The Shadow of Old Transgressions (Homeworld/Mass Effect Crossover Quest)
- Thread starter Arcanestomper
- Start date
- Crossover Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- homeworld mass effect
- Location
- U.S.
[X]Let them be
The label may be different but they're definitely still the Council, better to not waste time on complacent politicians who'd rather stick their heads in the sand than admit that they may not be the big kids on block anymore.
The label may be different but they're definitely still the Council, better to not waste time on complacent politicians who'd rather stick their heads in the sand than admit that they may not be the big kids on block anymore.
- Pronouns
- He
[X]Let them be
-[X]Politely remind them before leaving that they've just been warned about a threat that's capable of taking down a Bentusi capital ship single-handedly.
-[X]Politely remind them before leaving that they've just been warned about a threat that's capable of taking down a Bentusi capital ship single-handedly.
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- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X]Let them be
[X]Leave with a stern warning
-[X]Let them be
reiterate the danger mentioned in the "scare them" vote but then leave
-[X]Let them be
reiterate the danger mentioned in the "scare them" vote but then leave
Geas
Meat Thing
[X]Let them be
-[X]Politely remind them before leaving that they've just been warned about a threat that's capable of taking down a Bentusi capital ship single-handedly.
Yeah, standard politicians here alright, unwilling to acknowledge a threat until its about to bend them over a crate and go in dry. Sorry @Kornuptiko, I like that idea, but I can't help but think that we should be nice about it.
That way when the inevitable shit storm rains on their heads and they try to point fingers we can go, "Whoa there, hold your britches. We warned you guys. We came with combat data recordings to prove that they existed. We have the recordings of that meeting that prove that we warned you. It's not our fault that you 'dismissed our claims,' that's on you. But hey, what do we know? It's not like we Bentusi are members of a wise and powerful ancient race that was mastering hyperspace travel while your ancestors were still trying to figure out how to light sticks on fire, and were trying to do you a favor.
... Oh wait, no, that's exactly what happened."
... I may have been watching a lot of Rick and Morty lately.
Also.
[X] Dervish Multibeam Corvettes
-[X]Politely remind them before leaving that they've just been warned about a threat that's capable of taking down a Bentusi capital ship single-handedly.
Yeah, standard politicians here alright, unwilling to acknowledge a threat until its about to bend them over a crate and go in dry. Sorry @Kornuptiko, I like that idea, but I can't help but think that we should be nice about it.
That way when the inevitable shit storm rains on their heads and they try to point fingers we can go, "Whoa there, hold your britches. We warned you guys. We came with combat data recordings to prove that they existed. We have the recordings of that meeting that prove that we warned you. It's not our fault that you 'dismissed our claims,' that's on you. But hey, what do we know? It's not like we Bentusi are members of a wise and powerful ancient race that was mastering hyperspace travel while your ancestors were still trying to figure out how to light sticks on fire, and were trying to do you a favor.
... Oh wait, no, that's exactly what happened."
... I may have been watching a lot of Rick and Morty lately.
Also.
[X] Dervish Multibeam Corvettes
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X]Try to scare them:
Alright looks like we have two solid winners. I'll leave the vote open for another eightish hours and post the next update in the evening.
2.3 Choosing a Path
Core Space
Arak System
The Grand Conclave
You are irked by the committee's response. Well fine if they don't care about your warning then you won't try to persuade them. "Let's just go."
"But we can still try to talk with them." Honestly you aren't entirely sure if Iuno really wants to warn them that badly or if she's just having fun with diplomacy.
"They've already made up their minds, and we aren't going to change it. If you want, tell them to look at the data again, maybe one of them will rethink things later."
"Yes, they probably won't give us any military aid anyway. We have better things to do." Ulysses seems to have shifted to your side.
Seeing that she is completely outvoted Iuno sighs and keys the Envoy. Its deep tones wash over the council chamber. [Very well. We will leave you to your considerations. We will hope that you will treat the matter with all the seriousness that it is due given the capabilities these pirates have displayed.]
