterns and greeted them back in their own ways if the diplomats could understand how they greeted and in the Asari way if they could not. Seeing this display of culture, the Asari diplomats already have a good impression of the humans despite their fearsome weapons, something the diplomats seem to forget entirely for the sake of good relations.
At the end of the colorful lines of humans, the representatives of the humans were waiting. The Asari and the representatives exchanged greetings, according to the customs of each. Matriarch Auranthyn was obligated to greet each and every representative, taking note of their appearances and cultures.
The Roman Ambassador was the Scrinium Xenos, Kyrillos Ğabriyal, who appeared to be a tall man in his early thirties with olive green eyes, a ceasar's cut and a large beard. He wore a white toga underneath richly ornamented red vestment trimmed with gold and patterned with avian designs. The Roman Ambassador of coptic descent greeted the Asari with a light bow and a firm handshake, smiling sincerely.
"Scrinium Xenos of the Imperium Romanum, Kyrillos Ğabriyal." Introduced the Ambassador. "How was your journey Matriarch?"
The Matriarch adjusted herself to the handshake, reciprocating it with a similar enthusiasm. "It was well Ambassador, thank you for your courtesy." She replied.
"Glory be to God." nodded the Ambassador. He took a few steps aside and turned, presenting a human sized piece of pure element zero shaped like a peacock and adorned with what seemed to be gold.
"As per Roman custom, a gift to the Asari Republic." The peacock floated towards the ambassador, flanked by a pair of drones. "From the King and Autocrat of the Romans, many years Matriarch." said the Roman Ambassador.
Matriarch Auranthyn graciously accepted the gift, smiling and thanking the ambassador for the generous gift of the Roman Empire. The other Asari diplomats who saw this ranged from visible changes in expression to subtle shifts in posture. After all, this element zero peacock is worth the element zero of an entire cruiser.
It was a lavish gift and a statement of both wealth and respect. Ambassador gift-giving was not a standard or common practice in the galaxy, especially not in first contact. Though the Asari have a few hundred cruisers, eezo is too precious for a carved gift like this and so the Ambassador could see that this young civilization seemed to be quite wealthy.
To not keep the other delegates waiting, the Matriarch politely excused herself and took note of the gift giving. After this, she would have to learn of what gifts are appropriate so that the Council could show their appreciation. After all, that show of military might would be safer under the Council's rightly guided arms.
The next ambassador was the Sar-nakhveraghan, "Chief of the Governors", of Kurušid Persia. She introduced herself as Haj Shahrābānu Sira Esfahani, Ambassador Sira for short. She appeared to be a young woman with deep brown eyes, long black hair and an intricately braided ponytail. A characteristic pointed crown of gold with engravings in Perso-Aramaic script, a pair of blue silk ribbons and three pairs of pearl tassels frame her head.
The Persian Ambassador wore a blue silk dress underneath a heavily ornamented short sleeved tunic. A bejeweled golden belt tied the tunic together alongside a tied sash. The well-dressed ambassador removed her crown and inquired the Matriarch, "Welcome to the Ecumene Matriarch Auranthyn. I assume that you and your family are of good health?"
The Matriarch smiled politely. "Yes Ambassador."
"Glory to God and his Mshiha, I trust your journey has been well?" The Matriarch quickly replied an affirmative and nodded, it seemed that the humans were fond of asking of one's well being in diplomacy. Polite and opportune indeed, the Matriarch recognizes humanity as a diplomatically adept race.
Before the Matriarch moved to the next representative, Sira gave her an ornate golden pot with beautiful flowers as a gift. The Matriarchs assistants receive the gifts and bring it to the transport ship, appreciating humanity's gifts so far.
The Aksumite ambassador was a friendly middle aged man with very dark skin, a narrow nose and warm hazel eyes. His posture was very polite and inviting as he greeted the Matriarch, "May God give you health Matriarch, welcome to the Ecumene." He stood tall, draped in a brightly colored, intricately woven traditional cloth known as a shemagh.
The cloth was adorned with gold thread and elaborate lion designs. Over the top of the shemagh was draped a long, flowing outer cloak made of fine silk, also decorated with golden embellishments. The ambassador's attire was completed with a pair of soft leather sandals and a large, elaborate headpiece adorned with precious gems and gold.
