The Shadow of Old Transgressions (Homeworld/Mass Effect Crossover Quest)

Codex: Drone Cores

The Bentusi are keen to stress that they are perfectly vibrant culture with a flourishing civilization, and they fully embrace their status as Unbound. That said there are drawbacks. It takes a long time for a Bentusi child to grow up and become fully fledged adult in their society. There are both physical and cultural reasons for this, but barring a major shift it means that the Bentusi population grows very slowly. This makes a Bentusi's personal attention a valuable thing, and there are tasks that are simply not worth their time.

There are two approaches that the Bentusi take to get these things done anyway. The first is to outsource the problem. They are traders and they trade with almost every species in the galaxy. What they want is eclectic. Sometimes resources, sometimes they want specific relics from old wrecks, at times they buy artwork or biological data. These are things that having a different perspective on can be helpful with. But there are also times when the Bentusi just want a lot of mundane work done all at once.

This is where drones come in. The Bentusi already designed their ships with their own Unbound cores in mind. So it is a relatively simple matter to replace a full fledged Bentusi core with a simplified drone control system. These are computers with control software along various mechanical linkages designed to perform specific actions in support of a specific task. In many ways they are similar to the sub minds that the Bentusi make use of in offloading mental tasks, but these are designed to control a ship and be more or less autonomous.

Over the years individual Bentusi have developed a wide variety of drone cores to fit their immediate needs. But there are two classes that are so ubiquitous that every Bentusi carries the necessary designs and fabricators with them at all time. The first is the ubiquitous acolyte. Millennia of Bentusi have optimized the acolyte drone into a near perfect state. The drone core knows exactly how fast an acolyte flies, how far its weapons reach, and all the subtleties of maneuvering its frame. As a result the Bentusi Acolyte is a terror and single handily responsible for millions of pirate deaths.

The other drone that most Bentusi use is the resource drone. These humble workers are not optimized for battle, but for construction. With their phased disassembler arrays can strip anything down to its component elements and thus provide a steady stream of resources for any Bentusi. They can also reverse this process and rebuild destroyed components in order to repair their Bentusi handlers or other ships. As such most Bentusi make room for one or two resource drones for emergencies although the Bentusi themselves take care of more advanced constructions.

Other common drone designs include the cargo barge for transporting goods between systems and the construction drone, a variant of the resource drone that replaces its resource tanks with more precise PDAs and swarm matrix to allow for coordinated work on larger Bentusi projects.

It has not escaped the attention of the Bentusi of the similarity of their drone cores to the Keepers. There is no actual relationship. The Bentusi developed their drone cores independently and if anything they are based more on Bentusi mind scans. However the possibility of the drone cores becoming sapient and rebelling is one that the Bentusi always keep in mind. For this reason most drone cores are deliberately limited and not fully autonomous. Bentusi instructions are required for most high level decisions such as deciding where to go and what target to take. In fact Bentusi take this a step farther than another race in the same situation might. A drone swarm under a Bentusi's control reports significant amounts of data to the Bentusi and receives on the spot direction for considerably more actions than a drone from another race might.

This requires significantly more capacity from the Bentusi handler than a Bound species could provide, but it makes the drones almost an extension of themselves increasing the capabilities of both Drone and Bentusi greatly. It also neatly prevents a repeat of the Keeper rebellion as the drones are never given enough capability to even become sapient in the first place. Not all Bentusi are of the same mind of this. Some prefer to drones that are more independent while others uses swarms that are so interlinked that the Bentusi might as well be spread across the entire swarm rather than residing in a single vessel.

The Outlands

System 1273-A
Progenitor Hulk

You exit the gateway with easy grace. Now that Memnon has cleansed your systems you don't have to devote so much of yourself to quarantine efforts, and with your capabilities hyperspace is once more a glorious experience. Your understanding of the system expands exponentially as your sensors greedily take in everything their is to see, and you quickly spot your friends sitting next to the massive Progenitor hulk. As you slide across the void to them your reach out and connect back to the flotilla network at last.

A chorus of greetings from your friends welcome you into the flotilla, and you respond as soon as the lag becomes small enough for a conversation, "I'm back at last. How have things been going? Did the Taiidan give you any trouble?"

"Not as such. We managed to get a compromise sorted out, and we've been keeping watch to make sure they don't backslide."

