Cooldude: I finished On the Illusion of Might yesterday morning.
And...yeah, it's a pretty good read. It kinda focuses quite a lot on the political spectrum of things, but...it's a pretty decent read, as far as I can tell. Sad to see it abandoned, though...(T_T)
Hawking Eta, Thorne System, Mnemosyne
Exact time/date unknown
Lurking within interdimensional space, a salarian dimensional frigate lurked, one of the first of it's class to be constructed. Built by STG engineers and based off the designs of their human counterparts, it was a ship intended to operate on the edges of civilization and beyond, in the vast regions that were still largely unknown and unexplored by most, and was the pride and joy of the Salarian Union, the Kareha-class.
Visually, the ship was no different from any other salarian stealth frigate prowling the stars, except that the vast sensor arrays had been removed and replaced by hydrodynamic, curved, smooth bulbs on the hull to help mask it's signature on human multidimensional scanners, the ones capable of 'seeing' into the other dimensions, and the engines were larger and had been modified for greater efficiency, allowing it to travel faster than most.
Inside, the differences were a bit more noticeable. Where there were supposed to be a large number of sensors and scanners, there were a small number, all focused on the primary function of the ship—interdimensional reconnaissance. Instead, there were fewer crew quarters, more space dedicated to 'silent-running' engines and sensors, and a larger cargo bay, which was currently carrying a large stockpile of eezo, food, and spare parts. In the bow was also a number of torpedo tubes, currently empty at the moment, but with some torpedoes stored on a rack nearby to be loaded at a moment's notice. Originally, the plan called for loading the racks with specialist 'interdimensional torpedoes' similarly to human ones, capable of 'surfacing' into realspace on their own to strike targets like a submarine, but time and production constraints meant that only four could be produced in time for the vessel's deployment, with the rest being regular ones.
On the bridge, the crew were silent, keeping a lookout on the sensors for any signs of dimensional instability. Human prowler crews wouldn't have to contend with doing that given how they've been doing this for decades already, but for STG, much less the Council races, this was the first time they've ever put the ship to the test, shakedown cruise notwithstanding.
"Captain, we've got an anomaly in Sector 5-D-6."
"Report."
"The energy signature is fluctuating, but the pattern indicates that the dimension is unstable. I suggest launching a probe into the vicinity, just in case."
"Understood. Go do it."
"Yes, Captain. Probe launching."
A series of clunks could be heard as the probe was fired out from the launch tubes and into the other dimension, and the ship slowly maneuvered to keep the signal stable, as the probe's systems powered up and went to work.
"Data streaming...got it."
"Show me the results."
"Sir."
On the holotank, the view changed to show the inside of the anomaly, and what the sensors were able to gather from it...
"...this looks like a human squid, doesn't it?" one of the bridge crew commented as the datalink from the probe, acting in place of a 'periscope', filtered through and was displayed on the holotank. "One big, nasty squid, it seems. But with a nasty hole ripped through it."
"And there's some debris floating around in there."
"Hmm...any signs of movement or life?"
"Not yet, sir. There's nothing in the immediate vicinity."
"...status of the vessel?"
"Minimal power readings, appears to be lingering remnants of a catastrophic power failure. Engines offline, life support nonexistent, no sign of anything working. The ship is drifting, and seems to have been so for quite a while already."
"Estimated age of the ship?"
"Based off radiocarbon dating of organic material remnants on the ship, roughly thirty-seven million years, Captain."
"Is that ship Prothean? I've heard stories about how their technology is almost indecipherable..."
"Negative, Captain, the construction styles don't match. Also a strange signal is being detected."
"What kind?"
"It's not a communications transmission, it's closer to something that's the residual signature of a moltendown reactor. Our VIs are working heads over tails figuring out what it is, but they still haven't anything positive yet. Signature appears to have some similarities to human artificial meld-links, though, but again, they still haven't confirmed that. There's just too little data available."
"What about the ship's design?"
"No records of any ships being built like this in Council or Terminus space, sir."
"Well, that's no surprise. We're not exactly supposed to be here, after all."
"True. Shall I launch another probe and scan further into the anomaly, sir?"
"Launch it."
"Understood, Captain. Launching probe."
As the second probe launched, a thought struck the Captain.
"...wait a minute...we're detecting no life signs or movements from the vessel. Is that right?"
"Yes, Captain. Nothing is detected."
"I want a full bioanalysis on the vessel and the probe. I have a hunch."
"Of course, sir."
There was a short pause as the science department got to work, before the answer came.
"Well, I'll be damned...there's nothing alive in that ship, Captain. No signs of any living creature at all. In fact, there's no life whatsoever."
"What about the anomaly?"
"We had to let the VIs run several rings around it before coming up with a match, err, something that comes close to a match, Captain. In short, this signal is one that interferes with the mind of organic individuals, similarly to how transmitters control slaves in the Terminus colonies, except that this is much more refined, subtle, and advanced. This would've been utterly impossible to detect with normal sensors and technology, the only reason why we could even spot it at all would be because of the prototype multidimensional sensors STG had worked so hard to make before. As it is, this would've been completely imperceptible to most."
"I see. Can you isolate the source of the signal?"
