Mass Effect: Prophet's Legacy

by Nagato21

Victory against demons demanded that man sacrifices his flesh, in the distant future where man has conquered the stars he will face Dark Gods of unimaginable powers and the price for survival, let alone existence will be his very soul. The question is will it be enough? ME Crysis Xover fic and challenge for anyone interested, PM first.

1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone, this is Nagato21

It's been a long time since I have posted anything on . I want to apologize once more for not meeting the expectations of those who waited for me to continue writting Stargate Unbound. Truth is I have a major writer bloc concerning that fic and my personal life is not helping. For now I am just taking it easy and hopefully my muse will come back but for now Stargate Unbound and my other fics are on hiatus and I will update there status soon. In the meantime I decided to post this story a crossover between Mass Effect and Crysis however I make no promise on when will I upload additional chapter. The following content below is a timeline to describe what happened after Crysis 4 and how it ties in Mass Effect. I am also issuing this fic as a challenge to any passionate writer but at the condition that they inform me and acknowledge that I am the ONE *chuckles* But seriously do that or I will be pissed because it is very disrespectful to take someone's story like that. Further conditions will be listed below so read it.

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2047-2056: Global unification

Following the events at the Liberty Dome and the destruction of the Ceph spaceship, CELL Corporation faced a massive public and political backlash due to their irresponsible use of alien technology and attempt at global domination through the energy market. This resulted in nearly all of their assets to be frozen worldwide. However CELL still possessed a large amount of resources and a powerful military augmented with the latest technology to rival a superpower. The United States of America, along with most of the dominant powers on Earth have been greatly weakened by the Ceph war of 2024 coupled by the ecological disaster caused by the alien conflict, along with the machinations of CELL thus they were unable to effectively deal against the giant corporation and its private armies.

On February 3rd 2048, the UN Security Council gathered in Iceland to discuss the threat posed by CELL and the remaining Ceph pockets of resistance. A decision was made unanimously to create an international military Taskforce of Special Operatives and give them unlimited resources to deal with the global threats. The Taskforce codename Fenrir was led by British former SAS Michael Sykes also a former Nanosuit user under the call sign Psycho to hunt down CELL and bring its board of Directors to justice. Using the left over research from Rash Hargreaves and the support of Nathan Gould and salvaged CELL technology, Fenrir members were outfitted with the Nanosuit 1.3 similar to the 1.0 model but less powerful than the 2.0 and without the fatal side effects.

For nearly five years, Fenrir fought CELL and the remaining Ceph pockets across the entire globe, uncovering gruesome experiments from CELL; securing Ceph technological caches and liberating entire populations from a megalomaniac corporation bent on world conquest.

The war ended in June 21st 2053 in Tunguska, Russia which housed another proto Alpha Ceph cloned from the previous one by CELL to resurrect System X. Fenrir arrested the Board of Directors and destroyed the Proto-Alpha before it could fully mature.

The war over did not come without a price, CELL System X had crippled the economy for three decades and despite its destruction by Prophet, entire nations suffered economic and national collapse due to the lack of free energy. Realizing that human civilization was on the edge of extinction, the UN General Assembly agreed to form a united government with broad administrative powers in order to rebuild society. On May 5th 2054, the United Earth Alliance was born a democratic supranational government based on the Federal system of the USA, thus granting certain autonomy to its nation members.

Following post war reconstruction Taskforce Fenrir was dissolved and its core members assimilated into the newly established United Earth Military Command to take advantage of their experience and skills. The salvage of Ceph and CELL technologies helped greatly the UEA in rebuilding Earth; from it came two major discoveries: Plasma Fusion, derived from Ceph energy sources, plasma fusion allowed for a better generation of energy without the drawback encountered with nuclear fusion. Further research into Plasma fusion enabled the development of anti-gravity and direct energy base weapon systems as well as energy barriers. The second discovery was the Nano Mods, specialize nanomachines which could enhance portions of the human biology like its brain, or muscles granting abilities on par with the Nanosuit. By 2055, all UEA military forces were granted Nano Modification, a few Mods were released to the civilian market but mostly for medical reasons and with strict guidance protocols to prevent misusing.

