A Mass Effect Reaction fanfiction
Hello, to anyone that's reading this. Thank you for doing that, and if you want to, I would appreciate any critique and reviews if you leave any, as this is my second fanfic. I do not own Mass Effect or Titanfall, they are owned by Bioware and Respawn Entertainment respectively.
I would also appreciate any ideas for what the Citadel should react to because I don't have a very large list of that yet.
Just a heads up, the Human's timelines will probably be a bit different to the Citadel's, calendar wise so dates won't completely match up.
I have decided to take the advice that others have said in that, towards the end of the chapter, I will show a teaser of first contact. I decided to do Titanfall because I realized it would be a lot easier to do than many other sci-fis. This will start with the basic timeline, then I'll probably show the trailers for 1, then 2's trailer and timeline, and then I'll show a few cutscenes from 2's campaign, and then finish it off with a teaser for first contact. Let's hope I didn't make some of the characters too OOC.
X
Titanfall (1 )
XX Citadel Conference Room XX
"So, when do you think it'll start?" Rael'Zorah asked the room, but before anyone could answer him, the screen lit up with another message, this time recorded.
"My apologies, I just realized I never showed any of you what humanity looked like, so I'll show some pictures really quick before we get to the good stuff." Said what almost sounded like a thousand voices at once, condensed and with the volume lowered so that it wasn't horrible.
When the pictures appeared on the screen though, they all gasped, "T-they look like Asari!" Tevos said as she watched the 'humans' appear on screen, her fellow councilors agreeing.
"Seems like they have hair like us though, not to mention they're more pink." Rael said, before pictures of different variations of looks humans can have were showed up on the screen, "Or maybe not, but they're definitely not blue or purple." He said as he looked at both what must be the female and male of the species.
XX Hotel XX
"Goddess, mother, look! That one almost looks like those 'male asari' theories." Liara said, pointing out the male human.
"I see little wing, it's rather fascinating to see another species so much like us. First the Batarians, and now this 'humanity', though it seems like we'll have far more in common with this group than the other." She says, though she was practically praying for that as a few more images were shown.
XX Citadel at Large XX
Everyone was looking at the humans with different expressions.
For the Salarians, Turians and Quarians, they got a similar feeling, looking at the female human, as they did with looking at Asari, leading to more than a few of them looking away out of embarrassment.
For the Asari, they were over the moon at finding a species so similar to themselves, thinking it would be far easier to find common ground with them, and many of them cooed when a few pictures of baby humans came up, so similar to their own young, minus the hair of course.
To the Elcor, they were more than happy to have a species so similar to the race that they were a client of.
For the Krogans, they mostly looked on with a shrug, not seeing much potential in the pink, squishy species, but a few optimistic ones were still holding out hope.
For the Batarians though, they were practically window shopping.
Everyone's chatter ceased however when the countdown started.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Titanfall
XX Mordin's Clinic XX
"Interesting, I wonder if this one will be about Humanity and a second species called Titans, or if these Titans will be something else, such as a piece of technology." Mordin said as he leaned on the wall where he stood.
"I hope it's the former, I want to see some good fights during this." Wrex said as he summoned a snack.
"You always want to see fights." Garrus said as he summoned up a plate of dextro fish.
"Yeah, and?" Wrex asked, Tali rolling her eyes at the two.
"For the humans of this universe, it all started in the year 2030 for the humans, when they first started to colonize their solar system." The voice spoke as it showed what the Citadel was considering rudimentary spacecraft colonizing their moon, mars, Venus, and even a few of Jupiter and Saturn's moons.
"They even started to go to systems unknown, but due to a lack of some type of proper, long distance FTL, their expansion was limited. In this time, it was when the Core Worlds, as they would come to be known, had built up the fastest, with a company known as Hammond Robotics starting on earth, and developing the first Titan." The voice then showed an image of a city on Earth, and finally a prototype titan.
XX Conference Chamber XX
"That looks like it could take a hit." Sparatus said as he looked at the metal monster on screen. While it was unfinished, he knew that anything with that level of plating would be durable.
"True, such a thing would be an incredible asset in combat, most likely rarely used, heavy fire support of its time, or at least when it was first designed." Valern said, analyzing the titan, noting the extreme, 20ft height. He was at first confused, before remembering this humanity hadn't discovered element zero, meaning they didn't have to pay as much attention to mass. "What could power them though?" he wondered.
"Most likely nuclear energy at this point, maybe a fusion core. That would solve most of its problems, and require less radiation shielding, not to mention it'll be less likely to wipe out a city if it gets damaged or blown up." Rael commented as he made sure to take plenty of discreet photos of the mech.
Tevos shuddered at the thought of that, and was glad that humanity seemed to think of that, though she was still worried about these 'titans', already wondering how the Asari could convince them to use them for more peaceful means if they couldn't ask to decommission them.
XX Mordin's Clinic XX
"Well, looks like there's your answer doc." Wrex said, able to appreciate the strength that the half-built machine gave off.
"Indeed, I'm quite excited to see what these Titans can do." He said, and the part of the former STG that he wished would stay buried spoke up, and how to dismantle one.
"While initially made for war, Titans soon became a staple of humanity as it developed them for more civilian means such as construction work and even farming." The voice showed pictures of the Journeyman titan as well as several other stripped down and altered titans used in salvage work.
"This massive technological boom was all started by the founding of Hammond Robotics on earth, by an engineer named John Hammond, who quickly cornered the Titan, weapons, and tools markets. This caused the company to grow exponentially, forming a monopoly on the markets with planetary survey technology. What really made their power grow, however, was the Jump Drive." The voice said as it showed a ship activating it's drive, becoming wreathed in energies before it was teleported away.
