Hi there internet people! So uh id like to start off with saying I've had a first go at writing a crossover story on before (Its still on my profile, but I've lost a bit of steam for it as of late though I may revisit it again in future) so this is technically my second go at writing something hopefully pleasing to the eye. It is an Alternate Universe Mass Effect story in which humanity has not spread beyond our solar system yet, and well discovery of humanity is a bit different to canon. As far as I know no one has explored this concept in a Mass Effect FanFic (hopefully a good sign) so please tell me what you think! Feedback, ideas and suggestions are most welcome as I am still thoroughly green in the fields of writing. (I promise future chapter will be longer) Without much further ado I present to you, 'Alien Nation'…

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Chapter 1

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~" {Citadel NewsNet logo spins into the screen, fades in to a single Asari sitting at a news desk}

'Welcome to Citadel NewsNet. I'm Alenya W'Sani. Confusion is still gripping the Citadel member species as a new Disease has been found spread among multiple colonies. Early reports, and wary onlookers are suggesting this may be a new strain of the 'Rhaenosus Vocallus', or more commonly known as Vocal-Neural Blabbermouth Disease, a disease thought to have been wiped out 200 years ago. Though Scientists have not yet found positive links between this outbreak and 'V-N B' Disease, its sporadic, and some might say random spread across citadel space is similar to past V-N B outbreaks. Many are still asking; could this be a new disease, and what should we do? To answer this question we spoke to a local doctor on the Citadel earlier.'

{Switches to pre recorded interview}

*Deafening chatter of Media*

'Doctor Solus! What can you tell us here at Citadel NewsNet on the recent outbreak across Citadel space?'

The Doctor in question, a Middle aged Salarian with a damaged horn, turned to the interviewer, and then the camera and back once again, seemingly unsure where to look.

'Can tell you many things about outbreak. But too little time to cover everything! Can simplify findings so far?'

Receiving a nod from the interviewer he continued 'Can confirm that from initial reports from sister hospitals that the Disease is not a strain of Rhaenosus Vocallus. No signs of similar patterns of spreading from host to host, almost random. Not easy to find its point of origin.'

'Could this be-'

'A biological weapon? No, wait yes to no. Too random to be a Biological weapon. Also too far spread out. Still unsure how it is spreading, haven't trialed new quarantine theories. No cases have been seen among the Quarian species. Possibly due to Envirosuits? No. Unsure! Too many variables. Will have to run more tests.'

'Thank you Doctor Solus. This has been Weshra B'Loni from Zakera Ward, Citadel.'

{Switches back to main reporter at the desk}

'Thank you Weshra. That's all the up to date news we have on the recent outbreak. Remember, keep hydrated, sanitise your workspace and remember, if you are worried about your health or that of a loved one please do not hesitate to call local healthcare professionals prior to going to your local hospital to allow for basic quarantine measures to be put in place.'

{A pause, a change of camera angles and a shuffle of noise later the news switches to a commercial break}"~

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-Inside the main Zakera Ward Hospital-

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"Well, compared to past events of you talking to the Media Girls at NewsNet, you spoke quite well, and slowly by your standards." A Turian Nurse standing by the window said as the Salarian Doctor from the news entered the building. Looking out she could easily see the crowd of media monsters (Yahgs of the media world she liked to refer to them as) massing near the possible entrances and exits to the hospital, ready to pounce onto anything or anyone that might make for a tasty scoop of gossip among celebrity news, or for any 'news updates' on the current, and in truth very troubling, outbreak.

"Zaera! Good to see your face after media mob outside. Couldn't wait to be finished with news reporter. In numbers their behaviour seems reminiscent of batch laid in too shallow spawn pool; too energetic, too enthusiastic, no respect for need of quietness on certain topics." Dr Mordin Solus said as he looked towards the Turian Nurse standing at the window. She was a long term colleague and good friend of his. In any other situation or line of work they might have become more than just colleagues and friends but they were both married to their work so to speak and their ability to share the same thought processes made them a perfect team in a lab.

"So in short, they behave just like you?" Zaera joked, the humorous tone in her voice bringing a small smile to Mordins face at the jab towards his way of talking fast, thinking fast and for having the worst timing ever to bringing up some topics of conversation.

