SfS-1

==Salvaging from StrifeChapter 1==
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===Troubles with Humans===
3080
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The mandatory patrol on the Presidium had started so well, Officer Garrus mused. Five hours in, the most exciting thing the turian and his partner had investigated was a human monk trying (and failing) to convert a Krogan to their cargo cult. And now, a human Mech the size of a small house was standing in the middle of the plaza, loudspeakers blaring some political slogan understandable only to its own species.
Again.
His asari partner, Sela, standing on the other side of the blue Mech, opened a comms channel to him. "Special Response is on the way. Central wants us to observe the situation and remove the disturbance if possible."
Garrus grunted thoughtfully. "Well, technically, it's a vehicle in a pedestrian area. We could just impound it."
Both silently observed the bipedal machine looming above them, which was now launching into a rehearsed speech about some human princess and gesticulating wildly with vaguely turian-looking arms. By now, it had attracted a steadily growing audience, kept at a safe distance by the few C-Sec officers in the area. News drones flitted above, taking in the rare sight.
"Database says it's a Griffin-Type, registered to the human embassy over there. Probably has diplomatic immunity as well. Pilot answer your hails yet, Garrus?"
"No. At least he's not stomping around. Hold on, tabloid coming my way."
An asari maiden trailed by a news drone had just shoved her way through the crowd in front of him. She flashed a cheerful smile at him and began speaking immediately.
"Citadel News Channel, just need a few answers for our darling viewers back home, Officer. It has been twenty-six years since humans have arrived on the Citadel. What is your opinion of them?"
"No comment." Garrus replied instinctively. He had no desire to be chewed out by Executor Pallin for speaking his mind.
"Is C-Sec prepared for BattleMech rampages?"
"We are prepared for the possibility and will ensure the Citadel's security." The executor had threatened to shift him to Accounting after the last stunt he had pulled.
"This is not the first time BattleMechs have ignored Citadel law. Do you feel the human warriors consider themselves better than C-Sec?"
"No comment." Special Response had to include a PR specialist. He just had to hold out.
"Human priests claim that their pre-Contact technology is holy. Do you think their superstitions are preventing integration with other races?"
"No comment." No matter how stupid the reporter was.
"Many feel that humanity's government, the anarchistic theocracy calling itself the Star League, is ineffective and unstable. What is C-Sec's position on the Star League?"
"No comment." Maybe he should punch her.
The reporter pouted briefly before spinning to her news drone with a beaming grin. "Well, it seems the Citadel's finest are keeping their secrets close to their chests! Hardly surprising, considering just how unpredictable and dangerous humans are. In just a few decades, human BattleMechs have completely changed the Terminus Systems. For many on the Citadel, this is the first time they have seen one in action. Let's hear their impressions." She shifted her attention to a nearby salarian, who eagerly began extolling the Griffin's battlefield capabilities.
Garrus sighed and turned back towards the crowd, noticing a worrying detail. The Mech was clearly involved in some internal dispute of the humans. The problem was, he couldn't see any of them among the crowd. He was about to call Central when an alert sounded in his ear.
"All officers, be warned." The normally stoic dispatcher sounded alarmed. "Emergency declared. Multiple unidentified Mechs just emerged from cargo shuttles onto Presidium Ring. BattleMech class. Hold on. More BattleMech signatures reported on Presidium Ring, origin unknown. At least two groups identified converging on Lyran embassy. C-Sec Battlemechs inbound, ETA ten minutes. I repeat-" The voice cut off abruptly. Garrus' HUD helpfully displayed an "Active ECM" warning.
Confused voices broke out among the onlookers as they noticed the jamming. Confusion quickly became panic when sirens around the plaza began to howl. The crowd began to disperse, seeking shelter in the buildings around the plaza. Garrus himself followed suit, shepherding nearby civilians ahead of him into a hotel lobby. Over his short-range comms, he could hear Sela and the other officers doing the same.
Within moments, the plaza was deserted. Garrus found himself alone behind the thin lobby wall, feeling the ground shudder under his feet. Carefully, he peered through a window. The Griffin stood alone in the center of the plaza, still and imposing. His own pistol seemed pathetic in comprise. His eyes wandered left, towards the gaudily decorated human embassy he had seen Sela entering.
"Sela," he spoke into his comms, "status."
"The embassy's not being very helpful," his partner reported tersely. "Griffin's apparently here to protect them from a terrorist attack. They want a statement from me denouncing a prince."
"The humans must think us fools."
"I agree. I told them to- Goddess preserve us, Garrus, to your right!"
Four more BattleMechs in matching blue colors had emerged from around a corner and were marching in formation towards the Griffin. Even for Garrus, it was easy to identify the leading Mech as a Hatchetman. After all, few designs were crazy enough to wield an actual axe. The four titans strode across the plaza, heedless of what their feet crushed as they advanced.
Another four Mechs thundered into view around the plaza, encircling the scene. The Hatchetman and its companions halted, spinning their weapons towards the newcomers. Picking up an unencrypted broadcast, Garrus hastily tuned in to a heated exchange of words. Words including "treason", "hostile" and "surrender". Perhaps he ought to have paid more attention to Terran politics.
