RR

IHateGenericCereal: I will get to the wider galaxy next chapter. Plan on revisiting the Turian military academy. Cheers for the review.

Watcher123: Yup you have it. I was going to actually have the TP panic buying feature, but nah, want to have just a little bit of seriousness in this story arc, although I've just written that and bloody hell people panic bought TP for a real-world crisis.

Elerathe: I plan on changing eezo a little to give it more explanation than "space magic".

BlackMagic99: Nope, just a ship full of sick people.

Shaihulud: Thanks for the review, also how can I not add the references? I love/hate coming in from a few weeks away out living in the middle of nowhere and finding out what new craze is going on. I still think the mass panic buying of TP was my favourite.

/.../

Shepard returns from her visit to the toilet with a slightly more upbeat demeanour, what changed in the Human Tevos does not know, but either way, that is not important. What is important right now is that the Human can tell a good story when she is back among her own people, something that can make those who listen to her stories think 'wow' or at least gain a little bit of curiosity. In actuality, Tevos knows that what this Human sees now can define the difficulty of future relations, because this is the first time a Human will see any Asari Culture, and if it likes what it sees, then hopefully it will talk and spread a good message, making her a walking advert for the Citadel species. This will be the event that provides Humanity with their fist impressions of Asari culture, meaning its importance can not be understated. Sure, Tevos knows that it is vital to winning over a species governing body, and they are doing that right now through the more official talks being held elsewhere on the Destiny. Still, she likewise knows its equally important, if not more so to win over the people.

When the Human was away, Tevos and the ship's Captain had time to consider; they wondered between themselves as to what they wanted to show the Human. Tevos wanted to show some aspects of Asari Culture; she wanted to show her the art of Laryissa, the sculptures of Nyreen and the sports that air on prime TV. The ships Captain, on the other hand, had differing ideas, the Human is a known front line soldier, and thinking about a typical front line soldier in the galaxy, it will be a creature in chase of excitement. Typically, this job of showing off Asari culture would have been left to the first contact experts, where a plan is most likely already set in stone, but as the soldier was not expected, the experts were not ready. After some light discussion between Councillor and Captain, it was agreed that the two would take the Human to the Sports Halls. Due to the crew of 10,000, the Sports Halls on the Destiny are well stocked and can accommodate most known Asari sports, even high contact sports such as Slam.

Before setting off to the Sports Halls, the Human asked if she could 'record' the days' activities, and with no real concerns raised by the Captain as the tour was not going to go to any sensitive parts of the ship, permission was quickly given. In part, permission was given so easily because Tevos wanted the Human to have something to take back to her own people on top of stories, but it was also permitted as Humanity allowed the ground team to record when on their homeworld freely. Granted, the Destiny is a warship meaning different rules will apply for recording equipment, but she is a well documented and photographed ship at that. Instead of doing something expected such as pulling out some sort of recording device, or powering up something equivalent to an omni-tool, the Human just blinks her eyes, resulting in a slight blue glow around the Human's green iris's. It is a little unsettling to Tevos at first, but thinking on it, she has seen the scan of the Human and knows to what extreme degree it has been augmented.

The shortest route to the sports hall is through the Botanical Gardens of Thessia, a large room dedicated to relaxation, and as the name suggests, the room has a garden that is tendered to a high standard by the vessels gardening club. As the Captain explains the importance of the room for the crews mental well being, Tevos can tell by the Humans eyes that it is more interested in the plants and its surroundings than the explanation, so the simple question is raised, asking if the Human is into gardening. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on who you asked, the Human admits that it is, which results in a good half hour of simply exploring the plants in the garden. Tevos, having her own extensive garden at her estate on Thessia and her home on the Citadel was often the one who explained the flowers, knowing from her own experience what they were.

