Outside Context Solution: War and Renaissance part 1
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HONG KONG SHATTERDOME, January 16, 2025 CE
Since the beginning of The Broadcast and the access that it had granted to an alien encyclopedia, the Shatterdome had become a hive of activity, Dr Newton Gizler reflected. Having had the pleasure himself of watching the Council eat crow in front of newly minted Marshall Hansen and immediately authorize a full reinstatement of the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps to prepare for the possibility of another breach or to deal with the new aliens that had revealed themselves if they proved hostile despite The Broadcast's message of peace.
He was currently working with the the tech crews going over the wreck of Cherno Alpha, which was not as bad off as originally expected, but also wasn't going to be the relatively easy fix that Crimson Typhoon would be.
Jaeger-tech was not his specialty by a long shot, but he wasn't here for that, he was here to look for anything weird, because by all rights Cherno Alpha should have been far more badly damaged just due to it's design and the damage that Otachi and Leatherback had inflicted on it.
Newt Gizler was not an expert on Jaeger tech, but he was an expert on weird and that is what he was looking for as he crawled through the Jaeger in a radiation suit, lamenting that this was taking time from his perusal of the "Codex" that the PPDC had access to from the alien satellite sitting at L1.
Then he saw it.
"Huh." he muttered to himself "What is that?"
It was tiny, so tiny that if he hadn't been looking for it or something like it he'd have never noticed it, but there it was nonetheless, an almost insect-like little device lodged in a power relay.
"Did you find something Newt?" the voice of one of the techs came over the suit's radio
"I think so! I'm getting it now, I'll show it to you guys so you can comb this beast and see if there are any more like it." he replied excitedly as he kept his hand steady through sheer willpower and reached into the dead power relay with some tweezers to retrieve the burnt-out little gadget.
"Also" he transmitted "Get me a copy of Cherno's black box recording, I need to check something!"
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A few hours later, Newt was in the office of the new Marshall of the PPDC, Hercules Hansen, standing in front of the desk of the man who now was faced with rebuilding the Corps from very little as well as the Kaidonovskys, whose miraculous return to the Shatterdome the day after the victory at the breach had intensified the two day victory party.
"So you're telling me that alien robot bugs kept Cherno Alpha from exploding?" Hansen asked looking more than a little skeptical as he held up a small clear container which held one of the bugs in question.
"Pretty much...yes!" Newt said "Look at the data from the black box, just seconds before it got finished off, Cherno Alpha experienced a total power failure and reactor shutdown"
He gestured at the computer display that showed the exact timing of events.
"We found these things lodged in all the right places to prevent the reactor from going critical and any of the systems from, well... exploding" he finished.
"Why would alien bugs be doing that?" Sasha Kaidonovsky inquired.
"I'm pretty sure that's not what they were there for." Newt explained "These things are pretty burnt out, but as best as the tech guys can figure, they were actually surveillance devices, they were watching you fight. And when it looked like you were going to die, they tried to save you."
The Kaidonovskys looked dubious, but Hansen spoke first.
"So they were spying on us, but at the same time saved the lives of two of our best Rangers?" Hansen stated, sounding like he needed a drink "Talk about goddamn mixed signals"
"Thanks a lot Newt," He said, dismissing the man "On your way out can you tell Tendo to get Mako and Raleigh up here?"
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In the underbelly of the Shatterdome, the K-Science division, Newt walked in to see his partner in science Doctor Hermann Gottleib absorbed by an article on his holographic computer. From the style of the user interface he could see that it was from the alien encyclopedia.
Just as he was about to speak, he noticed his right hand was beginning to tremble.
Dammit! He remonstrated with himself as he fumbled for his Ativan prescription I don't need this right now!
The memories of Drifting with the Kaiju hivemind remained a constant problem for both himself and Hermann, both of them needing a regular supply of benzodiazapines to get through the day, and especially to get through the nights.