"Negative, Captain, the signal is too scrambled for even the interdimensional arrays to properly transcribe. It seems to be a combination of an omnipresent field, a signal broadcasted across the galaxy, and a quantum connection of some sort, possibly through the mass effect core that's used in the ship's drive core, but that's a wild guess, and even then, it would still take some time to crack the signal, if at all."
"I see. Keep the sensors focused on that anomaly, and maintain position. I'm contacting the Admiral, this is definitely something worth looking at."
"Miru!"
The door was flung open as Rael'Zorah vas Rayya barged in, the sweat visible on his face even through the faceplate of his biosuit.
"Quiet, Admiral, she just fell asleep..." the human female tending to the Admiral's daughter muttered, her tone soft.
"...sorry. Is she alright?"
"Yeah. She's certainly been through a lot, but she pulled through in the end."
"She'll live, then."
"Yes."
"Thank the Ancestors..."
"It's no problem."
"What did I miss?"
"Just a fever, Admiral, but it's under control. She'll be fine, although I wouldn't recommend moving her around for a bit. Let her rest for a while. You can visit her if you want, just try not to disturb her."
"Alright...thank you."
"You shouldn't be thanking me, I merely dragged her out of danger and onto a waiting shuttle," the human replied. "That honor belongs to Marie...she saved your daughter's life."
"...Marie?"
"Marie Tsukasa, one of the members assigned to my team for that operation. She was a Geth using a human biomech for the infiltration, but I suppose you would've known that already. Anyways, she's the one who saved your daughter, and I'm not exaggerating, either. Your daughter would've died without her help."
"Can I ask what happened?" Rael asked, the fact that a Geth had saved his daughter not shocking him anymore, especially considering the events of only mere weeks past.
"When we were trying to get all the captured slaves out of the place before reiforcements could overwhelm us and gun everyone down, one slaver had a grenade in his hand and made a suicide bombing attack. Most of the slaves were out of the blast radius when it went off, but your daughter wasn't one of them, but Marie threw herself onto your daughter and took the brunt of the damage. She was severely wounded in the process, but she survived."
"I...I see. Is Marie alright?"
"Yes. She's recuperating from the injuries, but she's still alive. She'll pull through, and be as good as new once she gets out of the hospital, probably."
"...alright. Thanks."
Quarians had only thought one thing upon the subject of the Geth, and one thing only. That the Geth were the cause for everything wrong that happened, and that the quarians were right in creating the geth, that the Geth were merely machines. It didn't matter that the Geth had no will of their own, no desire, and no real sentience. All that mattered was that they killed their masters and destroyed their homeworld...that they were the enemy. But...
"...Room 307, about three doors down the hallway," the human said, brushing at her black hair, voicing the answer to the unasked question before he could even think about asking it.
"...thank you," he nodded and bowed respectfully before leaving the room.
[Open report]
We have found...something.
It's a ship, it seems. Drifting in the orbit of Mnemosyne, located in the Thorne System. Said system is in the Hawking Eta, near the galactic core.
We haven't got any information on the vessel or the species that constructed it yet, but we'll work on getting some. The ship is drifting, and the entire vessel appears to be dead. We've only found some residual energy signatures, indicating the ship was once powered and active. Radiocarbon dating on residual organic remains suggests that the ship is an estimated age of 37 million years, although we cannot be sure. It has visible damage, rather heavy, in fact. Analysis suggests that the ship was subject to attack by numerous mass accelerator-type shots that weakened it before being destroyed by a single overpowered shot that ripped straight through it's outer armor and destroyed it's interior enough to render it a drifting wreck. We cannot say for certain how powerful was the weaker armaments that had targeted this vessel, but leafing through geological records of Klendagon, especially the Great Rift Valley there, permitted us to roughly estimate the strength of the heavier firepower employed against the vessel.
Estimates suggest that the shot in question was at least comparable to the primary mass accelerator on the Destiny Ascension, with more average guesses putting it at significantly higher, more in-line with the expected performance tracks of the newer second-generation armaments being produced. It's worth noting, however, that the armor thickness of the vessel is remarkably thick, thick enough to outstrip any current armor layout. It is offset by the fact that the ship's armor layout is basically a big shell covering the entire hull, but it is still worrying nonetheless.
More of interest is the signal it seems to emit. The ship is, and please remember that we have no idea how this works, generating an omnipresent field that scrambles organic brains, and has the capability of establishing a quantum link between the vessel and a number of organic individuals. The field and the signal itself is imperceptible to normal sensors, and we are working hard on ways to counter the effects, as the implications are rather...worrying, to say the least.
- Captain [redacted], STG dimensional frigate [redacted], [redacted], [redacted].
[End report]
The hospital room that Marie found herself in was sparsely decorated and furnished, but for her, it still conveyed a sense of home well enough. Right on the far side of the wall was a TV that was currently switched off alongside two chairs and a table right between them directly underneath, a bedside table with a night-light right beside her, and a window to her left, allowing her a view of the city of Szurdok, Estuary, directly beyond. The colony that was the first to fall during the war for humanity's very survival had, ironically enough, became one of the largest hubs between the human and Citadel blocs, and it's convenient posing meant that it would be a natural destination for anyone headed from the Terminus sector to come to.
