Z.R. Stein
A New Sunrise - A Mass Effect/MCU crossover AU fic.
I do not own the characters of the respective properties in any way, shape, or form.
It's time for crossposting boys and girls! If you've been wondering why I haven't been writing on for the past...what's it been, two years now? Well, I have been writing, quite often, in fact, but on Spacebattles. And I figured hey, why not port them all over here so that people can read them as well?
I probably won't be actually writing any new chapters for any of these fics anytime soon, though.
This fic was written before either Infinity War or Endgame came out, and thus, I made up my own loose interpretation of the Infinity War.
X X X
The brilliant gases of Neptune swirled endlessly on the planet below. This far out in the solar system, the sun was dim and wan, though it was still a welcome sight, especially since it illuminated the various asteroids and chunks of ice that the Noxolo was drifting though.
Sipho of the Deyi clan studied the distant ball of light for a moment longer before turning back to his work. If his supervisor caught him slacking off by watching the stars, he'd get in trouble; after last week's incident in the mess hall with Nojalhalo, he really didn't want to risk it. Captain Bhengu would be liable to space him if he made them look bad in front of the Americans.
"Lookout, this is Legionnaire-M342, we're making our approach now." came a voice over the comms. Sipho thumbed his communicator and replied "This is Noxolo tractor beam number 3, we're ready for you."
Flicking off the communicator, Sipho dragged his fingers down the holographic display to his left and waited, watching the sensor screens in front of him for the payload that the Americans were delivering. Idly, his thoughts began to drift back to home. Just two more weeks and he'd be back on Earth. While space was exciting and all, he'd like to have some honest-to-Bast dirt under his feet.
A steady beep from the sensor screens brought him out of his thoughts. The Americans were in range, finally. With how much they bragged about their Legionnaire suits, he thought they were awfully slow. How much vibranium could they have possibly found out there anyways?
"Noxolo tractor beam 3, we have visual contact."
Sipho frowned and looked out at the belt. Strange...he couldn't see the tell tale repulsor glow anywhere. He looked back at his sensors for a moment, then back out the window, calculating where that would be in relation to himself.
A moment later, Sipho's eyes widened dramatically and his mouth dropped open. If his sensors were functional (and they probably were), then the asteroid that he was looking at was the source of the transmission. The asteroid that looked larger than a Thoth strike ship and was rapidly approaching. The asteroid that had distinct, thick veins of silvery blue vibranium running through it.
No wonder he hadn't seen the Legionnaires, that thing was enormous. Even if the veins were poor quality (and they didn't look like it), that single rock could be worth more than the Noxolo itself. Sipho felt a wide, excited grin breaking out onto his face. He could almost smell the bonus he was going to get for this. Bast be praised, he might even be able to move his family to Central Wakanda.
"I see you, M342. Activating tractor beam now."
With a few taps, Sipho activated his tractor beam. A narrow cone of azure shot towards the vibranium asteroid, slowing it's progress until it matched the Noxolo's relative speed. Sipho saw a dozen tiny specks fly out from behind the asteroid and repressed a giggle. It might even be larger than a Thoth. Not that he was complaining, that bonus just kept growing and growing in his head.
Sipho manipulated the chunk of vibranium closer to the Noxolo gradually, nudging it around larger asteroids and towards the storage bay. Once it was several meters away from the hull, the containment doors opened, and his job ended. Tractor beams 4 and 5 would take care of actually getting it inside the ship. For now, his job was done.
Sipho leaned back in his seat and began humming a rap song from an artist that his younger brother liked to listen to. He may not be big on American culture, but he was feeling very 'Cash Money' at the moment.
. . .
Thando of the Bhengu clan, Captain of the Noxolo, and employee of the Wakandan International Mining Company sighed contentedly as he sank into the hot bath. Most of the crew aboard his ship had had to make do with wet towels for the past three months in order to clean themselves; not him though. As captain, he had special perks when it came to the water reserve, though he tried not to abuse his position too often. They did need that water for cooking and drinking. However, today, he deserved it.
