Timeline
2011 - Cole MacGrath, the first Prime Conduit, is bestowed with the powers of The Beast and chosen to follow through on his mission to evolve the Human race into their next phase. He does so with aplomb and begins his trek across Earth and all of its major cities to awaken as many Conduits as possible before the Plague takes their lives.
Nix, having been spared by Cole atop Saint Ignatius Cathedral, is disillusioned by the death of the original Beast, John White, and can't bring herself to blame Cole for John's murder of her "pets." She walks away from Cole and his mission and begins to travel the Earth as a nomadic anti-hero.
2012 - A woman named Brooke Augustine founded the Department of Unified Protection (DUP), an organization dedicated to stopping Cole MacGrath's rampage across the world. Within the first year the DUP had already managed to capture over 300 of MacGrath's followers and various other rogue Conduits.
The Plague's effects on people with an unactivated Conduit gene is slowed significantly, due to MacGrath unlocking and enhancing the powers of Grant Mayfield, a Conduit with control over Ray Field energy that surpasses even Cole's own abilities.
2013 - Grant Mayfield acts almost as a reverse Ray Field Inhibitor. With the help of MacGrath, his influence is spread across the world to act as a catalyst that will allow future generations of Conduits to activate their powers naturally without the need for a Ray Field Blast. However, The Plague is still present and poses a threat to any currently latent Conduits.
There are no regular Humans left alive in The United States, having already had their Conduit abilities unlocked, or have the latent Conduit gene that now slows the effects and allows them to live a mostly normal life until their powers activate. The remaining 20 million or so American Conduits begin to rebuild.
MacGrath and his followers make their way to Canada and continue their mission.
Augustine and the DUP continue rounding up rogue Conduits, now seen as a de facto police force in the New United States of America.
2014 - Humanity rallies against MacGrath and his followers in a desperate attempt to save themselves, However, with the plague heavily hindering them and more and more latent Conduits awakening they are not able to muster a strong enough force to stop the inevitable.
Cole MacGrath begins to be seen as a deity in many walks of life, a being sent to empower humanity rather than destroy it. People come in waves to worship him and hopefully be granted powers. This makes his mission all the more easier to accomplish (though he does find it disturbing) as smaller cities are swarmed with hopefuls that wish to be empowered.
Augustine is elected President of The United Conduit States of America. She proceeds to silence any media that speaks of the horrors that go on within the walls of Curdun Cay
"The Gray House" is constructed over the ruins of The White House by Augustine using her powers over Concrete.
2015 - Most Humans left on Earth have been killed by The Plague, leaving only Latent Conduits left to wait for their savior to come before it is too late. The attacks on MacGrath and his people become less frequent.
MacGrath further evolves Mayfield's powers to allow him to activate Conduit genes and sends him to Mexico and South America to expedite the mission.
MacGrath crosses the Atlantic.
2016 - Abigail "Fetch" Walker is captured by the DUP after accidentally killing her brother in a drug fueled rage.
Eugene Simms is turned in to the DUP by his own mother after his powers manifest. She believes the lies that Curdun Cay is meant to be a place where conduits can learn to master their powers in a safe environment.
2018 - A DUP prisoner transport crashes in the small Akomish tribe of Salmon Bay and Hank Daughtry, Abigail Walker, and Eugene Simms are freed from DUP captivity. Delsin Rowe sees this happen and while trying to help accidentally unlocks his Conduit ability by grabbing the hand of Hank Daughtry. Delsin gains the power of Smoke Manipulation. Hank Daughtry escapes and is never heard from again.
A bounty is placed on the heads of the three escaped Conduits.
Delsin, along with his still latent brother Reggie, travel to Seattle to track down Abigail and Eugene. Intent on turning in the sizable bounty and bringing the money back to the tribe.
Delsin and Reggie listen as Abigail and Eugene tell of the horrors they faced in the concrete prison. Both brothers are appalled by what they hear and make it their mission to oust Augustine to the world.
