I have come to the conclusion that with my packed school schedule and laziness: I cannot write a RWBY fic from Volumes one to three. I have not watched RWBY and as such, am going to exhaust myself trying to deal with research and writing a ton of chapters that may be subpar. As such, I'm inverting the format. Team CFVY, our beloved second-year team, is going to the galaxy of Mass effect…Post-war. 19 years after the crucible fired, destroying the Reapers. (The Geth and EDI are still around though). I'm not that cruel to put them in the middle of the Reaper invasion of Earth.
Same premise, setting, and characters. David/Garnet is still adopted by John and Tali, but will not travel to Remnant as I honestly will not have the time, nor energy to write from the beginning of RWBY. As such, CFVY will be traveling to the ME part of the galaxy during their mission to Lower Carin.
Let's try this again. Hopefully, it will be easier to write.
P.S, I'm sorry for rewriting Aura's Effect this early in the story but I literally don't have as much time to write as frequently due to being in high school
N-6 Team Warlock
Team Leader/engineer: David Zorah Shepard (Human)
Demolitions expert: Aralakh Vurge (Krogan male)
Sniper/infiltrator: Jeala Zofa Vas Rannoch (Female Quarian)
Biotic support: Weto Zenia (Asari)
Heavy weapons expert: Maceter Facus (Turian Male)
Electronic Warfare: Early Rise (Human/Geth AI hybrid)
Planet Auris in the Terminus systems
May 18th, 2205
Lieutenant David Zorah Shepard, adopted son of John and Tali Shepard, proud N-6 of the Human Systems Alliance, combat veteran, and shotgun-wielding engineer, was bored.
Why was he bored? Because he and his team was assigned to guard some archaeological site being studied by some Asari Matriarch and her team. And why was an N-6 team being sent to guard a site?
Well, one bar fight between his team and some students from Thessia resulted in all of them being punished. So as of this moment, all 5 of them (plus Early Rise watching from drones) were walking around patrolling the site.
"By Kalros, when are we going to get something to fight?" One of David's teammates, Aralakh Verge, complained.
"Vurge, we are literally in one of the safe regions in the Terminus systems. Unless Aria T'Lock goes about breaking her pact with the Commonwealth Council, we're not going to fight anyone." Maceter responded, trying to placate the restless Krogan.
"Weto! Jeala! You see anything?" David called out.
"(Comms) No! Still Clear!" The Asari responded from the other side of the site. "Same as last time!"
"(Comms) Keelah, going to need to rewash my suit," Jeala grumbled. The rest of the team chuckles at the Quarian sniper's response to being stuck on a ball of dust in the middle of nowhere.
The Archeological site itself was basically a hollowed out crater in the rock floor of wherever this planet was. Rumors had it that there were either more Prothean or even Inusannon artifacts causing the Commonwealth council to send several expeditions to the planet of Auris to search.
Which was one of the reasons why Warlock team was here: "to secure potential sites of interest" in the name of the Commonwealth.
"...So, what should we do after this mission is done?" Maceter asked out loud.
"Well, probably going to head back to Rannoch for a bit. Gonna visit the Reegars in weapons development." David replied.
"We could head to Palaven, heard they were commissioning the new dreadnought Dauntless." Maceter threw the idea out.
"Let's go Thresher Maw hunting." Vurge suggested. "Tuchanka's cleaned up better."
"(Comms) Guys, focus. Goddess, I swear you boys only care about guns and explosions." Weto grumbled.
"(Comms) Keelah Weto, says the one who got lost in a gun store." Jeala provided a rebuttal.
"Early Rise, now reports of any baddies in the system right?" David said into his comms unit.
"(Comms) Negative Lieutenant Shepard. SSV Toronto and her battlegroup report no sign of any rouge Terminus pirates. Hawk Drones also show no hostile forces on Auris."
"Good then. Hopefully, this will be a quiet patrol before we get back to Bastion." Vurge grumbled.
Both the Turian and Human gave the Krogan a stink eye for tempting fate.
60 Kilometres outside of Lower Carin, Kingdom of Vale, Saunus
80 AGW
One mission, one mission to Lower Carin turned into a disaster. That was the unanimous thought of all four members of team CFVY.
"Coco, how much Dust do you have left?" Yatsu asked with a tired voice as he swept the area for more Grimm.
"200 rounds of Dust bullets, plus 6 canisters of Fire Dust." Coco winced, having taken minor wounds in their withdrawal from lower Carin.
Fox stayed silent as he trudged behind the rest of their team.
"What about Professor Port?" Velvet questioned.
"No luck." Coco sighed. "We're on our own."
Silence persisted as the 4 second years kept walking back to the nearest village to get a transport back to Beacon. But unfortunately, night began falling fast.
"Don't think we have the energy to get back to Horizon," Fox grumbled. "We need to take shelter somewhere, either in a cave or in the trees."