XX Citadel at Large XX
For the children around the Citadel, many fantasized about owning a titan, and all they could think was that the way a jump drive worked looked very pretty, but the adults knew exactly what just happened.
Another species just learned FTL, and it didn't utilize element zero.
Asari Matriarchs were sweating bullets as they realized their monopoly could topple in an instant. Turian Generals were internally panicking as so many tried and tested strategies such as blockading a relay were suddenly thrown out the window. Salarian scientists were overclocking their brains as they tried to think how the humans could do this.
XX T'soni's hotel room XX
Oh goddess, they need the Asari, as SOON as possible, Benezia though. It wasn't entirely out of pride either. She knew for certain that if this species wasn't guided through the politics carefully enough, this 'jump drive' of theirs would be banned, and no one would get it but them, effectively making them impossible to find, and impossible to fight.
XX Councilor's Chamber XX
Tevos and Sparatus were both nearly hyperventilating, but for entirely different reasons.
For Tevos, it was wondering what the response from the Republics would be. She knew they would be less than pleased about this development. Centuries upon centuries of ensuring they had an Element Zero monopoly, and its main source of income was effectively shattered within just the first viewing.
For Sparatus, it was more in line with the rest of the Generals, they could hide indefinitely, we'd never find them if they didn't WANT to be found. The thought terrified him, afterall his people were the peacekeepers, so how could they keep the peace if a force with twenty foot combat mechs could appear anywhere at will.
Valern was already wondering how to counter this, should probably increase anti-air batteries on planet, maybe even some orbital defense stations, though debatable effectiveness of drive, as it seems to be held back by atmosphere and large gravity wells.
Then there was Rael, wondering what his own people would have to trade for such a thing, as it would undoubtedly help to such an incredible magnitude, being able to colonize anywhere with the Council completely unable to stop them.
"With this invention, Humanity spread the stars like fungus, rapidly taking up territory along the area they called 'The Core Systems' and 'The Frontier'." The voice showed a map, and many recognized the area as the entire Skyllian Verge, with the Badlands part being a large part of the border between the Verge and Batarian Space.
"The habitable worlds were very little, so the initial few that were found and built up to incredible proportions were called the 'Core Systems', and any non-habitable planets in or immediately near these systems were quickly utilized for resources as great orbital stations and mechanized workers were created. The expansion was only majorly slowed by the Jump Drive itself, which needed to be refueled with anti-particles unless you wanted to be stranded in regions unknown, a thing that happened to many who tried to Colonize the Frontier." The voice said as it showed great refueling stations built on planets and orbital stations, also showing the cold reality of stranded ships, drifting endlessly in the void or crash landing on planets.
XX Conference Chamber XX
Tevos' heart ached when she saw the humans, so similar to Asari, being stranded and split up on the frontier, but she knew they'd be found eventually.
Sparatus admired the bravery of these explorers, to jump out into the unknown like this, but he also found it a bit foolish. This exact thing was how they found the Rachni after all.
Valern just watched silently, taking note of the refueling stations and possible weaknesses, but also separated those thoughts for a similar amount of sympathy for the lost colonists like Tevos. His own people had experience in the subject from their early days of testing other methods of FTL, of ships randomly going missing with all hands lost.
Rael, meanwhile, was trying to think of ways around this. His people couldn't be dependent on humans, after all. Though he was happy for them that their exploration was going rather well compared to his people's. It was never recorded for the rest of Citadel space, but his own people had found a Rachni hive before the war officially started out in the Perseus Veil which attacked the explorers as soon as it was discovered.
XX Mordin's Clinic XX
"Fascinating. We've actually tried to do this, however the result of a failure tends to be quite catastrophic." Mordin said as he watched, wondering how they could contain the anti-particles in such large quantities.
"What do you mean?" Wrex asked, and Tali looked at him questioningly as well, meanwhile Garrus started to remember something they taught him when he was still fairly high up in the Military.
"Well, even one gram of antimatter, matter made of antiparticles, tends to create an explosion with a magnitude of 43 kilotons." That got their attention, and then Garrus spoke up.
"It's also been an idea during the Krogan rebellions, thought up by the Salarians and would have been executed by the Turians, to make a bomb out of antimatter, in a last ditch effort to stop you, before the Salarians thought of the Genophage. I don't actually know if it was finished or not though." Garrus said to Wrex, who paused and thought he might need to head back to Tuchanka, meanwhile Tali was wondering the same thing, but instead of disarming it and breaking it apart, she wanted to take it back to the Migrant Fleet.
"During this time of rapid expansion, the Hammond Robotics corporation went through many mergers and rebrandings, eventually becoming the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation, or IMC for short over the course of the next century. Said century was filled with various conflicts among the Core Systems as the IMC created the first generation Spectres, which were highly efficient, mechanized soldiers controlled by sophisticated AI." The voice said, showing images of the Spectres and causing a bit of panic at the mention that they were 'AI'.
"With the increased capability to go further, the next set of systems were known as The Frontier, where after the conflicts, the IMC granted veterans the G.I. Bill that provided them funding for homesteads, businesses, and farms for colonizing the Frontier. Despite all odds that said that they would never make it, they not only survived but the old veterans thrived on the frontier, and while it started a bit lawless, using their knowledge and training their children, they managed to form the Frontier Militia." The voice said as it showed once more pictures of the frontier, showing off planets such as Harmony, Eden, Demeter, and Typhon.
