A/N: I haven't written anything new in years but inspired by so many great Humanity Fuck Yeah fics, I decided to give it a go. This is the mandatory timeline establishment chapter so I'm really going to try and flesh this out. Hopefully, enough bullshitting will make this work. :)
12/12/16: fixed some mistakes, added to the Codex.
Disclaimer: Mass Effect is property of Bioware/EA. Monster Hunter is property of Capcom. I own nothing.
Thousands of years ago…
Known only as the Ancient Civilization, a highly advanced society ruled absolute on Earth for an untold length of time. Technologically adept, the scientists at the time began to experiment with artificial enhancements in order to ease the burden of hunting for the Guild's "Monster Hunters". Hunters have nanobot analogues introduced to their bodies through methods lost to time, though researchers across various factions have many theories.
Spreading throughout the body, the nanobots were capable of interaction with one another to form various crystalline structures. Centered around bones, they increased a Hunter's strength to the point where a Great Sword wielder could cleave the tail off a Rathalos in a single swing. Layered thick and evenly through muscle and bone they increased overall body density allowing Hunters to block heavy strikes that would otherwise send them flying or kill them in a single blow. Working with the nervous and immune system allowed for rapid healing of otherwise fatal blows, with broken bones functional in just over a standard minute and rupture of the femoral artery healed in seconds.
Only one of these structures could be maintained at a time but they would revolutionize the world. These structures became known as "Hones" as they "honed" the body into something greater. Even without a specific Hone, simply having the nanobots in your body made better you than before. Regardless of their Hone, Hunters were found to be smarter after the experiments than before which was likely tied to having nanobots in every part of their body, including the brain. Met with great success having increased the durability, power, and intelligence of the average Hunter, experiments continue until nearly everyone in the Guild is the equivalent of a "super soldier". The experiments diversify to include testing on various monsters, particularly species of intelligent wyverns, and Elder Dragons. Domestic animals were meant to be controls, but of these, cats would take to them in unexpected ways.
Felynes, as they are known henceforth, are the descendants of the Ancient Civilization's cat-based experiments. Once quadrupedal and incapable of communicating with any humanoid, they have since become valued, and the Most Adorable, members of society. Capable of bipedal movement and human speech these creatures are acknowledged as sentient. They are a hardy species found in every environment from the barren tundra to sweltering deserts. They are known distant relatives of the Shakalakas. Though what exactly it is the Shakalakas are remains a mystery due to their aggression. It was through them that augmentation was found to be hereditary, as the offspring of altered individuals were superior to their unchanged cousins in numerous ways. The degree of augmentation would degrade for many generations before plateauing at a middle ground better than the non-altered but inferior to those of previous experimented generations. Felynes are known for breaking their speech with primitive, natural sounds as they are unable to completely leave their animal roots behind. Overtime, they began to emulate Monster Hunters they saw in the wilderness which would lead to a close partnership between Felynes and the Guild. While domestic cats as they once were still exist, Felynes are the more populous species and the two do not interbreed. They are the only case of an augmented species that did not contribute to the Great Wyvern War and the fall of the AC.
Augmentation upon wyverns and Elder Dragons likely went along a similar line to the Felynes but with disastrous consequences. Intended for use as heavy labor, they were subject to experiments with nanobot analogues designed specifically to increase the complexity of brain function. While initially this allowed the dangerous creatures to be tamed and used in the construction of the Tower, Sky Corridor, and Cloud Viewing Fortress among others, only the ruins of these great structures remain. It is believed that wyverns had grown to understand and even "speak" to the Hunters that worked with them in the AC though no concrete evidence has been found to back that belief. Despite this, for centuries Hunters have noted that monsters seemed to react to certain phrases in the battlefield. The Guild reissues a statement denying the veracity of such claims as hyperbole whenever they begin to circulate. In any case, as the AC began to experiment with creating their own biological constructs and weapons, discontent grew in the ranks of the wyverns and Elder Dragons.
The Equal Dragon Weapon was made through unclear means at the cost of the lives of hundreds of animals. This led to resentment, and the sentient creatures rebelled, leaving the AC and unifying to wage war on their former masters. The augmented monsters apparently rallied other creatures and the result was the first World War. What truly occurred is unknown, but the majority of monsters were driven to extinction and the Ancient Civilization collapsed for good. The Legend of the Black Dragon is entertained as the only document with any truth about what happened by scholars, and even those who would dismiss it as a fairy tale admit that it at least serves as a warning to anyone who would forget their place in nature and anger a Fatalis.
But as with every war, someone survives and rises anew while others continue as they did before, growing and changing in the meantime.
563-959 AD – Earth
The Hunter's Guild began to come under attack by nation-states. Sworn to preserve monsters from extinction, and to protect helpless people from the monsters in turn the Guild had long since established itself as a neutral force in political affairs. Monster Hunters were not soldiers to be thrown into combat for a country but to maintain a boundary between humans and monsters allowing both to live in relative peace with very little interaction. Most humans never see a large monster more than once in a lifetime, and smaller monsters like Velociprey are generally nuisances that can be chased away from farm animals by big dogs or groups of Felynes.
