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ANN: Timeline with Richard Garrett
ANN Central Studios, Vancouver, North American Union, November 12, 2196
Richard Garrett- This is Sunday, November 12, 2196 and welcome to another installment of Timeline. With us today is asari historian, sophontologist, political scientist, and author of the controversial book, The Matriarch's Garden: The Price of Peace, Asty T'Alaton. Welcome to the show, Ms. T'Alaton.
Asty T'Alaton- Glad to be here, Richard.
Richard Garrett- Let's get right to it, shall we? In your book you state that for the last thousand years that asari matriarchs have waged a sort of cold war at the edge of Citadel space using such tactics as political assassinations, sabotage, kidnapping, corporate warfare, and proxy wars. How come we are only hearing about this now?
Asty T'Alaton- Have you ever wondered why, with billions of asari in the galaxy, only a comparative few lay claim to the title of Matriarch? Because a Matriarch is not simply a title or a stage of life, Richard. Matriarchs wielded enormous socioeconomic power, each with a nation of followers, attendants, and corporate assets. A true Matriarch represents power in every sense of the word. With power comes conflict of interest and when those conflicts of interest can not be resolved peacefully, violence ensues. And that violence occurred in Terminus Systems.
Richard Garrett- The garden in the book's title?
Asty T'Alaton- Exactly.
Richard Garrett- You make a reference to human history, comparing these conflicts to our Cold War. But the reason the Cold War was waged by proxies was the threat of destruction by nuclear weapons. What prevented the matriarchs from waging open warfare within asari space?
Asty T'Alaton- Tradition fed by history. Back in the days of warring city-states, the battles were brief but brutal since few warriors could sustain their biotics powers under the stress of prolonged combat. Combat was more ritualistic, a test of strength rather than a means of conquest. Assassinations, political maneuvering and control of resources served as better tools of political craft than open warfare. In time trade and diplomacy enforced by tradition created a peaceful society at home but did not do away with the need for tests of strength. Out in the Terminus there are no rules, no traditions, no laws, only virgin territory and endless resources. So as time went by access to these resources became vital to determining whether you could claim the title of Matriarch or keep it.
Richard Garrett-Including betraying long standing allies?
Asty T'Alaton- If you are referring to the batarian bombing of Mannovai, then yes. A handful of Matriarchs leaked the salarian attack plans to batarian intelligence. The batarians realized that their networks were compromised and organized a "volunteer force" in a secret location deep in the Verge. The hundred ship task force launched a raid into salarian space disrupting the salarian's preemptive strike. However, only one in ten ships made it out of salarian space to report their success.
Richard Garrett- Why would the matriarchs warn the batarians?
Asty T'Alaton- Because of the lucrative batarian slave trade, a trade that included trafficking in asari maidens as personal servants to high ranking Hegemony leaders. At least one Matriarch, Matriarch Brykanai died under mysterious circumstances. And by mysterious I mean she ran afoul of either a salarian Specter or an asari Justicar. After that the asari government pushed for stricter laws against slavery as a way of appeasing the salarians but the damage was already done. When humanity entered the galactic stage it was the salarians who pushed the council into giving humaninty an embassy and encouraged their expansion into the Verge. When the batarians complained the salarians, along side the turians, who had been itching to put an end to batarian raiding, sided with humanity. They calculated that either humans were strong enough to contain or eliminate the batarian threat and if not, then the salarians could use the growing batarian threat to launch their long awaited pre-emptive strike against the batarians with turian support. Either way, it was a clear sign of over reach by the...by some of the Matriarchs.
Richard Garrett- And if true, a clear manipulation of humanity. After the break we will discuss these and other revelations with our panel. See you after the break.
ANN Central Studios, Vancouver, North American Union, November 12, 2196
Richard Garrett- This is Sunday, November 12, 2196 and welcome to another installment of Timeline. With us today is asari historian, sophontologist, political scientist, and author of the controversial book, The Matriarch's Garden: The Price of Peace, Asty T'Alaton. Welcome to the show, Ms. T'Alaton.
Asty T'Alaton- Glad to be here, Richard.
Richard Garrett- Let's get right to it, shall we? In your book you state that for the last thousand years that asari matriarchs have waged a sort of cold war at the edge of Citadel space using such tactics as political assassinations, sabotage, kidnapping, corporate warfare, and proxy wars. How come we are only hearing about this now?
Asty T'Alaton- Have you ever wondered why, with billions of asari in the galaxy, only a comparative few lay claim to the title of Matriarch? Because a Matriarch is not simply a title or a stage of life, Richard. Matriarchs wielded enormous socioeconomic power, each with a nation of followers, attendants, and corporate assets. A true Matriarch represents power in every sense of the word. With power comes conflict of interest and when those conflicts of interest can not be resolved peacefully, violence ensues. And that violence occurred in Terminus Systems.
Richard Garrett- The garden in the book's title?
Asty T'Alaton- Exactly.
Richard Garrett- You make a reference to human history, comparing these conflicts to our Cold War. But the reason the Cold War was waged by proxies was the threat of destruction by nuclear weapons. What prevented the matriarchs from waging open warfare within asari space?
Asty T'Alaton- Tradition fed by history. Back in the days of warring city-states, the battles were brief but brutal since few warriors could sustain their biotics powers under the stress of prolonged combat. Combat was more ritualistic, a test of strength rather than a means of conquest. Assassinations, political maneuvering and control of resources served as better tools of political craft than open warfare. In time trade and diplomacy enforced by tradition created a peaceful society at home but did not do away with the need for tests of strength. Out in the Terminus there are no rules, no traditions, no laws, only virgin territory and endless resources. So as time went by access to these resources became vital to determining whether you could claim the title of Matriarch or keep it.
Richard Garrett-Including betraying long standing allies?
Asty T'Alaton- If you are referring to the batarian bombing of Mannovai, then yes. A handful of Matriarchs leaked the salarian attack plans to batarian intelligence. The batarians realized that their networks were compromised and organized a "volunteer force" in a secret location deep in the Verge. The hundred ship task force launched a raid into salarian space disrupting the salarian's preemptive strike. However, only one in ten ships made it out of salarian space to report their success.
Richard Garrett- Why would the matriarchs warn the batarians?
Asty T'Alaton- Because of the lucrative batarian slave trade, a trade that included trafficking in asari maidens as personal servants to high ranking Hegemony leaders. At least one Matriarch, Matriarch Brykanai died under mysterious circumstances. And by mysterious I mean she ran afoul of either a salarian Specter or an asari Justicar. After that the asari government pushed for stricter laws against slavery as a way of appeasing the salarians but the damage was already done. When humanity entered the galactic stage it was the salarians who pushed the council into giving humaninty an embassy and encouraged their expansion into the Verge. When the batarians complained the salarians, along side the turians, who had been itching to put an end to batarian raiding, sided with humanity. They calculated that either humans were strong enough to contain or eliminate the batarian threat and if not, then the salarians could use the growing batarian threat to launch their long awaited pre-emptive strike against the batarians with turian support. Either way, it was a clear sign of over reach by the...by some of the Matriarchs.
Richard Garrett- And if true, a clear manipulation of humanity. After the break we will discuss these and other revelations with our panel. See you after the break.
Comments1
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I'd love to hear more about this! Especially the part when Humanity transformed from a precise multi-tool, to a spear head in galactic politics!