109 Chapter 104

As we departed each member species of the Legion found themselves facing a problem of great importance. I found myself working much closer to the Geth, Toph started mass distributions of the genophage cure, and Suki had to convince the rest of the Flotilla to honor the agreement and also not kill her for treason.

After the meeting, my science team notified me of a breakthrough in studying the crucible. It hadn't taken them long to decipher the half-built plans I received from the beacon but from there they were on their own. They saw two routes going forward, either try to finish the plans as intended or use what they learned and design a new superweapon. These are scientists from the fallout universe, so they obviously chose the second option.

The first thing they did was eliminate the need for the Citadel. It wouldn't be possible for us to use it so they needed to find an alternative. Nothing else in the galaxy was that large and powerful, so either they needed to build it or scale it down. In the end, they scaled the new designs to use individual mass effect relays. The new crucible wouldn't affect the whole galaxy, but it would protect a cluster of solar systems. On the downside, it was only marginally easier to build than the original and we would gave to build a lot of them.

I sent the plans to the Geth, who were now quick at work constructing the modified crucibles which I've renamed Loci. With how intensive each Locus was we had to prioritize where we built them. The first was in the Perseus Veil to protect Rannoch. The second was located in the Krogan DMZ to protect Tuchanka. Due to the remoteness and distance from Geth controlled space, this one was even harder to build. In the end, we finished but it does us valuable time.

Toph may have had the easiest task if the most chaotic. Having already united the planet under her rule, when she came bringing the one thing every Krogan dreamed of any would-be voices of dissent permanently fell silent. Krogans from all over the galaxy started to return home. It was a test of Toph's patience as she managed the chaos of trying to individually innoculate every member of her species. They were forced to apply the cure individually as they lacked a large scale distribution method. The Shroud which could have been used had been disabled in fear of Salarian retribution once they found out the genophage had been cured. Suppling individual doses on that scale taxed my manufacturing resources, but I had the benefit of an early warning and was partially prepared.

If my job was difficult and Toph's job chaotic, then Suki's was both. When she returned from the meeting she was not given a warm welcome. The entire crew of the ship was put into quarantine waiting for a debrief. From there, things only got worse. The Admiralty Board was unsurprisingly fully against what Suki agreed to. They propped up Captain Keva as a 'Proper' Quarian who had stood against the Geth while Suki and Captain Hytel, the third Quarian captain present at the meeting, were traitors. Hytel and Suki were arrested for treason.

Knowing that the trial would be anything but fair, she used her brief windows for an escape to instead adjust the trial system. The two of them were brought out of their cell in chains and marched to an auditorium where they were faced with the digital representatives of the Admiralty Board and the Coalition, the 'Civilian' government."

The farce of a trial was fast. Neither defendant was allowed to speak in their defense or elect someone to do so on their behalf. A miscarriage of justice handwaved by saying something about internal security. The proceedings as a whole acted more like a sentencing hearing and political propaganda. Despite that, they were far from perfect.

"Captain Suki and Captain Hytel you both have been found guilty of treason. You are both stripped of your positions and sentenced to death. You will now have an opportunity to repent for your actions" The prosecuting Admiral announced

"No. I stand by my actions..." Suki started to say but was interpreted by the commotion of the Admirals and Coalition.

"That's enough. If you won't admit you. " The lead Admiral started to say, but was cut off as everyone, but Suki was muted.

"I STAND BY MY DECISIONS! We all watch as the Flotilla slowly crumbles. Every year we struggle to keep the Flotilla safe. Every day we fear that today is the day that these prisons that keep us healthy will fail, and we have done so for centuries. We have been slowly dying since we've been forced from our home. We need change, but who can help us. Not the Council, who have happily watched us suffer and criminalized our existence. Not the Batarians, Slaving Scum. Then we must trust in ourselves, BUT CAN WE? For Centuries we have lived under martial law placated by the supposedly civilian Coalition. Which mechanic keeping the Flotilla functional sits as a member? Which farmer tending the liveship sits as a member? No one, the Coalition is filled by Captains an extension of the military. The military has controlled all of our lives for centuries and is terrified of losing power. They don't reject this peace offering out of district for the Geth, they do so because they need to retake our home by force. Anything else will mean they are all FAILURES. FALSE PROPHETS BLINDLY LEADING US FURTHER FROM OUR HOME.

We cannot trust them to lead us any longer. We must take our lives into our own hands. By their own admission, as soon as we once again become prosperous the Council will exploit and conquer us. By their very purpose, our military will force us into endless wars. The Krogans and Geth have extended us a hand, but we cannot grasp it blindly. However, we also cannot isolate ourselves from those facing the same enemies. An alliance with the Krogan and Geth offers us a new path. A path we can pave ourselves back to and last our former glory! A path we must take! Keelah se'Kai!"

Suki's impassioned speech had been unknowingly broadcast to the entire Flotilla by the Admiralty Board and Coalition. From there the specific events are harder to follow but in a single word Mutiny. Although coup, civil war, uprising, and overthrowing the government are equally accurate descriptions. I'm not sure how much this was over the Legion and Geth, and how much was just from centuries of having no freedom while living in the space of a closet.

The only thing positive about the uprising was its limited collateral damage. Unfortuenrly the limited range was caused by limited fighting which was caused by having no ship to ship fighting. Each ship decided internally what they were going to do. For some this meant fighting for others their decision was a foregone conclusion. In the end, the Admiralty Board and Coalition still existed they just happened to govern half as many ships. Half the Flotilla splintered following Suki toward Rannoch. The Admiralty controlled ships were mostly military so they could have tried to force the leaving ships to stay, but even with the tensions that high they didn't want to risk the lives of that many Quarians.