2058-2079: Space Colonization

Researches were furthered in electrogravitic technology as well as ion propulsion, computer nanotechnologies and new metal alloys ushered a new technological age for mankind.

In 2058, the UEA announced the Space Colonization Plan in an effort to overcome Earth's overpopulation and expand humanity across outer space. Extensive surveys of Mars and Jupiter satellites were performed by a multitude of exploration drones. Colonization of the moon or Luna began in 2059 following the discovery of large reserves of Helium-3. Under the careful watch of the UEA Space Command, private sectors were allowed to develop colonies and industries on Luna but were strictly monitored to prevent these companies from taking advantage of the colonists like CELL had done with its employees in the past.

In order to survive the rigors of outer-space and hostile off world environments, Nano enhancements were provided to all colonists and massive Nanodomes like the ones built on earth by Cell were erected, allowing the creation of Earth like biospheres. These domes were heavily reinforced by Nano-armor skin similar to the Nanosuit armor mod but as a permanent feature.

By 2065, twenty Nanodomes were built on the surface of Luna, housing a population of six hundred millions, which kept on growing. Mars colonization unlike Luna progressed slowly with only six Nanodomes and a dozen mining installations due to its distance and mankind's fear that other Ceph hives might be hiding in the Sol system. With Luna providing a suitable space industry, the UEA focused its effort in developing a strong orbital defense system along with a rapid reaction force in case its colonies ever got under attack. Such defenses included the orbital weapon platforms Cyclops developed from CELL Archangel Satellite weapon; each platform came armed with two positron energy canons, four Railguns and dozens of nuclear missiles. Research on the Nanosuit evolved into the Nano Armor Suit or NAS; while not as powerful as the Nanosuit it provided the user with a broad range of abilities that were on par with Ceph infantries. To support infantry operations, bipedal weapon platforms called Mechs were developed, allowing Alliance troops to field large amount of firepower. The biggest development was the Plasma Energy Shield, while it required massive amounts of power to sustain such a large force field; the UEA spared no expenses to install them on every major city on Earth in case of orbital bombardment.

By 2079, nearly a billion humans lived in outer space. So far no sign of the Ceph have yet to be found, but the UEA still keeps a watchful eye, never forgetting the horrors the aliens invited upon humanity.

2081-2086: The Second Ceph Incursion

It was on May 2081 that reports of a plague similar to the Ceph virus of 2024 began to make its appearance on Mars. Fortunately Nano Meds (medical nanomachines) developed to combat the virus were already made available and the catastrophe was rapidly averted. However the UEA Space Command was put into an immediate state of alert and all Martian colonies were under quarantine. The Fenrir Taskforce after several decades of inactivity was re-activated and once again fell under the command of Psycho; now a General in the UEA Marine Corp. Fenrir debarked on Mars on June 2081 and immediately set out to discreetly investigate the source of the Ceph virus. Their search led them to the Marineris Valley where several mining installations had gone dark before the outbreak. Upon arriving, Fenrir discovered what they feared: a Ceph hive, hidden underground. Casualties were high, but the technology, training and experience of the veteran UEA soldiers proved to be the determining factor against the Ceph who were then defeated courtesy of a nano virus uploaded into the Hive Core.

Unfortunately the Hive in question was a diversion for the Ceph into reactivating several other hives into full power. Six Divisions of UEA Marines backed by dozens of warships arrived on Mars to evacuate the population and combat the alien menace. For six years, human and Ceph battled on the red planet with no end in sight. The Ceph in order to survive Mars hostile surface had built terraforming towers all across the planet and used the underground network of frozen water veins in the Poles to create pockets of biospheres. These biospheres similar to Nanodomes were heavily fortified and became breeding place for the Ceph, allowing them to produce an unlimited number of soldiers. While the UEA could match the numbers of the Ceph for a time, it was rapidly losing ground by sheer attrition and the Ceph were constantly developing or evolving their weapons to the point that humanity would not be able to match them anymore.

