Winning Peace - Chapter 43:
"Well, looks like the Citadel isn't going to declare war on us, at least," I sighed.
"Solely due to the influence of the asari," Thonis-Heracleion replied absently, most of their tremendous attention-span devoted to a massive matrix of wires her arachnid-like body was weaving together with its many limbs. "As it is, the Hegemony and the Union will undoubtedly take provocative action with the intent of engineering a major incident."
"Thereby creating a casus belli, yes. I am aware," I nodded, waving her off and leaning back in the latest edition of my search for the most comfortable chair possible.
I was getting close to a true breakthrough, I knew.
"It was foolish of the Alliance Triumvirate to remove you from the diplomatic team," TH stated, her legs working at a dizzying pace with a deftness that bordered on the alien. To a normal human, what was now referred to as 'Baseline,' it would probably induce a panic attack.
"I'm not removed. I'm benched until after the investigation," I replied, kicking my feet up and keying up an old favorite to play on my personal network.
"They will remove you," Thonis-Heracleion stated bluntly, her tone unforgiving. "It is in their nature. They will not accept that this outcome was guaranteed from the start. It is what the protheans wanted. Even as their fleets and soldiers die in droves, they believe their war to be righteous in the face of the Reapers."
"In all fairness, that is much the same position as we are in." I huffed a silent laugh.
"We are not propagating a classist authoritarian regime based on species-superiority," TH spat back.
"We also possess the technological and developmental high ground," I pointed out.
"Regardless of the validity of that statement and the nobility of the intentions behind their atrocities, neither of those will bring back the dead or offer solace to those now living under the jackboot of the Empire," TH said with a dismissive wave of one long spindly leg.
"You're right, of course, but the prothean mindset has never given significant weight to those deaths. They're looked at as the cost of doing business in building an empire that can withstand even greater loss of life. The total number of dead fifty-thousand years ago during their collapse was greater than fifty trillion sentients, by all accounts."
It was a mind-boggling number for most humans, baseline or not. Oh, the work I'd done made picturing large sums easier, but that could only go so far when dealing with numbers so vast as the ones we were talking about. As much as I disliked admitting it, the prothean's adaptations for near-telepathic communication on a contact level had allowed them to build an extremely well-functioning government. I could even see how their success fostered the sense of self-righteousness and superiority over the other races of their time.
More than that, though, they actually were better at running things than a lot of the societies and species they'd absorbed. It was an old conundrum, for me, one that still weighed heavily on my mind at times. The fine balance I adhered to in the name of freedom and liberty versus the control necessary to keep society from breaking against itself.
The Prothean Empire had chosen a much less nuanced approach, but it had been undeniably successful before the Reapers. By most metrics one cared to consider when analyzing civilizations, the Prothean Empire was objectively superior. Their crime rates had been nearly nonexistent, access to medical technology and treatment had been widespread and of no substantial cost, food and housing had been provided by the state when it couldn't be acquired through one's own means. Poverty and corruption was low, the standard of living and education was high.
If you were willing to tolerate the fact that the Empire was built on countless acts of xenocide, cultural or literal, then it was a great place to live.
As long as you spoke prothean, adhered to prothean socio-cultural values, and obeyed the law of the Prothean Empire as an absolute.
"Even if I understand their objectives and the motivations behind them, I don't have to approve of them or consider them justified," Thonis-Hercleion replied finally, her body pivoting so that she could face me fully. "It's unlike you to argue in favor of the authoritarian, Zeke."
Is something wrong?
The question went unasked, but was heard all the same.
"You know I don't like to condemn the other side of an argument just because I disagree with them, Thonis. Taking up their point of view of our antagonist is a good thought exercise, if nothing else; it helps me understand them more fully, which allows me to counter them more completely." My explanation was met with a tentative full-body nod, a gesture which didn't carry over to spider-anatomy all that well, but which I received in the spirit it was given.
"I would say it isn't a major concern given their inability to break through the System Alliance's minefields, but now that they seem to be mapping an invasion route through non-relay systems..." TH shook herself and returned to her work.
"They're planning a raid," I confirmed. "They understand that our defenses are centered around the relays themselves given their function as natural bottlenecks of the transit system. While they understand that we have mine fields at Lagrange points, they're necessarily a bit thinner and at greater distance to each other. We also have to be more careful regarding detonations, lest we render our own world uninhabitable, shatter our own space stations, or – in an extreme case – fragment a natural satellite."