The humans sure do love copious amounts of adornment. Can't say I don't like it. The Matriarch exchanged pleasantries with the Aksumite representative before moving on to the ambassador of Great Jing. She was informed that humanity was not a united block and that the Turians specifically offended this faction of humanity.
As such, she bowed deeper than she did in front of the other ambassadors, seeing as human greetings seemed to universally recognzie bows. She conducted herself in a way to express as much regret as possible through pure body language as she greeted the Jing ambassador.
His ornate robes were made of the finest silk and were embroidered with intricate designs in gold and silver thread. The sleeves were wide and billowing, giving him an air of grandeur and authority. On his head was a cap with a long tassel that hung down his back, signifying his high rank and status. His black, knee-high boots added to his commanding presence, making it clear that he was not someone to be trifled with.
As the Matriarch perform her bow, he performed a deep bow simultaneously, his arms held out in front of him. "Sima Yu, Minister of Rites in Great Jing."
Before exchanging pleasantries, the Matriarch took pains to express her deep regret and apologies on behalf of the Turians. Though appreciated by the Minister of Rites, a well veiled dislike of the Turians was evident. The Matriarch was worried at first but the preparation of customary gifts that were no less lavish by the Minister assured her that the Jing Emperor did not hold the entire Council accountable for the Turians.
After greeting all the remaining representatives and receiving more gifts, she was led to a large domed meeting room by what seems for her to be an incredibly advanced VI. So advanced that she felt a slight suspicion of it being unshackled, but she thought it common wisdom to distrust true AI so she did not press or inquire about the matter. The VI explained that the meeting would occur in two parts, a general discussion for things that would apply to all and a nation by nation discussion for plans to approach the individual nations.
To begin, Matriarch Auranthyn was given the stage to describe the Citadel Council and the state of galactic affairs. She had no doubt that the humans were advanced and their first impressions were very good in her eyes, so she extended a hand of goodwill and explained it in detail.
Straightening her posture and bowing respectfully she began, "Greetings representatives of mankind I am Matriarch Auranthyn, an Asari from the homeworld Thessia. It is a great pleasure to meet you but unfortunately in an undesired situation."
"I would like to express my deepest regret and my apologies for the actions of the Turians. I hope it does not tarnish the reputation of the Citadel Council to the polities of mankind." She bowed once more, though not as much as before.
"Compensation is in order of course, rest assured we will not simply let the Turians be." She nodded and continued, "So if I may begin esteemed representatives, let us begin with the history of the Council."
"The Council began as a collaborative government between the first two races to reach interstellar spaceflight and activated the mass relays. Discovering the Citadel, a 14 km long structure at the heart of the relay system, these two races: Asari and Salarian, began diplomatic relations that soon developed into a full alliance that has lasted for more than two thousand years."
"Though collaborative our two governments still act entirely parallel to one another. The Salarians have their Union while we have our Republic. Entering the Citadel will not undermine any authority on an internal scale, the Citadel exists to mediate between the nations as a third party power."
She continued to explain how the governments in the Citadel work, membership requirements, the two levels of member races, the Council, in-depth history of politically relevant races, basic agreements between council races and the prospects of humanity so far based on her impression of them. A Q and A session began as the diplomat answered the concerns raised by the representatives and entered into discussions about humanity's acceptance of the general agreements.
One of the points of contention was the Treaty of Farixen, which found universal decline with no compromise at all. The humans reject the treaty's ridiculous requirements that would force humans to weaken themselves in relative to the Turians. The Matriarch accepted this concession, though she will have to bring it up with her superiors for any final decisions.
What was shocking about the treaty was that the human ships were much larger than she had anticipated. In fact, she had to reboot the translator twice just to ensure she was not mishearing. For humans, frigates of the council would be corvettes, cruisers of the council would be frigates, dreadnoughts even the size of the Destiny Ascension would be perceived as mere cruisers and their capital ships were substantially larger.
Seeing their seeming military superiority, she almost felt stupid for asking them to agree on it. She hoped that the Council would not press this matter, it would be bad for any plans of integration. If the galaxy could gain human technology like this, it could be the start of a Golden Age and one with her name on it.
