Chapter 141

—Citadel—

"Councilors" began the C-Sec officer as reported the findings of their investigation of Councilor Kaitus. "The evidence that the Ascendency provided is most certainly true based off what we found in our investigation. We did not find the exact evidence that was the Ascendency provided us, but we found similar evidence that involved Councilor Kaitus sending funds to various corporations, groups, mercenaries, and wealth of other people."

The C-Sec officer's words echoed over the Council chambers, a stark confirmation of Kaitus's treachery. The faces of the Asari and Salarian Councilor filled with disappointment and a sense of betrayal.

"We should've kept a close eye on Kaitus, he was always prone to take aggressive actions rather than wait and let things play out. From the moment we proposed to sit and watch how the situation with the genophage cure develops, he was always against the idea." said Councilor Valese.

"I was also against the idea at first considering my people were the ones to develop the genophage, but I also see reason in seeing how it develops despite the high probability that we might have a second Krogan rebellions." replied Councilor Tivus. He was with Kaitus when they first objected to allowing a cure to be developed, but after Valese brought up some interesting points he remained neutral in the matter and opted to allow for the cure to be developed.

"Perhaps we have underestimated the Ascendency's intentions," Valese began, her voice echoing in the expansive council room. "While we have been preoccupied with the idea of a second Krogan Rebellion, we have neglected to consider the potential benefits of cooperation with the Ascendency."

From his holographic display, Councilor Tivus thoughtfully agreed. "You might be right," he admitted. "The Krogan are an undeniable force. Unruly and dangerous, yes, but they have also endured centuries of suffering under the genophage. The Ascendency offers them a chance for healing, for growth. It may well be that they forge a new path, one not marked by war and chaos."

"Moreover, we must also consider our strained relationship with Emperor Axel and the Ascendency. This incident with Kaitus has only served to widen the gap between us." added Valese.

"I concur," Tivus said solemnly. "Our actions were based on fear and uncertainty. It is time we rectify our mistakes and engage in diplomatic conversation with the Ascendency."

"Also, we need to come up with a decision regarding the Turians spot on the Council."

"True," Valese agreed. "Losing a councilor, especially under these circumstances, is a blow to the Council's image. We need a replacement, someone who can be a voice for the Turian people, but also someone who is willing to work with the Ascendency."

"Finding such a representative won't be easy," Tivus acknowledged. "But it is crucial we do it swiftly. The Council must show the galaxy that we are capable of dealing with our internal problems."

Silence fell throughout the Council Chamber as they considered this new challenge, knowing that their decision would shape the future relationship with the Ascendency.

While this incident is a reasonable excuse to change the Turian membership to an associate member, effectively kicking them off the Council, they decided not to because the Turians made up the bulk of the military and peacekeeping forces of the Citadel. Making such a decision would possibly cause a war between the Council and the Turian Hierarchy. The stakes had never been higher.

The Turians on the other hand had started to secretly build up their fleet, completely disregarding the restrictions of the Farixen Naval Conference. The Treaty of Farixen is a treaty signed by Council races limiting the number of dreadnoughts among the different Citadel races in their given fleets. At the Farixen Naval Conference, the Council races agreed to fix a ratio of dreadnought construction between themselves due to their destructive potential.

At the top of the pyramid is the peacekeeping turian fleet which makes up most of the Citadel Fleet. Second, are the other Council races, the asari and the salarians. Council associate races, like the hanar, volus, and Systems Alliance are at the bottom of the list.

While the Turian fleet is by far the most powerful among the council races, even they recognized how insignificant their navy was compared to the navy of the Ascendency. Because of this fact, the Citadel was invaded, and they couldn't do anything about it except squabble amongst themselves trying to figure out what to do.

The Ascendency wasn't part of Citadel space, so they could declare war at any time. But war was off the table, they didn't have the capability to wage a war without suffering the consequences. First, the Council would not join them in their war leaving them on their own, second there are many races who will condemn their war against the Ascendency, and lastly, they simply didn't know enough about the Ascendency to start a war.

