Mass Effect: Augment

Chapter 2: Parley

Jon once again sat with his boots up on his desk in his command quarters. He knew everything he could learn from the reports in the first day he had them. The next three days were answering the flurry of communications he got from the Systems alliance. In four days the Turians sent half as many fleets, each larger than the first patrol fleet he encountered, and now he had a nice collection of alien spaceships to look at thought his view screen tied to external cameras.

They were commandeered, and moved under EDI’s will to their final resting place. Not too close, but not too far from the relay. He saw immediately what her gambit was as soon as she started it. With the third fleet being added, a giant middle finger sat in full view to any who passed though the relay and into the system. Insults were included in the lexicon, so some of them at least knew what the small scout frigate thought of them and their military.

Jon was happy the first orders he got from practically everyone was to treat the prisoners in accordance with the terms of the Systems Alliance rules of engagement. It meant humanity, Earth, was doing okay, was more evolved than those that came before that their first thought was the fair treatment of prisoners. They had honor that those that came before didn’t. Practically no one wanted to repeat the mistakes that lead to the Great War. Even the super mutant tribes sent a picture of a sloppily written note that said, ‘don’t eat aliens.”

Typically there were chains of commands, and no one would get orders from so many different places at once, but he was outside any chain, but still Systems Alliance. So anyone with any clout in the military and government always sent him orders or demanded updates. He usually complied with the updates, the reports he sent back made available to all that had officers in the command staff, everyone, but only followed orders when he felt like it. Mostly New England’s orders due to their level of competence, and obvious bias he didn’t even try to hide. New England, absorbing the Capital after the last Maxson died of age with no heir, like China and the NCR, practically was the Systems Alliance. So no one could question that arraignment either.

The comm once again interrupted his thoughts, “Boss, come take a look.”

It was his off hours, and he wouldn't have to look it it was just another fleet EDI was adding to her collection. He took the elevator down, and once again strode across the command deck of his ship. He saw only one red dot in front of the relay this time.

The comm was ringing, obviously from the new arrival. EDI said, “It is an Asari diplomatic vessel, and is currently transmitting general messages of peace, as well as hailing us directly.”

Joker said, “That Codex thing they had said were all hot blue alien women.”

EDI turned, with emotion Jon hadn’t seen before. Given her digital nature, he couldn't tell if he was feeling it, or mimicking it. It didn’t matter either way really. She said, “Am I not a hot blue alien woman?”

Joker only hesitated a second, “First off yes. Second off, you’re not an alien, and finally you’re only one gal, that's a whole species of fish in the sea.”

She thoughtfully said, “Perhaps I could make more terminals for interaction.”

Joker laughed, “Please don’t tease me like that.”

Jon gave a half smirk before finally giving the order, “Open the channel.”

The bosun whistle sounded, “Unidentified Asari ship, you are currently in an active war zone. I recommend you leave immediately. Our quarrel is with the Turians.”

The comm replied, “SRV Normandy, this is Matriarch Benezia, in command of the Council diplomatic ship, Wisdom of the Goddess. The Turians are apart of the Council, and we have been sent by the Council to rectify the misunderstandings that have taken place here.”

Jon said, “Indeed there have been misunderstandings, Matriarch. Like the Council thinking their laws apply to us, and their officer falsely accusing us of breaking them besides.”

“Please General. The Admiral was not acting in accordance with the Council. This first contact should have been reported immediately, though I will admit that is only informal policy. He was overzealous in enforcing written law, which applies to any who use the mass relays. I offer myself as your prisoner General. So we may negotiate face to face, and explain the purpose of some of our laws.”

Jon taped his foot a couple times. He said, “Bring an environmental suit. You have five minutes to get a shuttle in the air, or we treat you as an enemy combatant and start destroying ships that come though our relay, rather than commandeer them.”

The comm cut and Joker was on the ball, “Is she going to be in for a fucking shock boss.”