The Griffin acted first. A blinding beam of energy shot out from its right arm, striking the Hatchetman in the torso. The plaza burst into motion as all nine Mechs let loose and began maneuvering, unleashing and weathering a torrent of destruction. Missed shots from four hundred tons of war machine tore gaping wounds into buildings with reckless abandon.
Garrus backed hurriedly away from the window. He was twenty metres away from the wall when the ceiling collapsed. The Griffin plummeted through the rubble at an angle, hot plumes of exhaust setting the lobby on fire. A small part of Garrus' mind suggested the pilot had forgotten the Presidium's rotation while jumping, the rest screamed at him to keep retreating. The Mech slammed into the floor and staggered, visibly struggling to maintain balance. It failed, a deafening barrage from an unseen foe outside destroying what was left of the hotel wall and knocking the Griffin onto its back.
The Hatchetman surged out of the debris cloud with swift strides, axe raised high for a killing blow. The first strike crushed the Griffin's upraised left arm, the second the right arm. The third sunk with a deafening squeal into the head.
Victorious, the Mech wrenched its weapon out of the vanquished foe before turning and reentering the fray. Unnoticed or ignored by it, a turian officer stood up from where he had nearly been crushed by the fallen Mech. As he limped away from the Griffin, Garrus decided he was requisitioning a rocket launcher, no matter what Executor Pallin said.
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===Aftermath of Violence===
Two Days Later
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"ComStar's official statement," Precentor Udina recited as he stood alone in the Council chamber, "is that the Presidium riots should be treated as an internal affair of the Star League. The Federated Commonwealth Ambassador declared Katrina Steiner-Davion as Archon-Princess of the Federated Commonwealth. Embassy guards loyal to Victor Steiner-Davion rallied under General Cox and revolted in response. In the confusion, multiple parties acted independently and without approval from their rulers or contractors. ComStar condemns the outbreak of needless violence and recognizes that Citadel Security Services acted legally in their role as peacekeepers to enforce order. All mercenaries involved are now under review by the Mercenary Review Board, and a committee is being formed to coordinate further action."
The turian councillor Sparatus leaned forwards. "Precenter Udina," he growled, "more than fifty civilians are dead. C-Sec is still hunting down Urbanmechs in the Wards. We want answers."
"I cannot give any, councillor," Precenter Udina shot back, "Neither ComStar nor the MRB is responsible for the actions of renegade mercenaries, and Star League forces are already cooperating according to the terms of the Treaty of Shensi. The embassies are waiting for the official statements from the Star League Council and the IlKhan." As though we do not know what they will say. "As I have already told you, the dispute between Victor and Katrina Steiner-Davion is an internal matter. The rest of the Star League has declared neutrality, and the conflict will remain restricted to Federated Commonwealth space in the Inner Sphere."
"FedCom forces were not the only major combatants," Valern, the salarian councillor interrupted, "C-Sec reported ComStar Mechs firing on the Lyran embassy. ComStar claims neutrality, explain."
Udina did not bother hiding his disappointment. The followers of Blake are supposed to be beyond the petty struggles of the Great Houses. But there will always be weakness, even amongst the most devout. "The 501st​ Division stationed on the Citadel is committed to upholding the Will of Blake, councilors. Unfortunately, some elements… have wavered in their faith and now support the Hero of Elysium. The wayward souls have been cast out, and now follow General Cox. They are his responsibility now."
"Convenient," the turian grumbled, "and the Clans?"
Being fools again. "Our Clan liaison reports a number of Clans were insulted C-Sec rejected their offers of assistance. The Clans fought each other and C-Sec to prove their honour and strength. Escalation occurred due to… cultural misunderstandings. The Clans have agreed to the ceasefire, and their honour will hold them to it until negotiations are finished. ComStar is, of course, arbitrating between C-Sec and the Clan enclave as a neutral party."
In the brief silence that followed, the Council eyed each other. Perhaps they regret permitting even a single Battlemech on the Citadel. This time, it was the asari councillor Tevos who spoke. "Precentor Udina, the Council has kept a close eye on the Star League since First Contact. You were granted the position of ambassador under the assumption that ComStar, and the Star League you are part of, could govern your people. The unrest in both your home territories and elsewhere raises serious concerns about your authority, and recent events have only brought that further into question."
"Your point, councilor?"
Sparatus replied. "The Citadel is taking steps to guarantee the safety of Citadel space from human threats, whether Star League or not. If the Star League cannot fulfill its part of the Treaty of Shensi, then the Citadel will not be bound by its terms either."
So that is how it is today. Similar warnings had been made before, but they were mostly empty threats. The aliens feared a breakdown in diplomacy perhaps more than even ComStar. He would have to compromise irregardless, make concessions, grovel and barter more of mankind's destiny away. If the Council rejected Comstar, if they chose to turn to the Great Houses or, Blake forbid, the Clans, then Blake's dream would be lost. The Star League was a shadow of what it had been, what it could have been. Humanity needed the guidance of ComStar, and so sacrifices had to be made.
