Mass Effect universe, 2181: Secret defense and security conference at an unknown location

„...And here we have the Lasgun, a prime example of the curiously mixed technology of the Imperium.

The design is sturdy and simple, geared towards easy mass production and low maintenance costs. As we know, the stopping power against armored targets is lacking for a standard infantry weapon. That's because of the inefficient power conduits within the weapon, and, depending on the world it was manufactured at, also the sometimes low quality of the focusing lens. These flaws are obvious to a scientific approach to technology and could easily be corrected with a few changes. And yet, the Imperials have not done it for the religious reasons that seem to permeate their entire culture. This is one side of their technology: Primitive and with readily apparent flaws that could be easily corrected. But there's another side. Let's have a look at the power pack that supplies energy to the weapon. The energy storage capacity is leaps and bounds beyond anything we have, and makes portable laser weapons viable in the first place. We do not yet understand how the composite material of the battery is made, so we cannot replicate these power packs at the moment, but we can recharge those we have, which is quite easy.

Most of their technology is like this. Parts of it are highly advanced, others are more primitive than some pre-spaceflight technology of other civilisations we know. It would be interesting to learn more about the events that shaped such a strange society."

„Let's hope such an oppurtinity does not arise too soon, Dr. Solus. What about their strategy on a greater scale, in the case there is another incursion? Could you gather information about that?"

„Yes, General Petrovsky, we could. On a strategic scale, they seem to act in a similar fashion as we have observed on the tactical level. They usually use huge numbers of their standard soldiers. The individual guardsman is seen as an expendable tool, and severe losses are the norm. Due to overpopulation especially on their hive worlds, they can replenish most of these losses relatively fast."

„People are a renewable resource and all that?" the Systems Alliance general asked with apprehension in his voice.

„That would be an appropriate summary of the Imperial mindset in these matters."

Half an hour later

During lunch break, General Petrovsky approached Dr. Solus. „I learned you were on Aureum as well during the Incursion, for ...data gathering. May I talk to you about your personal experiences there? I am interested in hearing about the events from different perspectives. I am willing to share mine as well."

„Acceptable topic of conversation, and the appropriate time. Best to start at the beginning..."

Warhammer universe: Somewhere in the warp, time is meaningless here

The modified Exorcist class grand cruiser Woes of the Xeno lurched violently despite the inertial dampeners. She had served as the personal ship of Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Johann Idomeus for more than 20 years. Right now, the ship was struggling with a warpstorm that had suddenly appeared out of seemingly nowhere. But who knew such things for certain when it came to the warp?

Inquisitor Idomeus, currently on the bridge, grapped the brass railing in front of him to remain standing, and looked over to Captain Simon Stein, who sat in his command throne, linked with the ship by countless cables and wires.

„Any success in finding a way to get us out of here? I hope for all our sakes that your answer is yes."

„I still need about 15 seconds to prepare an emergency realspace translation within minimum safety tolerances. Rerouting all available reserve energy to gellar field generators. There is a 95% chance they will fail before we can make the translation."

As if on cue, Idomeus began hear a faint, unearthy whispering that just sounded wrong on a fundamental level. He had the weird feeling that something was crawling along the inside of his skull, probing, searching...

„Emperor preserve us..."

„Gellar fields are weakening!10 seconds to realspace translation !"

The whispering grew louder and more insistent. The reaction of the crew betrayed that by now, they could hear it as well. Panicked eyes darted towards movement in the shadows that was just not yet really there, and prayers rose from quivering lips.

„5 seconds!"

The whispering grew to a chorus of audible voices that called the individual names of people on the bridge and promised them unspeakable things. The moving shadows seemed to gain more substance with each passing moment, and more than a few people on the bridge screamed in incoherent panic despite their training.

The crawling sensation inside Idomeus' head became an enourmous pressure and it took all his concentration and experience as a psyker to keep the horrors pushing against his defenses at bay.

„3!"

The voices could be heard now as if the speakers stood right next to the people they were talking to. The shadows seemed almost solid and took on horrific shapes that hurt to look at. Suddenly, the eyes of two armed guards who had screamed incoherently a moment earlier, glazed over and they became deathly silent. With slow, unsteady movements, as if unsure how exactly their hands worked, they began to reach for their weapons...

„2!"

Idomeus saw it all happening and with monumental effort he drew his bolt pistol. His vision swam, his head hurt like mad and the pressure began to grow unbearable. He knew that his mental defenses were about to be overwhelmed, and that the entities trying to consume his mind and soul could feel it.

„1!"

The voices cackled in mad, gleeful anticipation. The things that had grown out of the shadows began to move into the light and towards the closest human being. Their appearance alone was enough for several crewmen to shoot themselves. Most of the others were no longer capable of coherent action or worse, no longer in possession of their souls. The walls, floor and ceiling began to change, gaining a horrible life metal had no right to have, bulging shapes moving beneath the surface, trying to break through.