"And a good thing too. One of them, Veassga V'lato, keeps trying to get around our firewalls. She's very tricky." Laverna sounds impressed, but she probably just relished the challenge.

"Yes, I eventually got them to confine her to their base ship. Fortunately it's not a problem anymore. A Taiidan cruiser came by a few days ago and gave them some message that got them to pack up and leave in a hurry."

"Ah yeah, I might know something about that. We've been getting word that there's a big war going on in the galactic center. It seems like the Taiidan are fighting an unknown fleet intent on conquering their systems."

"Is it the Kushan or the Wraiths?" Of course Ulysses would pick out the strategic possibilities the fastest.

"The Kushan mostly. At least from the sensor data I saw. There's a few reports of strange ships in the periphery that might be the wraiths, but they've been staying quiet. Which I don't like at all."

"Well time to get back into the action." Ulysses sounds positively pleased at the idea of fighting again.

"Actually we should stop at Irune first." As a follow up Aurora sends a data packet to the group. "I've been working with the Kushan and Kadesh that came with us. They've had some very interesting ideas about the passenger ark. Honestly we probably should have been consulting them from the start. They're the ones who are going to be living on it after all."

That's a good point. You probably should have talked to them a few times at least. Still the designs are just as interesting as Aurora said. It seems your Flicker allies weren't quite as keen as being on an unarmed ship as you would have thought. They haven't made the Ark into a battleship, but they have added several hangars bays to give it a significant fighter wing. Also someone has added a pressurized section for different atmospheres. It seems that plans to include the Volus have been made.

"Yeah this looks good. I agree that should be our next stop. Anything else before we head out."

"Well," Iuno lets the pause drag out for a few moments. "You know that Asari scientist we were talking about. She's stowed away on board my shuttle."

"What, and you're letting her?" You can't help but be surprised.

"Well Laverna is right, she's clever. I didn't pick her up until just now." Either the Asari is really clever or Iuno has been fairly lax about her internal scans. And you doubt she'd be the careless.

"Well the Taiidan have already left. And we can't just push her off. We can drop her off at Irune as well."

You don't entirely appreciate the idea, but you don't have any better ones. And the mention of Laverna reminds you of something very important. "Oh speaking of Laverna. Memnon is ready for you now."

"Ah, but I don't want to get stuck away from you guys. It's not really that serious is it."

You have to consider your response. It's true that Laverna's corruption wasn't as bad as yours. It's contained, and it would be nice to have Laverna along with her drone expertise when you fight the Wraiths again. But is it worth the risk?

[ ] No
The corruption needs to be cleaned as quickly as possible. There's no telling what might happen. And the resources being quarantined might make the difference between life and death for Laverna at some point.

[ ] Yes
As long as Laverna is careful, and you're careful of how she is positioned she should be okay. She definitely needs to be repaired at some point, but it isn't quite an immediately urgent priority.

Besides that you have to decide what to do next. You're going to make a stop at Irune first, but after that you have several more destinations in mind.

[ ] Continue the Mission
Time to continue on your quest to warn the rest of the galaxy. Fortunately there aren't many more polities you haven't brought word to at this point.

-[ ] The Keepers of the Lost
Time to go talk with the Keepers. You have quite a lot of data they would be interested in now.

-[ ] The Exiles of Kharak
One set of exiles has been warned, but their homeworld still hasn't been. You aren't sure what exactly you'll find there however.

-[ ] The Vaygr Tribes:
Try and find the Vaygr. This will probably be difficult. Though after that Megalith you may need to recalibrate what you consider difficult.

-[ ] Raider Rumble
You are uncertain of your chances of taking on the Wraiths again without building your flotilla back up, but enough of your upgraded ships survived that are confident in your ability to handle a regular pirate threat.

Rewards Gained
5,000 RUs
Favor from High Minister Telassa
Contacts in the Taiidan Diplomatic Corps
Stowaway: Veassga V'lato

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[ ] Work on the Fleet
-[ ] Pick a Research Project.
-[ ] Pick a Character to work on it.
One of the Bentusi characters can perform research on something for the fleet. Except Aurora and your allies as they have already been picked in this side mission.


Pick a Codex/Interlude
[ ] Write In
Pick something you'd like to know more about.