As the Human happily investigates some Thespian flowers, it occurs to Tevos that as a collective, the Council do not really know what is important to Humans yet. It is evident that wildlife is high on the list; otherwise, they probably would not have been so keen to show them off when the ground team went to their world, but other than that, what do these Humans really care about? This one has an apparent interest in botany, is this shared among many other humans? Should Tevos and the Captain just spend the rest of the tour in this one single room? Or is this Human a false representation of Humanity? The sad truth is the fact that no one on the Destiny knows, or could even hypothesis, Humanity simply still has too many unknowns.

After a while, the Human breaks away from the plants and apologises, mentioning that she could have stayed all day, but understands that time is of a limiting factor so they should probably move on. While the Captain was not too pleased the Human shares the same interest in flowers as the Councillor, the time spent flower watching did allow her to ensure some sports are being played in the sports halls.

Getting into the sports halls the Captain is pleased to see that a round of Slam is just about to begin, with Slam being a high contact sport that makes big credits in Asari space. Some Slam athletes can earn as much as 10 million credits in just one season, which bewilders most; however, the athletes can often receive nasty life-lasting injuries such as broken bones that result in paralysis and fractured skulls. The aim of the game is to secure a flag in the middle of the pitch, and return it to your own 'home base' but as three teams are in play at any one time, it can create some fascinating games that suck in viewers. The three teams playing today are from the Engineering department, the Essential department and the Commandos. Typically, the Commandos are the far more powerful biotics and have the upper hand in any game they play. In a 1v1 the Commandos would win against any other department on the ship, however, as three teams play on the same triangular pitch and at the same time, often an uneasy alliance can be found in the first few rounds, pitching the two other teams against the Commandos.

In the game, biotics can be used to hurl people around the pitch, or if close enough, a form of hand to hand can be used to slam someone to the ground. It is all, Tevos must admit, very exciting, with something going on at all times, be it a show of biotic strength or deceit and sly tactics from a certain team, and it is for this reason it has become one of the largest games within Asari space.

Before the game starts, Tevos takes a seat with the Captain and Human at the back of some stands, and then when they are sat someone brings over a nutty snack and a drink of some sort. When handed the beverage, the Human makes some comment regarding that this is a familiar scene before getting what Tevos recognises to be a 'mobile' out to scan the drink and food. After a very Asari looking shrug, the Human begins to nibble away at the nuts and sip at the drink supplied, which Tevos notes is alcoholic.

When the game begins after a quick and basic description of the rules by Tevos, the Councillor watches the Human with interest, looking for her reaction. At first, Tevos notices the Human looks interested in what is going on, then something happens which confirms to Tevos with absolute certainty the Humans are unaware of biotics. The Human begins questioning the blue light, at first the Human says simple things like "Eh," or "Just... what?" and even, "How?" There is also a fair amount said in her native tongue that is lost on Tevos.

The response from Tevos is simple, "Yes?" It is a basic question, asking the Human to expand on her confusion.

To which the Human simply replies, "The blue luminescence."

It is clear what the Human means, so Tevos tries to clarify as much as she can with the Prothean translator, but she knows it will be futile to try and explain the physics. The Humans response to this explanation puzzles Tevos a little, it was something to do with eggs, meaning Tevos can only assume it is a colloquialism. Colloquialisms are some of the hardest things to understand in different languages and cultures because to understand the message, you must first understand what the saying is referencing.

After 20 minutes or so, the trio moves on, and explore the rest of the sports halls where the Human gets to see some martial arts, racket sports, and feats of athletics. In the last sports hall they visit, the Human gets a whiff of some food being eaten a small distance away and comments that it smells particularly pleasant. With an idea in mind, the Councillor raises the idea of revisiting the food hall where the Human could try a few different types of food found in Asari culture, and the Human readily accepts.

When halfway through a small dish of food the Human compared to a Martian slowfry, the Humans asks a simple question, but an important one at that. "So, do we look like you, or do you look like us?" The language is not so clear, but her meaning and intent are apparent.

Tevos takes the diplomatic approach, "We look like each other."

