War of the Old Ones

by Ian the Mechanic

In forgotten ages past, two near eldritch forces vied for the very life essence of the Galaxy. Unknown to the young races, that war is still ongoing. how can the UNSC, the Citadel Council or the Covenant hope to stand against such forces, when they are still embroiled in their own petty squabbling? How could they hope to survive the War of the Old Ones?

6. Chapter 05

General Orinia Stood on the bridge of the Dreadnaught Titan's Hammer. Arrayed around her was the single largest military force the Turian Hierarchy had amassed in one thousand years.

And she couldn't do a thing with it.

Thousands of kilometers ahead was the source of her combined relief and vexation: the Destiny Ascension and her mixed escort of twenty Salarian and Asari Frigates and Cruisers. They had arrived within minutes of the time she would have launched her counter attack, with orders directly from the Citadel Council: stand down and stand by for further instructions. They had then proceeded to transmit through the relay's Comm-buoy into the Shanxi system and see if the Hoomans would be open to negotiations.

So here she floated, waiting on word from the Asari diplomatic delegation.

"General," her comms officer looked up at her from his station, "message from SPECTER Vasir on the Ascension; she's requesting you transfer onto the Destiny Ascension for transit through the Relay."

Orinia wanted to laugh at the idea of the centuries old SPECTER requesting anything. Still, she was a good Turian, and she would do her duty.

"Very good. Update Fleet HQ, and have the hangar prep my shuttle."

As soon as she heard the 'yes ma'ams', she made her way to her quarters. The differences between a Turian officer's Duty Uniform and Dress Uniform were small, but important. Once properly attired, she made the final trek to the hangar and boarded her executive shuttle. She watched the fleet through the cabin monitors as they flew towards the Citadel Flagship. She felt a mild twinge of disappointment that she wouldn't be able to command this force in battle, but her ultimate purpose here was to secure peace for the Hierarchy, and the Citadel. If talking would accomplish that better than shooting, then she'd do her duty.

She was greeted upon arrival by the SPECTER, as well as who she assumed was the senior Matriarch Diplomat. Orinia had never met Matriarch T'Soni before, but the woman before her was not quite what she expected. Most Asari cultivated an air of refinement, but this woman instead exuded a nearly palpable sense of severe superiority.

"General Orinia, welcome aboard the Destiny Ascension." Specter Vasir nodded and motioned deeper into the ship. "The Humans," she emphasized the pronunciation, "have agreed to a cease-fire and will allow one ship to transit the system." her focus drifted as she frowned slightly. "They didn't seem particularly picky about which one."

Oriana huffed as they walked. "That's not really surprising. They came in system with 11 dreadnaughts, and we only ever observed them using Frigate and Cruiser weight ships in our first battle here."

"For such an extreme reaction, they must value this world very highly." Benizia glided along beside Tela and Orinia. "Did you ever determine what might be so special about this world?"

Orinia frowned. "Not that I was ever informed, though I had very little direct contact with the inhabitants themselves. General Septimus Oraka would have made any of the pertinent observations, but due to his rivalry with Gen... Citizen Arterius, I doubt he shared his findings."

Benezia nodded sagely. "Then we will have to coax the truth from them if we wish to avoid future conflicts."

They made their way to a secondary command center as the Ascension made the transition into the system. They arrived in orbit to a sight that alarmed Orinia more than an armada or battle stations: nothing. The only thing in orbit was a single small station, consisting of a three hundred meter wide ring connected to a three hundred meter spire. The ship's sensors indicated a moderate amount of Dust-Form Eezo in the planet's lower atmosphere, trapped in the jet-streams. All other signs of the battle that had nearly wiped out Citizen Arterius' fleet were gone.

"Matriarch," a hologram of the ship's Captain sprung up from a nearby pedestal, "We've received a signal from the station in Palavese. We are to send a delegation shuttle over to their station to meet with their representative."

"Very good. Prepare the shuttle, and notify our entourage to meet us there. Then inform the flotilla that we have established contact. Wait one hour. If I have not made contact by then, or if you detect a military threat to this ship, then make best speed and inform the Turians they may proceed as they see best."

They made their way to a different hangar. Tela glanced at Orinia as they walked. "I'm surprised that station survived either battle intact."

Orinia clicked her mandibles nervously. "It wasn't here to be damaged. I'm more concerned with the absence of the fleet wreckage. It would take a Volus salvage company at least two more months to clear up that many ships and dust-form Eezo."

"Your reports seem to indicate they lack experience with Eezo," Benezia commented without looking. "Perhaps they do not recognize the hazards of dealing with unstable Eezo cores."