In desperation, UEA High Command decided to reactivate Major Laurence Barnes, aka Prophet, Nanosuit user 2.0.

Prophet had been living at Lingshan Island since the events of the Liberty Dome. His symbiosis with the Nanosuit was such that, Prophet had become immortal and decided to live as a recluse. Knowing humanity was under threat, Prophet once again joined the fight. On August 2086, Prophet led a Fenrir strike team into a Ceph Fortress on the Northern Pole of Mars. Inside Prophet was able to obtain critical data to the location of the Ceph Primary Hive on Mars as well as another Alpha Ceph, but the final piece was Prophet Nanosuit upon interacting with the Ceph Hive Network, evolved into a new biological super weapon similar to what happened in New York. Gambling everything on their new weapon, the UEA launched an all out assault against the Primary Hive. After six days of battle, Prophet reached the Alpha Ceph and used it as a catalyst to spread the Virus, which wiped out all of the Ceph on Mars but at the cost of his own life.

2089-2130: Mars Rebirth

Following the end of the war on Mars, the UEA salvaged many left over Ceph technology, primarily the terraforming towers and the biospheres. Through careful studies of these two items, human scientists developed their own version of nano-spores, the Genesis Cell, bio mechanical nanites capable of modifying the atmosphere of a planet or even bring life to a dead planet so long as the necessary materials were implanted into it.

The effect of such discovery was instantaneous; after making sure not a single Ceph organism was left alive on Mars and evacuating all humans from the planet, the UEA approved for the testing of the Genesis Cell. On February 15th 2092, six hundred trillions of algae containing Genesis Cell were dumped on Mars surface; they would absorb Carbon Dioxide and replace it with oxygen. At the same time, hundreds of subterranean nuclear torpedoes were launched into Mars inert core to reactivate it, allowing the rebirth of the planet's magnetic field.

On May 2094, Mars experienced its first rainstorm which would last for two years without interruption. This rainstorm would cause the temperature of the planet to rise dramatically and cause the Northern Pole glaciers to melt and leading to the formation of its first ocean that would divide the Northern Hemisphere landmass into two distinct continents. Meanwhile the underground water network was ripped open by engineers who used it to create a series of lakes and rivers in the Southern Hemisphere.

With Mars becoming a garden world, millions of people began to arrive in hopes of a fresh start. To prevent ecological disasters like what happened on Earth, the UEA created massive Archology towers all over the planet, to house the new colonists. Additionally a new batch of Nano Mods was created a distributed to the population. These new Mods would protect the colonists against any form of disease or genetic mutation caused by the new environment, ensuring perfect health and longevity. The Ceph biospheres were reconverted and assimilated by the new ecosphere. The Nanodomes were kept in service and fifty more were built despite their uselessness; they were intended to act as backup terraforming reserves in case the ecosystem was damaged and also to serve as shelters in case of an alien attack.

By 2130, The Genesis Project was proven to be a massive success; Mars had become a second Earth, boasting a population of one billion humans and still growing. The success of terraforming was soon emulated onto other planets in Sol, mainly the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

September 2134: The Prothean Effect

It was on September 3rd 2134 that Mars revealed another of its secrets. A mining expedition in the Southern Pole had discovered alien ruins of unknown origins. Of course the UEA was immediately notified. A Fenrir Recon Team was dispatch to scout the area while a detachment of UEA Marine Corps quarantined the entire area. Several orbital weapon platforms were redirected above the ruins in case an alien threat was confirmed.

The Fenrir Recon Team or FRT discovered more than ruins, hidden inside a chasm lay a well camouflaged underground complex. After ten hours of exploration, the FRT concluded that the structure wasn't Ceph but a totally different alien origin although it shared the functionality seen in human architecture. For two weeks, the UEA dispatched several scientist groups under heavy armed escort to investigate the complex. Inside it they found several rooms filled with prehistoric Cro-Magnon human tools, proving the aliens had been observing humanity. They also discovered several terminals and data banks containing trove of information about science, mathematics, medicine, biology and physics. The biggest discovery was undoubtedly the existence of Mass Effect and its applications.