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Quest Note: If you decide to send Laverna in for repairs she will be unavailable for the entirety of Raider Rumble or a portion of the other quests depending on which one you pick.

Codex: The T-Mat

For seven years did Tiamat lay waste to the heavens. Her poisonous breath laid waste to the palaces of the gods, and countless perished in her insatiable maw.
-Fragment from the Tome of Kopa ca. 7281 GSY

The world devourers, the night reapers, the cataclysm, there are many names for the T-Mat in the galaxy. They are a galactic shadow showing up in almost every races myths and legends as terrible monsters that destroy all they come across, but few believe they are a real threat. They have not been recorded as every appearing in modern history after all. There is however a terrible reason for this. It isn't possible to record them if there are no surviving witnesses.

The Bentusi have found worlds charred into ash with great gouges taken from their surface. They have found shattered debris where entire space stations have been consumed. And most directly the Bentusi too have been prey to the T-Mat. But unlike the lesser races the Bentusi at least are fast enough to sometimes escape. Fortunately the T-Mat are rare. The Bentusi believe that no more than twelve of their mighty reef ships circle the galaxy. In the past there were thirteen, but the Bentusi assembled a mighty fleet and fought it in a battle more terrible than any since.

The reef ship was destroyed, but many harborships were lost. Bentus itself was heavily damaged and thousands of Bentusi elders were lost piloting the warships of the fleeting. Ships can be rebuilt, but some of those elders had been alive since the time of the unbound clans. It tore a piece of the Bentusi's cultural heart out along with their deaths. In a very real sense that loss of spirit lead to the rise of the flicker races and the eventual withdrawal of the Bentusi from the galaxy. Still the T-Mat too have never rebuilt their thirteenth ship and from its wreckage comes most of what the Bentusi know of the enigmatic aliens.

They are old very old. Dating back to the time of the progenitors. And extremely powerful. Their ships outclass even Bentusi and Keeper technology and they seem to have hyperspace cores on each of their reef ships. They are equipped with ion cannons that put those on the Bentusi Exchanges to shame. Indeed reverse engineering the reef ship gave rise to many of the improvements that made the Bentusi's ion weapons so feared today. But their reef ships do not travel alone. They always carry dozens of barnacle frigates with massively powerful cannons and heavy armor that makes them nearly impossible to kill. Fighting both at once is said to be a near impossible challenge. Fortunately reef ships do not move much. They have defined territories in the galaxy. Barren wastes where they have long since killed off any life bearing worlds.

More troubling are the starfishes. These spindly warships drift through the galaxy with no apparent purpose or intent. They roam in random patterns destroying all they encounter. Some resources they seem to consume for no apparent reason and others they simply abandon. Even these five armed ships are nearly impossible to destroy, and worst of all doing so just provokes a reef ship into building a replacement.

The theory of their origin thought most likely among the Bentusi is that they are the remnant of some type of automated weapon system. One either built by the Progenitors or their enemies, and that they were involved in whatever cataclysm that brought that ancient race to an end. It seems likely that they were the instigators given their nature, but there is no way of knowing for sure.

Aethon Cluster

System Aru
Irune Orbital Ring

Laverna reluctantly departs to see Memnon and cleanse the corruption from her mind. To ensure that she will be able to find you again you arrange to place a series of beacons in the void between stars with directions to each subsequent beacon as well as your intended destination. It may take her a while to find you, but it should be possible without leading anyone with ill intent towards you instead.

It would seem easy enough to find the Keepers. Just find a progenitor relic, but the fact is that most relics are only guarded by low level keepers. Graspers or Junk Dogs that only serve to deter scavengers, or jump out to warn higher level keepers of more serious intruders. It is these higher level keepers that you must find and warn. And much like the Bentusi these Keepers are nomadic. They travel the galaxy from relic to relic seeking whatever is they seek and responding to intruders.

There are a few sites that you are sure to find Keepers. Systems with so many progenitor wrecks that there is always a high concentration of Keepers in them. The Bentusi have charted these systems and keep track of Keeper movements. But this would be the worst place to meet the Keepers. They do not tolerate intrusions even from the Bentusi. And these systems are so heavily guarded that you would certainly be destroyed before you had a chance to explain, even assuming that would be enough to get the Keepers to listen. As such your destination is not these centers of Keeper activity, but rather the Kiln Stacks. A cluster of ancient stars with enough progenitor relics that you are sure to find the keepers, but not so many that they will be present in high numbers.

