Chapter 10

June 23, 2158

14:57

Widow-System

En route to the Citadel

I stood once again next to Commander Ryder and Anita Goyle on the bridge of the SSV Constantinople. This time to watch our arrival in the Widow system.

I was glad that we would finally arrive. To call the last five days uneventful would be an understatement.

You can go over the same information only so often before you get mad. And cut off from our communication network, we couldn't even get any updates from home.

Even making plans with Anita on how to approach certain subjects when talking to the Council was finished in a day. Refining them took only one more.

However, without knowing the exact intentions of the Council, that was all we could do.

In the end, those plans were just ideas on how we could achieve our goals, and their definition was somewhat fluid.

For example, one of the subjects we wanted to discuss with the Council was the presence of alien ships on the other side of the relay.

After the ceasefire, we never sent any ships through it, and our probes couldn't give us an accurate picture of what was happening on the other side. So while it wasn't a great shock that there were military spaceships, it still made us uncomfortable. Especially since more than half of them belonged to the Turians.

The best outcome we could think of was that we convinced the Council to withdraw all ships, but we knew that this would probably not happen. The tensions were still high, so shortly after the end of the conflict, and nobody was willing to let their guard down just yet.

For now, we wanted to prevent that even more ships gathered on the other side of the relay. Furthermore, we wanted to try that if there had to be a fleet close, that the Asari and Salarians at least outnumbered the Turians to reduce possible aggressions between our species.

Basically, our objectives were split into three possible outcomes, the best, the worst, and somewhere in-between.

Of course, we would still try to get the in-between closer to the best than the worst, but everything could happen at the talks.

We would take what we could get and work around everything else.

As I looked around the bridge, my eyes met with those of Chief Petty Officer James Tagg, who greeted me with a nod that I quickly returned.

James Tagg was someone I had met two days ago as I wandered the Contstantinople's hallways in boredom. He invited me to a game of cards with some of the other enlisted soldiers currently off-duty. With nothing better to do, I decided to join them, and it was probably one of the best decisions I had made on the trip to the Citadel.

Not only was it a way to relieve me of my boredom, but the soldiers were a wonderful source of information and ideas.

At first, they were hesitant to talk to me because I was apparently one of the 'big' guys. Just like Ryder had told me, my name was known to the soldiers of all ranks. But after a few rounds, they opened up to me.

Their job was to provide security and defend the ship in case of enemies trying to board.

They had the necessary experience to notice small annoyances during training exercises that could potentially become dangerous.

While their issued guns were working fine, they had no means to lay down suppressive fire to allow their comrades to change cover safely. The only weapon that currently had the rate of fire to do that were rifles, and those were not an option on a ship. In addition to being unwieldy in the narrow hallways, you had to have a hand free in case the artificial gravity was suddenly disabled to hold onto something. Nothing is more dangerous than floating without control in a firefight.

When I tossed in the idea of a designated submachine gun for the security personnel on ships, they were immediately hooked, adding their own ideas of what the guns should be able to do.

The next day I walked all over the ship to talk to different crewmembers and spoke with them about their jobs and what they thought could be improved. Every single idea or complaint was put down in a small notebook that I carried with me.

I even talked to Ryder and Anderson about their experience with the provided gear. After all, they participated in the ground operation on Shanxi and had some things to say about it.

"Exiting FTL in ten," called one of the bridge officers and brought me out of my thoughts.

I stood there with my arms crossed, watching the blue waves and elongated stars of FTL travel.

It may have been just five seconds, but it felt much longer than that.

And with a blink, the view changed.

The obvious signs of FTL were gone, and its place was a light purple nebula. The whole bridge window was filled out by it, and I couldn't decide if we were in it or if it was far away from us.

While I was still admiring the nebula, two frigates appeared in our field of view and answered my question.

We were already in the nebula, but from the fact that we still could see the ships, I could infer that it wasn't as dense as thought. It only seemed that way because of the sheer volume of the nebula.

"Captain, the Ameris is hailing us," the communications officer, Debora Glasgo, said and looked at Captain Peterson expectantly.