The Human finishes her mouthful before gesturing for Tevos's hand. When her hand is in the Humans, the Human stretches it out before placing her palm to Tevos's palm. "Five fingers, knuckles, fingernails. It seems odd we evolve on different planets, yet, we are so similar."

Tevos takes a second to think, but she does not pull her hand away. Eventually, she says, "There are many species that look like us. 2 legs, 2 arms, 4 or more fingers, 2 eyes. There is a theory that we all have some sort of common ancestor, but what is exclusive to your race is your hundreds of strands and diversity." More than a few words need to be expanded and explained for the Human to understand her response.

Eventually, the Human asks, "None have hair?" She pulls her hand through her green hair as she asks this as if to exaggerate her own hair.

"None." Replies Tevos, "My own people are inquisitive as to how it feels, does it feel like the hair of the dogs we met? What colours can it be, and what is it used for?"

This seems to cause a chuckle in the green-haired Human, "Well, it's mostly for heat insulation, natural hair colours are red, brown and blonde. As to how it feels." The Human pulls its hair from behind its neck and to the front of its body, "How does it feel?" She then asks.

Tevos tentatively reaches a hand out to touch it, and after a couple of seconds, she has her answer, "Soft, considerably softer and smoother than the animal's hair."

The Human replies with a comment relating to conditioning hair, for whatever that means, before eventually asking about the other species. She asks all the questions a young child asks when finding out that they are not the lone species in the galaxy. Who is the oldest? Who is the most populated? How heavy is a Krogan? Do the other species have biotics? Can a Krogan wag their stumpy tail? All the usual questions.

Ultimately, the conversation comes to Tevos mentioning the Citadel, and when shown a picture on Captains omni-tool, the Human does not seem overly impressed, even less so when she finds out that the Asari did not make it themselves. Tevos can understand why the Human may not be too impressed, above Shepards own homeworld exists a ringworld far more extensive than the Citadel, and it is something they supposedly made. When asked how long it took to construct, Tevos is a little shocked when the Human says something related to 60 years, however, on second thoughts Tevos does not know how long a Prothean year is.

It is now that Tevos asks the simple question, why did the Humans build it? And once more with little more than a shrug, the Human says that to her species, Earth is their crown jewel, so they put a crown on it. Tevos understands that this answer is evasive, which means that there is more to it. Could Humans be suffering from overpopulation? Was it a station to showcase military and industrial might? Or, if they are anything like the Batarians, is it an Elysium for the rich and powerful? The Humans answer causes more questions than it answered. "Are their still nations?" Tevos asks to try and figure some things out.

"Da." The Human responds, before elaborating that she identifies as being from a remote part of Siberia where winter bites hard, and summer is just a myth.

Eventually, after talking about random aspects of each other's society for the better part of an hour and a half, Tevos receives a call from the diplomats, saying that the Human's are going to retire for the day. The Council diplomatic party offered their Human counterparts some accommodation on the Ascension, but they declined, preferring to return to their own vessel. In part, the diplomats did not expect the Humans to stay, they would want a place to go back and talk in assured privacy, and where they will find ensured and familiar comforts.

It was then proposed that if the diplomats don't want to stay, then why not ask the green-haired Human? This Shepard character so far seems to be more than willing to explore the new surroundings she finds herself in, so why not wine and dine her in the Ascensions Officers Mess? It is the Captain who asks her, and the offer is presented as one service personnel asking another into the Mess. While Tevos could ask the Human into the Mess being the Asari councillor, it would be frowned upon as she is not a Mess member paying into its funds.