The envoy reverses and quietly hovers out of the conference room. Of course by this point you've mapped out most of the diplomatic areas of the station, but Iuno allows the custodians to lead the Envoy back to the hangar.
This leaves you with a problem of sorts. Bentus only asked you to inform the Galactic Council, but their response was unsatisfactory. You don't feel like they're going to really take the matter seriously, much less warn everyone else. At least not in anything more than a bullet point buried in the latest pirate watch memorandums.
The Galactic Council is not the only political entity in the galaxy though, only the largest and most influential one. There are other races you could warn. Ones who might be more amenable to helping with the pirate threat than the council was.
You should probably warn all the other polities eventually, but who do you want to warn first?
[] The Keepers of the Lost
Technically you have already warned the Keepers. But you aren't sure how they took it, and you've gained more data since then. You could go to one of their major hubs, but you aren't certain what their response would be.
[] The Gardens of Kadeshi
You still have friends among the Kadesh. They will certainly listen to you, and they'll certainly take your warning seriously. But they guard their gardens with religious fervor already, and you'll have to be very convincing to get them to send any aid out of the nebula.
[] The Exiles of Kharak
The universe has dealt the Exiles a hard hand. And as a Bentusi you have a deep cultural bias towards lending them aid when possible. They are certainly fierce warriors, and their homeworld is already heavily defended. But they are bound by treaty not to develop hyperdrives, and you are bound by that same treaty to not give them hyperdrive technology. You aren't sure what help they could actually provide.
[] The Vaygr Tribes:
It's a long shot. You aren't even sure if the Vaygr tribes even have a central leadership at the moment. Much less where it meets. And the Vaygr are fairly hostile to everyone around them including the Bentusi. But still they might be worth a warning. They certainly have the military power to contribute if you can convince them.
[] The Irune Financial Sphere:
Most of the minor races affiliated with the council are going to follow the Taiidan Republic's lead and will probably ignore you. But the Irune convoy was there when Talus died. They have already been attacked at least once, and if they had more convoys in that area they may have lost even more ships. If nothing else you still have a credit with their banks that might be useful.
While you consulted maps and made your plans the others have been busy roaming the conclave's networks looking for anything interesting. But before you can call their attention back and inform them where you think the flotilla should head you get several pings from your communication system. It seems that the ministers of the committee were not entirely disinterested after all and have contacted your companions about various matters. Unfortunately not the pirates, but maybe they'll take you more seriously if you deal with their requests.
Sidequests (Pick Two)
[] Cultural Ties (Iuno):
The Bentusi take pains to keep their activities away from the rest of galactic civilization. As a mostly ship bound civilization this is usually as easy as jumping away if they detect galactic scouts in the area. But sometimes there is something that can't be moved. In this case a progenitor wreck that the Keepers haven't found yet. A Bentusi archeology team is examining it, and by chance a Taiidan exploration expedition has found them. As is standard the Bentusi have politely told them to go away. But the expedition is still hanging around the nearby systems. High Minister Telassa has asked if you could smooth things over and allow the Taiidan expedition to explore the wreck, and perhaps ask the Bentusi a few questions as well. You'd normally say no, but Iuno wants another chance to flex her diplomatic muscles. A favor from a High Minister would not be a bad thing to have either.
[] Raider Rumble (Ulysses):
A small colony of the Illuminated Primacy is suffering from pirate problems. Raiders are attacking convoys as they travel to and from the colony. The Primacy does not have the naval capacity to deal with the raiders and has requested aid from the galactic council. Now Minister Scrimius has passed that request on to you. The Taiidan navy could deal with it, but the navy has a lot of bureaucratic red tape that needs to be waded through before it sends fleets out to deal with anything. You would certainly be able to take care of the problem a lot faster. It's definitely not the Ebony Pirates behind the raids, but the Primacy would be grateful if you dealt with it, and you'd save some lives. Ulysses thinks you might be able to parlay it into getting help from the Taiidan navy later. Since you would essentially be doing their job for them.
