A minor carryover from the original, for lore reasons, the asari use metrics because of the size of their homworld, which is roughly equal to Earth in radius (5,940m vs 6,356m). While there is indeed a ~500m difference between the two planets, it's close enough that the asari can, via the law of form follows function (the metric was historically defined as a millionth the distance from the equator to the pole), create their own system equivalent to metrics. Obviously I can create my own measuring system, but then, I got lazy and don't really wanna write about ppl explaining to others why a foob is roughly 0.997m, so…yeah
Also, please excuse my extremely shit jab at trying to cook up asari when I don't even know how it sounds like in the first place. I hope my very limited knowledge of French and Japanese phonetics can suffice for that
First Contact: Meetings...?
"The Fork's active, Admiral, something's coming through. The gravimetrics are scrambling our sensors, we'll have to wait until they clear before getting a clear picture. It's not a massive mass shadow, that's for sure."
The combat directing center of the battleship SSV Kirishima was abuzz with activity as Katraine Drescher, Rear Admiral, looked over the readouts and feeds coming from the Fork. Or to be more exact, the small detachment of ships tasked with watching the construct.
"Well, at least they're not going to blow us out of the water just yet. Still, keep an eye on them. They don't open fire, we don't either. But I don't want us to look too lax," Drescher said, a faint Parisan accent coloring her speech as she spoke, a trait which she picked up from her mother and her own ancestry.
"Understood, Admiral."
A brief pause, before a few moments later. "Admiral, gravimetrics are clearing up and sensors are now getting a proper picture. Looks like a single vessel. No match in our database."
"Hm, not a large one, judging from the profile. I'd say it's closer to a probe rather than an actual ship. A reconnaissance sortie, perhaps? Let's see what they do."
As she spoke, a feed came up and showed the ship, it's profile showing a sleek and aerodynamic design. As she stared at the hologram, Drescher's eyes narrowed, her expression one of puzzlement. "Is it just me or is it the fact that this thing looks like it belongs more in an ocean than the interstellar void for some reason again?"
"I can't disagree, Admiral."
"Hmph."
As Drescher contemplated, the craft made a few passes at the ships monitoring it, the rest of Battle Group Kirishima placed well out of sight of the Fork to prevent the probe from sighting them. A few tense minutes passed as the craft made it's way around the system, until a burst of communication was intercepted.
"It's...a transmission, Admiral," Comms reported as the ships that the transmission was directed at relayed them home to the flagship. "A data burst, caught by the vanguard. It's encoded in the same way as the encryption on the signal we used to activate the Fork earlier. We don't know what the contents are, yet, but all the tech nerds are probably poring over them right now. Based on context, I'd say it to be a first contact package of sorts."
"Hm. Keep at it, Comm," Drescher responded, her thoughts already moving towards the possibility of contact with the species that built the Fork. "But, keep an eye out for any funny business."
"Aye, aye, ma'am."
The feed continued as the craft made a few more circuits around the system, the probe's actions, Drescher noted, looking a lot more like reconnaissance than anything else. A few hours passed until the craft finally left the system, the structure flaring to life, it's gravity fields carrying the vessel out of the system and back to wherever it came from.
She turned towards her XO. "Also someone compile a first contact package real quick!"
One of the bonus points of having developed viable neural uplinks and AI, permitting humans and their digital brethren to interface directly with one another, see into the other's world, so to speak, was also the ability to directly interface with any computer system, delve deep into encoding and encryption, and read them, leafing through entire programs in mere instants like child's play.
The transmission the probe sent was also not that hard to decrypt, since the basics of the encryption was already known to humanity, the aliens were evidently wishing for their transmission to be decoded in the first place, and had compiled the data accordingly. And it wasn't that hard to piece the puzzle together.
0.53 seconds after the initial transmission burst. The Hatsuse's AIs have immediately parsed the signals and logged them for their own use, before relaying them further towards the fleet waiting in the distance. The same was true for the other ships in the fleet, the same information flowing and being parsed simultaneously in every vessel.
0.56 seconds. The data had already been parsed and the information had already been relayed to the rest of the fleet. The humans were still unaware of the nature of the alien species, but they knew now what was on the other end.
0.75 seconds. The parsed data was now compiled into packages for decoding, the human scientists and electronic warfare engineers were already pouring over the data and examining the alien's capabilities and their technological level.
1.52 seconds. The aliens had not yet emerged.
1.60 seconds. Decryption of the data packages began, utilizing the coding structure of those utilized to activate the Tuning Fork.