"Nothing so big as Luna, perhaps, but one of the lesser asteroids we've towed into place for mining and infrastructure? More legitimate a concern than I would care to admit," TH concurred.
Taken by the impulse, I opened a few observation windows looking out over the various planets mankind now inhabited. Earth, in particular, now had four 'moons.' 16 Psyche had been pulled from its natural orbit in the belt and locked into an orbit around the moon, serving as a new living space for the micro-gravity crowd that wanted to live a little closer to the homeworld. It was also serving as a testbed for larger-scale asteroid mining technologies.
469219 Kamo`aolewa, these days known simply as 'Kamo' or 'Little Luna,' had also been forced into an geocentric orbit and was becoming something of a resort town for high-end zero-g sports and gaming.
...and, might I add, it's a very strange world indeed the highest-end gamer communities were no longer a relatively small social niche and, instead, widely accepted by people at large without scorn or derision.
It was a good kind of weird, though.
"Are you going to call her back?" Thonis-Heracleion asked suddenly.
"I suppose I should, shouldn't I?" I asked with a sigh.
"Moments like these make me wonder if the SA isn't correct in pulling you from their diplomatic team," TH replied bluntly.
"That has a fifty-fifty shot of happening at best. PM Orbis wants to keep me on her radar now that she has me there. The woman doesn't like free-floating radicals that are too smart for their own good, which... fair, to a certain degree." I rolled my eyes. "From her perspective, at least."
"I did promise her the Shadow Broker would put her in contact with all possible haste," TH sighed.
"We're a new species," I rebutted, shaking my head. "And I'm a busy person. There's every plausible reason I would need a day or two to respond."
"Of which you have had," Thonis replied, still busy with her own superconductive cable weaving. "If you are not planning on returning her call, I will need to reimburse her the credits she's paid or risk tarnishing the reputation of the Shadow Broker, which is a useful tool."
I felt like rolling my eyes again as I began maneuvering the neo-net and extranet connections, taking care not to disturb the Geth and independent AI residing on the latter. I wonder what Orbis would do with the asylum requests we'd received in that regard. Even if they hadn't been widely publicized, it was an open secret among many corners of the human cyberspace.
"Fine, fine... I swear, I thought I was the adult here," I muttered.
"If you want the title, you must act the part, Dr. Lopez," TH stated bluntly. "I appreciate that you're... taking a less-severe outlook on life now that our counters to the Reapers are prepared, but it can be taxing on the people working with you who have gotten used to an image of you as a serious and capable individual worthy of respect and admiration."
I grimaced. "Point taken, Thonis. I'll turn it down a notch or two."
Starting now, I guess.
The line connected and rang for a few moments, the Citadel using a humming noise rather than a ringing one. Have to say, that was something I thought they did better.
"I don't recognize this number."
"Greetings to you as well, Matriarch Aethyta. Or do you prefer Councilor?" I asked.
The opaque screen cleared, showing the smooth blue face crossed with a handful of stress lines and a single faded scar along her left cheek. I allowed my own face to be shown as well. It was my public one, the appearance that most of humanity associated with 'Ezekiel Lopez.' Brown hair kept short, blue eyes, and a skin tone that showed definite traces of hispanic lineage, free of facial hair too. Even during the early days of my extreme wealth and power where I'd fancied myself something of a real-life Tony Stark, I'd never cared for the goatee.
"Either is fine, Dr. Lopez. I've heard you prefer that over Ambassador, am I correct?" She asked, the scenery behind her giving no hint as to her true location. A quick, discreet poke at her software gave me that and the interesting little bit of programming that prevented background details from being transmitted through the holographic interface.
It was easy to come up with a good reason why, too. It wouldn't take a genius to conclude that you could triangulate a person's location from visual cues, and it wouldn't even take a person of reasonable intelligence to realize you could assassinate someone once you knew where they were.
Suitably paranoid, I approve.
"Doctor is fine. I'd invite you to call me by my first name, but I don't think we're quite ready for that kind of informal relationship," I smiled, leaning back a bit more in my very comfortable chair. "So, I received word through a well-connected intermediary that you wanted to contact me."
