AN: And we're back to this. JadRovks, perhaps, but I didn't. SPARTAN-626, I made that scene before Leviathan 3 released…And wrong. Aranis, probably not except in after action reports. Hypersonic34, technically yes but actually no, as this operates on the same nonsensical logic as normal 40k (a lasgun has superior muzzle velocity to an IRL MBT if you do the math). On with the chapter
Speech
Thoughts
Radio/machine speech/scene change
Stalemate and Timeline
The successful breaking of the assault on Armageddon should have presented the Imperium with an opportunity to end the Orkoid threat in the Milky Way once and for all. It should have been the dawn of a brief age of peace and prosperity as the Emperor took more and more power over the Citadel. It was not.
Instead the Western Front collapsed in multiple areas as the master of the Mega Nids finally played his full hand. Orkbert Oenstien, a brilliant Mad Mek Boy crafted the Cyber Nids and Mega Nids in his laboratory aboard a space hulk five times the size of the Sol system, and finally he had found a way to make a foot hold in Imperial Space.
All caused by a quartet of bio weapons, each a quarter of the size of his space hulk. Their very presence made victory all but impossible with the normal forces, even with the abilities of the Primarchs the line still had to break and collapse falling back to tertiary defensive positions.
This naturally changed the entire outcome of the war. Technology was rushed into use, forces redirected back to the homeland to hold back the insectoid hordes, and many other moves that gave the Boss and his boys time to fortify and dig in.
9.25 AU/9.2671 CC: The war against the orks reaches an impassible state. With the orks digging in using ever improving technology, including bastardized robot soldiers and other cheap and far less effective copies of Imperial Tech; and the Empire dealing with their own situation in the west…it ground it a stand still.
The Citadel is informed of the invaders in case the Imperium fails. Normally this would cause a panic, but after the Orks the back of the Citadel races had hardened and they accepted the news mildly. This won them some admiration among the Imperials, who now saw races starting to wake up and come into their own.
10.25 AU/10.2671 CC: The Imperium constructs a cordon around Ork space ten systems deep. It houses the latest technology and AI that will upgrade the defenses as time goes on. It is the only thing they can do to protect their flank at the moment.
The mega and cyber nids are contained finally after they pushed all the way to Cadia, the second to last system before Sol.
The Citadel races sign the treaty of Mars, which makes them all but a client state of the Imperium, in exchange for further protection, firepower, and aid. It is a move that draws criticism from all sides, but in the current reality it is the best option for survival. The Citadel through tech, the Imperium through space and more numbers.
11.25 AU/11.2671 CC: The unexpected happens, an Ork ship, unarmed save for defense weapons appears above Terra broadcasting requests to parley. The Emperor is intrigued, and permits them to land.
It would be later revealed that the ship carried a legitimate diplomat, the Herald of the Boss. He carried simple terms. A cease fire. The Greenskins and the Imperium would not fight each other until they were at their strongest.
'You humans are just like us. You want to show your dominance by crushing you foe when they are at their strongest, ensuring that there will be no opposition to your regime in victory. For us to continue this fight now would be unsatisfactory to both of us, would it not?' Those were the words the Boss spoke. Words that the Emperor agreed with, for the Boss was much like him. An amalgamation of thousands of souls, an Orkperor if you wish. They were destined to fight, but not now, dominance would only be achieved at the height of their strengths.
12.25-6.26 AU/12.2671-6.2672 CC: Operation Raid is launched. Named after a pesticide used on Earth in the past, it is intended to scorch and burn the nid forces back to the border of the galaxy, if not eradicate completely.
The Imperial factories all over citadel and Imperial space cranked out trillions upon trillions of warships, uncountable numbers of Trooper Mk IVs, and enough firepower to conquer Citadel Space eighty times over. But yet, it barely managed to retake a line two systems wide around the nid encroachment. It didn't help that Orkbert unleashed more cybernetic horrors from his labs. Self replicating cyber nids that were just a brain in an armored chassis.
