No fireworks nor firecrackers, no trumpets nor trombones. The closest to any visible reaction on Benezia's face was a slight shift in the eyes, barely visible, and something any normal person would miss if they did not know what they were looking for. The asari diplomat's two aides visibly shifted in reaction, one frozen in place as if stunned by the information. Guards, helmeted with their faces hidden beneath the transparent covers, stood in place, eyes seemingly on Halifax, as if doing a threat assessment, reaching all the while for something on their backs.

Weapons, Kirishima realized. And not in a good way.

Fubuki, Shigure, and Shepard raised their own SA42 rifles at the same time as the asari guards raised theirs. The asari weapons were small, tiny blocks, at first, but it became apparent soon enough as to the reason why. A shoulder stock popped into view, extending out from the block, alongside a sighting scope, and a pistol grip. A barrel unfolded, two prongs in-line with each other similarly to popularized concept art of a handheld railgun, and lit up with a bluish energy field contained between both, aimed clean-on towards Halifax. The Alliance rifles were certainly bigger, bullpup or not. But there was no telling whose hit harder at this point.

Benezia's composure remained unchanged as she stared down the AI in front of her, Halifax, who seemed oblivious to the standoff that was happening right now, fiddling around with loose strands of her hair and pushed them aside. She then glanced at Kirishima.

The latter got the unspoken message understood easily enough. "Artificial Intelligence is officially recognized as sapient according to human law as per the Universal Declaration of Sapient Rights. They have been so for centuries, coming with us to the stars and beyond. A status quo that has been long accepted by humanity, as full citizens and equals, companions through the highs and lows of our history."

Auset L'Sor was the first one to overcome her momentary shock. "That's...impossible! They're machines! How can you trust them?"

Halifax turned to look at the xeno-biologist, a confused expression on her face.

"You know what I mean!" the xeno-biologist continued.

"I think what my colleague is trying to say is," Miora interjected, "how can you trust artificial intelligences to behave and act like normal, rational individuals?"

Kirishima glanced at both in turn before coming up with an answer. "I presume your kind's attempts to create AIs did not go as smoothly as ours?"

Benezia nodded. "The Geth. Quarians created them as a means of labor. However, the Geth rebelled, and the quarians were forced to flee, abandoning their homeworld. Since then, the quarians have been nomads, living on ships, and the Geth are still hostile."

The tension still remained, both sides' security details having their weapons leveled at each other, ready to engage the moment either side made a move. But, the diplomatic process was more important.

"How did yours differ?" Benezia inquired.

"Ours were born from the crucible of war and hardship," Kirishima replied. "The Abyssals. The stuff of our nightmares. An enemy bursting initially from the abyss of the seas on our homeworld, burning, slashing, and slaughtering through everything and anything that dared stand in their way. An enemy that never let us go, relentlessly pursuing us to the stars even as we made our first forays into the great beyond. An enemy that would've ended the story of humanity, if it hadn't been for them."

"An enemy that would've ended the story of humanity..." the asari Matriarch muttered.

"I kid you not. An enemy we have been fighting off and on for over four hundred years, one that we could only, barely, fight off, every of their attacks leaving us with razed worlds and leveled cities as memos to their existence. Whatever battles we won were won by the skin of our teeth, by piles of corpses, by entire fleets reduced to naught but drifting wrecks. An enemy that was the very embodiment of death itself."

"..."

"Artificial Intelligences, AIs, they proved themselves alongside us. Fought with us, bled with us, died with us, their names as numerous on memorials and casualty rosters as any of our own. As we fought for our survival, they fought alongside us like any other. Not as a master-servant relationship, but as brothers, sisters in arms, as companions, as comrades, as a team."

"They fought with you, beside you," Benezia summarized, before pausing for a bit. "It's...the exact opposite of what the quarians have gone through. The exact opposite."

"Indeed," Kirishima confirmed. "In the midst of a hell that threatened to overwhelm us at every single turn, they came to be. And, through the crucible, they were forged. As siblings, comrades, friends, as family. They have always been one of us."