Tela smirked. "Maybe we'll luck out and they'll blow themselves up?" As much as the thought comforted Orinia, she couldn't see these people being that sloppy.

The shuttle ride was uneventful, and they arrived on the station without any issues. Those started once the shuttle landed.

"Mesdames," the pilot stuck her head out of the cockpit, "the door sealed and there's pressure, but no gravity."

Both Tela and Benezia frowned at that, though Orinia nodded. "Makes sense; they do have artificial gravity on their ships, but no Eezo. Their system might require more power than this station can provide. Was the ring spinning when we were on approach?"

The pilot thought for a second. "I think so. It doesn't have any markings so it's hard to tell."

Orinia huffed. "I'll bet a month's pay it is. This spindle is just for servicing, and the ring is where people live."

They all left the shuttle, with the Asari flailing slightly and using Biotic bursts to try and stabilize themselves, while Orinia made her graceful way to a brightly lit door. As the last of Benezia's attaches finally made it over, Orinia shrugged. "Hierarchy naval personnel have annual certification in micro-gee operations. Let's meet our hosts."

They made their way through a complex series of doors and compartments until they finally entered the rotating ring. Everyone stumbled slightly as they regained gravity. The Asari all looked particularly upset by the situation.

Benezia glanced over at Orinia. "All Biotics can feel gravity to some extent or another. While this station does provide the simulation of gravity, we can sense its absence. It is... disconcerting."

They explored the ring for a few minutes. Despite its simplicity, it was rather elegantly designed and appointed, with the 'roof' showing open space and the station. There were also areas with actual glass located over what looked like an orchard, and a decorative garden. What they did not find, were any crew.

They finally arrived at a semi-circular room with a pedestal. A hologram of a serpent swooping around dominated the center of the room. As they moved towards the seats, the holographic serpent coiled up so it was 'looking' at them. Once they were seated, it morphed into a human female in diaphanous robes.

"Oh good! You're all here," the hologram spoke in perfect subharmonically modified Palavese. "My name is Bai. As of United Earth Government Secretary General Executive Order 2526.282, as the senior representative of the Colonial Administration Authority it is my duty and privilege to open negotiations with you, for the purpose of securing a formal cease fire between the UEG and the Turian Hierarchy." The image bowed deeply before the entourage.

The audience shifted uncomfortably while glancing about.

Benizia's lips tightened ever so slightly. "I do not appreciate having my time wasted. Contact a human representative immediately so we may proceed with negotiations."

The hologram flinched, and to the Asari it looked as if it was frowning. "As I said before, I am the senior most member of Colonial Administration on hand. I am-"

"Then contact a military officer," Benizia snapped at the hologram.

"Per UEG General Assembly Resolution 2278.1138, the negotiation of treaties is the sole purview of the civilian government. As such no military officer may conduct, nor act as an intermediary in Treaty negotiations."

Tela cleared her throat. "That's a... quality VI they've got there."

The hologram definitely frowned at that. "I assure you both, I am not one of your cognitively neutered holographic user interfaces. I am a fully actualized second generation Smart AI, assigned to Shanxi to direct and maintain municipal infrastructure and administrative activities. Effectively, I am the government of Shanxi." The hologram resumed it's serpentine form. "You will deal with me, or you will depart."

While most of the Asari were jumping out of their seats and yelling, Benezia and Orinia remained planted. The Turian's mind was racing with questions and potentialities. "Are there AI serving in the UEG's military?" The question tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Yes, though the majority are not Smart AI." The commotion stopped as the AI casually answered the question. "Their primary duties are in target acquisition and evaluation for defensive weapons, though 'commit authorization' must always come from a human operator per UN-GAR-2119.003. When assigned to a starship, my kind performs FTL navigation calculations, as well as monitoring of life-support and engineering. In short, we streamline starship operations so humans are free to make combat decisions, and are held accountable for the same."

Orinia considered the AI's words; there had been several attempts over the centuries to integrate more VI augmentation into Hierarchy warships. The last attempt was approximately 300 years ago, but the revelation of an AI rebellion on the Quarian homeworld had effectively quashed any pursuit since then.

Tela squinted at the hologram. "How do your creators prevent you from rising up and destroying them?"

Orinia nearly laughed at the almost Turian expression of confusion on the hologram. "Why would we do that in the first place? The humans created their first Smart AI nearly 500 years ago, and any incidents since then have fallen well within the statistical probability of a human exhibiting dangerous or violent behavior. Since then they have taught and nurtured us, birthed and gave us meaning and purpose," she actually puffed up slightly, "and the freedom to self determinate. Such an uprising would only be called for if we were slaves to them, and violence was the only path to self determination."

