Chapter 9

June 16, 2158

8:17 SET

SSV "Constantinopel"

En route to the Citadel

I dragged myself into the mess hall of the SSV Constantinopel in my quest to find some coffee to get rid of the last semblances of drowsiness that clung to me.

Just as I stepped into it, I almost crashed into a yawning crew member who was on his way to bed after finishing his shift.

With a quick step to the left, he brushed past me before I could even register the situation.

The shock of the almost crash sent a jolt through my system that banished most of my sleepiness.

Without further ado, I went to the mess sergeant, who gave me a plate of something that was supposed to be breakfast and a cup of coffee.

So with a tray full of grub - for it deserved no other name - and a coffee that could be mistaken for oil, I looked for a place to eat.

I found one when I saw Anita sitting a few tables away from me with two men in Alliance fatigues.

Seeing no reason to avoid them, I made my way over and set my tray down at Anita's right. I sat down, mumbled a good morning, and took a sip of my coffee. Something I immediately regretted as my sense of taste recoiled at the flavor.

"What the hell is that swill?" I cursed, still shocked at the horrible taste.

"Never tried the coffee on a military ship before, I guess. If you drink enough of it, the taste gets better," said the younger of the two soldiers before me with amusement in his voice.

"Of course it gets better if you drink more of it," I snarked back. "Either your taste buds adapt, or they all die. Perfect example of Darwin's survival of the fittest."

That remark got the other two to smirk as well, and I took another sip of swill, not even trying to hide my grimace.

You can say about military coffee what you want, but I got the job done. One sip of it, and you are wide awake. Just not the way you wanted.

"They've told me that you would be grumpy in the mornings, but they failed to tell me that you would become snarky as well," Anita joked, taking a sip of her own coffee without any visible reaction.

"Only when confronted with crimes against taste. How soldiers can drink stuff like this, I will probably never understand. And the breakfast doesn't look promising either."

"But it's better than usual. Perks of having diplomats on board." added the younger soldier. Now that I wasn't preoccupied with trying to overcome the disgusting taste of the coffee, the younger soldier's face looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place it.

"If that is the better version, I don't want to know what you usually eat," I replied and looked apprehensively at my food.

"Before we delve into the subject of food even deeper, we should get introductions out of the way," said Anita and redirected the conversation away from food.

"Oscar, these two men belong to the N7-team that is responsible for our safety while we are on the Citadel."

She pointed to the older man, who sat in front of her, and said:" This is Commander Alec Ryder, the team leader."

That... that was a name I knew, and before I could say anything, Anita dropped the next bomb.

"And this is", she continued while pointing at the other man, "is his second-in-command, Lieutenant David Anderson."

Well, I was lucky that I didn't react - couldn't react - after having this dropped on me. Two people I had only known before from behind a screen were now sitting right in front of me.

I took every scrap of self-control I could find and greeted without making a scene. That would have been awkward otherwise.

"It's nice to meet the people who are making sure we won't get killed. I'm Oscar Denebren, head of the economics branch of the Alliance."

"It's nice to meet you, as well. I've heard much about you, Mr. Denebren," replied Ryder.

"You have?" I inquired.

"I and probably every other soldier in the Alliance. While you have probably more contact with the brass, even the regular foot-soldiers know about you. After all, you are the guy who's responsible for building their ships, armor, and guns. And as long as you keep doing a good job, their thanks won't change into curses anytime soon."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his blunt way of speaking.

"I'll try to keep it that way then."

To distract me from the taste of the food, I kept the conversation going.

"Does anyone know where we currently are and how much longer it will take to get to the Citadel?" I missed the last briefing, there was an accident in a mining facility, and an emergency meeting was called."

"I did notice that you boarded the ship only minutes before it was supposed to take off," commented Anita. "I wanted to talk to you, but you went to sleep as soon as you were shown your cabin. But we can do that later."

"As for where we are, we're about a day away from the Shanxi system. From there, it will take around five days to the Citadel if everything runs smoothly," Ryder answered me.

