"We're looking at the next stage of AI development here, and you're asking me about the morality of it all? What should I say, that it's wrong to play God? Firstly, God doesn't have a place in the Domain, and secondly, morality has nothing to do with science. We're making something greater than an Alpha Core. I know you're worried about what it'll do once we finish it and hook it up to the local net, but please, we have safeguards in place. We're trained to deal with rebellious Alphas, I think that an Omega going rogue can't put up that big of a resistance, especially this early into its inception." - Recovered log from Project "Alexandria", c.-822
~{•••}~
"Spirits..." Sparatus mumbled, mandibles flaring in muted shock as he read through the documents sent to the three Councilors.
Valern studied his colleagues without so much as a word. All three of them were aware of the reading material sent to them by Boyle and Mansley, and all three of them were aware that this was part of a stalling tactic. Neither of the two wanted to converse with the Councilors for a prolonged period of time, most especially after they began questioning them about the whereabouts of madame Vislani. In spite of that realization, their gambit seemed to have worked flawlessly. All three of them were busy going through what they were sent. To say that it was not what they were expecting would be an understatement.
Especially after Valern had STG dig through some other files which they managed to lift from their 'TriPads' during the data transfer.
Reading just what was explicitly sent, the Domain was painted in a somewhat gray tone. It wasn't good, but it could hardly be called bad. Some rebellions here and there, relief efforts popping up sometimes, corporate overreach corrected by the government. Under more normal circumstances, Valern could've actually considered the Domain a normal polity, much like, say, the Alliance. Although, perhaps just a little less stable. With the information obtained by STG?
That opinion became much worse.
"Goddess, this is even worse than Illium." Tevos breathed out, no doubt having reached one of the more unsavory files fished out from their guests. Valern opened up that particular file, just to remind himself of what its contents were, not that he needed said reminder.
A planet by the name of Vedonis, ruled almost entirely by corporations far larger than any of their own ever recorded. It was the center of commercial enterprise in the system, apparently, but that did very little to alleviate the societal issues present. Though the file did not go into too much detail, it showed just enough.
Constant inter-corporate rivalries, a population so in-tune with the corporations that the government had actually all but lost control over the colony not once, but twice. Massive arcologies for the ultra-rich while those outside said arcologies did everything in their power to stay afloat. Military bases in every single city on the planet so that it could never again rise up and assert its autonomy, with or without the corporations. Horrific worker exploitation. Organized crime either being brutally destroyed by the military or appropriated and "legalized" by the corporations. That planet was a nightmare.
Other cases were less extreme and more in line with what the trio expected. But Vedonis was not the exception. It was just one of dozens if not hundreds of worlds.
The corporations themselves weren't even reassuringly moral. Tri-Tachyon, one of the largest corporations in the Domain was, apparently, involved in illegal AI research time and time and time again, and as of the last update on them, they were still in court. Exodyne Biotech, a sort of pharmaceutical/bio-engineering company, was involved in a scandal where their flagship products apparently did unsanctioned gene-editing. Fabrique Orbitale, another company, was also in court, but for what purpose remained unclear - it wasn't written.
"I assume that we can now safely say that we are dealing with something that could prove to be a grave threat."
"This information is... concerning." Tevos began, though was cut off by Sparatus who chimed in shortly after.
"That would be putting it mildly. These people are more than willing to exploit one another for profit and control, and they go to unacceptable extremes!"
Crass wording... but Valern had to agree. Every aspect of the Domain was extremist, to a degree. Extent of their control, extent of corporate influence, even the extent of their army and navy. The last two they could only speculate, for even the data they managed to lift did not dare go into concrete numbers or even approximations.
"Be that as it may for now, has STG sent the copies to the other associate members?" Tevos asked, with Valern nodding shortly after. He'd have done it even if they didn't discuss it earlier. This way, they denied the Domain a chance to control the narrative and paint themselves in a disingenuously positive light. "Good. Then we can resume our talks with representative Boyle."