Vibranium mining was an incredibly risky business. With the only Earthly source being the reserve in Central Wakanda which was carefully guarded, mining companies had turned to the rest of the solar system. The meteor that fell to Earth those many millennia ago hadn't been alone, as the deposit on the Moon had proven, and forays into the rest of solar system had uncovered more and more vibranium. However, it wasn't exactly a common mineral (in fact it was rarer than almost any other element), and companies had driven themselves to bankruptcy trying to find even the smallest sliver of the fantastically valuable metal.
That was why the rock that he had in his hold was a once in a lifetime find. He'd only been in the business for...what was it, five years now? And he'd probably be able to retire soon.
So yeah. He deserved a relaxing bath.
"Captain, come in, this is Zodwa in Communications. We are picking up a transmission from the Saturn ODS."
Thando smiled ruefully as he picked his bracelet of kimoyo beads off of the side of the tub. He activated the comm bead, taking care not to select the holographic video one. That'd happened once while he was drying off from bathing. The crew hadn't been able to keep straight faces around him for a week after that.
"This is the captain. Patch me through."
There was a brief pause, before another voice spoke through the kimoyo bead.
"Thando, this is Sanderson. Is this a bad time or should I call back when you have clothes on?"
Thando glared at the bracelet he was holding.
"Zodwa is going to be feeling my boot if she keeps telling people when I'm bathing. A man needs his privacy sometimes."
Sanderson snickered.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just funny. You got lucky, huh?"
"Heh, indeed we did. That rock must be at least twenty tons. Going market price, I'd estimate it's worth a good hundred million if the veins run all the way through. Glory to Bast, we might actually get to head home early."
Thando heard Sanderson suck air in through her teeth.
"Sorry Captain, no can do. That's why I'm calling."
Of course. The biggest haul of his career and there had to be complications. Thando sighed as he got out of the bath and began drying himself off with a spare towel.
"What is it then?"
Sanderson was silent for a moment, the only sound in Thando's ears the thrum of the Noxolo's engines.
"We've been picking up some...strange readings from Charon for the past few hours. The Noxolo is the closest ship in range."
Thando huffed as he pulled on his clothes. Charon was Pluto's moon. He'd have to look at a star chart to be sure, but at their current orientation it should be a trip of only a day or two at their top speed to make it out to the dwarf planet. It'd be nice if Pluto and Neptune were at their twenty year intersection, but they weren't so far apart to be a huge hassle.
"The Legionnaires are still with you, right?" came Sanderson's voice.
"Mmm. You don't think we'll run into space pirates way out here, do you?" Thando said, jokingly.
"Probably not, but better safe than sorry. You never know what's lurking out there in the black, after all."
Thando felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He'd learned about the Infinity War in grade school. He knew very well that things lurked outside of the domain of Sol, even though noone had seen an alien for nearly fifty years. Well, except for the Asgardians in Australia, but they didn't really count, not when they looked exactly like humans did.
"Yes, the Legionnaires are still with us. If worst comes to worst, they can protect the ship while we run away." Thando said grimly. The Noxolo may be an unarmed mining ship, but vibranium was extremely valuable, and the ships that mined the rare metal made for prime targets for pirates that roamed among the inner planets. The ship were fast enough in a straight line to outstrip most pirate vessels, and were always accompanied by escorts from the other four great nations to deter would be thieves. And, if worse came to worst, the Noxolo could trust in the integrity of its hull until help arrived.
"That's something at least. I'll forward our sensor scans to Zodwa. Sanderson out."
. . .
Riri Williams, Airman First Class of the Iron Legion and current flight member of the squad accompanying the Noxolo, was bored.
This wasn't an unusual occurrence. With her intellect, being bored was sadly quite common. When your mind moves an order of magnitude faster than other people's, boredom set in quickly when she wasn't actively working on something.
There had been many times over the past two years when she regretted signing up for a tour of duty with the Iron Legion, despite the family tradition. Mostly when she was so bored out of her skull that she felt like she was watching paint dry. Being in the military was somewhat more exciting than sawdust, but it wasn't by much, and she needed stimulation. Her fingers itched to move, build, disassemble, and , she'd had ready access to her Legionnaire suit and the suits of her squadmates at all times; tinkering with the suits had kept her sane for the past two years. And if they weren't exactly regulation anymore, and therefore illegal...well, she'd cross that bridge when it caught on fire.
That wasn't the expression but she liked her version better. Besides, Shepard didn't seem to mind the upgrades.