These aliens called the Prothean had left a treasure of unquantifiable knowledge that would forever change mankind. However rather than be overjoyed, the UEA and most of humanity were suspicious of the Prothean gift, nonetheless extensive studies of the data were made in an attempt to reverse engineer the technology for human purpose. One of the most important technologies being researched is the Mass Effect FTL Drive but due to static kinetic build up inside the drive core, the potential seems limited. Priority was thus given to find means to counter this fatal drawback.

2136-2139: Charon Revealed

The Prothean database gave coordinates of Charon, the moon orbiting Pluto. UEA ships were deployed and after extensive scans, the moon was revealed to be nothing more than an ice sheet hiding a Mass Relay. The discovery of the Relay would herald mankind ability to travel across the galaxy thus was considered as a vital asset for interstellar colonization but it also represented a major strategic threat because it resided in humanity's home star system. A decision was made to move the Relay from its original location to deep inside the Oort cloud where the debris belt would act as a natural barrier against potential invaders supplemented by a swarm of orbital weapon platforms, warships aimed at the alien construct.

On March 19th 2137, a single frigate the USS Endeavor under the command of Captain John Grissom was sent across the Charon relay and arrived in the Arcturus system located thirty six light years from Sol. In Arcturus, Grissom and his crew found four other Mass Relays confirming that these devices are part of a large galactic network. Once confirming the system was uninhabited preparations were made to move all the Relays inside Arcturus Oort Cloud, including the one leading to Sol, along with constructions of several battle stations and naval hubs in order to monitor all traffic from the relays.

2140-2150: Interstellar revolution

After three years of research, development of a static build converter now enables ships to execute longer FTL jumps, prompting the UEA to begin large scale production of colony ships intended for colonizing not only worlds through the mass relays but also in the local cluster. The reason was simple in case if a hostile race is using the Mass Relay and proves unstoppable, the worlds colonized outside the network would offer humanity a fallback point from where to rebuild its civilization.

By 2148, humanity has colonized more than fifty star systems through the Mass Relays and a dozen via FTL around Sol on a radius of two hundred light years. However the UEA never took into account that billions of people would join the colonization effort at such a rapid pace which inadvertently transformed many colonies into major industrial and economic powers that would soon rival Earth in just a short decade. Another conundrum was that Earth had also become tightly dependent from the resources and economies of its extra-solar colonies and if they decided to secede the UEA would experience economical collapse.

After months of debates, in February 11th 2150, following an interstellar wide referendum, the UEA was dissolved and replaced by the United Stars Federation, it followed the same charter as its predecessor but with a few additions such as recognizing every colony reaching a ten million population mark and be self sufficient as a sovereign state with a representative at the Federation Congress and Senate. The United Stars Federation Command or USFC would be in charge of all military aspect of the Federation and while the colonies would have the right to raise an independent militia and orbital defenses for protection; in the event of an interstellar wide emergency they would fall under the direct command of the USFC.