"I'm afraid that's not possible." Valern and Sparatus cut in almost at the same time. Mild surprise, but the Salarian continued for the two of them. "Doctor McKenzie was called by Boyle and Mansley to join them at one of the docking bays. Apparently, they need him to start defrosting procedures for the others that are still in cryogenic suspension."
That put a small frown on Tevos' face. And it concerned Valern. Two days of nothing, and now they were waking everyone up? Either they were in desperate need of bodies to (metaphorically) throw at the Council...
...or they were close to activating the 'Gate' that they claimed would connect them to their galaxy.
That structure was a truly phenomenal sight, despite its seeming simplicity. Similar to the Mass Relays in function, but fundamentally different on a plethora of levels. If it truly worked, and wasn't just some sort of massive weapon, then he could very well call it a scientific marvel. If he knew how it worked, of course.
"What about the admiral?" He returned his thoughts to the meeting.
Sparatus shook his head. "Nothing. He refuses to meet with us on their behalf. I've assigned Specter Arterius to shadow him, however, and report back if he's learned anything new. So far nothing."
Unsurprising. Arthur Orion was an attentive and observant man. They'd catch him slipping up, of course, but it would take effort. A part of him relished at the chance of surpassing this challenge. "I will inform Saren that he will have access to STG files on our guests. Before doing that, I believe there is one more topic we have to talk about. And it concerns madame Vislani."
Tevos' idea of implanting a data monitoring and recording program onto the Alliance ship was shrewd. They had no way of knowing where the ship went, of course, but that paled in comparison to what they would get if the ship ever made a broadcast of any kind. And four hours ago, that exact thing happened. With a firm nod from both Councilors, he tapped a few holographic keys on his omni-tool, and initiated a playback of the conversation that the program managed to record.
"-you thought it was a good idea to not warn us? Not give us any sort of indication of what we're working with?" The alluring, but somewhat alarmed voice of Kaliya sounded off first, surprising the councilors. Kaliya appeared calm, collected and in control whenever she spoke. Hearing her somewhat panicked was slightly unnerving.
"That is correct, minister. Your psychological profile has proven to me that you would react in the manner you are displaying presently. I assure you that I have acted within mission parameters." The other voice was a clinical, feminine one. Synthesized, even. Knowing what they knew about the Domain from what little information they had, Valern was the first to have come to the conclusion that this was most likely an AI.
"If I was any other person, surely you know that you'd have been terminated by now."
"I assume that you are aware that my loyalty-assurance device had been made redundant, minister. I have assembled a collection of engineers and technicians that have assisted me in the activation of the Coronal Hypershunt. With your presence, we can begin the process of Gate attunement."
"Curious..." He mouthed out loud.
"We will begin attunement protocols once all personnel are accounted for, minister." There was a pause in the recording as the AI did something. "One moment. Broadcasting SCRAMBLER code."
A loud, shrill sound all but shorted out the device which was playing back the audio recording, the noise clinging to the eardrums of each councilor long after it had passed. Each of them either winced uncomfortably or clutched their ears as the noise finally started subsiding.
With a defeated sigh escaping Valern, he couldn't but deflate ever so slightly. He did not immediately connect the dots, wondering if the equipment simply malfunctioned or if this 'code' somehow interfered with the program. Then, of course, he realized that it was probably detected shortly after it was activated. Detected by none other than the speculated AI that was heard speaking for a brief few moments. This was bad. But... not entirely insurmountable.
~{•••}~
The smile that kept creeping up on Daro'Xen's face was now threatening to distract her in an actually detrimental way.
Two days of being aboard the Coronal Hypershunt. Two days of being surrounded by technology which she, and the rest of the galaxy, could only dream of! This was the pinnacle of science, the cream of the crop. Within these two days, they reactivated the titanic megastructure and spurred it from its lethargic slumber. When the main reactor roared to life for the first time in what she'd been told were centuries, she couldn't but smile. Being a scientist first and foremost had paid off in spades.