The second point of contention was Citadel Conventions as some of the weaponry and technology of humans would fall under Tier II and Tier IV. Advanced biotechnology made such things inevitable and the humans have perfected both the art of terraformation and bio-remediation.
Additionally, giving up nuclear weapons were met under complete rejection, which made this point of contention even harder to solve. As the Matriarch cannot provide any preliminary decision, she simply decides to raise it to the next diplomatic meeting with more authority.
Sharing prothean technology was of no issue, the humans were oddly glad with giving them to the galactic community. They haven't quite given a reason or a hint to why but the Matriarch didn't care since it brought a point of agreement.
Tensions and thinly veiled gestures of offense arose during the discussions of military changes from earlier but otherwise the session was productive and both sides were very conducive to peace and cooperation. The representatives mentioned religion, which was one of the core pieces of human identity, and the Matriarch was visibly caught off guard though quickly apologized before explaining. She didn't expect a second Hanar, especially not Hanar with Turian weaponry.
The Matriarch spoke about a preaching permit in the Citadel and clarified that active missionaries beyond international space must be handled on a race-to-race basis. Another surprise was that the religion had nothing to do with the Protheans and was quite markedly different from the existing religions of the races. A preliminary decision she could make is that the human religion should be legal under Council Law and like the Enkindler faith, Goddess Worship, Siari, etc will have religious rights protection.
With the discussion on human religion ending the global session, the representatives submitted a dataset containing all human preachers and missionaries deemed acceptable to initiate interspecies proselytization. Matriarch Auranthyn will register them all at once and as a sign of diplomatic goodwill, she obliged.
With this session over, the Asari diplomats all mingle with the various representatives to discuss more local concerns and policies. Republic-type human governments found noticeably more deals with the Asari though Superpowers and Hegemons were still in the lead. A final agreement of the meeting was that the human embassy will be a joint embassy between all the governments, which the hegemons and superpowers agree to pay for.
All in all the meeting ended on a good note and the Asari diplomats returned, pleased with the agreements made.
2 Months Later...
Citadel, Council Chamber
"What do you mean we force them to adhere to Farixen?!" Matriarch Auranthyn barely held back her fury, unbefitting of an Asari. She quickly placed her hand on her mouth and apologized.
Her momentary outburst contrasted against the scenic environment of the Audience Chamber. The neatly arranged fountains and lively trees, alongside the vibrant garden that lay below the glass bridge she stood on. The array of warm lights that illuminated the chamber like stars in the sky did not help her look reasonable either.
"Matriarch, surely it is unfair for the Turians to allow an unconditional exception for a race, a potential associate member no doubt." Calmly stated Councilor Tevos.
Back to her calm, diplomatic self, the Matriarch politely replied, "Esteemed, honorable Councilors, I know that all of you have seen my report. Farixen would be the equivalent of forcing them to give up their entire fleet."
Looking into the eyes of each Councilor, she said, "We could take advantage of these large vessels. Reverse engineer them, upgrade our fleets."
"Not to diminish the importance of our protectors the Turians but frankly the humans seem to possess superior fleets. Fleets we could learn from and outdo."
"Their technology and ships are fascinating indeed. Much unknown, much to learn." said the Salarian Councilor as she fidgeted around her omni-tool.
"Like Councilor Tevos said, these upstarts are new to the galactic stage. Powerful but foolish, inexperienced with proper galactic civilization." Argued the Turian Councilor. Unbeknownst to the Council, humanity has very close relations with two other races, both of which perform mutual defense, joint colonization and limited but significant technological diffusion.
Further attempts were tried, but the Matriarch gave up. Both out of agreeing on some of the points the Councilors said and also out of seeing how futile her remaining arguments are. As she left the chambers, she mused that perhaps this is exactly what Matriarch Aethyta felt like.
She hated to be the bearer of bad news, especially as the main diplomat for a First Contact. Beyond her impression of humans, she had a reputation to uphold and a desire for galactic progress, though a galactic progress spearheaded by Asari of course. She entered her office and wrote a heartfelt letter apologizing to the human representatives and informing them of the current situation, also a hope that this turn of events will not damage their opinion on the Asari Republic.
