CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 7
Princess Celestia looked out over the meeting room of her castle, satisfied that everything was in order. It had been set up with the appropriate amount of chairs, four of which had flags depicting the nation of their representative. Tapestries hung on the marble walls, each one emblazoned with the symbols of the sun and the moon. Additional tapestries had been retrieved as well, these ones featuring the symbols of the zebra and griffon nations. Celestia felt a pang of regret that she had neglected to ask for the flags of the alien nations who would be visiting them. But it was too late now; the sun had not yet risen, yet only a few hours separated her from possibly the most important event in Equis’s history. Cadance had arrived late in the night to work on her address to the ponies of Equestria, and Celestia knew that Twilight had begun work on her book the day before. Everything was going according to plan, yet the princess could not help but feel as though something bad was going to happen.
Pushing the negative thoughts out of her head, Celestia turned around and exited the room, her hoofsteps echoing down the long marble hallways. There was still some time before she was required to raise the sun, so the princess decided that some relaxation before her guests arrived would do her some good. After negotiations began, she doubted she would have much time to herself…
Princess Luna flew through her Dreamscape, smiling down upon the ethereal representation of Equestria. Tonight was not unlike all other nights; there were few nightmares to take care of, and those that she did stumble across were nothing bad. As she flew, the princess of the night felt the familiar tug of a very serious nightmare. Before she even arrived at the scene of the dream, Luna knew where she would be going. Once again she came to hover over the Normandy, and once again she saw a dark red cloud over the same spot as the previous night. Staring at the nightmare sorrowfully, Luna angled herself down and flew for the cloud, disappearing inside it.
When she had entered the dream, the princess found herself in the same location she had the last night: the planet being attacked by Reapers. Looking across from the blue beam, Luna watched as Tali, Garrus, and Shepard all charged down the hill. This time she did not wait before ending the memory. Lighting her horn, Luna cast a simple spell, and immediately the dream began to collapse. There was a bright flash of light, and when it faded Luna found herself on an entirely different world. It was more arid than the previous one, sporting rocky red cliffs and a dark orange star that burned brightly in the sky. Tali stood on the edge of a cliff, and beneath her was a collapsed machine. Red lightning danced across its body, and occasionally a light would flicker somewhere on the hull. Deciding to make her entrance, Luna magically lowered the sun and raised the moon high into the sky. Tali seemed confused by the sudden time change, and looked up at the moon. Luna flew up to the alien moon and, with a bright flash of magic, made herself visible to the quarian. She flew down to the earth, gracefully landing on it before Tali. She looked up to the alien’s glowing eyes, sorrow in her heart.
“Hello, Tali,” she began. “I am sorry for the sudden change in scenery. I just figured you would wish to avoid that dream again.”
“Yes, I would,” Tali said, nodding slowly. “Thank you. Where are we?”
“You tell me,” Luna answered. “When I ended your memory, this was the first place that your mind chose to go.” Looking around, Tali’s shoulders slumped as she seemed to relax.
“We’re on Rannoch. My homeworld.”
“It is quite beautiful,” Luna observed, looking out over the cliff. Her eyes passed over the machine, and her expression soured. “Except for that. What is it?”
“It’s a Reaper,” Tali replied. “Shepard killed it. Well, technically the quarian fleet did, but he is the reason we got it.
“He was standing right here… He faced down the Reaper, and provided targeting data for the fleet. He freed Rannoch, and the geth, from its control.”
“He sounds quite brave,” Luna said, stepping up next to Tali. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“This is also where… where Legion sacrificed himself.” Tali’s head turned to look at something behind Luna. Luna followed her gaze, and saw the familiar form of the geth lying lifeless on the ground. She slowly walked over to it, looking into the dark eye.
“He is back now,” she said, turning to the quarian. “We have no reason to mourn. Legion is once again among the living, and for that we should be thankful.”
“Right…” Tali whispered. “It’s just… so many have been lost in this damn war… I don’t want to add another name to our memorial wall…”
“You will not have to,” Luna said comfortingly, cantering over Tali. “Remember what I said: maintain hope.” Tali nodded, but before she could speak, they were both rocked as the entire planet seemed to shake.
“What was that!?” Tali exclaimed, looking around frantically.
“You are waking up,” Luna explained, jumping into the air. “Something outside is bringing you out. I shan’t keep you any longer. I will see you when you come to Canterlot. Farewell, Tali’Zorah.” Releasing control of the quarian, Luna was nearly blinded by a bright light. When it faded, she was once again flying over the Normandy in her Dreamscape. Turning from the ship, Luna soared off into the bright sky of her domain and, with a spark of her horn, re-entered the physical world. She was where she had been when she entered the Dreamscape: hovering only a mile or so from Canterlot. The sun had not yet risen, but Luna knew from the position of her moon that the time was coming. Angling herself for the mountainside city, the princess prepared to end her nightly duties…
“Creator Tali’Zorah, can you hear us?”