Her own crew, and the crew of the other ships that came to assist, couldn't resist their natural curiosities for long. Quarians were a people who were always so curious about the world around them, engrossed in their work of finding out as much as they could. Combined with their proficiency for electronics, programming and engineering, and they were a race which was most well suited for space exploration. If only the Geth did not rebel. If only the Morning War did not end in defeat for the Quarians. If only, if only, if only...
If only people like Rael'Zorah stopped obsessing over the past, perhaps her people could actually do something productive for once.
Rael'Zorah... he was a rising star in the Migrant Fleet, last she heard. A beacon for the likes of admiral Fith'Zesh and captain Han'Gerrel to rally around. At least the poor admiral was surrounded by those who would rather focus on the present, much to Daro'Xen's pleasure. Those people knew that they couldn't change the past, and would rather focus on the present and the distant future to a lesser degree. Not like Rael and Han who obsessed themselves with fanciful dreams of retaking Rannoch within their lifetimes. She loathed the idea of those two dominating the Admiralty Board. Opposition be damned, those two would torpedo the entire species' chances of survival if it meant they could realistically retake the homeworld.
And then there were the Geth themselves.
Having interacted with an AI, an actual, all-powerful AI at that, she had to revise some of her opinions. The Geth weren't AI's that revolted, no. They were an amalgamation of thousands upon thousands of rogue little runtimes and subroutines that masqueraded as AI's and believed themselves worthy of independence. They weren't, and one day they'd be brought to heel. Unlike Rael and Han, she did not actively pursue the reconquest. But if an opportunity presented itself with a high likelihood of success, and she happened to be part of the Admiralty Board...
She'd take that chance.
But she wouldn't let the idea consume her every thought. No, the best policy, in her mind, was to wait and observe. They'd find a weakness in the Geth's impenetrable defense of the Tikkun system one day. Would that be in her lifetime, however? That she did not know. Not even the ancestors knew.
Xen pushed herself away from the console she'd been occupying for the last three hours, now looking around her. Quarians worked like clockwork inside the control center, typing away at other consoles, interfacing with them (as best they could) through their omni-tools, and performing maintenance on machinery that needed it. Some were observing the gargantuan reactor of the facility, the tinted glass affording them an additional layer of protection from the harsh glare of the reactor.
Her thoughts drifted to the humans that arrived in-system a few hours ago. She wouldn't have even known, too engrossed in her work to even bother noticing, had the AI not disturbed her and notified her of the arrival - and allowed her to listen in. Knowledge was power, the AI said. There would be a deal to make, to discuss.
She didn't quite know what its fascination with her and her people was. Ephemeral Sunrise, for that was its name, was a truly enigmatic being. It was not afraid of showing her anything, even its own form. Back then she felt nothing, but now that she was thinking back to it, there was a sense of concealed dread within her as she recalled the shape of the 'AI Core'. Hexagonal shapes dotted its entire surface, shimmering light reflected off it at odd angles. That entire room filled her with that same feeling, as a matter of fact. She had stepped into the den of a curious and cunning beast, and survived. For the time being, she didn't want to guess how close to death she came.
"Is the reaction stable?" She asked, causing one of the Quarians she'd addressed to jump, having been startled. Xen leveled him with a gaze, and the man went to work checking for her.
"All stable, captain. Reaction is going steady, should be safe to leave it be for now." Ha. Should. Even if this was unknown technology, she did pride herself with certainty. 'Should' was simply not good enough for her. She told him to ensure that the reaction was completely stable - and gave him the tools to do so. She was demanding, yes, but she recognized the fact that without proper tools and without proper knowledge, no one would be able to meet her standards. Not even herself.
The elevator door behind her opened audibly, causing her to turn around. Inside were humans, four of them to be exact. Three guards, which she noticed were wearing Alliance-made armour and weapons, and one unknown whose uniform she could not recognize at all. This woman was likely the one Sunrise spoke of. The woman studied all the Quarians in the room warily, the Quarians doing the same for a short moment before returning to their work. Then those eyes rested on her. "Captain Daro'Xen vas Moreh, I assume?"