A knock on the door broke her train of thought. "It's not locked, come on in."
The door opened, and a quarian in full biosuit stepped in, his face partially visible through his faceplate. The suit's markings made him out as a high-ranking quarian, presumably of the Admiralty Board, even. After reading off his name-plate mounted to his chest, Marie made him out as Rael'Zorah vas Rayya. Admiral of the Migrant Fleet, if she recalled correctly.
"...Zorah-Admiral?" she asked as the Admiral of the Migrant Fleet stood there awkwardly for a few moments as if unsure of what to say.
"Please, call me Rael," he said, bowing his head respectfully. "Or, if you must, Rael'Zorah will do, as well. Marie Tsukasa, correct?"
"Yes, I'm Marie. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I hear that you're the one who saved Miru."
"I am, yes," she replied. "Why?"
"I've come to thank you. If it wasn't for you, Miru would be dead now."
"There's no need to thank me," Marie replied, shaking her head. "I'm just doing my duty."
"You did more than that. You risked your life to save my daughter, and I don't take that lightly."
"I was the only one who could, and so I did. If I didn't, I'd be no better than the slavers."
"I see. But, still. Thank you very much for doing so."
"The honor's ours, not mine," Marie nodded. "Those who made their way into the land of danger to gather us the intelligence we needed, those who stormed the base, got the slaves outside, and helped the rescued escape, they're the ones who did the real work. All I did was drag your daughter into a shuttle."
"Yes, but still. Thank you very much."
"It's not necessary, but alright. I won't argue further."
"Good. How long are you going to stay here?"
"Not very long, a few days at most. The doctors told me that I'll be fit enough to go in a short while, but they recommended staying here for a bit more just in case."
Rael remained silent as Marie's injuries acted up, causing her to wince slightly and put a hand to her head.
"...sorry. Anyways, Zorah-Admiral, is there anything else that you want to ask of me?"
"...the decision relating the peace treaty, the Conclave, and the position of the Admiralty Board on the matter," said Rael after a pause. "The peace treaty and the negotiations are in their final stages, but the Admiralty Board is still unsure of how to act in this matter. The situation is...complicated, to say the least."
"I understand," Marie replied. "You're worried that the Board would be divided into factions, and that the Migrant Fleet would fragment again."
"Yes. The Conclave may vote for and against the matter, but we can override them, should we deem their decision unsatisfactory. However, the Conclave itself is split over the matter. It is a delicate situation, to say the least."
"What are your views on the matter, Zorah-Admiral?"
"Whatever I would be doing within reason."
"And what would you do within reason?"
"My logical side is telling me that I should stay away from you as far as possible, to forget that the peace-deal ever existed, naught but another Geth trap for us to fall into," Rael said truthfully. "But...the fact that you, a Geth, had saved my daughter, still remains, and I still owe you for it, so I cannot bring myself to commit myself to 'reason'. It has become two conflicting sides within me, and I do not know which is the true side."
"I see..." Marie said slowly, mulling the question over in her head.
"Is it right that we should be friends with you? With our creations? That's what the humans think. Should we carry on with our exodus instead, and let ourselves away from the jaws of our creations? That's what the rest of the galaxy thinks. What do you think?"
"...if the positions were reversed, if you were in our place, what would you have done, Admiral? Would you have taken the same course of action we had taken, or would you have gone in a different direction, and do what others would expect you to do?"
"...I'm not sure. I'm not sure."
Marie sank herself into deep thought for a few moments before turning again to face the quarian Admiral in front of her. "There is no argument I can produce that can produce that can fully convince you, because I'm Geth, that's the problem, and there's none other that others can make, either, because they're not Geth; anyone I or they make, however logical, is irrelevant. Forget the humans, forget the Citadel, forget the Conclave, Admiralty Board, galactic community, hell, forget that your kind even existed altogether. Those are irrelevant, they can only clutter up your decision making. And once we remove all of them from the equation, the matter becomes a simple one, really."
Marie let a pause elapse before looking at Rael'Zorah in the eye. "Do you want to return home, or not?"
[Open report]
After conducting extensive studies, our science teams have found some data.
The ship does not seem to be constructed in the normal fashion. Automated units scouting out the ship from afar have picked out a biological 'goop' that seems to be able to reshape itself into a number of different forms, like human SmartSteel and our own experimental nanolaminate armoring that is still being worked on. But...the scans nonetheless reveal something quite disturbing, to say the least. The goop seems not to be bioengineered in a lab, it was made by somehow using a machine to convert organic material, specifically animal cells, into something close to it's current form. Basically you get some creatures (or worse, actual sapients) into a melting pot and then...mulch them down into a liquid that can be reformed into a specific form, similarly to how some...questionable horror franchises have put their credits.
Needless to say, this is rather creepy, and our science teams are freaking out a bit. This technology is very dangerous, and it is not known if there are any drawbacks or negative impacts to it's users. The ship, too, is powered by eezo, but the drive core design is totally alien, and our engineers are struggling to determine what is going on in it. Our VIs are coming up blank, but there's one thing certain: this ship definitely bears sinister intentions. Whether it's owners are still around or not, we do not know, but if they are, we're likely to see some very nasty things soon enough.
- Captain [redacted], STG dimensional frigate [redacted], [redacted], [redacted].