Augustine is reelected, having no idea of the plot forming against her.
Mayfield finishes his work in Mexico and continues down to South America.
MacGrath has awakened half of Europe, but without any extra help he fears he may not be quick enough. He orders the development of more Ray Spheres that will be delivered across the continent to low population areas and activated in much the same way as his powers were, while he focuses on the cities with higher populations.
2019 - With the help of Eugene's Video powers, Delsin begins broadcasting across The UCSA telling of the horrors that go on within Curdun Cay and helping the people fight back against the D.U.P in different cities all across the country.
Augustine issues a nationwide manhunt for Delsin, Fetch, Eugene, and Reggie.
Reggie is killed in an ambush by the DUP in a small town in Nevada.
Delsin begins absorbing powers from other conduits at an alarming rate.
Delsin levels a rural town in Ohio in a fit of rage, leading to Eugene and Fetch abandoning him. Augustine uses this tragedy to label Delsin a terrorist and discredit all evidence brought against her.
Mayfield discovers a Conduit Trafficking Ring in Colombia where low tier Conduits are auctioned off to the highest bidder to be used as slaves. He spends the next two weeks completely dismantling the entire organization and freeing Colombia from the control of a violent Kingpin.
MacGrath takes a break in Germany to allow his people to continue work on the new Ray Spheres.
2020 - Delsin, in a desperate attempt to fix his reputation, attacks Curdun Cay single handedly. He takes dozens of photographs and videos and spreads them across the web, informing the nation that he regrets what he did and will gladly stand trial after he deals with Augustine.
Augustine puts Washington, D.C in lockdown, all civilians are kicked out of the city or outright killed and a massive concrete wall is erected around the nation's capital. She holes up in The Gray House with hundreds of loyal soldiers and D.U.P Agents, vehemently refusing to relinquish her title and face judgement for her crimes.
Delsin, all by his lonesome, embarks on a suicide mission to stop Augustine. For days he fights through the D.C against the endless waves of soldiers and D.U.P agents, slowly making his way towards The Gray House to put an end to Augustine's reign. He continues to post videos online and begins gaining a massive following as the nation cheers him on.
With the help of several talented hackers the camera feeds in The Gray House are set to stream the fight against Augustine and Delsin. The nation watches as Delsin, exhausted from days of non-stop fighting, uses every last one of his abilities to just barely defeat Augustine by encasing her in a shell of her stolen powers. He contemplates killing her but ultimately decides against it and turns her into the authorities along with himself.
2021 - MacGrath continues on his mission with the help of dozens of newly made and modified Ray Spheres. These Ray Spheres work exactly like the one that gave Cole his powers, however they will not cause another Plague to spread.
Mayfield finishes his work in South America and moves to rejoin Cole.
The world at large has quickly begun to rebuild, having a much easier time of it thanks to their naturally enhanced conduit abilities. Before long the devastation that the Plague and Cole caused is not even noticeable and the world continues on. The newly awoken Conduit Race, while fearful of Cole, is nonetheless thankful for the new lease at life and the evolution that was brought upon them.
By the end of the year Cole's mission is finished and he finally rests and tries to come to terms with all that he has done.
The population of the Earth sits at a little over 2Billion.
2022 - With society mostly back on track and most governments reformed, conduitkind begins to look toward the stars.
Several probes and rovers are sent out into space in search of quite simply anything interesting. Not much is found.
2025 - Mayfield Day becomes a national holiday in Colombia.
2069 - Armstrong Outpost at Shackleton Crater is formally founded as the first conduit settlement on Luna on the 100th anniversary of the moon landing.
2070 - Billionaire Victor Manswell grows frustrated with the slow pace of official conduit space exploration and begins funding his own private spaceflight expedition.
2075 - The Manswell Expedition successfully launches from Earth towards the Alpha Centauri system with 300 colonists aboard in cryogenic stasis. Communications with the vessel are lost soon after.