This long standing tradition had kept border villages safe as in war time as even the presence of a Monster Hunter could curtail a military force for fear of the Guild withdrawing from the nation entirely. It was common practice to deploy Hunters to such places for that very reason. The Guild did not see virtue in protecting innocent people from monsters only to have them left at the mercy of ruthless soldiers. However, having grown tired of the Guild's passive aggression, some king whose name was known but later erased from all documentation, sent his soldiers through a Guild town anyway. His soldiers burnt the city to the ground but that was not without cost.
The Monster Hunters split into pairs and escorted civilians to a Guild Hall farther in-land before returning to bear witness to the scene. Unfortunately, the king had come to send a message in blood.
Monster Hunters by this time were the descendants of those augmented in the AC long before. They had great strength and heart and life, carried weapons too heavy for the best soldier in any army to lift, and wore armor strong enough to withstand repeated strikes from even Elder Dragons. They were the best shield a people could hope to maintain peace, but the worst sword to call into action in war. MonHuns had never fought other humans before. That is not to disrespect them so as to imply they died quickly, but to say that they fought for longer than the army believed, though very poorly. The bodies are hunks of meat in armor by the time the townspeople and Guild arrive in force.
Limbs severed by exploitation of armor openings designed to protect from thick diving talons and not nimble blades of steel. Helmets strewn about in the streets, faces slashed and burned. One was decapitated with the offending axe buried in the ground where it sank after the necessary repeated blows to cut through his Armor Hone, his mouth frozen in a scream. A dual blade user fell to mortar fire, another's Long Sword was broken, turned and run through them. A charge blade in sword-and-shield form was clutched tightly in the hands of a body skewered on a miniature Dragonator – believed to have been the last to die as blood was still dripping from where her head had been attached to her neck, the Life Hone glowing faintly and futile. Around them, the bodies of countless soldiers lined the streets, in twisted pieces on burnt merchant stalls, caved in chests from hammer blows, bleeding eyes and ears from hunting horn deafening, and all around are scattered light-bowgun shells, empty charge phials…
These brave souls were immortalized as "GUARDIANS" by the Guild, and to speak their names in times of terror became common place.
Thirty-two Guild Hall cities fall to multiple armies around the world, sometimes enemies working in tandem emboldened by the onset and not to be outdone by rivals. Countless civilians die for all that the Hunters fight valiantly for them. Burning effigies show up on the way to fortress cities like Dundorma. Worse, many arise before the Guild Halls with pieces of genuine armor from Hunters who had disappeared without a trace. These fear tactics cause the Guild to withdraw all their forces into the larger settlements, filling them to overcapacity with civilians and MonHuns alike. The strain on resources leads to famine and people begin to die on the streets despite rationing of the Guild's emergency stores. The civilians will not survive a war of attrition, the Guild knows, so it does as it always has and plans. Doctrine and morality are written and reworded. They will not allow this to stand.
"We have kept the peace between monsters and people for millennia. We have kept villages safe behind walls, kept wyverns away from poachers with valleys, we have kept this world alive by venturing out and doing the things no one else can do. But we have been outside too long, we have ignored the monsters that grew up inside our very homes! The atrocities we have endured here have desecrated everything the Guild has done for the world. All Hunters return with their bounty one day and that day awaits us no more! If they think this will go on, that we will fall like the Ancients did they have not been paying attention. Dundorma has not fallen to Kushala Daora! It has not fallen to Gogmazios! It has not fallen because of us! We must remindthem why that is."
- Excerpt from the speech of His Immenseness in the first Call to Arms, Founder of Dundorma and the Elder Dragon Observation Team.
The Call to Arms was the first militarized action taken by the Guild against human aggressors, and would remain the name of all the Guild's future acts in similar circumstances. During this time, a series of documents called the Lao-Shan Lung Accordance were distributed to all Guild cities. The LSLA was to serve as a mandatory moral code to be practiced by the Guild's combatants, and to some extent the public, which prevented vengeance seeking and unnecessary violence against the nation-states. They were to lead by example, guide the villainous kings back into righteousness just as Lao-Shan Lung were guided away from Elder Dragons encroaching on their territory with as little violence as possible. The Guild created a separate faction from the Monster Hunters to govern the people they were protecting, known as Guild Knights and Guardians, who set the precedent for future law enforcement.
Guardians were to remain in town ready to lead the people to safety in the event of an emergency situation before returning to the fight just as the GUARDIANS of that first ravaged town. Guild Knights in particular are trained to fight humans, though at the time they were simply MonHuns with a new title and uniform, and were to be a proper military. They learn to gather information on their enemies through the prostitutes the soldiers visit, and aged veterans school the Guild on how to best take a person's life. Hunters fill the ranks, armor modified, trained anew to combat their own species.
Using guerilla tactics, stealth, and well-placed strikes to supply lines, the Guild spends years getting agents into the various kingdoms that have terrorized them – if there is one thing Hunters know how to do it is stalking their quarry, laying a well-placed trap and taking their time. Fighting in wars of attrition had been beaten into them over the generations. Wyverns were led to enemy camps to rain down fire and poison and fury, Rajang were lured uncomfortably close to Guild cities to ward off those marching, trenches threaded with explosives lined the city limits, pitfall and shock traps rip apart anyone trying to get around the Battle Quarters or Arenas.
