“Mass effect transition successful, Commander.” Joker announced as the blue energy envelope bled away into the familiar black void of space. “Welcome to the Pranas system - middle of nowhere Space. Scans are showing we have some lovely attractions like a handful of micrometeoroids, some gas clouds, and a bunch of ships registered belonging to some Salarian, Krogan, and Turrian politicians glaring at each other just outside weapon ranges. Honestly I’d say that last bit was the start of a bad joke, all we need is the punchline.”

  “Yeah?” Shepard hummed as her eyes roamed over the source of her future headache. “What would that be?”

  “I dunno, maybe something like ‘what do you do when a meeting between a Dalatrass, a Battlemaster, and a Primarch doesn’t explode? Send in a Spectre’.”

  “I do not believe that would be considered funny, Jeff.” EDI commented, getting a shrug from the Normandy pilot.

  “Everyone’s a critic.”

  “Well let’s hope that no one else shares your humor, Joker.” Shepard chastised. “The last thing we need is a Krogan-Salarian war with everything else going on. That said,” She took a deep breath as she prepared to spend a few hours babysitting more politicians. “Send the signal to the two groups we are ready to receive them on the Normandy. They can jump in-system now.”

  Shepard had already not been looking forward to this assignment when she got word that the Salarians had stuck their fingers into the Turian-Krogan negotiations, but she knew it was going to be a headache and a half when the Dalatrass had refused to be present in person until the Normandy was ready to host her. Something about kidnapping or assassination concerns.

  As a burgeoning politician against her will, Shepard knew that was a pretty big insult to the Krogan and was probably an indication of how cooperative the Salarians were going to be overall. And then the Krogan surprised everyone by first off, not flying into a rage, but then even copying the Dalatrass’s behaviour citing the same concerns. An unusual move for them to say the least.

  It might have been for the best though.

  Even if the groups involved were constantly sniping and insulting the others, the leaders - the ones that actually were going to make decisions in the end - were out of the way until the actual meeting. Hopefully that would mean Shepard could remind everyone there was a galactic invasion going on at the moment and that they needed to work together if they didn’t want to go the way of the Protheans.

  “Signal sent, ships are squawking, we should be seeing the Dalatrass’s ship right…about…now.” Joker narrated as a luxury frigate class ship dropped out of FTL a relatively short distance from the Normandy and after a minute or two detached a shuttle heading right for the Normandy’s hangar. “The Krogans are right behind them and – Holy shit!”

  Shepard couldn’t even reprimand the pilot as a massive 800 meter dreadnought dropped into realspace because she had the same damn reaction. Where the hell did that thing come from?!

  “EDI!” She practically demanded.

  “IFF shows as the Krogan diplomat transport vessel.” The AI responded immediately. “Energy readings show no active scans or weapons we can detect. Ship profile also matches the ones we encountered at Palaven.”

  “Then I really hope we’re right that they’re Revan’s friends.” Joker muttered as his hands twitched over the Normandy’s controls, ready to maneuver in any direction at the first sign of hostilities.

  “New transmission, Krogan transport vessel is sending out a shuttle. They are requesting landing sequence codes.”

  Shepard took a deep breath and made a judgement call. The dreadnought hadn’t been hostile so far, and she couldn’t exactly abandon the Salarian Dalatrass in the middle of space without a very good reason. “Send the info. I’m gonna go meet the shuttles once they land. Hopefully I can calm everyone down and ask who thought it was a good idea to come to a diplomatic meeting in that,” she jabbed a finger towards the massive warship, “monster.”

  “Jealous, Commander?”

  “Yes!”

  She loved her ship, but that thing looked like the Normandy could park inside it!

  -o-

  “Heh, heh, heh. I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces.” Wrex chuckled again as the shuttle prepared to enter the Normandy’s hangar bay. “Prissy, know-it-all amphibians. I bet they got a good scare. Too bad I couldn’t convince you to bring the other ships. I bet I could have made a few of them drop dead from, ah, what do you call it… a heart attack! Could have made them drop from a heart attack.”

  “Yes, hilarious.” Revan said dryly. “Especially because I could have sworn you told them we were coming. So there was no reason for them to be surprised by our arrival, unless of course someone forgot to provide the specifications of our ship for some reason.”

  If Revan was expecting Wrex to be at all apologetic for surprising several diplomatic craft with a Harrower, she was clearly going to be disappointed.