"Patch them trough," was her answer, and she straightened her uniform almost subconsciously. Not that it mattered, our systems could only transmit audio at this moment because the differences in our respective hardware didn't allow for video transmission. Something which would change with technological advancement.

"Captain Peterson," rang the voice of an Asari over the speakers. It was the captain of the ARV Amaris, Oneya I'baris.

While we traveled five days together, the contact between our ships had been minimal and limited itself to the exchange of navigational data. Contact with the Turian frigate had even been non-existent besides an introduction by the Turian captain.

I suspected they were under orders to do so by the Council to keep us from gathering more information.

"We've cleared a path together with Citadel Flight Control for you and your escorts. Please stay on it. The airspace around the Citadel can be quite crowded, and accidents are known to happen," said Captain I'baris.

"What about your ships? Will they continue to escort us?" asked Captain Peterson in return while checking a datapad that an officer held out for her.

"No, we will not. Our orders are to join up with the rest of the Citadel Defense Fleet. This is the end of our journey together. We hope you will enjoy your time here on the Citadel. I'baris, out."

And with that, the line went dead without giving us a chance to respond.

"That was quite rude, don't you think?" muttered Anita quietly, so that only Ryder and I heard what she said.

"I think they are just annoyed at how long it took. Look, they are accelerating into the nebula. Their engines seem to be a lot faster than ours, and I guess their mass effect cores are strong enough that the journey here would have taken them only two days if we hadn't slowed them down," explained Ryder, his eyes never leaving the windows as if he was afraid to miss anything.

"Flightpath confirmed, Captain. Adjusting our trajectory now," called the pilot of the SSV Constantinople.

"Good, bring us in, Lieutenant. I finally want to see this vaunted Citadel."

And she did, just like the rest of us.

At first, it had been a shadow behind a denser portion of the nebula, but as we flew through it, its magnificence was shown to us.

Truly, there was no better word than magnificent to describe the Citadel.

I still remember the scene in the first mass effect game, when you see the Citadel for the first time. Then, I thought: wow, what a cool space station. But now, I was too stunned by the view to think of anything.

To describe what I felt at that moment would have been an effort in futility. I felt wonder, fear, and excitement rush through me, and some emotions I couldn't even put in words.

"Holy shit," called someone, and for the first time, I noticed how quiet it got on the bridge. Every head was turned towards the front window to get a look at the Citadel.

The only person to continue working was the pilot, probably to get us closer, to get a better look at it.

With every minute passing, the station got bigger and bigger. Seeing it on a small screen couldn't do it justice. Only in real life, you understood how massive the Citadel was. I knew that the Citadel was just around 40km long, or perhaps a bit more, but for me, its arms stretched on forever.

For a moment, I tore my eye away from this beautiful sight, to look at Anita and Ryder, to see their reactions.

Their eyes were wide open in wonder, and Anita's mouth too to a small degree. But what made me stop for a moment was the full-blown smile on Ryder's face. He was completely relaxed as if there was nothing but him, the view, and the moment.

I turned back to appreciate the sight some more before the seriousness of our situation returned to our minds.

After a few more minutes, we got close enough to watch the in- and outcoming traffic around the Citadel. Hundreds of ships were coming and going. The closest comparison that came to my mind was of a busy beehive.

"How many ships are there?" asked Anita, not turning away even for a second.

"Hundreds," answered Ryder, "spread over all five arms and probably that ring back there too."

"It wouldn't surprise me if the daily traffic is somewhere around the lower to mid thousands per day," I commented, giving the two a side glance.

Ryder was the first one who turned towards me and asked:" Lower thousands? Why that number?" And Anita turned shortly after, interested in my answer as well.

"It reminds me a bit of a situation I've read about. It happened on earth not long after World War 2. The city of Berlin was divided into two parts, the east belonging to the Sowjets and the west belonging to the western Allies. In 1948, I think, there was a blockade going on. No supplies could get into the western part of the city, no food, no fuel, no medicine. The only way into the city was by air. And so they did it that way. In over a year, they transported around 2.3 million tonnes of supplies, among them half a million tonnes worth of food, into the city by air."

"Interesting history lesson, but you still didn't tell us how you came to your estimation," Anita interrupted before I could delve deeper into the topic.