The Hunter's Guild suffers high casualties like nothing anyone has seen in living memory but the civilians are on their side and flood the Dragon Academies with volunteers, buying time the Guild could otherwise not afford with fodder. The Guild knows that it must make each action count, they only have a single chance to stop the bloodshed for good or they will never recover from the sheer losses. It is not until every ruler is under the eyes of Guild Knights that they strike all at once, slaying every member of every ruling family and faction the worldwide overnight. Women who would seize control are not spared nor the children who would grow to lead for revenge. Without their leaders, the militaries throw down their weapons and are exiled by the thousands to face the harsh will of nature without weapons or armor. Any that oppose are quickly slain in the street, buried in mass graves with no record of their names, no honor, not to be remembered. The worst fate a Monster Hunter fears. Many cities were forced to fall to Demolisher cannons leaving only smoking ruins. The population is severely depleted to the point where many loyalists fear extinction, and the Guild uses that fear to prevent any uprisings. This is the first Guild Culling.
960-1285 AD – Earth
Guild Knights control the usurped lands for generations, a few Wyverian GKs rather for much of their individual lives, re-educating the populations with the Lao-Shan Lung Accordance and the morality of the Guild. Armies are not allowed to form, though people have a right to gather. Civilians are taught to remember all the Guild has done for millennia, the atrocities cannot be allowed to happen again. Finally, in the year 1185 AD the Guild believes people can be trusted to rule themselves and its Knights step down from their posts over the course of the next century. However, they remain the only militarized force during this time just to be certain.
1189 AD – Earth
The Peace and Truce of God is ratified in Catholic societies. It used spiritual means to deter private war. The first movement in medieval Europe to control society by non-violent means. The Guild began to withdraw here earlier than in other locales.
1215 AD – Earth
King John of England signs the Magna Carta, the first monarch of many that would be forced to accept limits on their power.
1399 AD – Earth
The Ottoman Empire reports several sightings of the Elder Dragon, Nefu Garumudo. The Guild confirms their presence causing a resurgence in Elder Dragon research. Likened to Anubis, many fear the creatures as a sign of incoming wrath from the gods. The Guild remains largely out-numbered again by this time and has not interfered in most the world's conflicts for decades. The Guild means only to act in the event of genocide that would threaten the entire world by the turn of the century as the animal population has risen to the point where they cannot afford to not be Hunting. Poachers become a problem, especially for wyverns in the Rath, and Tigrex families, as the Guild is tasked to capacity for centuries to come.
1618 AD – Earth
An information cache is discovered in the Arctic Circle by the Elder Dragon Observation Team. Believed to be an archive from the Ancient Civilization, the Guild closely guards any information that could be used in the construction of catastrophic weaponry but freely disseminates anything that would increase quality of life throughout the world. The first non-electrical telephone is built. Monster Hunter numbers begin to rise to pre-Call levels.
1632 AD – Earth
The first commercial electric motor is built. The first long-range sniper rifle is designed by Sir Joseph Whitworth. Gunners in the Guild take to it like kindling to sparks. Heavy bowguns and bows-and-arrows begin to be phased out. Guild rifles are modified with materials common to MonHuns to increase weight so they cannot be stolen for casual use by militaries. Lagiacrus develop a taste for pineapples and can be found raiding Hawaiian farms miles in-land from their preferred ocean habitats. The Guild sends MonHuns only when Dole makes reparations to the indigenous people.
1643 AD – Earth
Guild designs for two variations of sniper rifles are approved: a rapid fire version for implementing status effects, and a hard hitting version with a relatively slow reload that gets through animal carapace. These designs are tightly held secrets of the Guild despite political attempts to claim them.
1694 AD – Earth
The earliest recorded air raid without wyverns, Austria uses 200 balloons to deliver ordnance against Venice. The Guild temporarily withdraws all observation balloons.
1700 AD – Earth
A sudden Seregios migration has most of Brazil in chaos. No one knows where they came form or why they hit South America until Hunting expeditions discover the Everwood deep in the Amazon. Noted for having many Ancient Civilization ruins and more than one substantial information cache, tensions rise between the Guild and Latin American governments. The LSLAs are used to de-escalate the situation as the Guild holds the threat of another Culling over those trying to advance themselves. The Guild is treated with hostility from Rio de Janiero up to the Yucatan peninsula, and from São Paolo down to Buenos Aires. Approved information is provided to S. America all the same. As São Jose dos Campos is a Guild city, it is where most artifacts are taken to for shipping. For this reason, it possesses a large contingent of GKs and Guardians. Given the high risk of smuggling, Guild "Nyantas", Felynes registered as official MonHuns, are required to traverse the jungle and find the Everwood. This century sees a great technological boom. Gargwa are driven to extinction in Latin America. In translated hieroglyphs, references are made to an element with an atomic mass of zero. This is believed to be a clerical error. It must be.