Idomeus could feel an entity made of a pure and primal evil make the final push towards what was left of his mental resistance, eager to get at the tasty meal inside. Nonetheless he struggled to aim his bolter, barely able to see, knowing that this was the last thing he would ever do. He saw the two possessed guards turn towards the command throne, aware of their intent, but realising with a sinking horror he would not be able to shoot them both before...

Then it was over. A brutal impact went through the ship, ripping away the horrors of the warp as if they had never been. This time no one remained standing and Idomeus, only half conscious from the encounter, had barely enough time to register the rapidly approaching floor before darkness enveloped him.

Mass Effect universe, 2180: Space over the planet Aureum, Salarian Union, aboard the Woes of the Xeno

When he came to, it was to the taste of blood on his lips, blaring sirens and the smell of electrical fires. Smoke wafted through the cavernous bridge, crewmen lay sprawled on the floor or slumped over consoles, many had their extremities at angles that were definitely not healthy. The casualties of the demonic incursion had been thrown about, adding a bloody mess to the chaos. Many consoles were broken, some were burning or sparkling. Lose panels, cables and lamps dangled from the walls and the ceiling, most screens showed static. A few people and some servitors began to move.

Johann Idomeus looked for the command throne. Despite the heavy damage, the sturdy thing still seemed largely intact. Captain Stein was still -or again?- conscious, an expression of fierce concentration on his face. The Inquisitor knew when not to disturb him, so he did not ask for a situation report. As it turned out, he got it unbidden, as Stein made a shipwide announcement.

"Attention all hands: Realspace translation has us deposited inside planetary gravity well. Main drives not responding. Enact emergency landing protocols."

Idomeus and the crewmen that were still able to do so, strapped themselves into their seats - in case said seats were still there. Those whose consoles were still usable shut down non-critical power circuits, redirected coolant flows and prayed for the Emperor's protection. Those with no seats and nothing to do just prayed.

The Inquisitor's command console had withstood whatever freak accident had befallen them, thanks to an adamantium case and hardened circuits. Though he was no tech-serf so he just braced against what was to come, and looked at the still working main screen.

They were in orbit of a desert planet with no visible signs of habitation . He took in as many details of the surface as he could, because there was a likelyhood they would spend a lot of time there. If they survived the crash, that was.

The planet loomed closer and closer. The ship began to shake, at first it was subtle but soon it grew into teeth rattling proportions. The pained screech of metal stressed beyond the breaking point sounded through the ship. Idomeus was violently jerked to the side, the security belt digging painfully into his flesh. He knew that something important had just broken, yet he could do nothing but sit out the rough ride to the surface of this alien world.

Outside

Aureum. Mostly covered by desert, whose yellow sands had an almost goldlike color, giving the planet its name. Wide yellow plains were interrupted by dark brown mountain ranges. A few blue spots dotted the surface, making it clear to any observer that water was a rarity here. The view from space was almost unobstructed, the few clouds were small and widely separated, looking like lost sheep. A hot but habitable world, were the few indigenous lifeforms competed for what little water there was. Some salarian settlements existed, but the total population barely reached 2 million. An observer in space would only notice the lights at night. The climate was a far cry from the water rich jungles of Sur'kesh and so Aureum had never seen mass colonisation.

All in all, a quiet world. Today however, the silence of the desert was abruptly broken, when a great starship entered the athmosphere and became a fiery meteor that thundered over the land.

The Woes of the Xeno glowed white hot, small parts breaking off and leaving little fiery trails of their own. The ship had never been constructed for athmospheric flight and its superstructure had already been heavily damaged by the strange accident that had brought it here. Now, subjected to the immense forces of a barely controlled athmospheric descent this finally showed. Dozens of kilometres above the surface there was an immense crash as the drive section of the ship broke off. Tumbling uncontrollably through the air it finally crashed into a wide open desert plain, creating an immense cloud of dust.

The forward sections continued towards a mountain range. The rapid flaring of maneuvering thrusters showed the skilled touch of its captain, who kept his ship stable despite the odds. With each passing moment, the huge blocky shape lost velocity, a struggle against time and the rapidly approaching ground.

Only a few kilometers separated the ship from the surface now. It was still moving almost at the speed of sound, a fraction of its initial velocity, but still lethal to its human cargo. The Woes of the Xeno became slower still, passed the mountain range at a dangerously low altitude and then crashed on the plateau beyond it. Stone, sand and dust were hurled into the sky as the enourmous bulk of the Imperial warship carved a deep furrow into the bedrock, trailing heat and flames.

Then the ship lay still. The millennia old grand cruiser would never fly again, but its descent had slowed down just enough.

Skilled piloting and sturdy imperial construction had saved most of the crew. After getting their bearings they went about assessing the situation they now found themselves in...