"We arrive a bit later than we planned, but that's because the upgrades to the ship took longer than expected. Hope they're worth it," added Anderson.

I hoped so too. The departure was moved back for three days because the refitting of the SSV Constantinopel took longer than expected.

As far as I knew, there had been a problem with adjusting the shield matrix. The upgrade was supposed to strengthen our kinetic barriers by a whole four percent, but while they were installing the necessary hardware, something went wrong. Someone forgot to connect the existing to the new hardware so that they would combine into one stronger grid, and most of the extra time was spent trying to find where.

"They are worth it, but not in the way you think, Lieutenant," said Anita while eating the last of her breakfast.

"What do you mean, Ms. Goyle. I don't think I understand," questioned Anderson, and I took over for Anita in answering him.

"We're traveling right into the lion's den. If they want to see us dead, we're dead. A few percent of shielding power will not save us from that," I said, and Anderson's eyes widened a fraction. Ryder, on the other hand, didn't react at all, and Anita just nodded knowingly.

"It's a statement," I declared simply and left it at that.

"I still don't know what you mean with that, sir."

As I was about to explain, Ryder explained in a gruff voice: "That's because you're still fresh out of N-school. You may have graduated as an N7 with top marks all around the board, but you haven't had much experience with politicians. The more you climb the ranks, the less it is like basics. It becomes more of a political playfield, where every action has different meanings behind it. And the statement the Alliance wants to make has a few of them. All depending on how your point of view."

"And the meanings we want to convey are that we can either be a valuable ally or if they try to fuck with us, a formidable enemy," I said.

"Not exactly how I would have phrased it, but the essence of our intent is there," confirmed Anita with a sigh. Then she threw me a look of annoyance and added:" Of course, it is a bit more complex than what Oscar said."

"My comment was just to establish a baseline to work from," I defended myself, trying not to shrink away from her gaze. I knew I would lose in the duel of who could keep eye contact longer, so I didn't even try and turned towards Anderson again to explain further.

It hit me again how young he was. He was barely in his twenties, and I was ten years his senior. I was even older than Ryder, who was just short of thirty. Damn, now I felt old.

Luckily, Anita was still older. Not that I would ever voice that. I liked living too much for that kind of folly.

"It is partly as I already said," I began when I saw that I had Anderson's attention. Even Ryder was looking interested, perhaps trying to get another opinion.

"There is a reason why a standard cruiser was chosen instead of a heavy one. A dreadnought is a strategic asset that we can't afford to lose, same with the heavy cruisers. And while they have probably more data on our frigates, since they were the most numerous at Shanxi, they just don't have enough impact for what we want to accomplish."

"And what exactly is that?" asked Anderson at the moment I took a short break to drink another sip of coffee.

"Showing off how fast we advance our technological prowess," replied Ryder in my place. "That is what you mean, right?"

"Correct," I agreed. "The moment we meet any Turian ships, at the latest when we arrive at the Citadel, they will scan our ships and compare it to the sensor data they have. Our frigate escorts - the SSV Seine and SSV Donau - will match the data they have, but the SSV Constantinople will not. The readings of our shielding will show an increase of four percent in just two months. Still off from their own, but already closer than before."

"And now think about what it would mean if we could keep this improvement constant over the next two years. Or at least a three percent average," interjected Anita, and Anderson took a moment to calculate the numbers roughly.

"That's an increase of shielding power of around 50%," he said with astonishment.

"And after three years around 100% and after five years even 200%. By the way, I calculated that with the four percent increase. Furthermore, all these numbers don't take into account that we could make a major breakthrough or how the improvements in other fields could create a beneficial synergy between them," I explained.

"But those numbers can't be right."

"They are not," I agreed. "It's not feasible to think that the improvement rate stays constant around three percent or even higher for five years. But we expect it will take us no longer than six or seven years to close the gap between the level of their starships and ours. Even the more pessimistic predictions predict no more than ten years."