Life in Citadel space has started to return to normal, albeit more militarized then ever. The Asari general elections begin in May, and the new 'Godess' Arms' party, made of veterans and supported by the youth and others who suffered the most during the war, takes a majority position in the Asari Republics.
Likewise the 'Spirits' Will' faction within the Turian Military rises to prominence. These veterans refuse to allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated again. And while the establishment holds firm in most of the other races, their more Imperial leaning groups have taken a respectable portion of power.
7.26-12.26 AU/7.2672-12.2672 CC: Operation Gigantis begins. An even larger assault which sees the first appearance of the new Batarian people. Save for the lack of hair, these new Batarians look like humans, the fruit of the I.S.D.'s labor and the efforts of the Ashen Circle has turned these xenos into a fanatically loyal race of second class citizens.
Batarian shock troops in powerful armor served as semi disposable one man wmds that took down thousands of 'Perfekted' Cyber Nids before they went down at the very least. Deployed en-masse with support from Troopers, Marines, and Legionaries allowed them to break worlds quickly and reclaim them for the Imperium.
There were rumblings among the more liberal elements of the Citadel about this. But they were silenced when reminded that this was the same race that had been slavers and pirates for centuries. In this way they were given an opportunity at redemption, rather then annihilate.
The Vakarians complete the investigation into the Organ Harvesting, revealing the Culprit to be a Salarian named 'Dr Heart.' The bastard would have gotten away if Citadel Control had its way due to the hostages he had, but fortunately the Imperium's Embassy on the Citadel deployed an ADF-11 to deal with it. The case was resolved shortly after.
1.27 AU/1.2673 CC: Operation Gigantis ends, the offensive successfully reclaimed half of the lost territory. Which is being turned into more industrial and manufacturing areas to further feed the next phase of the reconquest.
Citadel observers of this massive rapid industrialization remark that all that Orkbert did was 'Wake a sleeping giant, and fill him with terrible resolve.'
Michael, Ashley, and Tali reunite and catch up on what happened since the offensives began. They each have a week long furlough to just relax and recuperate after the grinding hell of the past six months. One which turns into a month as the entire unit is rotated out to rest up for the next plan and get rearmed and armored.
Saren and Nihlius carry out deep recon alongside Imperial Intelligence's Cypher Units in the captured territory to mark strong points, birthing worlds, and other high value targets. It is at this point that Saren's arm is upgraded to a last generation augment with inbuilt digi-weapons, an appreciable irony, as his brother perished during the closing days of the 'last round', as the Imperials mirthlessly called it, against the Orks.
2.27 AU: For expedience, the Citadel Calender is quietly phased out in favor of the Imperial After Unity one. This move is intended to cut down on red tape, bureaucracy, and other delays in reaction to threats in official documents and requests.
The Trooper Mk V is introduced, heralding the I.S.D. finally working out enough of the power to chassis and safe usage ratio to justify a massive leap forward in Imperial design. Soon enough more new weapons and armor are on the drawing board and entering prototyping phases. The Imperial Military will soon have the capability to rid the galaxy of Orkbert's horrors once and for all.
The first of the Alicorn Class is fully approved for combat, all its kinks have been worked out and it is now able to serve in the war against the bugs.
3.27-7.27 AU: The forces of Orkbert launch a counter attack that halts all attempts to further advance for now. Bio horrors never before imagined lead the way…perfected Orknids. All the toughness and rapid growth of an ork, combined with the enhanced chitin and senses of a nid…it was a frightening shock trooper. Especially once armored up.
The counter offensive does little more than just…delay the Imperial advance. But it shows decisive action is needed to end Orkbert's reign of terror.
Liara Tsoni is appointed second in command of a commando unit, initially meeting resistance due to age and seeming nepotism. But the now hardened veteran puts the dissent to rest by defeating each and every one of them one on one. This incident starts the legend of the 'Blue Angels'.