Tali heard the voice before she saw its source as it buzzed in the earpiece of her helmet. Slowly opening her eyes, Tali found a small hologram of Legion projecting itself from her omni-tool. His virtual head stared at her, his single blue eye never moving.
“Creator Tali’Zorah?” Legion asked yet again.
“Sorry Legion, I hear you,” Tali finally answered, slowly coming to her feet. She looked around the engineering room, finding it to be completely empty. The lights were out, with the only source of light coming from the blue eezo core at the back of the chamber. “What time is it?”
“Five thirty-seven in the morning,” Legion replied, his virtual head looking around the room. “You requested that we wake you up when the omni-gel finished forming our platform’s components. It has. You have three hours and twenty-three minutes before we are to leave for Canterlot. Haste is recommended.”
“Got it.” Tali turned and exited the engineering room, instantly entering the elevator and pressing the button for the hangar. The descent was quick, and when the door open Tali quickly walked to the finished components, laid out randomly on the floor. The hangar was empty as well, so Tali was not worried about making too much noise. Sitting down, Tali began to look over the components.
“Alright Legion, walk me through this,” she said.
“We will begin at the pelvis, and build out,” Legion began. The hologram on her omni-tool switched to a medium-sized component that roughly resembled an organic pelvis bone. “Seek this component.” It did not take Tali long to find the component. When she did, she picked it up and set it down beside her. Instantly the hologram changed to another component, and a quick animation of it being attached to the pelvis played. As she followed the displayed instructions, her mind began to turn to the events of the day.
As Legion had said, there were only a few hours remaining before they would leave for Canterlot and initiate formal negotiations. Tali smiled as she found herself getting excited at the prospect of introducing a new race to the galactic community. The war with the Reapers had killed morale throughout the galaxy, and the discovery of several new species would be sure to raise it once again.
“Hey Tali,” a voice said from behind the quarian. She whirled around, surprised, but let out a sigh once she found Kaidan standing by the elevator.
“Oh, hello Kaidan,” Tali greeted. “I didn’t hear you enter. You’re up early.”
“I could say the same about you,” Kaidan said, stepping up to the quarian. “Working on Legion’s body?”
“There’s still a ways to go, but I should have it done before we leave.”
“At your current rate, it will be done thirty-two minutes before we depart,” Legion chimed in, a hologram of him replacing the component on Tali’s omni-tool. “This is plenty of time to connect to the platform and run diagnostics.”
“Well I shouldn’t keep you, then,” Kaidan decided, taking a few steps back. “Just be ready. Remember that you’ll be presiding over the negotiations since quarians aren’t a council race. Do whatever you need to do to prepare yourself.” With that he turned around and reentered the elevator. The door closed, cutting off Tali’s view of the human. She turned back around to look once again at the large pile of parts spread out before her. Sitting back down, Tali continued her work…
Kaidan exited the elevator and entered into the CIC, making the short walk to the QEC in the war room. A hologram of Admiral Hackett was already present, and he seemed to be waiting.
“Sir,” Kaidan greeted, saluting as he stepped up to the QEC.
“Major, it’s good to see you again,” Hackett saluted back. “At ease. Is Equestria ready for us?”
“I hope so, sir,” Kaidan replied. “We didn’t see much of them yesterday because they were getting ready. How goes everything on your end?”
“Primarch Victus arrived here in Sol only minutes ago,” the admiral reported. “Matriarch Lidanya has been here the whole time aboard Destiny Ascension, and Jedin Polban will be arriving within the hour. Once they’re all here we’ll get them aboard Everest and give them the full debrief. Then we’ll make our way to Equis.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Major, since this is likely the last time we’ll speak until I arrive, I just wanted to congratulate you on a successful first contact,” Hackett continued. “No matter what happens at the negotiations, you’ve done a great job with keeping the peace.”
“Thank you, sir,” Kaidan said, saluting once more.
“I’ll see you in a few hours. Hackett out.” The hologram flickered away as the connection was severed, and Kaidan dropped his salute and sighed. Hackett was right, things had gone very well so far. It was very different from what the major was used to… With any luck, things were going to continue going well, and the ponies would be introduced into the galactic community with no issues whatsoever. Still, he could not help but feel somewhat cautious…
Sighing again, Kaidan stepped away from the QEC and exited the war room, walking through the security checkpoint back into the CIC. All throughout the room crewmen were at work, working on repairing the damaged frigate. Even though they had crashed on what appeared to be a safe world, Kaidan could not help but worry about the condition of the Normandy. If something were to happen and they needed to make a getaway, that would not be possible with the current state of the ship. The engineers were working as fast as they could, but the major was still worried. Shaking his head to clear the negative thoughts, Kaidan stepped up to the comms specialist standing at her station.
“What’s our status, Traynor?” he asked, prompting the specialist to turn around and salute.
“Repairs are coming along slowly but surely,” she reported tiredly. “The CIC systems will be completely repaired in less than a day, and the rest of the ship will be alright by the end of the week. The engines, however…”
“That bad, huh?”