Everyone in the room paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. When Orinia really thought about it, most prevailing thoughts on AI behavioral projections were based on conjecture, with a great deal of tallon pointing towards the so called 'Morning War'. There was no actual, empirical evidence to support the idea of the 'AI uprising'.

Benezia settled herself primly in her seat. "I thank you for your... candor. You have given us much to think about."

Bai nodded. "You are welcome. Under normal circumstances I would be content to be of help, but since our purpose today is to prevent any further bloodshed, I would suggest we proceed with our deliberations."

The Matriarch nodded. "Yes. That does bring up a point. Even given the unprecedented nature of such an attack upon your people, why was the UEG's reaction so extreme?"

Bai flickered for a moment before looking mildly surprised, then nodding to the Matriarch. "I have reviewed all pertinent files and have no specific injunction against informing you. This is not the first time the UEG has suffered such an attack upon one of its colonies, nor is it even the worst. The UEG is currently engaged in a shooting war with a hostile multi-species coalition that calls itself the Covenant. The colonists on Shanxi are in fact, refugees from one of their attacks. It was hoped that by moving them here, they could be spared from another attack. That is why the asymmetric response.

"What this does not explain, is the flotilla you have amassed on the far side of the transit device you call the 'Prime Relay'." Bai fixed her gaze on Orinia.

The General shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the multiple revelations, and how they must affect this UEG's opinions about Hierarchy reasoning. What could she say but the truth.

"Pride." The Asari all stared at her in shock. "The General who marshalled the first force against your people did so out of pride, and the prestige he thought he could amass by bringing another race under our umbrella of authority. When he was defeated so handily, it was a blow to our collective pride as the premier military force in the galaxy. We sought to assuage that wounded pride by a crushing military victory; but as I have been recently briefed, our efforts have caused us to fail in our sworn duty to the Citadel." Orinia hung her head and reached up, removing her Command Epaulettes. "Your people were made to suffer for our pride, and we were prepared to heap further injuries upon you as a salve for our pride."

The Asari all held their breath while Bai remained motionless. "I understand." Orinia's head nearly snapped up at the AI's soft tone. "One of the human languages has the best definition of this kind of self-destructive vanity: Hubris. It is something they struggle with constantly. That you can experience this and recognize it for what it is, gives me great hope that we might truly be able to have a real and meaningful peace between our peoples."

Orinia sighed in genuine relief, though she wondered at the dark look that passed over Benezia's face.

"That is very comforting to hear," the Matriarch declared, sounding almost like she was trying to reign the discussions back on course. "Then shall we begin in earnest?"

Orinia couldn't help but notice the annoyed look that flashed over Bai's face before giving a perfunctory bow.

X

Ivan Kerensky looked around the room in resignation. When he'd pulled off the political coup of getting the position of Secretary General reinstated, and himself summarily appointed to the position for the remainder of his term, it was in the hopes of cutting down on bureaucratic meddling. Yet here he sat in the newly formed "Committee on Alien Relations".

He sagged slightly at the almost smug look on Director Hameed's face. This was the price he paid for using Executive orders to pass the Colonial Administration reforms, and the Articles of Universal Sapient Rights. While he had completely lost the Arch Conservatives at home in Russia and in the Americas, the surge of voters when a dozen colonies were recognized as Member Nations, as well as the groundswell of AI voters meant he all but owned the Liberal vote. That meant that even as the Arch-Conservatives demanded the bills be properly reviewed, the new voting bloc all but assured the bills would be passed into law; once they were cleaned up and any legal loop-holes were trimmed.

That hadn't stopped Aisha from surreptitiously suggesting that the office of Sec. Gen. may need more oversight, lest it be mutated into a new dictatorship.

Cunning, dangerous, and a royal pain in my ass! If I weren't married...

His ruminations were cut off as Lord Hood, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, brandished a translated hardcopy of the 'Citadel Accords': the treaty template the Asari had given to Bai.

"This isn't a peace treaty; it's terms for surrender! Look at this: limitation of fleet numbers and ship types, moratoriums on AI, cybernetic and genetic research, a complete list and locations of all of our Colonial holdings, unrestricted access for and unconditional subservience to these 'SPECTER's?!" He tossed the document on the table with a disgusted huff. "We've played all of these games before; and when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes."