2157: Second First Contact

USFC deep space monitoring stations observing the yet unexplored Attican Traverse detect several unusual Mass Effect signatures consistent with FTL travel but the energy readings suggest a massive fleet which is on approach to Federation territory. Stealth frigates are deployed to investigate. On April 8th 2157, the USS Dark Eye arrives in the Keppler Verge and stumbles upon a fleet of fifty thousand vessels of various state of disrepair including three massive ships measuring each two kilometers in length. USS Dark Eye attempts to hack the alien ships with its onboard AI but surprisingly the aliens have powerful firewall and electronic warfare defenses, nonetheless the stealth frigate is able to obtain information about their languages and species before returning to Federation space. After the Dark Eye made its report, Federation High Command and Senate agree to begin extensive observation of these 'Quarian' before attempting first contact. After two months of study, First Contact is approved and the diplomatic vessel USS Harmony escorted by a single battlegroup is sent to make contact with the Quarian Migrant Fleet. The Quarians are quite startled to encounter a new space faring race but agree to meet. The Quarians reveal the existence of the Citadel Species Alliance and its governing body the Council, along with the various factions in the galaxy that uses Mass Effect technology. Humanity is quite shocked to discover the existence of such galactic community and the fact that none of them are aware of the Ceph. As for the Quarian they are amazed by humanity's technological advances without the use of Mass Effect, especially in the fields of nanotechnology despite their abhorring of AI. Upon studying the Codex provided by the Quarians, Federation leadership decides to not contact the Citadel Council until it has consolidated all of its holdings due to their past and present policies like the Quarian exile, the Krogan genophage and the tolerance of Batarian slave practices. A trade agreement is formalized between the USF and the Quarian Migrant Fleet, allowing the Quarian access to Federation starship market and plasma fusion technology as well and limited nanotechnology in exchange for the Quarian expertise in Mass Effect technology.

2159-2167: Second Expansion

With access to Quarian star charts, the Federation begins a careful colonization of the Attican Traverse. Dozens of worlds such as New Babylon, Shanxi, Mindoir, Amateratsu, Horizon, Ferris Fields, Freedom Progress, New Teheran and Benedict are colonized and develop rapidly. To protect the region from potential hostile forces, Elysium is transformed into a fortress world, becoming the primary military and economic hub of the Federation in the Attican Traverse.

In June 11th 2162, the Federation discovers Rakana; homeworld of the Drell, a reptilian species in pre-space flight development that has experienced societal collapse due to pollution and lack of resources. As a gesture of pity the Federation approaches the Drell and offers them to rebuild Rakana to its original condition using the Genesis Cells. The Drell unanimously accept and two years later in 2164, seventy percent of Rakana has recovered its original state; humbled by the actions of humanity, the Drell request joining the Federation. In the same year the Drell Republic is recognized as protectorate of the Federation until it's becomes an independent star faring species. The decision to bring the Drell into the Federation causes a revision of Universal Human Rights into the Universal Sentient Bill of Rights encompassing any sentient life forms encountered by the Federation. This new bill impresses the homeless Quarians who now entertains thoughts of joining the Federation. In 2166, the Quarian are offered a number of dextro garden worlds recently discovered in uncharted Traverse systems, in addition the Federation proposes to use its nanotechnology to help resolve the Quarians immune deficiency problems due to living for centuries in outer space but this comes at the condition that the Quarian will not try to use Federation resources to go against the Geth. By 2167 the Quarians finally agree to join the Federation.

2173-2178: The Skyllian War

In February 2nd 2173, a fleet of slavers and pirates discover the colony of Mindoir and attempts to raid it but the extensive orbital defenses and trained garrison of mixed human, Drell and Quarians easily wipe out the criminal fleet. A few ships that survived manage to return to Torfan and tell the tale of a new race of aliens allied with the Quarians. News of this reaches the Salarian STG who has been trying to locate the Quarian Migrant Fleet for several years now. STG dispatches stealth ships to investigate. However the Batarian Hegemony has also heard of this new development and scout ships have also discovered new worlds inhabited by the new aliens.

On May 14th 2173, the Batarian Hegemony launches a full scale attack on the colony of Elysium. However the entire offensive is a total fiasco as Elysium orbital defense network and orbital defense fleet easily wipes out the Batarian armada in less than an hour. Over the next few months the Federation will repel several Batarian raids on many colonies in the Terminus and Traverse. The constant attacks by the Batarians and their attempt to enslave their population prompts the Senate and Congress with public opinion to entertain declaring war against the Hegemony but cooler heads prevail by warning that the Citadel Council might decide to support the Batarian if the Federation does not establish first contact with the Council. While the debate would continue for the next two years, the Federation military launches several punitive raids on pirate and slaver bases across the Terminus and Traverse; however Torfan is declared off limit due to its proximity with the Batarian Hegemony.

