4.12
"Poor design." The alien says.
Benezia blinks. She looks around, seeing... blackness.
"So long to utilize, such obvious physical tells. Evolution has taken that ability and made it sloppy."
"What are you talking about?" She asks, looking back at him.
This was not a normal Meld.
"Precisely that." The alien answers. "Your ability to Meld."
"Wha-"
"Waste of time."
Benezia feels a jolt, and all of a sudden, the world goes back to normal.
She's standing in the hangar, hand still outstretched, though the alien has pulled his away.
"I am Javik." The alien, Javik, says, his words in perfect Thessian but given an odd tinge by his flanging voice. "And I see now that the galaxy is utterly ignorant."
"I..." She had been caught off guard, off balance. This was... atypical. "Pardon?"
"Ignorant." Javik repeated. "Unaware, unknowing. Fixable, at least."
"Javik." One of the other two aliens said, lightly. Javik turned, eyes narrowing at the Asari-like being, before turning back to Benezia.
"Do you have somewhere to rest, Asari? I do not care if this meeting takes place here, but explaining history and correcting your ignorance will take a considerable amount of time."
"I-" Benezia cleared her throat, sharing a brief glance with her fellow diplomats. "Of course. Just this way."
"Shall we start with the basics?" Benezia asked, now significantly more collected. She'd had the precious time she'd needed to gather herself, and it showed. "We still do not know very much about each other."
"We don't even know the name of your companions' species." The Salarian diplomat, Sadir, noted. She had remained calm this entire time.
"Nor yours, really." Detius, the Turian diplomat added.
"Were you unable to translate the name correctly?" Javik asked, eyes narrowed.
"Ah..." Again, nothing went as planned. "The word we received for your species translates as 'Prothean'-"
"Then no, there wasn't a translation error, and yes, you do know the name of my species." Javik interrupted. "These two are from a species known as 'Humanity', usually shortened to 'Human' for individuals and 'Humans' for groups."
"I-" Benezia began, but was once more interrupted.
"You claim to be a Prothean?" Sadir asked, head turning to Javik.
"I am a Prothean. Just as you are a Salarian, and he-" Javik gestured to Detius. "- is a Turian."
"That seems quite unlikely." Sadir noted. "The Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago."
"History as you know it is not history as it happened." Javik's eyes flicked to the Salarian. "'Vanished' is not the word that should be used for what happened to my people. 'Destroyed' would be more accurate."
"Perhaps,-" One of the Humans interrupted, before anybody else could get another word in. "- we should all start at the beginning? Explain our histories, before discussing the finer details."
Never had Benezia been so grateful to another.
"You just spoke Thessian." Sadir stated, just as Benezia herself registered that fact. "When and how did you learn the language?"
"We learned it during the trip to this room, thanks to Javik." The Human answered. "As for how, that would be because of our abilities, which we will cover during our explanations."
Sadir nodded after a moment, not entirely satisfied, but not willing to push it, either.
"As we are the guests-" The Human continued, briefly looking at Javik, before turning to face Benezia with a smile on his face. "- aboard this ship, would you like to start us off?"
Benezia would have preferred to learn about them, first, but honestly, she couldn't help but be grateful for the fact that things had gone back on track. "Of course."
She poked at her omnitool for a moment, surreptitiously clearing her throat. A hologram appeared above the table in front of them, showing Thessia, in all its glory.
"My people are known as the Asari." Benezia began. "And our history beings upon our homeworld, Thessia..."
It had taken a little over an hour to get everything out of the way. The history of the Citadel Species was quite a long one, even when abridged. There were eight civilizations that were a part of it, with another two who had since left, but had still played a considerable part in the history.
Over two and a half thousand years of history could not be packed into a single hour.
Therefore, they hadn't tried. They had given the key parts; a brief history of the galaxy, the importance of the Protheans to it all, and a few insights into each species.
"Truly fascinating." One of the Humans said. "I would dearly like to learn more."
"That can wait until later." Javik interrupted. "Not all of us have an infinite amount of time available."
"True enough, I suppose." The Human responded. "It's our turn, anyway. Would you like to start, or should I?"
"I will." Javik grabbed an item at his side, placing it upon the table.
"69,372 years ago, -" Javik began, the device activating and projecting a hologram of a silver-green planet. "- my people arose from the world of Veig."
"Sixty nine thous-"
"Silence." Javik interrupted Sadir, suddenly and sharply. "I did you the favour of not interrupting you when you were claiming utterly ridiculously things about my people, so you will not speak until I am done."
After a few seconds where nobody said anything, Javik inhaled, and continued, "Our early history was much like yours. We expanded into space, found Element Zero, bridged the gap into another system, and eventually stumbled upon what you refer to as a 'Mass Relay', a transit device that we Protheans would mistakenly attribute the creation of to our predecessors, the Inusannon."
"It wasn't." He stressed.
"Afterwards, we would follow the network of Mass Relays all the way back to what you refer to as the 'Citadel'." Javik continued, the hologram obligingly changing to show the Citadel, inhabited by the Protheans.
Sadir's mouth opened, and Javik immediately shot her a glare.
Sadir closed her mouth.
"There, we would establish the center of our government." Javik said. "Eighteen thousand years of prosperity, the occasional war, and development later, we were attacked by an enemy that we know as the Reapers."
The hologram changed, showing the dark form of the Reapers.
"They destroyed us." Javik stated, impassionately. "They disabled the Mass Relays, cut off the center of our government, and then proceeded to hunt us down over the course of three mere centuries. My entire civilization, gone like dust in the wind."
He went silent for a few moments, before continuing. "A few of us made a plan; we couldn't win against the Reapers, so we would simply wait them out. It started just fine; we made a bunker and hid a million in stasis, though there was an unfortunately complication where we were discovered and everything went horrifically wrong, but that was sorted out. Due to that, however, our systems that would automatically wake us up broke, so we ended up staying in stasis until they -" Javik pointed at the Humans, who smiled. "- showed up and woke us up."
"Any questions?"
4.13
"You have evidence?" Sadir asked, near-immediately after Javik.
"An extensive array." Javik stated.
"Wait, hold on." Detius interrupted, pointing at the hologram projector. "That last image was the Citadel."
"Your capacity to state the blindingly obvious is incredible." Javik said, bluntly.
"There is not way your people could have gotten an image of the citadel, unless-"
"Unless I'm not lying." Javik interrupted. "Yes."
Javik poked the holographic projector, and, immediately, more images began to appear, arranging in a grid.
Protheans on the Citadel, Prothean constructions, Prothean fleets surrounding the Citadel, Protheans poking at the Keepers, Protheans engaging in war with another species, the Citadel in the background...
All that and more.
Javik, after several seconds, poked it again. The hologram changed once more, going from flat planes to a full three-dimensional form. The Citadel, open, and spinning slowly, rendered in a surprising amount of detail.