This resulted in some discussion among the Humans, could they let a soldier mix so freely? A marine who is augmented with some of the finest war tech made? A soldier who was known a hundred years in the past as 'the butcher'? Eventually, it is settled that while unorthodox, and not planned for at all, it could provide greater insight into the Asari military mindset. With the simple order of "Don't make an ass of yourself, and don't be a dick." Blessing by the Human diplomats was given. If the diplomats know about the eezo poisoning, it is not clear to any of those representing the citadel species, in fact, the poisoning starts a small argument among people in the first contact teams, they argue as to if they should even tell the humans with pro's and con's presented on both sides of the argument. It is settled that unless the Humans mention it, the Citadel representatives will not bring it up. Right now, they do not need the Humans to know that they scanned them in detail, something which could be considered a serious breach of privacy.

As Tevos, the Captain and Shepard approach the Officers Mess onboard the Ascension, Tevos notes that the Human eyes have lost their glow, and when asked why, the Human makes a simple statement, saying "No Cameras in the Mess." It is a statement the Captain understands well, and agrees with. Cameras in the Mess often capture things that should stay in the Mess, and more than a few mess members have found themselves without a job because of what the camera's capture. The footage is never usually the problem, the issue is that often footage is spread outside the Mess and people who have zero involvement start to cry foul about things they do not understand.

When in the confines of the Ascensions Mess, the Captain offers both the Human and Tevos a tour of the small, but homely Mess, and both accept the tour, each having their own reasons for accepting. While Shepard is interested in what Silver and Property the Mess has, as this can tell her a lot about the story of the Asari Armed Forces, Tevos is more curious as to what history is hidden away in the ships officers accommodation.

Some things found in the Mess causes great confusion and disbelief in the Human, one particular item was a Tooth from a Threshermaw; and when explained what a Threshermaw is the Human does not believe it till shown a photo of the 'giant killer worm'. The tooth was secured by the ships commandos when they were attacked on a ground side training mission. The other items that held great interest to the Human involved the many paintings that decorate the Mess. Many of the artworks tell the tale battle, of either past ships that the Destiny Ascension took over from, or from the Destiny's own history. It is here that the Humans learn of the Rachni wars and the Krogan Rebellions, and if the stories are correct, then it occurs to Shepard that for the fleets and numbers involved, Humanity is a very small fish swimming in a very big pond. The final item which captures Shepard's interest is a partially decommissioned shotgun of a Krogan warlord during the rebellions, and a comment is made that a weapon of such a high calibre must be used for little more than intimidation. The Human soldier shows great interest in learning that the Krogan actively use such high calibre weapons to this day.

The rest of the Mess is what Shepard would call small and cosy, the dining hall while formal looking, is far more relaxed looking than a Human Mess, and the living rooms are comfortable looking, and one may actually believe it is designed for living in.

Getting to her room for the night the Human finds a few oddities, the first being that apparently Asari do not believe in pillows, and the second is that when Humans use red and blue to signify hot and cold, Asari use triangles and circles. There are many other little things the Human notices, but the main thing is that there is a bed along with a hot and cold tap.

When the Human is distracted exploring her room for the evening, Tevos is pulled aside by an aid which is quick to show her some scans they made of the humans in discrete. Each and every one of the Humans has traces of Eezo exposure, with the Human marine being the worst, it has active eezo absorbed in the metal grafted to its skeleton. This news wouldn't usually concern the Councillor, eezo can be found in most species; however, Humanity's blatant lack of biotic understanding and the deficit of eezo in their home system tells her that they do not know of Eezo. Tevos also knows that without an eezo drive creating an 'eezo bubble', a vessel travelling through a Relay would be exposed to extreme levels of Eezo radiation, to the point that no ship with life onboard would dare travel through a relay without an eezo drive for protection. Truthfully, it is surprising that the Humans are not showing symptoms of eezo poisoning. With Tevos's blessing, the medical corps on the Ascension begins devising plans on how to treat an unknown species from an unknown world with eezo poisoning. The medics are aided by the numerous scans taken while the Humans have been on board the Destiny, and the fact most of the medics have experience working with a mix of species.

