(I do not own Ranma ½, Oh! My Goddess or Mass Effect, all credit shall go to their respected creators.)

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Chapter 1

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In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.

They called it the greatest discovery in human history.

The civilizations of the galaxy call it... MASS EFFECT

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Ranma cradled Akane's dehydrated body close to his chest as he made his way over to the dragons tap to restore her body. As he waded thought the water he began to feel weaker, it was like his Ki was leaving his body. Ignoring his aching body he waded in a few feet further and lowered Akane's body to where she was just barely submerged. He gently smiled as her body began to regenerate back to normal, his smile was not to last however. As her body grew he noticed that the pain was beginning to take its toll on him. As he exited the water Ranma fell down onto his knee's as his strength finally gave out. Ranma now knew the truth, he was dying. Ryoga noticed that Ranma was having problems but was worried for Akane, she had not yet fully recovered yet and was still unconscious, paying close attention to his surroundings Ryoga made his way to Ranma and pulled Akane's unconscious body from Ranma's arms.

As Ranma lay there, the pain began to be almost unbearable for him. A soft melodic voice rang out. "You will be just fine." Everyone turned to face a white light that washed over the mountain bathing them with light and three women walked out from the light.

The oldest of the trio, with the darkest skin and the fairest hair, turned to her younger siblings. "It's kind of weird seeing father's champion like this, isn't it?"

The youngest of the trio nodded, shifting her grip on her long-handled mallet. "I guess. Why are we here, anyway?"

The oldest answered. "Now that he is fulfilled the first part of his destiny, he is in need of rest. Even if it is only for a little while. He…" She waved a hand at the wounded pig-tailed martial artist.

The middle woman entered the conversation, her soft, sad voice quieting her siblings. "He has a long hard journey ahead, he was chosen by father himself." Ku Lon, Matriarch of the Chinese Amazons stepped up to the trio with worry. "Honored ones, why have you graced us with your present?"

The oldest woman answered. "My name is Urd, Goddess of the Past and Love," The woman stated proudly. "My sisters and I are here to escort father's chosen to him so that he may rest."

Ranma gave her an understanding look. Ku Lon looked upon to the goddess. "Honored ones, if I may ask?" Ku Lon received a nod for all three goddess. "Will he someday return to us?"

The middle goddess answered, in a soft, sad voice. "He will not return here in the lifetime of those present I'm afraid, but yes he will return. Someday."

Ku Lon looked down at her former son-in-law "Staff Commander Saotome we're about to hit the relay."

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Ranma's eyes fluttered open as he looked at a young Alliance officer.

"Sir! We're about to hit the relay."

Ranma stood up while massaging the bridge of his nose as he turned to stare out the window. He had fallen asleep while waiting for orders from the captain. Now that they had picked up the council Spectre, a Turian by the name of Nihlus Kryik, The Normandy was now underway. He shook his head and gave a small smile. He and Ranko had joined Systems Alliance military because they wanted to protect humanity and see the galaxy after they had been returned to earth.

"Staff Commander Saotome and Commander Saotome to the bridge."

Ranma chuckled at hearing Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau's call over the PA system. Tapping the wall comm. "Staff Commander Saotome here, I'm on my way Joker."

He turned the PA off and headed up the stairs. The marines guarding CnC saluted as he passed. He saw Pressley who was multi-tasking as well as arguing with the chief engineer over an open channel.

Just as Ranma passed Pressley he was joined by Ranko. The twins nodded to several enlisted men and women as they walked the narrow corridor to the bridge. As they stepped onto the bridge Ranma paused at seeing the turian Spectre.

(Maybe once this mission is over I'll ask him if he would like to spar.) Ranma thought as he looked over the council Spectre. He heard Joker report. "Drift just under 1500k."

The Turian nodded. "1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased."

Ranko shook her head as Ranma lightly chuckled.

As Nihlus walked past the twins, Ranma and Nihlus eyes met. He gave the Raven haired soldier a nod before leaving the cockpit.

Joker started voicing his opinion to Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko who was seated next to him. "I hate that guy."

"Nihlus gave you a compliment…so you hate him?" Ranma didn't need to look to know that Alenko had a small smirk on his face.

Joker continued his work. "You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, so that's incredible." Joker snapped before taking a breath. "Besides, Spectres are trouble, I don't like having them onboard. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid." Alenko said without hesitation and the twins had to admit that he had a good point.

"The council helped fund this project, they have the right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

Ranma silently contemplated on what the two officers were saying.

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story." Joker mumbled.

"You always expect the worst." Ranko said from where she stood.

Joker spoke up. "Well, bad feelings are an occupational hazard. But we don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason for it, so what are we doing here?"

Before the discussion could continue Captain Anderson's voice came over the inter-ship communications.

"Joker! Status report,"

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid." answered Joker.

"Joker! Find a comm. Buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant," said Anderson in a commanding tone. The Saotome twins tried to hold in their laughter. Joker just shook his head. Anderson continued, "And tell Staff Commander Saotome to meet me in the briefing room."

Joker said and glanced over his shoulder. "You get that Sir?"

Ranma sighed. "He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission." he replied.