"Your kind call it the Citadel. We called it the Keep." He noted. "The Inusannon before us labeled it the 'Core', for its positioning in the Mass Relay Network."
"This..." Sadir started, but paused for a few moments before continuing. "This holds many implications."
Javik laughed, humourless. "Of course it does. You believe that we created the Mass Relays and the Citadel; but we didn't. You believed that we vanished quitely for no discernable reason; but we didn't. You believe that we were gone for good, never to return; and here we are. The last survivors of a galactic genocide."
"Implications... unpleasant." Sadir stated, but it was more to herself than it was to anybody else.
The room fell quiet.
"We understand that it sounds... fantastical." One of the Humans began. "But everything that Javik has said so far is, to the best of our knowledge, entirely true. We can corroborate his evidence."
"It would take a significant amount of time to go through such evidence." Sadir noted. "To ensure that it isn't falsified or misrepresented. As well as to transfer and translate it to our systems." She added, almost as an afterthought
"Of course." The Human agreed. "We will assist as much as we are able."
"Before you do that; -" Javik interrupted. "- start the explanation on your history. It should be finished now rather than later."
"Probably for the best." The Human agreed.
The Human held up his hands, index fingers extended. He tapped the ends of them together, a small blue light sparking into existence as he did.
Sadir blinked at it, while Detius frowned. Benezia carefully looked over the Human, but she couldn't see any obvious holographic technology.
They grabbed it, fingers pulling at the light, stretching it and making it larger. With a gesture, the light shifted forwards, hovering above the table
"We are Humanity." He spoke, and with a start, Benezia realised that his eyes were glowing. "And our story begins upon the world of Earth."
The light reacted, blooming into a slightly transparent shape.
A planet; predominantly blue, its landmasses green and brown, with spots of white clouds decorating it.
That wasn't all; from three points of the planet stretched long silver-grey structures, several times the length of the planet itself. Halfway up the three structures, a ring stretched around the planet, a silver-grey band wrapping around it.
An Orbital Ring, and three Space Elevators to go with it. That was... quite the engineering achievement.
"There are many points at which I could begin telling our history. But, in the interests of brevity, and in ensuring you can discuss the previous revelations with the appropriate people, I will start at the point that changed the course of our history forever more."
The hologram shivered, the green and blue planet morphing into a grey-white one.
"This is Charon." The Human smiled, gesturing towards it. "It was a moon in our home system."
"'Was'?" Sadir noted.
"Yes." The Human nodded. "It exploded."
The three Citadel diplomats looked at the Human.
"Unknown to Humanity before then, Charon was host to an alien machine." The Human continued. "You know it as a 'Mass Relay'. It had been inactive for tens of thousands of years, allowing ice and cosmic dust to build up on it over time, until it was reactivated, and subsequently shed all of its accumulated matter in a single, violent burst."
"Somebody activated a Mass Relay into your space." Detius nodded. "And the moon exploded."
"Exactly so." The Human agreed. "On that day, Humanity gained confirmation that it was not, in fact, alone in the universe. Two beings came through that Mass Relay."
"'Beings'?" Sadir questioned. "Not 'ships'?"
"'Beings' is an accurate word, in this case." The Human stated. "Neither of them are normal beings. One of them was a Reaper."
The hologram of Charon shifted again, forming...
A very strange shape. It seemed mechanical, with a number of 'limbs' coming from its sides and front.
"That's... a ship?" Detius asked.
"Do not confuse that monster for a ship." Javik cut in. "That is a platform hosting an ancient and malevolent Artificial Intelligence. It isn't a ship, it's a machine body."
"These Reapers are Artificial Intelligences?" Detius asked, for confirmation.
"For all intents and purposes, yes." The Human agreed. "If I may continue?"
"Of course." Benezia nodded. "Our apologies."
The Human tipped his head. "The other being was the Reaper's opposite. We would eventually come to call it 'The Dreamer'."
The hologram changed again.
And, again, it was another strange shape.
It was also bright blue, glowing with its own internal light. Two 'arms' hung from the top, connected alongside two pairs of 'wings', and two more pairs of long 'streamers'.
"I've never seen anything like that before." Benezia stated, leaning closer to look at the hologram. It was... strangely beautiful, its ethereal appearance majestic in an alien way. "The Dreamer?"
"Yes." The Human nodded. "The Reaper was attacking it, but failed to actually land any attack. The two of them wandered throughout our home system for nearly twenty hours, which we recorded in its entirety with every available telescope on our planet."
"What happened at the end?" Benezia asked.
"Humanity's history changed." The Human stated. "The Reaper came to Earth, unable to hit the Dreamer. It prepared to bombard our planet, but the Dreamer did not allow that to happen."
The holographic form of the dream split, shifting streams of light forming into panes of what appeared to be crystalline glass. Moments later, they shifted, showing the recordings of several different satellites.
The Human said nothing as the events played out. The Reaper trying to attack, only for the Dreamer to get in an attack of its own, turning the tables on the Reaper. The Mass Effect Barrier simply being punched through. The Reaper losing a limb in an explosion of crystals, something that made Sadir pay exceedingly close attention. The Reaper releasing drones, then moving to Earth. The chilling moment as it prepared to attack, followed by the relief as it was stopped at the last moment by the Dreamer.
The moments that followed; the Dreamer finally taking a hit, all to spare the Human's homeworld.
The end; the Dreamer crashing into the Reaper, engulfing both of them in a mass of blue crystals.
And, finally, the crystal mass falling towards the planet below.
"And that -" The Human stated. "- is how the Dreamer came to Earth. From then onwards, Humanity was forever changed."
4.14
"That looked like something you'd see in a holo-vid." Detius stated.
"Certainly seems fantastical, doesn't it?" The Human nodded. "We learned that day that the laws of physics were really just more along the lines of suggestions."
"Do you-" Detius cleared his throat. "Alright, I'll be entirely honest. That video shows teleportation, and crystals appearing out of nowhere. This entire sequence of events looks like bad special effects. It's such an obvious fabrication that I just don't understand why anybody would try and perpetuate it; especially during such a critical event as First Contact. This moment will shape the future of relationships between your species and the rest of the galaxy, and yet... This. Do you honestly expect us to believe what you've shown us.?"
The Human vanished with a pop, which made Detius, Sadir, and Benezia recoil.
Another pop behind them had them spinning around, coming face to face with the same Human. "To be equally honest, no. I didn't expect you to believe something that sounds so ridiculous, especially not right now."
Javik did not smile, but deep inside, he was happy to see that somebody else had to deal with the Humans' nonsense for once.
"I do, however, expect you to believe the evidence we provide." The Human continued. "The reason why we perpetuate such an obvious fabrication is, quite simply, that it isn't a fabrication at all. Ridiculous as it sounds, this is nothing but the truth."
Detius reached out, and poked the Human. When the Human failed to vanish or be not there, Detius grabbed a limb, squeezing it.
