I'll be honest, I'm not sure if this is any good or not. Writing a story, even a fanfiction, is harder than I thought, and I'm also not amazing a dialogue. I recently discovered that this kind of fanfiction is classified as a fusion fic. I know that 'fusions' are a turn off for some people like 'HFY', so I updated the description.
RandomReader – I'm not sure if this is an actual account name or a 'guest' account, but thanks anyway for stopping by. To be fair, I did clearly put HFY in the description as a warning right off the bat, since I know that particular genre is a big turn-off for some people.
Toraach – This is a 'fusion' fic, and the idea that the ME races are just an insignificant bit of the galaxy was a core idea of this story. I suppose I could update the description to signify that. As for named characters such as the Emperor, Isha, or any others, there will likely be very little if any appearances, as those characters have bigger things to do than deal with a minor xenos alliance. I'm not ruling it out entirely, and may indeed include minor cameos, but for the most part the canon characters of 40k will not be a central part of this story.
RandomSonOfDorn – I did not forget, but I didn't think they were really worth bringing up since Commorragh (and the fall of the Eldar as a whole) already occurred 5,000 years (M25) before the point of divergence (Horus Heresy M31), and will likely never come up outside of an offhanded comment, and Eldar-Human hybrids are one of those bits of lore that used to be canon, but is currently implied to be not canon as Human-Eldar hybrids haven't been mentioned since I think 2nd Edition. However, I don't think they have been definitively de-canonized by GW, so it's a really dubious subject.
Mad one – You know what, the more I say it out loud, the more I agree with you. The changes should already be made by the time this chapter is out.
Chapter 2: Enemy Unknown
Captain Ishmael de Lyonaal looked out his ship's bridge at the structure in front of him, a thoughtful expressing painted across his rugged features. It was an odd thing, with a pair of curved metal arms that spanned at least 15 kilometers, nearly 10 times the length of his converted armed freighter. The arms ran parallel to each other until it reached, what Ishmael presumed was, its core where they curved around and met each other, forming a circular shape. What was truly bizarre was what lied within the core; a blue-glowing orb surrounded by gyroscopic rings.
His ship, the Distant Horizon, had made a stop in this system to harvest ice from the system's outer asteroid belt when his auger operator had detected a gravitational anomaly within the asteroid belt.
A door hissed open. Turning around, Ishmael was met by the sight of his ship's resident enginseer. A young man judging by the relative lack of augments and mechadendrites, Kubec Gaveum was a consummate Xenarite. His fascination with xeno technology, quite frankly, disgusted the captain. But Kubec was still useful for maintaining his ship and kept himself sequestered away from the crew and cargo, so Ishmael really couldn't complain too much. Besides, studying xenos wasn't a crime per se, at least not anymore, just repulsive.
"I trust you are finished studying…" Ishmael gestured to the massive construct in front of his ship, "whatever that is."
"I am not. But I have marked these coordinates as a point of interest for future study. Interestingly, this construct shares many similarities to the xenos construct in the Shanxi-Theta system." Kubec replied in an eerily monotone voice for someone without a voice modulator.
"So, this thing is xenos, then?" Ishmael asked.
"The likelihood is quite high."
"Well, whatever the origin, I…" Ishmael began, before one of his bridge officers shot out of her seat.
"Captain! Auger arrays are picking up five unknown vessels rapidly closing on our position."
Ishmael's blood ran cold. Armed with only a single macro battery mounted in a turret above the ship's bow, his ship wasn't equipped to fight any more than the occasional pirate cutter. "What are they then, lieutenant? Pirates? Orks?"
"Unknown xenos, captain. These ships are barely large enough to classify as scout sloops, sir." The auspex officer replied.
Suddenly, the ship shook violently sending the bridge crew to the floor. Scrambling to his feet, Ishmael wasted no times in calling his crew to action stations. If it was a fight these xenos wanted, then Ishmael would give them as good as he's got.
Councilor Tevos was sound asleep in her luxurious penthouse overlooking the Presidium when she was rudely awoken by a loud beeping. Groaning at this interruption to her well-deserved sleep, she slammed her fist into her alarm clock. But the beeping continued. Frustrated, she hit the snooze button again, then again, then again, until she sat up in her bed to look at the accursed thing, only to realize her alarm clock wasn't the cause of the beeping; it was coming from her omni-tool. Evidently, she had an urgent message from the turian councilor Sparatus. Grabbing it, her eyes widened at the attached text.
"I am calling an emergency session of the Citadel Council. Hostile first contact has been made. Further details in person. Sparatus."
Quickly throwing on something presentable, Tevos wasted no time getting to the Council's private meeting chamber. Walking into the room, she saw that her salarian counterpart Valern and Sparatus were already there.
"You're here. Good. Now Sparatus, please explain to us what exactly happened." Valern said.
Expecting a retort from the normally prideful Sparatus, Tevos was surprised when he got right to business.