“Not so much ‘bad’ as ‘extensive’,” Traynor answered. “The thruster modules on all four nacelles were burned out by the Crucible. These modules are relatively easy to repair, they’re just very, very large. And in order to gain access to them, a lot of the armor plating around the nacelles has to be removed. There’s also the issue of weather; if it decides to rain, we’ll have to cover the modules back up, or they’ll take water damage. All in all, the process could take several weeks.” Kaidan sighed and nodded.
“Well when the other Alliance ships arrive maybe we can request some help from their engineers,” he suggested. “That would have to shave at least a little bit of time off…”
“That it would,” Traynor confirmed. “Anything else, sir?”
“One more thing. Are you going to be ready to leave for Canterlot in a few hours?”
“All I really need to make recordings is my omni-tool,” the specialist said. “And with no comm buoys in the area I can’t really monitor communications, so… just say the word, and I’m ready.”
“I’ll come get you when it’s time to leave,” Kaidan said. “As you were.” Saluting once more, Traynor turned around and continued her work. With nothing else to do for the next several hours, Kaidan decided to get some rest. He needed to be at his best for these negotiations, and he could not do that while battling fatigue. Entering the elevator, the major pressed the button for the crew deck, ready for his nap…
Twilight Sparkle awoke earlier than usual as her bedside alarm clock split the air with its high-pitched ring. Slamming her hoof onto the obnoxious device, Twilight silenced the clock and slid out of her bed, stretching her wings as she did. Deciding to forgo a proper breakfast, the alicorn crossed the room to her writing desk and sat down, looking at the thick stacks of parchment laid out before her. On one side of the table were the notes she had taken, both on the Normandy and when Legion was among them. On the opposite side was a stack of blank parchment. In the center were several pieces with writing already on them; writing which would hopefully make the reveal of aliens go much smoother.
The first page of her work-in-progress novel was a simple foreword explaining the novel’s purpose. The following few pages detailed the arrival of Legion and his first few days on Equis, including the sighting of him at the celebration in Ponyville. The following ones went over the conflict with the collectors, and Legion’s efforts to help the ponies. Twilight had finished writing his departure from Equis the previous night, and had then decided to get some rest. Now she found herself looking once again at a blank page, tasked with explaining the arrival of a Reaper and the crew of the Normandy. She also had to relay everything she had learned about galactic history to ensure that everypony was prepared to join the community. It was a daunting task, but would work wonders in keeping everypony calm and peaceful over the next few weeks.
Twilight withdrew a quill from her desk and dipped it into an open inkwell, thinking about how to start what would be the largest section of her book. Drawing the wetted quill tip across the parchment, the young princess began to explain the events of the past few days. As she wrote, her mind turned to the situation in Gryphonia, and the possibility of it spreading to Equestria. Violence in the griffon kingdom had increased dramatically, and it was all because of the collector attack on their capital. What if ponies felt the same way about Celestia and Luna being unable to save their subjects from being kidnapped? Twilight shuddered at the thought of such violence overtaking their peaceful country.
But if she did not write this book, the reaction of ponies could be much worse. They would already be upset at having so much hidden from them, not publishing a book on the subject as soon as possible would only be detrimental. Briefly turning around to look at her clock, Twilight found the time to be 6:30 in the morning. The alien delegates would be arriving in two and a half hours to begin negotiations, and Twilight need to have her book ready before the talks were made public. Deciding not to waste any more time, Twilight focused all of her attention on the parchment before her. She had a book to write…
LATER
Admiral Hackett straightened the jacket of his uniform, running a hand over the front to remove any creases in the fabric. Keeping his back up straight, Hackett looked forward at the airlock door, waiting for it to open. From the window he could see a turian dreadnought parked up alongside his own ship, the Everest, connected by a long docking tube. Beyond the dreadnought was what remained of the Citadel, hovering in orbit over London. The presidium had taken extensive damage; very little remained of it, which greatly saddened the admiral. That was where Shepard had been when he activated the Crucible… If he had still been there when it exploded…
The negative thoughts were pushed from Hackett’s mind as the red indicator light above the airlock door blinked to green. A hiss escaped the door seam, and a moment later it slid open, revealing Primarch Victus and two turian soldiers. The turian primarch stepped up to the human admiral, and held out his hand. Hackett wasted no time in accepting it, and the two shook before taking a step back.
“Primarch Victus, welcome aboard the Everest,” Hackett greeted, offering a salute.
“Thank you, Admiral,” Victus replied, respectfully saluting back. “Shall we begin?”
“Matriarch Lidanya is already onboard, and the salarian will be joining us virtually,” Hackett answered, ushering his guest forward. He began to escort the turian down the hall of his ship to the meeting room. “We’ll need to do this briefing quickly, we don’t have much time before we need to go.”
“I must admit, admiral, when I first received your message I did not believe it,” Victus said as they moved through the halls. “Were the circumstances any less grave, I would have passed it off as a joke. But if the Normandy really found sapient life beyond a dormant Relay… This is truly a momentous occasion.”
