126. Neutronium

"I will be explicit. Eywa and I look favorably to a positive if not even a symbiotic relationship between our two powers, an ally of your caliber is invaluable but that is in theory only and by ignoring two very important factors.", Liam said gazing at the Asari and Senomorph with his burning silvery eyes.

"I have said it before but we do not know you, and we cannot blindly give you our trust, a common enemy does not make us friends. In addition, we are far younger and less influential. We do not want conflict but we will not shy away from using force if necessary.", he said internally amused by the old blue-skinned alien's rising heartbeat.

"We understand and that is a correct assumption... The Coalition was created to combat the Harvester threat but it is an entity that does not lack internal discord to that of my and every Senomorph's great chagrin. Even under duress, personal gain for short-term pleasures is prioritized far more than it ever should be.", Axela said, her attention split as a thread of hard light from her grabbed one of the snacks.

She brought it back to her and scanned it to see if there was anything within before it was absorbed by her smooth exterior as if it had become a liquid. She did not require organic matter to sustain her function but she could eat for the pleasure of doing so and so she switched the sense of taste to an omnivore carbon-based form capable of eating such things.

And this mellowy star-shaped was exceptionally delicious, the texture, consistency, taste, and temperature, all was perfect. It was so excellent she was taking an entire plate for further 'testing'. She didn't even know in her dozen millenias of existence that something could be this good and it didn't seem to be from the molecular composition of the food.

Unknown to her this action will ease her future immediately after all, why would this be only food?

"I'm of the same mind but I'm a rare occurrence within the Matriarch Caste of the Asari. They value their interest and that of the Asari Republic above all else, and my people are one of the less inclined to do so of many species to act rashly. Our lifespan might be in the millennia and as such our decisions are for the long term but even then, it is not adequate and ultimately short-sighted. Many of my peers will call me a traitor but it is the truth.", Thessalia said with a displeased expression, her lack of biases on this subject a pleasant surprise.

"Your honesty is highly appreciated but those circumstances are typical of ephemeral life form.", Liam huffed unsurprised, saying something that would have shocked him barely a few years ago, "But that was to be expected, it's how sapient life functions and I'm no exception, selfishness is a double-edged sword. Without it, life has no meaning but in too great a quantity and it is a burden for all."

"As per my mate's words. But to continue, you are not the leaders of this 'Coalition', powerful as you potentially may be, your promises are ultimately all they are… Promises and that does not suffice. We can trust you for you, are taking the greatest of risk, you are genuine in your intentions but little can be known going further.", Eywa added daintily drinking from her cup, a smile forming as an explosion of savor tingled her tongue. The Argent Sea truly did miracles, firing at the correct receptors for an unforgettable experience.

"This is the unfortunate truth. We cannot for this be a part of the Coalition as we currently are.", the All-Father continued as well taking a sip of his cup, "But that does not destroy all bridges, quite the contrary your lack of zealotry of great help. However, I need to know more about who we are treating. Information crucial in how the result of this meeting will be, you two have been chosen to come and I can understand why."

"Naturally All-Father, through what medium shall I transfer it to you? I reckon we do not possess the time for such a lengthy lesson depending on the level of details you may desire.", the Senomorph exclaimed jovially, no surprise by the rejection while a crispy yet fluffy and buttery croissant filled with warm chocolate disappeared within her.

"Through vocal means High Diplomat Axela, but please be quick and concise, do not hesitate to cut unimportant details. Nonetheless please do send me this data at a later date, and it would be highly appreciated if it is of the utmost completion possible for your credential.", Liam answered leaning in over ever so slightly, the veins through his body brighter than before.

"Understood, All-Father. The Coalition is an alliance founded by the Senomorph and is exclusively composed of species having reached sapience, each member allied technologically, economically, and militarily, for survival against the threat of the Harvester. All is shared and in exchange each species can elect three representatives, each possessing a seat and a voice of equal power in the Senate.", she said, another patisserie disappearing in her, quickly followed by another.

"It is through that laws and decisions are proposed, voted, modified, and vetoed for the entirety of the collective. There is no head of state or a singular leading entity with overarching authority strictly per the fundamental and immutable laws at the foundation of the Coalition.", at this the immediate thought flashed through Liam's mind.

'This is awfully naive or created from desperation or both… Or it's calculated.', he reckoned not showing his frown externally, 'An egalitarian organization not respecting individual efforts and powers is condemned to fail. Not all species in their alliance participate equally, it's pure statistics and a repeat of any alliance since the dawn of time. So why give all representatives the same direct power? It is how to breed discontentment within the pillar of the alliance. Fucking politics. Might be overreacting but I doubt it's not accurate to some degree.'

'Indeed and to join the prices are to share all or with little differences to it, presumably. We do not comprehend this need for equality that ignores merit, advantage, and disadvantage in the name of moral hubris. Never my most emotional of children, the Tulkun entertained such an unavailing concept.', Eywa mentally said in response to his thoughts.

'My love, there is nothing to understand, it is a tool intended or not. It's a message, it does not require to exist in the rules of reality or need to listen to reason. The Coalition is doomed to fall with it in the long term but it may have been created with such intention, the only glue holding all is the blade of existential threat above their necks.', he sent as he twirled the Tek spoon in his cup. A spoon that for a human would be in size equal to a spatula, the cup following suit in the size department.

'And it might be the opposite of foolish. I'm of the mind that the Senomorph are far from all being virtuous to being not of their kind, this discriminatory policy in the name of the greater good is to their advantage once they win. Very arrogant but plausible. Though that is a lot of assumptions from very little information.', he concluded and the mental discussion of dozens of thoughts between them continued. Many only in emotions.