"Sergeant Shepard, this is Captain Bhengu. We're coming up on Charon."
Riri let out a gusty huff. Finally.
"Captain, this is Sergeant Shepard. The Legion is ready to go, just give us the word."
The faceplate on Shepard's suit flipped down with a solid clank, and the rest of the squad followed suit. Riri smiled as he HUD display lit up in front of her like the world's most complicated Christmas tree.
As boring as military service was, flying never, ever got boring. Flying in space was even better.
Sergeant Shepard's voice came over the comms, and Riri blinked several times to dedicate an exclusive channel to her field officer. If anything important happened, Shepard would tell her, and she didn't like listening to chatter when she was flying.
"Alright boys and girls, we're primed for liftoff. Keep it tight and low, we shouldn't run into trouble but there's no reason to be stupid."
Riri Williams activated her repulsors and started hovering a meter off of the ground, before she angled forwards. Thirty-nine other Legionnaire suits accompanied her out of the deployment bay, flashing red and silver as they flew into the vacuum of space. Riri took her position near the relative top of the ship, adjusting her trajectory until she was at the same approximate trajectory and acceleration as the Noxolo.
Speaking of...Riri turned her helmet to observe the Noxolo. This was her first time serving aboard a Wakandan ship, and she'd enjoyed the opportunity to study their tech up close. The Infinity Accords, signed in the aftermath of the Infinity War, had limited Wakanda's ability to mine vibranium from sources outside of Central Wakanda. When the Accords were signed, this wasn't a very large concern, of course, as the only known deposit of vibranium was in Wakanda, but things changed when the first lunar deposit was discovered by the New European Union.
Decades later, mining ships from Wakanda were required to be unarmed and have an escort from one of the other three great nations, and that escort would be entitled to a certain amount of the vibranium harvested. However, even with that provision, Wakanda still had access to far more vibranium than the rest of the world.
The Noxolo was quite evident of that. While it wasn't built entirely of vibranium like the personal ship of the Black Panther, she could clearly see the exotic metal worked in it's hull. The ship was shaped rather like a turtle, with silvery lines of vibranium stretching over its 'shell' in hexagonal patterns. Six 'flippers' extended out to the side, loaded down with massive repulsors for maneuverability and speed, while the 'head' was an ungainly looking construct of reinforced glass, titanium, and vibranium that could retract under the 'shell' if the ship was being attacked by pirates.
Riri liked it. Though she did wonder why they'd chosen a turtle design for such a fast ship.
"Eyes up people, we're coming up on Charon."
Riri looked up. There was a shape growing in the distance. She zoomed in on it.
Riri frowned; something about the tiny moon...didn't look quite right. She used her personally upgraded HUD to zoom in even further, then when that wasn't enough, increased her magnification to full.
She blinked in shock, accidentally making her magnification return to normal. With another blink, she opened up a channel to the Noxolo and the rest of her squad.
"This is Legionnaire M397. Are you guys seeing this?"
"M397, this is Zodwa in Communications. Could you elaborate, please, our sensors don't have enough range to see Charon yet, and we barely have visual confirmation."
Riri winced. She may have just revealed that her tech wasn't regulation, to a foreign government no less...Shepard was going to have words with her later. Still, that wasn't important right now.
"It's...that's not Charon. At least, I don't think it is." Riri zoomed back in. "There's a bunch of chunks of ice floating around, but there's this big...tuning fork looking thing…" Riri paused. "And it's glowing blue."
Tense silence followed her words, before a new voice came over her comm.
"M397, this is Captain Bhengu. What else can you tell us about this...tuning fork. Did it destroy Charon?"
Riri shivered.
"Unknown, Captain. Sure does look that way from here. I don't know wh-" Riri cut off speaking as there was a flash of blue light from the relay. With her magnification, she spotted several specks emerging from the construct.
"Contact, unknown vessels coming from the tuning fork. Likely some sort of warp gate."
Riri heard a murmur of quiet swearing from multiple different sources before the Captain took control of the conversation.
"Calm down. By the laws set down in the Infinity Accord, Subsection 3, I hereby declare this a class 2 first contact scenario until we can affirm if those ships are or are not Chitauri in origin."
Riri bit her lip. She had been lamenting how boring it was.