2.33 seconds. Decryption completed. Data packages start to be compiled into comprehensible formats and files.
2.45 seconds. A new file is discovered. Contents: First Contact Package.
2.47 seconds. Contents are parsed.
2.62 seconds. The contents are a video message.
2.75 seconds. File is downloaded to the fleet, a copy saved onboard the Hatsuse.
3.0 seconds since message received. Data parsing, decryption, and compiling complete. Forwarded to fleet flagship.
The lone asari diplomatic vessel disengaged FTL short of the active relay in a flash of light as the mass effect drive core turned it's mass back from negative gradually to it's normal mass, the large, sleek, and purple ship leaving behind it a steady trail of exhaust from the fusion torches giving many observers, with it's sleek, pristine, and curved lines, the impression, oftentimes, of something that belonged more in an ocean rather than the interstellar void.
The turian detachment assembled near Relay 314 made no motion to acknowledge the asari ship's presence, their normal patrols now replaced with almost the full entirety of the Third Patrol Fleet parked near the relay, lined up and posed to engage anything transiting said relay that might pose a threat to galactic security. Most prominently was the dreadnought PFS Enforcer, the 892m long dreadnought hovering imposingly in the center of the turian fleet and with it's main gun pointed directly at the expected point of emergence for anything coming out of the relay. Obviously enough, they weren't going to come through and start shooting just yet, turians, for all their love for glorious fighting, weren't idiots, after all. But, as many stated: Plan for the worst.
A probe had been sent through the relay beforehand and confirmed that the coast was clear for the asari ship to pass through, nevermind a large concentration of ships on the other end, with their profiles matching up the ones coming into the system beforehand. It was, after all, time for diplomacy, not war. The unknowns had opted not to open fire on the probe, and the Citadel won't be the one to prove that their decision was wrong.
"Approaching the relay," the asari manning the help reported as Matriarch Benezia T'Soni looked on from behind, her graceful features that had been a defining feature throughout her maiden and matron years still very much visible. "ETA to transit: Two minutes, forty seconds."
The asari Matriarch gave a simple nod before returning her gaze to the large holographic display of the system, her eyes scanning for anything that seemed amiss. After a brief pause, she glanced downwards and tapped a command, the holographic display now showing the current view of the relay, a bright blue-green vortex slowly spinning around, it's size and apparent strength a stark contrast to the size of the ship that was about to traverse the massive and ancient artifact.
With a silent prayer to the goddesses, Benezia watched on, silently hoping that the mission would not go awry.
"...turian navy patrol fleet. Our intentions are peaceful, and we intend to pursue negotiations and diplomacy as per first contact protocols. Please respond. Over."
Drescher watched the video feed intently as it played, showing images of several different alien ships that probably were awaiting on the other side of the Fork. Or a Mass Relay, now that she knew what name to call the structure by properly this time around. Whatever.
The CDC crew looked at each other as the video played on, this time starting to introduce in person the various alien species that the Citadel, or whatever entity on the other side of the relay was actually named, had put together for the first contact. And right off the bat...
"L'Asarie de eenya, sentosha umitoka, hikaire sufriga de nozu."
The speaker was obviously not human, but...she could be passed off as one, if one excused the skin tone and the crests on the head, as opposed to hair on normal humans. But, aside from that, the face was humanoid, and the rest of the body had a vaguely similar structure, albeit with a slightly higher waist and more...curves. Something that did catch many of the humans watching the feed unawares. Attractive aliens?
"We are the asari, a monogender species. We are the ones who are speaking now. We are the Citadel, and we welcome you.
"Our history goes back a thousand centuries. We are an old and proud people, and we have seen a lot of what the galaxy has to offer. We are, now, looking forward to welcoming you into the fold."
"Monogender?" One of the CDC personnel muttered. "Like...what? All females? Is that even possible?"
Drescher raised a finger to her lips, and the CDC staff went back to silence.
"We are the turians, keepers of galactic peace. We come in peace."
A turian appeared onscreen, looking somewhat birdlike, with sharp features and a carapace-like outer covering, like a weird cross between a chicken or a dinosaur or whatever evolution had cooked up for them, almost like how someone when playing a game of Design Your Own Alien had decided to mix the features of a chicken and a T-Rex together and bolted the head to a rather...humanoid body, to say the least.
"We are the salarians."