"However, when the IMC heard about this, they didn't waste any time. They swept in and, stating that their initial investment cited their eminent domain, they declared martial law- or worse- as they say fit, taking entire planets populations into indentured servitude as a response to the Frontier Militia. During this time, the Fueling stations of Demeter, Airbase Sierra, and Training Ground Whitehead." the voice said grimley, showing images of all of those places, as well as the settlers on their knees or in chains as IMC forces took over.
XX Council Chambers XX
Sparatus could almost feel his blood boil at this. This was a corporation pretending to be a military, breaking Citadel laws with AI, acting almost as bad as the Batarian Hegemony. He made sure to memorize the locations, just in case this 'IMC' still controls humanity. Though he did get a horrible feeling for some reason as he looked at Training Ground Whitehead.
Tevos was horrified that this species would willingly put each other in servitude and create Artificial Intelligence. It reminded her far too much of the Batarians but with Quarian ingenuity, and from how willingly violent this IMC is, she has no doubt that if they were still in control of humanity by the time of first contact, they would stop at nothing to exploit the resources of Citadel space.
Valern, like Sparatus, was memorizing all of the locations, "So, it seems not all of humanity is particularly nice. Good to know, and good to plan for. We should also improve our anti-ai countermeasures, and perhaps even create and improve some of our current EMP weaponry." He said in a clinical sort of way as he mentally jotted notes.
Rael was horrifed as he, for now, crossed off the human's areas of space to take the migrant fleet to hide. Though he wouldn't be opposed to sending a mix of the science and heavy fleet to raid the place.
XX T'soni's Hotel room XX
Benezia could only sigh in disappointment as she knew she shouldn't have just assumed earlier. She held her daughter close as pictures of the massacres and slavery showed on screen.
Liara meanwhile was trying hard not to cry in horror and sadness of it all. When the AI were mentioned, she started wishing that the humans would have found a Prothean cache, so that they could see just how dangerous and untrustworthy AI really were.
"With all of this going on, the Frontier Militia finally snapped, and declared war on the IMC, and so came the Titan Wars." The voice said as it showed images of IMC titans stomping on militia soldiers, or of said soldiers firing anti-titan weapons, and even capturing a few of the titans.
"In the beginning of the war, it was difficult for the militia to fight back, the only titans they had for wartime being modified work titans, and there were very few trained pilots, none of which met the standards of those by the IMC.
"The IMC's pilots, meanwhile, were trained at Training Ground Whitehead, which was known for having a 98% fatality rate training system, where they would first get 40% of the initial group killed off, before making the last 60% fight to the death until the most brutal and savage pilots emerged victorious and passed, receiving augmentation." This time images were shown of training, and parents covered their children's eyes as they saw grisly live fire exercises and they're aftermaths, snapped necks and spines from performing high speed and dangerous obstacle courses, and finally showing a blood soaked arena with only 20 soldiers left standing among the bodies of hundreds.
XX Conference Room XX
Tevos and Rael nearly lost their lunches at the grisly sight. They're like a mix of Batarian and Krogan Tevos thought as she saw the images. Rael wasn't doing much better, getting queasy in his suit
Sparatus was only getting angrier, crying out at the sheer injustice being displayed with such training regimes even being made possible.
Valern was of a similar opinion but much quieter about it, while also making sure to note that any pilot, if the IMC was still in control, would be a terror on the field with plenty of experience.
They all froze however when they mentioned augmentation.
XX Mordin's Clinic XX
Mordin and Garrus were of similar opinions of their councilors, but while Garrus was listing off the injustices he witnessed like a judge reading off the crimes a perpetrator committed, Mordin was just thinking of ways to kill these pilots off taking notes of how they trained. Seem to be highly mobile infantry, specializing in hit and run, slaughtering anything that moves before surprise wears off, then running away. Best course of action would be turrets and other such automated defenses, as well as various hiding spots and cover in all rooms.
Tali was watching in horror at the sight in front of her, slowly inching almost behind Wrex.
Speaking of the Krogan, Wrex was actually growling, taking the other by surprise until he spoke, "That is not only a waste of good warriors that not even my brother Wreav would resort to, but is also the single, most unhonorable training regime I've ever witness in my thousand years of life!" He roared.
XX Citadel At Large XX
Everyone was almost in shock and horror at the sight.
The Elcor and Asari were dreading meeting this new species if their elite were trained this way, as not even commando or Justicar training was this brutal.
The Salarians and Turians were already trying to think up counters to pilots, collaborating on strategies and wondering how the pilots could utilize this training with a titan.
Some less than honorable Krogan were happy, seeing pilots as a possibly good fight, though many still saw them as squishy, Meanwhile the more honorable Krogan were crying out in a manner similar to Wrex.
The Batarians, though, shrugged. To them, this was just standard SIU training. Sure, the SIU were better on the casualty rates, but that was during training and not counting the thousand or so shot on the job for taking a step out of place.
"Because of this brutal training and incredible augmentations, IMC pilots of the time could single handedly turn fights in their favor as they zipped around while their titan supported covering fire, or they would neurally link with the Titan's systems and control it as if it was an extension of their own body.
"All of this, factoring in the larger supply chain, better profits, more advanced equipment, and much stronger fleet led to a decisive IMC victory, though they had lost their flagship, the IMS Odyssey, to a mutiny." The voice showed pictures of the end of the titan war, of the militia going into full retreat as well as the wreckage of the Odyssey.