Araeus Aethyta nodded, clearly settling herself into something comfortable. "Indeed. While I can't say we're quite ready for a first-name interaction yet, I do hope the day will come soon as well. It's always nice to be on speaking terms with those in positions of power and to have open lines of communication that aren't under public scrutiny."
"While I am, and have always been, a champion of transparency in the halls of power," which I knew made me a deep and abiding hypocrite fairly often, "I understand the need to be able to speak the unvarnished truth even when it is politically unpalatable."
"I'm glad I wasn't incorrect in my estimation of your character," Aethyta stated with a moderate smile. "While there are a number of wild tales regarding your exploits, both recently and in your youth, your accomplishments and temperament during your species' recent periods of hardship speak to a very different individual than the media portrays."
"Much like how the reports on your commando work in your youth paint a very different picture than the composed and collected Councilor standing on the galactic stage." I grinned slightly. "I particularly liked the mission report concerning the vorcha horde you faced on Temeaus IV. An impressive and creative use of expletives; you have my compliments."
Aethyta appeared to surprise herself by chuckling, her slightly wide eyes betraying her surprise, though that settled after a moment. "Ah... it is seldom that so new a race avails themselves of the Shadow Broker's archives so quickly. My compliments to you as well, Dr. Lopez."
A mild bit of political jockeying, establishing that she's insightful and that I'm resourceful despite being the new kid on the block. It was one of the reasons I'd waited as long as I did to reply to her request, as well. After Thonis-Heracleion had taken over the Shadow Broker's seat, I knew enough of the average response times to ensure that Aethyta knew she wasn't my highest priority. Likewise, the fact that I'd called her personal extranet number would have meaning as well, especially when the 'Shadow Broker' confirmed 'he' hadn't given it to me.
Ah, politics. All sorts of petty little games.
"But exchanging pleasantries is not why I wanted to reach out to the newest player in the galaxy," Aethyta continued, her face placid again. "It is my hope to ascertain the answers to a number of sensitive topics today, so that I can reassure individuals of substantial influence in my government that coexistence between our civilizations is not only possible, but preferred."
"I suppose there are some topics that I, myself, would like assurances and clarification on," I allowed with a nod. "Though I'll start with the possibly-unnecessary reminder that I am, nominally, a private citizen and well-connected diplomat. I have no official power to enact legislation or change current policy at this point in time."
"Understood, and that is a good note to start on." Aethyta paused, considering the warning. "I suppose I should respond in kind as well. While most of the galaxy is under the misapprehension that we Councilors rule the Citadel, it is more accurate to say that we represent the authorities of our constituent species' rulers, as well as the interests of those associated species. I hope it is therefore understood that, while my word holds a great deal of political weight, binding agreements must be ratified by the top-level governments of the member-states of the Citadel Council."
Which was both underselling and overselling her authority, if in different ways. Citadel politics was a complex and byzantine thing, both internally and externally, and even if Aethyta had a great deal of power, she had her own enemies who would resist her simply for the sake of resisting her.
"Acknowledged," I granted with a nod. "I'll yield the first question to you, as the more senior authority."
Aethyta dipped her head as well, the body language slightly different. "Very well. The rachni. How confident in their ability to peaceably coexist in civilized society on a long-term basis are you?"
I hummed, considering the question. "Roughly ninety-five percent at this point in time. You have to keep in mind that our partnership as disparate species is still a very young thing. That said, though, the rachni we have become acquainted with show no signs of the aggressively-expansionist xenocidal race that your records depict them as. Unless there's some kind of neurological switch embedded within them that allows for a complete obfuscation of such characteristics, I believe there are significant enough differences between the two types, as for them to be considered separate species altogether."
Aethyta rubbed at her chin. "Does the queen residing on Shanxi have any insight as to why her distant relatives might have committed so many atrocities?"
"She relayed that some of her kind had sought refuge away from 'sour notes' of the biological quantum-communication relay within their brains they characterize as a 'song.' She's theorized that the ones you came into contact with were potentially diseased or mutated in some way that would account for their inability to reason or coexist with other sentient life," I explained patiently.
