Mass Effect The Cold War
In innumerable ages past, Long before the Reaper Cycles, the Milky Way was visited by beings of a vast power. These beings, these Celestials, or whatever you wish to call them, decided it would be "Fun" to rearrange the galaxy a little bit. This tinkering with the stars would later end up having major consequences for sentient life. Aeons later, another race of powerful, but much more mundane, beings created the first real AI. Soon, frictions began to arise, so these beings built another AI. They tasked this AI with finding a solution to the Synthetic-Organic frictions. The AI did this, in the most horrifying way possible. Thus the Reaper Cycles began, and for innumerable ages the galaxy was bled dry of its most advanced races: All according to Plan.
2040's: Unification Wars on Earth, United Nations victorious over various Third and Second World dissenters. Reorganization of UN to better reflect the new formed Unity.
2050: Humanity finds Prothean ruins on Mars. Aside from references to something called the Catalyst nothing is really found.
2051: Humanity makes first contact with a small ship from a race called the Neudaiz. Over the next several months the Neudaiz and the Humans try their level best to reach an understanding.
2055: Humanity enters into an alliance with the Neudaiz. Soon both races are out exploring the galaxy, colonizing like no tomorrow. Exploration beyond the Gap of Pluto is still impossible, for reasons unknown.
2057: Scout ships make contact with yet another race, the Bestar, furred humanoids with limited shape shifting ability. After much debate First Contact is initiated, this time with much more friction than previously, but in the end a new member for the Human-Neudaiz alliance is gained.
2076: Planet Rannoch discovered, Quarians, the highly advanced natives of the planet, join the Triple Alliance along with their servants the Geth later this year.
2098: The Confederate Systems Alliance is formally formed, with is capitol on Earth. Start of the Great Expanssion Era.
2170: Late this year the C.A.S.T. Project is begun.
2200: The First Cast created, more are soon built to help their organic masters.
2275: The Endrum Collective, a group of humans seeking eternal life perfect the Mind Upload technology. They soon abandon their weak and old organic bodies.
2276: Cast Uprising, unknown to the general public the Endrum Collective has gathered arms for over seventy years in preparation for ruling the Confederacy. End of Great Expansion Era
2376: After one hundred years and billions dead the last members of the Endrum Collective are found and destroyed.
2476: Centennial Peace Celebrations all over Confederate Space.
2478: Charon, the moon of Pluto, is discovered to be a large structure encased in ice. The Charon Relay is activated and a scout ship sent through. Plans to establish a forward outpost in the new system beyond the Gap are immediately put into motion.
2481: The new Arcturus Guardian Station is built to facilitate exploration and expansion Beyond the Gap of Pluto. Worrying amounts of ruins are found with evidence of Orbital Bombardment inflicted on many planets.
2502: a Jump Gate is Established in the Shanxi system, eliminating the need for the Charon relay when transporting ships and personnel to and from the colonies in the Expansion Region. Also in this year the first A-Photon reactors are tested and found to be up to twenty times more powerful and efficient than regular photon reactors.
2574: The Shepard is born. The Divine Maiden declares a great destiny in the young girls future.
2576: Centennial Peace Celebrations shattered with the onset of the War of Citadel Aggression.
2577: War of Citadel Aggression brought to an end. Beginning of the Cold War with Confederate refusal to join Citadel or share technology as well as refusing to destroy the synthetic members (Geth and Casts). Confederacy agrees to limit dreadnaughts as to Citadel standards, this is done on the grounds that Confederate high command deems Dreadnaughts "Awesome, but Impractical". Confederate Embassy opens in the Citadel. The confederate ambassador notes a disturbing lack of original thought amongst council races, as if they have been groomed towards a specific purpose.
2583: The Normandy Project is begun, a joint Citadel-Confederate peace keeping venture, in an effort to warm relations between the citadel and the confederacy. The Normandy promises early on to become one of the most advanced ships ever built...
2589: The Guardian Corp founded in the Confederacy as a trans-species security and rescue service. James Shepard becomes one of its first members. The Shepard is found to be strong in TECHNICS and is given a future place at the finest TECHNIC academy on Neudaiz. The Divine Maiden Fierra dies and is reborn as Mirie Mikuna. Of great notice is the fact that for the first time a twin is born.
Codex Entries: Cold War
Gap of Pluto
The Gap of Pluto is a vast, seemingly impassable, stretch of dark space separating Confederate and Citadel space. Theorized to be the result of Stellar Engineering by some vastly powerful beings when the stars were young.
Jump Gate
Jump Gates are to the confederacy what Mass Relays are to the Citadel, a way for traveling great distances almost instantly. Jump Gates are faster, but much more fragile, than Mass Relays. This could change in the future if Confederate scientists could ever figure out what the hell Mass Relays are made of. The science behind these gates is a closely guarded secret. (think Super Gates from the Stargate SG-1 series)
A-Photon
A-Photons are the more advanced and powerful version of standard photons, when used in Reactors they're able to power entire space stations for eternity. Used on ships to power Linear Shields, giving the shields the staying power to duke it out with Mass Accelerator guns, such as the ones found on Citadel vessels.