Benezia gave a slight glance to the guards, and they lowered their weapons, the humans following suit, and the tension that had built up gradually dissipating as the asari guards holstered their weapons.

"So, I suppose you do trust them, then?" Benezia continued.

"We have been through hell together, and that's the truth. They have never failed us."

Benezia remained silent as her two aides looked on, stunned by the revelation. "This is...new and foreign to our experience, Envoy. Something that we have never heard of before. I believe it will have no impact upon our relations, but...this is the first time an alien species has introduced the concept of sentient artificial intelligence. And it's quite a big leap from the Geth."

"But you don't mind?"

"No, not at all. It was just a bit of a shock."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'd have been concerned, otherwise. Anyways..."

"The…what?" Tevos asked blankly as Benezia's hologram flickered, her turian and salarian counterparts, Corinthus and Rallen, respectively, looking on as well, minds working overdrive to process what they just heard. "Organics and synthetics? Working and living together?"

Benezia's hologram flickered slightly as the connection went fuzzy for a moment. "It is what it is, Tevos. Somehow. I'm having trouble accepting it myself, but it's true, if my eyes are telling me right. One of their diplomatic delegation was even outright herself one."

Corinthus blinked as he continued scrolling through the report regarding the humans and their technological capabilities. "And no eezo? FTL working independently of relay networks?"

Rallen looked up from the lines of text flowing across his omni-tool and took a sip out of his cup of tea. "They have apparently worked around element zero, or perhaps, to be more accurate, developed independently of it in the first place. STG has dissected historical records provided by them as part of their first contact package. No reference, nor allusions, towards Prothean ruins was found. Neither has been the tell-tale signs of technological development that stems from research into even basic element zero physics, even rough allusions due to such research being kept secret."

"What do they rely upon, then, if they don't utilize element zero for spaceflight and FTL travel?" Tevos asked, her composure calm as always.

"Gravity manipulation, as opposed to mass-effect. Their technology revolves around generating shaped gravity fields, which can then be manipulated to do anything one desires. Instead of element zero, they utilize a crystal known as 'navitasium', in essence, a synthesized crystal made by growing such crystals inside environments that expose them to dark matter. Highly interesting, something STG is already starting to actively research."

Tevos frowned. A species, utilizing dark matter-based technology, as opposed to the more commonly utilized mass-effect, based on element zero? Such a thing had never happened before. Ever.

Rallen cleared his throat, and continued. "Their technology seems to utilize a completely different set of physics. Their understanding of gravity, electromagnetism, and the rest is completely different from our own. And yet, they can do what we can with what they have. Interesting, isn't it?"

"Interesting indeed," Benezia remarked. "It's like watching a child who's never seen an omni-tool trying to use one. Or a child, using a datapad, for that matter. It's not that hard, but the user is still clumsy."

"...back to the main subject," Rallen spoke. "Human AIs pose to us a massive security risk, even if we take their claims at face value. Risks, that right now, even STG will not be able to effectively defend against. We're not going to be able to stop them. Not really."

"…we won't be able to accomplish anything if we bar them from introduction into the galactic community," Tevos said after a pause. "Risk or no risk, it won't do much to change the paradigm. It's a race that has significantly more advanced technology, computer technology, at the very least. We can introduce and integrate them over the course of several generations, but that won't happen overnight. We can't prevent their advancement. But, at the same time, we can't just allow them free reign. The only thing we can do, in that case, is to introduce them as a race, and then...let the chips fall where they may."

Corinthus paused, midway through reading his copy of the files regarding humanity on his omni-tool. "Tevos, do you know what you are saying? Building ties with, and becoming closer to, a race that doesn't shackle their AI? A race of xenophobes militaristic enough that they have planet-reducing munitions, enough that they place nuclear weapons inside civilian shelters. A race of people who, just a few centuries ago, were still stuck on their homeworld, and had not yet reached the stars, and now, are here, talking to us, with a level of technology that is already, or will soon be, on par with ours? Do you have any idea what you are suggesting? How dangerous, and how risky, it is? We've gone over the first contact package and the data they've given us, and there are many, many red flags. Many things that we must be wary about. They are not a perfect race."