Urdnot Wrex leads a warband of one hundred Krogans into battle under contract from the Shadow Broker. The Krogan relish the opportunity, seeing the Mega Nids and other beasties from Orkbert as round two in the Rachni Wars. Bugs, endless foes, and gear to kill em, what else could a Krogan ask for besides to get paid, and they were being paid well.
The Blue Suns return from their contract, and are promptly assigned security duties against infiltrators. Their info is noted for future exploitation for the final half of the galaxy.
8.10.27 AU: Shanxi Orbital Station Tygrese:
The planet was as busy as ever, if not more so. For the past eleven months, the system had been pumping out warships at an incredible rate, much like the rest of the Imperium had been doing. But now a meeting was being held to discuss the direction of the war. Citadel representatives had been invited to attend to see what was planned and to make the transmission of orders and plans more efficient.
Among the Citadel officials invited to attend was Matriarch Benezia, who watched the highly efficient Imperial War Council that had been gathered for this one meeting with no small degree of envy. If their own military had been this well oiled, perhaps the Orks could have been delayed a bit more.
"Sector Alpha will need more battleships if it is to serve as a distraction for Sector Beta's assault to open the next offensive." A colonel in the logistics division pointed out to the other colonels. This brain trust of officers was specially selected to ensure the plan was as efficient as possible. "Similarly Sector Delta will need more super battleships if it is meant to serve as the coup d grace for this stage of the plan."
A commodore nodded: "I'll make sure the Lord Fleet Admiral knows of the requirements for his part of the offensive. How many Legio forces do our esteemed Primarchs report will be deployed, as if we didn't already know." The last part was said a bit dryly, as it was a well known fact that the new Primarchs felt inadequate compared to their elder brothers and that they had a large pair of boots to fill or redeem; as such, they were eager for war and conquest. Especially against the old foes of the Imperium.
A brief chuckle was had by all of the Imperials, before a Marine Captain spoke up: "Trooper Mk V unit production is on schedule, and the latest Enforcer chassis it uses is being issued as combat armor. What a hell of a time to be alive when the standard Marine can survive as much damage as an MBT could a decade ago."
"Gentlemen, as much as we may wish to continue chatting, we do have a job to do." A cool a smooth voice broke in, Imperial Intelligence 's representative had spoken to get the meeting back on track. Though unknown to the Citadel representatives, the plan presented to them in the end was one that had been devised two months ago.
8.11.27 AU: Terra: Kublenka Testing Grounds:
The rumble of a tank's engine was audible through the massive tank testing grounds. But nothing was visible to observers. Sensors detected nothing, nor were psykers able to detect any souls or minds in the area save for the observers of this test.
The vehicle being tested was the new Scorpion tank, meant as a superior design to both the King Tiger and the Leopard, the Scorpion was a fast agile and heavily armed and armored war machine. The base model had already been tested and was found more than satisfactory by both the Legionaries and the Marine Corps, as well as the CDF.
However, there was one more model being tested. One that could change the very nature of tank assaults. A stealth tank model. Invisible to the eye, to sensors, to psychic powers, and all other conventional forms of detection save for one. Noise. Or at least, in this test it was, to prove that something was there. The full production models would not have such a grievous flaw.
After a half hour of the observers trying to find it via sound, they gave up, and the tank revealed itself. It was eight feet away from the stands, weapons pointed away, but the point had been flawlessly made. Stealth tanks were here, and warfare was forever changed.
8.15.27 AU: Former Batarian Space, Now Segmentum Monarchia:
A massive shape loomed in the space between systems. It was nearly five hundred BILLION kilometers long, and half that in height. A truly mammoth construction that dwarfed every other construction project the Imperium had ever carried out. It was called Gungnir.
Named for the myth of Odin's spear, the Gungnir was a colossal rail cannon meant to deal with the bio weapons that had been rampaging and slowly the assaults with sheer blunt force damage. The round this massive weapon would fire was a one million kilometer by five hundred thousand kilometer solid slug.