"Said mutiny resulted in a new colony that was against the IMC, and where the war hero James MacAllen would end up before joining the militia. Over the course of 15 years, the Titan Wars evolved into the Frontier Wars as the IMC were performing more anti-insurrectionist strikes, meanwhile the militia were stealing and building titans, the three main types being the Atlas, Ogre, and Strider." The voice said as it showed off the three, before announcing that it would show a quick snippet of the Frontier Wars.
XX Citadel XX
Everyone was getting mentally prepared for the combat that was going to be shown.
Parents were checking their children into daycares that were still open.
The Salarians and Turians whipped out the notepads to try and come up with strategies and to counter the humans if they proved hostile.
The Asari were getting ready for the bloodshed, and multiple commandos and justicars were also ready to take notes to possibly improve their own styles, including one in a flexible, red armor who hummed in interest.
All of the Krogan were getting excited as well, ready to see what kind of soldiers such brutal training can produce, and the few Quarians on board the station were getting equally excited to view the Titans.
XX Mordin's Clinic XX
Wrex was getting ready on the couch, leaning forward with a huge snack.
Garrus and Mordin had also whipped out notepads, though Mordin was trying to get everything while Garrus was just going to be tracking the humans, not thinking he'll have to worry too much about the Titans.
Tali was getting her camera out for the new machinery.
XX Conference Chamber XX
Tevos was getting herself something strong too drink. She personally didn't like the sight of blood.
Valern and Sparatus' eyes narrowed, already ready to take recordings of the video to send back to the STG and Palaven Command respectively.
Rael leaned back in his chair as he tried to get a drink for himself as well. While not as weak stomached as the Asari councilor, he still preferred situations to end peacefully.
The scene opens up with the dark interior of the dropship, lights from helmets activating, giving the citizens of the Citadel an intimidating view as some notice they would be viewing a pilot in action.
When said action started, many bodily flinched as when a Goblin came on screen, firing a heavy chain gun at the pilot, who they were all surprised by the fact that he managed to dodge the rain of fire.
That surprise turned to awe as the pilot parkoured his way into a nearby building, flipping through a window and stabbing a grunt before grabbing said grunt's gun and unloading on another.
The pilot then had the smg kicked out of his hands by another grunt, and many of the citizens cringed when the man got his throat slit in retaliation, before finching again when machine gun fire poured through the windows as the pilot ran on.
As the pilot jumped out of another window to flee from the machine gun fire, he pulled out a pistol, and through his vision saw the smart gun link up three targets before his armor pulled the trigger for him, the fin stabilized bullets scoring three headshots and wiping out another squad of grunts.
XX Conference Room XX
Sparatus was in awe and fear. In all his years, he could only think of two types of soldiers in the Hierarchy's power to counter these pilots, and even he knew that it would take at least a full squad, maybe a small platoon of Armiger Legion vets or Blackwatch Elites to take out a single pilot.
Valern was muttering to himself at rapid speed, before freezing when he saw the smart pistol, "The cost of that…" He said, and Sparatus picked up on it.
"I know, Spirits, each one of those pistols must be a fortune to produce, not to mention the ammunition. Definitely a special forces weapon." He said, hoping that if they met the humans on peaceful terms, they would be willing to share it.
Tevos grimaced and started drinking when the carnage started. The movements reminded her a bit like commandos, but even commandos needed incredible control over their biotics to achieve the level of movement that these pilots seemed to have.
Rael was amazed by the smart pistol in particular, like the other two combat oriented councilors, as he thought that with the right parts, such a thing was easily feasible for the Quarian's suits.
XX Mordin's Clinic XX
Wrex was cheering like the whole show was a sports game, and decided to join him, having put down his notepad as he knew there was no chance in hell of beating a pilot as he was.
Mordin and Tali were making notes of all the tech being shown, from the ships to the weapons, and both were surprised that such a seemingly advanced group would still use chemical propellant weapons.
XX Hotel Room XX
Liara looked faint as she watched it all. How could commandos do this?! Or at least similar actions. She wondered as she couldn't imagine the chaos of being on a battlefield.
For Benezia, she and the commandos in question were appraising the pilot, and Benezia turned to her head of guard, "Have you ever seen anyone do anything similar?" She asked, not having any experience with using her biotics for movement past a charge.
The commando shook her head, "No, and from the looks of it, I don't think we could even pace with them on ground. That jump pack thing seems to move him almost twice as fast as we can, and at much more consistent levels than a charge." She said with a sigh.
XX Citadel at Large XX
The Krogans, like Wrex, were all cheering in a bloodthirsty and pleased manner, getting pumped up from the amount of death on screen.
Many of the Turian generals and Salarian specialists just slumped in place. While they knew they could probably use some similar strategies commonly used on rogue commandos, they also knew that as they watched, the pilots were simply too unpredictable to follow a set pattern.
For the Asari, the commandos and other combatants were appraising the pilots abilities, while less combat prone ones were watching in awe.
Finally, for the Batarians, the display caused many of them to rethink that 'shopping list' while other, younger and more stupid wannabe pirates got even more eager to raid this species.
As the screen went into slow mode, the citizens of the Citadel good a good first look at Titan combat as the face plate for one was punched clean off, slamming into a spectre that was emerging from a drop pod.
Said spectre went flying while the others drew the pilots attention, who quickly locked on and killed the first one with a shot of his pistol, smashed the innards of the next with a kick which visibly dented the metal and caused sparks, and smashed the last one's head to pieces with a bash from its own rifle stock.
They soon saw the pilot running away as the Titan that was bashed started to go nuclear. As he ran out of the dust cloud, the entire Citadel was taken off guard once more by the fact that the pilots could have active cloaking, something that the Salarian unions had been failing to achieve for centuries now.