Coco winced, still remembering her claustrophobia. But as team leader, she merely nodded.
Eventually, the team reached another cave and entered it, only to find something interesting. And by interesting, there was a metal wall.
"...not spooky at all." Fox muttered.
"I don't recognize that design from anywhere. Not Atlassian." Velvet piped up.
Yatsu slowly walked up to the metal wall and taped it with Fulcrum. Only for the entirety of team CFVY to leap back when it opened up and was revealed to be a set of opening doors.
"Uhmm, what should we do?" Velvet asked meekly.
Said question was followed by a howl from the Grimm outside the cave. Team CFVY prepared themselves for battle but all of them knew they were downright exhausted and in no position to fight.
"Well, our options are hide in the ominous-looking room, fight the Grimm, or hide in the cave. Personally, I'm more of the ominous room. Any suggestions?" Coco said out loud.
"Well….." Fox looked at the dark room. "Velvet, can you see in there?"
The bunny faunus nodded as she took a peek inside. "Yes, it doesn't look dangerous in there."
Coco nodded and motioned the team to hurry inside. However, the moment the team were full inside, the door shut on them.
Great, can this mission get any worse? First Lower Carin and now we're trapped in some sort of secret bunker. Coco thought. But just before she could speak, a blinding flash briefly blinded the team of second years.
"Gah!" Yatsu grunted. "Velvet are you….you…al" Yatsu turned, along with the rest of team CFVY, turned to see what Velvet was staring at. It was at this moment Yatsu's mind briefly shut down.
"Uh, what the hell is that?" Coco asked out loud. No one could give her an answer.
What they were staring at was some sort of room that was as if the auditorium at Beacon was combined with the style of Atlas Academy. But that wasn't what caught the eyes of team CFVY.
At the centre of the room was a perfect sphere that looked as if it was made of water that was suspended. It likely out massed and outsized the Second year team together. A dark blue colour and sparks sparking off of the surface.
"...that's new." Fox deadpanned.
"I…I have never seen something like this!" Velvet gasped. "What kind of technology is this?"
"Aliens?" Yatsu suggested, keeping Fulcrum pointed at the thing. "Whatever it is, I don't like it."
As if on cue, the sparkling began to intensify and the four hunters in training felt as if something was tugging them closer to the sphere.
"Uh, Coco!?" Fox yelped as the gravitational forces increased and a shock knocked them all off their feet. The four them crashed to the ground and then were dragged toward the sphere.
Before any of them had a chance to scream, a second bright flash enveloped the room and four huntresses in training disappeared from the face of Remnant.
Back on Auris, several minutes after the conclusion of perimeter patrol
"What did you say Vurge?!" David yelled at the Krogan. "Repeat what you said?!"
After patrolling the outskirts of the site for a few hours, the 5 members of team Warlock decided to visit the site itself. What had surprised them was that the archeological team had uncovered one of those Prothean Spheres. God knows what those things actually are, as even David's own parents had told him yet.
But Murphy's law: anything that can go wrong, it will go wrong. Naturally, the sphere began glowing and energy began discharging from the artifact, causing the N-6 team and the scientists to duck for cover.
"What do you mean? This is not normal?" Vurge called out from behind a portable science lab.
"Oh shut up you immortal bosh'tet!" Jeala cried out, hunkering behind Maceter. "Most of us can't take a rocket launcher to the face."
Vurge just burst out laughing before a piece of debris slammed into his face as a gravitational storm emitted by said artifact began filing loose items left and right.
"Does anyone know if this is normal?!" Maceter called out, hiding behind the Krogan.
"No! None of the Prothean artifacts have ever done this!" Weto replied.
The black Prothean sphere of doom (As David was internally calling it) took on a darker hem and seemed to be reaching a critical reaction point.
"Warlock! Brace!" the members of the N-6 team ducked and then the Sphere of Doom violently exploded and cast a flash of light across the entire site.
David was the first to recover and whipped out his M95C Mattock, pointing it at the Prothean Artefact. Though what he saw surprised him.
The Prothean Sphere of Doom was now in pieces, jagged pieces ripped off from its main body. David winced, this would not go well with the Council. But what else he saw geniuely surprised him.
Laying face down near the now destroyed Prothean Sphere were four Humans barely out of their teens wearing oddly eccentric clothing, all unconscious. And three of them had weapons in their hands, particular of note was the big ass gatling gun one of the females had.
The rest of Warlock also react similarly to David, whipping out sniper rifles, pistols, or, in the case of Vurge, a M100 Grenade launcher. Though the sight of it just being Human teens caused them to lower their weapons.
"...Spirits, that's not something you see every day." Maceter said out loud.
"Warlock, move up." David ordered, and the 5 members of Warlock cautiously moved closer to the unconscious teens. From the sky, Early Rise directed two Hawk drones to come down and watch over the team.