Joker gave a chuckle as he had served under Anderson for some time. "He always sounds like that when he's talking to me."

Alenko's muttered "Can't imagine why." Ranko looked at Joker with a sly grin and muttered "Gee, I wonder why?"

{I've got a bad feeling about this Onee-san.} Ranko sent telepathically

{I feel it also Imouto-chan. But don't worry I'll watch my back.} Ranma replied

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Ranma entered the comm room after talking to Dr. Chakwas and Corporal Jenkins, but he realized that the captain wasn't there yet. Instead it was just... Nihlus. (What is he doing here?) Ranma wondered.

"Staff Commander Saotome, I was hoping you'll get here first. It'll give us a chance to talk," Nihlus said.

"About what?" He was curious about what was on Nihlus' mind.

Nihlus started pacing "I'm interested in this world we're going to – Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"I've never been there, but I have heard things about it."

Nihlus stopped pacing and turned to face him "It's become something of a symbol to your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

"Do you known something?"

"Your people are still newcomers Saotome. The galaxy can be very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?" At that moment, Captain Anderson walked. He was African American in blue Alliance uniform. He had several medals on his uniform. (I wonder what is causing my danger sense to go off?) Thought Ranma.

"I think it's about we told the Staff Commander what's really going on," said Anderson.

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run," explained Nihlus.

"Is someone going to fill me in Captain?" asked Ranma.

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

"What's the payload, Sir?"

"A research team on Eden Prime discovered some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

"Sir, I thought the Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago!" exclaimed Ranma.

"Their legacy still remains. The mass relay, the Citadel, our ship drives - - it's all based off Prothean technology," explained Nihlus.

"This is big, Ranma. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Staff Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Citadel space," said Nihlus.

"It never hurts to have a few extra hands on board" Ranma replied to Nihlus.

"The beacon's not the only reason I'm here Saotome."

"Nihlus wants to see you in action Staff Commander. He's here to evaluate you."

"Guess that makes sense. I keep bumping into him every time I turn around." Ranma replied with a raised eyebrow while looking over at Nihlus.

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say in the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human in their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"You held off an enemy assault during the Blitz single-handed. You showed not only courage but also incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

"What's the next step?" asked Ranma

"I need to see your skills for myself, Staff Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"And why is this beacon so important?" asked Ranma.

"All advanced galactic civilization is based off of Prothean technology. Even yours," explained Nihlus.

"If we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins buried on Mars, we'd still be stuck on Earth. That was just a small data cache. Who knows what we'll find in this beacon? What if it's a weapons archive? We can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"Just give the word, Captain." Ranma wanted to get this mission underway as quickly as possible to prove that humanity can get the job done.

"We should be getting close to Eden-" Suddenly, Joker interrupted over the comm.

"Captain! We've got a problem!"

"What's wrong, Joker?" Anderson responded.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"

"Bring it up on screen." The transmission showed the three beings the chaos of a firefight.

There were soldiers firing in all directions, explosions in the background. A young woman ran up to the screen and moved it out of the way.

"Get down!" she said. She than stood up and started firing again. The camera jerked around. One of the soldiers got down and started talking.

"We are under attack! Taking heavy causalities! I repeat: heavy causalities! We can't – argh! - need evac! They came out of nowhere, we need - -" Suddenly, he was thrown backwards as he took a killing shot to the chest. Then, out of nowhere, there was a noise. A horrible noise. The screen moved to show the sky, where a giant, massive ship was looming. It was black, and red lightning bolts of red electricity shot all around it. The bottom of the ship looked like tentacles. Then the transmission cuts out.

"Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing," explained Joker.

"Reverse and hold at 38.5," said Anderson. The transmission was reversed to the part where the giant ship was. Nihlus' mandibles moved. Ranma could only guess that it wasn't a good sign.

"Status report." Ordered Anderson

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in Joker. Fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

"A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon," Nihlus explained. He was a great fighter.

"Garb your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Anderson told Nihlus

As Nihlus walked out of the comm room Anderson turned to Ranma "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Staff Commander You're going in."

Ranma looked at Anderson "Captain, request permission to add Lieutenant Commander Saotome to the strike team." He expected for his request to be denied.

Anderson gave it a quick thought "Permission granted, Staff Commander. Get your strike team ready."

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Eden Prime

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In the cargo bay, Anderson explained their mission:

"Your team is the muscle in this operation, Staff Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" asked Alenko.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon's your top priority." As he was saying this, the cargo bay door opened.

"Approaching drop point one," said Joker.

"Nihlus? You're coming with us?" asked Jenkins.

Nihlus answered as he checked his shotgun "I move faster on my own," He then left the Normandy and headed off alone.

"Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status report throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence."

"We've got his back, Captain." Ranma assured the Captain.

"The mission's yours now Staff Commander! Good luck!" said Anderson as the Normandy headed to the second drop point.

"We are approaching drop point two," said Joker. The Normandy hovers a few feet over the drop point so the Ranma's strike team could deploy.

The strike team had their weapons ready as they visually scanned the area "Ship perimeter secure, Staff Commander" reported Alenko.

"This place got hit hard, Staff Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up," Nihlus explained. As they were moving ahead, they saw floating creatures. They seemed to be motionless.