I bit back a barbed remark - oh, how I hated to be interrupted - and continued to explain.

"It's just that they flew around 280.000 times during that time to provide enough supplies to near 2.2 million people. That's approximately 700 flights per day."

I took a short break to let the information I dumped on them settle before pointing at the Citadel.

"Now, where do you think this space station gets its supplies from? I don't think they have a lot of places for farms and the like. So, they get them by spaceships, a lot of spaceships because I don't think that the population on the Citadel is just a measly 2.2 million. Five times that I guess. And that is to keep the station going. There will be even more flights bringing in other goods. Like what we define as 'normal' goods and materials for production and construction. Also, we should not forget that every high society needs luxury goods. How else should the rich and famous show off?"

As I continued talking, I didn't notice how my audience grew to encompass most of the bridge.

"If we also take into account that not only merchant vessels go in and out of the system but also privately owned vessels, for example, public transportation between star systems, and military vessels as well. Then my first estimation of low to mid thousands was way off. It's probably around low to mid ten thousand per day."

When I finished, I noticed how many people listened to my explanation.

Some of them were even gaping slightly at me.

If it was my knowledge of times long past or the number of ships that made them do so, I didn't know.

"I didn't know you were so well versed in 20th-century history," commented Anita with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged and replied:" It's just something I found interesting. To me, our history is comparable to a long list of successes, failures, and examples. Most things already happened once or twice, just in slightly different forms. The only thing you have to do is to adapt them to the circumstances before you."

"A good advice, Mr. Denebren," concurred Captain Peterson before she turned to her crew. "I just wish my crew would remember our circumstances right now and do their jobs instead of gawking holes into the air," said Peterson. Her tone had gotten colder and more strict with every word, and as if the crew was showered with ice-cold water, they went back to work as fast as they could.

I held back a chuckle at this scene while Ryder just looked on amused.

He turned towards Anita and me and said:" Mrs. Goyle, Mr. Denebren, I advise we should make our way to the shuttle bay shortly. My team is already there and preparing everything for our departure."

"You probably want to stay for a moment longer," called Captain Peterson before either Anita or I could respond.

"Our flight path seems to bring us pretty close to their flagship. Or at least the biggest ship that's currently in the system."

That comment stopped any intention to leave the bridge.

And indeed, as I looked back out of the window, I saw how we got closer to an Asari dreadnought. At first, I believed that it was just one of the few which were stationed at the Citadel, but as we got closer, I noticed that it was larger than the others.

"An obvious powerplay from the Council," scoffed Anita. "Our escorts must have sent word ahead of our ship's new capabilities, and that is their answer. Do what you want, we still got enough firepower to crush you."

"Or they planned to do that from the start. To show us how much more advanced they are," deemed Ryder. "What I'm interested in is what this ship's numbers are. Did you make any scans of that ship?"

His last question was directed at Captain Peterson, who looked over to her sensor officer.

The sensor officer tapped a few buttons on his console before standing up with a datapad in hand. With quick strides, he walked over and handed Peterson the datapad. Not a single word came over his lips as he saluted, then turned around to go back to his post.

Peterson glanced over the displayed information, her left eyebrow rising marginally before she looked up to answer Ryder.

"We've not directed any active scans at the ship, but even our passive scanners are picking up an enormous eezo core. And what got on its size, well, it's around 1.6km on every axis."

"That is a big ship," commented Ryder dryly.

"What are you thinking about, Oscar?" asked Anita when she saw me studying the Destiny Ascension.

"Fifteen to twenty," was the only thing I said as I kept watching the Destiny Ascension.

"Fifteen to twenty what?"

"Years until we have something comparable in our fleet," I answered with a sharp grin.

Anita's eyes widened at my proclamation, and a barely audible stutter sneaked into her voice as she inquired:" Are you sure? That seems like a too short time for something like that."

"You forget the two big kids back home," I said with a chuckle.

"Ah, yes, I see what you mean. When Wright and Dr. Hoshiyume get to know about this ship, they want toys like that. Or even bigger ones."

"Correct, and if I know Takahashi, he wants the bigger one. He will not stop until he has designed and constructed the largest ship in the galaxy. He can be petty like that."