Upon approaching the one with a brown Beret, sunglasses and sweater, David knelt down next to her. Quietly prying the big Gatling gun from her hands, David placed a finger under the girl's cheek, checking for a pulse.
"They're still alive. Early Rise, this is Lieutenant Shepard! We need Medi-vac for 4 Human teens at archaeological site 17!"
"(Comms) Understood. The Toronto has dispatched a Kodiak with a medical team to your location. Standby."
"Boss, you might want to look at this." Maceter said, gesturing to the other female of the group. It took less than a second to notice something very odd about this girl. And that odd thing was on her head.
"Are those…..bunny ears?" Jeala questioned.
"Looks like it. Though I don't recall any genetic mods that allow for adding animal parts." Weto added herself. "Perhaps some experimental hybrid."
"Cerberus?" Jeala suggested.
"Can it, Warlock. We'll figure it out later. Check for injuries and apply medigel. Vurge, Weto, keep the archaeologists away from these kids. With them being on Matriarch Sedeshi, I really don't trust them." David ordered, staring back at the archaeologists who caused this mess.
"By the way, Vurge?" the Krogan looked back at the smaller Human. "You jinxed us today so when we get back to the Toronto, I'm kicking your ass."
Vurge whimpered, knowing what the biotic little Human could do to him.
Codex…Systems Alliance (Post Reaper War)
Officially known as the Human Systems Alliance (though just commonly called the Alliance), this supranational organization is the primary body that represents the Human race while handling the governance and defence of Sol's colonies. On paper, the Alliance is still an international organization that represents Humanity and her many nation-states. However due to the Reaper war and the effective destruction of most of Earth's governing body, the Alliance was forced to assume all governance of Earth itself.
For the first years after the Reaper War, the Alliance would struggle to fed and house its people until an Alliance with the recently established Rannochian Coalition allowed large swaths of relief supplies to arrive to help Humanity rebuild its shattered Homeworld in 2187. Construction would formally completed in 2194, though some of Earth's land is still to dangerous to enter (see Nuclear suicide on the Korean Peninsula).
With a revitalized economy, the fact that many of its colonies were subjected to partial orbital bombardment, and its newfound willingness to utilize AIs, the Alliance would see itself in a new golden age that eclipsed much of the galaxy. With now complete control of much of the Skyllian Verge and Attican Traverse (barring the parts controlled by the Coalition) while having no Batarian Hegemony to contend with, once budding colonies barely number in the tens of thousands would explode to the millions as to accommodate millions of refugees from across the galaxy.
In 2198 and in a joint effort with the Turian Hierarchy, Salarian Union, Rannochian Coalition, United Krogan Clans, the Mercs of Omega, the Free Batarian Republic, and a number of Asari Republics, the Galaxy would open Bastion station, a 35-kilometre wide space station (though with enough weapons to be called a fortress) in the Antares System. Said system is home to a surprising 6 habitable worlds and such, is home to many governmental and trading ports that the Alliance has immense influence on.
In terms of military strength, the Alliance is considered to have the 4th largest military in the galaxy (Behind the Turian Hierarchy, Rannochian Coalition, and the Salarian Union) or the 3rd best equipped (behind the Salarian Union and the Rannochian Coalition). Much of this force comes in the form of fleet and light carriers, major use of AIs, large usage of drones, its elite units from the N Program, and extensive use of stealth frigates (based off the Normandy SR1)
Relations with major powers:
Rannochian Coalition (Geth and Quarians): The Alliance and Coalition have a close relationship due to the marriage between Admirals John Shepard and Tali Zorah Vas Normandy, aid provided to the Alliance from the Coalition, the sharing of tech, and the Alliance being the first to recognize both Geth and AIs as sentient beings.
Turian Hierarchy: Despite the First Contact War between the Alliance and Hierarchy, this distrust has been mended over the years. The Reaper War solidified this friendship between the Alliance and Hierarchy due to the latter coming to the Alliance's aid first.
United Krogan Clans: The relationship between the Krogan and the Alliance is very….martial. Thanks to the actions of Commander Shepard and the Alliance, Humanity and the Krogan have a healthy military relationship. Only downside is that some politicians are resorting to headbutting to get their points across.
Salarian Union: The relationship between the Salarian Union and Alliance is shaky (due to the Cerberus attack on Sur'kesh and a Daltrass's attempt to sabotage the Genophage cure or unwillingness to provide aid). Still, the Alliance and the Salarians still maintain a security relationship.
Batarian Republic: Once adversaries to the Alliance, the Batarian Republic has a semi-hostile/working relationship between the two powers. Some regard the latter as a puppet states of the former
Asari Republics: Relations with the primary republics of the Asari Republics has reached an all time low due to the revelation that they hid both a Prothean Beacon and a warning about the Reapers. This has only been exacerbated due to the Asari Civil War, where many of the Republics turned on each other post-war and violence has occasionally spilled into Alliance space.