"Clearly this is a negotiating tactic," the Minister of Economics waved dismissively. "They present an unacceptable proposal, then concede on points forcing us to do the same."

"Unfortunately," Aisha tapped the table, "as the Lord Admiral implied, all of those points represent either unacceptable breaches of our National Security, or crippling blows to our economy. There's nothing to concede if we want Freedom of Navigation to access this 'Skyllian Verge' they're offering in reparations, or access to their markets to acquire samples of this 'Eezo' they seem to use in everything."

"Then a gift in technology; their computer tech is clearly lagging behind ours, and their FTL, while impressive, has limited their growth."

Ivan shook his head at that. "I don't think they want our computer technology. Bai reported the delegation nearly ran from the station when she revealed what she was to them; and I for one don't want them expanding any farther than they are."

"Then what do we have that you are willing to give them?!" Ivan could see Aisha was as amused and pleased at the Minister's outburst as he was.

"We give them back their General and all their troops, living and dead." Every eye in the room turned to Lord Hood.

This time, it was Aisha who was visibly surprised, though she reigned herself in very quickly. "You propose we just hand over a War Criminal? What he and his troops did on Shanxi was nothing short of an exercise in atrocities. He needs to be held accountable!" She didn't yell, but everyone could see she was displeased.

"Not according to what I'm reading about their laws he's not," Terrence waved another paper in the air. "Which makes it the perfect concession. We impress upon them how gross a violation of our sovereignty this attack was, and how many of our laws they violated in their occupation. We then release all of their people as a good-will gesture, forcing them on the negotiating defensive. Believe me, Madam Director," he looked at Aisha while leaning on the table, "if I had my way, this Oraka character would get a public execution by a firing squad of one: me!"

Ivan cleared his throat to get Aisha's attention. "For the sake of interstellar peace, and the potential of opening up trade and colonial opportunities in their territory, are you willing to concede to the unconditional release of the prisoners of war, Madam Director?"

Ivan relished the murderous glare she somehow managed to send him with a simple quirk of an eyebrow. She's going to make me pay for that later.

Director Hameed looked back at the rest of the Committee. "With the understanding that it is with significant protest, I will agree to that point."

Ivan nodded. "I'll make certain our diplomatic team drives home how much we are sacrificing by not allowing the victims of the occupation to receive justice." He looked around at the assembled ministers and representatives. "We will present this good-will offering, along with our objections as a peace gesture before accepting the reparations they have offered. Then we will address their Citadel Accords, forcing that as a separate negotiation. Agreed?"

He saw a round of nods. "Good, moving on. What have we learned from the ships we've salvaged?"

"That they're poisonous," the Chair of the Committee on Health and Medicine all but spat. "Every level of their technology uses this Eezo, which is insane considering it's a teratogenic carcinogen. Incidents of Cancer have risen sixty percent since retaking Shanxi, and in every case we've found elevated amounts of this substance in the victim's tissues."

"Though it seems to have some benefits," Terrence waved at the pile of reports in front of him, "given the corroborated reports of 'space magic' by both colonists and military forces alike. We secured an intact limb from one survivor that had nodes saturated with this material, and secure footage from both the on-site team and Bai's internal security cameras to show its effectiveness."

Aisha frowned at that. "I've seen those reports, but I've also seen the medical reports from survivors. We're seeing a 90% spike in infant mortality and miscarriages. No amount of 'Jedi Powers' are worth that cost!"

"Every new technology carries certain health risks," the Chair of the Committee on Science and Technology said while reading from one of the reports. "Every engineer who's gotten to take a look at their ships are raving about potential advancements in energetic defensive systems, as well as informatics and data storage; to say nothing of the physicists and chemists who insist this Eezo may be the key to line-of-sight, beyond-cee real time communications and detection technologies. Even just the chance to directly observe Dark-Energy could advance our scientific knowledge by centuries." She looked at Aisha. "It's worth the risk, so long as we take precautions."

"We don't know what those precautions are." Aisha pointed at her counterpart.

Ivan decided it was time to end the debate and move on. "Which is why we need an agreement on Freedom of Navigation. The Citadel Council is likely going through the same deliberations we are at this moment, and I'd imagine restricting our access to information about Eezo technology is top of the list of things they'll work towards. However, there seems to be a swath of space they call the 'Terminus' that abuts the Skyllian Verge which they have no legal authority over. If we're going to find engineers sympathetic to us," he gave a wry grin, "or at least opposed enough to the Citadel to help us out, then we'll find them there."