This development leads to a heightened public interest in spaceflight and the possibility of colonizing other planets. Soon many nations and organizations begin working toward exploring the far reaches of the solar system.
2097 - Nix saves a ten year old girl named Ini in Jamaica from a violent street gang known as the "The Loa." Nix begins to raise the child as her own.
2103 - The European Space Agency's Lowell City in the Eos Chasma becomes the first permanent conduit settlement on Mars.
Cole Macgrath decides to make an appearance as The Beast to show his support at the launch of the ship that is set to take the colonists to their new home. This is the first time in 82 years that MacGrath has been seen. Many thought him to be dead or even just a myth, a legend made up to provide an explanation for the miraculous evolution of humanity. Though there were many rumored sightings of him all across the planet in his natural form, this sighting proved, beyond all doubt, that he was still alive and very real.
2105 - Nix' daughter, Ini, has a son named Ajani. The boy is the first ever Abstract Conduit to be born. He controls Stability.
2137 - The Eldfell-Ashland Energy Corporation demonstrates helium-3 fuel extraction from the atmosphere of Saturn. Helium-3 would soon become the main fuel source of all space faring vessels leading to more mining in the atmospheres of many other nearby gas giants.
2143 - Construction of Gagarin Station (aka Jump Zero) begins beyond the orbit of Pluto.
2147 - Trace amounts of element zero are discovered on Mars
2148 - A small cache of highly advanced Prothean technology is discovered deep beneath the surface of Mars. With the discovery conduits quickly explore the science of mass effect fields, leading to the development of faster than light travel and beginning detailed exploration of the Sol system.
Along with this discovery comes a new perspective on the universe and religion. Many theorize that aliens have been watching over Earth for centuries, shaping events and possibly even placed the Conduit Gene in the bodies of ancient humans, or maybe even created humans all together. The debate sparks pandemonium the world over, many wondering just what these ancient aliens wanted with Earth, where they went, and whether they would ever return.
Delsin Rowe is released from prison after serving 5 life sentences for his crimes 127 years ago. He comes out to a world that has by in large completely forgotten about him. With no friends and no family still left alive, Delsin wanders from place to place.
2149 - With the information from the Prothean data cache translated, conduitkind discovers that Charon, Pluto's moon, is actually a massive piece of dormant Prothean technology known as a mass relay. Once activated, Rear Admiral Jon Grissam leads the very first team of explorers through the relay which instantaneously transports them 36 light years away to another relay, Arcturus. They then discover that the mass relays are a part of a vast network of relays that allow travel all across the galaxy.
The Systems Alliance charter is signed by the eighteen largest nations on Earth. The Alliance soon becomes the military and exploratory spearhead for the conduits.
2150 - The Systems Alliance begins the first surveys for colonization projects outside of the Sol System leading to the discovery of the planet Terra Nova.
2151 - To defend its expanding territory, the Alliance begins constructing a massive military fleet and space station at Arcturus, the nexus of several key mass relays. This is done in preparation for any contact with another intelligent spacefaring race.
An accident at Singapore International Spaceport exposes hundreds of conduits to element zero in a dust-like form. Roughly 30% of children born in Singapore after the event suffer from cancerous growths and those that survive are seen to have a malfunctioned Conduit Gene that prevents access to a specific power or ability.
2152 - The Delta Pavonis Foundation, a major consortium, an association made of several business companies, begins the settlement of conduitkind's first extrasolar colony world on the planet Demeter. Not long after additional colonies are founded on Eden Prime and Terra Nova.
Delsin Rowe sneaks his way onto a colony ship headed for Eden Prime.
2154 - Another accident results in the exposure of more conuits to element zero.
Damian Shepard is born in Empire City and is given away to an orphanage at only three months old.
2155 - Arcturus Station is set to become the headquarters of the Alliance.