[] Ancient Assets (Aurora):
Minister Fiheo has contacted you with a proposition. He has records of anomalies that, after correlation with your data, he is fairly sure is another buried Megalith. He could just send a team out himself, but one thing you did not include in the briefing was your megalith translation protocol. In fact you didn't even mention it, but Fiheo can read between the lines. He knows you must have accessed the Megalith somehow. He'll give you the location if you agree to cooperate with a Salarian team of archeologists in excavating the Megalith. You aren't entirely sure if there is actually a connection between the Megaliths and the Ebony Pirates, but it was fascinating, and without the time pressure it would be interesting to learn more about something so old. Aurora is pretty sure she can siphon some of the exotic matter out of the Megalith as well.
[] Ghosts of the Conclave (Laverna):
Laverna has finally gotten around to telling the rest of you what had her and Aurora so distracted during the meeting. Apparently they found traces of someone hacking the Conclave's systems. It could just be a random spy, but it was much deeper and more proficient than most races in the galaxy can manage. The hacks delved into the original progenitor subsystems not just the layers the Bentusi and council races built on top. It could have been a very skilled spy from one of the flicker races, but really there's only three likely possibilities. It was a Keeper, a Kadeshi, or a Bentusi. None of which should be here. Or technically a Bentusi could be here, but you weren't informed of anyone on pilgrimage and didn't see anyone on your way in. It's not really related to your mission, but it could be interesting to find out what is going on. Laverna certainly wants to.
Quest Note (Sidequests)
Regardless of what you choose, your companions will pick up the details for all the sidequests. You can then complete them at any time unless a time limit is noted in the quest details. There is however an advantage to going yourself. First this will boost your relationship with the pertinent companion as you are showing interest in the same things as they are, and second you will be able to impress the quest giver with your personal charisma, and thus get a better quest reward.
Arak System
The Grand Conclave
You are irked by the committee's response. Well fine if they don't care about your warning then you won't try to persuade them. "Let's just go."
"But we can still try to talk with them." Honestly you aren't entirely sure if Iuno really wants to warn them that badly or if she's just having fun with diplomacy.
"They've already made up their minds, and we aren't going to change it. If you want, tell them to look at the data again, maybe one of them will rethink things later."
"Yes, they probably won't give us any military aid anyway. We have better things to do." Ulysses seems to have shifted to your side.
Seeing that she is completely outvoted Iuno sighs and keys the Envoy. Its deep tones wash over the council chamber. [Very well. We will leave you to your considerations. We will hope that you will treat the matter with all the seriousness that it is due given the capabilities these pirates have displayed.]
The envoy reverses and quietly hovers out of the conference room. Of course by this point you've mapped out most of the diplomatic areas of the station, but Iuno allows the custodians to lead the Envoy back to the hangar.
This leaves you with a problem of sorts. Bentus only asked you to inform the Galactic Council, but their response was unsatisfactory. You don't feel like they're going to really take the matter seriously, much less warn everyone else. At least not in anything more than a bullet point buried in the latest pirate watch memorandums.
The Galactic Council is not the only political entity in the galaxy though, only the largest and most influential one. There are other races you could warn. Ones who might be more amenable to helping with the pirate threat than the council was.
You should probably warn all the other polities eventually, but who do you want to warn first?
[] The Keepers of the Lost
Technically you have already warned the Keepers. But you aren't sure how they took it, and you've gained more data since then. You could go to one of their major hubs, but you aren't certain what their response would be.
[] The Gardens of Kadeshi
You still have friends among the Kadesh. They will certainly listen to you, and they'll certainly take your warning seriously. But they guard their gardens with religious fervor already, and you'll have to be very convincing to get them to send any aid out of the nebula.