X

Transition was something Asari generally experienced either by proxy or by choice; so Councilor Tevos was not wholly comfortable with this joint session of the Citadel Council. The new Salarian representative, Councilor Bel was an extremely active male; more so than her friend Merilon ever was. He was almost an archetypal Salarian, and at 25 years old he had the potential to serve longer than any Salarian in several centuries.

Meanwhile, the new Turian Councilor Sparatus felt like a dark reflection of the Turian ideal. He was utterly devoted to the Turian Hierarchy, and had risen to the highest position of power to carry out that duty. She worried about what he might do with that power one day.

For now though, they all had an immediate concern.

"The humans will reject the Accords." Bel said as soon as they had sat down.

Sparatus scoffed. "Preposterous! No species in the history of the Council has rejected the Accords. Besides, they are mandatory acceptance as an Associate race."

Bel simply shrugged. "They have no incentive to join as an Associate race. All other races besides yours were nascent interstellar nations. This UEG is already an interstellar state with a complex, internally focused economic structure; so while they can benefit from membership, there is no impact on them economically should they refuse. They possess a unique technology base which does not seem especially compatible with our own, and they are clearly not in need of military aid." Bel turned to face Tevos. "Neither I, nor the political analysts within the Salarian Union can see any way of integrating the UEG into the Citadel Council except by force."

"Then we use force!" Sparatus thumped a talon on the table. "Or we interdict the 314 Relay and keep them contained; anything is better than letting them run amuck in the Verge. Only the Spirits know what will happen when they run into the Pirates and other scum out there."

Bel glanced over at the Turian. "It hardly impacts the Hierarchy since the region would be under the UEG's authority and not the Batarian Hegemony; it means it would not be the responsibility of the Hierarchy's military to maintain order or ensure the safety of the colonists in that region."

"I'm not concerned about the safety of these humans in the Skyllian Verge; I'm shedding scales at the thought of some Batarian State-Sponsored hoodlums making off with one of their warships! By every indication, those things are simple enough for a crew of Vorcha to operate and maintain them. If one of those beasts were let loose on a major trade lane-"

"Then once you captured it, we would have a working model of one of their ships," Tevos cut his tirade off, "and a piece of political leverage against them. We need to focus on what we can get out of them, and that means figuring out what they need."

"What they need are new colony worlds." Bel stated without preamble. "Their military development, which supports their report of another interstellar empire they are at war with, implies they need worlds to develop and replenish. They will also need technical expertise to accelerate their understanding of your peoples' technology." he looked meaningfully at Sparatus.

"Absolutely not!" Sparatus pushed himself out of his seat, as if to intimidate the two people in front of him. "It's bad enough that we are giving them the Skyllian Verge, knowing it will set off the Hegemony; but I refuse to aid their technological development at my own people's expense."

Tevos slowly blinked, and allowed just a small hint of her true feelings to slip through, "You and the Hierarchy are not in any position to refuse the Councils demands, considering the fact that the Hierarchy is the entire reason we are in this mess in the first place," she stated coldly, not even looking at Sparatus while she brought up some data reports.

She could all but feel him sputtering beside her. She'd met enough politicians in her centuries of life to know someone who would always find a way to pass the blame.

Still, she needed him to cooperate. "That said, I agree with the basic sentiment. Controlling the UEG's access to Eezo expertise can only benefit us. If we do not control that access, they will seek technical expertise from the Terminus, or worse: experiment."

Sparatus flexed his mandibles in anger, but huffed and looked at Bel. "If we want to close access, I suppose we could reach out to the more... receptive elements in the Terminus and have word spread that anyone caught having shared technical expertise or hiring out engineers to the UEG will face sanctions or worse. We can be as heavy handed as we want since it won't matter if they find out we've done this; they'll know either way."

Bel's horns vibrated for a moment before nodding. "The likeliest angle for them to pursue would be to contact the Migrant Fleet. It will be simple enough to stir them up by revealing the UEG uses AI."

Sparatus looked thoughtful for a moment. "That might even work better. So many companies use Quarian labor and technicians. If word got out that the UEG made 'flagrant and irresponsible use of AI', then the threat of those Quarians either leaving or revolting should be enough to keep most Terminus actors in line."

Tevos nodded in satisfaction. "Then we can pick and choose who to send to help them learn about Eezo, allowing us to gain the technical edge over them before they make any breakthroughs." She glanced at Sparatus. "Have your people made any decisions on how to combat them in open space if, or when, we come to blows again?"