  “Hah! They’ve got the STG don’t they? If they expected a Krogan to grab a ride on anything other than the biggest, baddest ship he could find they don’t know us as well as they think. It’s not my fault the sneaky bastards missed your group and didn’t ask what we consider a ‘diplomatic transport’.”

  Considering how many stories of Krogan that settled for hitching rides on second-hand rust buckets to get to their destinations for various reasons Revan overheard from her Quarian crew, she knew that was a bold-faced lie. Somehow she doubted Wrex would care all that much if she did decide to call him out though, so she decided to just let it lie.

  “Is that so…How unfortunate for them.” She mused as she felt the shuttle dock and began powering down. “Though I suppose the fun is over now. Ready to face the consequences of your actions, ‘Mister Diplomat’?”

  The Sith took a great deal of enjoyment watching Wrex’s face contort in disgust.

  “No need to insult me.” He grumbled. “Yeah, let’s get this over with.”

  Revan, Wrex, and a bodyguard Geth unit exited the shuttle into the hangar bay. Unsurprisingly, there was a greeting party right outside to meet them headed by a serious looking Commander Shepard…at least until she saw exactly who just walked out onto her ship.

  “Wrex?”

  “Shepard!”

  The Commander made a few angry abortive movements at both the Krogan and the direction of Revan’s ship.

  “Wrex!” She growled.

  “Shepard.” Wrex shrugged nonchalantly, apparently unbothered by the chaos he caused.

  “...Wreeeex.” Shepard groaned as she dragged a hand down her face which was about when Revan decided enough was enough and stepped around the massive Krogan.

  “Are you two done now? Or are you going to keep repeating each other’s names?”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “Revan?!”

  The Sith sighed. Apparently they weren’t quite done yet.

  “Yes, hello Jane. It’s good to see you agai– what?” She cut off when several people gave her some odd looks, including the Commander.

  “Nothing, it’s just that not a whole lot of people call me that. Feels weird actually.”

  “Mhmm.”

  “Right, anyway, we’ve got the Primarch and the Dalatrass waiting in the conference room so we don’t have a lot of time to talk. I need to know, that ship you came in on – is it the only one showing up here? And does that one have any problems or new races I need to worry about?”

  Revan noted that Shepard not only knew about the Harrower, but also that there were more like it. And considering most of the Empire’s fleet was busy in the Terminus Systems there was really only one place they could have seen her ships. And considering the Turian Primarch was on the Normandy it didn’t take a genius to figure the Normandy had been at Palaven.

  Good, if the Council races had independently sourced recordings of her fleet in action that would save time in future negotiations. Less of a chance of pundits saying her reported capabilities were falsified or inflated.

  But to answer the Spectre’s question, “The rest of my battlegroup is returning for repairs, so only one ship for now. As for the crew, besides the Quarian and Geth we do have a handful of other races but none that should be unfamiliar to you.”

  “...well at least now we know where they came from. Geth…seriously?” Shepard muttered under her breath, then louder, “Alright Wrex, follow me. The Primarch is waiting and the sooner we finish, the sooner we can get back to saving the galaxy. We’re going to have to catch up later though, it seems like you have a few stories I need to catch up on.”

  The group simply followed behind the Commander and since the Normandy was not an especially large ship, it was only a short time before Shepard, Wrex, and Revan entered the conference room where the Primarch and Dalatrass were waiting. Revan’s bodyguard unit was forced to wait outside.

  While the rest of the room was settling in, Revan took a moment to inspect the two leaders she had not encountered yet.

  The Turian Primarch Adrien Victus was clearly not a career politician as the Sith Empress could easily read the impatience and frustration on his face despite not being extremely familiar with turian facial expressions or body language. In some ways he reminded her of her old Mandalorian companion Canderous Ordo.

  Both Vicus and Ordo were far more at home on a battlefield than in a Stateroom, but while Ordo had eventually gone on to lead his people as Mandalore under her reign – and did an incredibly competent job of it – it seemed that Victus was struggling to adapt to his new role. Probably because the position had simply fallen to him rather than him deciding to take the responsibility himself.

  Victus would probably adapt in time, but Revan made a note to see if she could push for some agreements between her Empire and the Turians while he was thinking more like a general than a politician.

  Dalatrass Linron on the other hand was his exact opposite and a consummate politician given how easily she inserted herself into a discussion that the salarians honestly had no stake in at the moment. Given Revan knew about Wrex’s demand they would have likely been involved later on, but the initial meeting was simply a summit to secure krogan warriors to help assist the evacuation of Palaven and its moons and free up enough of their navy to send a relief force to Earth.

