Yes, it's yet another Mass Effect alternate history. Yes, it's going to focus on handing the Turians their asses for the first part. However, this one is a little different. I've spent a great deal of effort into coming up with completely new aliens, unlike anything anybody has ever thought of (except my dad, who helped me flesh them out). These aliens aren't just cranky humans, like Klingons, or blue psychic chicks, like Asari. Also, I've decided to get rid of the reapers, because I hate universe ending threats and races against time to save life as we know it and all that jazz. When you have Reapers, the entire story is about the Reapers, and there's no room to do anything else. As an added twist, the humans have some rather unique methods of travel.

I would like to thank Profartburger, author of Mass Effect: The First War, for getting me into the ME AU genre. I would like to thank my father for helping me create the Omicrons and the Thesi, and DavidWeber for getting me fascinated with the idea of a constitutional monarchy.

By the way, since I have no idea what kind of numbers I should use, I'm gonna use a lot less technobabble than most people seem to do when they write for ME. Get over it.

Lastly, due to the necessity of allowing Coalition technology and culture to advance, the ME timeline will be taking place much later.

This story is coauthored by my father. Because of the way we do it, each chapter will likely undergo a series of extensive rewrites. If there are any flaws, inconsistencies, or unclear points, please point them out.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o

The Coalition: The Coalition is a unified body involving most of the peoples (There are small independent groups of each species) of the the most advanced sentient races of Gould belt (a large section of the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy - Roughly equivalent to the canon Earth Alliance space.)The Coalition's leadership consists of a council, led by two heads of each species (the human monarch and Prime Minister are both members, the Thesian Clan Council elects a pair of leaders every six years, the Omicrons and AIs elect the leaders directly, and nobody knows how the dolphins choose their leaders) and a parliament, which is made up of elected members. The parliament has two houses. In one, members are elected by other members of their species. In the other, members are elected by the citizens of whatever planet they are a citizen of. It's a complicated system, but one that works.

History

100,000 years ago, a race known only as the Predecessors discovered the cycle of the Reapers. Knowing it was too late to save themselves, they spent their remaining time leaving warnings of the Reapers where future races would find them. When the Protheans discovered these warnings, they bent all of their research and resources towards finding a way to defeat the Reapers. Before the cycle could begin, the Protheans activated the Citadel Mass Relay, but in reverse- they went to Dark Space and eliminated the Reapers using a massive artificial black hole. The surviving Prothean civilization suffered massively from the use of resources put into combating the Reaper threat. Their civilization collapsed into a massive civil war, and the race went extinct, leaving an empty galaxy, to be filled in a way similar to the canon story. Because of the chaos of the time, these events are generally unknown, though myths and legends of the past can be found, usually without any real foundation. For whatever reason, none of the warnings of the Predecessors have survived to modern times.

In 2043, humans discover a ruined Prothean base on Mars. It is largely destroyed, and contains little useful information. From the look of the base, it had been the victim of some sort of attack. Worried that they may become victims of the same enemy that had destroyed the Prothean base, humans panic and almost destroy themselves in a global war. From the ashes rise a single government, the Kingdom of Humanity. It values exploration of space, military preparedness and a near religious hope for friendly contact with aliens. A constitutional monarchy, the Kingdom of Humanity's political power is equally divided between elected officials and a hereditary aristocracy. Further exploration of the solar system reveals the ruins of the Charon Mass Relay, presumably destroyed in the same attack as the one on the Prothean base.

In 2049, the Kingdom of Humanity is formed.

In 2053, a sentient AI, created during the war, successfully sues for citizenship in of the Kingdom of Humanity. Future legal decisions establish means of identifying sentient AIs, and permit them to become citizens (after the formation of the Coalition, AIs are permitted to choose which race they are considered a citizen of. Though not, by law, a permanent choice, so far, no AI has ever chosen to change).

In 2054, complete unity is achieved.

In 2087, the first ever FTL capable ship is made. Unfortunately, it is not enough to travel between systems on a regular basis- the trip still takes a number of weeks. Despite the travel times, the KoH begins colonizing a nearby planet, naming it Terra Nova.

In 2099 FTL communication is invented, requiring equipment at both ends.

In 2108, Doctor WayneEricson develops the first successful teleportation gate. Based on prior FTL principles, it also requires equipment at both ends of the transit. Due to the physics involved, it is not possible to transport especially massive objects (such as spacecraft) in this manner.

Now that humanity is capable of moving people and supplies very quickly, the colonization effort begins in earnest, stretching to include Eden Prime, and eventually Shanxi. Still wary of alien invaders, the Kingdom of Man continues to build up its military. Occasional piracy and rebellions give them opportunities for experience. Aware of their inability to travel quickly from place to place, and fearing other races may have found a way around this theoretical impossibility, they also build large defense stations orbiting colonized planets.

In 2118, first contact is made with the Omicrons. An alliance is formed.

In 2123, first contact is made with the Thesi. They enter the alliance with the humans and Omicrons. Human interaction with Thesi is difficult at first and the Omicrons were very important in avoiding war and even possible xenocide. After they were accepted into the alliance, several human religion based rebellions had to be put down.

In 2204, the three races combine under a single banner, known as the Coalition of Sentient Races. Each species' government remains autonomous to some extent, but the differences between the species increase the value in joint efforts in colinization. The Planets colonized as joint efforts take on qualities very different than other planets, strengthening the coalition. They also prosper very quickly, supporting the new, unified, ideas. The strong philosophy of "Unity" brought to the Coalition by the KoH also leads to strong efforts supporting the integration of military forces.