But first you will be making a stop at Irune. With the final designs in hand you can at last complete the Ark, and you can check up on how the Vol clan are doing after the attack. The flotilla slides out of the quantum gates to find a system bustling with activity. The defense sphere has been repaired and more with the Volus building additional defense stations to bolster it against further attacks. Unfortunately the Taiidan's presence is completely gone. You aren't surprised given the war that is currently being waged in the core, but you do hope Admiral Macdus was commended rather than condemned for his actions. You wouldn't think it would be a question. Without the Taiidan fleet's support Irune might well have been lost, but the Taiidan can be very strict about their orders.

Your flotilla settles into docks at the orbital ring. Aurora immediately contacts the shipyard where the half completed ark frame sits. The Volus are renowned as traders, but they'll waive all the fees for their heroic saviors and soon construction pods are swarming around the Ark completing it to your new designs. Given the capabilities that will soon be available to you Iuno also contacts Councillor Lone Visola and sees about arranging a number of Vol clan members to accompany the flotilla. It might even be time to upgrade how you think of yourselves. You've grown well beyond the initial flotilla of young half traumatized frigates you started as.

Even with Aurora and the Irunese working hard at the project it will be a few weeks before the Ark will be finished, and given your likely itinerary you won't be back this way for a while. So you decide to wait it out. You finally get a chance to talk with the Kadeshi and Kushan who have been accompanying you all this time. You also show Ulysses a data package you received from Memnon. It's heavily encrypted with layers of carefully woven protection. The elder harborship gave it to you when you brought up the question of possibly getting a heavier warship. According to Memnon if you can manage to access the schematics inside you'll be ready to pilot it.

Ulysses takes a few pokes into it, but neither of you make much headway. It seems to use knowledge of various Bentusi stories and technologies as part of the encryption lock. You'll have to know them inside and out to construct the necessary key. Which you suppose is what Memnon meant.

You also have two decisions to make. The most obvious choice to make to pilot the Ark is Iuno. It would very much follow along with what she is already doing. But the new hangar bays means it might need to take a more aggressive role. Which Iuno is still somewhat hesitant to do. You aren't sure who would be the best choice, but you could probably convince the others to go along with whatever you decide.

[ ] Iuno
The Ark might have hangars now, but its main purpose is still transporting individuals of other species. Such a role requires a diplomat and sociologist and Iuno is by far the best to fulfill those duties.

[ ] Aurora
The second best choice would probably be Aurora. She wouldn't be quite as good at wrangling the flicker races as Iuno, but it's not as if Iuno would be leaving the flotilla. And Aurora could make great use of the hangar's ability to manufacture ships at a far greater rate than her current Weaver hull.

[ ] Ulysses
You don't know why you're even considering this. Piloting the Ark would not suit Ulysses at all.

[ ] Valerius
You could always do it yourself of course. You might not be the best at talking or manufacturing, but you're no slouch at either if you do say so yourself. It would cost the flotilla your Bulwark destroyer, but you could make some bucklers to make up for it.

And finally what do you want to do about Miss V'lato. Iuno let her run around for a few weeks before "catching" her and you all have had a chance to talk with the rambunctious scientist. She is by all accounts a genius and very headstrong. She fully believes herself to be the smartest being in the galaxy, and is trying to prove it to any naysayers. She would be quite the handful to deal with, but while you wouldn't call her the smartest person in even the flotilla much less the galaxy she does have quite the grasp of progenitor based systems.

[ ] Drop her off
She's far more trouble than she's worth. Drop her off at the orbital ring and let her make her way back to the Taiidan science directorate. There are enough passenger flights leaving that she should have no trouble doing so.

[ ] Take her with you
You are about to go meet with the Keepers after all. Progenitor relics are extremely likely to come up during this segment of your mission. Having an expert in the matter is worth the extra difficulties of keeping her around.

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[ ] Work on the Fleet
-[ ] Pick a Research Project.
-[ ] Pick a Character to work on the project.
-Current Options: Aurora, Iuno, Valerius, Ulysses, Kadeshi/Kushan.


[ ] Pick a Codex/Interlude
-[ ] Write In
Pick something you'd like to know more about.

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