Precentor Udina, representative of ComStar, Star League and all mankind, bowed stiffly to the three equals before him. Clenching his fists tightly against his robes, he forced himself to speak calmly, to begin yet another round of negotiations for the fate of humanity.
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The moment the three councilors were alone, Sparatus sagged into his seat. "That was frustrating."
Valern nodded in agreement. "It certainly reminded me far too much of my last meeting with the batarian ambassador."
"The batarians are easier. At least they only have one government. Still," Tevos rubbed her own forehead wearily, "some good may come out of this mess. Any further information on the war, Valern?"
"Nothing new. I suppose," Valern mused, "the comm buoy network in the Inner Sphere is still in disarray. Unless the factions come to an agreement, use of FTL comms is likely to remain restricted. It will take time for intelligence to arrive through couriers or ComStar. No battles near the mass relays for now."
"That will change." Sparatus pronounced with gloomy certainty.
"Perhaps," Valern conceded, "STG did report widespread mobilization across human space before communications collapsed. Analysts believe fighting will spread, including to the colonies in the Attican Traverse and Terminus Systems."
"Goddess, the galaxy hasn't seen anything on this scale since the Krogan Rebellions."
"Contingency plans are still available, Tevos." Sparatus offered.
"No, I will not repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. The genophage stopped the krogans, but the cost was too great. We destroyed an entire species, wiped out an entire civilization. If we begin sending SPECTREs and fleets to neuter the humans, there will be no chance of peace. The destruction will only end with the collapse of human civilization, and perhaps not even then."
"We may not have a choice, in the end. You know as well as I do how far they will go to win."
"Shensi died because they didn't understand, Sparatus. Because turians terrified them to the point of desperation. One destroyed mass relay is enough. I will not risk plunging us into a darkness we cannot escape just to protect ourselves. Human history has taught me that much. The asari will continue guiding the Star League peacefully for now. In time, humanity will integrate into galactic society. Besides, how much damage can one civil war do anyway?"
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===Records of First Contact===
Excerpt from Turning Points of Civilizations: Shensi CrisisReleased 3060 by Thessia Publishing:
First contact between Terrans and the rest of the galaxy occurred in [late 3050]. A Turian exploration fleet was granted permission to survey a newly identified relay cluster. […] As per standard procedure for dormant clusters, the secondary relays were activated individually to minimize risk. Initial probes were sent through the first activated relay after two weeks, to avoid collision with debris around the exit point, but failed to return. After a probe finally reported safe conditions at the exit point, Turian ships spotted Terran ships in close proximity to the mass relay, both landing shuttles on the Prothean relic and responding with apparent hostile intent to the newcomers. As tampering with mass relays was forbidden by Citadel laws, the turians opened fire.
The turians initially identified the densely inhabited world Shensi in the system as the homeworld of the new species, which was besieged and occupied by a rapidly mustered Turian Expeditionary Force. The turians initially considered this a routine pacification of a hostile species, but quickly found themselves bogged into a planetwide conflict with foes possessing advanced military technology in the form of compact energy weapons and battlemechs, albeit lacking meaningful FTL capabilities. […]
[According to official ComStar records,] the SLDF mobilized rapidly around Terra in response to the turian incursion. Due to a lack of knowledge regarding Prothean relics, Terran analysts incorrectly concluded that the Shensi Relay was a Turian logistics station and thus a valid military target. Two months after first contact, the SLDF 1st​ Fleet under Precentor Williams exited FTL a short distance from the relay. Turian fleet elements scattered through the system rapidly converged on the 1st​ Fleet, inflicting severe losses on the slow and short-ranged Terran ships. […]
Expecting the foe to transit through the Shensi Relay, the Turians were surprised and out of position when 1st​ Fleet began attacking the relay. […] The relay suffered crippling damage, losing containment on its Eezo core and releasing an energy shockwave comparable to a nova. There were no survivors from 1st​ Fleet. The majority of the Turian fleet was destroyed defending the relay, with only a few squadrons escaping the system via FTL. The planet Shensi was rendered inhospitable to life, with near total loss of the population (estimated at nearly half a billion) and Turian occupation force. […]
The corresponding secondary relay connection shut down instantly when the Shensi relay was damaged, leaving Turian High Command alarmed and in the dark. Only when the remnants of the Turian Expeditionary Force under command of General Victus returned after days of FTL travel, did the galaxy learn of the scale of the disaster. For the first and only time in known galactic history, a mass relay had been destroyed.
Fearing the loss of further relays, the Citadel intervened and enforced an immediate withdrawal of military forces and beginning of negotiations. For the Terrans, first contact with a hostile race caused major upheaval in their society, and was a major factor in reuniting disparate factions of the Star League after centuries of strife, with the isolationist Clanner faction notably re-entering mainstream politics after more than 200 years. The Treaty of Shensi was signed [13 August 3054] in orbit around the ruined world aboard the Destiny Ascension.
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