  The Salarians had no reason to stick their fingers into this summit, yet here their leader was, attempting to prevent the krogans from gaining any sort of political foothold with another race.

  “The krogan is in no position to make demands!” The Dalatrass snapped when Wrex did not immediately pledge to send the members of his allied clans to relieve the turians.

  “The krogan has a name: Urdnot Wrex.” Wrex growled back. “And I’m not just some junkyard varren you unleash whenever you’re in trouble.”

  “Besides, I’ve got my own problems. Reaper scouts have arrived on Tuchanka. So why should I care if a few turians go extinct?” He shrugged and shifted his glare to the Primarch.

  “Trying to drag out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex. I have no time for it.” Victus said impatiently as his eyes flicked between Wrex and Revan. “And it seems you found someone that can help with your Reaper problem for a bit. Just tell us what you want.”

  For the moment Revan just returned his look and said nothing. This was still the negotiation between the krogan and turians. For the moment.

  “I’ll tell you what I need…” Wrex said, leaning over the table and fixing the Primarch, Dalatrass, and Shepard with a hard look. “A cure for the genophage.”

  “Absolutely not! The Genophage is nonnegotiable!” The Dalatrass immediately protested, making Revan smile slightly under her mask. Since she was the first one to speak, now this was an open negotiation.

  “On what grounds, Dalatrass?” The Sith asked. “Considering the situation I’d think very few things are ‘nonnegotiable’.”

  The salarian shot her a look. “Because my people uplifted the krogan. We know them best.”

  “You mean you used us!” Wrex interrupted. “To fight a war you couldn’t win! It wasn’t the salarians or the asari, or even the turians that stopped the rachni! It was krogan blood that turned the tide!”

  “And after that you became almost just as big a threat as they were!” The Dalatrass fired back. “The krogan expanded with no regard for any other race, seized technology and resources as they pleased, and when that wasn’t enough they targeted already populated worlds and colonies either to satisfy their lust for battle or to keep expanding.” She looked at the others around the table before settling on Wrex. “The Genophage was the only way to keep your…’urges’ in check. And I’ll not see one galactic threat defeated just for another to immediately take their place.”

  Revan didn’t even need her Force abilities to sense the rage pouring off Wrex at the moment. Neither did anyone else.

  So before an act of violence brought the meeting to an abrupt end, Victus spoke up. “Dalatrass, you may not like him, but Wrex has a point. Insulting him won’t change that.”

  “I won’t apologise for speaking the truth!” The Dalatrass brushed aside the light reprimand. “We uplifted the krogan to do one thing, wage war. It’s all they know because it’s all we wanted them to know.”

  “It sounds like your people should have done a better job thinking things through.” Shepard said coldly. “Was it really a surprise the krogan revolted?”

  Ah, Revan remembered that the Commander had seen the lengths krogans had put themselves through in an attempt to cure the Genophage themselves the last time she was on Tuchanka. Part of her felt a brief moment of pity for the Dalatrass. She was used to arguing numbers and future consequences with other politicians, not talking to a warrior and a soldier that needed results now being moderated by a bleeding heart that would not stand for people suffering if she could do something about it.

  Revan herself was probably the closest to who the Dalatrass normally worked with, but the Empress also wanted the krogan for her own goals.

  The salarian leader had completely misread her audience and was unintentionally uniting them with her rhetoric.

  “That’s precisely my point, Commander. We made a rash decision. We turned to the krogan in desperation. It’s the same mistake you’re about to make today.” The Dalatrass said. “No good can come from curing the Genophage.”

  “I disagree.” Revan spoke up. “It would give the krogan a rallying cause to center themselves around. Currently they have no culture to speak of because most of them have no reason to consider their future. With the cooperation of their leaders we could guide their emergent culture to something that would integrate better with galactic civilization than when they were first uplifted. Wrex has already proved it possible on Tuchanka and with the war going on few would find the support to speak against him if he brings back a cure.”

  “And what happens when the war is over?” The Dalatrass demanded. “They will break any peace we establish, and what then? Will you, some Terminus Warlord, risk yourself to undo the damage done? I rather doubt it.”

  “If it comes to that then we find a new way to keep the peace.” Shepard argued.

  “And they’ll break that too!”