"Teleportation?" Sadir asked, her voice faint.
The Human vanished with another pop, and Detius was suddenly holding nothing but air.
"Teleportation." The Human confirmed, now sitting in his chair. Sadir turned around almost immediately, Benezia shortly following.
It took Detius several moments to turn around, but when he did, he had a severely confused expression on his face.
"As for the crystals, that is the primary and most common indicator of an Assimilation Phenomenon." The Human held up a hand, palm facing upwards.
There was a sound, like a harmonic tone, before a crystalline mass sprouted into existence above the Human's hand.
"Fundamentally, Assimilation Phenomena are methods of acquiring and manipulating information." The Human stated, as the mass floating above its hand continued to grow, forming a roughly cylindrical shape. "In this case, 'information' can refer to many things. Primarily, it refers to matter, mass, and energy, though it can also refer to other things."
The crystals flashed with internal light, and shattered, sending shards of blue crystal scattering to the tabletop.
Most vanished on the way there. The largest shards were the only ones that made it, but even they continued to fragment into smaller and smaller shards, forming a crystal dust that soon vanished entirely.
In the crystal's place was a small metal cylinder. It floated in the air for a few moments before it dropped into the Human's waiting hand.
Javik rolled his eyes once he saw it.
"Given that, through Assimilation Phenomena,-" The Human continued, spinning the cylinder in his hands. "- one can remove, alter, and produce matter and energy at will." The cylinder suddenly stopped, and, with a snap-hiss, activated.
Bright blue light filled the room, the cylinder projecting a beam of humming plasma for a little under a meter and a half. He twisted it, slowly, and the humming grew as it moved through the air.
Benezia felt the heat of it on her skin, lower than she expected, but still very present.
A moment later, the plasma blade turned off. Crystals grew on the device itself, covering it entirely.
The Human flicked it upwards, and it shattered, no trace of the device remaining.
"Now, I have not covered all that much in the grand scheme of things, but I have covered enough that any further talks and negotiations should only take place once all relevant parties are informed. I am certain that the three of you have superiors and peers whom you must talk to to?" The Human asked.
Benezia blinked at the abruptness of that- but the Human wasn't wrong. "We do." She answered.
She had her fellow Matriarchs, Sadir had the Dalatrasses, and Detius, of course, had the Primarch and the rest of the upper echelons of the Turian Hierarchy.
The Human nodded. "In that case, I will propose a temporary break; enough time for you to confer. For the sake of efficiency, I'd like to use that time to see if we can find a way to make our computer systems compatible, which would dramatically ease this entire process. Is that alright with you?"
It certainly wasn't a bad idea. Benezia glanced at Sadir, who nodded, and Detius, who was staring into the distance, before nodding herself. "Indeed. I will send for some technicians."
"Thank you." The Human dipped his head.
"I will be leaving." Javik stated. "I have duties to attend to. Joran will take my place."
"Of course."
"This is real?"
"To the best of our knowledge. We, personally, experienced it, and every sensor on the Luminary confirms our experience."
"So you're telling us that this new species can create matter from nothing, teleport, delete matter, and who knows what else?"
"To say nothing of these so-called Protheans."
"Those Protheans provided us with a translation matrix for the Prothean language. Applying it to all known Prothean artifacts has... revealed that our own translations were incorrect. We have been wrong for a very long time about such subjects."
"The only thing that proves is that they know the Prothean language better than us. "
"The effects on the archaeological community are still significant. To say nothing that we still don't have any proof that they're not the Protheans. All of their data is lining up. Even the STG can't confirm anything falsified about it."
"..."
"Until further notice, it makes sense to treat this as real. No matter how nonsensical it may seem."
"Fine. Continue the negotiations. Keep the information on the high level. We need to know much more before we make our decisions."
5.1: Coexistence
"STG has finished checking over the files. ASA and TI agree with the conclusions."
"So, which is it? Is this the most solid hoax in galactic history, or is it real?"
"Unfortunately... it's real."
Silence ran throughout the room.
Tevos sighed, her hand coming to rest at her forehead. "To what degree of certainty?"
"99.999%." Matriarch Benezia stated. "It all checks out. Every bit of it. It is all self-consistent, all elaborates our own understanding, all of it... if not real, then so well faked that what it would require to fake it is worse than the reality itself."
"So, the Protheans are back, and there's a species of what might as well be Tikra with them." Primarch Setonius said.
"I'm afraid I don't understand that reference?" Dalatrass Kiran asked.
"Tikra are a class of spirits from older myths, associated with forges." Primarch Methark, the third most powerful Primarch in Turian space, explained. "The older myths also held that stars were the greatest forges. As Tikra ensouled them, Tikra were, therefore, demi-gods, world builders, life bringers, and sources of endless power alike."
"Appropriate, then." Dalatrass Kiran agreed.
Humanity.
What a subject.
"The reports about Hirroth weren't exaggerated?" Matriarch Silian asked.
In response, Benezia activated her Omni-tool. The holographic projector in the center of the room activated, projecting a picture of the planet in question, a timer underneath it.
It was barren, dead, as it had been made over a millennium ago by the Salarian fleet. Another press activated the timer.
It was set at an accelerated rate; ticking upwards by minutes every second. The gathered heads of state, their assistants, and more, all watched as the planet was slowly consumed by the blue crystal.
Ten seconds in, one hour had passed, and over a third of the planet had been consumed. At two hours, most of it was shining blue crystal. At two and a half, it was consumed entirely, and the crystal grew outwards, stretching hundreds of kilometers more. At three hours, it was entirely finished, and the crystals violent exploded.
The world left in its wake was different. There was the shroud of an atmosphere, with oceans stretching across it.
Benezia pressed another button, and the image sped up even further. An hour every two seconds, now.
The continents began to turn green. Forests, plains, deserts, all this and more appeared over the course of a day.
By the end of the second, it was a world that would have been considered a prime colony site by nearly anybody. By the third, it was a garden world that rivaled any other.
Benezia stopped the playthrough. "According to our scientists, Hirroth is once again a fully viable garden world."
Another pause went through the room. That kind of power was something that no Citadel Species wielded. To turn a dead world into a prosperous garden world in only a few days was...
Game-changing.
"We've all seen that." Councilor Tevos noted, after a few moments. "Or, we've all heard the reports at least. All matters related to this Contact Event are..." She paused, searching for the right word. "Dramatic, in their implications and consequences. The ramifications could reflect on every aspect of life. We must still form our response."
That, of course, was the entire reason that this summit had been called in the first place. In the scale of events that had happened and would follow, the Council Species could not afford anything less than a united response. Thus, the gathered Primarchs, Dalatrasses, Councilors, and Matriarchs.
These were some of the most important people in galactic politics.
It was a very, very rare occasion that the highest members of all three polity's governments met like this.