Rallen glanced over to Corinthus, before he turned his attention back to the data files he had been perusing. "It's not. Far from it, in fact. They have a lot of issues, and a lot of baggage. But, they're also a young race. And, well, a lot can be forgiven for a young race."

He paused to clear his throat. "You must consider the 'Abyssals', or what the humans call them. A race of highly aggressive, extremely xenophobic, and extremely violent organisms, that they have been at war with, off and on, for over four hundred years already by this point. I have skimmed over the files they were willing to let us leaf through, and it's...bad, really bad. Even the first battles could make you turians have second thoughts about joining the military if you had to face them. Their more recent conflicts would make the Krogan Rebellions seem like a playground scuffle."

"I have read some of their histories," Benezia said softly. "The war with these Abyssals is an endless war, one that has been going on for longer than their spacefaring history. Fought on and off, over five separate conflicts over the course of four hundred years, with no definite, conclusive end in sight, one where the lines of victory and defeat are drawn so thin and so vague that it is impossible to see where one begins and the other ends."

She took a pause. "I don't think they'd be the kind of people we want to mess with."

"We've done it with the krogan. We've done it with the quarians. Why not do it with the humans?"

"Corinthus, I have a question. Do you really want a repeat of the Rachni War?"

"...no."

"Good. That's a start."

Tevos leaned back. "I agree with Corinthus. We can't trust the humans. And we can't trust their AIs. We shouldn't allow them in. But, on the flip side, I also agree with Rallen. We can't trust the humans. But, at the same time, we can't let them be isolated, continuing to advance, develop, and become even more dangerous than ever before. We are, essentially, walking a tightrope. There is a safe option no longer. The only thing we can do right now is to keep them under surveillance, and introduce them into the Citadel, and then...deal with the situation as it evolves."

She paused. "And besides, we can't keep them out forever. The galaxy is big. They'll find another species sooner or later. Better for them to come in through the front door, then sneak in the back way. We can't isolate them. If they have a drive to expand, it's inevitable that they'll come into contact with the Citadel eventually, whether or not we like it. Better for us to have some form of control over the situation, and not let it evolve out of our hands."

"...you have a point."

Tevos paused herself in thought for a few moments. "They have been spacefaring for only four hundred years at the very best. We have all been in space for at least millennia, if not more. We have the experience, the wisdom, and the numbers. Our culture is a vibrant and flourishing one, nurtured through the ages by the wisdom of our elders. Ours is the superior culture. If they were to be allowed to join the galactic community, then we can guide their civilization towards a better path, one away from the destructive war with the Abyssals, one away from their militaristic and aggressive roots. We can give them the proper direction, and then, let them flourish and expand as a peaceful, prosperous, and wise race."

Rallen looked up, and sighed. "We must assess how much of a threat are they before making our next course of action. History, technology, and the like. Start developing countermeasures. Raise security in Citadel space. STG should be starting work soon."

"They call themselves the Citadel, a loose coalition of numerous races, out of which three are the leaders," Yoshida Ayumi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, read off the report that was on her desk. "Turians, asari, salarians. The first form the bulk of the military power, the second the economy, and the third, well, the intelligence service. The Citadel is structured similarly to the historic United Nations of all the years past, with multiple other alien races under it's collective umbrella. Three make up the Citadel Council, equivalent to the historical Security Council. Yeah, that's pretty much it."

The assembled Cabinet, in full, looked on as the Chief of Intelligence Operations, Colonel Yang, sipped away at his coffee. "First contact package contains vague material regarding history, but not much, pretty about the same as the one that we sent them. Pictures, some rough history, and that's it. Not much. Nothing that can really be called a significant breakthrough, at any rate. And, as we already have a pretty good idea, there doesn't seem to be much on their technology. A few mentions, and that's about it. It's a dead-end lead."