"Approximately eight hours ago, Palaven Naval Command received a message from the 235th Independent Patrol Flotilla, marked priority one, where it has since made its way here." Sparatus began. Taking a deep breath, he continued.
"Among the systems the 235th was assigned to patrol was a system that contained the dormant Relay 314. According to their last transmission, the 235th had discovered an unknown ship of dreadnought size near the near the relay. The relay itself was reported to be activated. The commander of the 235th attempted to hail the aliens, but got no reply. He then proceeded to fire a warning shot across the alien's bow, but the shot was low and impacted ship's hull, at which point the alien dreadnought returned fire."
Tevos could feel her a headache coming on; this was a disaster! These aliens probably didn't even know they were breaking the Citadel's laws by activating the mass relay. And to make it worse, it was the turians, and by extension the Council, who had fired first!
"You said 'last transmission.' Was the 235th was destroyed by these aliens?" Valern asked.
"All five cruisers of the 235th were lost with all hands. 3,250 crew total. The status of the alien dreadnought is unknown." Sparatus replied in a slightly quieter voice. "In response to this aggression, the Primarch has ordered the 7th Fleet along with the 6th Reserve Army to pacify these aliens."
"I know the Hierarchy wants to avenge their fallen, but don't you think you're overreacting just a little? There may still be a diplomatic solution…" Tevos began, but was cut off by Sparatus.
"These aliens are responsible for the deaths of 3,250 turians, good turians who were only doing their job. I didn't come here only to inform you about relay 314. I came here because the Primarch wishes for me to get salarian and asari support." He looked pointedly at Valern.
"At this time, I do not see any reason to believe these aliens were anything but scared primitives who got lucky and are now cowering in fear on their homeworld on the other side of the relay. Until the Hierarchy can provide proof that these aliens are a threat equaling the Rachni or Krogan Wars, the Salarian Union will not waste salarian lives in what is likely to be a short policing action. However, if the Hierarchy can provide proof, the Union will support the Hierarchy in its pacification." Valern stated. "I trust these terms are acceptable?"
"They are. You have my and the Primarch's thanks." Sparatus turned to face Tevos. "Can the Hierarchy expect the Republics to support us in pacifying these hostile aliens?"
"You are speaking of invasion plans while a diplomatic solution is still possible." Tevos replied flatly. "The only support the asari will provide is a diplomatic team of first contact specialists. The Asari Republics will not waste a single life on this war until every possible diplomatic avenue has been exhausted."
"And should the negotiations fail, like at Parnack? Will the asari commit military resources to pacifying these aliens?" Sparatus asked.
A moment passed before Tevos responded. "If negotiations fail, the asari will commit to a defensive war. But I refuse to let the asari be the aggressor in this war." Tevos declared.
Nodding, Sparatus made to leave the room. "Well then, unless either of you have anything else to add, I have to report back to Palaven. I will inform the Primarch of the diplomatic team, but I urge you to assemble it quickly." And with that, Sparatus walked out of the room. Valern soon followed, leaving Tevos alone with her thoughts.
Primarch Fedorian walked briskly through the crowds of turians moving through Palaven Naval Headquarters. The HQ was in a flurry of activity. Ever since the destruction of the 235th Patrol Flotilla at Relay 314 by an unknown alien race three days ago, everyone had been on edge, not knowing if they were dealing with 'lucky' primitives or a highly advanced threat. To make matters worse, the more bellicose of his generals were putting the pressure on him to order a full-scale invasion of their planet. And it's not like he necessarily disagrees with them, but as the leader of the Hierarchy, he's the one who must decide whether or not a true war and all the casualties it produced was worth 3,000 turians.
He reached the end of a long hallway and stopped at the War Room. Punching in his security code, he proceeded into the room. In front of him were three turians he recognized immediately, General Desolas Arterius, General Adrien Victus, and Admiral Ravis Kandros. With a quick nod and gesture to the holo-projector, the meeting began.
"I have ten minutes, so let's get started." The Primarch began. He turned to Admiral Kandros. "What is the status of the 7th Fleet?"
"We are just finishing up with recalling all men from leave. We should have all hands back in the fleet within 12 hours. All ships are currently in optimal condition, as are the two dreadnoughts attached from 3rd Fleet." Admiral Kandros responded.
"Good. We know these aliens have at least one dreadnought, so five of them should be more than enough to serve as a show of force." He turned to the Generals. "What of the 6th Army?"
General Victus stepped forward, "Sir, the 6th Reserve Army is currently 16 percent undermanned. I recommend attaching a legion or two from 11th Army since they are currently stationed in system. Our armored companies also report a lack of spare parts for the tanks."
General Arterius cut in, "Although not ideal, this is just a minor issue. The 6th Reserve Army is still 250,000 strong. That should be more than enough for a policing action, especially if these aliens are as primitive as we believe." General Victus shot a look at Desolas, but otherwise remained silent.
"Very well, then. Admiral, I trust you have made accommodations for the asari and her team?"