"As much as I would like to hear more about Dr. Hoshiyume's pettiness," interrupted Ryder, "but we really should make our way to the shuttle bay."

"You're right, Commander. Come, Oscar. We still have to suit up," stated Anita, which sounded more like an order to me.

With one last look over my shoulder at the Destiny Ascension, which appeared even more massive with the seemingly smaller Citadel in the background, I followed Anita and Ryder off the bridge.

We went through the halls unimpeded by the crew members that were also on the move.

After a few minutes and a thankfully short elevator ride, we arrived in the designated shuttle bay for us diplomats.

Waiting for us were Anderson and for more soldiers. All of them were in full combat gear with sealed helmets on.

One thing stood out about them. Every single one of them had the with-red stripe on their right arm and the N7 logo on their chest plates.

They were part of humanity's best soldiers, and they were here to protect Anita and me. It had been Wright who had vehemently insisted on this.

And his reasoning had been absolutely sound. Even if the Council and the other associated governments wanted us no harm -something that we probably wouldn't survive with an army backing us - there were still those that acted on their own. There only had to be one guy with a gun and a grudge, and all could go to hell.

At the moment, they were all standing at attention, giving us a crisp salute. Anderson was standing at the left side of the row, one half-step ahead of the others.

"Preparations are finished, Commander. Our squad is good to go," announced Anderson to Ryder, not wavering even the slightest in his position.

Ryder gave a sharp salute back and said:" At ease. The diplomats still have to be outfitted. Anderson, you take Denebren, Rolands, you take Goyle. Get to it. The rest of you, get in the Pelican and buckle up. We're leaving soon."

Not a second after he finished, the squad followed his orders.

Anderson and another N7-soldier, clearly a woman by the cut of her armor, came towards us. They showed us to a workbench nearby, where two bulky vests lay.

At a glance, they looked like old-style bulletproof vests, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

They were a pair of the very first personal kinetic barriers that we've developed.

While they were nothing like the streamlined version the Turians used, they got the job done, even if the shield broke just after two or three shots. After all, our N7 bodyguards would cover us the moment we came under attack. And for that, every extra second was better than nothing.

So I got my suit jacket off and let Anderson help me put the vest on. The moment it closed around my body, a soft humming could be heard as the internal batteries started up. After a few seconds, I felt a tingle crawling over my skin before a blue light flashed in front of my vision and disappeared as fast as it appeared.

The tingling persisted, but I could and would ignore it for the time being, especially since nobody else seemed uncomfortable with it.

Anderson checked again if the vest sat well and the readings were within the parameters. He nodded more to himself than me and said:" Everything looks fine, Mr. Denebren. The shield generator is up and running and should even stop a bullet from an assault rifle. The atmosphere on the Citadel should be breathable, but a breath mask has been placed in the shuttle for both you and Mrs. Goyle. I request that you wear one merely to be sure that you don't breathe in any alien pathogens."

"I will, don't worry. Anything else I should know?" I asked while I put my jacket back on, but not before I secured a small package to my vest. One that would hopefully help us in making a good impression.

"Only a few things, Sir," said Anderson and pointed at two of his squad members. "While we're on the Citadel, Commander Ryder and I are responsible for Mrs. Goyle's and your security. I lead the team that is responsible for your safety in particular. With me are the 2nd Lieutenants Ambrose and Fillion. We will probably stay a few days on the Citadel, so wherever you go, we follow. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, Mr. Denebren."

With a shake of my head, I answered:" Not for the moment, Lieutenant Anderson. We should take our seats, don't want to miss the start, do we?"

The other team had already entered the Pelican through its back ramp, so seeing no reason to delay, I went into it as well.

2nd Lieutenant Ambrose was just a step ahead of me and took the furthest seat from the entrance on the right side of the aisle that led to the cockpit. She directed me to take the place to her left, and not a second after I sat down, Anderson appeared to my left, boxing me between two N7 soldiers.

Fillion took a seat closer to the back ramp so that he could exit the Pelican before the rest of us.

A quick glance confirmed that Anita's security detail had positioned themselves in the same manner around her.

The moment everyone was belt up in their seats, the ramp closed shut, and a shudder went through the Pelican as its engines started.