"Me too energetic? Too enthusiastic? Like to think of it as specialised well trained interests in specific fields," Mordin let the smile spread further across his face, but was quickly back to his professional expression as the automatic doors opened to let four Nurses and two patients

"Zaera?" Mordin called quietly to his partner, standing to the side of the makeshift medical hall that now served the purpose of housing incoming patients for assessment on stretchers before further admittance to the hospital.

The Turian Nurse, somehow hearing his voice over the senseless muttering and blabbering of the patients, perked up and came to stand by the Salarian.

"What is it Mordin?" Zaera asked, concerned but careful enough to keep her voice down lest the patients overheard or got worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong. Odd. Yes to wrong but not accurate enough." Mordin spoke hushed and quickly, clearly thinking about what he spoke of. "Tell me. What species do you see?"

Following his outstretched arm towards all the patients in the medical hall Zaera scanned the patients on their stretchers.

"I see Asari, Turians, and Salarians, more Asari than others." She turned to the Salarian Doctor "What are you getting at Mordin?"

"Yes, good to see eyesight still sharp. Note incoming patients seem to be ONLY of Asari, Salarian and Turian origin. None of the minor races seem to have been affected." Mordin replied, his gaze not leaving the sea of patients.

"I… you're right. Not even one confirmed case from the other species, though we haven't heard from the Batarians. Are you sure this isn't a biological weapon from one of the races the Council has inevitably irritated and pushed too far?" Zaera was growing more confused and frustrated by this outbreak by the day.

"Original suspicions would point to Biological weapon, however no markers that would show signs of Bio weapon found in bodies of patients who did not survive the early stages of the disease." He said, following up his statement by producing his data pad from a pocket and entering some of his findings of the day. "Zaera, must ask, for today's report before night cycle begins. But not here, topic could unnerve patients."

Having moved to an adequately secluded area away from the patients, Zaera watched Mordin quickly alter a line, or twelve, of speculative work on the Blabbermouth-like Disease.

"Must ask, not peasant topic, head researches at STG requested. Have the survival rates changed on the subjects, Zaera?" Mordin asked looking up from his data pad and through the windows of the automatic doors towards the chambers full of the admitted patients.

A long exhausted sigh began her answer as she quickly checked her own notes. "Not that I can see. Surviving through the initial stages of the disease we can still see Turians at 12% survival, Salarians at 20%, Asari have the highest rate, though on one of your hunches I found that Mixed blood Asari descendants have a survival rate of 75%, while it would seem, that Pure blood Asari have the largest survival rate of all with a suspected 100%, well no deaths recorded so far in any case. The disease hasn't of yet entered any later stages among the advanced patients so I have no further knowledge on survival later on during treatment. None of the medical treatments we are applying seem to do anything! I don't understand this disease. Its like nothing we've experienced before!"

Zaera pushed herself away from the desk she was leaning on, clearly frustrated she began pacing the room, to the window, to the opposing wall and repeat. That was until Mordin brought her out of her rhythmic pacing.

"Zaera, please. Not helpful to anyone, especially patients, if you continue with this." Mordin said in the patient tone a Salarian would reserve for a juvenile hatchling too eager to see and experience everything, well as patient a tone as a Salarian, especially Mordin, could muster. "Focus on the now, allocate that that we can't yet work out as a hobby, something to do in your free time. No stressed deadline, no worries. No worries, better results."

Zaera stopped, considering her closest friend's words of advice before giving a small Turian smile. "I have no idea how you do it Mordin, but somehow you can find sense in every moment of chaos. Now best we get back in there. Its almost time for my round tending to the advanced patients with the other nurses, and you'll need a device with a faster extranet connection to reach Sur'Kesh in a reasonable time with your data."

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-Citadel, Council chambers, some time later-

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The three members of the Citadel Council, Councilor Sparatus (Turian), Councilor Tevos (Asari), and Councilor Valern (Salarian) were all together in a small antechamber that branched off from the main 'podium' on which the common folk usually saw them standing. The antechamber featured a beautifully polished wooden table carved from an ancient Asari Worsha tree with matching chairs placed around it. The crucial feature of the chamber was that it was a communication deadzone of sorts, no comm traffic came in or went out without their authorisation. The change of venue was of significance as this antechamber was the safest and private chamber in all of Citadel space, reserved for the discussion of war, spy network planning, and issues that affected the Citadel species as a whole. The last of which was why they were all here together in person, for the situation in Citadel space was getting closer to critical levels.

"Thank you for coming so swiftly Tevos, Sparatus." Councilor Valern greeted them when the digital check confirmed that no bugs or unauthorised organic bodies were present. "I believe you already have some suspicions as to why you are here."