  “Enough!” Victus finally exploded. “This is all theoretical. It would take years to formulate a cure. There’s no time.”

  “My information says otherwise.” Wrex said to the surprise of everyone.

  “A salarian scientist, Maelon, grew a conscience. He was on my planet testing a cure on our females.” Wrex narrated as he moved to the head of the table and began uploading something to the holoprojector.

  “I remember. His methods were barbaric.” Shepard confirmed.

  “What you didn’t know is that other females survived his experiments.” Wrex continued as a recording from some sort of facial cam – controlled by a salarian based on the shadow on the floor – showed a holding area with several female krogan standing in isolated cells, unhappy but very clearly alive.

  “So the Dalatrass here sent in a team to clean the whole mess – and to take them prisoner.”

  Revan could feel the Dalatrass panic at the footage. “Where did you get this? It-it could be a fabrication!”

  “Don’t insult me!” Wrex shouted, pointing angrily at the salarian. “Those are my people! They’re immune to the genophage, and you are going to give them back!”

  “Dalatrass, is this true?” Victus demanded and Revan decided to tip the scales just a bit.

  With everyone focused on the other side of the room, she raised her hand slightly and made a small mnemonic gesture while reaching out to the Dalatrass’s mind. There was no time for anything impressive, but a small compulsion to tell the truth…

  “The females are being kept at one of the STG bases on Sur’Kesh.” She said tonelessly before looking shocked that she even spoke at all.

  “Then we know where we’re going.” Shepard grinned triumphantly.

  A gesture Wrex returned. “Let’s get the females!”

  “You’re not setting foot on Sur’Kesh!” The Dalatrass protested. “I will not allow it! The Primarch may be willing to overlook the damage the krogan will do, but how will curing the genophage benefit my people?”

  “How long do you think you’ll last alone against the Reapers?” Shepard asked, clearly at the end of her patience. “Because if you don’t help, that’s how it’ll end up!”

  “And I’ll be the last friendly turian you’ll ever see.” Victus added darkly.

  “You can’t be serious, Commander. The consequences of this–”

  “Will be nothing compared to what happens if the Reapers win!” Shepard interrupted.

  “This…this is ridiculous. You would have me destroy any chance of peace after the Reapers, for nothing! We either bow to your demands or you turn your backs on us!”

  “Then how about I offer you something tangible in return?” Revan offered an olive branch. “Sur’Kesh is one of the most technologically advanced planets in the galaxy. The components they produce are crucial for defending against the Reapers. In return for the krogan females the Sith Empire will provide it with a planetary shield. One capable of preventing the Reapers from landing on the surface without disabling or destroying it first.”

  Knowing everyone here would not simply accept her words at face value, Revan took over the holoprojector and showed several examples of the working shields her people had already deployed. Including a battle against a small pirate group that failed to bring the shield down even after ramming into it and being cleaned up by the defense force later and the technical details of the device.

  The Dalatrass scoffed. “And how long would it take to procure one? Even if you have such technology, it must be new if no one has heard of it before now. And I’m sure you will not relinquish one before your own worlds are secure.”

  Revan turned to stare impassively at the salarian. “I happen to have a functional shield generator on my ship. All it needs is a large enough power supply.”

  Victus at least was looking at the demonstration with clear desire in his eyes. Not surprising considering the state of his planet.

  “These shields…would it be possible–”

  “I’m sorry, but it would be useless to deploy one on Palaven unless you could remove the Reapers from the surface first. But I would be willing to negotiate accepting refugees to a world already covered by a shield later.” Revan interrupted.

  The Primarch obviously wasn’t pleased by the rejection but nodded his head and turned to the Dalatrass.

  “Your answer?” He demanded.

  “If the shield works like she says it does and is installed, I would…accept the deal.” The Dalatrass said reluctantly. “But it will take time to–”

  “No, it happens now.” Victus objected. “As Council Spectre, Shepard can oversee the exchange.”

  The female salarian stared hatefully at him before nodding. “Fine, but I will not allow that Dreadnought anywhere close to Sur’kesh. That is nonnegotiable.”

  It was Revan’s turn to scowl but she nodded in return. “I’ll have the components moved to the Normandy.”

  “We’re agreed, then. Let’s get moving.” Shepard declared, bringing the meeting to a close and moving towards the exit, followed by Wrex and Victus.

  As Revan moved to follow them, the Dalatrass decided to get the last word in. “I won’t forget this, Commander! A bully has few friends when he needs them most!”