The voice of the pilot echoed through the room with the announcement that they had been given green light for their approach to the Citadel.

Nobody spoke as the Pelican lifted itself off the ground and flew through the kinetic barrier that shielded the hanger from the outer atmosphere.

In fact, the whole ride was quiet. Not even a single joke or quip came from anybody.

The first words spoken after the long silence came from Commander Ryder when he ordered Fillion and Potschek to get ready, just as the Pelican set down on a landing pad.

The ramp lowered itself, and the second it touched the ground, the two N7 soldiers jumped off their seats and walked calmly but still swiftly out of the Pelican. Their rifles were held in a non-threatening position that allowed them to react to any danger immediately.

After a few seconds, Ryder held his left hand to his head and nodded once. Then he looked at Anita and said:" The surroundings are safe. There are some armed forces, wearing a blue and black uniform, mixed species. I guess they sent some extra security from this C-Sec for us. And one Asari, wearing some kind of dress, probably a guide."

"Thank you, Commander Ryder," responded Anita, her voice full of confidence. "They have waited enough. So, let's go and begin the show."

One after the other left the Pelican, and I got my first view of the Citadel up close, or at least of one of its landing pads.

The location was close to the Citadel Tower, where the Council resided.

When we came closer to the group of C-Sec officers, the Asari in the dress stepped forward and addressed our group.

"Welcome to the Citadel, dignitaries of humanity. My name is Rela W'Kari, and I shall guide you to your meeting with the esteemed Citadel Council. We still have some time before the Council is ready to receive you. Would you like a short tour through the Presidium?"

While she worded it like an offer, Anita and I knew that it wasn't one we could refuse.

And so, Anita accepted the tour on our behalf.

The C-Sec officers spread around our group in a loose formation and looked out for possible dangers, while Rela W'Kari inserted herself into the center of our group, close to Anita and me.

I couldn't see the faces of our N7 security detail, but from how always one had their torso turned towards us, it was clear that they kept an eye out for her.

When we left the landing area, we crossed a small area where dozens of different species watched as we went through.

For me, it was the first time I saw so many aliens in person. Turians, Asari, Salarian, Volus, and even a Hanar watched as we passed by.

But what really left me speechless was the beauty of the Presidium.

It was everything I had expected and then some.

The lake was crystal clear, and the trees looked as if a gardener just tended to them. In the distance, I could even see the Krogan statue standing proudly in the lake.

As we made our way towards the Citadel Tower, W'Kari started to explain the origins of the Citadel and its discovery through the Asari.

Most of it was nothing but praise for the Protheans for building such an incredible space station, but even then I only listened halfheartedly.

After all, when you knew the truth about the station, it wasn't that interesting.

I managed to insert a question or two and made the right noises to seem interested in her explanation.

But my focus was on the station itself and the people that watched us.

Before I knew it, we had already entered the elevator that would lead us up the Citadel Tower and to the Council chambers. Our C-Sec escort didn't come with us, but I was sure that more waited on the upper floor.

And let me tell you one thing, those elevators are not slow. Most definitely not! It covered four kilometers in almost three minutes, that is not slow!

When the doors opened on the floor of the Council chambers, W'Kari was the first to exit.

She turned around and said to Anita:" I hope you liked the tour through the Presidium. I'm sure we can arrange more extensive ones in the coming days if you wish so. The Council awaits you at the other end of this floor."

Without waiting for a response, she disappeared through the line of C-Sec guards that held back the civilians that had come to the Council Chambers to catch a first look at the new species.

While crossing the Chambers, I tried to calm my beating heart, which had at one point started to beat a mile per minute.

Perhaps it was the fact that I was part of a moment that would definitely make it into the history books.

Or because I was stared at like a monkey in a zoo.

Who knows.

Then came the moment we went up the last staircase and when we arrived at the top, I only had eyes for what was before me.

On three raised platforms were, from left to right, a Turian, an Asari, and a Salarian.

The Asari in the middle lifted her left hand, and silence ensued inside the Chamber.

Then she spoke in her melodious voice as she invitingly spread her arms.

"In the name of the Council and the Citadel, I welcome you, representatives of humanity, to the greater galactic community."