Everything changes in November 2175 when Batarian scout ships accidentally arrive at Rakana and discover that the planet has ecologically recovered and the Drell underwent a massive technological build up. The Hegemony dispatches two hundred ships including four Dreadnaughts to secure the Drell homeworld. Despite its superior technology and weaponry, the Federation small garrison fleet is unable to stop Batarian troop ships from landing on the planet as Batarian soldiers slaughters or capture as many Drell or humans as possible. However they are unable to seize or occupy any strategic area due to the skills, determination of the Drell Republican Guard and Federation troops, furthermore they are unable to secure any Federation technology due to biometric failsafe that prevents theft. Federation 5th and 7th fleets arrive eight hours after the attack and destroy the majority of the Batarian fleet but many vessels carrying hostages onboard manage to flee. Unknown to the Federation at the time, a Salarian STG stealth frigate had observed the entire battle but was forced to flee because it was detected, the Federation simply assumed it to be an enemy.

The Federation tracks down the slave ships to Torfan and to Karshan the Batarian homeworld. Enraged by the atrocities of the Batarian, the Congress declares war upon the Hegemony. On December 2175, Federation 5th, 6th and 7th fleets invade the Batarian Hegemony, destroying every military bases and anchorage stations within sight. Torfan is isolated and cut off from the galaxy. The 8th Fenrir Regiment comprised of human, Drell and Quarian Troopers are deployed to the planet and successfully rescue the survivors of Rakana and millions of slaves from a dozen other species; the rest of the planet is wiped out by orbital bombardment and the footage sent over the extranet.

Already warned by the Salarian STG, the Citadel Council decides to contact the Federation but the Federation refuses any talks unless the Batarian leaders are brought to justice.

By March 2176, the Batarian Hegemony has lost two third of its territory and its navy and military forces are nearly wiped out. Because slavery is considered a crime against sentient life by Federation's laws punishable by death, USFAF forces in occupied Hegemony worlds execute many Batarian slavers, sometimes even wiping out entire worlds after rescuing the slaves sowing much terror amongst the Hegemony ranks. Aware of the lower caste system, the Federation arm and trains several Batarians who seek to overthrow the current regime resulting in the Hegemony fighting a war on two fronts, this results in several Batarian colonies openly declaring independence from their central government.

Tired and weary of the Federation constantly ignoring them, the Citadel Council orders a joint Turian Asari fleet to Karshan. As the Federation fleet arrives at the Batarian home system they are greeted by five hundred ships led by the Destiny Ascension. Matriarch Lidinya, Matriarch Benezia and General Adrian Victus send an ultimatum to the Federation fleet, "Stand down for talks or fight against the entire galaxy." The Federation agrees to stand down but at the condition that all the slaves taken on Rakana be returned.

On June 11th 2176, the USF agrees for a peace treaty but at the condition that the Hegemony acknowledges the independence of any Batarian colony that wishes to secede from their government, furthermore it will relinquish any plans of expending into the Traverse. Despite their loud protests the Batarian leaders agree to those conditions as well as agreeing to the establishment of a demilitarize zone between the USF, the Independent Batarian colonies and the Hegemony.

Following the end of the so called Terminus War, the Federation and the Citadel begin diplomatic negotiations. The Citadel Council impressed by the technological advances of humanity offers them to join the Citadel as an associate species but at the condition that they separate from the Quarians and Drell. The Council cites its reasons that the Quarians are still considered criminals and the Drell are considered a pre-space flight civilization that should be left to develop alone.

Furthermore the Council is weary of the Federation use of nanotechnology, research in AIs and its habit of relocating mass relays as well as opening dormant ones. The Federation is appalled by the arrogance and hypocrisy of the Citadel Council and refuses any of its conditions except for the one concerning the dormant mass relays.