And then, the next species appeared. It was...weird, for one, looking more like some kind of amphibian. Or a reptile. Or...something. It was a small and bipedal creature, but it had a thin, wiry, and lithe physique and was obviously smaller than the other two species.
"Together, we make up the Citadel Council. The keepers of law and order in the galaxy."
"Hm."
A slight pause, before the feed began to switch over to the scene of a large construct, seemingly a massive space station, floating in the middle of what seemed to be a nebula, with ships moving in and out of it to give it the impression of a bustling, major hub. "Welcome to the Citadel. Welcome to the galactic community."
Drescher watched intently as the feed played on, her gaze fixated at the video playing out before her.
"The Citadel is the seat of government for the galaxy. The center of civilization and culture. Here, the representatives of all the races of the galaxy live and work together in a symbiotic union to maintain peace and prosperity.
"Here, the Citadel Council resides, with each species represented. With the power to dictate policy for the entire galactic community, the Council can react to situations quickly and effectively.
"Here, the Citadel races are represented.
"Turians. Salarians. Asari. Here, all three species are present. Together, the Council is able to bring all three species' strengths together to bring about a better galaxy.
"It is our goal that every species may join the galactic community and share in our accomplishments. We welcome you."
A quick flash of light and a short burst of acceleration later, and the asari vessel was spat out on the other side, the relay shutting off just behind it. Directly visible on sensors as they cleared up, several ships of the new, unknown race were present, including the ship that had been part of the detachment this very species sent through Relay 314 some time ago.
"Report."
"Sensors are reporting multiple contacts, Admiral," the asari sensor officer reported. "No match in the database. Their composition seems to be that of a small patrol. One dreadnought, three large cruisers, five standard cruisers, judging by size, in the immediate vicinity. At least three more standard cruisers and four large cruisers close behind. Also one dreadnought class contact close to the local planet, presumably doing a core static discharge."
"A patrol, then. Well, it seems we've gotten their attention, at least. Any hostile moves from them?"
"Negative. They've simply been maintaining a watch on us."
"Then keep an eye on them. No fancy flying or anything that can be considered threatening, they're on edge, the race of sapients we are dealing with at the moment. It might be an accident, it might not, the loss of the Harikota. But I am convinced that it was; if they came with hostile intent, they would've engaged the Third Patrol Fleet long ago. They still haven't."
The asari ship kept on sailing gracefully, it's exhaust trails monitored by the ships that were present in the vicinity. The asari Matriarch was deep in thought, her mind already planning the next few moves for the mission ahead.
The ships belonging to the unknown race were also seemingly waiting for the asari to make the opening move. As the minutes passed, the ships remained static, and the atmosphere continued to build…
"Profile searches show up no match, even with the profiles on the ships the Hatsuse crashed into before," the fleet tactical director reported as a hologram of the single vessel approaching the Alliance vanguard appeared on the table. "According to the first contact package the probe sent, the design matches up with that of the asari, the human-like race introduced to us earlier. No match, though, to the turians and salarians. They're all completely different designs."
"Hm. Any idea why this thing's here?"
"Hatsuse crashed into one of their ships before, to be more specific now, a turian one. The asari self-introduce as the Citadel's diplomats and entourage, and seek to clear out this mess that is a freak accident, now that we've leafed through their package down to the last byte; given the context, it is likely that the ship we're looking at is an envoy sent for negotiations. It has all the telltale curves that make up asari ships, including that oval hole in the center and the spokes. Why, we have no idea, but yeah, that's the overall picture."
"They're probably just trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and are taking the diplomatic route, rather than the military one. We're not the bad guys, but...the circumstances do give them good reason to think otherwise. Although...is it just me, or is it the fact that what we're all looking at is basically a giant hair dryer with an extra pair of handles for some reason?"
"Well, that is a fair description. But, yeah, let's not judge them based on their ship design, shall we?"
"No, of course not. Now, let's see what's in store for us, then."
"Yes, Admiral."
And as the two watched the video play on, the asari vessel, after making a few passes and doing a few circles around the system, turned, and began to sail towards the Alliance ships, and, eventually, the fleet flagship.
The time for first contact had arrived.
"Unknowns have broadcasted, the dreadnought monitoring us has sent a transmission burst."
"What does it say?" Benezia inquired, even as the atmosphere grew tenser by a few notches in the ship's bridge.
"We still don't know yet. It uses the same programming language as the one the relays use, they think that it's their best shot at giving us the least amount of pain in deciphering their message, it seems. The packet is being parsed as we speak."
"How long?"
"A few more minutes."