[] The Exiles of Kharak
The universe has dealt the Exiles a hard hand. And as a Bentusi you have a deep cultural bias towards lending them aid when possible. They are certainly fierce warriors, and their homeworld is already heavily defended. But they are bound by treaty not to develop hyperdrives, and you are bound by that same treaty to not give them hyperdrive technology. You aren't sure what help they could actually provide.
[] The Vaygr Tribes:
It's a long shot. You aren't even sure if the Vaygr tribes even have a central leadership at the moment. Much less where it meets. And the Vaygr are fairly hostile to everyone around them including the Bentusi. But still they might be worth a warning. They certainly have the military power to contribute if you can convince them.
[] The Irune Financial Sphere:
Most of the minor races affiliated with the council are going to follow the Taiidan Republic's lead and will probably ignore you. But the Irune convoy was there when Talus died. They have already been attacked at least once, and if they had more convoys in that area they may have lost even more ships. If nothing else you still have a credit with their banks that might be useful.
While you consulted maps and made your plans the others have been busy roaming the conclave's networks looking for anything interesting. But before you can call their attention back and inform them where you think the flotilla should head you get several pings from your communication system. It seems that the ministers of the committee were not entirely disinterested after all and have contacted your companions about various matters. Unfortunately not the pirates, but maybe they'll take you more seriously if you deal with their requests.
Sidequests (Pick Two)
[] Cultural Ties (Iuno):
The Bentusi take pains to keep their activities away from the rest of galactic civilization. As a mostly ship bound civilization this is usually as easy as jumping away if they detect galactic scouts in the area. But sometimes there is something that can't be moved. In this case a progenitor wreck that the Keepers haven't found yet. A Bentusi archeology team is examining it, and by chance a Taiidan exploration expedition has found them. As is standard the Bentusi have politely told them to go away. But the expedition is still hanging around the nearby systems. High Minister Telassa has asked if you could smooth things over and allow the Taiidan expedition to explore the wreck, and perhaps ask the Bentusi a few questions as well. You'd normally say no, but Iuno wants another chance to flex her diplomatic muscles. A favor from a High Minister would not be a bad thing to have either.
[] Raider Rumble (Ulysses):
A small colony of the Illuminated Primacy is suffering from pirate problems. Raiders are attacking convoys as they travel to and from the colony. The Primacy does not have the naval capacity to deal with the raiders and has requested aid from the galactic council. Now Minister Scrimius has passed that request on to you. The Taiidan navy could deal with it, but the navy has a lot of bureaucratic red tape that needs to be waded through before it sends fleets out to deal with anything. You would certainly be able to take care of the problem a lot faster. It's definitely not the Ebony Pirates behind the raids, but the Primacy would be grateful if you dealt with it, and you'd save some lives. Ulysses thinks you might be able to parlay it into getting help from the Taiidan navy later. Since you would essentially be doing their job for them.
[] Ancient Assets (Aurora):
Minister Fiheo has contacted you with a proposition. He has records of anomalies that, after correlation with your data, he is fairly sure is another buried Megalith. He could just send a team out himself, but one thing you did not include in the briefing was your megalith translation protocol. In fact you didn't even mention it, but Fiheo can read between the lines. He knows you must have accessed the Megalith somehow. He'll give you the location if you agree to cooperate with a Salarian team of archeologists in excavating the Megalith. You aren't entirely sure if there is actually a connection between the Megaliths and the Ebony Pirates, but it was fascinating, and without the time pressure it would be interesting to learn more about something so old. Aurora is pretty sure she can siphon some of the exotic matter out of the Megalith as well.