As a result tensions begin to mount mainly with the Turians who see the Federation as a dangerous and potential hostile faction. In March 11th 2177 a conflict erupts when a Turian patrol fleet discovers a Federation expedition studying a dormant relay near the Federal colony of Shanxi in the Theta system. Without warning the Turians open fire, destroying two science vessels but they sustain heavy losses when the Federation escort ships retaliate forcing them to withdraw. A week later the Hierarchy deploys the 45th Fleet and two Legions to the Theta system intending to punish the USF and force them into submission. The invasion force arrives at Shanxi were they engage against the USF 5th Fleet who had been waiting for an eventual attack. Despite the Federation superior technology, the Turian superior numbers and experience in space warfare results in a stalemate and many casualties as both fleets try to secure the planet's orbit. On the ground the battle is much more vicious as the Turian army aggressively attempts to force the people of Shanxi into submission by deliberately targeting civilian population centers or performing mass executions. However they are unsuccessful as the USF Marines along with Shanxi's militia using a combination of guerilla warfare and supported by Nanosuit Fenrir operatives easily disrupt the momentum of the Turian army and following the gruesome assassination of several high ranking officers' as well as destruction of critical supplies, the Hierarchy soldiers rapidly lose their discipline and moral. By the end of the week Federation reinforcements led by the Super Dreadnaught USS Prophet arrives on Shanxi and single handedly destroy one third of the Turian space fleet. On the ground the Turian forces are overwhelmed by the blitzkrieg attacks of the local defenders supported by orbital insertions from Marines and Mech groups behind their lines. By March 28th what remains of the Turian force flee back to the Hierarchy in what could be described as a panic mob. Following the Turian retreat, the Federation immediately invades the Hierarchy territories in the Skyllian Verge, destroying every warship, military facilities and communication centers while at the same time blockading the major relays across the region, preventing a proper counter attack.

Enraged by their defeat the Turians are about to declare all out war but the Council intervenes and calm both sides. In the end a compromised is reached in November 2178 with the signing of the Huerta Accords, the Federation is acknowledged by the Citadel Council as an independent sovereign state, they are granted an embassy in the Citadel for diplomatic purposes only. In return the Federation will no longer open dormant Mass Relays and will abide by the treaty of Farixen limiting its existing number of Dreadnaughts. Limited trade in the fields of medical and energy technology will be available but the Federation will not share its energy weapons and their AI as well as nanotech technology will not be allowed in Citadel space.

2179-2188: The Cold War

With the signing of the Huerta Accords, tensions begin to lessen but it is clear that a state of cold war has begun between the USF and the Citadel. The latter sees the USF, particularly the humans as a young and unpredictable race. The Federation sees the Council as a corrupt stagnant and incompetent bureaucracy that put the status quo ahead of the needs of its people and progress.

Nonetheless trade rapidly formalizes between the two galactic powers, the Volus and Asari establish several lucrative trade agreements with the Federation further strengthening relations. Surprisingly the Hierarchy and Federation perform several joint missions against pirates and slavers in the Terminus. On the other hand relations with the Salarians are strained due to their many attempts to steal Federation technologies or formant rebellion within Federation territories.

As the Federation switched to a post war economy, several former Batarian colonies are redeveloped into multi-species hubs in order to better foster relations between the races of the USF and the Citadel. USFC budget is tripled and focus on planetary defenses is given a top priority. The USF Marine Corps is expanded and reformed to adopt a new doctrine known as the Regimental Combat Team, a regiment size strength comprised of infantry, air and armor asset that can be deployed rapidly and anywhere.

While the treaty of Farixen limits the number of Dreadnaughts, the Federation finds several loopholes and focus on the construction of aircraft carriers, Battlecruisers and destroyers. The existing fleet of Dreadnaughts is slowly phased-out in favors of Prophet-class Super Dreadnaughts and plans are made for the construction of Super carriers in the event of war with the Citadel or the Ceph.