As the pilot ran into the open, mowing down enemies as he went while the Titan that was assisting engaged with another titan, the pilot's own titan dropped in from orbit, and quickly opened up, giving everybody an inside view as the pilot linked up.
XX Conference Room XX
"Incredible…" Rael said as he took more footage, seeing all the pieces of the Titan lock the pilot in as the armor link was established.
"Terrifying." Tevos said as she saw the man practically thrive in the battlefield before stepping into his war machine.
Valern remained silent as he made sure to take ample footage of the active cloaking.
Dangerous, Sparatus thought, and he knew that the pilot realized how dangerous he was. Sparatus could see it in the way he fought, like a predator searching for the next kill.
The Citadel species were then treated to the sight of combat from a Titan as it showed the pilot using his war machine to shoot down a dropship, and then destroy an enemy Titan.
They were confused, however, when the pilot disembarked before becoming astonished as the Titan tossed the pilot into the fray, who ripped the panel off an enemy titan and fired into the sensitive internals before he was blasted off by the shockwave of a missile.
When the culprit was revealed to be another Titan, many thought it was all over when another missile flew at the pilot, before eyes became wide as it impacted and floated, maintaining its speed in a blue field, revealing to be a shield that this own titan was making.
"That's just cheating!" Garrus yelled out as Wrex was stunned speechless by this point.
"Fascinating, most likely high powered magnets creating a sort of 'vortex effect', allowing objects to maintain momentum, most likely also capable of reverse effect and flinging it back." Mordin said as he jotted down another note.
Tali was doing the same, only she wasn't analyzing it yet, too busy thinking about how this data alone could probably get her back from her pilgrimage early.
XX Hotel Room XX
"We should probably see if we can do that." One of the commandos suggested, but before Liara could comment, someone else did.
"Trust me, we can't." Benezia said, and even rolled up a sleeve to show off a bullet wound in her arm. When her daughter gave her a look, she shrugged, "What? I was a maiden once as well." She said with a grin, meanwhile Liara rolled her eyes.
As the video ended, the voice returned, "During the Battle of Demeter, one of the most important battles in all of the Frontier Wars, the Frontier Militia assaulted the Demeter refining station. The battle ended up as a success as James MacAllen was forced to lock himself into the reactor to make sure it went critical, taking out the entire refinery structure and wiping out almost all IMC forces on the planet." the voice said as it showed the massive explosions, visible from orbit on Demeter.
"With the lack of a major supply line, the IMC forces fragmented and resources became more limited for them. What was left of a majority of the forces became led by the Rogue Remnant Fleet, who's admiral was the insane AI Spyglass." The voice said, once again causing some distress on the Citadel.
"Meanwhile the Archeological RESearch Division, otherwise known as the ARES Division, took over most of the planets, including one particular world known as Typhon, which was guessed to be a Super Weapon testing sight." the voice said, showing a planet with an absolutely shattered moon.
"During the Post-Demeter conflicts, the Rogue AI would raid various worlds for resources and manpower, even attacking IMC affiliated worlds, causing the other factions to target it as well. Meanwhile the Frontier Militia started to target IMC robotics facilities, crippling and stealing their Spectre production, which they relied on more and more in the wake of mass human losses, as well as create their own Titans and Warships.
XX Conference Room XX
Rael sighed as he heard about Spyglass, "I was waiting for that." He said dejectedly.
Tevos was meanwhile panicking at the thought of a Rogue AI attacking at random with an entire fleet to back it up, "M-maybe we should give the Krogan another chance." She said quietly, feeling like they'll need all the forces they can get when the humans arrive.
Sparatus was in a similar state, but instead of outright panicking he was trying to come up with large-scale military strategies, and he admired the Frontier Militia more and more for their ingenuity.
Valern took the opportunity to speak up, "It seems we need to improve our Anti-AI and EMP warfare. Perhaps we should look back into more of our nuclear projects." He thought out loud and made a note on his omni-tool to send back to the STG.
XX Citadel at Large XX
The panic running through the muttering and shifting crowds of the Citadel was palpable.
Even the Krogan knew AI were purely bad news in most cases, just look at the Geth or the spontaneously occurring AI that evolved from VI that would go on killing sprees upon conception.
The Batarians then had an epiphany as they stared at Spyglass and his vaguely humanoid form. I wonder if we can make an AI into a slave?
"Eventually, the Militia would begin Operation: Broadsword, a series of pushes in an attempt to further drive IMC forces back. In this time, they would survey and destroy a number of test sites for IMC superweapons, eventually being led to the (believed) lightly defended world of Typhon. Instead, the 9th Militia Fleet would be destroyed, and the total destruction of Militia HQ Harmony at the hands of General Marder and the Fold Weapon narrowly averted by Jack Cooper and BT-7274, which I will show you now." The voice said as occupants prepared themselves again.
The voice then switched to Jack Coopers as the intro started, showing the rifle men and three of his comrades hiding behind a concrete structure as rockets flew by, before their cover blew up, "Of all the things I've seen on the battlefield, the Pilot is the truly dominant force." He started saying as it showed the pilot, Captain Lastimossa, sprinting forward and throwing a pulse blade into some more cover, revealing three enemies as he ran and utilized his jump jets to evade the explosive ticks.
"Fast and Agile," Cooper spoke as Lastimossa threw a grenade, taking out the ticks, before shooting to more soldiers in the face as he slid under their cover.