[] Ghosts of the Conclave (Laverna):
Laverna has finally gotten around to telling the rest of you what had her and Aurora so distracted during the meeting. Apparently they found traces of someone hacking the Conclave's systems. It could just be a random spy, but it was much deeper and more proficient than most races in the galaxy can manage. The hacks delved into the original progenitor subsystems not just the layers the Bentusi and council races built on top. It could have been a very skilled spy from one of the flicker races, but really there's only three likely possibilities. It was a Keeper, a Kadeshi, or a Bentusi. None of which should be here. Or technically a Bentusi could be here, but you weren't informed of anyone on pilgrimage and didn't see anyone on your way in. It's not really related to your mission, but it could be interesting to find out what is going on. Laverna certainly wants to.
Quest Note (Sidequests)
Regardless of what you choose, your companions will pick up the details for all the sidequests. You can then complete them at any time unless a time limit is noted in the quest details. There is however an advantage to going yourself. First this will boost your relationship with the pertinent companion as you are showing interest in the same things as they are, and second you will be able to impress the quest giver with your personal charisma, and thus get a better quest reward.
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- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] The Gardens of Kadeshi
[X] Cultural Ties (Iuno)
[X] Raider Rumble (Ulysses)
[X] Cultural Ties (Iuno)
[X] Raider Rumble (Ulysses)
[X] The Irune Financial Sphere
[X] Cultural Ties (Iuno)
[X] Ancient Assets (Aurora)
[X] Cultural Ties (Iuno)
[X] Ancient Assets (Aurora)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] The Exiles of Kharak
[X] Cultural Ties (Iuno)
[X] Ancient Assets (Aurora)
[X] Cultural Ties (Iuno)
[X] Ancient Assets (Aurora)
Geas
Meat Thing
Gotta admit, I'm torn between the Volus and the Keepers. If things are anything like in the Canon material for either franchise, the Irunese effectively control the the vast majority of (if not the entirety) money and banking across the civilized galaxy, and currency traditionally always has had a considerable influence on politics on every level. Warning the Irunese/Volus would be showing them a significant deal of respect and favor, and that is no small thing. It might not have immediate benefits right away, but it certainly should later on down the road.
On the other side, the Keepers are (again if things are close to canon in this fusion quest type thing) possibly the only other faction to rival the Bentusi in outright naval power and possibly have a couple levels of technological superiority. The Keeper Destroyers in Homeworld 2 may as well have been sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads.
Hungry sharks.
We don't really know how things played out after we fled from that monolith we came across, so touching base with the Keepers could, at the very least, result in an exchange of very useful tactical data.
Honestly, I don't see working with either the Kharakians or the Kadesh exactly being a good thing. If the former really are Krogan in all but name, this could lead to enabling some unpleasant behavior. Religious nut jobs aside, the Kadesh are definitely a power to be respected, but they might not have the numbers to risk a large-scale conflict, living entirely within the confines of their nebula gardens.
The Vagyr are... Well... The Vagyr. Dunno if we should risk kicking that hornet nest just yet.
That being said...
[X] The Irune Financial Sphere
I always did like playing the long game over short term benefits, but that's just me.
[X] Raider Rumble (Ulysses)
[X] Ancient Assets (Aurora)
Going with these options primarily because I feel like maybe we should spend more time with these two. Ulysses is our big gun, so letting him do his thing and break in his new hull should score us some points with the guy. Likewise with Aurora, plus this might get us some Element Zero to play with!
(Also are my little analyses of the options that interest me the most useful or annoying? I do try to keep them unbiased, and this time I tried to give every option an equal amount of thinking on but it's late for me and I'm tired.)
On the other side, the Keepers are (again if things are close to canon in this fusion quest type thing) possibly the only other faction to rival the Bentusi in outright naval power and possibly have a couple levels of technological superiority. The Keeper Destroyers in Homeworld 2 may as well have been sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads.
Hungry sharks.
We don't really know how things played out after we fled from that monolith we came across, so touching base with the Keepers could, at the very least, result in an exchange of very useful tactical data.