1709 AD – Earth
The first airplanes are created by the Wright brothers.
1710 AD -Earth
A juvenile Nargacuga attacks the Wright brothers in one of their planes in North Carolina. The brothers escape with their lives but the plane is dragged into a tree and abandoned as the monster grew bored. It is captured and released elsewhere by the Guild, the plane remains in the tree due to local superstition.
1713 AD – Earth
The first U.S. coast-to-coast long-distance telephone call is made between New York City and San Francisco. The first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation is created.
1732 AD – Earth
The first car powered by an internal combustion engine fueled by hydrogen is created. Trans-continental flights are approved. A ship traveling from Madagascar to India witnesses a Whale Shark incapacitate a Plesioth with a powerful head-butt, causing the predator fly out of the water, and flee once beneath the waves. The Guild is skeptical about the identity of the supposed Whale Shark.
1766 AD – Earth
The internal combustion engine is dwarfed in popularity by the first electrically powered car. The Guild is vocal in its approval and throws assets into improving upon these vehicles. The end of the year sees the earliest design drafts for what will become the M29 Grizzly.
1796 AD – Earth
The atom is split. Fission power becomes the obsession of scientists for years.
Reports of Duremudira in the Sky Corridor result in advisories to avoid AC ruins.
1834 AD – Earth
World War I begins, as it is officially known, though it is arguably the third world war. The Guild is gridlocked as some advocate to interfere while others argue the conflict is not sufficient to warrant third-party action by the Guild. A Call to Arms is sent out 1842. While there is not enough time to initiate another Culling, this is seen as a very real threat.
1843 AD – Earth
World War I ends when Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies. The Call to Arms is only publicly dismissed. MonHuns, GKs, and Guardians are under orders to infiltrate as many international administrations as they can manage without being found out and begin supplying the Guild with intelligence.
1868 AD – Earth
World War II begins. The Guild is again held from acting by discourse over the repercussions of another Culling. The argument against is certain it will be seen as an act of terrorism and the Guild will be wiped off the face of the Earth by nuclear weapons. The side in favor argues that without action nuclear weapons will be used on civilians as intimidation which would escalate into a cataclysmic series of events. The agents in place around the world are left to figuratively chomp at the bit, helpless on the sidelines of genocide in Europe and the world. Agents question the effectiveness of the Guild if a second (fourth) World War could form right under their noses.
1873 AD – Earth
Germany surrenders on May 8th. On August 6th, the first deployed atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. The Guild agents throughout the world are driven to action in defiance of its hesitance. However, the American GKs, who believe Hiroshima means the end of the war and decide it is too late to accomplish anything, though some are skeptical. Three days later, when Nagasaki is bombed, the President and the entirety of Congress are found dead in Washington, D.C., as well as a dozen Guild Knights dead from self-inflicted gun shots. Their suicide notes are kept from public record. The Culling is total and complete by September, and the Guild asserts itself once again brandishing the LSLA as doctrine. The discontent from MonHuns, GKs, and Guardians leads to a change of leadership in the Guild by years' end.
1878 AD - Earth
Demilitarization is in full swing. Nuclear weapons are disposed of and the new Guild establishes the United Nations in order to prevent another war with GKs and MonHuns initially representing 51 nation-states. "Angsty" teenage Agnaktor increase volcanic activity along the Pacific Rim.
1896 AD – Earth
The International Aeronautics and Space Administration is founded. Humanity is urged into productivity with peaceful application of science. A pair of unusually docile Rathians (green and pink respectively) decide to roost on the roof of the Potawatomi Hotel. Given their 400-year lifespan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin lives in fear despite the Guild's constant vigilance.
1914-18 AD – Earth
The Voyager space probes are created and launched. Humanity has been broadcasting signals into space for six years, optimistic about encountering alien life.
In Ontario, Canada a Bullfango challenges a stationary train car near a bus station to a fight. Upon winning and violently mating with the vehicle, MonHuns sedate and relocate the confused animal after recovering from their fits of hysterical laughter and once they have stopped posting to Snapchat.
1921 AD - Earth
Yuri Gagarin aboard the Vostok 1 becomes the first human to travel in space. Humanity officially becomes a spacefaring race. The United Nations now has 193 members and counting.
Milwaukee's Rathians, now named Chatty-noga and Stacy, suddenly have a rooster they treat as a chick. He is a nightmare for sleepy business professionals all over the metro.
1927 AD – Earth
Apollo 11 lands successfully on the moon. Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on Luna, and plants the internationally authorized flag. The rover Sojourner lands successfully on Mars in April. In July, it arranges pebbles into a smiley emoji and the picture goes viral on social media platforms.
A week later, Sojourner is "no longer functional".
1944 AD – Earth
The Curiosity rover sends images with unnatural formations before transmissions stop. Contact with Curiosity is lost. The U.N. and IASA (pronounced ice-uh) are bombarded with manned-mission proposals.
1950 AD – Earth
Manned-missions to Mars are approved. Sixteen vessels of various designs are licensed and given the green light. Viking 2 transmits clearer images of foreign structures on Mars, prompting discussion about potential First Contact. Protocols are drafted by the U.N., and the Guild admits that having a militarized force to protect the planet may be necessary.