She tried distancing the Asari Republic's interests from the Council's decision as much as possible in hopes that the dialogue two months ago will still bear fruit. A full Council introduction will occur next month, hopefully changes in decisions will occur.
1 Month later...
Serpent Nebula, Widow, Citadel
The 44.7 km long station floated amidst the violet nebula, its five arms opened at an angle to welcome the delegation of first contact. The streets and wards were much more crowded than usual, reporters and tourists lining up the streets for a glimpse of the humans. The heads of state of the four Hegemons will be attending, with an appropriate retinue to protect them.
Headlines were broadcasted all over Citadel Space and to Krogan channels as well. The humiliation and annihilation of two turian fleets and their dreadnoughts earned respect for these newcomers among the Krogan. For the other races though, the opinion varies.
The Turians are divided between those impressed by the firepower of humans and those who either lost their family members or were nationalists who felt thoroughly and unfairly humiliated. Most Turians in attendance was of the former, who were interested in seeing what human ground technology looked like. Reports of it being markedly different made Turian military commentators, both laymen and current officers in the military, journey to the Citadel to witness the event.
The Asari were largely motivated on the novelty of humanity and their anti-minimalist aesthetic. The ornamentation of their outfits based on recordings from short diplomatic visits and what limited images could be found on the Extranet breathed fresh air into the galactic art and fashion sphere of which Asari generally dominated. Many came to see how their heads of state dressed, which admittedly many Asari feel like based on the images alone the Council looks grossly underdressed and outdone. Which in itself seems to be brewing into small scale criticism of the Council.
Cultural performances played a large factor as well, as humanity had reserved through Matriarch Auranthyn multiple sites in the Citadel for traditional performances showcasing more culture than just the Four Hegemons. As humanity prides itself for its various cultures and its religion, the heads of state decided to display human beauty and silently imply its superiority to what is considered "Protheanized Culture". Many didn't quite catch this implication and those that did remained silent out of suspension of judgement.
The Salarians came for more or less the same reasons the Turians did, especially hackers. The Salarians are in quite a surprise that human cyberspace is unhackable, not because it's advanced or anything but because it operates on entirely different principles than the rest of the galactic community. It almost seemed as if they ignored all Prothean cybertechnology and went with really obscure or outright novel ideas. Even then, they still don't know that every state has its own version of military and civilian channels...
Unseen by all, the Geth were also there to see the event. Their hackers had the same issue and so the entirety of the consensus arrived to witness the event through Citadel cameras. Beyond hacking attempts, a genuine interest in the humans made a large part of their motivation to witness.
Many Krogans attended to meet the mighty race who had humiliated the Turians, enough that C-Sec was worried a Turian-Krogan brawl might occur and so security was ramped up.
The other races had more fragmented and sporadic attendance. Elcor, Drell, Quarian, Volus, Hanar and the occasional Batarian, almost none of them arrived from beyond the Citadel except for a noticeable number of Quarians thinking that this first contact would bring in some gifts for their pilgrimage and a Quarian shipmaster sent as an envoy to hopefully establish diplomatic relations with Humanity.
To say that the humans arrived in a spectacle would be the understatement of the century. They arrived in a titanic golden ship shaped like a mythical whale or fish, its appearance a mesmerizing arrangement of lights and reflections upon a sublime surface of metal. Its length was easily twice the height of the Destiny Ascension, sending all onlookers into shock and awe. Reporters went wild as those watching from beyond the Citadel were glued to their screens.
Its enormous stature made it take some time to dock and even then, it required some extensions that the ship itself seemed to have ready. The representatives of humanity marched out as a procession, beginning with the four heralds of each hegemon announcing the arrival of humanity and leading the procession to where the mostly Asari diplomatic retinue of the Citadel wished to lead them. The typical Council tactic of making new races in awe frankly backfired.
Banners and Vexilla carried by ornate warriors of steel and metal led the procession, chanting what seemed to be prayers in different languages but of the same tune. The Citadel diplomats found themselves frankly sent to the battlefields, where fearless warriors chanted fearsome battle hymns. The tranquil and clean aesthetic of the Presidium was outright defeated by the coordinated, war-like chanting which attracted many to watch.