Aware of the threat the Federation could pause to their way of life, the Citadel Council secretly allows the Turian Hierarchy to increase its number of Dreadnaughts. The Asari Republics with the blessing of the Asari Matriarch shares several secret technologies from the Beacon of Athame to the other Council races in order to develop better weapons and ships. The Salarians meanwhile work behind the scenes to strengthen the Batarian Hegemony and uplift new species to act as soldiers for the future war.

2192:

February

Prothean ruins are discovered on several worlds across the Attican Traverse and Skyllian Verge. To foster better relations the USF agrees for a joint study of the ruins with Citadel scientists. Federation scientists uncover evidences on several dead worlds of unnatural extinction level events across the galaxy over several billions of years with the last one dating fifty thousand years. This leads the Federation to believe either the Ceph or a more powerful race may be behind these events.

July

Project November, the fusion of nanotechnology and biotic science is completed giving birth to the Nanosuit 3.0. The suit is produced in limited quantity and given to the best Fenrir operatives in the Federation for testing.

September

Project Normandy the first stealth destroyer of its kind begins. The USS Normandy is slated to become the culmination of all the technological achievements made by the Federation in the fields of nanotechnology, energy fusion and mass effect technology. Once completed the Normandy will represents the pinnacle of Federation military technology and the spearhead of a new generation of warship never seen in galactic history.

2193:

March 3rd

The USS Normandy is completed, ahead of schedule. This is due to the use of the Nano Molecular Construction System or NMCS which uses nanomachines and a variety of mineral resources, fibers and mass effect fields to build ship parts and components with extreme precision and speed before final assembly. Veteran Fenrir operative David Anderson is selected as Captain of the Normandy and his protégé another Fenrir operative Commander Jonas Sheppard is selected as his XO.

April 12th

A Prothean beacon is uncovered on Eden Prime. The Federation and the Council agree to a joint study of the artifact as an effort to better relations between the two governments. The USS Normandy is ordered to Eden Prime to recover the beacon under the cover of a shakedown run. Specter Nihlus Krydnik joins the Normandy as part of the joint force.

Well there you go my first cross-over and challenge.

Quick info:

Fenrir is basically the N7 equivalent of the Systems Alliance for the Federation and is its premier Special Forces unit, the difference however is that they use the Nanosuit which is reserved for the most skilled operatives. For obvious reasons Nanosuit 2.0 no longer exist and is considered the missing link.

Prophet is dead but his legacy remain, I will have my own twist to it but for those who want to take the challenge feel free to add your own spin.

As the story start humanity only has a single generation of biotics but it is not accidental and it is very limited.

Federation vs Citadel will be very important but it will not be an armed conflict but an ideological one, the Citadel prides itself as an alliance of several species where all cooperate for prosperity but it is a lie, only a select few benefits from this alliance. The Federation on the other hand does not make the distinction between races and as explained in the timeline all colonies reaching a certain population number and showing self sustainance are recognized as a sovereign states with a representative in the Congress and Senate. Of course it is not perfect but like America it is a land of opportunities. Of course the Federation has its own fallings, like the USA of old they have a tendency to butt into other people's business and they have a zero tolerance policy for terrorists and slavers which means that they are not finished with the Hegemony or the Terminus regions.

Now about the Reapers, they will be very SCARY *capital letters*, In my opinion a race that has committed genocide for billions of years must have seen everything and in this cycle, the Federation Nanotech while powerful will not impress them. If you intend to take this challenge you need to espouse the spirits of Crysis, a hopeless war where one must sacrifice flesh and soul to achieve victory just like Prophet, so be creative.

As for the Ceph they are still around and they are waiting, how you bring them into the story is your own prerogative but you must at least add hints of their presence.

There is no Cerberus, just greedy Capitalists and they are not welcome in Federation space, not after what Cell did in 2047, seems like Terminus space is a good enough place to invest...hint enough for you.

Finally about Shepard, mine here is a guy, I didn't add any background as it will be revealed in further chapters and I have not decided yet what he will be except being a Fenrir operative with the Nanosuit 3.0. Yours can be a male or female, hell it can be another species, be creative.

That will be all, have fun.