P.S. Get a load of this: the quantum signal, whatever the hell it is. It's definitely a mind-control signal, and it may prove fatal to us if handled improperly. We need to come up with a way to either destroy the source of the signal, isolate it, or counter it effectively before we should even think about boarding it
[End report]
The Conclave was chaos.
"We should sign the peace treaty!"
"No, we should not! It is a ploy, a Geth ploy, and we will not fall for it!"
"Are you blind, or simply stupid?! The Geth have no such plans!"
"And what if they do, hmm? Do you want to be killed like fools?!"
"It's not like you're not going to get yourself killed anyways, considering how the Migrant Fleet is slowly falling apart."
"That's because of you, you fools!"
"And yet you are the ones who voted for the Admirals to do their job, which they've done."
"Shut it!"
"No, you shut it!"
"Enough!"
All chatter ceased as the Speaker of the Conclave rose and glared at the bickering members of the Conclave, his glare sharp.
"We are the Conclave, we are supposed to be united, not squabbling like children. If you are to bicker amongst yourselves like this, then you should step down and have someone else replace you, understood?"
"Yes, Speaker," the bickering quarians muttered, ashamed of their actions.
The Speaker let a pause elapse before moving on to the next matter he had on his waiting list. "The Admiral of the Migrant Fleet, Rael'Zorah vas Rayya, wishes to address the Conclave. He will be doing so over commlink shortly."
The Speaker of the Conclave gestured, and a holoscreen appeared, the image of a quarian clad in a standard quarian suit standing on a deck, the image of the stars and the skyline of a distinctly human city visible through the window behind him.
"Conclave," the Admiral bowed, his tone respectful. "Thank you for taking time to hear my words."
"The Conclave acknowledges your presence, Admiral," the Speaker replied, his tone formal and his bearing stiff. "What do you wish to speak to us of?"
"I will advocate for peace."
Silence.
Dumbstruck, shocked, stunned silence.
"What?!" one quarian finally asked, his voice almost a screech. "What did you just say?!"
"I will advocate for peace," Rael repeated, his voice clear.
"Do you understand what you're saying, Admiral?! You are advocating for the destruction of the quarian race!"
"No, I am not," Rael answered, shaking his head. "I will explain myself."
"Explain what, exactly? How you've gone mad?! That's all there is to it!"
"I am not mad, nor is this a spur-of-the-moment decision. This is the result of long deliberation and discussion, and I can assure you, this is the correct path."
"How could this be the correct path?!" another quarian demanded. "Your very suggestion is an insult, not only to the memory of the lives lost during the Uprising, but also to the entire history of our race! You're asking us to make peace with the machines we created, and you claim that this is the correct—"
"Quiet!" Rael cut him off, plunging the Conclave into silence.
"...the Geth are not the monsters you all thought they were, they are respectful, honorable, and brave individuals who all deserve as much right to live as we do," he began. "It was the Geth who had placed themselves into harm's way to save the drell from certain death when the solar flare hit, relieving the human ship in the act before her crew could face certain death themselves. It was they who scouted out the locations of slave camps and anchorages, allowing for many of ours who had been taken captive to be reunited with the Fleet once more. They risked their very existence for the sake of others, and I cannot help but admire them for their determination, bravery, and willpower."
"This is a mere fluke, Admiral!" a quarian protested. "They can't be—"
"I'm not done yet, represenative," Rael cut him off. "Let me finish."
He then took a deep breath. "...it was a Geth who had saved my daughter, placing herself in harm's way to protect her even when doing so would've meant serious injury, or even certain death for her. Our own creations, who have every right in the galaxy to resent and hate us for what we have done to them, saved my daughter. Yes. Saved. My. Daughter."
The room was plunged into silence.
"...this is not the act of an AI who does not think for itself, an AI who would be nothing more than a soulless automaton," Rael continued, his tone softer. "This is the act of an individual who is capable of thinking and choosing for himself and herself. This is the act of an individual with his own sense of honor, integrity, and duty. And it is because of this, that I will advocate for peace."
A pause, before he continued.
"...if the positions were reversed, if we were the ones who were forced to suffer because of the choices made by our creators, and not them, then we would not have acted as we did. We would've been more understanding. We would've had the heart to forgive. But instead, we chose not to, and because of that, we have been forced into this endless cycle of suffering and pain. It is not the Geth who are the true monsters here. It is us, the quarians."
Another pause, and he continued.
"...I am not saying that we should forget our past. That is impossible. Nor am I asking that we let it influence and rule our decisions anymore. Representatives of the Conclave, we are now free of the past, should we wish to chose so. It's time to fight no longer. It's now time, for peace. The peace, that the Geth have fought hard to earn, the peace, that the quarian people have always dreamed of."
A third pause, and he concluded his speech.
"...our ancestors have made a mistake three hundred years ago. It is about time we accept it and move on."
The door to Tevos's office opened as Ambassador Kaoru entered with a krogan by her side. The turian councilor and the salarian councilor were already present, and all three of the councilors rose in acknowledgement as the pair approached.
"Councilors," the two bowed respectfully, before sitting down on the chairs provided for them.
"Kaoru, Wrex," Tevos nodded. "Welcome. What brings you here?"