Jon nodded slowly, “Yep. They all are when they are the suit readings and recordings back. A peaceful show of force by the time I’m done with them, and a violent one when we carve us some pounds of Batarian flesh. EDI, my ship and first officer, prepare the conference room.”

“Yes sir.” She said as she got up from her chair and began walking off at a clip to the room. Automated protocols were already going by the time Jon finished his sentence.

In just under five minutes a single shuttle was launched, and only had one occupant according to sensors. Jon developed a passing respect at least for the Matriarch. He took off himself for the elevator and rode it to the bottom cargo deck. The place opened up from the bottom and created a ramp for ground loading. Over it was a Zetan force field, tuned to keep air in, but let the shuttle in as well.

It was best described as a purple brick, but Jon couldn’t say much because his own shuttles on either side of the bay were there own color of brick. Blue in his case. The color really depended on which force was fielding the common design. Not many existed yet as the navy was still a glorified patrol force for Sol. The factories and dockyards were no doubt being fired up as they waited for the shuttle to gently touch down.

He had two guards on either side of him in Mk. 2 power armor. The concept was basically the same, but the frame was lither and thinner, the fusion core was replaced with a mini core, and overall the capabilities met modern standards in terms of environmental protection, sensors, and visor displays. The technology of Earth was no more the product of pulp fiction written by Government propagandists. Though there were still elements off it in design features of things. The people of Earth were somewhat nostalgic, and Mk. 1 power armor with replica plates was still popular in the civilian market. Jon had an ace up his sleeve he had so far shared with no one.

One major improvement to the Mk. 2 was the ability to use proper infantry weapons. In their hands were AER-20’s. House realized that one of the few markets he could truly break into were with arms. Using both Enclave and Zetan starting points, he developed better plasma weapons. And from there phased bolt plasma weapons.

He was disappointed that his original, and beautiful, designs were rejected, but he was still happy to make a pretty penny in one of the last few free markets of the wasteland. Military contracts. Business was booming for him, even before any ramp up, in selling familiar form factors to the various militaries of Earth. In particular the AEK-20 phased plasma weapon. Their magazines held the energy for 100 shots, and was practically the only weapon in a fire teams hands bedsides true heavy weapons or support weapons. The nations of the Systems Alliance were fine with the price gouged cost of it, as it kept House rich and happy, and priced civilians out of that particular market.

There were naysayers, in particular China, that thought the right to arms they were forced to comply with was a relic of the past, but their American counterparts wouldn't be budged. You changed the name, they said, we’ll keep our guns and give them to you too. The economic aid that came with the gun runner guns the NCR sent them left them with no choice.

The Door opened and the Matriarch in her hard suit gracefully stepped out. Jon’s heavily armed and armored guards didn’t raise their weapons, but they were there and standing menacingly. The entire bay was covered with guns at this point, ready to strike at their enemy should it be required.

The Matriarch was old, and this was not the first time she negotiated under fire. In fact she found the Systems Alliance to so far be courteous and reasonable people, better than the Krogan for sure. Any would didn’t react as they did would be fools in her mind. The thing she noticed immediately was the amount of blue around the bay.

She smiled behind her visor and Jon met it. Just by looking at them they had so many similarities with the Asari, and could be certainly guided with a steady and caring hand. They had to be guided, as they only could have done what they did with illegal and dangerous technology.

He was obviously allowing her to have the first word. Courteous indeed. She said, “Greetings General Shepard. I am Matriarch Benezia, and it is a pleasure to meet you. I represent the Council, and have been sent to begin peace negotiations.”

Jon tilted his head, “So the Council considers this a war as we do?”

She said, “They consider it an incident, requiring peace negotiations. If you ask me, that’s a load of varrenshit.”

Jon laughed, and the bay matched it, the guards never left their mark however and kept their eyes on with some smiles behind their opaque visors. Benezia was happy to have won their respect and humor right off the bat. So far the negotiations were going well, they however they could not take place here.

Jon beat her to that punch, “If you come with me, we can begin discussions in the conference room.”