={The two of them together, nothing else sane to cling to in the mindscape as they were bombarded by alien thoughts and alien desires, desperately trying to make sense of something-}=
"Newton!" Hermann exclaimed as he noticed his friend at last "Have you pursued the articles on the alien technology? The use of this "Element Zero" challenges quite a few long held beliefs about how the universe works, and it could greatly benefit the Dark Matter science we've been using in the Jaeger program!"
"You're the mathematician and physicist, Hermann, I'm a molecular biologist." Newt grinned at the man who had gone from a professional rival to closer than family in the space of a few desperate minutes "Why don't you fill me in?"
As he let Hermann's words wash over him, Newt suppressed his growing feeling of dread over what he had termed "memetic cancer" that the both of them were suffering from since their exposure to the Kaiju hivemind. There was still hope that Doctor Lightcap and her team would find a way to help them before they had a catastrophic breakdown, but Newton thought that it was possible these aliens might be able to do something too.
Don't the ones that look like blue girls have some kind of mind meld? He mused while holding up his end of the conversation with Hermann.
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THE CITADEL, Private Council Chambers, January 19, 2524 CSD
There was a far more hopeful mood in the room than the last time Doctor Lorn Solus had stood before the Council a decade before. This time his message, covering the events witnessed during the voyage of the Silent Step, was a message of hope. He was showing that the beasts that were slowly destroying the worlds of Citadel space not only could be beaten, but how they could be beaten.
Shortly after the STG agent's departure, Councilor Tevos looked at her two contemporaries.
"This changes everything." she said, while the new Salarian Councilor, Yul was reviewing one part of the data Dr. Solus had brought them "This race, these humans have accomplished a marvel."
"Yes" Meneleus, the Turian Councilor concurred, "But it was has cost them dearly, their world is teetering on the brink of ruin and none of their war machines, these Jaeger-mechs are intact"
"That is true" Councilor Yul broke into the conversation "But despite the damage, it is just one world. We can help them easily, especially if they can help us deal with the Outsider menace. We can uplift their entire culture!"
Meneleus and Tevos shared a very meaningful look at this, knowing full and well that they would not be putting any cultural uplifts in the hands of the Salarian Union ever again.
"Yes." Meneleus drawled "We will certainly be providing a great deal of assistance to the humans of Earth, I believe that your people having been working on a few ideas regarding a situation somewhat like this, haven't they Councilor Tevos?"
"We have indeed" Councilor Tevos replied, smiling beatifically at her fellow Councilors "I will be getting in touch with the First Contact and Disaster Relief teams as soon as we are done here, I believe I even have a couple of candidates in mind to lead the expedition. You have contact with a few parties that will be very interested in this development as well, don't you Meneleus?"
"That I do" He told her "I'll need to get in touch with him immediately, it looks like these humans are due a bounty, after all"
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VCWS EXILE, on course for Urla Rast System, January 19, 2524 CSD
Within the powerful dreadnought there was a chamber, larger than it's purpose required, but perfectly fitted to it's occupant's needs. The office of Din Olar was a testament to his obsessions and character, a massive Kaiju skull was built into the floor, carefully carved with steps and openings to allow Olar's desk and computers to sit at the apex of the chamber looking down on all who met with him here.
The desk itself could be considered a work of art, carefully carved from the tusk of a Kaiju, engraved with bas-reliefs of the beasts being destroyed on many worlds.
Here was where he conducted business and war. Driving the Volus people to new heights as they recovered and rebuilt themselves for a new era. Irune was lost, but the Volus would live on.
Sof Te occupied a corner of this grand space, using it for his duties to his employer and currently using it to contemplate his own continuing woes as the aches and pains of his latest surgical procedures to improve his health due to his numerous stress-induced illnesses were only now fading.
I'm still less of a cyborg than Olar is now he thought It's almost as if he refuses to allow himself to gain any weaknesses until his rage is sated.
Sof looked up from his desk to where his employer was in conference via comm-bouy with the current Chancellor of the Volus Commonwealth.
Not that it's likely to ever be sated. His thought continued, a thrill of fear quickly suppressed by his suit and implants releasing relaxants into his system.