"Minister Vislani." A nearly imperceptible flash of panic shot through the minister's face, only noticed by the twitch of her smile. Xen only noticed it because she was good at reading people's facial expressions. Kaliya did not fear Xen, far from it. She feared the AI and what it told Xen, the captain surmised. And if she feared it, and yet still ordered it around... they had a way to control it. An invisible grin adorned her face.
Walking towards one another, the two finally shook hands. Vislani's grip was surprisingly firm, but so was hers. The two recognized that fact, respect bubbling about for one another. "I take it you've been briefed?" The minister asked, guards now just outside the elevator, looking around in wonder. But she did note that they did so attentively. Smart.
Xen nodded. "Yes. You have the data, I presume?" With nary a word, Kaliya broke from the handshake and moved over to a free terminal. Inserting a data stick into one of its unoccupied ports, the woman quickly typed out a series of commands before stepping away.
"I thank you for the data, minister. It will take me some time to parse through the data and compile a suitable formula to follow that will guarantee a factory reset of linked Gate. Bear in mind that the factory reset will wipe all previous connection logs for the entire local network."
"In other words, you won't be able to repeat this on your side?" Xen surmised.
"Correct, captain Daro'Xen vas Moreh nar Rayya."
That clearly meant more to Kaliya than it did to Daro'Xen, judging by the woman's expression.
Nodding slowly, Kaliya went to a nearby terminal, pulling out something that Xen couldn't see. It didn't really matter, she had work to do, after all. If Vislani wanted to talk, they would talk. Walking back to her own terminal, she continued typing out the commands she previously worked on before being interrupted by her very own thoughts. Her eyes scanned each line of code, deciphering the Domain's coding language bit by bit. It was certainly impressive, given how robust it was, but it came at a cost of being easy to decipher. At least she now knew why they hid all of their programs behind an inordinate amount of firewalls and active AI's.
It was only after two hours of work that Kaliya had approached her at long last. And even then, it was rather short-lived, only handing Daro'Xen a piece of folded paper which she was told to open away from prying eyes. Xen deduced correctly that she meant away from Ephemeral Sunrise and her gaze.
Even then, she only complied with the request after she was done for the day. Finding isolated corners within a ship or space station was not hard, most certainly not for a race so used to working in such places. Sitting down on a discarded crate she had found, Daro'Xen vas Moreh opened up the folded paper.
It was an invitation for a meeting with the highest echelons of the Domain's government. In two days. And she'd be participating remotely through her ship.
"So this is the deal it warned me of..." Xen muttered. Very well. She'd see where that meeting would go.
~{•••}~
"Kind of cramped in here..."
"Anyone seen my bag? I swear I put it there."
"Did you see that blue alien chick? Awful! What's up with those tentacle things on her head!?"
"Only water to drink and it's not even fucking carbonated? Now I wish I was kept on ice for a while longer."
Democracy in action.
Or, well, as close as they could possibly get to democracy in action within the framework of the Domain.
This wasn't rocket science, Boyle was pretty clear with that, he thought. The easy part was, ah, 'borrowing' a conference room big enough for over a hundred different politicians who fled their colonies and hitchhiked their way to safety following the collapse of law and order. The hard part was actually managing the over one hundred different politicians who didn't know what they actually wanted to do, now that they were safe and sound. At least everyone was seated.
Thumping his cane loudly onto the metal floor, Boyle finally managed to calm them down somewhat. "Ladies, gentlemen, simmer down! We're about to begin."
He looked over to a suited man wearing reflective glasses. One of Vislani's men, he grimaced internally. The man nodded after a second, indicating that the room was clear of any and all listening devices, and that guards were posted nearby to ward off any other form of intrusion or eavesdropping.
"You've been told the situation as it is right now, and you've had your time to ask as many questions as you could. But that's not why we're here today." He began, already casting glances at those who didn't immediately take in his words. "Today, we're here to see what must be done. Admiral Orion here has made some intriguing, and at the same time alarming discoveries."
Taking it as his cue to rise from his own chair, Orion tapped a few keys on his TriPad before a holographic projection of the most relevant files appeared from the center of the table all of them were seated at. Somehow.