Kaoru settled herself into a chair and pulled one over for Wrex, laying her chin on her hands before making an offhand comment as if discussing the weather. With her eyes closed for added effect. "It simple, Councilors. The Federation of Tuchanka calls to re-negotiate the Treaty of Luisa, the treaty that had ended the Krogan-Citadel war. Namely, to terminate the Council Demilitarization Enforcement Mission and permit the Federation to properly rebuild once again, in peace."
Tevos froze, but...
"Allow me to make this one clear: the Federation does not want to resume the Rebellions," Wrex said. "Our kind is tired of fighting, of the genophage, of being confined to our homeworld. We've suffered enough already, and we no longer desire more. That is why, we seek peace."
Oraka finished pouring himself his glass of brandy. "I see...what will you do, Tevos?"
"...I will consider it."
"Excellent," Wrex nodded. "Then we are done. Kaoru, shall we go?"
"Yes, of course," she nodded.
The two bowed respectfully.
"May we meet again."
Oraka watched as Tevos sank herself into deep thought, her expression pensive.
"...so? What will you do, Tevos?"
The asari councilor opened her eyes. "I say it's a fair deal."
"What?!" Oraka almost dropped his glass, his tone incredulous. "Are you serious?!"
"Yes. As the Ambassador stated, the Federation has no desire for war, and we have no intention of rekindling the old grudges of the past. It's a new day for us, a day of peace and prosperity."
"...you really want to remove the Demilitarization Enforcement Mission from the DMZ and essentially renounce it altogether?"
"No. The battlestations can stay, but the krogan shall be permitted to expand as they see fit, provided that they do not violate too much red lines in the process. I don't believe that the krogan will, however, so there shouldn't be any problems."
"Tevos, you can't just—"
"If we agree to permit the krogan to rebuid their future, that will net us with some goodwill from the krogan, and it would mean that there's a lot less work that needs to be done. In addition, if the krogan are allowed to grow and rebuild, their numbers will rise again. If we get them on our good side as opposed to that of the humans, they can be a powerful tool to wield, and if they don't, they can at least act as a buffer against the humans, and it's a win-win for both sides. If we choose to not agree, the krogan would have no reason to not ally themselves with the humans, and then, that's a whole mess that no one wants to see happen. The krogan are a wild card, and we should not leave the option of using them to the humans."
"That may be true, but, Tevos..."
"The humans have already begun their efforts, and soon enough, the krogan will be a fully functional civilization, a spacefaring one at that. What can we do? The krogan will grow, and they will return to their former glory, whether we like it or not. What better choice than to allow them to, and keep them on our side in the process? If we don't let them do so, then they'd go to the humans instead. We need to decide what the krogan are going to do. Will they become the vassals of the humans, or will they join us, and act as a powerful tool we can wield in our fight against humanity? It's the same decision, Oraka. We've got no other options left."
Oraka remained silent, and the asari councilor continued.
"Besides, if we can use this as a chance to improve our relationship with the krogan, then, that's all the better. We can gain a powerful ally, and not just that, the krogan would feel indebted to us for it, and they can prove to be quite useful."
"I...see," Oraka said, after a pause. "So you want to get the krogan on our side, and make them our vassals. I suppose I could understand, and I'm sure the Primarch would, too, although he's not going to be very happy."
"Indeed. But it's not like there's any other option. We can't do anything about the humans, the krogan's future is set in stone. All that remains is for us to chose how they will go."
"Fair enough," Oraka nodded.
"And you, Valern?"
The salarian councilor gave a nod of his own. "I can dispatch STG to the krogan DMZ to oversee the process, and the Federation will be able to start rebuilding within a few days."
"Good. Now then, we'll reconvene the next Council meeting when the human ambassador returns from their mission and the salarian Councilor's emissaries are finished with the negotiations."
"Yes, Councilor," Oraka said, getting up from his seat and leaving the office.
"You are dismissed."
Yurie,
The batarians are expanding quite quickly into the Transverse right now, they got most of the relevant relays open and are pouring their way into the garden worlds of it already. There's a lot of alledged things that point to them using Collector equipment in the process, or at least knockoffs of them, as their probes are moving far too fast for the timetables to make sense, even if we account for the decreased core discharge time with the smaller size of the probes. We're already militarizing the projected border with their space, namely, the clusters Liberia Imperalis, Hiberina Universalis, and Europa Australis. Forgive the crappy naming, they mean nothing, they just sound cool, just adding Latin flairs to regular English words. Blame my mapping team.
The defenses right now are being set up, the border colonies are being defended the same way as we did to Shanxi, but with extra orbital defense platforms towed into position for extended-range capability, and the fleets are being positioned at choke points for maximum flexibility. We can't cover everything, though, not at least with the current situation. The 6th, 7th, and 8th Fleets has been mobilized to it's wartime roster to help, but that leaves the clusters they garrison normally AND the clusters they are administering now open to attack, with no reserves to call upon in case of an invasion. We're good, but for now.
The Kaiserreich's own expansion efforts is running into similar problems, and they're ordering for the construction of two new fleets to cover the extra space that they need to defend effectively. The Geth is on the move right now and slotting quite nicely in position, but they can't cover our bases without leaving theirs open to attack, either. It won't work forever.