Linear Shields
The Standard shielding on Confederate vessels, though initially found too weak to stop the mass accelerator guns of the Batarians recent development into A-Photons have increased their stopping power by almost 5000%. Due to current political situation its unknown if this increase is enough.
Particle Weapons
Particle Energy Weapons are used by the Confederate Armed Forces. Being pure energy they completely ignore all shields except Linear Shields and other such energy shields. Though not avaliable for commercial sale some Particle Magnums have found their way into the hands of Spectres venturing to the Arcturus Station.
Confederate Systems Alliance
The Confederacy is the governing body of the Humans, the Neudaiz, the Bestar, the Casts, the Quarians and the Geth. The confederacy is in complete control of the Slice as well as a few systems bordering Citadel Space. The CSA is currently in a state of Cold War with the Citadel.
Neudaiz
Neudaiz is both the name of one of Humanity's oldest and most faithful allies and the name of their home planet. The Planet Neudaiz is covered to 90% with water with islands scattered all over, a planet sized archipelago if you will. Humans have often wondered how a species spread over such distances could possibly unite, a leading theory being the Neudaiz complete lack of the very concept of war prior to meeting humans.
As a people the Neudaiz value peace and quiet, pursuing the arts and sciences the universe has to offer rather than war. Physically they greatly resemble humans, the only real difference being their extremely pointed ears (a trait that has earned them the term Space Elves by racists), they tend to be slightly shorter taller than humans, their complexion is pale and they tend to have bright hair colors (ranging from White to Sky Blue and everything in between) with darker colors being rare. Neudaiz live for about 250 years, seemingly never aging past the age of 16 until they hit their final decade, when rapid aging sets in. An interesting note made by the Asari is the fact that Neudaiz find Melding to be extremely painful, no one knows why.
Moatoob
Moatoob is the home world of the fierce Bestar, where loyalty to your clan and allies are the way of life. The planet is rich in minerals and ores, and it is upon this the Bestar have built their wealth. Moatoobs climate is arid, except during the Rain season, a period of constant rain. The inhabitants live in vast underground cities to protect themselves from their harsh sun.
Rannoch
Rannoch, an arid planet orbiting an older star in the Tikkun system, is the quarian homeworld. During the Cast Uprising the Geth refusal to join the Endrum Collective made Rannoch something of a personal matter for the leaders of the Collective. As a result, some of the heaviest combat took place here. The geth act as caretakers, working to repair the planet's ecology, restore ancient structures, and cultivate some farmland. Rannoch has no insect life. As a result, its pollinating plants evolved to rely on animals for propagation. This symbiosis between flora and fauna is responsible for the quarians' weakened immune systems
Bestar
The Bestar are a furred race of humanoids from the desert planet Moatoob. They are strong, fierce in battle, and loyal beyond reproach. They are quick to anger but just as quick to forgive. Blessed with limited shape changing abilities Bestar excel at scouting and ranging far ahead of the main army. They're even able to take on Krogans three on one when in Beast mode, a trait that has made them highly sought after as mercenaries within citadel space. The lifespan of a Bestar is relatively short, they're considered very old at 50 years and usually die at around 60. Unlike many races they retain their strength their whole life.
Humans
Humankind, Humanity, Terrans. Humans are the driving force within the Confederacy, standing at the forefront of pretty much everything from politics to military to commercial matters, they routinely break the established norms around them, constantly pushing boundaries of what's possible. There is a general fear within some circles of Citadel Races that humanity is pushing for renewed combat with the Citadel, though these have so far turned out to be entirely baseless rumors. Lives around 120 years though there are records of humans living to around 150.
Quarians
The Quarians, from Rannoch, are amongst the greatest engineers in the confederacy, excelling in creating Starships. Generally they themselves consider the Geth as their greatest creations.
Cast
Casts, the heavy hitters of the Confederacy, are a sentient race of machines originally created to aid in manual labor many thousands of them were subverted by the Endrum Collective during the Cast Uprising. Being artificial they have no need for a planet of their own, though they do control some asteroid bases through out Confederate space. They have no representative on the Board of Directors, nor do they desire to.
Geth
Geth, the first Synthetic life within the Confederacy, these were built by the Quarians for the same reasons as the later Casts: Aid in manual Labour and making life generally easier for their organic masters. During the Cast Uprising, known to the Geth as the Morning War, the Geth did all they could to defend the Quarians, nearly wiping all of them out. They have no representative on the Board of Directors, nor do they desire to.
Gurhal Commune
The Gurhal Commune is the leading religion both on Neudaiz and on the Bestar homeworld of Moatoob, as well as being a major religion amongst the humans. Centered around a religious figurehead known only as the Divine Maiden, whom, according to legend, is always reborn at the time of her death. The current maiden is the only one in recorded history to have a twin, the reasons for this are unknown but theories are many.
Normandy Project
A Joint Citadel-Confederate peace effort aimed at building the single most advanced ship in the galaxy.
AN: Holy Mohlee, I didn't think I was going to get even ONE fav or follow and then I end up getting like, fifty. What on earth? As always, PM me if you think I should add something or if you yourself desire to write a fic based inside the Cold War Universe. There probably won't be anymore written on this timeline, so from now on there will probably just be a bunch of One Shots set within this universe. Don't expect a steady update rate.