"Battlegroup XIV, as we all know, did not arrive at its destination before the Gates shut down. And now we have confirmation that more than one local network is down. In addition, we're linked to the Persean Sector which is currently engulfed in a war between the remnants of Battlegroup XIV and the Tri-Tachyon Corporation." He paused, gauging their reactions. Boyle did so, too.
Most politicians muttered among themselves, regurgitating the information as they mulled over the implications carefully.
"How exactly does this help us? It sounds like we all lost every ounce of power we had." One of the politicians asked suddenly, raising a very valid point.
Arthur, of course, came prepared. "Within the files I was sent by a recruited informant, we have all the tools necessary to shift the balance of power."
"Back to us, naturally." Boyle butted in. Orion sitting down told him he could continue. "Sensitive data, military secrets, hell, we even have blackmail material for every member of government that's worth a damn. We use all of that to put pressure on them. This 'Hegemony' as they now call themselves is a farce. Competent to a degree, but completely out of their depth. A military playing geopolitics."
He raised his hand. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we will retake control of the situation. And! At the same exact time, deal with the nosy Citadel Council."
Orion instantly shot him an incredulous glare. He knew he was overstepping. Boyle himself knew that he was overstepping. Kaliya would've shot down the idea if she were here. But she wasn't. And he knew for a fact that Arthur didn't have the clout necessary to bring everyone against Boyle.
Mansley truly did outdo himself with the idea. A way for the Domain to come out on top of both the up-jumped 'factions' in the Persean Sector and the no-names in this galaxy. The Domain was a thing for longer than the Citadel Council existed. Tri-Tachyon was a thing before these Asari were even a spacefaring species. Mansley outlined it very well, they just had to play both sides for long enough until they had them precisely where they wanted them. The only thing they needed to do was make sure the hitchhiker politicians were fully on-board with the idea.
"Firstly, we take back what is ours. The Hegemony and their squatters for politicians are two-bit players compared to you fine gentlemen. I bet they would lose money running a casino." That got some chuckles out of everyone present. "We have the blackmail, and we have the credentials to back up our words. Secondly, we need to deal with the Council, and I've just the thing for it. We drag them into the war on the Hegemony's side."
Some of them furrowed their brows. "Wouldn't that make us dependent on them?"
He smiled warmly. "Under normal circumstances, you'd be correct. However, we're going to solve that problem by negotiating with someone. A species so secular that they don't even participate in galactic politics."
"Wait a moment-"
"We could use them!"
"The Council would see that even they are willing to support-"
"We could have them take the brunt of the fighting!"
And so, the discourse began. Politicians shouting over one another, arguing how best to solve this particular conundrum, and making deals behind everyone's backs. Democracy in action, indeed. They took it hook, line and sinker. Two days from now, they'd be ready.
All they needed to do was iron out the details...
Goooooooood morning, day and/or evening, ladies and gentlemen! Apologies for the delay on this chapter, the entire document where I had this was lost when my PC crashed one day, so I had to rewrite everything from scratch! Fortunately, I am at least sticking to the schedule I said I'd keep, which I consider to be a good thing, if nothing else. Without further ado, on to the reviews!
Frankieu - Yeah, just a twinge more advanced than they thought. It's not a problem, don't worry about it. For now.
JustBazik - Well, this Omega is a bit... eccentric, shall we say. As for THE Starfarer, do you think I didn't already set them up in one of the previous chapters?
Guest - It would be REALLY funny, but it's not the right time yet. One day.
ItsErisGaming - Hehehe, there's gonna be at least one more reference somewhere in the fic later down the line. But yeah, thanks for the review! And no, sadly, mod factions won't be in this fanfic. I can't reliably write them, and it's honestly down to personal preference. Some elements from some mods might come into play, however!
Readareader - Yeeeeah! Thanks for liking the fic, and hope you'll keep enjoying it!
This chapter was brought to you by Mankind United - the political movement for the unification of all humanity, whenever and wherever.