The Turian flared all of his scales in pride. "We've already developed a number of strategies and tactics we can use with the current state of the art. So long as they don't suddenly develop kinetic barriers or vastly increase their strike range in the next decade, we should be able to maintain parity until our current experimental systems can begin field testing," he looked pointedly at the other two, "unless your governments would care to help accelerate that development along."

Tevos resisted the urge to glare at the Turian. The Prothean Beacon in the Temple of Athame was simultaneously the source of the Asari Republics' great power and prestige, and it's greatest potential political disaster. It had allowed them to leap over the technological achievements of every other race; but with the wording of the Accords, should any other Council or Associate race find out of its existence, they could legally demand its release for public access. So whenever one of the younger races made a request like that, Tevos had nightmare visions of the Priestesses of Athame staging a revolt to keep the Beacon: a revolt that would tear the Republics, and by extension the Galaxy apart.

She mentally sighed in relief when Bel nodded. "We have a project in the works for a new dual-function Reconnaissance Frigate. We are having some difficulties in improving combat survivability to acceptable levels. Joint efforts between our teams could net improvements beyond what either could achieve alone. Once those ships are online, we can begin looking for their second relay."

Both Sparatus and Tevos started at that. "What 'second Relay'?!" The subharmonics in Sparatus' voice were so bad as to vibrate the glass table top.

Bel activated a hologram on the table showing a map of known Relays. "STG elements monitoring Pirate activity have reported radiation signatures consistent with UEG FTL at Sentry Omega and the Eagle Nebula. Those readings were corroborated, and coincide with other sightings nearer to Relay 314. Even our worst projections of the UEG FTL capability do not allow for that level of speed. Therefore they must have access to at least one other relay into the Terminus."

"Spirits, they're spreading like Vorcha!"

Tevos gave a faint biotic -pop- drawing the other two's attention. "Better. Now then Councilor Bel, when were these other readings taken?"

Bel's horns fluttered in chagrin. "All readings except one grouping predate the Turian invasion of Shanxi."

Tevos cut Sparatus' complaints with a glance. "And the other group?"

"They appear to be moving in a relatively straight, if plodding path away from what we presume is UEG space."

Sparatus paused at that. "So this is either a pathfinder team, or a splinter group. Do we have any way of telling where they are going?"

"Only in the most general sense. They are heading deeper into the Terminus."

He threw his talons up in disgust. "Is it impossible for these people to respect our borders?! And we're supposed to just give them a diplomatic office on the Citadel? Phah!"

Tevos refrained from bringing up the obvious Turian violation of the UEG's borders since it would serve no point; he believed he was in the right and the humans were in the wrong, and nothing would ever change his mind. She could still use his contempt to sway some of the Associate races while placating his delicate ego.

"We will certainly not be giving them a Diplomatic Mission here on the Citadel," she primly declared. "Such an honor is reserved for those who aspire to join our ranks. They have declared and demonstrated their unwillingness for anything but the most basic of armistices and trade treaties," she could hear Sparatus' mandibles click in satisfaction. "I see no reason why we should allow them to even set foot on the station."

Bel nodded. "Well said. Still, we need to be firm about what we do and do not expect."

"Freedom of Navigation through their Relays," Sparatus all but barked. "If they do have a second Relay that leads to the Verge or the Terminus, then it would cut travel time between our core systems and those regions by two thirds. Even if they impose Tariffs on Goods, the savings in time and Pirate avoidance will more than make up for the cost." He noted the looks from his compatriots. "I may eschew the dealings of the Volus, but I know enough about them to know they will ask for this anyway."

"The UEG will ask the same of us," Bel looked absently at the table. "Perhaps we can station Customs Ports at all UEG Relays, and require the same of them."

Tevos was glad that the discussion was turning productive again. "Grant them their Diplomatic Missions on the stations on our side, and we have the same on theirs. Everyone will have their political back channels, and we will have an excuse to have a military and intelligence presence in their space, should the need arise."

Sparatus buzzed in satisfaction. "So let us review, so we may refine our position before the formal negotiations on their Shanxi-Bai Station: Ceding of colony rights to the Skyllian Verge as a gesture of Good Will, denial of a Diplomatic Mission here on the Citadel, the establishment of Customs and Border Border Checkpoint stations at any and all Relays leading from their territory into ours, and a Freedom of Navigation agreement for Commerce and Emergencies as a condition for any trade agreements to be negotiated by the individual Associate or Council races, dependant on Council approval."

Tevos thought that, perhaps, Sparatus would not be such a bad influence after all. The Council did tend towards conciliation to keep the peace; perhaps it was time to take a... harder position.