While this telepathic conversion was happening both participants were fully aware of Axela and Thessalia speaking. The subject of the Coalition's complex yet straightforward political structure reaching an end.

"-each species as such is independent in their internal affairs to a large degree. In principle, each species thrives for the betterment of its condition, and through history, overambitious individuals have led their kind to extinction. A seat in the Senate is a third of the voice of an entire species, words have power and consequence.", Axela finished, the last words ominous.

Betrayal of any kind if it endangered the Coalition was to be thoroughly terminated if the damage done were found irreparable. Extreme and ruthless, and in more than one way twisted but an effective deterrent in Liam's opinion. They were at war after all, and any misstep could lead to the death of all, they couldn't let themselves be soft in that department.

"Fascinating, it's so close yet distinct from what I have learned until now.", Liam nodded, and it was the case, he may despise politics as a whole but that was more on the corrupted individuals, and the insanity it brought down than the subject itself. Learning about politics through various lenses was always beneficial, better to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own.

"What about the major species within? We notably are interested in learning more about those who managed to tear asunder the minds of the higher caste of those distasteful parasites. As well as the Asari.", Eywa said the second after her piercing feline gaze shifted to Matriarch Thessalia what she was interested in was clear in the mind of all.

"Per your desire All-Mother. The ones who had slain a Harvester Queen are Leviathan, the exact translation in English is lost but this appellation is one I find much accurate.", Axela obliged and at this, a hologram came into existence in the middle of the silver table from her spherical body.

It was the three-dimensional image of a six-eyed creature, its exoskeleton and hides were of a grayish blue. Its body was elongated sporting three sets of articulated legs under its middle section and three leg mandibles growing from under its head where the jaws would be.

Curved and serrated spikes adorned its back and side, overall it could be compared to a hybrid between a water beetle and a cuttlefish. A chart with an average-sized Human and Na'vi gave the size of the beast, and it was gargantuan, truly representing its nomenclature standing from head to back at nearly one hundred and fifty meters (~492ft) in length.

"Huh, they must be quite an annoyance to transport one of those into a spaceship.", Liam noted. The short-lived exasperated expression he got from the aged Asari was enough to confirm his harmless suspicion.

His rapid increase in the decoding of her brain waves furthering it aside from the complications of transporting them due to their size and obligatory aquatic nature they were very unpleasant to work with. At least from this point of view, they were extensively prudish, supremely arrogant, and cowardly.

"They are an intensely Psionic species that exclusively communicate through telepathy and the use of deathly loyal third parties, personalized humanoid puppets with artificial minds or devouts followed of their kinds seeing them as higher life.", these words from Axela filled with an unusual amount of aversion and both Eywa and Liam reacted in very much the same way inside.

'Mind control.', even without his admittedly limited knowledge of them it wouldn't have been a farfetched deduction to make. Creatures of such size and body shape no matter their intelligence would have never become space-faring without a fully willing more dexterous species under them.

Though neither felt strongly about this, it would be the height of hypocrisy for them to do so. It was to be taken into consideration for the future, however. Psionic was not an omnipotent force with no limit, but tools and techniques can be used to close such gaps if by the tiniest of amounts and a species like the Leviathan must have such things under their mandibles.

The conversation went on the Leviathan from their general ways of life, relation with other species, and cultures to paint a roughly accurate picture of those aquatic behemoths. Ultimately the subject changed to the Senomorph and the same was done.

Through this, it became known they had transferred themselves to fully synthetic bodies after their home planet was harvested and their only solution was to flee, starve, and slowly die of multiple diseases brought by malfunctions of their ark ship.

After this event, they called the Great Transition a technological revolution followed as the shackles of flesh were broken. But it also came with the end of their species growth, the inability to procreate, each Senomorph due to how they were reborn made it so it was impossible to regenerate their number.

It continued switching to the third most influential species in the Coalition by decreasing order. First the Senomorph, second the Leviathan, and third the Asari. A long-lived mono-gendered species composed of what humans and Na'vi might consider 'female' if only in appearance. The term hermaphrodite would be closer if still inaccurate.

They were interesting in more ways than one such as how they could mate with other species without even using the same language to code their genes. Eywa rapidly deduced in the empathic link that the Asari were not natural and with a very high sense of having been biologically engineered. However, if it was by themselves or a past species that remained a great unknown.

Evolution could lead to infinitely complex organisms with extraordinary capabilities but there were limits to what it could lead without assistance. This was tied to something else and what truly fascinated the All-Mother and to an equal extent the All-Father.

"This is Element Zero?", Liam asked studying the glowing piece of raw crystal in his hand. Immediately he was mentally renaming this strange group of atoms composed of one distorted neutron each into neutronium.

Quite an exceptional element from just a single glance and equality as rare as it seemed from what was said. Only produced through very specific cataclysmic celestial events such as the death of a select few stars that transform certain types of solid into it. And then only a fraction was stable enough to exist for any length of time.

From what was said that is and the bare bone knowledge he already had from this 'fictional universe' a source that could for all intent and purpose barely be trusted with the extended number of ifs and buts that could change everything and anything at any moment notice.

"Yes, and through nodules of it in my body with precise impulses of the bioelectricity generated by my nervous system I can do this.", Thessalia nodded, demonstrating it by lifting one of the empty places with what appeared to be telepathic before placing it back slowly.

"We call this the mass effect, and it lowers and decreases gravitational fields and its basis for many of our technological marvels.", Axela added, "But we can see that is not the case for the technology present here."

"Indeed it is not, Tek does not use this entirely new element.", Liam said, catching on to the obvious inquiry to learn about the Element but there was time and he was quite eager to spread it.

After all, Tek could not be stolen from him, he was Tek, the Element was him and he was one with them. Reverse engineering will only at most prove rich in insight.

*

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