1953 AD -Earth
The United Nations and the Hunter's Guild come up with an agreement to allow the re-establishment of a civilian enlistment military. The first generation of commanding officers must have served a 15-year minimum with the Guild, but recruits can come from any walk of life and any race. An oversight committee consisting of U.N., Guild, and civilian representatives of non-U.N. member nations, is created to ensure this new force will not be used against any Terran for any reason. It is called the "Alliance Military of Terra". IASA is absorbed into the Alliance.
Most existing Guild agents are the descendants of genetically engineered Monster Hunters from the AC as their superior physical abilities were often taken as a "sign" of some great destiny awaiting them as agents of the Guild, while others felt that the history of MonHuns demanded service duty from them.
Few MonHuns ever bred with non-Guild members, and as a result many can trace unbroken lines back to the First Call in Dundorma if not farther. When an average civilian enters the Guild they receive basic treatments that increase their general durability so that they are comparable with the typical MonHun, before Honing. The nanobots responsible for allowing Honing are still not understood very well by the Guild as the AC evidently destroyed much of their research before the collapse. Why they did so will likely never be understood, but it remains possible to supply nanobots to civilian-descent MonHuns through the use of Zenith wyvern gems.
Traditionally, a Hone can be set as "Attack", "Armor", or "Life" by altering the configuration of the nanobots within the body. This was done by gathering various "BeRry" tonics, ore used to make armor, and Zenith gems in order to create a "technically" consumable drink which when ingested somehow "told" the nanobots how they were to arrange themselves. This takes about two hours, during which time MonHuns attempt to get the taste out of their mouths with hard liquors and spicy food with little effect. When consumed by someone without existing nanobots, they are forced to swallow an additional Zenith gem which would then dissolve in the drink and spreads the little things all over their body.
Despite relentless study, no one in or outside of the Guild have been able to isolate a single nanobot inside the gems or the ingredients of the Honing tonics and many scientists blame this on the AC, though the artificial nature of "BeRrys" is believed to be a major component.
1964 AD – Luna
A small mission consisting of half a dozen ships goes to the moon in order to establish a communications base before the Mars colonists launch. Armstrong Outpost at Shackleton Crater is formally founded as the first human settlement on Luna.
1969 AD – Earth
After years of anticipation, the would-be colonists are finally cleared. The crews consist of humans, wyverians, and felynes. Troverians were offered positions aboard but maintained that their place is on solid ground, having never placed any faith in flying contraptions. The majority are scientists but the Guild also deploys MonHuns for protection in the event any potential aliens are hostile. Worry grows in the public eye as people realize that extraterrestrials could be dangerous. The journey lasts eighteen months.
1971 AD – Mars
Thirteen of the ships sent to Mars land successfully. One breaks up on entry, another experiences equipment failure with its landing gear leaving only two survivors, and the last decelerated too suddenly and crashed on the surface killing everyone inside. The Curiosity's trail is followed by the Guild teams, and the rover is found damaged at the bottom of a sharp cliff. The Prothean ruins are discovered in the south polar region of Promethei Planum. With the discovery of "Element None", oft called "Element Nonsense" or El-Non, which has an atomic mass of zero, some light is shed on the Ancient Civilization's technology which raises questions about the element's native origins and why and how the AC had any in the first place. But most importantly, what had it been used for?
While no life forms are found, the solid evidence for the existence of aliens excites the population. The information led to the exploration of mass effect fields, leading to the development of FTL and the beginning of detailed exploration of the Sol system. The "omni-tool" takes Earth by storm and soon civilians have hundreds of customization options available - all of them running without El-Non.
Prothean translation devices come under study, and the base programs are mandatory for all Alliance vessels and large civilian transports. Applied to the many languages spoken by the Earth's species, the hope is that the variety provided will assist the programs in the translation of alien languages into at least a pidgin language. When used in combination with an omni-tool, terrans do not have to speak more than a single language to communicate with one another. Many complain about the translation not syncing with lip movements, but several statements go out reminding everyone that this is real life and not a game.
The first instances of biotics occur in scientists who have prolonged contact with El-Non. Safety measures are put in place to limit exposure.
1972 AD – System, Sol
Pluto's moon, Charon, is revealed as a "mass relay" covered in ice. Jon Grissom leads a science team toward the object and upon freeing it, they are surprised to be instantaneously transported to another system. Later named Arcturus, the mass relay here reveals that they are a vast network making traveling across the galaxy a reality. The scientific community remains uneasy about the properties of El-Non and advocate against becoming dependent on something so little is known about. While reluctant to let go of such fascinating alien technology, the Alcubierre warp drive becomes the basis for new ships in the civilian and military sectors. El-Non is allowed for the use of creating artificial gravity, but a Troverian team works tirelessly to replicate the effect and Element Zero falls even farther on the back burner.