Sof Te was, in his own way, a technological pioneer. His encounter suit was currently the most sophisticated mobile life support unit anywhere in Citadel Space. It's systems for medical support making a Quarian enviro-suit seem like skimpy swimwear in comparison. Due to the amount of gear packed into it and his body, he now resembled the more traditional roly-poly look that most Volus had, despite being very underweight for his species.
He was just finishing a summary of the reports from the Quarian engineering teams that were constructing new space habitats around Zada Ban on behalf of the Volus Commonwealth when a priority signal started flashing on his screen.
"Din Olar!" Sof said loudly to get his employer's attention "We have a prioity request for communication from Couuncilor Meneleus."
Olar looked up from where he had just finished his communication with the Volus Chancellor and ordered in his deep, raspy voice "Put him through immediately!"
A holographic image of the Turian Councilor appeared as if standing before Din Olar's desk.
"Greetings my friend" Meneleus said "I have news you have been waiting for and it will take quick action to capitalize on it"
"What has happened? Is it related to the portal fluctuations?" Olar rasped, "I have been eager for an explanation of those"
"It's the source." Meneleus told him "I'm sending data through now, but to sum it up a new race has been discovered, they have an extremely effective method for combating the Outsiders and they managed to close the portal on their world"
Even as Meneleus was speaking, Din Olar was taking in the images of Jaegers fighting Kaiju and winning, quickly scanning through the information on the homeworld of the newly discovered race.
Barely containing his emotions Olar spoke in a tone that almost seemed to vibrate the air around him and his biotics had begun flaring in a flame-like aura licking along the outside of his encounter suit.
"They are going to need a lot of assistance, and they will have it!, I guantee you Councilor that the full backing of the Volus Commonwealth will be behind these humans." he told the Turian representative.
"I thought that would be the case" Meneleus replied, looking slightly uncomfortable with the display "We are assembling a First Contat and Disaster Rielef effort at the Citadel, it will depart in four days"
"We will be there!" Olar answered.
After a few more minutes of logistical discussion, the communication was terminated.
"Finally!" Olar screamed, surfaces in the room cracking from unleashed biotics "Finally a way to crush these beasts directly! Mark my words Sof, these humans will be made great by my hands, especially if they an provide a way for me to close hands around the throat of an Outsider!"
"Make sure that the ships and supplies needed are at the Citadel in four days or less or someone will die!"
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THESSIA, Parinitha System, January 19, 2524 CSD
Matriarch Benezia T'Soni, one of the most well respected Asari in the galaxy, a powerful biotic, respected diplomat, and revered political thinker, was dressed in old workout clothes, with no jewelery or other refinements as she sat in the chair of her home office working on her next book.
She could hear her partner working out with their bodyguards down the corridor and smiled to herself as she worked.
Taking a break for the simple pleasures does make one appreciate life all the more she thought to herself. Especially now...
Pausing her writing, she rested a knuckle on her bottom lip as she looked up a few sociological references on other races, trying her best to make sure that her message would be a cross-culturally appealing as possible.
She grinned to herself as her partner slipped into the office and came up behind her wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin on top of her head.
"Still looking for the magic words to pull everyone's heads out of their asses?" Aethyta asked her with the smoky voice that was still so very seductive even when being crude.
Her smile turning a bit sultry, Benezia looked up at her mate "Something like that. I'm trying to get this chapter finished quickly, we're needed"
Aethyta raised a brow "We're needed? I thought I was banned from the kind of things you're usually needed for."
Benezia retrieved a datapad from her desk and passed it up to Aethyta "Take a look, I was talking with Councilor Tevos earlier, I think you'll do just fine for this one"
After a few minutes, Aethyta was absorbed in the reading material, pacing back and forth in the office as she read, pausing occasionally to watch a video attachment.
Benezia watched her spouse as she was stalking back and forth, absorbing the information.
So few manage to look past her bluster and see what a keen mind she has, is it any wonder I'm enthralled? She's as multifaceted as the galaxy itself.
Finally stopping, Aethyta looked at Benezia with an almost feral grin. "I think I like these guys, when do we leave?"
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