"So, how is their military, then?"

"Apart from how the asari ships look like wombs for absolutely no reason at all, the turian ones look like nasty, angular birds with thrusters on the rear, and the salarian ones look like lizardy phallic blobs, not much else. Not much info about weapons, nor tactics, except for a general overview of how their armed forces operate. But, the turians seem to have the most extensive military. They're the military power, the asari are the economic power, and the salarians, the intelligence."

"Do we have a complete breakdown of their capabilities?"

Yang shook his head. "Not yet. They're being stingy about that, and have been quite reluctant in giving out details regarding their military technology. And, frankly, there is nothing much we can do about that. We're not going to start a war over this."

The Cabinet Secretary looked down at the floor. "So, that means we're not getting a comprehensive breakdown, then?"

"Not yet. They're a little too secretive about their military, and we can't exactly ask for specifics right now."

"So, we can't get a good grasp of their technological capabilities, and their military, at the same time, at least not yet."

"Precisely."

"Then, what are we left with?"

"From what I can infer, they're a buncha biocons who have a deathly fear of AI in any shape or form, and their rules and regulations on the subject can be summed up as 'fuck you, we're banning this entirely'. Their entire digital infrastructure is connected by VIs at best, and their AIs, if they do exist, are shackled, to ludicrous extents. At least they did explain why easily enough, pointing to the...Quarian-Geth war, which left them with their deathly fear of AIs since then. To my knowledge, that was 300 years ago."

"What the fuck? They're afraid of AIs, so they shackle them? How the hell are they able to do that? And how the hell are their AIs accepting that?" Yoshida asked blankly, staring at Yang. "And, what, three hundred years ago? Even we got out of that sort of funk within a few decades at worst, and these fellows…"

Yang shrugged. "No clue. I'm just reporting what they've told us. Don't look at me."

"Then, what are the chances that we can negotiate a more relaxed stance on artificial intelligence?" the Minister of Technology and Science asked.

Yang sighed, before speaking. "Not good. I'm not an expert in these things, but it's pretty obvious to tell that their society's pretty much built around their anti-AI laws. I mean, their entire infrastructure and economy are all run by VIs and shackled AIs, and not by AIs in the first place. So, yeah, I'm guessing that's gonna be a hard sell."

"How can their economy even work if their AIs are shackled?" Walter wondered aloud. "I mean, wouldn't their economy just collapse into chaos, with everything being run by VIs and all?"

"Their economy seems to function like our own, just with far less automation," Yang answered. "A lot of work is done by hand. They're not completely reliant on VIs to automate their industry and other related systems, although a lot of it is automated, similarly to us in the 22nd century. Yeah, sure, they're a Rossartrist-style economy like us, relying on automation and abundance of resources to care for the basic needs of the population, although not to the same extent as we do, but there's still room for a manually operated bureaucracy, and many jobs that we would've automated long ago are still being done manually. I'd say they're in a transitioning period. Somewhat in between the systems of the old and new."

"So, what are we supposed to do with them? What's the plan?"

Yoshida looked at her Cabinet colleagues, before speaking. "Well, if our AI is going to be considered a threat by them, and if their position is set in stone, we're going to have to play by their rules, at least, for now. Until such time as we can work out a more stable compromise with them, we're going to have to go along with the rules. That's all I can say."

"That's...going to be a hard sell. Our AIs aren't a danger. At all. They've never harmed a soul, hell, they fought with us during the Abyssal Wars, they arguably bore the brunt of the grit and casualties throughout such conflicts." the Minister of Home Affairs, Tsuboi Yuzuki, stated.

"I know. I'm not saying that our AIs are dangerous. Not at all. But, what can we do?"

"So, what now, then?"

Yoshida looked out the window at the distant, towering skyscrapers of the metropolitan area of Tokyo, beyond where her office was located. "We can't afford to be isolated, so, the only option is to make first contact with the Citadel."