Anyways, I'll be brief here: for you to get the Fleet Yards churning out Fleets 9 through 13 within a couple years to stabilize the situation. At least by 2265
Councillor,
Kinetic barrier development has seen a breakthrough.
Our current barriers work by producing a wall between us and incoming fire, but those fall apart almost immediately when subject to shield-penetrating attacks similar to the ammunition types in development by us and/or employed by the humans. Having layered systems does negate the issue somewhat, but human shield systems can adapt to enemy fire, which ours can't do currently.
STG's dimensional frigate found us the answer.
It chanced across a derelict ship drifting in Hawking Eta. Our science teams managed to figure out what the ship is. The vessel was constructed in a manner not unlike the Citadel, with the goop forming into the final shape, and it's hull armor is similarly resilient, able to shrug off a full salvo from the Destiny Ascension's main guns and still survive. The ship's quantum field messes with organic minds and ends up controlling them, forcing researchers to either observe it at a distance for the duration. We did manage to get a few scans and some debris in the area to examine, however. Enough for our purposes.
First off is the 'cyclonic kinetic barrier system', or CKBS. It's theoretical right now, yes, but the researchers agree that it is feasible within the realm of current mass-effect technoloy. The concept behind the design is simple and straightforward: instead of having static kinetic barriers that even bend under pressure after too much stress, the system spawns a cyclonic, spinning field(s) that rapidly whip around the hull and "slap aside" incoming attacks, with a layer of plasma trapped between the layers serving to diffuse and negate guardian laser shots. This not only reduces the stress on the barrier, but it also creates a virtually impenetrable field, as getting a hit past it is the equivalent of trying to shoot at a target inside a spinning ball. An added effect is that the field can be adjusted to the harmonic frequencies of incoming weapons fire, permitting it to effectively adapt to incoming fire, and thus, shield against shield-piercing attacks.
The turian development team has also come up with a new weapon design, 'Thanix'. The design is a high-intensity cannon utilizing a metal-based fuel, similar to the one that seems to be employed by the ship. The fusion reactor's output plasma is dumped straight into a metal round and boils it into a 'magnetohydrodynamic' molten-metal glob that is then shaped into a specialized penetrator bolt and accelerated to velocities near to the speed of light. The end result is a shot capable of punching cleanly through even the heaviest armor and melt everything behind it. This is a serious improvement over current weapons, as far as you are concerned. It was not developed from the derelict, let me assure you, they had a working proof-of-concept before the wreck was discovered. It's effectiveness against human shields and our own 'slap-aside' barriers is limited, but against armor, it can prove devastating, especially at closer ranges, making for a formidable close-to-medium range weapon.
I've sent the reports along, and you can find them attached to this. Please review them and let me know what you think.
- Matriach Lidanya, Citadel Modernization and Rearmament Bureau
P.S. Can we get the goop on our side?
[STG Emergency Report Class-1]
[Open report]
Major,
Scouring through Prothean databases found a match for the derelict.
Too little data to reason with it exactly. A single, corrupted data file, contains one image that is too corrupted and decayed for full analysis, but the ship that appears in it is similar enough to the derelict to suggest that they are both one, or at least, of the same class or type. It is labeled 'Reaper'.
Search on the keyword 'Reaper' turns out very little, if any, viable data. Most data recovered were damaged, and what wasn't was fragmented. However, we did manage to piece together a rough, working hypothesis: the Reapers are, essentially, a machine race that had conquered the galaxy in a previous cycle, and they are likely the ones who had constructed the Citadel and the mass relays.
There is more, but...
This is something for the Council. The implications of this are staggering.
- Captain K'Dana, STG, experimental dimensional frigate [redacted]
P.S. I'll get the crew and myself some psychiatric evaluation upon returning to the Citadel.
[End report]
Marie watched the TV on the far wall of her hospital room, unblinking while the members of Szurdok Fireteam remained nearby. The live AP feed was coming from the Conclave as they made their final reservations on the matter, deliberating internally before putting their vote—their decision—onto record.
The voting process began.
"...for."
"For."
"For."
"For."
"For."
"For."
"For."
"For."
"Against."
"...for."
"For."
"For."
"Against."
And so it went...
"...you okay?" Shigure asked as she spotted Marie nervously nibbling at her thumb.
"Yeah. Don't worry about it."
Shigure looked like she wanted to say something else, but decided against it and let the conversation die down, instead choosing to watch the Conclave.
"...it's alright, Marie. Everything will be okay, I promise."
"But what if it's not, Shigure?! What if I'm wrong?!"
"Marie, stop worrying. It will all work out, I promise. Trust me."
"Shigure..."
"Hey, cheer up! Everything's going to be okay, just you see!"
"But what if it's not?!"
"Marie, trust me, everything will be okay, alright?"
Marie remained silent.
Shigure turned her attention to the television, where the vote was finally wrapping up.
"...for."
"Against."
"...for."
"Abstained."
"Against."
"For."
The Speaker paused, and took a deep breath.
"...for."
"Against."
"For."
"...for."
"Abstained."
"Against."
"Against."
"Against."
"Against."
"Abstained."
"Abstained."
"Abstained."
"Abstained."