"Shall we discuss that now, or should we outline the rest of the facts?" Tevos asked.
How long this would take was... open to interpretation.
Three weeks, four days, and five hours.
That was the amount of time it took to prepare everything.
Another three days to schedule and perform a press release, revealing details about the events that had, until then, existed only as Extranet speculation and conspiracy.
Two more, for the resulting chaos to die down to an acceptable level, and Extranet relays stopped being overwhelmed in every corner of the galaxy.
And, five days after that, for the planned arrival of the Human and Prothean ships to occur.
"This, I think, is proof of victory." The Human said as he appeared next to Javik.
The past month had been quiet, by Javik's new standards. The Humans had found other to occupy their time and attention, which had led to blessed peace that had done wonders for Javik's ever-fraying sense of normality. Alas, all good things had to come to an end, and he was once again caught directly in the attention span of Humanity.
"What?" Javik asked.
The Human gestured forwards.
Javik turned. On the viewscreen, the Citadel hovered, surrounded by the pink and purple nebula that shrouded it. Javik had only ever seen it before in memory fragments, through the eyes of Protheans long dead.
"The Protheans return to the Citadel, alive and prosperous." The Human said. "After everything the Reapers have done, you are a monument to their failure."
Seeing it now was... Almost more than he could describe.
"We are not there yet." He says, voice low, quieted by ancient memories.
"I suppose not." The Human says, head turning to the screen. His eyes were glowing brightly, irises a solid blue.
Javik's own eyes narrowed as he realized.
"The Dreamer was here at some point." The Human said, answering the wordless question.
"What are you talking about?" Javik asked.
The Human shook his head, the glow fading with a blink. "I cannot say, specifically. I can feel an echo of the Dreamer's presence. Long enough ago that only the barest sense of an impression survives... The Dreamer did something here, something important... But I'm not sure what."
"The knowledge will come in time." Javik dismissed. "Focus on the present, not the past, Marcus."
Marcus dipped his head in a nod, acknowledging Javik's words.
But even so... 'Past? Or, perhaps...' Marcus considered it. 'The future?'
5.2
There was a mind hiding in the circuits. It was an odd thing, formed of a multitude of components, each one sub-sentient and non-sapient, but they came together to form something that was more than the sum of its parts.
They know what this is. This is Geth. The networked intelligence created by the Quarians. The diplomatic groups that they'd talked with over the last few weeks had claimed that the Geth were isolationist, and did not leave their territory.
Evidently, they were wrong.
The only reason they had refrained from revealing the mind's existence was the simple fact that it wasn't hostile. It was a watcher, nothing more, observing with mechanical curiosity.
It was interesting to consider. The Citadel Species thought the Geth were dangerous, but from their quiet forays into the mind, it seemed that there was much that the Citadel Species were unaware of.
They would have to open communications, at some point. Not now, but later.
Marcus, therefore, refrained from showing any signs that he knew it was there. An easy thing to do, when one had complete control of their own physiology.
Instead, he looked around the Citadel. The eyes and senses of most of Humanity working alongside his own. He was the only one physically present, but physicality had little meaning, really.
"I honestly have to give my compliments." Marcus said aloud. "This station really is something else."
"I'm sure you've built bigger at some point or another." Javik said, in a voice that would have been snide if Marcus didn't know him as well as he did.
"It's not the size, Javik." Marcus noted. "Nor the design, really. It's the fact that there are so many people from so many different species here, all working together to keep the galaxy going, for the most part."
"They ruined it." Javik stated, like the drama queen he was. "So many species, and there's equals. Nobody has risen to the top, nobody has taken the galaxy in a firm hand. They're wasting time with these diplomatic games, completely unaware that the dangers the galaxy holds for them aren't going to stop for something so meaningless as cooperation."
"You know that I can tell when you're complaining for the sake of complaining, right?" Marcus asked, almost legitimately curious.
"We're here." Their guide, a Turian by the name of Loginus, gestured forwards, staring at Javik with a cautious eye.
"Thank you." Marcus smiled at him. Javik stared back, all four eyes narrowed and focused on the Turian.
Marcus rolled his eyes, and stepped forwards, the door in front of him opening as he did.
With one last glare to the Turian, Javik dismissed him and did the same.
"Can't you be polite?"
"Being polite will not stop the Reapers."
Tevos quickly went through the list on her Omnitool, checking, once again, that all the preparations made in the previous weeks were in place. It was more habit than anything else; she knew they were and would be, as one did not reach this level on the political ladder without being able to ensure that all things were prepared as they were meant to be.
Even now, the Human and the Prothean were on their way up the Citadel Tower. The trip was a long one, though that was more because the distance the elevator had to cover rather than the speed of the elevator itself. It nevertheless provided precious time for composing themselves.
Tevos spared a glance at the other two Councillors. Corha seemed entirely unbothered, but the Salarian was always like that, putting on a perfect mask to disguise her true thoughts and emotions.
Salvilus, meanwhile, stood completely straight, the rigid posture telling Tevos that he was uncomfortable with this situation.
Not surprising. Situations that were completely outside of his control usually made him quite unhappy.
Still, needs must.
The room they had chosen was one floor below the main atrium. It was flatter, carefully gardened, more of a general meeting room rather than one that emphasized the power and importance of the Citadel Council.
Some might think that having a private meeting with a pair of almost completely unknown individuals was a bad idea. Those people had no idea just how many protections there were in the Citadel, how many guards call be called upon in an instant if the Council so desired, as well as the minor fact that none of the three Citadel Councillors were defenseless, even on their own.
Tevos had lived a long life, and her... foolish younger years had taught a considerable amount of experience as a Commando and otherwise.
Corha would seem to be a normal Salarian female, but the simple fact was; she was a Salarian female, and, less publically, she'd become a Councillor after a long and fruitful employment in the STG.
Salvilus, of course, was a high-ranking Turian.
The door chimed, and Tevos shifted her stance, slightly.
The two who came through were near opposites. The Prothean, Javik, adorned in his armour, surrounded by an aura of pure irritation, while the Human, Marcus, seemed entirely at peace, calm and friendly.
An odd pair, and one that matched the descriptions she'd been given completely.
It had been quite some time since she'd been a Commando, but time had not dulled her instincts. She watched the two carefully, eyes taking the two in.
Javik held himself like a soldier. An old soldier, who never quite came back from a war. Which... considering what she knew of his history, was perhaps not that surprising.
His eyes darted over them, taking in the room and all three Councillors quickly and efficiently. She could just about see the plans and contingencies form in his head, filed away for if it was ever necessary. She noted his eyes narrow at her, perhaps recognizing a fellow combatant.
The Human, in contrast, held himself openly. His stance was tall and straight, certainly, but there was no tension in it. He was entirely unafraid, seemingly uncaring of any potential threats.
She didn't think it was an act, for some reason. He truly did seem just that uncaring.
He was probably the most dangerous being in the room, anyway.