2156 - The children exposed to element zero begin exhibiting telekinetic abilities similar to Gyrokinesis or gravity manipulation.
2157 - Admiral Jon Grissom travels to Arcturus Station to congratulate graduates of the Systems Alliance's N7 training program and meets David Anderson. Grissom announces that an unknown alien force has attacked an Alliance post at the colony of Shanxi.
Conduitkind makes violent first contact with an alien race called the Turians. The aliens observe conduit explorers attempting to activate a dormant mass relay, which is forbidden by a galactic law they had know way of knowing about, and attack. Over the next three weeks a brief but tense conflict ensued that would be known by conduits as The First Contact War.
First Contact
Almost immediately the turians realized they were out of their depth. When they landed on the small settlement of Shanxi they were in horrified awe of the destruction their enemies could create. They witnessed men and women wielding fire and ice and lightning, all of the elements as casually as an Asari wields their biotics. They had to perform daily scans to ensure that their own soldiers were truly turian as some of the enemy could morph their bodies to appear as them. Some moved so fast they couldn't be seen, or were strong enough to throw tanks around like paper. Still, they refused to surrender, whether through pride or fear of allowing these monsters to be set loose on the rest of the galaxy was unclear. What was clear was that they were facing the most deadly force the galaxy had ever seen.
Even in space, where their ships outnumbered their enemies tenfold, they were still losing. Ships would fly by and drop dozens of suited up soldiers that wielded lightning to cause havoc on their ships systems, draining power from the very core of the ship.
It was on the final day of the short war that the Hierarchy was forced to admit defeat when a kilometer tall man made of molten rock and lava fell from the sky and began calling down lightning strikes and throwing tornadoes, squashing entire platoons beneath his burning feet.
At first they thought they had them on the run when every enemy soldier on the battlefield began to retreat and all ships pulled out of the atmosphere. But when the skies darkened into a blood red haze and thunder shook the ground, they knew their troubles were only getting worse. In the years to come they would learn that the name of the man was Cole MacGrath, the man responsible for evolving their race and acting as unofficial protector of the Conduit Race.
Luckily for the turians, the always diplomatic asari arrived on the scene to negotiate a peace between the conduits and the galactic community at large. That was nearly 30 years ago and since then conduitkind has been introduced to a wealth of other races and advanced civilizations.
2157 (Continued) - A mercenary named Jack Harper, a 3rd Tier Pyrokinetic, uncovers a plot by turian general Desolas Arterius to use an ancient alien artifact called the Arca Monolith to bolster the turian forces by turning them into nigh-invincible "meta-turians." What Desolas doesn't realize, but Harper does, is that the Arca Monolith is essentially an alien Ray Sphere and that this means that possibly every race in the galaxy could have its own form of a Conduit Gene. Harper, seeing the danger that this could pose to the conduit race, gathers a team to eliminate any and all traces of the Arca Monolith and anyone that knows of its existence, including Desolas' brother, Saren, though he managed to escape. Later on, Harper founded the conduit-survivalist organization "Cerberus'', published its manifesto, and then adopted the identity of the "Illusive Man."
A very tense peace is made between the Alliance and the Council, brought on by the fact that the Council knew that if peace was not brokered they could not hope to stand against the newcomers. Luckily for them conduitkind was more interested in exploring the galaxy they now gained access to rather than starting a war. They agree to follow the galactic laws already set by the Council but will not acquiesce to their desires of limiting the size of their fleet.
2158 - After meeting the Asari, conduitkind learns the potential of biotics. An international effort to track element zero exposure begins. Roughly 10% of recorded exposed children show indications of biotic ability. Although biotics are not any different from the natural abilities of EM Conduits or Elemental Conduits, understanding and perfecting them can help provide a more normal life for any conduits exposed to element zero in the future and the children who have already managed to survive the birth defects.
The Council begins developing technology and armaments to help combat the Alliance should the need arise in the future. This is done in secret, classified at the highest possible level and beyond.