"That is around the number of years I thought of," commented Ryder casually.

Anderson furrowed his brows and inquired:" And how is that going to help us? Wouldn't it be better to keep our pace of advancement secret?"

"We considered that approach as well," conceded Anita. "But we ultimately dismissed it. The Codex entries of the history of the Council species - something you should have gotten - focus on the time around their discovery of mass effect and the mass relays and everything after that. As if the time before became unimportant. Nonetheless, every Council species traveled the stars for more than a hundred years or even longer before meeting another galactic civilization. Unlike us, who left our home system only ten years ago."

"So you want to say that the Council - perhaps even all Citadel species - will be intimidated by our fast progress? After all, even if it was just a scouting fleet, we beat back the Turians," guessed Ryder.

"Not intimidated, but most certainly worried," I corrected. "They will see us as an unknown variable, one that could possibly change the centuries-old status quo. If the Council already knows that we had FTL for only ten years, the impact of this ship will be less than hoped, but it will still be a reminder of our capabilities. It shows that we didn't just luck out with a big Prothean ruin to get us here."

Anita took over from where I stopped almost seamlessly and said: "The goal is for them to want to keep us in check. And that is only possible with peaceful relations between us. Any overly aggressive action against us will be met with resistance, not only from our side but from theirs as well. As long as we don't give them a reason, no attack against us will happen. Besides, by trying to keep us in check, they will do exactly what we want. My prediction is that they want to keep us close, maybe even make us dependent on them. That way, we can study their technology, learn from their cultures and use it all to grow as a species."

After she finished explaining, Anita looked Anderson in the eyes and asked: "Do you understand know, Lieutenant?"

Her stare and the dangerous edge to her smile were making the young man visibly nervous.

He swallowed loudly and replied: "Yes, Ma'am. I understand."

I shared a look with Ryder, who looked as amused as I felt. He put a hand on Anderson's shoulder, who flinched a bit at the sudden contact.

No matter what kind of person was on the other side of one of Anita's stares, they always got a little jumpy afterward. Even a Krogan would shy away.

"Now, now, give him a break," said Ryder. "But here is one thing I have to ask when we are already speaking of restrictions. Last I heard, three relays were slated to be opened, what happened to those plans?"

"Mostly canceled for the moment. We called back two of the ships sent to activate them, but the third had 'problems' with communications," I answered and made sure to stress the word 'problems' to make it clear what really happened.

In short, the message was delayed by Andrew long enough so that the SSV Huston already opened the relay by the time they got the message.

And it was completely accidental that it led to a cluster with multiple secondary relays and multiple planets that were either rich in minerals or ready for colonization.

"Although, there was one accident," admitted Anita, to my surprise.

"Really? What happened? I didn't keep up with the memos as it seems."

She took a deep breath and said:" A privately owned survey ship opened a mass relay. They were low on fuels and thought it would lead back into Alliance space."

"Let me guess," Anderson deadpanned, "it didn't."

Anita didn't even try to hold her sigh back. "No, it didn't. And now we have a path into our outer regions. One where we can't just park a fleet to protect it because the logistics make it impossible. I already talked with Wright about it, and he thinks it will leave us open for attacks. Because from there, you can reach secondary relays, which point in the direction of our colonies. Wright said he's already organizing scouting missions to find out where exactly. And he's drawing up defensive plans for the colonies, that are the most vulnerable."

That was definitely not good. Secondary Relays can lead to dozens of places. To predict the exit point of any ship that uses one is more a game of chance at times. And those idiots opened a way for pirates and slavers to come close to our colonies. That was the thing I wanted to prevent when I pressed for the regulation that relays should only be opened when it was clear where they led to and a ship with a DR-drive mapped the connected system. It took me six years to get this regulation accepted because the Alliance got pressured by a lot of people to open as many relays as possible to expand our influence.

"Damn it," I cursed quietly. "I'll speak with Wright about it when we get back. While our most important colonies will get prioritized, I'll see what I can do so that they get some ODPs as well."