“Agreed, which is why we need to be as careful as possible,” the human nodded. “If things go south… the galaxy isn’t prepared to fight another war. Even if we were, nobody wants to. The Reapers took a toll on us all.” Victus nodded in agreement as the two leaders came to a door guarded by an Alliance soldier and an asari commando. The door slid open as it detected their presence, revealing a long room with featureless white walls. In the center was a long table of oak surrounded by leather chairs. Occupying one chair was an older asari wearing a set of light armor. Her head turned to address the two newcomers as they entered, and she politely stood up.
“Primarch Victus, it is good to finally meet you,” she said. “I am Matriarch Lidanya, asari representative to Equis.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you as well,” Victus replied, politely bowing his head. “Shall we begin?”
“Like I said, we haven’t got much time, so let’s get started,” Hackett said. The three took seats around the table and Hackett activated his omni-tool, bringing up a hologram of Equis.
“This is the planet we’ll be visiting,” he began. “Equis, population 90.8 million. Home to the ponies, the griffons, the zebra, the diamond dogs, the dragons, and the changelings. First discovered eight months ago by the geth known as Legion, now rediscovered by the crew of the Normandy.”
“And attacked by a Reaper, if the reports are to be believed,” added a voice that seemed to come from the ceiling. A moment later a hologram of a salarian appeared, standing at the head of the table. “Please excuse my tardiness. I am Jedin Polban, salarian representative to Equis. Shall we continue?” Nodding, Hackett dismissed the hologram of the planet and replaced it with a hologram of a lavender pony, sporting both a pair of wings and a horn.
“This is the first pony that Legion introduced itself to,” he continued. “Her name is Twilight Sparkle, she’s a princess of Equestria, the largest nation on Equis. Along with her are three more princesses: Cadance, Celestia, and Luna.” As the admiral listed their names, holograms of the other three princesses appeared next to Twilight.
“Celestia and Luna are the oldest, aged at well over three thousand years,” Hackett said. “Additionally, they are responsible for raising both the sun and the moon.”
“The system is geocentric?” Lidanya asked disbelievingly. “I find this difficult to believe…”
“I did too, but it has been proven,” Hackett answered. “We just don’t know how, not yet. Maybe we can ask them after the negotiations are over.”
“They must be very powerful creatures if they can manipulate celestial bodies at will,” Jedin observed. “Could this not be seen as a threat?”
“The ponies have been peaceful so far, have they not?” noted Victus. “I do not think we have anything to fear.”
“I agree with Victus,” Lidanya nodded. “But that does not mean we should be any less careful.”
Hackett was about to speak when a knock sounded on the door behind them. It slid open, and an Alliance marine poked his head inside.
“Sir, it’s time.”
“Thank you,” Hackett said, nodding. He turned to address the other dignitaries, who were now standing up from their chairs. “Return to your ships. We’ll meet at the Relay and go through together.” Victus and Lidanya both stood and exited the room, and the hologram of Polban flickered away. Hackett waited a moment before leaving as well, and began to head for the bridge…
Tali stepped back from the immobile geth platform that sat unmoving on the floor, feeling quite satisfied at her work. Checking her omni-tool, the quarian found it to be nearly nine o’clock. Just in time, she thought. Waving her omni-tool over the mobile platform, Tali scanned to confirm that all of the connections were working. When the results came in flashing green, she allowed herself a smile.
“Alright Legion, it should be good to go,” she reported.
“Acknowledged,” the geth said through the intercom. “Assuming direct control.” Tali found herself confused for a moment at Legion’s choice of words, but decided to ignore it. This was more important. Slowly, lights on the mobile platform began to flicker on. Tali heard a whirring as the internal components activated, and a moment later the iris around the eye opened. The eye began to glow a soft blue, and it looked around the room from its position on the floor.
“Control of mobile platform successful. Testing motor control.” The fingers on the platform began to move, and slowly the arms joined them. The legs moved as well, and as Legion gained confidence he finally stood up, testing the balance.
“Tests successful. Mobile platform is operational. Well done, Creator Tali’Zorah.”
Tali looked over the platform, observing every feature. It was a light gray color – the default color of omni-gel – as there was a lack of paint onboard the ship. The only part that had any color was an N7 logo on the right half of the chest, which Tali had taken from one of Shepard’s spare pieces of armor. The body was just as tall as Legion’s old one, making Tali have to crane her neck to look it in the eye. Legion looked back down at her, the flaps around its head making an attempt at conveying emotion.
“It looks good, Legion,” she said. “I guess we should go let Kaidan know.”
“He is currently in the starboard observation room,” Legion reported. Nodding, Tali turned and began walking back to the elevator. The sound of mechanical legs moving filled the room as Legion followed behind her, and the two stepped into the small elevator. Tali hit the button for the crew deck, and the door closed as the elevator made its ascent. As soon as the door opened, the two came face-to-face with Kaidan.
“Hey Tali,” he said. Immediately his eyes were drawn to the large geth standing behind the quarian, and his eyes widened. “Well done. I assume that this resembles the original body?”