2159 - The Systems Alliance purchases Gagarin Station for a fraction of its construction cost, and converts it into a biotic research and training facility.
Delsin Rowe meets Nix on Eden Prime and the two become involved romantically.
Saren Arterius becomes the youngest turian to be inducted into the Spectres.
2161 - Delsin Rowe and Nix have a child, A daughter named Jennifer.
2162 - Arcturus Station is completed.
A survey team working for batarian entrepreneur Edan Had'dah discovers a mysterious artifact orbiting an unnamed planet near the Perseus Veil.
2163 - The first experimental L1 biotic implants are used in conduits.
The Alliance secretly begins "illegal" AI research at a base on Sidon with Dr. Shu Qian as project leader. Lt. Kahlee Sanders is assigned as a tech analyst.
2164 - Ivor Johnstagg is sentenced to 21 years for attempting to assassinate the volus ambassador, Venta Tox. Johnstagg claims to be working for the radical conduit political party "Eternal Earth," though no connection is found and Johnstagg is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Backlash from the assassination attempt jeopardizes the Systems Alliance's bid for an embassy on the Citadel.
2165 - Conduitkind is granted an embassy on the Citadel.
Tensions grow between conduits and batarians as they compete for territory in the Skyllian Verge.
After an Alliance research station at Sidon is attacked, David Anderson searches for those responsible alongside Kahlee Sanders, and discovers an Alliance scientist, Dr. Shu Qian, was conducting illegal AI research to unlock the secrets behind a mysterious artifact discovered near the Perseus Veil. Eventually, Anderson is assigned to work with Saren Arterius to track down Dr. Qian and his batarian supporter, Edan Had'dah. However, Saren instead kills both Dr. Qian and Had'dah, blames Anderson for the mission's failure, and uses Dr. Qian's research to search for the artifact himself.
Terrorists steal antimatter from the Alliance cruiser SSV Geneva. The sole figure arrested names his sponsor "Cerberus." This is the first such incident of sabotage connected to the Cerberus organization.
A child on Eden Prime dies.
2166 - A violent serial killer using the moniker "Caed Mors" begins slaughtering high tier conduits in some of the most brutal and violent murders in Human or Conduit history.
Special Agents James Miller and Tracy Dench of the GSA, (Galactic Security Agency, formerly National Security Agency), begin searching for the mysterious killer but quickly find that difficult due to how often he jumps around the galaxy and how perfectly he covers his tracks.
2167 - L2 biotic implants are first used in conduits.
2168 - Damian Shepard runs away from his orphanage and joins the Tenth Street Reds, A street gang based out of the Neon District in Empire City.
Cerberus secretly assassinates Pope Clement XVI on Earth; his death is attributed to age and heart failure. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, espouses beliefs more in-line with Cerberus' ideals.
2169 - Caed Mors is finally hunted down and killed by Tracy Dench and James Miller. His final body count is estimated to be in the high 3,000's.
2170 - The colony of Mindoir is attacked by batarian slavers. Mindoir's population consisted mainly of Humans and Latent Conduits and it is speculated that this is why the batarians chose to attack the colony.
During this attack it is discovered that by binding the hands of a Conduit they're powers are essentially cut-off. This information is quickly spread across the galaxy.
2171 - In protest at the refusal of the Citadel Council to limit conduit expansion in theSkyllian Verge, the batarians close their embassy, withdraw into their home systems, and effectively become a rogue state.
2172 - Damian Shepard enlists in the Alliance military.
2173 - A fly-by over the world of Armeni discovers odd surface protrusions. Upon closer inspection, they are identified as elaborate crypts made by the zeioph, an extinct space faring race. Various conduit universities seek to perform excavation, but Council laws that hold burial sites as sacrosanct prevent this. An ongoing debate over the issue ensues.