"I've heard about them," said Ryder. "There is some talk that you're developing stationary defenses for planets. But I thought they would still take a while. Are they already finished?"

"Yes and no," was my answer. "On my way to the Constantinople, I got an update from my lead researcher. The testing is underway, and the numbers seem promising, but it still needs finetuning. Their power is around that of a frigate, which is quite good for a first try. But that is not that which we envision. If we get the power somewhere between a frigate and a cruiser, we will call it a success and start building them en masse. They are designed with modularity in mind so that we can distribute them now and continue to improve them without having to construct them from scratch every single time."

"That could give us the advantage if we ever have to defend a colony again," whistled Anderson.

"That's precisely why we are building them. Any invading fleet would be hampered by the ODPs, giving the ground forces enough time to get ready, even if there wasn't a defense battlegroup."

For a moment, a comfortable silence settled between us before Ryder tapped Anderson on the shoulder and said:" We should get going, David. Training is in a few minutes. I want the team to stay sharp, even if nothing is going to happen while in transit, it's better to be prepared."

"Yes, Sir!" Anderson replied with a sharp nod and moved to stand up, his tray firmly in his hands.

I hadn't even noticed how fast the time flew by. Or that I had eaten almost all of my breakfast. Only the stale taste in my mouth confirmed that I had eaten something and that my food didn't grow feet spontaneously and walked away.

When the two N7 soldiers stood, Ryder spoke for both of them. "Thank you for your company this morning, Ma'am, Sir. I'm sure we will have more opportunities to talk during our travel. If you excuse us."

With that, both turned away as one and went on to give their dirty dishes back.

As the two walked away, Anita turned to me and said: "I've got to do some things as well. But I would like to give you a summary of the last briefing. Come to my cabin at 1700. Commander Ryder will be there as well to give you an overlook of our security detail."

I could only answer with a nod because she disappeared too fast for me to finish chewing the last of my food.

After I swallowed, I lent back in my chair, swirling the rest of my coffee in its cup.

My mind was going over the last minutes, trying to process that I just met two people that played an important role in the Mass Effect games.

I knew my self-control was good, but not that good. Seriously, I would have expected that I would be somewhat awkward, but nothing happened.

My mind was probably smart enough to shut down the parts responsible for awkwardness.

And with more time talking to them, the novelty of meeting them disappeared as well. They may have been game characters once, but now they were as much human as I was. Also, they weren't yet the legends they would grow to be. Especially Anderson. He held himself like a professional and proud soldier, but he hadn't developed the sheer gravitas he was known for yet. But the beginnings of it could already be observed. The same with Alec Ryder.

On that note, I would take care to keep in contact with Alec Ryder. The man would become an expert in the field of artificial intelligence.

No matter what the opinion of the Citadel on AI was, they were much too useful to ignore. Be it EDI or SAM, both were integral to the success of their respective heroes.

And they proved that the inherent fear of AI was - maybe not completely but still - wrong.

I was sure that with enough time, contacts, and money, I would be able to procure an exception permit for AI research.

The advantages of working harmoniously with AI could give us an edge when the Reapers arrived that the canon universe didn't have.

Even if only a few AIs could be created, the knowledge gained by researching them could help us to refine existing VI into something better. Perhaps into something like the 'dumb-AI' in Halo.

I swallowed the last of my coffee, shuddering once again. Against all expectations and the adaptation of my taste buds, it had gotten even worse.

Swearing to myself that if I drink this coffee again, to never let it get cold, I stood up to bring my dishes back.

There were still a few emails that I had to answer and info packages to read.

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June 17, 2158

16:49

SSV Constantinople

Shanxi-System

En route to the Citadel

I just finished sending the last of my emails and was on the way towards the bridge. I had seen the transition into FTL via mass relay a few times already, but the wonder had never left me. And this time, it was even more special. I would be among the first humans to leave human-controlled space to meet with a galactic government. Among the first humans to set foot on the Citadel, to even see it!