Jon marched forward, and the Matriarch followed behind him. The two guards were behind her and they all tendered the elevator back to the command deck. A turn, and then another towards the rear of the ship, and a short couple steps took them to the windowed room with a redwood desk in it’s center. They of course carved a relief of the Californian state and it’s territories into its center without telling anyone they were doing it. No one found out until they went to install it, and the only reaction Jon had was hearty laughter, so it was left as it. It was technically a systems Alliance vessel after all, that represented all of the constituent nations. They could show off if they wanted to.

Jon entered the room after waving the guards to stay outside. The Matriarch stepped in more hesitantly. The redwood caught her eye first. Then the thing next to it did as well.

Jon turned and smiled as he saw how her overall demeanor changed. He said, “Matriarch, this is my first officer EDI.”

Her heart sank. It was all wrong now. They desperately needed the Council. How could they not know about the dangers of something like it? They seemed so reasonable, and now his first officer was a synthetic? The Generals demeanor told her he knew what he was doing. He knew the Council. That's how they commandeered the ships, a rouge intelligence in everything but name.

Jon motioned for her to sit, and she did, looking and rubbing at the redwood as she did to center herself. The grain and finish were exquisite. She could built a house out of it.

She slowly said, “You’re first officer…is a synthetic.”

EDI was now sitting as well, with her mechanic hands crossed over over the table. She said, “Not only am I the first officer, I am the ship. Its sensors are my eyes, its life support my lungs, its anti-matter reactor my beating heart. I consider it a symbiotic relationship with my crew, family really.”

She shuttered. Not with all the power of the Protheans! She quickly collected herself, “Anti...matter...reactor.”

Jon nodded eagerly with a smile, “Indeed. Anti-matter reactor. It is the central component of what we call a warp engine. You see, we don’t use mass effect for anything expect our shuttles and other small gadgets. Only because it is so damn efficient and easy to use for mass produced consumer goods. The majority of our power comes from nuclear fusion, and our ships are powered by anti-matter reactors. We have literally never activated a relay, not even the one in our home system. We will now however.”

“You can’t! Not until you know where it goes...I’m sorry. I should not have yelled like that.” She said.

Everything had gone very wrong very fast. The Council would not control these people. She would be lucky to establish formal diplomatic communications, let alone ties. They practically thought the height of Prothean and now Council advancement was a cheap trick. Toys.

Jon took a sympathetic look, “It’s okay. You’re in a very stressful situation, and I imagine everything you’ve heard so far shocks you deep to your core.”

She nodded slowly. Back to being reasonable again. She said, “Thank you. Indeed it does. Do you know why we have that law at least?”

Jon said, “Yup. The Rachi war. The Salarians uplifted the Krogan, and the Turians deployed bio weapons against them as a thank you for their service. So, so far I’m not hearing anything that rectifies misunderstandings, unless you can go back in time and shoot the dumb fuck that had that idea in the first place. That would be a good start.”

Back to being unreasonable again. The young man was playing her for a fool, and was getting away with it. She sighed, “I can not do that, as you no doubt know. Where is this wood from? Its this your home on it?”

Jon smiled at the diplomatic ploy and genuine curiosity. Jon went with it, “Redwood. From a place called California. It’s not my home. What you see is their core territory, and the constituent states, puppets basically, of the NCR. New California Republic.”

She asked, “So they conquered these places.”

Jon nodded, “In the second Legion war. I was with task force Athena at the time. We turned south after helping Santiago avenge her mothers death and setting up a republic in the Montana area. We ran into the crucified bodies marking the northern borders of Lanius, and contact with the NCR was made not long after, which was the reason for turning south in the first place before going to Washington. We chewed them up and spit them out together. They were already at war again, and we basically won it for them with our pressure in the North.”

Perhaps they were as bad as the Krogan, simply able to hide it better. She said, “Is Washington on here?”