"Graceful, yet devastating." He said as Lastimossa leaped up into the air as the grenade detonated and everything slowed, before delivering a brutal and devastating punch to the unfortunate IMC grunt.
"Perceptive," The narrator went as the pilot impaled a Spectre onto a piece of exposed metal, before flipping another over him, then kicking the Spectre again, "Resourceful, and Relentless." he said as Lastimossa whirled around and stabbed the guy he threw down, who had since gotten back up to charge, before he stared at the camera.
XX Citadel XX
Many were in awe at the incredible feats this pilot could do, in a complete class of his own like the Justicars of the Asari.
"A pilot sees the world differently." Cooper spoke as said pilot scanned the battlefield, scanning a wall in particular as a dust cloud kicked up around him, but he grappled away before he could get shot or blown up.
"Sheer walls become flanking routes." He said as Lastimossa wall ran through a window, threw a knife at another soldier, before taking everyone by surprise by summoning a holographic copy to walk down the hallway as he kicked down a door to the side and cleared room after room.
XX Clinic XX
Wrex was cheering once again, enjoying this video much more than the previous already.
Garrus meanwhile was worried about that holographic tech, as it was solid enough looking to fool anyone if it was just walking down a street or standing still, leaning against a wall. Coupled with the cloak tech, he could tell his job was going to get harder if these humans arrived.
Tali was trying hard not to drool in her suit as she watched, and Mordin was making commentary, "fascinating. Solid projections capable of movement, most likely small drones doing such, creating a moving image for distraction."
"Pilots fight differently." Cooper spoke as bullets flew through walls while Lastimossa proved just how effective of a killing machine he was.
The hologram got more solid as it walked, "Experienced in deception and maneuver. Even overwhelming odds shift in their favor." The narrator said as Lastimossa burst through a wall behind another squad, picked up the weapon of a grunt he had just killed, and shot the rest in the back before dropping the weapon and sprinting off.
XX Conference Room XX
Sparatus sighed as he held his head in his talons, "All the intelligent, overwhelming single force of an Asari, the discipline of a Turian, the strength of a Krogan, and the stealth capabilities and training of a Salarian. This pilot is practically a undefeatable."
"I wouldn't say that. They appear to rely heavily on surprise tactics and speed. If you can lure them into an ambush I'm sure you could pin one down with enough fire." Valern said as he did some calculations.
"That's if they don't just run circles around you on the walls, toss you around while they're invisible, or use one of those sonar blades to find the ambush first." Tevos said as she was analyzing this as well for the Republics, thinking about recommending better commando training.
"Yes, it seems of all people, MINE have the best chance of confrontation with these pilots, or at least the more mobile ones. That is, if we have the homefield advantage of our ships." Rael said as he had stopped recording for the moment.
"But what truly separates a pilot from all the grunts and machines of the battlefield," Cooper said as BT, a vanguard class titan, was shown dropping from the sky, shattering windows as he landed.
"Is the bond between a pilot, and a Titan." Lastimossa jumped out the window, BT turning to cover him from enemy fire as he entered the Titan, quickly powering up and activating a vortex shield, catching an enemy titan's rounds, as well as some anti-tank rockets and other munitions from nearby grunts, before throwing them all at said grunts and demolishing the buildings.
An enemy Scorch then showed up, activating it's flame core and causing thermite based explosions along the ground, but BT just sprinted through it, grabbed the scorch's arm, and unloaded his machine gun into its face, finishing it off by smashing its cockpit.
"When linked to a titan, a pilot can only be stopped by an overwhelming force," Cooper explained as another Titan, a Ronin, landed behind BT who's optic widened, something that some members of the Citadel noted, "Or an equal."
The camera then showed Lastimossa inside, scanning his new opponent, who readied their electrified sword. Seeing his gun was out of ammo, he tossed it aside and charged the thinner titan.
"The Frontier has been the only home I've ever known." Cooper said as the view changed to show old Atlas type titans helping with farm work, a child even riding on one's shoulder.
"For years, our lands have been destroyed by the IMC." Cooper spoke with hate as the scene changed to show the once beautiful fields was now a battleground, IMC ships using their chain guns to rip the landscape apart.
XX Conference Chamber XX
"It seems like they made some Titans specifically to combat other ones." Sparatus said, not seeing any other reason for a giant mech to have a sword.
"Indeed, a smart decision considering the strength that they pose, though I doubt that's it's main armament. It most likely comes with some kind of anti infantry one as well." Valern reasoned.
Tevos and Rael, meanwhile, were in awe of the beauty of the frontier and suddenly hated the IMC that much more for ruining the lives of those who worked so hard to develop it.
XX Hotel Room XX
Benezia was also admiring the Frontier with her daughter, and was surprised to see a Titan doing something as calm as farming, before remembering that the original titans weren't even built for war.
Liara was having a similar experience before growing even angrier when the scene changed to that of a battlefield, her biotics flaring in small amounts, manifesting as minor blue pulses around her.
"Forcefully taking our resources," The narrator said as it showed soldiers slaughtering each on Homestead, "Polluting, and destroying our planets."
"And killing us off if we try to resist." He said as the camera panned up to space, showing swarms of missiles impacting the sides of ships.
"Despite recent victories at Demeter and beyond, we have a long way to go before the IMC is defeated." He said as the IMC ship was blown to pieces from something critical getting hit.
The scene then changed back to Cooper, laying in the dust that was once his cover as BT dueled with the Ronin, whose sword was flying, "Now, I serve as a Rifleman in the militia, fighting to free the Frontier." He said as BT managed to slug the Ronin in the face, causing the enemy titan to get turned around violently.