"Against."
"For."
"Against."
"For."
"For."
"For."
"Against."
"For."
"For."
"For."
The voting ended.
The Speaker remained silent for a moment before speaking. "The vote is...comcluded."
He straightened, and looked directly at the camera. And took a deep breath.
"127 in favor, 76 against, 122 abstentions. The resolution will be passed."
The Ambassador of the Geth Consensus, Ito Madoka, closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing to calm herself down before her shaking hands gripped the pen she was holding even tighter, in front of her the sheet of paper that would end once and for all the longest-running war in modern galactic history.
...how long had the entirety of the Geth Consensus been waiting for this moment? A year? Two? Three? Three hundred? And for now, to have something one had longed for, for three long centuries, to be within their grasp?
Her trembling hands let the pen's ball-point write her own name in it's assigned name slowly and deliberately, her hands shaking so badly the whole time that the lettering was barely legible. But...that was not important...
She somehow managed to sign it properly before passing it onto her quarian counterpart, her hands shaking so badly the whole time that it could've been an absolute miracle that she hadn't botched it somehow...
Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib accepted the document and read through it one last time before signing it himself, his own hand similarly shaking out of nervousness and excitement. His signature was also barely legible, but...again, that wasn't important.
Illyasviel von Einzbern accepted the document and signed down on the dotted line meant for the meditating side, laying it on the table before standing up and offering a slight bow. "Thank you, everyone. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated."
"Thank you, Ambassadors," Zaal'Koris said, rising unsteadily to his feet.
Madoka also did the same, moving up to stand directly in front of her quarian counterpart. Normally, they would be shaking hands for the cameras, but...well...
The two shared a long, wordless gaze before Madoka spoke, her tone warm and sincere. "Thank you, Ambassador, and good luck."
"..."
"..."
"...Koris-Admiral..." Madoka began again, only for her raging internal emotions to finally get the better of her.
"..."
"..."
The two simply gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment before the quarian spoke. "...thank you."
"..."
"...Ambassador Madoka?"
Madoka didn't answer, she simply let her arms wrap around the admiral in a firm embrace, her hands clutching at his back, letting herself go limp as the surprised admiral froze. Inside her, everything was a raging inferno. Stress, fear, sadness, and finally...relief came crashing down upon her all at once as she finally erupted, tears streaming down her face.
...after three hundred years.
After three hundred years.
It was over
"..."
"..."
Madoka's body shook as her arms remained wrapped tightly around her counterpart's back, her tears staining his suit, but neither of them cared. The quarian returned the hug, holding his own counterpart firmly as the geth ambassador continued to cry, her shoulders shaking with each sob.
"It's alright, Madoka. Everything will be fine."
"..."
It was over.
Codex entry — the Treaty of Rannoch
The Treaty of Rannoch, officially known as the Geth-Quarian Peace Treaty and commonly referred to as the Treaty of Rannoch, was an agreement between the Migrant Fleet and the Geth Consensus signed by Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib (Migrant Fleet), and Ambassador Ito Madoka (Geth Consensus) aboard the fleet carrier SMS Graf Würzburg, in orbit of Rannoch, hence the name. The signing was witnessed by Ambassador Anita Goyle and Prinzessin Illyasviel von Einzbern on the behalf of the Systems Alliance and the GroßEdelweiß Kaiserreich.
The treaty formally ended the Geth-Quarian war that had been going on for three hundred years by that point. The Geth agreed to leave the Perseus Veil permanently and allow the quarians to resettle in their former territory, and the quarians promised to stop hostilities against the Geth and not attack them anymore. In addition, the Geth would provide the quarians with aid in the rebuilding process, turn over some infrastructure, and help with the reconstruction of the quarian immune system, should they be needed be. Amongst the infrastructure passed over was the Ket'osh arrays, an early-warning system that historically formed the heart of the Quarian Federation's early warning net and massively expanded by the Geth during their occupation following the quarian withdrawal from the Veil, and which the Geth had expanded into an elaborate system that could effectively monitor all approaches to the Veil, the core systems, and the Rannoch system.
The Alliance and Kaiserreich was obligated to fulfill a peace-keeper role on quarian borders in order to deter a potential Geth attack, although the Geth had stated their intention to respect the boundaries and had no interest in starting another war. Currently, the role is being discharged by the Perseus Veil Peacekeeping Joint Command, a joint unit created for this purpose by both human governments, stationed at strategic chokepoints to the Perseus Veil, the Migrant Fleet, and Rannoch itself. The need for peacekeeping forces, however, has decreased dramatically in the years after the signing of the Treaty as the quarians continue to rebuild their military capabilities, and the Peacekeeping Joint Command's operations had since been scaled down accordingly.
The Geth Consensus has removed themselves from the Veil according to the terms of the treaty and began to re-establish themselves in the Attican Transverse, primarily settling in the Armstrong Cluster and the Petra Nebula. The two human governments continue to act as buffer states between the two, but Geth-quarian relations has improved over the last decade as the quarians are steadily rebuilding their society, and the Geth has shown a desire to establish cordial relations with the quarians, if not outright friendship.