1976 AD – Earth
An accident in a Chinese laboratory studying El-Non results in a MonHun volunteer test subject being ripped to pieces after pushing a scientist to safety. What is left of them shows damage on the cellular level, and further testing with MonHuns determines that it weakens Armor Hones, compromises Life Hones, and Attack Hones are the most resistant to these "warp" explosions. Anyone subject to these El-Non based attacks is in a great deal of pain regardless of augmentation. The Alliance has a weaponized grenade patented in weeks. A starship worthy torpedo is ready months later, designed to weaken physical structures like metal plating, though these are few in comparison to standard ordnance, and meticulously cared for. The damage if one detonated on a ship would be horrendous.
The telekinetic abilities displayed by those exposed to El-Non are determined to be harmless to the bodies of those who do not develop tumors. Life Hones prevent the tumors from becoming malignant in others and are mandatory for them if they intend to use the strange abilities for any reason. This constricts them to Life if they want to live. Life Honing is widely approved for non-combatant civilians as the sophisticated nanobots strengthen the immune system and lengthen the natural life span. They are a godsend to those with disabilities and/or chronic pain. By 1998, almost every adult civilian has a Life Hone. Attack and Armor Hones are kept strictly military, and all are kept from civilian minors as they have been known to react poorly to treatment.
1979 AD – Luna
Scientists invent hard-light shields for starships inspired by the omni-tools detailed in the Prothean archives. Unlike mass effect fields which only stop either high speed or low speed objects, hard-light shields behave like solid structures and will do not allow anything to move through them as long as it falls within power source thresh hold. The amount of power needed to generate hard-light is obscene compared to mass effect kinetic barriers so are installed for use as last minute fail-safes. The Alliance commissions hard-light as standard emergency shielding on all vessels should kinetic barriers prove inferior, knowing that the drain would conflict with even sub-light travel resulting in a considerable time delay before a ship could retreat.
The U.N. declares that "Terran" will serve as an umbrella term for all Earthlings in order to present a united people to any aliens they might come to find in the future. This includes Troverians and Felynes. The next two years are spent amassing transport, and combat, capable starships.
The Guild writes, and the U.N. passes, the Right Hand Man Act which requires the XO of any ship classified as a "Destroyer" or larger to be a G-rank Gold Crown Monster Hunter. These veterans are the best agents the Guild has to offer; with experience facing "Leviathan" monsters on foot, these fearless warriors are calm under pressure and quick thinkers. Many have earned Master's degrees, if not PhDs, in concurrence with their ranking which allows them to fill a scientific role when not engaged in combat. This allows the Guild to retain a consistent presence in the ever growing Alliance without seeming overbearing. They are exhausted by the Star Trek jokes almost immediately.
1981 AD – System, Sol
The Alliance has become the exploratory head of Earth, and voluntary enlistment is at an all-time high. Once through Basic Training, every soldier is provided with standard Monster Hunter nanobot augmentation but Honing is restricted to officers, and to those with at least G-rank Bronze Crowns irrelevant to Alliance rank.
El-Non is used in a series of experiments with Alcubierre warp drives in un-manned vehicles on the outskirts of the Sol System. The result is a rip in space-time which freaks everyone out and two of the ships disappear into the opening before it snaps shut. The ships are caught on a Youtuber's omni-tool falling through a sudden rift in the sky into San Francisco Bay. The U.N. encourages caution, but is far more intrigued by the potential presented than by the consequences of casually messing with the fabric of reality. The Guild concedes on the issue and the number of experiments increase.
1982 AD – System, Arcturus
In order to defend its expanding territory, the Alliance begins to construct a space station in this system as it is a nexus for many mass relays, even though Terrans have yet to encounter another race.
An accident at Singapore International Spaceport exposes hundreds of Terrans to dust-form El-Non. Roughly 30% of the children born in Singapore after the incident suffer from cancerous growths. The Guild gets U.N. backing to execute anyone found guilty of practicing immoral science and it is law by years' end.
1987 AD – System, Arcturus
The Delta Pavonis Foundation, a major consortium based on Earth, begins settlement of humanity's first extra-solar colony world, the planet Demeter. Later this year, additional colonies are founded on Eden Prime and Terra Nova.
The Alliance occupies completed portions of Arcturus Station, intended to become the Alliance's headquarters.
1994 AD – System, Shanxi-Theta
Shanxi is colonized. It is chosen as the first garden world to include wyverns among the imported fauna in order to mimic a proper Terran ecosystem. Many other worlds follow in its example, as the Guild has concerns about wildlife preservation on Earth due to climate change, and the current state of industrialization. Some worlds are designated as nature preserves where the animals can live in peace without Terrans, especially those that cannot replenish quickly. These worlds have orbital stations so that the Guild can keep them monitored to prevent poaching.
Deviljho are strictly forbidden from being transported to new worlds as they are enough of a menace on the homeworld.
A mass relay in the system is dormant which perplexes the Alliance. While not encased in ice, neither does the structure have the blue glow of El-Non. The U.N. orders the Alliance to leave it be and instead allow the Elder Dragon Observatory Team to study it as they specialize in the strange and unknown. This is another reminder about how little is understood about Element None and the relays. For the most part, the Alliance's warp drives are the most common and reliable means of FTL. In the meantime, the U.N. wants the Alliance to focus on filling colonies and building up existing defenses.
