February 11, 2525 - June 15, 2570
Dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Great War.
12,402,109,655 Humans, 1,348,792,014 Turians and 191,017,563 Volus
An Eternal Flame to Honor their Eternal Sacrifice- We Shall Never Forget.
- Inscription at the base of the Eternal Flame Memorial at New Alexandria, Reach
As of 2578, every Human, Turian and Volus world has a replica of the Eternal Flame Memorial.
Arcturus Station
Arcturus System
May 12, 2583
Tela Vasir had seen much in her life. She'd served as a commando for the Serrice Guard for slightly under a century, before being tapped for the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Her three centuries of Spectre-ship had turned her into the Council's best agent, and for good reason.
Still, seeing Arcturus Station and its defenses first-hand was intimidating. The old battle station had gone through extensive changes over the years, and though it retained much of its military functions, it now served as the capital of the Alliance. A veritable armada of warships guarded the station, drawn from the Human, Turian and Volus navies. The Arcturus Relay- the only entrance to Sol that the Citadel knew of- stood several million kilometers distant (1), under the guns of its vigilant defenders.
"We're docking in one minute, Spectre," the Salarian Star Navy ensign who piloted the shuttle said, sending a glance her way. Having been around Salarians for centuries allowed her to see that the ensign was practically radiating nervousness, which Vasir could not truly fault.
Vasir nodded her thanks, and left the cockpit. She'd only been notified of this assignment one day ago, and the only available transport that was fast enough was this shuttle.
The passenger compartment of the shuttle was rather empty, with only one other occupant.
"Jondum," Vasir said in greeting to her partner for the duration of the mission. The Salarian was a formidable Spectre, and was one of the few people that had a chance of besting Vasir in combat. A small chance, very miniscule, of course, but still a chance nonetheless.
"Tela," Spectre Jondum Bau replied, already securing his SMG and pistol to the magnetic strips on his armor. The slight shudder that the shuttle gave off indicated that it had entered one of the docking bays that Arcturus Station sported.
True enough, the shuttle jolted slightly, with the pilot announcing their arrival.
"Landing committee, also present," the pilot added as an afterthought as the shuttle doors swung open.
The one that Vasir immediately saw was a Human, clad in an ODST Combat Suit (2). He (the body structure seemed to indicate this) stood waiting for them. Standing beside him was a Turian, this one clad in the signature armor of the 26th Armiger Legion.
"Spectre Vasir, Spectre Bau," the Human said in greeting as he moved forward. "Welcome to Arcturus. I'm Lieutenant Alenko, and this is Lieutenant Colonel Kryik."
'Odd that the lower-ranking one is taking the lead,' Vasir mused as she filed that away for later analysis.
"If you'll come with us, Captain Anderson is waiting for you onboard the Normandy," Alenko continued.
"Lead on, Lieutenant," Bau replied as he stepped off the shuttle.
"The Normandy's on the other side of the docking bay," Alenko said, waving in the general direction of the ship.
The docking bay, Vasir noted, was rather small compared to the cavernous ones that the Alliance loved to use when receiving Citadel delegates. All the shuttles here were military, and the majority of them were Human models. Likewise, most of the personnel in the bay were UNSC, although a smattering of Turians and Volus could be seen.
Alenko had begun engaging her Salarian counterpart in smalltalk, while the Turian- Kryik, she reminded herself- continued to shoot nearly-imperceptible glances at her.
They had entered one of the hallways from the section of the docking bay that they had landed in, where two UNSC Marines stood guard. Both saluted at the sight of Alenko and Kryik, and the door slid open for the group.
The corridor that was behind the door had windows, and it was there that Vasir first saw the UNSC Normandy. The ship did not have the same design as the vast majority of the Human warships, with most of the blockiness replaced by sleek angular lines that resonated more with Turian styles. Like every other Human warship, it was gunmetal grey, and exuded an air of menace- at least from Vasir's perspective. It was smaller than a regular UNSC frigate, although Vasir suspected that it was likely to be more dangerous.
"Impressive," Bau commented. "Was not aware that the UNSC adopted Turian designs."
"The Normandy is the first of her line," Kryik spoke up for the first time since she'd met him. There was unmistakable pride in his voice. "A testbed for truly hybridized Alliance technology."
Tela shared a wary look with Bau. Most Citadel Pact races considered the Alliance to be the second-most powerful organization in the Galaxy, just behind the Citadel itself. Vasir and Bau, like most of the Citadel's upper echelons, however, knew better. Although they technically had a larger economy (although the margin was getting smaller with each passing year), along with a large fleet of their own, the Citadel navies tended to focus on cruiserweight and lighter warships- the recent increase in Dreadnoughts was solely due to the Alliance. The Alliance, however, had insane amounts of dreadnought-weight warships, the majority of them operating in the UNSC Navy. The only thing that stopped the Alliance from gaining a total military advantage was the fact that they had trouble upgrading the existing Turian and Volus fleets with Hybridized technology. The fact that the Normandy was a testbed for combined technologies meant that this 'trouble' would be greatly diminished soon...which would utterly change the balance of power- and not in the Citadel's favor.