Honestly, I don't see working with either the Kharakians or the Kadesh exactly being a good thing. If the former really are Krogan in all but name, this could lead to enabling some unpleasant behavior. Religious nut jobs aside, the Kadesh are definitely a power to be respected, but they might not have the numbers to risk a large-scale conflict, living entirely within the confines of their nebula gardens.
The Vagyr are... Well... The Vagyr. Dunno if we should risk kicking that hornet nest just yet.
That being said...
[X] The Irune Financial Sphere
I always did like playing the long game over short term benefits, but that's just me.
[X] Raider Rumble (Ulysses)
[X] Ancient Assets (Aurora)
Going with these options primarily because I feel like maybe we should spend more time with these two. Ulysses is our big gun, so letting him do his thing and break in his new hull should score us some points with the guy. Likewise with Aurora, plus this might get us some Element Zero to play with!
(Also are my little analyses of the options that interest me the most useful or annoying? I do try to keep them unbiased, and this time I tried to give every option an equal amount of thinking on but it's late for me and I'm tired.)
I like them. I find it interesting to know what other people think about the stuff I write. And your analyses are good.
Arjac
Retreating Backwards
[X] The Irune Financial Sphere
[X] Ancient Assets
[X] Ghosts of the Conclave
Current thoughts:
Vaygr are probably Batarians in this setting.
Kadeshi and Keepers are concerned with their own affairs if not totally isolationist, and unlikely to get involved until it begins biting them in the ass personally.
Kuushan could prove excellent allies, but joining them means potentially going to war with the Council, which is not ideal right now. I could be convinced this way though if we suspect Tuchanka is about to hear Adagio.
Volus probably aren't eager to go to war with us, but at least we have leverage.
Raider Rumble would be my 3rd choice as far as sidequests, but leaving a Reaper backdoor open like that is worrying.
[X] Ancient Assets
[X] Ghosts of the Conclave
Current thoughts:
Vaygr are probably Batarians in this setting.
Kadeshi and Keepers are concerned with their own affairs if not totally isolationist, and unlikely to get involved until it begins biting them in the ass personally.
Kuushan could prove excellent allies, but joining them means potentially going to war with the Council, which is not ideal right now. I could be convinced this way though if we suspect Tuchanka is about to hear Adagio.
Volus probably aren't eager to go to war with us, but at least we have leverage.
Raider Rumble would be my 3rd choice as far as sidequests, but leaving a Reaper backdoor open like that is worrying.
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I've updated the character sheet with your new ship, and the costs of the Acolyte and Cherub drones. I'll probably never ask you to actually allocate resources or anything given the speed with which homeworld ships can mine and build, but hopefully it will help you have a better idea of what you can do with them.
TheOmnimercurial
Dragon Bard
- Location
- UK
[X] The Gardens of Kadeshi
[X] Ancient Assets
[X] Ghosts of the Conclave
I'm thinking the Ghosts of the Conclavw could be the Geth?
Could we design a Heavy Multilayered Shielding Adaptation for our friend in the Ambassador?
Not having Weapons is one thing, but we should make sure she is superbbly protected.... Maybe able to share that Shielding?
[X] Ancient Assets
[X] Ghosts of the Conclave
I'm thinking the Ghosts of the Conclavw could be the Geth?
Could we design a Heavy Multilayered Shielding Adaptation for our friend in the Ambassador?
Not having Weapons is one thing, but we should make sure she is superbbly protected.... Maybe able to share that Shielding?
Bentusi ships aren't typically designed for changing out systems later. You could maybe try to squeeze in some extra shielding, but it would come at the cost of passenger space.
TheOmnimercurial
Dragon Bard
- Location
- UK
I think it would be worth it to do so.
It would not eat up all of the Passenger space, so it should be fine?
I will work out the tradeoffs and put it to a vote in the next update.
Speaking of votes there is a clear winner for where to go next and Cultural Ties, but Raider Rumble and Ancient Assets are tied. I probably won't be able to find time to write the next update today anyway. So I'll leave the voting open until tomorrow.