Those who have been abandoned

The Bridge of the Admiral's Ship | Shala'Raan vas Tonbai

After a second, an image of a creature similar to the "engineer" appeared before me; it was not dressed in cloth but rather in old armour. Everything was the same: the mask, the limbs, etc. I didn't have time to get a better look at the Faceless One before he spoke.

- Greetings Shala'Raan. My name is Maximilian Theros, Commander in Chief of the Empire.

- Do you know my name? - The question was probably a question of clarification, for I knew in my heart that if we didn't see our kind as outsiders, they knew all about us.

- Yes, our spies provided me with information about you. I also apologize for infiltrating our people into your fleet, but it was necessary. - His lifeless voice was both frightening and comforting.

- And what was the reason for your "visit"? You have stirred up the entire fleet.

- Unfortunately, my purpose is great, so I can only tell you the essence privately. I can come aboard unaccompanied if you wish. - His words gave me a nervous chuckle; one of the races of men who build such ships deigns to come aboard alone. And the fleet ships are full of new arrivals from Terminus, so it's impossible to find them all. - Or if you wish, I can ferry you to my ship; I have that authority.

- I'll take you in, Max... Musk. - Oh, Kila, what a name!

- Legatus, you may call me Legatus.

- I beg your pardon, Legatus, I will receive you with an escort, but the other admirals will be with me. - It seemed my opponent froze for a few seconds but still said.

- The lord predicted it; yes, you can invite the other admirals to the negotiations; they are also important figures in your society, and their presence can help.

- So be it, how soon will you arrive? - Preparing for, one might say, contact is too important, and we need to bargain for time.

- My flagship will approach you in half an hour. My men on your ship will wait for me at the airlock. They won't be any trouble. Legatus, out. - the hologram disappeared, and the communicator returned to the hand of Geer, who bowed and left the bridge with his companions. Oh, Kila, what am I in for now!

Half an hour later | the hangar of the Quarian flagship

A shuttle of an unknown race flew majestically into the hangar. Its size was in keeping with the larger ships, and it was radically different from the shuttles of the Citadel. Sharper angles, more weapons, more armour, more size in the end. And now this huge thing was trying to get through without hitting anything in the hangar.

And here's the historic moment, the ramp comes down, and there's a couple of seconds before contact. In front of the ramp stands a rendezvous committee of Admiral Shaly'Raan and several squads of troopers. The rest of the place is occupied by ordinary Quarians, mostly young people curious about everything, and there's contact with a new race.

As soon as the ramp lowered, massive figures emerged from the ship's depths. The first to walk was most likely the Legatus himself, for his armour was covered in patterns of gold, behind him fluttered in the wind generated by the ship's engines, a scarlet cloak with a pattern of some bird, also adorned with gold. On the ambassador's belt was an ornate blade in a scabbard. From the amount of gold, one could assume that it indicated his position in the state, and the ambassador himself seemed certainly not the last.

Behind him followed two guards or warriors. Most likely, they were either guardsmen or personal guards, for in addition to the scarlet cloak, all their armour was covered with gold that even glowed. They held something like an ancient weapon or rather an ancient spear, and something told everyone that it was hardly a simple stick with a tip.

Behind the whole procession was ... a figure completely out of their style. A scarlet simple robe and nothing else. Just some PAPERS in his hands! A very strange race.

And so the two processions met. The arrivals were a head taller than any Quarian, which initially made communication somewhat awkward. So when the welcoming speeches and other formalities had been made, both delegations retired to a special room. The reason was unknown to the entire Nomadic society. Now, the meeting was being watched purely because of the new race.

One hour after arrival.

- Let's begin, admirals. - All the admirals of the Migratory Fleet and the mysterious ambassador were gathered around a round table. - First, let me introduce myself again; my name is Maximilian Theros, the supreme commander of the Imperial forces and the personal representative of the Emperor in this region. Secondly, He has sent me to discuss our cooperation and a specific proposal, which I will only tell you about at the end of the negotiations. And to reduce misunderstandings, I am prepared to answer your questions within reason.

- Then, allow us to introduce ourselves. - Shala'Raan took the floor. - You already know me, and to my left is the commander of the Heavy Fleet, Han'Gerrel.

The man in the reddish robes nodded briefly.

- To my right is the Admiral of the Civilian Fleet, Zaal'Koris.

Another man made a gesture of greeting.

- Unfortunately, the Admiral of the Science Fleet couldn't arrive yet, but she will also know anything we discuss. So what was the topic you wanted to discuss?

- If you don't mind, I'll start at the beginning. Our state is in uncharted territory for you, where exactly will remain a mystery to you. And only recently, we learned of your Space and of you. Your situation interested the Emperor, and he sent me to solve your crisis and help you. As far as we know, the other nations refused to help you after the conflict with the machines? - At these words, the matter crunched, from the strain, on the fists of the Heavy Fleet Admiral. - If you answer me if you are ready for a change in your life, to give up your old life, and to work on your future, then I will voice the Emperor's offer; no other is given.

After the ambassador's words, the admirals looked at each other uncertainly.

- We would like to discuss your mission with us, and we will give you an answer later. - Having obtained consent, they departed. After about a quarter of an hour, the board returned.

- Legate, - Han'Gerrel was the first to speak - You're right about our situation, we will not wiggle, the situation in the fleet is critical, the resource of ships is already running out, about the attitude to us in the inhabited galaxy, I'll say nothing. If your offer helps us regain our power, the Strike Fleet is with you.

- We have come to the conclusion," said Shala. - That our race is indeed a shadow of our former selves. We could use all our help, but what do you want from us? What do you have to offer?

- I'm glad you're willing to change your ways. And the Emperor's offer is as follows.

- The Great Emperor, seeing your plight, the indifference of your "allies," and the fact that the Empire is always hungry for new subjects, offers you, and specifically, the race known as the Quarian, to join the Empire as a full race and member of the Imperial Council. If you accept, your society in the Empire, because of your numbers, receives a segment with the types of planets appropriate to your race, access to the technical secrets of the Empire, and the opportunity to enter the service. If you refuse, this offer is revoked. Your race will permanently lose the opportunity to enter the Empire, add to the list of potential enemies, and read the document the ambassador gave him by the servant in the scarlet robe.

- I understand that this proposal should be considered, and you may have questions about the agreement, so I'm ready to hear you out.

While reading the document, the Admiral's eyes were like saucers in size. And still, after sitting a couple of minutes in a stupor. When they could more or less gather their thoughts, they pelted the ambassador with questions.

The Admiral of the Heavy Fleet - about the armed forces and their structure, and when he learned that the size of the Imperial War Fleet was five times larger than the entire fleet of their race and even ten times larger than the civilian fleet, he went into prostration.

Admiral of the Civilian - about the Empire's structure and the population's size.

The Admiral of the Patrol - just about everything.

The questioning went on for five hours, but you could see by their eyes that their consent was already in the hands of the Legatus. Everything from the structure of the cities to the types of flowers in the flower beds(formally) was discussed. The main one was the question of the old Quarian homeland. Han'Herrel insisted on destroying the synthetics and vehemently wanted to participate in the extermination operation. However, he received an ultimatum that he would only have access to combat operations once he brought all members of his race to their new habitat, he would not have access to combat operations. Afterwards, please.

On that note, the treaty was sealed. The admirals promised to bring back all the Quarians from the pilgrimage and collect them on the ships. The Legatus, on the other hand, promised to send ships to escort them to their destination. And as the parties were saying goodbye in the hangar, the Legatus conveyed that war had begun...