"Understood."
And the minutes passed as the alien ships remained static, and the asari vessel made it's way across the system, heading closer and closer to the unknown vessels, the distance rapidly decreasing as the two closed the gap.
"The message has been parsed. It's...a first contact package, much like the one we sent. The contents seem to be a video file."
"Alright. Send it out to the fleet."
"On it."
"Roger. Putting feed on screen...it's up. Forward window."
A few seconds elapsed as the forward bridge window polarized from letting everyone inside see through to the stars beyond to a black shade of opaque to allow the projectors to do their job and project onto the bridge-window-turned-viewscreen, displaying a video file that came along with the first contact package. It started with a still picture, showing the flag of the unknown fleet, a simple design with three stripes laid out horizontally alternating between red, yellow, and red. And then, it faded away quickly afterwards, to reveal the images of the so-called 'humans'. Or at least, it was what they called themselves.
"Greetings, our interstellar brethren, whoever you may be. We come in friendship to those who are friends. We are humans. We are humanity."
Benezia looked on at the image, studying the alien lifeform that stood before her. Their appearance was certainly similar enough to the asari, save for a few notable differences, and the lack of an overall blue hue, but it was certainly humanoid. Apart from the lack of facial tattoos or crests, as well as skin color, they might as well be asari, as well as a lack of head crests, replaced instead by a mass of fine hairs that seemed to be stylized into some sort of...comb-over?
The 'human' in the center of the screen also had a larger build compared to the other two ones flanking him, and also seemed to lack the bulging chests that all asari had, although the ones to his sides did. His hair was also much shorter than them, for the two humans on the sides both had a quite appealing hair-style, to say the least, with one of them tying up her hairs into neat columns on either side of the head, while the other left it draping down all the way to her waist, leaving behind her head a single curtain of white. Genders? While asari didn't have genders, turians and salarians did, and the larger human at the center of the screen seemed to fit quite neatly into the many models of hypothetical asari males that the netizens often made on their blogs.
The video continued, and Benezia watched. The rest of the video file was just as she expected; a picture slideshow containing a basic, rough introduction of their species, the basics indicating that they were rather pacifist culturally wise and had a soft side for elegant, ancient architecture and wide open natural expanses, large skyscrapers in large, bustling cities making way for smaller, rural towns looking almost like they came smack clean from a historic frontier movie about early space, or even planet-bound, colonization.
Quite a few of them, however, had a pair of obviously artificial modules sticking out of the sides of their heads, looking massively out of place and yet so naturally present at the same time, almost like they weren't implants, but rather...they were born with them? And they were everywhere, in fact. On children, adults, people with long, flowing hair, those with short, cropped hair, it didn't matter, the modules were there. Not everyone had them, of course. But they were prevalent enough that Benezia couldn't help but notice.
"..."
10 minutes after the video ended, the asari vessel came to a halt as it's hangar bay opened up. Three human shuttles cautiously approached the ship, before gently making landfall in the ship's hangar.
Obviously, there were infinitely better options than just sending a novice Diplomatic Corps envoy, one who was on leave to say the least, and her old friends who had all served together in the military long before, but then again, that was what was available at the moment.
Diplomat, or, at least, a soon-to-be-diplomat, Kirishima, was, to put it bluntly, nervous, despite her training in the corps. After all, this was the first time she would ever meet an alien race. And her companions felt the same way. But, hey. What time was there to ship a diplomat from Vienna all the way to Shanxi?
HMS Shepard glanced towards the sight of the alien ship becoming closer by the minute as she cradled the SA42 rifle in her hands. Most of the N7 she had known had retired following the end of the Abyssal Wars, and the few decades of peace that had followed, herself included. She'd come to Shanxi for a change of pace, and...well, the universe had different plans, didn't it?
"So it's all down to us, I guess?" Fubuki murmured as she looked at the alien ship coming into view beyond the viewports of their dropship, the tactical gear she was wearing overlaid with the sailor outfit beneath it making for a rather...funny sight, to say the least. "An old fireteam from the era of those Abbies, now banded back together for a one-off mission into the unknown."
"Not quite. But, yeah, you're right, in a sense."
"We'll make it. We'll be the first humans to actually talk to an alien species. Who would've thought?"