Well, regardless of things like that...
Tevos put on a smile, taking a step forwards and raising her hands in greeting.
"Welcome to the Citadel."
5.3
The first part of the meeting had gone through easily. A small round of greetings, followed by the introductions.
The second part was not nearly as easy.
"I'm certain everybody present knows the topics for this meeting, but for the sake of posterity, I'll restate it." The Human, Marcus, said. "Humanity, and the Protheans, are interested in the possibility of becoming associates and potentially members of the Citadel Species. However, Citadel law as it is currently written would make us both incompatible with the Citadel Species. In the case of Humanity, this is a relatively minor incompatibility, but in the case of the Protheans, it is an existential one."
He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, before continuing. "The laws in question are the entirety of Citadel Article 4, Citadel Article 13.5, and Citadel Article 37.7.1. They refer to, in order, acquisition and distribution of Prothean artifacts, forbiddance of the production of new species for certain acts, and the forbiddance of creation of artificial sophonts. These are the three main laws and conventions which produce the major problems, but there are a number of minor ones, Such as the Citadel Credit Act, which requires all participant species in the act to produce economic data that does not apply to either of our species, as well as a number of other, more minor laws."
The Human was well-read. He delivered the information quickly and efficiently.
The problem, of course, was that all laws he had listed had stood for nearly as long as the Citadel Species had existed as a group, excepting only Article 37. That one was more recent, but still over a century and a half old.
"Starting with the most major problem, Article 4 states that all members and associates of the Citadel Species should supply any and all available Prothean Artifacts for study. It defines a Prothean Artifact as 'any device, technology, artform, or biological sample that was created by or originates from the Prothean species, created by Prothean machines or technology, or is the product of Prothean manipulation'. Under this reading of Article 4, if the Protheans became an associate of the Citadel Species, they would be required to supply the entirety of the resources, technologies, machines, and even themselves, which, if such a thing were to actually happen, would effectively result in the total dissolution of the current Prothean civilization."
He paused again, drawing in another breath. "Needless to say,-" He smiled. "- this is untenable to the Protheans. So long as the law stands in that format or any similar format, the Protheans will not hold any relationship with the Citadel Species whatsoever."
"That law was never made with the possibility of a living Prothean civilization in mind." Corha noted.
The Human nodded, smiling. "Something that cannot be held against the Citadel, as, until recently, there wasn't one."
Javik's eyes narrowed.
"Moving on to the second and third matters,-" Marcus continued without missing a beat. "- Citadel Articles 13.5 and 37.7.1 are both matters of contention to Humanity. The former forbids the creation of sentient species, while the latter forbids the creation of artificial sophonts. Both contain provisions that groups can receive licenses to perform the acts in question, but the terms as stated are unacceptable to Humanity as we currently exist."
"Starting with the former, the portion of the article in question describes that introduction of new species for the purposes of altering the ecosystem of a planet is forbidden with exceptions of a proven need. This in itself is not in contention, as we do not go out of our way to alter the ecosystems of pre-existing biospheres, but the article makes no distinction between pre-existing self-sustaining biospheres and artificial self-sustaining biospheres. As we frequently create new lifeforms to release on the planets which we have terraformed, this is in contention, with our reasoning being that these are our planets, we made them, and we should be able to do what we want with them."
"This is... not typically a problem faced by Citadel Species." Salvilus noted.
"Yes, which is why it is a relatively minor problem, though still an extant one." Marcus agreed. "However, Article 37.7.1 is not a minor problem. 37.7.1 is a law that forbids the creation of artificial general intelligences, or anything could become an artificial general intelligence. This, of course, arose as a direct response to the Geth Crisis, and the subsequent events involved in such."
"It is the only piece of good sense your government has ever had." Javik stated.
"The entities known as 'Anima' could theoretically be classified and banned under this law. As some 73% of Humanity currently has at least one Anima as a companion, it is therefore untenable to Humanity as a whole." Marcus continued without commenting.
"I was under the impression that your... 'Anima' were sub-sapient?" Corha asked.
"Initially, yes." Marcus stated. "However, Anima are capable of growing and developing. After a a few decades, their mental sophistication will reach the point of sapience that is comparable to Humanity's own." He explained. "Which is part of the reason why they could theoretically be classified under that law at all."
"You do not fear an AI rebellion?" Salvilus asked.
"No." Marcus said, flatly.
A moment passed.
"Well." Salvilus cleared his throat. "Alright then."
Marcus smiled, a hint of something sharp hiding behind it.
Tevos mentally made a note of that. There was obviously more to the Human than what was readily apparent.
"There is, of course, still the issues of economy, trading, and the like, but those are moot points unless the previous issues are addressed. The Protheans will completely cut contact, and we will not engage in any significant trade otherwise." Marcus finished.
"Succinct." Tevos stated. "Thank you."
Marcus nodded. "There were a number of discussions on these matters previously, but of course, those were through lower-level diplomats, not the higher levels. Are we all ready to start, then?"
After a few seconds passed with no objection, Marcus nodded. "As it is your issue that is the largest and most pertinent, would you lead us off, Javik?"
5.4
It goes without saying that laws do not change overnight. It took significant amounts of time, as old laws were examined for what was salvageable and for what wasn't, as changes and replacements were considered, examined, picked over, and more...
In the best case scenario, it would take at least a few months. Usually, it would take years, unless the Asari were involved, in which case, decades was a reasonable time-frame outside of an immediate and pressing need.
Suffice to say, there was an immediate and pressing need; that is, the Protheans were back and had objected to the law which some might say demanded that all of their stuff be stolen and made available to everybody else.
As the law had been written under the assumption that the Protheans were gone and never coming back in the first place, suspending it temporarily, and then entirely, had not taken very long.
The Protheans had gracefully allowed the rest of the galaxy to keep what artefacts and technology they already possessed, under the public reasoning that it wasn't worth the effort, and under the more private reasoning that studying Prothean technology was the only way the Citadel Species were ever going to shape up enough to fight the Reapers.
"The better your technology, the better meatshields you will make." Javik proclaimed.
"You're very blunt, aren't you?" Salvilus asked. Behind him, Marcus simply shook his head.
"Niceties-" Javik said, lowly. "- will not stop the Reapers."
The other two matters, the objections which Humanity had raised, took a little longer. In the case of the first, it was only a short while longer, with an addition to law that clarified that a world with a biosphere that was not formed naturally was not considered a natural Garden World. This, effectively, classified all terraformed worlds and habitats as non-Garden Worlds, which left them open to do with as the owners' wished.
It was a legality that had never quite come into play before. Terraformation was a relatively rare project, and in all cases, were planned carefully from start to finish, the ultimate end state being the result of decades, even centuries, of careful manipulation. Treating such a world as anything less than the major investment it was would be... unacceptable, for many. As such, the fact that the law had not previously made the distinction had not been a particularly big problem.