Vasir made sure to plaster a fake smile on her face in reaction. Bau, goddess bless his short-lived soul, took the opportunity to divert any potential observation of their short glance.
"Normandy- human name?" Bau questioned. "From an old battle in Earth history, yes?"
Alenko nodded, and they began making their way to a docking tube. "A battle in the Second World War, the largest pre-spaceflight amphibious invasion in galactic history."
"Although that's mostly because other races aren't insane enough to invade a country en masse by water," Kryik said, this time with a dry tone that made it clear this was an old argument.
"Just because Turians hate swimming doesn't mean everyone else does too," Alenko shot back, and they reached the docking tube.
"I don't like it, David," said Colonel Saren Arterius. He was eyeing the security feed with scrutiny, focusing on the Asari and the Salarian who was going to board the ship. It was amazing to truly see what could change in twenty-six years. Before Aephus was invaded by the Covenant, the Turians had enjoyed a cordial, if not friendly, relationship with the other two Council races. Their refusal to involve themselves in the War, and the eviction of the Hierarchy from the Citadel Council had soured the relationship to a degree that would been unimaginable under almost any other circumstance.
"The Citadel Council got High Command to agree with it, and Primarch Fedorian has also given his consent," Anderson responded in an even tone. "Besides, it's not like we're allowing them to run around the ship unsupervised. You know that Big Brother watches and sees all."
Saren merely grunted, before taking down the feed. "As long as I get to assign the sentries. BB may be the latest class of AI, but that just means he's new to this."
"Don't let him hear you say that." Anderson rolled his eyes at his old friend's actions. "Besides, you're not even supposed to be onboard the Normandy for long- for crying out loud, you'll be getting off at the Citadel with the rest of your unit!"
"It's not like your XO minds," Saren said with a grin- or the closest approximation that a Turian could make to a grin, in any case. "Kid's grown a lot, by the way."
"Lieutenant Commander Shepard is twenty-nine, Saren," Anderson shot back in an annoyed tone as he began walking to the CIC. "She's not a kid anymore."
"And you just made me feel old," Saren said in mock anger, waving a clenched fist in the air.
Anderson didn't miss a beat. "You are, you idiot."
"Oh please, I'm two years younger than you," Saren retorted. "You just can't appreciate my obvious vigor of youth."
"Since when was forty-two considered youthful for Turians?" a new voice asked, slight amusement coloring the tone.
"XO," Anderson greeted with a smile.
"Tori, that hurt," Saren said in a mock-hurt tone. He imagined that if the rest of Blackwatch saw him now, they'd be befuddled. Saren Arterius was the very definition of stone-cold professional...unless he was around his unofficial niece.
"You'd think that after decades of being a bullet sponge, you'd develop some pain resistance," Lieutenant Commander Astoria 'Tori' Shepard responded, causing a snicker to escape Anderson. She'd been five years old when she first met Saren Arterius, around two years after the Turian entry to the Great War, and had learned sarcasm from him (which he would later regret).
"Anything to report?" Anderson asked, a slight grin now tugging at the edges of his lips.
"Lieutenant Alenko and Colonel Kryik are bringing our guests in now- I believe Pressly is finalizing their quarter arrangements now," Shepard responded.
They'd entered the CIC by then, just in time for the elevator door to open. Immediately, the lighthearted atmosphere disappeared, replaced by the professional, iron discipline that the Citadel had come to expect of the Alliance.
"Lieutenant Colonel Kryik, Lieutenant Alenko," Anderson said in greeting, before shifting his eyes to the Asari and Salarian behind them. "Welcome aboard the Normandy, Spectres."
The two Alliance officers saluted the Captain, and were wordlessly dismissed by Anderson.
Anderson made a quick mental run through the files the he'd read on Tela Vasir and Jondum Bau. Vasir was an old hand, one with a public reputation to boot. She'd become the unofficial face of the Spectres, known throughout Citadel Space for her more infamous operations- some of which had been turned into actual movies. The Citadel Council was not blind to this, and used her for operations that had risks of exposure. Bau was the public spokesperson for the Spectres, although it amused Anderson to no end that he was less well-known that Vasir. SIGC and the Hierarchy Defense Intelligence (3) had long suspected that Bau was genetically engineered and modified, built to be a super-Salarian. He was simply much faster and stronger than a baseline Salarian, with an extremely sharp mind (even by Salarian standards). It was also well-within the Salarian moral code and capabilities too- if the Alliance could develop their Human-Turian Paladin Program (4) in secret for the past two decades-even if it did involve the UNSC's experience to a degree- then the idea of a Salarian supersoldier program wasn't too unbelievable.