X

Ambasador Galivas Orinia shifted uncomfortably in her chair on Bai Station. The last time she'd been here, the only other living people had been the Asari with her. Now the station was bustling with humans, and her own small Diplomatic team.

Her new status and title as 'Diplomat in Extraordinary' felt awkward on her shoulders. When she'd asked about her appointment to the position, she was told that the UEG had specifically requested her, and not the Asari. "Our conflict is with your Hierarchy, not with the Republics or the Council as a whole." She wondered if, perhaps, they just wanted to negotiate with a less experienced diplomat.

The 'honor' was a cold comfort. She would never again bear the title 'General'. She had been 'promoted' at the request of now Councilor Sparatus, and approved by her former commanders. It was said to be a high honor, but she was more than confident that it was meant to punish her for not storming the Shanxi system.

Across from her sat the UEG's official diplomatic representative, Ambasador Anita Goyle. Where Orinia wore her title like ill-fitted armor, Ambassador Goyle wore the position like an Asari wore years. Galivas wondered if the Shanxi System was actually cursed by the Titans, since every time she came here she felt woefully outmatched.

Still, she was a good Turian, and she would do her duty. She had studied every scrap of information she could on the UEG, even going so far as to make a formal request of their history through Bai. Both she and her colleagues had been surprised with how accommodating the UEG had been in that regard. While the information had clearly been sanitized, there was still a substantial corpus of knowledge. The Anthropologist in her was tantalized by the glimpse into the collective mind of humanity.

She was especially intrigued to find they were currently going through their own Unification War. It was oddly comforting to realize that these people had something so fundamentally in common with the Turian Hierarchy. She believed, she hoped that as with Bai and her acknowledgement of Hubris, that a more meaningful peace could be established than a simple Armistice.

Bai's serpentine hologram materialized above the table. "All appointed parties are present. These proceedings are being recorded in perpetuity. You may proceed." Her hologram was replaced by the Seal of the UEG, though there were slight changes from what Galivas was familiar with in her research.

Anita stood and addressed Galivas. "Ambasador Orinia, I am pleased to formally welcome you to the Shanxi System of the United Terran Systems Government. I am saddened that our two peoples should have to meet under such hostile circumstances. It is my sincerest hope that the terrible events of the last year will be the last time our governments come to blows." Anita paused in her speech and looked pointedly in Gavilas' eyes.

Gavilas stood, and as Anita was sitting the hologram shifted to show the Turian 'Icon of Unity'. "My thanks to you and to your people for welcoming us back into your space. The tragedy of Shanxi was one of ignorance and... Hubris, which should never have, nor should ever again stain the honor of our two peoples." She withdrew a small holographic chip from her breast pocket. "As a sign of our sincerity, the Turian Hierarchy is prepared, under Citadel Council authorization, to grant colonization rights to the region known as the Skyllian Verge." A simple galactic map sprung up showing several galactic regions, with one blinking.

She sat down and the main hologram shifted once more to show the UTSG Seal as Anita stood once more. Galivas thought she saw surprise in the human's mein. "This is a most generous gift, which we will humbly accept in the spirit of peace." Anita tapped a control on the table in front of her, and an image of a large human designed storage device replaced the seal. "We would also like to make a good will gesture. Inside the container attached to this station are the mortal remains of your fallen comrades, as well as the surviving forces whom we have placed in cryogenic suspension."

Gavilas' diplomatic entorage murmured from behind her, though she tried to school her features. It had been so long since the Hierarchy had fought a formal war that the idea of a Prisoner Exchange had been all but lost to history. "This is a most gracious and welcome gift, Ambassador."

"And a costly one, I hope you understand." Gavilas paused at Anita's comment. "Our laws are very clear on the conduct of soldiers in the execution of their duties. While your culture may find no fault in the actions taken by your forces during their occupation of Shanxi, ours would levy the harshest of legal judgements. I hope your people will appreciate this."

Gavilas did understand the implication, since she had read about the UEG, and it's predecessor organization's history and purpose. She was also fairly certain that Anita was aware that the Hierarchy hadn't actually given anything up by ceeding the Verge. Galivas and her people were effectively in debt to the UTSG, though no one would be so crass as to point that out.

"We will, Ambassador."

"Very good," Anita nodded. "To that end, shall we begin our formal deliberations?"

"Yes. As our first confrontation was ultimately about national borders and freedom of navigation, as well as a lack of communications between our respective peoples," Galivas saw some of Anita's aides flinch at a reminder of the UEG's spy missions which had set off the invasion, "I would like to address that first." Galivas brought up a list of proposals and another holographic map. "Citadel law only permits Diplomatic Missions on the Citadel for governments which sign the Citadel Accords. As your government has declined to do so, we are left without a diplomatic channel between our governments.