Information is a major factor when it comes to war, and they didn't have much. They didn't know the culture, type of government, military capabilities or even the geographical layout of the Ascendency. It was a great unknown and diving headfirst into a war with them would be akin to jumping off a cliff blindfolded.

———

The Salarians had arranged a meeting between them, the Ascendency, Asari, and Turians to ease the tensions between their empires. What the Council decided or planned had nothing to with them, in the end it all came down to the actions of the individual governments.

A neutral meeting location within the Shadow Sea cluster which was close to the galactic core was arranged. The ships of delegates from the Ascendency, Salarian Union, Turian Hierarchy, and the Asari Republics, had met to engage in long talks that would ease the tensions within the galaxy.

The delegates were received by a committee of Salarians. Dalatrass Linron from the Salarian Union was standing at the forefront. She first acknowledged the Ascendency delegate, Laila Franco, a prominent figure within the Ascendency who had been on various diplomatic missions in the terminus systems and council space. Linron had inclined her head slightly in a gesture of respect.

Next, she turned her attention to the delegates from the Turian Hierarchy and Asari Republics, Primarch Gavorn and Matriarch Aethyta respectively.

"We are gathered here today to discuss the future of intergalactic relationships and to work towards an amicable solution," Dalatrass Linron said, her voice clear and firm.

"I agree," Laila said. "However, it is essential we first address the elephant in the room, the recent incident with Councilor Kaitus. The Ascendency is willing to overlook this incident as we will not blame an entire race because of the actions of one person."

Primarch Gavorn sighed hearing this since he expected this to be brought up. The other Primarchs had chosen him to put on a front with the Ascendency making it seem like they were willing to forgive the attack on the Citadel, however in reality they were just buying time to bolster their own defenses. Gavorn knew the dangers of such a hollow approach. If the Ascendency caught wind of this, it would only further escalate the situation.

"We appreciate your understanding," he said, nodding towards Laila. "We deeply regret Councilor Kaitus' action, and the Turian Hierarchy has taken measures to ensure that such lapses in judgment among our Councilor will not occur in the future."

Matriarch Aethyta pitched in her thoughts, "In order to heal this rift between us, we must ensure transparency in our actions. This is not just about mending a diplomatic relationship but also about building mutual trust."

Dalatrass Linron nodded in agreement, "Let us move forward on these terms then. Today, we should focus on strengthening our ties and preventing future conflicts."

The discussions went deep into the night, with each delegation laying out their concerns and discussing potential solutions. They touched upon various topics ranging from intergalactic trade treaties to further cooperation on an individual level without the need for the Citadel Council.

Near the end of the meeting, the final decisions were made and agreed upon. In addition to a few treaties that would be signed, Laila had agreed to speak with her government about helping rebuild the Citadel to boost cooperation. She didn't have the authority to simply say that they would and could only sign beneficial treaties that didn't negatively affect the Ascendency.

Of course, such treaties would be reviewed even after they were signed and then officially implemented once the leadership of each country signed it.

———

A/N: The Next 2 or 3 Chapters will be time skips talking about various events, and the progress of both the mass effect galaxy and the halo galaxy. I hope to release it all one day to get started on the next arc which will involve the reapers and such.

The story will continue to be explained during the time skips, such as the discovery of more Prothean ruins and eventually Prothean stasis pods. During this time the Ascendency will also learn about the Reapers and investigate whether they are a threat to the Ascendency or not.

Some of the main characters from the video game might also make their appearance, but the storyline will slightly change to represent how the Ascendency's presence affects those characters.

The new technology, among other things that will be created in both galaxies will also be mentioned if any, but mainly this is just to progress the story from all this political stuff to the action part.

I have a lot of plans for the next few chapters to progress the story and I have not forgotten about the Geth, the Rachni, the Vorcha, shadowbroker, Yahg, or any other species/important figures in the galaxy.