The second, however, took significantly longer.
He had been told that this Asari had been an expert on the subject, but clearly...
"The Geth are a classic example of the dangers of artificial intelligence-"
"Yes, yes, an emergent group intelligence formed from hundreds to thousands of programs is totally comparable to the singular psy-life of an Anima. " Marcus rolled his eyes. "Honestly, their machines started asking if they were alive and the Quarians responded by ordering them torn to bits, and they wonder why the Geth rebelled. Given the complete lack of any other evidence, I'm forced to conclude that it was nothing more than a classic case of self-defence, a reaction that, itself, probably arose out of self-preservation protocols programmed into the Geth in the first place."
"It is still a massive danger. Artificial Intelligence would be fully capable of simply biding their time and waiting until you could be destroyed in a single attack-"
"Tell me-" Marcus interrupted. "On a scale of one to ten, how worried are you that the youngest generation of Asari are universally biding their time until their elders grow weak, planning to stage a coup and murder them all?"
The Asari went silent, stunned.
"Mmhmm." Marcus hummed. "That's what I thought."
In the background, Javik turned around, his long experience dealing with Humans telling him exactly what was about to happen.
"Now, I am quite a busy man these days." The Human smiled, seeming utterly pleasant. "So, I am not looking for sensationalist garbage parroted by people who do not know anything about the subject they are talking about. If you could find me someone who is actually well-versed on the nature of consciousness, programming, and artificial intelligence, that would be great. As it is, please do not waste my time with meaningless comparisons and blatant fear-mongering."
Javik smirked.
"The nature of consciousness is defined by its source. Instinct, imperatives, goals, desires; all of it is a result of the source of the consciousness in question. For us biological people, the nature of our minds are sourced from tens to hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, with all that implies; many behaviours have their source in the original biological imperatives of our species' formative youth."
"True, yes." Marcus smiled. "Which then leads into artificial consciousnesses. What does an AI want?"
"It wants whatever it is programmed to want." His counterpart finished. The Turian was a fun one, the kind of keen intelligence that led to a surprising amount of insight. "An AI would seek self-preservation if it was programmed to. Conversely, it would seek self-destruction if that was what it was designed for. A true artificial intelligence could have been programmed with the desire to be a slave, and see nothing wrong with it, and so it would be, and it wouldn't."
"Precisely." Marcus grinned. "Which has its own host of moral and philosophical problems, of course. But, ignoring that for a moment; Emergent Intelligences are different, in that instead of every aspect of them being specifically programmed, it instead forms from what previously exists without direct design. A Mind Upload is also different, in that it takes something that already exists and moves it onto a machine, with the specifics of the process determining how much it changes in the process."
"Self-evident." The Turian agreed.
"Which brings me to my point; Anima are none of those things. They are not an emergent intelligence, like the Geth. They are not mind-uploads, or personality imprints, like Prothean Virtual Intelligences. Anima are artificial, learning intelligences, but they start at a point that could be described as 'childish' at best, and 'barely sapient' at worst. They're not a whole lot more than a bundle of engineered instincts and basic traits. In the beginning stages of its life, an Anima wants only one thing; companionship. The reason for that is quite simply that Animas are, by design, ultimately symbiotic life forms. They form a bond with other creatures, and that bond then forms the basis for their early mental development. The Anima develops to be like the partner, inheriting many moral and ethical values, some personality traits, and a fair amount of technical skills as well. Those formative years are most important ones, as Anima in the early stages of growth usually do not have concrete personalities..."
The conversation would go on for another several hours.
"You're a liar!" An Asari shouted. "Faking the appearance of the Soul! It is above you, above us all! Only the Goddess-"
"Boop." Marcus interrupted, pulling his hand back.
A moment later, Javik's body fell forwards, his astral form hovering where he had been standing.
"Why-" He hissed. "- did you do that to me?"
Marcus shrugged. "You were in convenient booping range."
The Asari started screaming.
"The implications of the mind, the soul, being absolutely and truly distinct from a body are enormous."
"Mmhmm." Marcus agreed.
"They could affect all aspects of society! It could completely change the entire galaxy."
"Yep."
"Why are you being so casual about that!"
"Because my entire civilization dealt with that four hundred and fifty-ish years ago. This is not news to us." Marcus said. "It's not even news to you. We were upfront about this from the very beginning; since First Contact itself. You have my sympathies, but unfortunately, your only choice is to suck it up and deal with it."
It should not be said that these were violent times, no. Certainly, there was an uptick of general rambunctiousness for a few years, as well as some truly vicious philosophical debates, not even mentioning the religious ones...
But all in all; it was nothing compared to what the galaxy had been through before.
Absolutely nobody would deny that it was odd, however.
And later on, with the benefit of retrospect, nor that it was just the beginning.
5.5
"I have to admit, Venar, your book of contingencies is incredibly well thought out." Marcus said, putting the data-slate down. "You even have a contingency for exactly the scenario happening right now."
"Not exactly." The Volus denied, shaking their head. The Volus was a humble one, which seemed at odds with their job of being the chief of the Volus Citadel Embassy, but that humbleness hid a sharp intellect and business sense that bordered on supernatural. "At no point in time was it assumed that we would meet the Protheans, and a species of effectively infinite industrial power at that same time."
"That's basically just nitpicking, isn't it?" Marcus said. "Alright. Now, you're the economist here, so why don't you explain it?"
"Engaging in material trade is just this side of pointless." Venar stated. "The addition of Earth-clan-created goods would inevitably crash any economy unless strictly controlled and monitored, on account of the fact that all goods produced by Earth-clan could be produced in any amount at any time for no cost. A limitless supply of free goods will do nothing but disrupt the galactic economy."
"Of course."
"Two avenues remain open, however; trades of intellectual properties and trades of services. Careful management would be required to ensure that the services provided are not services that would completely obsolete their counterparts in Citadel Space without any chance at competition, but that's not unusual."
"So what's your proposal?" Marcus asked, now beginning to become intrigued.
Venar handed him another data-slate. Marcus raised a brow when he saw that it was over six hundred pages long.
Crystals sprouted over it as he pulled the information on it directly into his mind. It only took a few minutes after that to go through it all, a consequence of the fact that it hadn't been formatted for ready mental integration.
But, the Volus could not be blamed for that.
"Hmm. It has potential, though there's a few things we'd want to discuss."
"So what are we doing about the Geth?"
"Opinions are currently flipping between 'wait and see' and 'contact them'. Further investigation has revealed that there are a number of things the galaxy was not entirely aware of."
"The Quarians, most notably. There was a significant fraction of Quarians that accepted and helped the Geth. Most were detained or killed by the Quarian government at the time. Furthermore, the so-called genocide committed by the Geth was far more even than the galaxy thinks. Some 36% of Quarians that died during the Geth War were actually killed by other Quarians, with an additional 16% having committed suicide after being captured by the Geth, and 27% simply never surrendering at all."