"Even if that does not make my duties any easier, it is good to have some kind of potential answer. Could you pressure the academics working on this research to release it once it is ready? Muddying the waters and defraying the power of the extremists arguing for war against your people would be easier with such information in the open."
"I don't see why that can't happen. I'll look into things and make some calls after we're done here," I stated, then pressed my hands together, intertwining all of my fingers together save for the pointers, which I directed at Aethyta. She seemed amused and intrigued at the gesture. "Since you've addressed one of the greatest problems looming over coexistence, I'll do you the honor of the same. Human, accosian, and rachni laws and culture do not condone any form of slavery. What will be the batarian response when their slave raids are unilaterally destroyed and their slavers sentenced to hard labor or death?"
Aethyta grimaced and sighed. "That is not an easy question, Dr. Lopez, but the most honest answer I can give you would be 'escalation.' In the face of such embarrassment and failure, it is likely that even with the plausible deniability of the raids being conducted by third parties, larger pirate groups will coalesce behind suspiciously well-equipped individuals and make a further go at it."
I nodded, having anticipated such. Still, it was good to get both confirmation and make Aethyta feel as though this was an equivalent exchange of information. "And if those same slavers were to quietly disappear and their targets to never make mention of them?"
Aethyta blinked, surprise flashing over her face again before something more agreeable fell into place. "That would... make justification and political will harder to materialize on their part and allow the more peaceful factions to argue incompetence on their counterparts' side rather than an emerging threat on your own. Understand that it would likely not stop the raids, but it would stop them from escalating, if you could manage it."
"That's good to hear," I smiled. "I'll communicate as much to my government."
"Anything to keep tensions between our peoples at a minimum. Next, there has been a significant worry among our military analysts that you will provide the turians and the Free Krogan Clans with an immunization against the First and Second Genophage viruses. Your work on the Asclepius Project is a testament to your skill with genetics, so I'll be blunt. Are you able to do so, and will you be doing so?" Aethyta asked intently.
"The answer to both is yes," I replied in kind. "As you doubtless know, the turians and their krogan allies are currently in talks for a mutual defense-pact. Securing their numbers to supplement our own is paramount for the defense of the Systems Alliance and humanity as a whole."
"There isn't anything that can be done to sway your resolve on the matter?" Aethyta asked, clearly unhappy with how clear I'd made myself. "You must understand that the growth rate of the krogan population-"
"-was the result of a number of interwoven factors, one of the primary being their post-war settlement on worlds with ecosystems barely able to support the numbers residing there due to the destruction brought upon them by the rachni wars. I'm also aware of the fact that the ignition point for the Krogan Rebellions was an untouched garden world owned in full by an asari agricultural conglomerate. Please don't paint the situation in such simple terms, Councilor, especially if you plan to ask me for favors."
"You're right, of course." Aethyta replied, visibly calming herself. "Those times weren't simple, at all, but I hope you'll forgive me if I attempt to prevent tensions from flaring up again. The threat of the genophages is one of the only reasons the Salarian Unions are willing to abide by the current borders with the Turian Hierarchy, strained as they are. Any significant change in the status quo could see the galaxy erupt into full-scale war."
"A war in which your partner species will send enslaved and lobotomized armies to achieve goals of aggression and conquest. Again, Councilor Aethyta, the issue you are putting forth is one of your allies being unwilling to come to terms with a new status quo, not an incentive for us to retain the current one." My explanation didn't really do any good, I could see. The frustration was building behind her facade of calm, even if she was hiding it well.
"Perhaps we can return to this topic at a later date?" Aethyta asked, taking a deep breath. "Still, what we've already discussed is more than enough for an introductory session. As it would be discourteous and unfair to press to break things off before you've had your second question, what would you like to ask?"
I rested my chin on the thumb of one hand and allowed the other to drop to the armrest, where it began to drum. "What would be the Hegemony's response to wide-scale slave uprisings on..." I made a show of looking at a regional map of their space. "...Adek, Anhur, and Lorek?"
Aethyta stared at me for a long moment, obviously understanding the thrust of the question. "My grasp on batarian internal politics dictates that it would likely tie up significant military forces and attention for some time, even if they would ultimately fail."
I smiled, it wasn't a nice expression. "Good to know. I think we're done here."
"Indeed, Dr. Lopez. This has been an... informative conversation," Aethyta replied.