"I'm a long way from becoming a pilot." He said as the Ronin stabbed the ground, shook itself, grabbed its sword again and got back up, "but when that day comes," BT is showing jumping up, revving back a fist as the Ronin was starting to swing mid turn, "I hope I can live up to the honor." He said, before the screen cuts off.
XX Conference Room XX
Sparatus smiled when he heard that. It reminded him of his early aspirations when he was just another grunt out on the field.
Valern smiled as well, remembering being just another recruit for the STG, "It seems like these pilots are chosen from the common masses, almost like the SPECTRE." Valern said.
Tevos nodded, "Yes, it seems to get them top of the line gear as well." She said, though a bit hesitant, almost wondering how that could upset the power balance, as SPECTRE would no longer be the top soldiers, and she knew that if the humans didn't want one in their space, they would send a pilot after that agent.
The screen then goes on to show the battle of Typhon, of captain Lastimossa dying and giving control of BT to Cooper.
It showed how Cooper adapted and survived, killing off the IMC forces and being a one man army in the Titan as he picked up new kits, beating all the previous Titans in his way.
While there was some initial trepidation upon learning BT was an AI, the Citadel started to get used to it and relax when BT stated his protocols, and many such scientists were wondering if they could do the same and try to get AI research legalized.
There was a VERY noticeable reaction to Ash though. Many were wondering why a killer AI would work with humans, even mercenaries, before getting confused as a small note from the narrator on screen said she was a Simulacrum, something that would be explained later.
Eventually, after the deaths of several more Apex Predators, they got to the TIme Gauntlet, many wincing at the unfortunate fate of the first pilot who used it, before freezing when they saw its capabilities.
XX Conference Room XX
For Tevos, this was only further proof that the humans needed the Asari. They had minor TIME TRAVEL for Athame's sake. The sheer amount of damage that could be done would be immense.
Sparatus and Valern, meanwhile were trying brainstorm ideas to counter such a thing, "We would have to create several new contingencies, just in case. And keep note for signs, such as certain pilots knowing troop placements before even entering the battlefield."
He said, but Valern started to reason, "It seems like it has to be connected at two points, and they have to appear in the same space. Should spread plans out among command, never keeping all in the same place, and make unhackable, maybe paper documents." He suggested, Sparatus nodding.
Rael, meanwhile, was frozen and speechless upon seeing this all.
XX Citadel at Large XX
Everyone was VERY wary of the humans now.
For the Krogan, they all started to back down from the prospect of a fight. Having your enemy be strong enough to match you is one thing, having an enemy that can time travel to dodge and set traps is another.
For the Asari, the Matriarch's were all thinking that they needed humanity under their influence, for their own good of course.
The Turians were already trying to justify why humanity needed to be an associate race, even pressing them into such a thing if they have too, and the Salarians were along the same lines but for more scientific reasons.
It then showed a projection of the Fold Weapon, and the small scale model used that destroyed the planet's moon and itself in the process, and showed that the IMC planned to use it on the Frontier Militia's main base, Harmony and use the weapon to hold all the other worlds hostage.
Cooper, after downloading the plans, runs off and out of the base, traveling back in time to retrieve the Ark, time literally freezing for a moment as it fired, before being catapulted back into modern day once the power core was removed, frying the gauntlet.
It then showed Cooper saving the trap militia forces in the Beacon mission, killing Richter, the horrific trophy taking mercenary, and linking up with the Militia proper. When BT explained to Sarah Briggs about his situation, he objected when she tried to get him a fully fledged pilot, stating that his and Cooper's effectiveness exceeded 90%, and telling cooper that it was high praise coming from a machine.
XX Conference Room XX
"While I disagree with arguing with a superior officer, I do agree that they have shown to be an effective team." Sparatus says, leaving the others in the room shocked, "What?"
"Well, I just don't think any of us thought you'd stand up for an AI." Tevos said with a grin, glad to have a more light hearted moment after all the killing.
"Well, this BT has shown to be more than just an AI. Spirits, maybe we should consider trying what the humans did. Have set protocols, but to not treat it like some monstrosity." He thought out loud, the other's eyes widening.
"Sparatus, are you suggesting AI research be made legal?" Valern asked carefully.
Before he could speak up though, Rael did, "That…might actually work. Keelah, that might even work with the Geth, imagine, my people reclaiming the Perseus Veil AND working with the Geth, the machines practically becoming a new species." He said in somewhat awe at the thought of such a simple solution getting back not just the homeworld, but the old systems too.
They were then shown the Milita's assault on the shipyards and the assault on the Draconis, giving them a good idea what the human ships look like, with the Draconis being a cruiser sized transport ship, the Malta being a battleship, which would be the human equivalent of a dreadnought, and the last one being a smaller transport.
When the fight with Viper came about, no one had expected Titans being able to fly, causing more than a few Turian generals to rip some pages out for fighter combat.
When BT and Cooper were captured, BT getting an arm and his legs ripped off in the process, however, there was some sadness all around the Citadel, and fear that they were about to see a planet getting destroyed, though a few grinned at "Voice command…not recognized…" before those grins turned to glares at Sloane, who just wanted to rip BT apart for scrap.
"Listen Hero, you have what's mine and I want it back. Go on - tell your titan to open up." Blisk tried to intimidate Jack with a knife to his face.
Jack, of course, was not intimidated, "About what? His feelings?" He asked sarcastically.
XX Mordin's Clinic XX
Wrex laughed and slapped his knee, "This human has a quad doing that!" He said, Garrus laughing with him.