Arterius salted Anderson, and gave a stiff nod at the Spectres before making his way to the crew deck.
"We'll be departing Arcturus Station in the next hour or so," Anderson said. "Commander Shepard here can help settle you into your quarters."
Shepard's smile looked welcoming and genuine enough, which was somewhat reassuring. Then again, she always was a good actor, so this shouldn't have surprised him.
"If you'd follow me, Spectres?"
Second Lieutenant Garrus Vakarian occasionally wondered how he ended up in Blackwatch- under the command of Saren Arterius, of all people.
Arterius was a legend of the Great War, having one of the highest individual kill counts, and participating in damn near every single pivotal op post-2557. While the man himself acknowledged that the UNSC's Spartans and a select number of ODSTs likely had larger counts, his name was still one that was venerated to a degree within the upper echelons of the Alliance's military elite. After the War, Arterius became one of the pro-Integration advocates within the Turian Hierarchy, eventually leading one of the first official joint species units.
He was one of the few people that could gain the approval of both UNSC High Command and Hierarchy Military Command for leadership of Cerberus Squadron (5), although they ended up selecting Admiral Harper instead. Although officially a Blackwatch officer on secondment, Colonel Saren Arterius was the foremost field officer of Cerberus' Direct Action Group- a unit that Garrus had joined several years ago.
Garrus would have been the first to admit that he was a terrible Turian. Following orders did not come easy to him, and that had nearly led to him being kicked out of the Turian Imperial Army's Cipritine Police Regiment- until Saren Arterius came along with a job offer.
Cerberus was an Alliance endeavor, and as such was a multispecies organization, although it was mostly Humans and Turians. Garrus wasn't too sure of the goal- ensuring Alliance supremacy and dominance at all costs wasn't exactly the friendliest message to espouse. Still, it was a step up from being a mere cog in the Turian war machine, and allowed him to actually feel like he did something worthwhile. That the pay and gear were a step above Alliance standard was just the icing on the cake, as the Humans called it.
"Are you gonna take the shot or not?" The slightly annoyed tone of Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams hissed. It broke his daydreaming, allowing him to refocus on the three moving targets and pull the trigger, three times in quick succession.
"I believe that's triple bullseye, Williams," Garrus said with a smug as he passed on the DMR to his squadmate. He glanced at a nearby screen. "The board says my accuracy rating is higher than yours."
"Drat." The former ODST-turned-Paladin sighed. She was much closer this time, but losing by a thin margin was still losing.
Garrus smirked, knowing that Williams would demand a rematch in a few days. The human was tenacious that way, something that Garrus could respect. They were the newest members of Fireteam Impera, Colonel Arterius' personal squad, and Garrus had the feeling that Williams was trying to 'prove' herself, although he didn't know why.
"Don't know why you bother trying to beat birdie in sniping of all things, Williams," said a more grizzled Human voice as the door to the 'Range' of the Normandy. "Their eyesight and hand-eye coordination is a grade above ours."
Major Armando-Owen Bailey was the outlier within Fireteam Impera. Unlike Saren, or Lieutenant Colonel Kryik, or even Williams, Bailey wasn't a former infantryman. He'd been part of the UNSC Navy for years, until he transferred to the New York Police Department on Earth. That didn't mean he wasn't a capable fighter- Garrus had run several combat ops with him in the past few months, and Bailey was no pushover.
"To be fair Major, Williams could outshoot most Turian Paladins at this point," Garrus interjected as Williams started disassembling the rifle at the weapon bench. It was true, too- Williams' accuracy rating was slightly higher than the average Turian Paladin's.
"Kudos to you, ell-tee," Bailey said. "In any case, the Spectres are onboard and Captain Anderson called for a briefing. Room 2, CIC Deck, in about an hour."
The Major then made his way to a wall-mounted weapons locker, pulling out a submachine gun and a set of pistols. Garrus turned back to Williams, who had by now stored the DMR in a footlocker and was wiping her hands on a cloth.
"Do you know anything about Eden Prime?" he asked.
"New colony, mostly Human," Williams rattled off as she began walking towards the door. "Agricultural for the most part, although I think they're trying out some new arcology designs there. I'm gonna go pester Kryik for more details. Coming?"
Garrus nodded, checking to see if his pistol was still there before following her out of the Range.
The UNSC Normandy left its berth at Arcturus Station, a flight of UNSC fighters and drones escorting it. The lead fighter wigged its wings as the Normandy left its Patrol Area, an action that the agile frigate imitated in response.