In 2211, an Omicron science team studying Earth wildlife translates the language of the dolphins, making it clear that they are fully sentient. After much debate, reparations are made to dolphins for past wrongs, and the dolphins are invited to join the Coalition of Sentient Races. Many coastal cities begin building canals and underwater buildings so that dolphins can become fully integrated members of society. This tends to break down residual efforts by some parts of humanity to remain racist, and such sects, among any of the members, tend to be isolated and backward.

In 2214, the Artificial Republic is founded. The Artificial Republic governs all Artificial Intelligences, and all sentient AIs are citizens. Once the AR was founded, AIs were no longer citizens in other governments. The AR is a direct republic, and all decisions are made by all citizens.

In 2253, the Coalition decides to make stronger efforts to assist ancient adult Omicrons to other planets. This results in healthier, more stable juveniles. It has a side effect of pushing research in increasing the maximum mass transit of the teleportation gates. The Omicrons usually choose to live in large forests near the entrances to major cities, though some are willing to live in large city parks, especially if they have experienced the high esteem the Humans and Thesi tend to give them.*

In 2257, the Shanxi Mass Relay is discovered. Recognizing it as being the same kind of device as the ruined one in the SolSystem, the Coalition sends a science vessel, accompanied by three frigates and a cruiser.

By the year 2257, the Coalition of Sentient Races has over 40 colony worlds, with Terra Nova and Shanxi being the most populous Shanxi has nearly a billion citizens, including large forests of Omicrons planted outside of cities and in parks, and a small number of dolphins. The CSN (Coalition Space Navy) has twenty-three dreadnoughts, two superdreadnoughts, thirteen carriers, three supercarriers, and hundreds of destroyers, cruisers, and frigates.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o

Codex

Humans: A bipedal, bigendered race, they are clever, resourceful, and kinda badass.

Dolphins: Little is known about the dolphins despite their decades as a Coalition race. They take very little seriously, and their culture seems to be almost entirely based on what is fun to do. Of course, studying their culture is extremely difficult. Anything they say can, and usually does, have several meanings, many of which are usually nonsensical and/or humorous. Humans and Thesi struggle with the fact that the Elders (ancient Omicrons) seem to understand them best, since, to these two groups, the Elders do not have any sense of humor.

Omicron: A race of sentient plants. First contact made in 2118. Omicrons have a three part life cycle. A seed is planted, and grows into a seedling. The seedling grows for three years. A seedling is treated much like a human fetus, and they are heavily guarded and protected by the adults and juveniles. It grows until it has reached the size of a small dog. Once the seedling is fully developed, its roots wither and die, and the seedling uproots itself. It is now a juvenile. The juvenile is not sentient, and is completely dependent on the adults for organization and direction. Effectively, the adults are their brains. The juveniles slowly increase in size and intelligence until they reach adulthood, at which point they are roughly the size of a human tank, and are fully sentient. Juveniles serve as workers and warriors. They have eight legs, the front two of which come to a fine point and are highly dextrous. They have two arms, with one large claw and one smaller one, for manipulation on a large scale and for the use of tools, as well as for combat. They also have tendrils around their faces, which are used for fine manipulation of items and tools. Juvenile Omicrons are dependent on their adults, they can only perform simple tasks. Upon reaching adulthood, the juveniles put down roots, and their trunks begin to grow out of their bodies. They combine minds with the Omicrons directly around them and, though they maintain their individuality and are separate beings, they seem to form an additional hive mind. The combination of minds allows for quick communication across large distances. The adults are thinkers and researchers. An adult Omicron can live for centuries, and can grow to enormous sizes.

Like many creatures on their planet, the omicrons have minor telepathy, which they can use to control the juveniles. This telepathy does not allow them to communicate with nontelepathic creatures, however, since they lack a way to receive the signal.

Due to their hive mind, Omicrons are highly democratic, and originally found the monarchy of the humans to be repulsive, and the clan council of the Thesi to be archaic, but have since learned to appreciate the differences in the cultures of the other Coalition races, even if they cannot understand them.

Thesus: A race of tri-gendered snake beings. First contact made in 2123.

Echidna- Echidna serve as clan leaders. They are all female, and are roughly human sized. They are highly intelligent and live for centuries. They are very similar to a queen bee in that they lay eggs and govern the clan. They have a fully developed face and roughly humanoid torso (although it does not appear to be female, and still has scales), with four arms with six fingers. The fingers on the lower two hands are clawed.

Warriors: The warriors are similar to echidna, but are sterile, and are actually a completely separate gender. Despite the name "warriors," they are no longer limited to being soldiers but may work in material industry, service industry, though they do comprise a large portion of the armed forces.

Males: The males look like small snakes with tiny hooked grooves on either side of their bodies, which allow them to grip onto objects when they coil around them. They are roughly three feet long, and about three inches around. While they are small, they are highly intelligent and fully sentient. Due to their lack of limbs, there is a sizable industry in the Coalition based on creating equipment which they can use, and they have a separate branch of the military, known as the Snake Corps.

All Thesi have a venemous bite, and the claws of the echidna and warriors are also venemous.

The government of the thesi is a clan council formed of the echidna from each clan. Since joining the Coalition of Sentient Races, the clan council is led by two echidna which the council elects to represent them in the Coalition council.

Despite their snakelike appearance, the Thesian language is actually very guttural, and there is no excessive hissing.

0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o

*(A variety of xenosociological theories attempt to explain this phenomenon, which tends to amuse the "Elders". See "A walk in a Park – conversations with the oldest", "JoyceKilner, a prophetic poet", and dfkleee - No truly adequate translation outside of Thesi languages exists. Attempts have sometimes caused civil disturbances. The best translation of title is "a great climb")