The El-Non and Alcubierre warp drive experiments prove fortuitous and a new method of FTL is approved, the Rift drive. Unshielded, and then unarmored, ground forces walk from Terra Nova's Alliance base to Shanxi's poppy fields through Rifts without casualties. Relays are no longer needed to travel from Earth to a single colony world, you can jump through a timed Rift with your luggage and be there in moments.
Rifts are either opened in atmosphere-to-atmosphere or space-to-space pairings as to assuage the fear that it would allow potentially hostile alien ships straight to the ground, bypassing security measures. Ships can slip from Arcturus straight to deployment zones to delight of the military and civilians alike. While enormous Rifts can be opened, large enough for two Dreadnoughts to pass side by side, a new Rift cannot be opened for hours afterwards as the energy required is slowly accumulated, massive, and quickly expended. A concern is that this will allow smuggling of black-listed animals, equipment, and even criminals into prohibited systems so Guild Knights are the only ones authorized as operators.
This remains one of the only major El-Non markets, which is viewed favorably considering the unease felt by those who need to work with the element.
1999 AD – Eden Prime
Wireless transmissions are received around the planet, of indeterminable origin and are a mess of foreign two-tone noise. The Alliance mobilizes in strength, as many believe they are on the cusp of finally encountering another race. The scientists cannot wait to run the transmission through the Prothean based translator programs, and soon the thousands of people in the fleets and on the planet have something coherant coming out from radios and speakers everywhere. What they hear is this;
"-inist-er-er of the Vekl'tu Rep-l-l-l-ic…we ho- ar-...aid, anything you can- sp-re…Rak-a…in the-…system… inist-errrr-er of the Vuh-vuh-vekl'tu Rep-l-l—l-l-l-ic…we hope y- are- here-here-...reques- requesting aid, an-anything you can- sp-re…Rak-a…in the…[unintelligible] system...God Ara-rash…us…-is the Prominent Minister of the V-vekl'tu Republics. We hope you are out-th-there. Our world Rakhana is dying and we are reques-reques-requesting aid. An—nything you can spare us. We are in-in-in…the [ERROR#5864.3333331: failure to translate. Searching…] -tem… God-ss Arashu protect us."
It is everything we ever hoped.
To be continued…
CODEX
What is a "terran"?
There are multiple native Earth species that the term covers. Nearly all have augmentations through some way or another.
Troverians - These people are short and stocky; their heads only reach up to a human's chest when fully grown. They prefer to live and work underground especially near subways as the rumbling caused by the trains reminds them of the volcanoes of their ancestral homes. Few leave Earth for the colonies before Rifts. They are also famous for sporting impressive facial hair across both sexes. Closely related enough to humans to create viable offspring.
Wyverians - Unlike other species, they evolved from avian-like reptiles as evidenced by their bird-like feet. Their legs bend back similarly to quarians but the curve is not as severe, and unlike quarians they possess sharp talons on each toe. Noted for their long lifespan of 350 years or more, they have a very different mentality than that held by humans. That being said, the two get along famously and inter-species marriages have always been a norm. They cannot reproduce with humans or troverians however as they are in different genomes. They have multiple ethnic groups similarly to humans.
Humans - Have the largest population of all the terrans, and their cultures are dominant. Can intermarry with wyverians and troverians, though only troverian unions can produce offspring. Dwarfism in humans is not linked to troverian genes.
Felynes - The descendants of Ancient Civilization experiments on domestic cats. Can alternate between bipedal and quadrupedal movement. Widely adored for their inherent cuteness, they can be as equally dangerous in combat situations as any of the larger terrans, if not more so. Their size allows them to fight from much lower and take out one's legs, while their superior night vision gives them the advantage in poorly lit areas, and their claws enable to climb smooth surfaces. They excel in the close quarters combat required in starship hallways, and many become engineers to make the most of their smallness. The maintenance tunnels on starships are covered in paintings, and purring can be heard if you concentrate. While modern guns can be made in their size, most prefer omni-blades with incendiary or cryo effects. Tech abilities are also a favorite. Can but chose not to breed with domestic cats.
BeRry – Artificially made consumables credited to the Ancient Civilization, when eaten by MonHuns they will provide temporary boosts to strength, endurance, and recovery. Each of them has "BeRry" in legible font on the side, distinctly odd for a plant and why they are assumed to be a product of the AC. Linked to Honing, many assume they contain the answers to all the secrets surrounding AC augmentation but even modern instruments are futile in making a breakthrough. Indigestible by wyverns as evidenced by their intactness in dung piles, why the creatures eat them is also a mystery.
Guild Knights – These former Monster Hunters are distinguished from other Guild agents by their Garment Armor or GArmor. Their dress is considerably less heavily armored than a MonHun but is better adapted to fighting in close quarters with other humanoids. Almost everything they wear is in solid colors, usually red or green. They wield dual blades, sword-and-shields, light bowguns, and later on, heavy pistols, shotguns, and submachine guns. In modern times, GKs are separate from civilian law enforcement agencies and typically only enforce Guild laws. Overly heavy and large weapons are restricted to Guardians and MonHuns.