“Yeah, except for the absence of a rifle shot in his chest,” Tali answered, turning her head to regard the machine. “He’s fully operational and ready to go.”
“Great,” Kaidan began. “Would you mind getting everyone else who’s going? It’s just Traynor, Cortez, Garrus, and Liara. Everyone else is staying.”
“Sure thing,” Tali said. “I’ll meet you in the hangar.” Nodding, the three swapped positions, with Kaidan entering the elevator and Tali and Legion stepping out. The door closed, and Tali turned to enter the crew deck. The door slid open, revealing the sleeping forms of several crewmen. Cortez was in the bed closest to the door, so Tali crossed to him and shook his shoulder.
“Cortez, it’s time to go,” she whispered, trying not to wake anyone else. The pilot groggily opened his eyes and rubbed them with his fists, before coming up to a sitting position on the side of his bed. Nodding, he stood and slowly walked out of the room, stopping at the elevator. Tali continued past the elevator to the very front of the crew deck: the main battery. The door slid open, and Tali immediately recognized Garrus standing over the center console. The turian’s head turned to face the newcomers, and when he saw Tali, he turned around fully.
“Hey Tali, hey… Legion?”
“Affirmative, Garrus Vakarian,” Legion nodded. “We are in control of this mobile platform.”
“Nice,” Garrus observed, turning his head to address Tali. “So what’s up?”
“It’s time to go for the negotiations,” Tali replied. “Are you ready?” Garrus turned back around for a moment and closed the window on his console, before once again turning to face Tali.
“Ready enough,” he said. “I just have to sit there and make sure nobody tries anything stupid. You’re the one presiding over the negotiations. Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be…” Tali sighed. “Head on down to the hangar. Legion, go on with him. I’m going to go grab Liara and Traynor.” Nodding, Garrus exited between Tali and Legion and began walking down the hall of sleeper pods. Legion followed the turian, and Tali followed after the geth. When she reached the elevator, she was glad to find Liara and Traynor already present.
“Tali, are we getting ready to go?” the comms specialist asked. Liara was standing beside her, wondering the same.
“Yes, I was just coming to get you,” Tali answered. “Let’s go.” The five crewmembers all stepped into the elevator, and Garrus pressed the button for the hangar. It was a short ride down, and when the door reopened they all stepped out into the large room. The shuttle at the far end of the hangar had its door open, and Cortez and Kaidan were standing in the threshold. Tali, Garrus, Legion, and Traynor all jogged over to the open shuttle, attracting the attention of the two humans already waiting.
“I just received word,” Kaidan began. “The Everest, Destiny Ascension, Dauntless, and Khelorata have just arrived with our ambassadors. They’ll be in orbit in minutes, so we should probably head out.”
“Let’s not waste any time then,” Liara said. Nodding, everyone stepped into the shuttle and took a seat, with the exception of Cortez, who entered the cockpit. A moment later the door closed shut, and the sound of the engines coming on filled the space. Tali felt her stomach drop as they lifted off from the deck of the hangar, before being pushed back into her chair as they flew out…
Princesses Celestia and Luna found themselves at the familiar spot on the edge of the castle loading docks, watching out over the rolling landscape beneath them. Neither princess spoke as they watched for any kind of movement in the sky, for fear of missing the arrival. For several minutes they simply stared ahead, waiting…
“… There!” Luna exclaimed, her hoof flying up to point at a moving spec on the horizon. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the Everfree forest, which told the princesses that the ship now approaching belonged to the Normandy. It flew along the plains outside Canterlot, sticking close to the ground to avoid detection by the ponies in the mountain city. Only a few moments later the small craft shot into the loading docks and lowered to the deck. Celestia and Luna trotted over to the ship, ready to meet their guests. The ship was quite different from Legion’s; it was smaller, more of a box shape, and had a blue, white, and black coloration. A door on the side slid open, revealing six aliens. Four were familiar, one was not recognized at all, and the other took Luna and Celestia a moment to process.
“Legion!” Celestia cried, a smile breaking out across her face. “Is that you!?”
“Yes, Princess Celestia,” the geth that resembled Legion said, stepping out of the ship. “Creator Tali’Zorah constructed this platform for us so that we may be of assistance during these negotiations.”
“It is wonderful to see you again, instead of just hear you,” Luna smiled. It was at this point that a seventh alien stepped out from the cockpit. He was a human male with a skin tone similar to James’, though he lacked hair atop his head.
“This is Lieutenant Steve Cortez,” Kaidan explained. “He’s our shuttle pilot.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Celestia said, bowing her head.
“And you, ma’am,” Cortez reciprocated.
“And this here is Specialist Samantha Traynor,” Kaidan added, pointing to the other unrecognized alien. She too was human, though she was female.
“Hi,” Traynor said nervously.
“Hello, Specialist Traynor,” Luna greeted.
“The other dignitaries will be arriving in minutes, your highnesses,” Kaidan said. “Are the other Equis races ready?”