"That we are Valern." Tevos agreed as she sat herself at the table, pouring herself a glass of Thessian wine, Sparatus seating himself beside her after giving Valern a nod. "Have the STG's bio labs uncovered anything on the nature of the disease? Goddess please tell me we are a step closer to a cure."

"Sadly we are not as close as we would like towards a cure. We are only just starting to understand this disease and have not discovered how it spreads." Valern spoke, noticeably careful about his wording not to sound defeatist or out of his depth. "It is not even a new strain of Blabbermouth. Its entirely alien."

"An Asari can dream I suppose."

"It was wishful thinking." Sparatus' voice, flanged like with all Turians was as stern as his demeanor. "However you would not have called us here if you had nothing. Spit it out if you will Valern."

"STG has been able to discover a possible point of origin of the Disease." He paused, most likely for dramatic effect. "The uncharted quadrant between Inner Council space and the Attican Travese…"

This suggestion immediate caught both Tevos' and Sparatus' immediate and full attention.

"You can't be… how can you be sure of this?" Tevos asked.

"I concur. Valern to make a claim like that would need damning evidence." Sparatus said before gauging Valerns facial expressions before adding, "Which you seem confident you have."

"Indeed I do. STG has analysed where all confirmed cases of this new disease, Blabbermouth as everyone has adopted to calling it even now still, come from and have narrowed them down to the colonies and settled worlds bordering the uncharted quadrant. Whatever this disease is, it is coming from in there."

"How viable is it to force an evacuation of the nearest colonies to the quadrant?" Tevos asked, deep in thought and very aware that more Asari colonies than any other species were on the Citadel space side of the border. "Do we have the ships and resources to depopulate the planets near the region?"

"Honestly? No. Even if we used all of the Citadel Defense Fleet's ships to evacuate population centres it would take too long, and that's not even taking into account the chaos, fear and confusion that would arise from withdrawing from the region." Sparatus said, giving his best impression of a Turian scowl, that or the face the Turian's ancestors made as they judged how to best kill their prey.

"We could actively cancel all licenses to expand into the uncharted quadrant." Valern suggested. "The STG would also be in the position to increase the number of probes and non-manned VI drones along the border to monitor traffic."

"What of the Batarian Hegemony?" Tevos asked, her creased brow accompanying the uncertainty in her voice. "They are becoming increasingly more Isolationist in their politics and behaviour towards the other Citadel species, making this ruling and 'advising' them to do the same on their side of the uncharted quadrant might be the pushing point to their secession from Galactic society as a whole."

"We will have to advise them to do the same nonetheless. We haven't heard of cases of 'Blabbermouth' from within Hegemony space, but I suspect it must be affecting them as well." Valern hypothesized. "It is for the greater good to quarantine the uncharted quadrant until we have a cure or have found the source of this disease."

"Whatever happens, organising all this, calling companies, producing the VI drone numbers necessary will take time." Sparatus spoke with a voice that left no room for disagreement, not that either Councilors Tevos or Valern were inclined to disagree. "In the mean time it could be beneficial to outfit a exploratory vessel and crew with bio hazard equipment and sending them into the uncharted quadrant, find the source and take samples."

"Are you insane, Sparatus?!" Tevos all but shouted at the Turian sitting in the seat next to her. "We're having trouble as it is keeping this disease from spreading and now you want to send a ship and its crew to actively seek out the disease's origin?"

"I second Sparatus' idea." Valern's voice had the effect of pouring ice from Thessia's polar caps down her back, the shock was visible and unrestrained.

"I, I don't understand, how can this be a good idea?"

"It makes logical sense to try and find the disease, parasite or otherwise at its source before it mutates to adapt to host bodies. The sooner we find its source and bring back a sample, the sooner we can create a vaccine or hopefully a cure."

"I… fine, but I insist the crew must be volunteers only, and they must know what they're going to be getting into, the risk, everything." Tevos had mixed feelings. The rational part in her saw this as the right choice, risk a crew to save civilised galaxy. On the other hand her inner love of all living things found this rationalising appalling and to be avoided at all costs.

"Agreed. We should get to work on the dossiers of specialists that could be willing to go on this mission as part of the crew." Sparatus said, accompanied with a curt nod. "Unless there is nothing else to discuss (?), I wish you a good day and that the Spirits keep you all in good health."