The railgun was designed to accelerate the shell to colossal speeds intended to have the round arrive on target near instantaneously. This would mean that the weapon could only be fired once a day, due to the wear and tear on the massive weapon, as well as the length of time it takes to make a shell.
In an Imperial Decree, it was announced that after the nids were dealt with, the weapon was to be disassembled. Many reasons wise and erudite were mentioned why, but in the end it boiled down to it removed any chance of glory and honor in war if such a weapon was maintained.
Still, it was a feat of engineering to be respected if nothing else.
9.27-11.27 AU:
Operation Fenrir begins. The final assault to retake the lost systems is begun. The opening phase by the Northern Front's fleets is initially successful due to numbers and superior tactics to the 'Brain Ornids'. Carving deep into the fallen territory, and drawing more and more resources to counter their thrust.
One of the colossal Empress ships, as they are now identified, arrives to try and slow the assault on the fourth day. Only for Gungnir to claim its first victim, with a psychic death shriek that was heard across the galaxy, the first of the four colossal bio ships is destroyed in a massive fireball that will take millenia to be observable on the other end of the galaxy.
These breaks the north's defenses were enough for the other fronts to fall back to deal with that push. Thus allowing the rest of the fleets to pour in. And three days after that, the second Empress is slain by the second shot of the Gungnir, caught on the outskirts of a battle, the explosion claims every single ship in system, but thankfully they are all automated ones on the Imperial side.
With two out of four of the bio ships out of the picture, the remaining two become more illusive, never being seen in battle or detected on sensors. Even so, their presence is felt all across the battlefront, coordinating the defenses and fending off the assaults on the phase three line. Truly a remarkable feat, and a credit to Orkbert's work. But it was frustrating to the Imperials and Citadel Races.
Still, progress was slowly being made in other ways. The constant commands from the 'Empresses' mean that their psychic signatures are becoming more familiar to the psykers in charge of trracking such signals. Over the course of five days they manage to track the two leviathans, and corner them together; giving the Gungnir the perfect shot to annihilate them both simultaneously.
This paved the way for the final leg of the assault. Which led right to Orkbert's massive ship. Now, the Gungnir could have been used, in theory, with its safety limiters removed could have destroyed the ship. But how would they be sure the ork was dead? No. They had to assault the ship and confirm it manually.
To that end, uncountable trillions of automated ships were thrown into the breach to clear a path for the Custodian Guard and Legions to establish a beachhead for further assault. The ships were thrown away like the disposable assets they were, buying precious data about weapon positions, power, weaknesses in design, ect.
For hours wave upon wave of disposable ships were sacrificed in an attempt to open a breach. The organic-metal hybrid hull regrew weapons nearly as fast as they were destroyed, as did the hull armor itself. However, the one thing it was vulnerable to was intense thermo weapons, as a couple ships had shown when it took a half hour for a hole from one to repair.
Thus the next waves went in blazing away with melta weapons, and burned away the hull in a wide enough area for the forces of the Legios to enter en mass. Which they did with enthusiasm, clearing an area roughly three hundred kilometers in radius from their entry point. Once that was done, the factories and teleportariums as well as webway gates were built in this mere toe hold.
This in turn allowed the Empire to funnel in massive reinforcing armies of Troopers from across the quarter of the galaxy that had been temporarily industrialized for this one assault. Uncountable legions of metal soldiers, built to fight and be destroyed in service of their masters, marched into battle.
The exclusive usage of Troopers and Astartes as well as Custodes was intended to ensure that a tireless unstoppable advance would proceed inward claiming more territory to speed the advance, and slowly disassembling the territory behind them, thus reducing the firepower and allowing ships to enter the massive construct and provide fire support.
In a week of advancing, mostly carried out by automated tanks and by air, they had covered half the distance to the center, and come across two massive birthing chambers where a new generation of Empresses were being created…they would never be fully born as they were ripped asunder by Leman Russ and Sanguinius respectively.
But this was the point in the assault that massive mountain sized bio organisms that could birth countless lesser creatures were unleashed. Each the size of the Himalaya, each step forward unleashing billions of gaunt sized monsters.