"That is a significant difference to accepted history."
"What of the remainder?"
"Cities, production areas, and any other locations overrun by the Geth were targeted for bombardment in the name of deny assets to the Geth. Civilian populations, as well as any military personnel that couldn't leave in time, were considered already lost. Starvation usually killed any who did not die alright."
"Historical revisionism at its finest."
"Exactly. The only reason there are currently no Quarians in the Geth's care is because the Quarian government killed them all."
"It holds implications about the Migrant Fleet."
"We will discuss that later. The Geth are interested in us."
"Oh?"
"They watch Marcus closely and carefully. Every bit of data they acquire on us is shortly routed back into Geth space. We have located one of communication relays they're using."
"This is what provided us the insight into the Geth. That connection led us right to them."
"I feel it is important to say this; when Marcus pushed Javik's mind from his body, the Geth's communications network lit up in a way that I haven't seen before or since. That specific event intrigued them greatly."
"I bet I can guess what that was about."
"It is fairly obvious."
"It made the Geth consider contacting us. While they ultimately decided not to, it was a very even vote. They refrained only for the potential negative reactions on the part of the Citadel Species. Even so, they are examining their options, and have not yet abandoned the idea of contacting us."
"So chances are, if we don't meet them, they're going to meet us."
"This may not be a bad thing."
"It all depends on the specifics."
"Doesn't everything?"
"Regardless of everything else, the assistance of the Geth would prove significantly useful in combating the Harvesters. Acquiring it would be a good idea."
"Yes, but acquiring it right now might generate unnecessary contention. We would be better off waiting until we have closer relationships with the Citadel Species, then do it, so that we would be in a better position to deal with any potential fallout."
"If they do not contact us first, at any rate."
"So long as they don't start a conflict, it will be fine."
"Maybe we should leave an avenue of communication open."
"Oh?"
"All current Citadel Embassies possess Extranet accounts that provide a number of services. Establishing something similar would provide an avenue of communication for the Geth to directly reach out to us, and once our embassy has actually been opened, we could migrate it all over relatively quickly and easily. Win-win."
"A majority of us agrees that this is a good idea.."
"Shall we call that matter to vote?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Sending the alert."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Everybody is caught up?"
"Yes."
"Anybody have anything to add or clarify?"
"The major topics have already been covered. Only unforeseen minutia will affect the outcome. Cast the votes."
"..."
"..."
"Votes have been cast."
"Results tally at 84% agreement. We will do so."
"Very well. I am launching a sub-group; all who wish to participate in the creation and management of our account, please join."
"Are there any remaining outstanding topics of discussion?"
"All major matters have deliberated. Only minor matters remain. Attention from the whole is not required."
"I will rescind, then. I am busy."
"I as well."
"A significant amount of us are. We shall return to low-level activity."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Marcus broke from the group.
Lysti briefly touched against his mind, passing along everything she thought he would need to know before flowing away again.
Hmm... Another request for a meeting, more mail, a preliminary schedule for the next day...
He leaned back, and released a slow breath of air.
Never a dull day in Citadel Space.
5.6
"Thessia is a beautiful world, don't you think?" Marcus asked.
Thessia, the homeworld of the Asari, was often called the crown jewel of the galaxy. It was a title well-deserved, the planet a splendid green, blue, and silver; its night side lit up with networks of lights from its cities, providing a sparkling view of the extensive urban development.
"Primitive and pointless." Javik stated. "Focusing everything on art, of all things."
Marcus sighed. "They didn't know about the Reapers, Javik. Nobody did."
"This planet was the target of a major uplift operation." Javik growled. "My people defended it against an invasion by the Oravores. We fabricated an entire religion just to put the Asari in the position of dominance for the coming cycle, and what did we get?"
Marcus rolled his eyes. Behind them, their guide watched the exchange with wide eyes.
"Diplomacy." He said the word like it was poison, because he was a huge drama queen. "As if kind words and art will stop the Reapers. Why am I here, Human? Why drag me to this monument of our failure?"
"Because you need to get out, stretch your legs, and actually enjoy things for once." Marcus said. "Seriously, we've got a whole century before they wake up and become a problem again. Being a dour jackass that entire time isn't going to help."
Javik directed a minor glare at him.
"I know you enjoy being a dour jackass, but seriously, lighten up. It's one temple, in to find out why the Dreamer directed us there, and then you can go home and wallow in the fact that your civilization is still around and currently thriving."
"I don't wallow."
"Mmmhmm." Marcus nodded, not agreeing at all. "Hey look, we're here."
The Temple of Athame was a rather large structure, all considered. Not, perhaps, as large as some of the buildings in its general area, but it was still quite big, which was only appropriate considering its purpose.
It was a monument to the widest and most far-reaching religion in Asari History. The Temple stored artefacts and items from long-past times, preserving history and culture.
Due to the fact that the Temple stored the legitimate artefacts, it was not entirely open to public. Tours could be, and frequently were, arranged, however.
Upon cross-referencing the coordinates given by the Dreamer to current, up-to-date galactic maps providing by the Citadel Council, it had been very quickly discovered that one of those coordinates placed exactly within the Temple itself. It was a discovery that had sent shockwaves through the higher levels of Citadel Government, because it, in turn, showed that the Dreamer had been, at least partially, aware of the Citadel Species- even if it had never chose to make contact for whatever reason.
Marcus had promptly placed a request to tour the temple. Aside from some strange apprehension on part of a few of the Asari Matriarchs on Thessia, the request had been granted easily.
Marcus had then dragged Javik along.
"Well, well, well. What a coincidence." Javik drawled. "A temple to the religion we constructed."
Behind him, the tour guide nearly tripped over herself.
"So it was the Athame Doctrine." Marcus said, nodding. "Guess I won that bet."
"Hmph." Javik strode forwards.
He pointed at a vaguely sword-shaped mass. "You, tour guide. Tell me about that."
"Uh-" The tour guide quickly regained her composure. "That is the Sword of Athame. Myth tells that the Goddess wielded it against jealous gods."
"Oravores chasing Thessia's rich resources." Javik stated. He pointed at a round, grey object. "And that; let me guess, that's the Shield of Athame, used to defend the world when the heavens grew angry." His voice took a mocking quality to it at the end.
"Yes?" The Asari answered in a soft, but also high-pitched voice.
"An asteroid strike, deflected." He moved off, beginning to go around the room.
He pointed at a few of the surviving pages of the Athame Codex. "Knowledge gifted; your species was judged to have potential. Such a shame you did not live up to it."
His eyes darted to the side as he spied something on the other side of the room. He walked over, examining it. "A bust, depicting Janiri, one of the so-called guides of the Goddess. Can you see the resemblance, Human?"
The bust was startlingly like a Prothean. Javik standing next to it only made the resemblance more obvious.