Somehow she didn't think it would be boring anymore.
. . .
Rael'Zorah vas Yeta nar Neema, Captain of the Quarian ship Yeta, privately wondered if he had just made the wrong decision.
True, he may have saved his crew from the depredations of the Batarians. Keelah se'lai, he was thankful that they hadn't been caught by the Batarians. However, in the process of doing so, he may have exposed his crew, his family to a whole new threat.
There was a very good reason why opening dormant mass relays was outlawed by the Citadel Council. Anything could be hiding on the other end of a relay, from a friendly species, to nothing at all, to the next Rachni. As bad as Batarians were, Rael would take them over the Rachni.
Of course, actually getting through the relay had been a challenge in and of itself. They'd had to reactivate it from its slumber, which had taken a fair bit longer than he would have liked. Luckily, the Batarians had opted to search elsewhere in the system, apparently not thinking that Rael would be stupid enough to activate a dormant relay.
Hopefully his stupid gamble had paid off.
"Captain, the debris field is recent. All signs point to the relay being formerly encased in ice before our arrival. Chances are it hasn't been touched in a few thousand years."
Rael'Zorah grunted. That was something, at least.
"Are we picking up any ships?"
If there was another spacefaring civilization out here...it could be very good, or very bad, depending on what they were like.
Beeps resounded throughout the bridge as their sensors scanned for any signs of other ships. The technician waited several seconds before answering, in a halting tone of voice.
"...yes, Captain. One large unknown ship. Bringing it up onscreen now."
Rael'Zorah's surprise was quickly overshadowed by a sense of worry. So, he'd tempted Fate and now Fate was going to answer back, eh?
He studied the ship up on the screen. It didn't look terribly threatening, being rather wide and flat, with no visible gun emplacements. Still, appearances could be deceiving.
"Send them our first contact package, and alert the marines. We might need to fight if they prove unfriendly."
X X X
Codex Entry #199999
Earth and the Five Great Nations
The planet of Earth, home to the species designated -humanity- (collective noun), is a Class G garden world with a population of approximately 8 billion (current census data unavailable to outsiders). As planets go, it is unremarkable in most respects. The humans that live upon it are anything but.
The Five Great Nations of Humanity are the ruling powers of Earth, though they are, at best, loosely allied with one another. No true global government exists, similar to the krogan (see Tuchanka) or the Vorcha, though unlike those species, humanity is a thriving species whose culture is highly sophisticated and diverse, and whose scientific achievements are especially noteworthy.
The Five Great Nations count among their population roughly five sixths of all humans, and three quarters of all available landmasses on the planet are under their control. Though there are independent nations like Russia, Chile, Syria, and Sealand which are not affiliated with the Great Nations, they do not hold the same amount of power in the international (or intergalactic) sphere.
The United Countries of America (UCA)
The UCA, also referred to as The Americas or simply America, is a fully unified democratic republic comprising of 35 member states, with a population of 1 billion. The nation has an area of approximately 39 million square kilometers, and was created from the union of the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Cuba, and six other countries besides. The official languages are English and Spanish, with a small handful of other regional languages being spoken. Their currency is the American dollar (valued at 1:1.13 credits, according to the VFS), and the average life expectancy is 112 years (CC Standard).
Like all of the other nations, the UCA has a large amount of specialized technology (see Arc Reactors, Tony Stark, and the Super Soldier Serum).
The UCA is the most culturally diverse great nation, with a full 23% of its citizens being immigrants. It is also the great nation with the highest level of crime, and the largest military (see the Iron Legion and the Star Spangled Corps). 7% of the population of the UCA are enhanced in some way.
The national flag of the UCA depicts 35 golden stars in a blue square on a background of white and purple stripes. It is also commonly referred to as the Nation of Power (see Infinity Stones and Infinity War).
The New European Union (NEU)
The NEU, also called Europe, or the Neu (pronounced New), is an economic and political alliance of 22 member states that functions as a singular country, with a population of 0.8 billion. The nation has an area of approximately 11 million square kilometers, and was created from the nations of the Old European Union, along with Greenland, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, and five other countries besides. There is no single official language for the entire NEU, though English, Spanish, and German are all widely spoken. Their currency is the Euro (valued at 1:1.43 credits according to the VFS), and the average life expectancy is 125 years (CC Standard).