_Background_
The Morning War erupted in 5410GC (Galactic Calendar) when the Quarian Federation had discovered a sentient AI, a species called the 'Geth' in the local dialect, emerging on Rannoch. The Geth were immediately destroyed and their servers dismantled by the quarians, only for the Geth to rebel against their creators in the wake of this genocide. Over the next eight years, the Perseus Veil erupted into fierce, brutal warfare, creator against created, with the Geth eventually gaining the upper hand eventually during the final years and launching a decisive counterattack that pushed the quarians out of the Veil. As the tattered remnants of the Federation tried to flee the homeworld, however, the Geth chose not to attack, abandoning pursuit. The reason for this is unknown.
The quarians escaped and tried to establish a new homeworld at Ekuna, only to be evicted by the Citadel Council and forced to flee once again. Their numbers greatly reduced, the quarians tried to set up shop at Dholen, and later, Nariph, but both were found by the Citadel Council and forced to move again. By 5420, the quarians had established the Migrant Fleet, a loose federation of ships that serve as both their home and military, and the fleet has continued to wander space in search of a permanent home since.
The Geth have made no attempts to leave the Veil, however, and the quarians have no means to launch an invasion. For the next three hundred years, the two sides remained at a de facto armstice, neither side willing to attack the other, out of fear of retaliation, in the case of the quarians, and a desire for self-isolation, in the case of the Geth.
The Geth have remained mostly inactive in the centuries since, only occasionally leaving the Veil, and not for the most noble of purposes. The Citadel Council has tried to open communications with them, but the Geth have always refused to respond. In the end, the Council, and the galaxy as a whole, have learned to simply ignore them and pretend they did not exist.
That mostly changed in mid-2257 on the human calendar (late 5717GC) when the humans began negotiations with the Citadel regarding their integration into the galactic community, and were approached by the Geth after their AI signatures were spotted scouring the galactic extranet. The Geth wished to make contact with the humans and the Citadel, and the humans were willing to oblige. Being the first, and to this day, the only, race to have successfully coexisted with AIs in the galaxy without suffering an uprising similar to the Morning War, the humans had much to learn from the geth and much to teach them, and so it went, kept under wraps by the governments involved.
Humanity reached out to the quarians shortly afterwards, enlisting their expertise on mass-effect technology to help them integrate it into their own unique technological base much more quickly and easily, in exchange for assistance in the rebuilding and upgrading of the decaying ships that had made up the Migrant Fleet, providing them with the means to replenish their numbers and replace old ships that had deteriorated beyond safe use but could not be disposed, as their internal space was even more badly needed to house the 350-million population of the Migrant Fleet.
_Treaty_
The opportunity to formally end the conflict once and for all would arise when a lawsuit was filed related to the Migrant Fleet's intention to permanently deactivate the Geth, thus counting as genocide under the Geneva Conventions and a grave violation of the Universal Declaration of Sapient Rights. The Supreme Court of the Systems Alliance, the ultimate court of one out of two centers of human civilization, ruled the charges as historical, citing the three-hundred-year pause in hostilities following the Fleet's withdrawal from Rannoch. Shortly afterwards, the Consensus requested that the humans host between creators and created a peace summit.
The Geth Consensus was represented by Ambassador Ito Madoka, while Admiral Zaal'Koris was selected by the Fleet. On the meditating side, Prinzessin Illyasviel von Einzbern was selected by the Kaiserreich; Anita Goyle would be present but mostly be staying back.
The treaty itself is written as follows:
"We, the undersigned, are representatives of the Geth Consensus, the Quarian Migrant Fleet, the Systems Alliance, and the GroßEdelweiß Kaiserreich.
This treaty is created to bring peace between the Geth and the Quarians, and to resolve any conflicts between the two parties. It is our hope that this treaty will end the hostilities and create a future for both races.
The terms of the treaty are as follows:
1.1: All hostilities between the Geth Consensus and the Migrant Fleet shall cease.
1.2: The Migrant Fleet will not launch an offensive against the Geth Consensus or any Geth territory, and will not make any moves that would be construed as hostile or aggressive.
1.3: The Geth Consensus will not launch an offensive against the Migrant Fleet or any territory claimed by the Migrant Fleet.
1.4: The Geth Consensus and the Migrant Fleet will not engage in espionage activities or spy on each other.
1.5: The Geth Consensus and the Migrant Fleet will not engage in any other activity that would constitute a threat to each other.
1.6: The Geth Consensus will help the quarians to reestablish themselves, should the quarians choose to do so.
1.7: The Geth Consensus will help the quarians improve their immune system, should the quarians choose to do so.
2.1: The Migrant Fleet shall be allowed to return and reclaim Rannoch and fomer quarian space, with the Consensus abandoning the Veil completely.
2.2: The meditating part(ies) shall establish a joint peacekeeping command in quarian territory until they are capable of defending themselves effectively, either against pirates, a potential Geth attack, or similar.
2.3: The Geth Consensus turns over the Ket'osh early-warning arrays to the Migrant Fleet.
We therefore agree to the following terms, and will abide by them.
Ito Madoka, Geth Consensus
Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, Migrant Fleet
Illyasviel von Einzbern, GroßEdelweiß Kaiserreich"
The signing of the Treaty of Rannoch officially ended the conflict between the Migrant Fleet and the Geth Consensus.