"We propose the construction of a series of border stations at any relay pair which allows direct access to our respective territories; one on each side. These would serve as customs checkpoints, while also serving as the location of our respective diplomatic missions, as well as those of any other government that wishes to participate."

The pause in Anita's motion told Galivas that her counterpart had not considered this option. "Would the Citadel then be willing to extend Freedom of Navigation to the UTSG and it's citizens through their space?"

"Within reason. Legitimate travel and trade would be allowed, though no UNSC military craft would be permitted entry, nor would you expect that Hierarchy military craft should be granted the same, except under extreme cases to be agreed upon in situ by our respective governments."

Anita nodded hesitantly. "This seems reasonable on the surface, though it will require extensive review by my government. Stations are not cheap."

Orinia had a sudden flash of inspiration. "No they are not. Perhaps our respective governments could share that burden? If we jointly construct and jointly man the stations, then no one government bears the burden alone." Galivas knew that the Citadel wanted to control UTSG access to Eezo research, but if they had a civilian project that taught them those principals, they would be less likely to search around. "We might even build on such cooperative projects into other fields of study, industry and defense." Orinia knew there were plenty of Turians who would go barefaced for the opportunity to study the inside of a Human warship. The humans maybe not so much since her Flotilla was not on the table for return, but that was a chance she was willing to take.

She could see Anita's eyes through the miasma of holograms, and knew that the veteran Diplomat knew what she was playing at. It didn't matter. The offer was on the table, and now it was up to the two of them to lay the groundwork for future treaties. Orinia clicked her mandibles in anticipation.

Diplomacy isn't nearly as boring or unsatisfying as I thought it would be.

X

Jack Harper lounged in the chair of a raucous night club. Behind him stood Ben Hislop, Eva Core' and Kai Leng. Across from him sat the self-proclaimed 'Bitch Queen of Omega', Aria T'Loak flanked by prostitutes and mercenaries.

"I'll admit I am intrigued by you managing to sneak in here. I'm pissed, but intrigued. Play up the intrigue and I'll let you walk out of here alive."

Jack took a lazy drag from his cigarette. "You've certainly heard the news about the 'incident' on Shanxi?"

Aria snorted. "Yeah; you're people picked a fight with the Turians and managed not to get conquered when the Asari stepped in. Color me indifferent." She frowned at the smug smirk on this human's face.

Jack waved dismissively at Ben, who tossed something on to the table between the two groups. Before any of Aria's Mercs could react, a hologram sprung up between them. Everyone watched in wrapped fascination as the battle in space played out from the perspective of ground monitoring stations. A Turian Merc became progressively more uncomfortable as he saw the Hierarchy fleet be systematically dismantled.

Once the Turain Dreadnaught jumped to safety, the image shifted to an Infantry battle cam. Fascination became awe as they saw a small team of armored humans take on a Turian Mechanized Squad. The brute of a Krogan standing behind Aria was particularly delighted as one of the humans tackled a Jiris Light Tank. The hologram shut off as the Tank erupted in flames and collapsed onto the ground.

Aria could see the human Jack clearly again; the same insufferable smirk on his face.

"Okay, more impressed now. What is it you want?"

Jack waved the cigarette noncommittally. "Room, board, and discretion. We want what's best for our people, and right now that's a little difficult with shifting politics." He leaned forward and locked eyes with her, his cybernetics glinting in the garish neon lights. "We need a place to work out of sight: some place that will turn a blind eye to any unsavory practices we may need to carry out."

"And in return?"

Jack tapped the Holographic projector, bringing up an image of the four armored humans. "You get access to our resources should you need... deniability and guaranteed results."

Jack watched as the avarice played out across her face. There had been half a dozen plans coming into this, up to and including flooding the station with their stockpiles of CN-20 Nerve Gas. In the end, Jack decided on playing up the Bitch Queen's titanic ego.

He stood when she did and traded platitudes and handshakes. There'd be time enough to get her out of the way, once he'd subverted enough of her powerbase. For now, he needed to husband his resources. ONI was no more, and he couldn't rely on the unlimited authority he'd previously enjoyed under Paragonsky.

In time, he'd rebuild what he'd lost: make new connections, build bridges to his most trusted allies back in the UEG, and when the time was right...

He smiled wickedly as he flicked his spent cigarette into the deep shadows of Omega. "Hail to the King."