“We never received a response from the diamond dogs or dragons,” Celestia replied. “But the griffons, zebra, and changelings are prepared to begin negotiations.”
“Excellent.” Before anything more could be said, Kaidan’s omni-tool began to flash. He lifted his arm up to regard the device, before dismissing it and looking to the sky. A moment later four dots became visible, flying high above the clouds. Within a few kilometers of Canterlot they dove down and flew into the loading docks, each one coming to a hover over a different section. Each craft was the same make as the one used by the Normandy crew, though they did have different colors. One was completely identical, and out of this stepped an older human dressed similarly to Kaidan. Out of another blue one stepped a blue alien that looked very similar to Liara. A turian with white facial markings stepped out of a black and red craft, and an unrecognized alien emerged from a solid white one. He had large black eyes and a thin head with two horns protruding from the top. The four newcomers stepped up to the princesses, looking curiously at their surroundings.
“Hello ma’am,” the older human said, stepping forward. “I am Admiral Hackett of the Systems Alliance, representing humanity in these negotiations.”
“I am Primarch Victus of the turian hierarchy,” the turian introduced, bowing his head.
“I am Matriarch Lidanya, representing the asari,” the blue alien greeted.
“And I am Jedin Polban for the salarians, it is a pleasure to meet you,” the newest alien said.
“The pleasure is all ours,” Princess Celestia said, bowing her head. “Welcome to Equis, and welcome to Equestria. I am Princess Celestia, raiser of the sun.”
“And I am Princess Luna, raiser of the moon,” Luna introduced. “Shall we begin?”
“Let’s not waste any time,” Admiral Hackett said. Nodding, Celestia and Luna turned around and led their guests through the small door at the back of the loading docks and into the castle. From there it was a scenic walk through the castle to the meeting room, the door to which was flanked by two vigilant guards. They pulled the door open at the approach of their princess and stood, their expressions stoic, as the alien guests all filed into the large room. The door shut behind them, and Celestia took a seat at the head of the table. Already present were Proudwing, Malkia, and Erebus, who watched the guests curiously. Luna took a seat at the opposite head of the table, and the aliens sat where there was space. Tali took a seat apart from the rest, and looked out over the group.
“Alright everyone,” she began. “Since quarians are not a council race, I have been appointed to preside over these talks. First we will go around the table and introduce ourselves. I shall go first: I am Tali’Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya, Admiral of the quarian fleet.”
“I’m Admiral Steven Hackett of the human Systems Alliance,” Hackett said next.
“I am Adrien Victus, Primarch of Palaven and dignitary for the turian people.”
“I am Matriarch Lidanya of the asari.”
“I am Jedin Polban, representing the salarians.”
“I am Princess Celestia of Equestria.”
“I am Princess Luna of Equestria.”
“I am Senator Proudwing of Gryphonia.”
“I am President Malkia of Zebrica.”
“… I am Erebus of the changelings…”
All eyes now turned to the form of the geth sitting at the end of the table. He looked around, and stood up.
“We are Legion, a terminal of the geth,” he introduced. Now that introductions were out of the way, all eyes returned to Tali.
“Alright, now we shall begin with a simple declaration of peace between our peoples…”
Foster was angry. It was not often that the doctor allowed his emotions to govern his actions, but the information he had just learned had been rather surprising. Taking his fist off of the now-cracked glass of the hologram table in his facility’s control room, the man looked back at the technician who had delivered the news. The tech was staring at his superior, eyes wide in fear.
“… You’re certain?” Foster growled, his teeth clenched.
“Yes, sir,” the tech replied. “It took some time, given the quality of our scanners, but there are ships in orbit, and they are transmitting Alliance, turian, asari, and salarian IFFs.”
“How did they find this place!?” Foster yelled angrily, looking at the hologram of Equis, around which were several ships.
“It’s still unclear, but that Alliance ship that crashed here a few days ago is most likely what led them here,” the tech said. “There are no comm buoys in the area, but if that ship had a QEC they still could have sent word out.” Foster sighed to calm himself down, and shook his head.
“Regardless of how it happened, this is going to make our plans far more difficult,” he decided. “We need to work quickly. What is the status on deployment of the devices?”
“Almost all of them have been set up, sir, we’re just waiting on—“
“Perfect. Activate them.”
“Sir?” the tech asked, raising an eyebrow. “There is still much work to do, we haven’t even calibrated—“
“Do it!” Foster shouted, startling the technician. “We do not have time for this! The Illusive Man needs an army, and that is what we are here to get! That is the only reason we are on this primitive planet! We cannot let the presence of our enemies jeopardize the mission! It’s too important…”
“Yes, sir,” the tech said, nodding. “I apologize… I will activate them at once.” The tech turned and exited the control room, leaving Foster to brood over the situation… Cerberus had not expected anyone – least of all the Alliance – to find out about Equis. The only being in the galaxy that knew was the Legion geth, and the only reason Cerberus knew was because of the Reaper that had interfaced with it. This explained how the Reaper had come to this world, but not the Alliance.