A burst of speed propelled the warship towards the Arcturus Relay, with its communications section clearing its authorization codes with the sentry patrols.
In the 'cockpit' of the Normandy, Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau began inputting the data for transmitting to the Relay, humming a light tune as he did so. While the Enhanced Slipspace Drives that every Alliance warship was equipped with could make the journey to the Exodus Cluster in good time, a Mass Relay was near instantaneous, which made it preferable when speed was a concern.
Seconds later, a blue tendril shot out of the Mass Relay, catching the Normandy and propelling it out of the Arcturus Stream, beginning its maiden voyage.
It was a benign start for an event that would shake the galaxy.
1: Every Relay jump will induce a significant amount of 'drift' from the connecting Relay. In Mass Effect, the Normandy's first jump had a drift of 1500K (1.5 million kilometers), which was supposedly very accurate. I'm working on the assumption that maximum drift caps at around 3 million kilometers- which is about 9 times the distance from Earth to the Moon (384k KM). Earth and Mars, in contrast, are around 54.6 million kilometers apart at their closest, and around 401 million kilometers apart at their furthest.
2: The first iteration of the ODST Combat Suit entered service in 2550, and included weak energy shields, synthetic muscles, VISR Mk2, and lightweight Titanium A3h armor coating. The latest iteration entered service in 2581, and has stronger shielding in addition to kinetic barrier systems, in addition to EEZO-based Jumpjets based off those used by the 26th Armiger Legion. Despite its name, the Combat Suit is utilized by all UNSC Special Forces groups (save for the Spartans).
3: Strategic Intelligence Group Command (SIGC) is the overarching intelligence organization for the UNSC. Hierarchy Defense Intelligence (HDI) is the intelligence organization of the Turian Empire (the polity representing the Turians and their client states), although most of their recruits come from the Turian Hierarchy.
4: The Paladin Program is the pseudo-successor to the Spartan Program, after the failure of the Spartan-V Program to produce biotic supersoldiers. Run as an Alliance initiative rather than a UNSC one, it is under the command of the joint species Cerberus Squadron. Human Paladins utilize a modified version of the Spartan-IV augmentations, adding the biotic implants of the Spartan-V program where possible (it is a matter of genetics). The MJOLNIR Series of Powered Armor is still used, although there are several modular parts for specialization. Turian Paladins have a somewhat higher chance of becoming capable of biotics, but are generally physically weaker than their Human counterparts (largely due to the 'newness' of Turian genemods). One key advantage of Turian Paladins is their far superior eyesight, which alongside excellent hand-eye coordination allow them to become formidable snipers. The Paladin Program remains secret, with the Human Paladins assumed to be Spartans by the general public, and the Turian Paladins not having much public exposure due to the fact that they are not noticeably different than unaugmented Turians outside of combat.
5: Cerberus Squadron is the formal name for the elite paramilitary force under the command of the Alliance. Led by Admiral Jack Harper, the former commander of the SIGC and one of the pro-Integration proponents in the aftermath of the Great War, Cerberus is the as the dagger in the Alliance's arsenal. Seen as the counter to the Citadel Spectres, Cerberus Operatives are often military/police (often both) veterans who either work in teams or alone- much like the Spectres. At the same time, Cerberus is a much larger organization, with R&D departments and a flotilla of experimental warships. Their chain of command is significantly more complex (but at the same time clearer), and Cerberus' missions often work with a set of objectives. The placement of the Paladin Program under the purview of Cerberus Squadron is seen as a commitment to cooperation between the UED and the Turian Empire.
AN: Just introducing the characters that will play a part here. Tela Vasir and Jondum Bau are canon Spectres. Cerberus is implied to have been a rogue Systems Alliance black ops program in canon ME, but here they serve as the sort-of counter to the Spectres. A codex type page will be put up soon, for both the post-2557 timeline as well as the infodumps (for infodump fanatics) on the organizations and characters here.
To answer the question of whether the Halo Installations will still play a part:
The events of the Halo videogames never happened in this timeline. In 2541, Humanity found the Prothean Archives on Mars. While ME tech alone isn't very good against Covenant tech, combined with Standard UNSC tech it's a force multiplier. So Humanity never actually got pushed into the Inner Colonies, with the Outer Colonies becoming bulwarks against Covenant offensives. After 2557 the Turians entered the war as human allies. Turian numbers helped push the Covenant back, especially once they got their tech upgraded.
So: No Halo Installations have been discovered, and no Flood has been encountered. Spirit of Fire is still missing, so Humanity has no info on the Forerunners or Flood. They know the Forerunners existed, much like we 'know' the Indus Valley Civilization once existed (well, it's to a lesser extent than even that).