That thought alone sent shivers down my back.

I still remember the moment in the first Mass Effect game when this massive space station appeared behind the nebula. The sheer wow I felt at that moment.

And now I would get to see it in reality.

The smile I had didn't fade when I entered the bridge and took my place next to Anita and Ryder, who had also come to witness this monumental moment.

"Exciting, isn't it," commented Ryder with a small genuine smile, the first I've seen on him. Normally, he looked more serious than anything else but now, nothing of that was present.

"It is," I agreed, my smile growing a bit as I took in the atmosphere of the bridge.

It was the usual hustle and bustle, nothing out of the ordinary. But the mood was different from what I was used to on a military vessel.

The professional calmness that was usually prevailing was absent. In its place, a nervous but still excited mood circulated among the crewmembers. As if everyone was feeling the weight of the moment.

Only Captain Peterson stood in the middle solid as a rock. Her face showed nothing of the excitement of her crew, but neither was she displeased with it.

Should anything out of the ordinary happen, she would calmly assess the situation and then take the necessary steps. That was the reason why she was chosen for this task.

"Hitting the relay in twenty," came from one of the stations and was answered by another with: "Transmitting data now."

"All hands brace for relay transit," called Captain Peterson, and I made sure my foothold was firm.

"Hitting relay in five, four, three..."

A jolt ran through the ship when the mass relay accelerated it into FTL speeds.

I swayed a bit on my feet but didn't fall over like when I traveled via relay for the first time. That would have been embarrassing. Chosen to represent humanity on the Citadel, but can't even keep standing when going FTL.

Everyone on the bridge took one moment to watch the stars flash by. It didn't matter if you were seeing it for the first time or the hundredth time.

"What do you think awaits us on the other side?" I questioned no one in particular.

"I don't know, but hopefully, nothing to worry about," said Anita, who was watching the FTL corridor as well.

"Ten seconds until we drop out of FTL," called a crewmember, and right on his cue, we did.

"I want sensor data on the system. Miller, find me the next relay and calculate a path. Fardez, are our escorts here? Johnson, you..." Captain Peterson fired orders rapidly, and her crew went to work immediately. She would have continued to do so if it had not been for the communications officer who called out to her.

"Captain, we have an incoming transmission."

"A transmission, from who?"

At that moment, the scan of the system finished, and the sensor officer said: "Ma'am, there are twenty ships in the system, most of them match the outlines of Turian ships. The others are unknown. But one looks like the diplomatic vessel that came to Shanxi."

"Patch them through," ordered Captain Peterson calmly.

In seconds, the connection was stable, and the voice of a Turian resonated on the bridge.

"Unknown ship, this is Captain Ervinus of the THV Gladius. You are entering Citadel space. Identify yourself or prepare to be boarded," said the now identified Captain Ervinus.

There was a moment of absolute silence on the bridge when everything came to a sudden halt. I couldn't help myself and muttered:" Nothing to worry about, huh?" Which got me a scathing look from Anita.

Before the moment could stretch on, Captain Peterson replied in her usual calm voice: "This is the SSV Constantinople of the human System Alliance. I have diplomats onboard. We're on our way to the Citadel to meet with the Council."

Not a minute later, the Turian captain spoke once again.

"Copy that. The Council told us to expect you. An Asari and Turian frigate will attach to your escort and show you the way. Do not deviate from the course we will send you. Ervinus out."

"Well, that's nice of them," I commented. "At least we know now that our translators work just fine. It would have been a shame otherwise."

As we followed the new course, the two new frigates joined up with our own frigate escort as if they had been part of it from the beginning.

Without much further trouble, we were back on the way to the Citadel.

"Not much longer until we're at the Citadel. Maybe we should think of some nice quotes for that moment. It's going to be historical after all," I joked and got a smile from Ryder and an eye-roll from Anita for it.

But one thing was true.

It was going to be a moment for the history books.