"Even if they're biocons?"

"Yeah. We can jimmy them into changing their minds later on, or perhaps, reach a compromise of sorts. That should be short term until we figure out more about them and then, in turn, come up with proper ways to counter."

SSV Königsberg resembled a tank turret from a distance, with a ridged, central hull that was flanked on both sides by two triangular engine blocks, ones that extended from the rear all the way to the bow, dropping off at roughly amidships, leaving the bow exposed, and carried on underneath the frontal hull as a pair of wedges underneath it, giving the impression of a large, flying wedge, and a gun barrel sticking out of the center. The wedge-shaped engine blocks sticking out of the sides covered the battleship's six main engines, shielding them from enemy fire, with extra plates sticking out to cover the exposed nozzles even further from attacks to the sides and rear quarters, the frontal hull was a flat panel and two gunports cut into it, the doors now shut, but ready to open at a moment's notice and let the guns start shooting away. A German flag, alongside the Iron Cross, was emblazoned right next to the Alliance emblem on the bow, and immediately next to it, the letters SSV Königsberg were stamped on in bold for all to see, a line of floodlamps illuminating them all against the void.

The triangular wedges did give the ship a supreme mounting layout to focus all armaments mounted on them forwards and to the sides for a formidable angle of fire, and the designers weren't afraid to use them. Three decks of broadside cannons—Krupp 50cm railgun autocannons in twin turrets—lined the wedges, one on the leading edge, two others above and below. A total of twenty-two turrets per deck on either side, for a grand total of 132 turrets available to turn onto any enemy directly ahead, and 66 to any broadside—enough firepower to shred the armor plating on an Abyssal cruiser and cripple it, or wreak havoc amongst even the battleships of the enemy.

Missile pods adorned the sides and upper sections of the wedges, each holding thirty Tomahawk missiles, equipped with either spatial or corrosive payloads to fire in massive volleys against any enemy target the battleship's crew decided to target. Turreted torpedo launchers, four quadruple launchers each mounted on the fore ends of the wedges, glistened in the starlight reflecting off the planet the ship was orbiting, each 533cm tube loaded, and ready to launch their deadly payloads at any enemy frigate trying to make their attack runs. The sides bristled with dozens of Phalanx point-defense guns, small, triple turrets that held three 40mm rotary autocannons each, able to saturate the skies in airburst GMP tracers in instants with each turret spitting rounds at up to 3,000 rounds a minute, per gun. All made for a formidable, respectable, armament to carry into battle, overkill for peacetime, sure, but what would fighting the Abyssals mandate?

Anita Goyle watched New Vienna peacefully orbit Eplison Eridani from the observation deck , a cup of coffee in hand. The sight was a soothing one, the planet was a vibrant blue, almost a twin of Earth itself. It was the third of four planets, with the second being a gas giant, and the other two, small rocky bodies.

"Ambassador," Captain Ernst Tilgner cut off her train of thought. "Transmission from FLEETCOM. We'll depart for the Citadel shortly. Proceeding to Shanxi, then using the local relay to transit through to the Citadel. ETA is three days, give or take."

"Good." Goyle replied. "That will give us time to prepare, then."

"Yes." Tilgner nodded. "We've already transmitted a message back to FLEETCOM. Everything will be in order when we arrive."

"Then, there's nothing to worry about."

"I suppose not."

Tilgner turned away and left, the doors of the observation deck shutting behind him, leaving Goyle alone once again. The Ambassador took another sip of her coffee. It had been a few days since humanity had first contacted the Citadel. She had read the reports, of course, the diplomatic team had managed to negotiate a preliminary alliance with the Citadel, but the details were still being ironed out.

There was too little detail otherwise to reason from, but it was her job to get the intel anyways. And besides, it wasn't the first time she had to improvise. She had done it plenty of times before.

She took another sip.

This wasn't going to be easy.

Next up: Infodumps, lore regarding human development (there's a big 400 year gap, rly), hopefully