2176 - Batarian-funded pirates and criminals launch a surprise attack, later known as the Skyllian Blitz, on the conduit colony of Elysium using weapons stolen from the Council's top secret Anti-Conduit Weapons Development program. The assault is repulsed by the Alliance Navy and ground teams.
War almost breaks out when the Alliance discovers the nature of the weapons used in the Skyllian Blitz and it is only due to interference by Cole MacGrath that peace is once again able to triumph. The Alliance demands that the Council ceases its development of Anti-Conduit weaponry but by then the schematics had already been passed around by the batarians. Mass production was already underway and could not be stopped.
Miners at the T-GES Mineral Works facility on Mahavid uncover a Leviathan artifact. The miners are enthralled by the Leviathans for the next ten years and are used to carry out numerous experiments.
The Andromeda Initiative, a privately-funded multi-species endeavor created to explore and colonize the Andromeda Galaxy, is founded.
2177 - During a recon mission to find a missing colonial pioneer team on Akuze, a unit of fifty Alliance marines is attacked by thresher maws. Half the unit is killed.
2178 - In retaliation for the Skyllian Blitz, the Alliance launches a major offensive against the moon of Torfan and destroys the criminal bases there, mostly populated by batarians. The threat against conduit colonies by batarian extremists is curtailed.
Damian Shepard is nicknamed the Butcher of Torfan after going on a bloodthirsty rampage through several bases after witnessing the violent deaths of his unit. During his rampage the sky darkened and countless pillars of lightning fell from the sky laying waste to everything in their wake. It is suspected that in his rage he managed to reach the 6th Tier momentarily. Studies begin to see if this theory is plausible and whether or not there is a method to hasten the evolution of one's powers through emotional or adrenal stimulation.
2179 - Delsin Rowe and Nix are wed.
2182 - Admiral Kahoku of the Systems Alliance begins investigating suspected Cerberus activities.
2183 - Conduits and turians collaborate on an engineering project co-sponsored by the Citadel Council: an experimental frigate with a prototype stealth system, the SSV Normandy. David Anderson is given command of the ship, and Commander Shepard is assigned as executive officer.
Conduit Ambassador Donnell Udina, with the help of Spectre Nihlus Kryik, begins attempting to convince the Council into letting a Conduit join their elite force known as the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance or "Spectres." The Council agrees and Udina begins the vetting process along with Captain David Anderson and Admiral Steven Hackett.
OUR STORY BEGINS
A/N: Here goes the rough timeline. Obviously I didn't place everything on there as there are some things I want to be a surprise. A lot of this was pretty much verbatim from the canon Mass Effect timeline with the word human replaced with conduit. However, I do hope I added enough original lore to satiate your curiosities.
I am aware that some of you may have wished for a more in depth dive into the First Contact War, but unfortunately I just wasn't up to the task. Not to mention I have never read any of the comics or such things that pertain to the First Contact War. In fact the only experience I've had with it is from the crossover that this story is inspired by called "From The Ashes" by erttheking. A PHENOMENAL story that I cannot recommend enough.
Even still I hope what I did include emphasized just how dominant conduits are compared to everyone else. You'll notice that instead of the war taking three months it was shortened to three weeks. This will also affect Ashley's backstory as her grandfather was not heralded as a coward in this timeline. Not to mention the fact that the Alliance is still mainly independent and is only somewhat governed by the Council simply because they allow them to govern them.
You may have noticed that I didn't mention Kuo at all and that is honestly because when I was originally writing this many months ago I had no intentions of putting her in the story. In fact, I planned on making her a victim of Caed Mors initially. But then a much better plot occurred to me for her and now she will definitely be playing an integral part of the story. One you'll just have to wait and read about.
Of all of the many many many stories I've written, most of which I've never released, I think this one has consumed my mind the most and I am so happy to see all of the support rolling in for it. I will do my best to live up to the hype and, most importantly, not abandon this story.
With that being said, my name is illFatedSuccess and I'll see you in the next one.