"We have, my Primarch, but she has not arrived yet. When can we expect her?" Kandros asked.
"Councilor Sparatus has informed me that we can expect her within ten days." Desolas made to speak, but Fedorian raised his hand to stop him. "I don't intend to force our people to wait ten days to avenge our fallen. If the asari are not here within 36 hours, you are to begin the operation anyway. They will just have to play diplomat after we bring these aliens into compliance." Fedorian stated with finality.
"General Arterius, you are to take overall command of the 6th Army. Ensure your men are ready to ship out in 36 hours. As for you two, you have your orders. This meeting is concluded." And with that, Primarch Fedorian left the room, on to his next scheduled meeting.
One hundred and fifty ships set off from Palaven to Relay 314. Five dreadnoughts, 50 cruisers, and the rest frigates. Among them were 250,000 turian soldiers of the Turian 6th Army. This was the largest mass movement of ships and soldiers since the Krogan Rebellion. And it all made Councilor Tevos sick.
Not only had the turians left without waiting for the diplomatic team, but they also clearly showed they were interested in turning this into more than a 'policing action'. She had given Sparatus an earful when she learned of this, but Sparatus reminded her that he was not the head of the Turian Hierarchy, and that he could only do as his Primarch instructed. Thankfully, he did not seem very enthused about this development. Valern did not indicate either way. She suspected he was more worried about the number of unknown factors with these aliens, but was fairly certain the salarians were nervous about the turian mobilization. By the Goddess, she hated how this whole thing was playing out!
Now, instead of peacefully integrating this new alien species into the Citadel, they would have to do it with the alien's likely feeling resentment for it. Sure, a show of strength might let the Council leverage a bit more favorable concessions, but a downright invasion was going to drive these aliens away from the Council and extension, limit the asari's ability to keep them under control. And all that doesn't even begin to cover the moral implications! The Council was supposed to be a 'benevolent guiding hand', not the aggressor in an invasion of a probably primitive species. No matter how this ended, this was going to tarnish the Council's reputation once it got out to the general public. But maybe… maybe there was still a way to preserve the Council's image. After all, the turians were so far alone in their decision to launch this pacification. Yes, she could work with this. Now, she had some calls to make.
Codex: Malcador the Hero
Malcador the Hero, formerly known as Malcador the Sigillite, was the Emperor's most trusted confidant and arguably the closest thing the Emperor had to a true friend. The origins of Malcador are nearly as obscure as the Emperor's, with only the Emperor knowing the truth, of which he has not been inclined to reveal. Malcador was present from the very beginning of the Imperium when the Emperor united Terra, and had served faithfully as the Emperor's second throughout the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, eventually sacrificing himself on the Golden throne so the Emperor could battle Horus. Among his grandest achievements was his role in securing an alliance with the Eldar during the Heresy. Though much about the hero in question is still unknown to all but a select few, the Emperor has went on to say that it was Malcador who had rekindled his love to not just humanity as a whole, but humans as individuals.
Codex: The Age of Apostasy and the Adepta Sororitas
The Adepta Sororitas are a major faction within the Imperial Cult. An all-female organization, the Adepta Sororitas gained their Adept title through their loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium during the Apostasy. During the Emperor's crusade against the Chaos gods, High Lord of Terra Goge Vandire had wielded unprecedented power in the Emperor and Empress' absence, as they were leading the crusading force within the Eye of Terror. Both Master the Administratum and the Ecclesiarch of the Imperial Cult, Vandire had attempted rule the Imperium in their Imperial Majesties absence as he saw fit. In what would later be remembered as the Reign of Blood, Vandire had orchestrated mass executions across the Imperium with reasonings ranging from the questionable to the outright absurd. The Frateris Templars, deeply loyal to the Ecclesiarch, carried out his orders to the letter. Eventually, though, the rest of the Imperium had had enough and rallied behind Saint Sabastian Thor. The Adepta Sororitas, then the Daughters of the Emperor, had originally sided with Vandire as he was both the leader of their church and the acting leader of the Imperium. However, when Vandire had proclaimed himself an equal to the Emperor, the Daughters had swiftly declared him and his followers as heretics and switched sides, giving the loyalist faction headed by Sebastian Thor a much needed boost in morale and fighting (wo)men. In the end, it was a Daughter by the name of Alicia Dominica who had ended the Reign of Blood when Dominica and her companions fought their way to the Apostate Vandire and executed him where he stood. When the Emperor's crusading force had returned, he quickly went about rooting out all traces of the traitors within the Imperium. For their part in ending the conflict, the Daughters of the Emperor were granted the title of Adept. In the current Imperium, the Adepta Sororitas are an official organization of the Imperium, and are a sub-organization of the Inquisition tasked with rooting out traitors within the Imperium. To this effect, it is very rare to find an imperial world without at least one member of the Adepta Sororitas monitoring the ruling governors of said worlds, keeping an ever-watchful eye out for would-be traitors to their Majesties.