Halifax glanced at the ex-Special Forces all huddled together inside the troop compartment. "Who would've thought? A buncha ex-Special Forces personnel enjoying their postwar lives in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere, and a newly, fresh-out-of-training diplomat who's on leave and enjoying her vacation, visiting her olden friends here to. And now, what are we all doing? This one has a freighter, her friends and her run it to-gether, others chilling in the colony, and now, they're all lumped up together as the first contact party. And all because the brass decided that, retired or not, they're all the most qualified dudes for the job because they're literally the only ones with experience in such situations."
"They'd all probably be like: Hey, let's send an old, retired fireteam that's seen action at the front lines of the war against the Abbies and has seen the shitshow that was it all and has retired since then. They're the best we have! Oh wait, what's that? Their friends are off running joyrides with an old freighter? Hell yeah, we're getting the band back together!"
"..."
"I mean, c'mon. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Well, the fact that we're now about to meet a new species, and we're the ones that have been sent to greet them...yeah, it does seem quite far-fetched, doesn't it?"
"Hah, I wouldn't call it that. Maybe it's the universe trying to reward us for the hell that we've been through, y'know?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"I mean, c'mon, I'm an old, former special forces operator whose skills have grown rusty, and yet here I am, sitting here and looking down at a spaceship filled with aliens, the likes of which have never been seen before."
"Yeah, you're right. I can't quite argue against that."
"And here's me thinking that the Abyssals would be the end of humanity. Turns out, they were just the beginning. Last I checked, the briefing was telling us that, what? Blue aliens? With weird, birdlike and froglike species, as well? That's crazy. Crazy, but also true. I'm kinda glad that we've got the chance to get our asses to space and have a crack at being explorers."
Silence ran rampant for a few moments afterwards as the veteran fleetgirls all watched the shuttle land in the alien ship's hangar bay, before Shigure broke it. "Well, here's to a new beginning, then?"
"Greetings, Envoy Kirishima, and welcome to the foreign service vessel ARH Ameretat," Benezia began, dropping a quick bow as the human entourage entered the conference room, Kirishima herself at the fore as what seemed to be her security detail fanned out to glance quickly at the room's surroundings before taking up their posts at the edges of the room, weapons slung and ready.
The human envoy looked at her, before returning a slight bow and dropping a faint smile, her body language giving the impression of a young woman, fresh out of training and just starting her first foray into the galaxy at large. Her hand went up to adjust what seemed to be a set of eyewear nestled on the top of her nose and on her ears, before she settled herself down at the table, dressed in something...different, from what the first contact package told Benezia about human attire, to say the least. Possibly a more traditional outfit, she guessed, but that was something for later.
Benezia gave a quick glance at the four humans behind the envoy.
Two out of three were closer to children or at least underage if she was to guess, a pair of females. Their outfit very clearly clashed with the equipment that was layered over them, with a simple shirt, a short garment of sorts that seemed to be wrapped around the legs, leaving the insides exposed, and a ribbon tied around the neck for decoration. Which understandably clashed with the rugged vests draped over their chests and the rugged weapons they cradled in their arms.
The third looked more old and mature, with a uniform (that still had the wrap-around lower garment) composed out of dark gray and white. A hat sat atop her head, with a simple logo of an eagle perched above a wreath and a ribbon. She stood at ease, the weapon she had holstered at her side obviously a more advanced variant of the ones the others held. A curtain of golden reached out down to her waist, framing her face.
The fourth had purple hairing as opposed to golden or black on the others, and had the modules on the sides of her head that Benezia had noticed earlier. Her outfit was light gray, and seemed more of a casual outfit than most. While it still bore a certain degree of formality, the colors and design of the jacket she wore had a very clear indication of the wearer being less formal than the other humans. And her bearing was also less formal, more casual. Seemingly outgoing and extroverted.
A few moments passed before Kirishima broke the silence. "Benezia. It is a pleasure to be here."
"As is the same for me, Envoy," Benezia replied gracefully.
Another akward silence passed before Benezia broke it this time. "Envoy, allow me to introduce my companions. To my left is Miora T'kezor, a specialist in the study of xeno-cultures, and to my right is Auset L'Sor, a xeno-biologist and a specialist in the study of the flora and fauna of various species."
"Pleased to meet you, Envoy," the two asari said in unison.
"Same here, thank you, both of you," Kirishima nodded. "May I introduce to you Halifax, an old friend of mine, and my senpai in the Diplomatic corps."
The human with purple hair dropped a bow, one that made her side attachments glow slightly in the lights overhead, as Benezia watched her intently. "Halifax Evans, Artificial Intelligence. It is a pleasure to meet you, Benezia."
Benezia blinked in surprise. "...what."