/.../

UNSC Praetorian

The Praetorian's Captain looks at the monitor in front of him with a small frown, the fleet in front of him, while of great concern, they are also 'knowns' in that he knows who they report to, or who to blame when they do something stupid. What he does not like is the three Stealth Vessels that are watching in, the first Stealth Vessel the Captain understands to belong to the fleet hovering in nearby orbit, the other two, however, are of greater concern. The second ship is of a differing design to the known aliens, the ship is utterly dark in space and has an almost none-organic design to it, almost as if it was a design by an AI within the R&D departments in Sol. It is a curious thought that the Captain has pitched to his ships AI, but its analysis was that while his thoughts were interesting, it could not be proven. While this unknown vessel is an obvious Stealth Vessel, it does not really give the Captain the chills, it is small, and Ultron's sensors have failed to pick up any real weapon systems on it. Most likely, the Captain ponders, is that the thing will run if it feels threatened - its small size will in all likelihood allow it to easily outrun any Alliance vessel.

The third vessel is the real problem child, and it gives the Captain the chills, the cuttlefish looking vessel that has what appears to be five glowing 'eyes' was only spotted by Ultron because the President allowed a prototype gravity sensor to be deployed. The gravity sensor works by causing subtle ripple waves in gravity to spread through space and then observing how the waves react. When the device detected something on its scope, optical sensors were turned to its location, and when only a vague outline of something could be seen, one of Ultron's platforms was sent to have a peek. Since detection, the Cuttlefish ship has since done nothing. It has not changed its location or reacted to any fleet movements - which tells the Captain it is confident it is undetectable. With confidence, the Captain knows that arrogance often follows.

Hearing some footsteps approach the Captain looks up and notices his second in command is approaching, also known to the men on board as the 2IC. The 2IC only salutes the Captain once a day, usually in the morning, otherwise, he would be forever be saluting due to how often the two interact. When the 2IC is a few feet away he opens his mouth to say, "I think the radiation theory holds water." The Captain gives a single look that says carry on. "So, I've compiled a list of people who are sick, and their location on board when travelling through the alien device and I think I've found something; have a butchers at this." The 2IC places a sheet of printed paper in front of the Captain. On the sheet of paper, the 2IC has marked an outline of the Hull and the inner floor plan, then noted where all the sick were during transit through the alien device, "Notice anything?"

The first few floors have very few casualties to this radiation sickness, as do the last ten floors. After some reflection and thought the Captain says, "Floors 1-6 all have the same truth to them, they are all under thick armour that is designed to take direct shots. The midsection can only say it has enough armour to deflect shrapnel, and engineering has thick radiation shields. I guess the question now is what radiation have we been exposed to?"

"We only have wild guesses at the moment." The 2IC admits.

/.../

Ringworld 01

A young college student collapses onto his bed after returning from a simple shopping trip, feeling grateful that he returned unharmed. Since news of the aliens, life has turned upside down for himself and most others. In the last 24 hours, the mood has drastically changed, instead of being hesitant and wary, people are now angry, and their frustrations are being felt. Some are not happy because the government has sat on its haunches, and neglected its military, others are unhappy because some view the latest laws aimed at allowing a greater defence of Sol as just an excuse to limit freedoms. Confusingly, others oppose the vast military build-up, and others aren't happy simply because very little makes them happy. Either way, there seems to be more unhappy than happy, and the often violent protests are causing serious problems that the authorities are struggling to control. To the humour of the college student, he must laugh that some of the rioters think the aliens are made up, all in order for the government to elect stronger control measures on the public and re-enact rules similar to conscription. He laughs because he saw them, in the flesh, and he laughs because as mad as it seems, he also directed his telescope to their fleet when it was in orbit, and he believes that even with conscription, Humanity is doomed. Their fleet looked graceful in space as if they were native to the lack of atmosphere and travelling between stars; whereas human fleets look ugly and ready for a bruiser, these fleets look like the product of an artist. The rioters can riot as much as they want, but the aliens will win.

/.../

Cheers all!