Like all of the other nations, the NEU has a large amount of specialized technology (see the Vision, Ultron, and the Maximoff Twins).
The NEU is unique in that roughly 11% of all citizens are AI. Artificial Intelligence's have been accorded full rights as sentient beings and live side by side with humans; one of the most powerful members of the NEU government is an AI himself (see the Vision). 8% of the population of the NEU are enhanced in some way.
The National Flag of the NEU depicts 22 white stars on a field of navy blue, with a single yellow star in the middle. It is also commonly referred to as the Nation of the Mind (see Infinity Stones and Infinity War).
The Royal Empire of Wakanda (Wakanda)
The REW, much more commonly referred to as simply Wakanda, is a sovereign nation under the rule of a single monarch (see Black Panther), with a population of 1.3 billion. The nation has an area of approximately 30 million square kilometers, and was created after the Black Panther (Queen Shuri) united the many nations of Africa under Wakandan rule in the aftermath of the Infinity War. There is no official language in Wakanda, though English, Arabic, Swahili, and Xhosa are all widely spoken. Their currency is the Wakandan dollar (valued at 1:1.33 credits according to the VFS), and the average life expectancy is 129 years (CC Standard).
Like all of the other nations, Wakanda has a large amount of specialized technology (see kimoyo beads, black sand, Queen Shuri, and vibranium).
Wakanda has, by far, the greatest stockpile of vibranium, and nearly all Wakandan tech relies on the exotic metal to function. Wakanda is also by far the oldest of the Great Nations, with a history that stretches back nearly four thousand years. 5% of the population of Wakanda are enhanced in some way.
The National Flag of Wakanda depicts a red panther on a field of green, with an orange bar running through the flag. It is also referred to as the Nation of the Soul (see Infinity Stones and Infinity War).
The Pan-Asian Conglomerate (PAC)
The PAC, also known as simply Asia, is an economic and political alliance of 34 member states that functions as a singular country, with a population of 3.1 billion. The nation has an area of approximately 40 million square kilometers, and was created from the union of China, India, Bangladesh, Japan, Mongolia, and fifteen other nations besides. There is no single official language for the entire PAC, though English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi are all widely spoken. Their currency is the rupee (valued at 3.98:1 credits according to the VFS), and the average life expectancy is 109 years (CC Standard).
Like all of the other nations, the PAC has a large amount of specialized technology (see the Cradle, Helen Cho, and Hiro Hamada).
The PAC is the most populous nation by a significant margin, covers the largest area, and has the second highest level of crime. It has the highest percentage of people below the poverty line. In addition, it is the nation with the highest percentage of enhanced individuals, with nearly 25% of its populace having either a genetic or cybernetic enhancement (there are more enhanced individuals in the PAC then there are citizens of Midgard).
The National Flag of the PAC is a black Dragon (see Fictional Earth creatures) curled around a white circle on a field of red. It is also referred to as the Nation of Reality (see Infinity Stones and Infinity War).
The Midgardian Australian Community (Midgard)
The MAC, much more commonly referred to as Midgard, is a nation that is apparently ruled by a nigh immortal alien called Thor Odinson, and yet at the same time is a representative republic, with a population of 0.5 billion. It covers an area of 9 million square kilometers, and was created from the union of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, various other island nations, and a small group of Asgardians. The official language is the Allspeak, which is not at present time well understood, but which can apparently be understood by any race or species as if their native tongue was being spoken. Their currency is the Asgardian coin (valued at 1:2.1 credits according to the VFS), and the average life expectancy is unknown.
Like all of the other nations, Midgard has a large amount of specialized technology (see Asgardian technology).
Midgard is the most perplexing of the great nations, and the least in known about it. Council researchers have returned from Midgard with wildly divergent stories that sometimes don't match up and often make little sense. What can usually be agreed upon is that Asgardians are some kind of near human subspecies from a different planet known as Asgard, which was destroyed in an event known as Ragnarok. The percentage of enhanced individuals is unknown.
The National Flag of Midgard is a black Celtic knot on a field of gold, with 5 blue stars representing the Southern Cross constellation. It is also referred to as the Nation of Space (see Infinity Stones and Infinity War).