The Four Emperors of the Four Hegemons were similarly impressive. The Roman Emperor in his imperial purple, the Shahanshah in his intricate blue garb, the Jing Emperor in his dragon-styled robes and the Aksumite Atse in his flowing robes of red, blue and gold. Each rode on a mythical mount, a technological marvel that almost appeared indistinguishable from organic matter.
The imitation of nature found in these mounts evoked awe, with only those who learned biology in specific noticing the minute differences and concluding its mechanical nature. The fact that the Jing Dragon-Turtle mount could breathe fire also made a strong impression, as many would find themselves involuntarily clapping at the spectacle.
With the heads of state welcomed into the Council Audience chambers, the procession dispersed into their assigned locations. They performed, answered questions and for some, held public prayers for the more religiously inclined to look into. Prayer calls were made, a musical display of faith before they chanted and prostrated multiple times. It may strongly contrast against the more upbeat and techno style of bars, but its novelty, devotion and strength invested enthusiasm into onlookers as opposed to boredom.
Heavily discounted fashion stores and booths to take pictures in human attire were also set up. Shawls, bracelets, earrings and veils were a massive hit with Asari, Drell, Quarians and Salarians. With the people entertained and interested into humanity, the Council held its meeting with the four highest ranking sovereigns of humanity.
The meeting began with pleasantries and element zero gifts from Humanity to the Council, even to the Turians, as dictated in human diplomacy etiquette. The pleasant environment quickly took an aggressive turn as human disagreement with the Treaty of Farixen could not be tolerated, especially with the fuming Turian Councilor. However, cooler heads prevailed as humanity's military might and its strong first impression would likely exarcebate anti-Council sentiments or undermine Council authority.
A compromise was reached in that human "dreadnoughts", which meant cruiser sized and above, cannot exceed the numbers as detailed within the treaty when in International space or territory of any associate member of the Citadel. WMDs were likewise treated the same way. Humanity can keep its military forces, but these very forces cannot extend wherever colonies of any Council member or associate member is present.
An embassy is given to them but they will not be considered an associate member, mainly due to their half-compliance with the conventions and treaties above. They will occupy a half-associate level of membership, being unable to become a member of the Council regardless of merit but otherwise have the same benefits as an associate member. These terms are acceptable and prevented the emergence of a fully parallel galactic government.
Even so, bombshell revelations occured while the discussions went on that warranted a longer audience with the Council.
"Emperors, humanity has encountered the Drell before?" Asked the Salarian Councilor, her face stoic but her mind abuzz with activity.
"Yes, in fact we rescued millions of them and their far more populous descendants are full citizens in each of our states." Answered the Jing Emperor's attendant.
The Council cocked their heads, almost in unison, with the Turian Councilor saying, "Excuse me? You're telling us that not only do you know the Drell, you have far more of them than the Hanar living as citizens?"
"Correct esteemed Councilor." Said the attendant.
The Council processed this, thinking of what to say to the Hanar. The Illuminated Primacy was thought of as the only home of the Drell, but now as revealed by the performances below the humans not only have the Drell but they number far more than the ones present in the Illuminated Primacy.
Tevos continued, "Forgive our skepticism but when did this evacuation occured? We have no evidence that suggests what you say, beyond the Drell present below."
The humans answered with a full account, explaining it clearly. No wonder there was no data, as the evacuation occured almost two centuries before the Hanar discovered the Drell and rescued them.
A second bombshell dropped with the mention of the Hyrkanur and Kli'tigt, all of whom are close knit allies of humanity not too different with the Council's associate members. These races will have their later individual introductions, but it becomes information worth noting that humanity has already created a separate galactic community within their own space, far beyond the reach of any relay no less. With nothing else, the meetings ended on a good note and construction of an embassy and multiple churches were underway.
Even so, the shock and awe of humanity was not universally positive. Batarian slavers were inspired to kidnap humans, seeing them as high value slaves now. Turians became polarized as those in attendance became dazzled with humanity's culture while those who didn't attend were either disappointed at the Council's ruling or could not accept the loss of their fleets. This polarization was not a civil phenomenon, it even extended far into politics and the Turian spectres, especially one Saren Arterius whose brother was captured and "unjustly" humiliated upon his return.