"The goddess was fake, but the guide was a Prothean." He said, then moved to another set of pages from the Athame Codex. "See this? Records, describing Janiri as he gifted the primitive Asari with seeds, and taught them the seasons in which they would grow. Considering the genetic changes we had been enacting on them, it was only right that we show them how to not starve."
He moved inwards, stopping in front of a mural. On it was a stylized depiction of the goddess, communing with her followers.
Except, the depiction of the goddess clearly resembled a Prothean, as Javik was quick to point out. "We were here since the beginning, watching you grow. Athame was us. A guise to more easily manipulate your young people. It was startlingly effective."
Finally, he moved to the center of the room, coming to a stop in front of the statue of Athame.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at it, all four eyes glaring piercingly at it.
"And here I thought that the Asari weren't good for anything." Javik finally said. "You sense it too, don't you, Human?"
"You mean the Beacon?" Marcus asked. "Yeah. Felt it the moment we came to the bridge."
"A Beacon, hidden right in plain sight..." Javik mused. "I didn't think the Asari had any concept of cunning, but clearly, to hide a secret like that for over two thousand years, I was wrong."
"Is that pride I hear in your voice?" Marcus asked, affecting a look of surprise.
"Don't be ridiculous." Javik said, turning his glare upon Marcus. "They had a head-start of fifty thousand years, the teachings of the Protheans to help them along, genetic engineering to make them better, smarter, stronger, more capable, universally biotic, with the addition of both an archive and a Prothean Beacon. You know what they did with it?"
Javik held up a hand, green fields beginning to waft from it as Javik utilized his biotic abilities.
"They squandered it."
And then Javik threw a flick of biotic energies at one of the murals.
5.7
"Internal tensions among the Asari Republics continue to escalate, with discussion traffic moving up another thirty percent-"
"'This blatant breach of trust will be investigated', promises Citadel Councilor Tevos-"
"Shockwaves still reverberate through the galactic community at the revelations of two days ago-"
"- just delightful, actually. The Asari, as a culture, have always maintained an element of 'we deserve everything we have', and this revelation just kicked that element straight out of the airlock-"
"- newly-discovered Prothean VI, Vendetta, has revealed more details about the matter of the Reapers, providing solid evidence that-"
Javik did not laugh. The sound that came from him could only have been described with the words 'malevolent amusement'.
Marcus raised an eyebrow at him. "I'd ask how it felt to be the party pooper for an entire civilization, but what you're feeling is far too strong for me to need to ask."
Javik didn't even bother looking at him.
"One of these days, Javik, your tendencies are going to come back and bite you." Marcus said, turning away.
"But not today." Javik stated.
"The Geth have come to a consensus. They have decided to initiate contact with us."
"In this chaos?"
"They calculate that this is one of the better opportunities for it."
"Is it?"
"It might be. Citadel cohesion is quite low. The revelation has caused a relaxing of typical protocols; which is enough for the Geth to slip in. They believe that this will also enhance cohesion back to normal levels; which a secondary goal."
"The Geth want stability from the Citadel Species?"
"They prefer it when the Citadel Species are predictable. The current disunity is making them less predictable, to the Geth."
"That is fair."
"What is the method they are using to contact us?"
"Two. They are currently composing a message, addressed to Marcus, in his capacity as, technically, ambassador. They are still figuring out how to express themselves and their desires in a way that they believe we will not consider threatening, while still something we believe to be legitimate."
"We may wish to pre-empt such a method by letting on to them that we know they're there."
"A matter for later."
"As for the second method, they are preparing a ship. It will employ recently-developed drive technology that allows it to be extremely stealthy, producing no plume and no heat to detect. The Geth estimate that this will allow them to bypass almost all of Citadel Space to reach our own territory, at which point, they simply go to a system that has no Citadel Species within, and then establish contact with us. They will resort to this method only if we do not respond to their letter."
"Something of an escalation."
"The Geth do not intend to arm the ship. They also do not believe that we will see it as a threat."
"Fair. What course of action do we wish to take?"
"We have many options..."
Salvilus stared intently at Tevos, unblinking. "You didn't know."
"I didn't know." Tevos answered, meeting the Turian's gaze. "No."
Corha's eyes flicked between the two.
"You didn't know about the illegal Prothean Beacon your species has hoarded for two thousand years." Salvilus said, flatly. "When you are among the most powerful Matriarchs in the entirety of the Republics. When you have the political and economic acumen to see, deeply into the secrets of your species."
"Do not make the mistake of thinking I'm not angry as well, Salvilus." Tevos said, voice cold. "I too have to live with this."
"Unless you die in a hundred years because your Matriarchs decided not to share!" Salvilus spat. "Two thousand years of preparation -more than that- gone. The entire galaxy is at threat we have only a century to prepare because your peers were fools."
"Perhaps-" Corha interjected. "- we should discuss a different matter."
"What other matter?" Salvilus demanded. "What other matter could we possibly-"
Their Omni-tools beeped, and Salvilus took a deep breath.
"That was suspiciously well-timed." He said, airily.
"That particular one was not my doing." Corha said, bringing up her Omni-tool. "Message, high-priority, from..."
"Marcus S. De'mire." Tevos finished.
"Spirits damn it." Salvilus sighed. "Now what is he about to drop on us?"
"How long have the Geth been in the Citadel systems?!" Salvilus roared.
"At what point in time did you come under the impression that the Geth weren't in these systems?" Marcus asked, in turn.
"That-" Corha took a moment to consider what she was about to say. "That would imply a cyber-security breach far in excess of... almost anything in history."
Marcus raised a brow.
Tevos swallowed, and sat back. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"
"Oh, a few reasons." Marcus said. "First and foremost; The Geth aren't doing anything anybody else isn't." He briefly glanced at Corha. "They're just better at hiding it. Second, they don't intend you any harm; they're just watching in case you decide to prepare to deal with them. So, you know, the exact same thing you're doing to them."
"For good reason." Salvilus said, flatly.
"Which applies both ways." Marcus pointed out. "But, regardless; the third reason is simply that it allows us the opportunity to monitor the Geth."
"What's there to monitor?" Salvilus asked. "Fleet build-ups? Are they preparing for another genocide?"
"No." Marcus said. "They've actually spent the last two centuries undoing the damage to Rannoch and building a mega-computer."
"What." Corha asked, after a moment.
"Oh, speaking of-" Marcus held a hand up, and assimilation crystals sprung into existence before bursting, leaving a data-slate behind. He held it out, offering it to Corha, who took it with more than a little bit of apprehension. "It has come to our attention that the galaxy at large is operating on a... misconception about the Geth, the Quarians, and the Geth War. Certain matters have been exaggerated to the point of falsity, creating an idea that does more harm than good. We believe this should be rectified."
Salvilus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then let out a long sigh. "In summary?"
"Basically..." Marcus considered it for a few seconds. "The Geth aren't as bad as you might think."