As Foster continued to think over the situation, an idea came to him. An evil smile graced his lips as he pressed the button for the armory intercom.
“Commander…” he began. “Get me a list of all ponies currently living in Gryphonia… I have... plans for them.”
Tali stepped out onto the balcony of her castle guest room, looking out at the sun setting over Equestria. Even though she had experienced many sunsets, this one only confused her. How a single being was able to move something so massive she could not even begin to understand.
The negotiations had lasted through all of the day, with only two breaks for lunch and dinner. Finally, less than an hour ago, they had decided to adjourn the meeting until tomorrow. Progress had been good; peace declarations had been created, and a number of resources were given to the races of Equis, with the intention of educating them on the specifics of the galactic community.
A knock sounded on the door, breaking Tali from her reverie. She turned around, but did not exit the balcony.
“Come in!” she called. The door opened, and Admiral Hackett stepped inside. The human crossed over to Tali, joining her on the balcony. They looked out over Equestria in silence for a moment, before finally he spoke.
“Miss Zorah, I—“
“Please, Tali is fine.”
“Tali, we have something to talk about,” Hackett began. Tali turned her head to him, confused. “I’m aware of your relationship with Commander Shepard… I just wanted to let you know that I do have people looking.” Tali did not answer. She turned her head away from the admiral, and sadly stared out over the landscape.
“But… the damage to the Citadel is extensive,” he continued. “The Presidium is almost entirely gone… Most of what’s left fell to Earth… I’m holding out hope, and I’ll continue to allocate manpower as it becomes available, but…”
“But the odds are slim, I know…” Tali finished. “I’m holding out hope too… John is a fighter, he won’t go down easy…”
“If people didn’t view him as a hero before the Reapers, they will now,” the admiral said. “When someone is thrust on a pedestal that high… Shepard is lucky to have you. And if we find him, I’ll make sure you’re the first person he sees.”
“Thank you, admiral…”
“I should get back to work,” Hackett said, taking a step back. “There’s a lot to get done before we resume tomorrow. Have a good night, Tali.” Tali continued looking ahead as Hackett exited the room, leaving her alone once again. By now the sun had dipped completely below the horizon, and light from the moon was beginning to shine. A soft breeze blew past the mountain, and Tali wished she could feel it on her uncovered face. The last time she had gone without her mask had been with Shepard… Tali looked up to the stars of this alien world, trying to look for any familiar constellations. Unsurprisingly she found none. Where are you, Shepard? She thought as she took in the view. I told you to come back to me… Where are you?
Princess Luna stood on her bedroom balcony, her sister at her side, and looked out over the kingdom of Equestria. Lights were on all over the mountain city, causing it to shine like a beacon in the otherwise darkened world. Looking around at the rest of the castle below her, Luna’s eyes caught movement on a lower balcony. She saw the familiar purple hood of Tali’Zorah just as she disappeared back into the guest room provided for her.
“The night looks beautiful, Luna,” Celestia noted.
“Well I figured I should make a good first impression on our new friends,” Luna said with a smirk. “But thank you. Do you think things went well?”
“Very well, considering that we are dealing with an alien civilization thousands of years more advanced than us,” Celestia answered. “And the dignitaries seem very friendly. I like that Admiral Hackett, and Primarch Victus seems to be very honorable. I spoke with Matriarch Lidanya a bit after dinner, she told me stories about her childhood and growing up in the galactic community. Did you know asari live for a thousand years? We still appear to be the oldest beings in the galaxy, but still.”
“Yes, she told me as we were talking at lunch,” Luna nodded. “What of this ‘Jedin Polban’? He did not speak much during the negotiations, and I did not see him at all after the two meals. According to the guards he simply retired to his guest room.”
“I didn’t get the opportunity to speak to him either…” Celestia said. “He seems very secretive. Perhaps we should ask one of the others about him?”
“We can tomorrow before the negotiations resume,” Luna agreed. “But enough about the events of today. Has Twilight Sparkle been in contact with you at all?”
“No, she has not,” the solar princess replied. “She seems to be fully committed to getting her book completed as soon as possible. I commend her for the effort… I just hope she doesn’t exhaust herself too much.”
“She will pull through,” Luna said assuredly. “She always has. And what of Cadance? Has she written you at all?”
“Indeed, her address to our ponies is nearly complete… Time will tell how they will react, but I have faith in our subjects.”
“As do I… This whole process had gone very smoothly so far…” Luna observed. “Usually by now some ancient foe that we vanquished millennia ago would have appeared.”
“Let’s not get too confident now, sister…” Celestia said, laughing gently. “There is still much to accomplish.” The two continued staring out over their kingdom, neither one speaking. Finally Celestia stretched her wings, and stepped back from the balcony.
“I take my leave,” she said. “Goodnight, Luna. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, ‘Tia,” Luna replied. “Sleep well.” The door to Luna’s bedchamber opened and closed as Celestia left, and Luna sighed. Then, extending her wings, she dove from the balcony and soared into the sky, once again entering her Dreamscape…
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Cerberus! *shakes fist*
"Assuming direct control" huh ? Where have I heard that befor...