GUARDIANS – Those first MonHuns to die against [REDACTED]'s soldiers. After more than a thousand years, they are treated with reverence akin to holy spirits and Guild agents often use their names to ask for an attribute of theirs to survive, also exclamations of surprise. They were six;
Nabi – Dual Blades: for demonic speed when the world is hell.
Soltoro – Hammer: for the strength to move through any storm.
Kaguya – Charge Blade: for adaptability when hope seems lost.
Estefan – Light Bowgun: for a steady heart when surrounded by fear.
Alma - Long Sword: for a fury than slices through your foes long after you've gone.
Muramasa – Hunting Horn: for reciprocal faith in one's allies. Most common during the First Call when dozens could die if not for absolute trust that everyone would do their jobs to the letter.
The Guild created the Guardian-class knight in their honor.
Guardian knights - See above. Distinct from GKs and MonHuns by their blue uniforms/armor of singular design. Wield lances and carving knives. They are steadily phased out by police, and the Guild instead develops elite sniper units under this designation.
Monster Hunters – The most common Guild agents, these people are the backbone of the Guild. With numerous weapon specialties available to them MonHuns can fight just about anything and win. After the Call, they will even fight people if necessary and are arguably the best at it compared to GKs and Guardians. Guild Knights are more commonly employed as assassins, and Guardians defend first and attack later. MonHuns will run up to a Deviljho and punch it in the face – there are several hundred documented cases – as a rite of passage. Best known for their hereditary genetic augmentations, which GKs and Guardians also possess, they are often what comes to mind when one thinks of the term "super soldier". They are also more likely to have cybernetic limbs as a casualty of punching ravenous monsters in the face.
Guild Ranking in the Alliance Military of Terra
Any vessel by the Alliance is crewed by Alliance and Guild operatives. The Alliance will have majority and the Guild will compromise most ground teams.
The Guild continues to implement its ancient ranking system in order to maintain a clear leadership hierarchy. These are kept on Guild Cards, which serve as licenses to hunt monsters with the Guild's authority. Low Ranks are 1-4, the rookies and know-nothings who can barely reload. High Ranks range from 5 to about 60. These are more experienced members who likely have not faced Leviathan-class monsters, though there are exceptions. G-Rank above that has three tiers within it: Bronze, Silver, and Gold Crown. All of them are approved to face "Leviathan" monsters, and Gold Crowns have been known to go it alone. These are true signifiers of skill: Bronze can be trusted to take on Ukanlos, Silver will have faced off with Gogmazios, and Gold have tangled with Shah Dalamadur. All G-Ranks are eligible for Hones and the Guild keeps constant track of Apex monsters from which they can acquire Zenith gems. The numerical value next to the LR, HR, or G on their Guild Card is an individual's place within their tier. LR 3s are lower than HR 63s who are lower than G-Bronze 60s. All Guild agents have a Guild Card and a rank in this way, even the administrative assistants.
Omni-tools have made swapping information a relative breeze, and casualty rates fall as communication can occur in real time without having to fumble with physical device on the battle field. It should be noted that ranks in modern days, while still determined by merit, are not necessarily a sign that someone fell a monster like thousands of years ago, merely that they have the skill deserving of the rank.
In the Alliance, Guild ranking is irrelevant to the Alliance structure. The two function parallel to each other, not perpendicularly. Ranking earned in the Alliance does not affect Guild rank and is not influenced by it and vice-versa. The Right Hand Man Act has placed G-Gold Crown agents as First Officers so that a veteran's eye is always at the forefront of an altercation and someone with Guild approved morality is at the helm, but they are ultimately Alliance at the end of the day. The captain of a frigate can be a LR 4, and a G-Gold Crown can be a Private First Class. The differentiation is made by looking at the uniform a person wears.
Those serving as XOs due to the RHMA wear Alliance gear with those four letters in the center of their chest plates and report to both the Guild and the Alliance brass. The XOs of heavy ships must already have a G-Gold Crown rank of any numerical value, as it is impossible to rise inside Guild ranks while in the Alliance. While it is a pain in the ass, sheer numbers mean the list of candidates for any ship fitting that description is literally thousands of names long so finding a qualified candidate is not an impossible task, just a tedious one.
Guild agents wear the more organic armor of MonHuns. It is mostly a stylistic choice which makes it easy to tell allegiance at a glance. A person in Alliance blue is under the U.N.'s jurisdiction, and someone in the Molten Tigrex motif will be directly under the Guild's. Alliance soldiers almost never turn over to the Guild. When Guild agents must work alongside the Alliance, the MonHuns will answer to either the Captain or the highest ranking Guild agent depending on the situation. Captains and high tier MonHuns serving together on the same ship will usually have plans of action and lines of succession ready for any situation to minimize any confusion.
A/N: If you have made it this far, thank you for reading. I took a lot from the wikis of both games, and I love me, some, commas. Please review so I can know if there's anyone who wants to read more because I'd love to write again.
~ Solvent Harp37