Mordin smiled at the angered look on Blisk's face, and Tali was giggling as well, but also felt bad for BT despite him being an AI.
XX Conference Room XX
"If he's still alive, I'm personally rewarding him a medal for bravery." Sparatus said with a grin, admiring the pilot.
Valern and Tevos were smiling as well, and Rael was outright laughing, "I remember a few situations in Terminus like this. I had just managed to hide away a huge crate of experimental tech with Han'Gerrel form some Eclipse mercs, and when they caught us, Gerrel, with a gun to his head, responded to their question with 'have you checked up your own asses, since you love to shove things up there so often'?" Rael laughed.
"Still trying to be a hero, eh?" Blisk asked as he sheathed his knife, "I have a lot of Dosh riding on this contract, my friend." He said, and then pulled out his wingman revolver.
"So tell your titan if he doesn't open up, I will shoot you in the head." Kuben said and put the barrel between Cooper's eyes, BT's optic widening.
"Pilot in Jeopardy. Ocular systems…marginal. Cannot visually acquire pilot." BT says, trying to stall. He continued to keep trying to stall until Blisk's patience snapped.
"Now open up - or I shoot your Pilot in the head. You still remember numbers, don't you? I'm going to count to three." Blisk said coldly and cocked the revolver while starting to count.
BT then messaged 'trust me' before opening up, revealing the ark and distracting everyone, giving him enough time to swipe at blisk and unleash a few missiles, killing some nearby grunts.
Sloane, however, put a stop to the minor rampage and ripped the Ark out before finishing BT off by shooting his core. In his current chassis' last moments, Cooper took his data core, a smart pistol and a data knife before running through the complex, getting progressively more brutal with every grunt in his path.
When Cooper got a new Vanguard Titan though, he slotted in BT's data core, and was practically whooping in joy with many others in the Citadel when BT was there. They then proceeded to slaughter their way through the complex to the Fold Weapon, and no one would deny the slight satisfaction they felt when he finished Sloane.
However, they were all sad as they realized the gun was going, and gasps rang out everywhere through the station when BT's words came about his reactor. Everyone knew, at that moment, BT was going to sacrifice himself. What they didn't expect though, was to disobey Jack and save the rifleman, throwing the now-pilot to safety as his core went Nuclear, and the resulting explosion with the Ark cracked the planet as the weapon turned inward on itself.
XX Citadel at Large XX
When the video came to an end, there were very few dry eyes in the Citadel from BT's sacrifice.
Turians were saluting it, and Jack for his intended sacrifice as well.
Salarians put down their notepads, bowing their heads with the Asari.
Krogan gave a cheer, and the ones that were drinking gave a cheer for the pilot and Titan, for even they recognized the danger of the Fold Weapon.
XX Hotel room XX
Benezia held her daughter close as she cried, the commandos acknowledging BT's sacrifice and service, and Benezia would admit to crying herself.
XX Conference Chamber XX
Rael was pressing his head to his hands, sending a prayer BT's way in respect.
Valern was doing much the same, bowing his head.
Sparatus sighed, and turned to Tevos, "If these are the humans we meet, I would like to reward this Jack Cooper, and posthumously award BT 7274 for their sacrifice and bravery, and keeping the Citadel safe and ensuring that such a weapon would never be used." He said.
He was shocked when she didn't turn down the idea, and she had been crying as well, "That sounds wonderful, Sparatus, I think would be a great idea. Goddess knows what this IMC would have done to us with such a weapon." She said.
"After the battle of Typhon, fighting would continue for the next 10 years, before finally coming to an end with the disappearance of the Remnant Fleet, and the almost complete eviction or execution of all IMC forces in the region, along with establishing a base at Demeter." The voice said, showing images of the Militia starting to rebuild.
"After two more years of rebuilding, Jack Cooper would lead an expeditionary fleet to expand the Frontier's territory, arriving at a planet known as Shanxi, and discovering a Prothean cache, as well as a Mass Relay, known as Relay 314." The voice continued, before showing another video.
A battle was raging, and a timestamp showed it to be 6 months later, on Shanxi. There were IMC forces, though this time with a new symbol, which was a Spyglass, identifying them as pieces of the Remnant Fleet.
The fighting continued on, even getting to a point where missiles were shown being loaded, before switching over to an arriving Turian patrol, "Status report." The one in command said.
"Sir, we're getting readings of several wrecked ships already, they've been fighting for a while." An ensign reported.
"Switch on the communications, broadcast to everyone, and get ready to fire if they present hostilities." He said, not knowing the missiles already launched when he appeared on Spyglasses' and Jack's screens, "This is General Desolas Arterius, in the name of the Turian Hierarchy, stand down now and cease hostilities, i will not-" Before he could finish it though, one of the Nuclear Missiles impacted, radiological signals letting EVERYONE know what it was.
Before the general could even order it, a gunner with a twitchy trigger fired the spinal cannon, goring and annihilating one of the Remnant Fleet's cruisers.
XX Citadel at Large XX
Shock and horror at the nuke turned into vicious vindication from the Turians when they saw how effective their weapons were on the Remnant Fleet, as they all now could finally enact some justice on the IMC.
Author's Note: hello everyone, sorry this chapter took so long. I honestly hoped I did well enough, seeing the amount of times I went back and deleted something. If you have any advice for future chapters, please let me know in a review, and if you guys want me to, I'll also have them react to Titanfall's weaponry and equipment in the next chapter, because I felt like this one ran on a bit much. Thank you so much for reading, see you in the next chapter.