"What the hell are those?" exclaimed Alenko.

"Gas bags. Don't worry, they're harmless," explained Jenkins

The strike team moved forward, signs of battle evident and so far only very few colonists were found.

Ranma knelt down and scanned the rock-covered hill, his was danger sense was telling him there was danger but nothing was evident. He motioned for his team move forward and to keep low. Ranko's danger sense flared danger. She bolted pass surprised Jenkins managing to grab his arm and pulled him behind cover as two flying drones came out of nowhere and took shots at Jenkins.

The first several high-energy phasic rounds wiped out Jenkins shields and the following hits connected with his right arm and shoulder.

Ranma and Alenko ducked behind some large rocks for cover and opened fire on the recon as the drones had started shooting at them.

After the drones exploded the pair moved to check on their comrades. Alenko reached them first and checked for wounds. Jenkins took rounds to his arm and shoulder.

"Sir! Jenkins will die unless he gets medical treatment onboard the Normandy! "

Ranma stood up and activated his comms "Ranma to Normandy, please respond."

"Status report!" Anderson commanded

"We have a man down, he needs immediate medical evac." Ranma replied standing up

There was a moment of silence "Joker, bring us back to drop point two and open up the cargo bay doors. Staff Commander, get you wounded to drop point two. Then find the beacon."

Ranma looked up as the Normandy flew overhead. He shouted over at Ranko. "Commander Saotome! Get Jenkins back onboard the Normandy! We're going after the beacon."

The redhead gave a small nod as she gently picked up Jenkins and helped him walk to drop point two for the medical evac. She had her pistol ready just in case they ran into trouble.

As Ranko returned to drop point two with Jenkins, Ranma and Alenko continued toward the dig site, keeping alert as they went. Nihlus talked to them again. "I've got some burned out buildings here, Saotome. A lot of bodies. I'm going to go check it out. I'll to catch up with you at the dig site."

As they moved forward, they saw someone running. It was the same female marine from the transmission. She was being chased by two of those drones. She got hit, but her shields dropped from the hit. She landed on the ground and took out her pistol. She fired two shots, both had hit straight on with the drones and they exploded. Pieces flew everywhere. Ranma looked around and saw something else. A man was being held over something by two black machines, each with assault rifles. A spike flew up and instantly killed the man. Blood sprouted out and trickled down his neck and face. The marine got up with a look of horror on her face and ran for cover. The two black machines noticed and made a robotic noise. The marine got out her assault rifle. The black machines were closing in on her position and she started to panic.

Before the machines could reach her though, Ranma used his Avenger one sniper rifle and shot both machines in their single glowing ocular lens destroying them. The marine came out of cover and walked up to them and introduced herself.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You're the one in charge here, sir?" she asked politely.

"Give me a status report, Williams." asked Ranma.

"Oh man... we were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to send a distress call, but they cut off communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your squad?"

"We tried to double back to the beacon, but we walked into an ambush. I don't think any of the others... I think I'm the only one left."

"This isn't your fault Williams, you couldn't have done anything to save them."

"Yes, sir. We held our position as long as we could, until the geth overwhelmed us."

"The geth haven't been seen outside the veil for nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?" said a surprised Alenko.

"They must have come for the beacon. The dig site is close, just over that rise. It might still be there."

"We could use your help, Williams," Ranma said.

"Aye, aye, sir. It's time for payback."

"What else do you know of the geth?" asked Ranma

"Just what I remember from history class from school. They're synthetics. Non-organic life-forms with limited AI programing created by the quarians a few centuries ago. They were supposed to be a source of cheap labor, but ended up turning on the quarians and drove them into exile. After that, they just kind of disappeared behind the Perseus Veil. Nobody's really heard much from them since." Williams answered

"Tell me everything you know about the beacon." ordered Ranma

"They were doing some digging around here to expand the monorail and expand the colony. A few weeks ago, they unearthed some Prothean ruins… and the beacon. Suddenly every scientific expert in the colony was interested. That's when they brought us in to secure the site. I don't know much about the beacon itself, but I heard one of the researchers say that this could be the biggest scientific discovery of the century."

"What happened to the researchers at the dig site?"

"I don't know. They set up camp near the beacon. The 232 was with them. Maybe their unit fared better than mine."

"Describe what happened leading up to the attack," asked Ranma

"We were sent out a couple of nights ago from the main colony the secure the area. Seemed like a routine patrol. Until the geth hit us. We never knew they were coming."

"Have you seen a turian Spectre around?" asked Ranma

"There aren't any turians on Eden Prime. None that I've ever met. Not sure if I'd be able to tell if one was a Spectre anyway."

"If you saw this guy, you'd know. Carries enough firepower to wipe out a whole platoon," explained Alenko, "Luckily, he's on our side."

"Sorry. Like I said, no turians."

"Let's move out!" ordered Ranma. Alenko and Williams nodded their heads. Pulling out their weapons, Ranma's strike team continued toward the dig site.

TBC.

A.N: As the story goes on you will see more of the twins past. This story is the product of play Mass Effect after watching Ranma ½ and Ah! My Goddess.

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