.)
)
Oh. Oh crap...
Let's hope it's not who I think it is.
(Even if I would like to see Pinkie befriend him of all people
Also , this story need Krogans and Rachnis ... The first one because everything is better with Krogans , the second because these guys are cool (and because every authors tend to forget them... poor Rachni Queen.
There is a typo. But I lost it...
found it!
Will Sherpard be dead in this fic, or...?
media.moddb.com/images/groups/1/3/2632/2089_217021105096088_467737751_n.jpg
Oh god....
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encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6m4VjN3kkLr8pIWi96gOLrolB_tLUFjiqU-xfQpCMiAFRTHiSGw
fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/082/3/e/mass_effect__harbinger_by_ian_coast-d4tnfla.jpg
LEGION, DON'T YOU DARE....!
5949081 I'm thinking that's more of a direct interface protocol more than a reaper only dialogue. However if it is Harbenger, then it's heavily modified with Legions actions and memories. He'll still turn out good in the end, with Twilight and the magic of friendship.
Also Cerberus better be careful, Rushing their agenda is going to severely Fuck them over, Especially if they get princess Sun-Butt involved early on.
Okay now the Cerberus guys are being very stupid. If those ships are there and you're not getting word from your boss. Then the war is over and you're fighting for nothing. I'm really looking forward to seeing this guy die along with the whole group of Cerberus punks.
I assume this should be "is operational."
I like this story alot, but Im not really an expert on Mass Effect. That being said, why wasn't an Elcor or Volus ambassador present at the meeting on this chapter.
5950036
They are not present, because they are not on the Council. And as 5949081 has already mentioned, the Krogan and the Rachni are absent as well. Actually, now I wonder how well the Rachni and the Changelings would get along. Just a stray thought. And another, where are the Bufflo and the Minotaur? I would mention the Centaur and the Gargoyles, but they weren't introduced until the end of Season 4 with Tirek and Scorpan, and weren't confirmed to be full races (as opposed to on offs like Discord) until Tirek's solo comic.
There's no plausible explanation that could be presented by the author which would explain this version of Legion being Harbinger, or any other Reaper. So, I'm guessing this is here just to be some feint-foo. *shrugs*
As far as Cerberus goes... aren't they largely scientists? One would think they wouldn't be stupid enough to go ahead with something without calibrati-- DAMMIT GARRUS.
...Without calibrating it to the fullest extent.
........aw man, I hate when there's so many threats waiting in the wings.
You deserve more than one hundred followers. This story is great. On another note, it appears that Legion lacks the reaper code. Does it means he is no longer a true living being?
Also, did you choose to use the destruction ending in Mass Effect because it hints that Shepard may have survived? Or are they more reasons?
5952282
Legion lacks the Reaper code because this "version" of Legion was made before the geth were upgraded. As such, he lacks all knowledge of what occurred following the events of A Thousand Voices. There are more reasons to my choice of the destroy ending than just Shepard, but they will be revealed later on.
5950434 Remember. these are the same scientists that did not account for the Thorian ever dying and losing control of the creepers. as well as plugging in autistic man, who really did not like things being too loud, into the geth consensus. As well as studying a "dead" reaper without shielding themselves.
I get the feeling if Celestia and Javik ever meet, strong words, and perhaps some biotics/magic, might be thrown about.
That "Asuming direct controll" emotion bait from Legion.
Also I just remembered that the ponies actually call their planet "Earth" in hearth warming eve episode. Pinkie (as Chanselor Puddinghead) said; "The Earth is round, there is no upp or down." That sentence at least very strongly implies it. But due to it being Pinkie saying it it can't be used as irrefutable evidence.
Well, there was something about Legion was researching Organic's humour, so it might have been effect if it.
And I am still angry at you for EDI.
Ps. I WAS RIGHT!! Hi did save his backup on that drive.
Need should be needed.
Really enjoying this so far, looking forward to the rest of this chapter and the release of the next.
Yes, I skipped to the comments before finishing to point out a typo, don't judge me
Also, a lot of the things concerning relays in these stories, both this and Thousand Voices seems a little... sketchy to me. There's no way that they could have jumped from the Charon relay directly to the Equis relay, since primary relays have set pairs. I'm curious as to whether this is simply a mistake or you had to go against canon to facilitate the story.
Holy crap you got the gender and the name of my sheperd ! It made me
in class!
It would be amusing if Shepard somehow showed up in the nick if time to kick these bad guys' asses and scare the shit out of them.
Was he trolling Tali? lol
Do anyone has by chance found out how the Prothean v.i. could detect indoctrination?
Really needed in the near future...
11106664
My money is on brainwave patterns It's the only thing that makes sense There might be some distinct Pattern that comes with indoctrination.
If this story proceeds with the same intensity as 'A Thousand Voices' then I feel my reaction to the quote is appropriate.
https://youtu.be/V8_V8XxQaDo