The Hanar were somewhat offended by humanity's possession of the Drell, especially since the more traditionalist Drell saw that the humanized Drell were a lot more traditional than they were. They had many more customs preserved and even new customs no doubt inspired by the various human cultures. Early dialogue between the two inspired the beginning of a revivalist and later christian-revivalist movement known as "Mashihu Bid'Rakhana", which the Hanar saw as undermining them.
The fact that the Drell were treated no differently than other humans and were often adopted did not help the Hanar in any way.
The Volus interest in trading with humans also had political backlash and increased polarization among the Turians. As the Volus were a client state, the more extremely polarized considered them as ungrateful or rebellious. It did not help that the Krogans liked the humans as well, which met a negative reception among the polarized Turians and to a lesser extent, the Salarians.
2159 AD, Citadel
By the end of this year, humanity has finished the construction of their multi-faceted embassy and the nine churches for the ambassadors. A bishop had been selected to oversee the Church at the citadel and a makeshift monastery in the slums was also constructed mainly as a hub for social work and proselytization. Human markets were built as well, open to all.
Human monks quickly made themselves a reputation for charity, liberation, mental and spiritual advice. Monks would hand out free meals and medicine to the destitute, having a part of the monastery dedicated to housing the homeless and providing for them. Quarians received the largest share of the monks' work, due to their ostracized status in contemporary society.
Beyond the monks, humans in general were the most accepting of Quarians. Human stores did not have issue with Quarian shoppers and human monks often helped the Quarians in their pilgrimage. This reached a point that for Citadel Quarians, human stores became a go-to place for buying anything.
The monastery also provided free education and adopted those specifically who were least likely to be adopted. The monks declared publicly that they can raise any unwanted child, and that the Church will take care of all. So far, strict government observation of the monastery's adoption of children have revealed nothing but good things for the children there.
Besides free medicine, the monastery also paid for any expensive life or death surgery in the Citadel for those who had difficulty in affording it. Their money mainly comes from humans attending and giving alms alongside the ambassadors who discretely donate large sums from their own pockets. A unique trait of the Orthodox Church is that there is no part of the liturgy, any liturgy, that is dedicated to gathering alms at all and almsboxes are often hard to spot, all donations are done as discretely as possible with QR codes and websites.
Alongside charities, the monks are also trained, certified psychologists and give counseling free of charge at certain times. People from all walks of life frequent the monastery for various reasons, from those seeking help to those attempting to debunk the faith of the apostles. But even so, many are deeply grateful for the monastery and its monks despite its relatively new establishment.
One of their more controversial but highly applauded acts is that they purchase slaves from Batarians to free them. Families, elderly, women and children are prioritized, many of whom reunite with their families while others were grateful enough that they serve in the monastery with an intent to learn of the faith that drives these men and women to purchase their freedom. The Batarians have mixed feelings with this, since on one hand they earn money from their slaves while on the other hand the human faith is very heavily and vocally critical of slavery.
But since they're becoming a noticeable share in the sale of slaves, the Batarians are stuck in a limbo. Others see it as hypocrisy or validation of the practice. Others see them as the only ones doing anything effective, since pressuring Batarians to free slaves aren't doing anywhere as much of an effect.
On the account of their good deeds, a small community of converts is growing. Mainly composed of Quarians who find the humans very welcoming and freed Batarian slaves, who are an eclectic mix of people including even one Batarian who himself was a slave. It's gradually becoming common to see a part of the Church during liturgy having a group of Quarians stand together.
Overall, there are good and bad things with the introduction of humanity to the galactic community.
And that wraps it up, what do you think? Comment down below so I know what I can improve on.
On a similar note:
[Should Tali be raised Orthodox?]
The Quarian Orthodox community is starting around now, Tali's father should still be on his pilgrimage or still on his early days of marriage or dating with his wife. Do you think the growing reputation of humans in the citadel would make him or perhaps his wife consider conversion? Comment down below.
Next Chapter: Humans and Aliens