Jon shook his head, “Washington is a no man’s land, especially after we got threw with it. It’s literally haunted by the ghosts of the dead thanks to occult technology. Like the Glowing sea in my home of New England, nothing will ever come from it. We tried to help the people there, but the rouge Brotherhood chapter had their claws physically into their brains. They...had this hand attachment that would hook into the ports of their slaves and victims. We saved who we could, and leveled the place with every nuke and super weapon we could throw at it. Hell of an air battle before hand and trench warfare to keep them from breaking out and escaping their fate.”

How could it get worse!? They didn’t even try to hide anything! She whispered, “Nuclear weapons on a garden world.”

Jon smiled evilly, “We are only 300 or so years removed from the Great War. 100 or so from Washington. I don’t know because I make an effort to not count my age or the year. Anyway those that came before us fired 100 thousand nuclear devices over credible intelligence of bio-weapon attacks targeting the Chinese ethinicites, thus triggering the doctrine known as Mutually Assured Destruction. As it turned out it was all a ploy by an organization called the Enclave that wanted total power, and that included trying to use their bio-weapons again in the wasteland to kill everyone that survived. It’s called Forced Evolutionary Virus, and its why you need a vac suit. We’re all infected with it. It’s apart of the very air we breath, which is why we haven't even colonized the garden worlds we’ve found so far. Like this one in this system, which is sovereign Systems Alliance territory. I mean come on. The Systems Alliance. They were so close to greatness, they could have had space NATO, but that dickhead captain just haaaaad to make a good fucking point. suck my its not centered around the North Atlantic anymore Ass.”

“Yes.” was all Benezia said.

“Yes?” Jon asked.

“The system is yours. We cant stop you from taking it, obviously. It’s unclaimed besides. In the Attican traverse. But you already know that.”

Jon leaned in and cut though her visor with his good eye, “Yes. We know many things there are to know about you. One thing that you need to know before we go to the Council, is that whatever I do, whatever I say, I am the compromise. Everyone alive today on Earth and in her colonies has been victimized in some way by people who they are reminded of when they see the things your Council has done and lets happen under it’s watch.”

She only breathed deep and closed her eyes in response to center herself again. There was a carrot somewhere with the stick she was being beaten with. At least the shit will flow up this time and hit the Council. That idiot Turian Admiral really caused a mess the Council couldn’t afford.

She said, “I need to confirm the status of the prisoners. Can I speak to the Admiral?”

EDI cut in, “That may be difficult.”

“Please don’t tell me you-”

“We did not. However there was a mutiny on board the flagship after their power was cut and the General gave his words.”

She was dumbfounded, “A mutiny? Can I at least speak to whomever commands it then?”

Jon nodded and EDI’s eyes clicked and rotated as she dialed in the flagship of the original patrol fleet. The screen on the back wall opened up and standing there was a Turian with blue face paint as straight and tidy as ever, but uniform unkempt and wrinkled, the top buttons undone and hanging down.

He said, “Oh, hi. They sent an Asari. I hope that means we get to go home soon.”

Benezia slowly asked, “The Admiral. Is he alive?”

Vakarian nodded, “Yeah, he’s cooling off in the brig. The bridge crew practically forced me into the command slot, so here I am. Garrus Vakarian. Former weapons officer turned acting commander of a rapidly growing task force. Big things ahead in my career.”

Jon gave a sly but small smile. He didn’t want to acknowledge what he had tried to do for the Systems Alliance, and potentially have the man branded and outright traitor rather than a disobedient, but vindicated, junior officer.

She said, “Is you and your crew alright? Have you been treated fairly?”

He thought a second, “Yeah, id say. They even teleported some food over somehow. Came in a flash, and our scientists say its safe. We have our own stocks still though. From the line of sight comms we set up, the rest of the ships are in the same spot with the reports I’ve gotten.”

She breathed deep again. Every second with these people, hearing of their feats, their jarring duel natures, drove or more mad. Teleporting? She asked, “You had dextro-protein based food?”

Jon said, “Not until we programmed our food replicators.”

“Food replicators.” She whispered again. What had they done? What had they brought upon the galaxy?

“So ah, when can we go home?” Garrus asked.