Their arrival held the assault for a day, as the attackers scrambled to counter them. But the answer, was quite simple it seemed. As teleportariums behind the front unleashed the entire stock of G-Weapons for this assault. Insectoids met the Kings of Monster's progeny…And proved that the only cure for an infestation of this magnitude, was STILL to burn it. The victory roars of one thousand of the Godzilla species shook the ship locally.
The assault continued apace. And soon enough, they were on Orkbert's doorstep. His presence confirmed by no less then Magnus, the Emperor, and Isha's abilities. All that was left, was to kill him, then destroy the bio ship, thus ending this protracted war.
Orkbert's Chambers: The Emperor
The Immortal God Emperor of Man opened the door to the chamber with a expeditious kick. Entering, sword drawn, he looked around the room, expecting the normal orkoid hodgepodge of tech and some bio monstrosity or the like to serve as a test subject. He didn't see that however.
What he saw was something very familiar and far worse in his opinion. It was rows upon rows of pristine tanks, surgery tools, databanks, and other equipment all of human make. But not just any tanks and tools, but the ones from his secret lab on Luna back in the original timeline.
It made the immortal man sick to his stomach. He had inadvertently equipped this foe with everything they needed to make the legions of bio horrors the Imperium had faced. Without his technology, would the ork have ever been able to make this army of monstrosities? The answer was a resounding…probably not, in fact only one thing stopped him from saying definitely not. He didn't know the level of intelligence of this ork.
So he thrust that from his mind and proceed deeper into the chamber. Following the faint sound of clacking on a keyboard. This noise would eventually lead him to a withered old Ork, so hunched over that he looked almost like a large gretchen. It was muttering rapidly as it used the device to design a superior Orknid strain. From what the Emperor could gather, it was designed as a Primarch killer, if it was born it would be a nightmare to put down.
There was only one logical choice here, and he took it. Striding forward he blasted the computer and ork with an arc of lightning, destroying both in a simple and elegant move. As the Emperor stood over the smoldering corpse, the smell of which was making him hungry for some Portabello mushrooms, he issued the order for all forces to retreat, Gungnir would destroy the rest of the ship.
12.27 AU:
The end of the war against Orkbert led to celebrations across the galaxy, from the normal citizen to the highest circles of power, all were relieved at the end of the threat.
The massive industrial machine that the Imperium was de-escalated to a more reasonable level…by Imperial standards at least. Down to a mere tenth of the industrial base, which to be fair was still enough to buy time to ramp back up if a major threat occurred again.
The Tau and Necron remnants signed treaties with the Imperium to be allowed out into the galaxy, as well as for new organic bodies in the case of the Necrons. Who got more then they bargained for in the form of Human bodies, thus putting them under the watchful eye of the Imperium even more. Though the idea of being able to live thousands of years as an organic was worth it in the end for them.
The temporary vassalage of the Citadel is ended. The Imperium did the to play the long waiting game of fully converting the Citadel Alliance to Imperial style culture and their way of thinking. The Citadel races were just happy to be able to run their rebuilt space in peace, and didn't really did too deeply into it.
What followed would be a very peaceful time, as the Ork Empire, as it was now known, kept to the agreement. Albiet, there was a cold war between them with an arms race between the Imperium and the Orks. In the future there was a guaranteed to be an apocalyptic war between them…but for now the galaxy held it's breath, and waited.
1.28-1.37 AU:
During the intervening years, between this last drama and the multiple events that would seal the fate of this galaxy, life carried on.
The double act of Spectres Saren and Nihlius continued to accomplish mission after mission for the Citadel Council. Dealing with pirates, terrorists, and other criminal scum who decided that, with the bulwark provided by the Imperium, they could go back to buisness as usual. Something that the Council's Spectres disagreed with, HARSHLY.
Liara T'soni returned to her previous occupation as an archeologist, a nice change of pace from the past years of bloodshed. With her new perspective, she had a better understanding then before, and was able to puzzle out how multiple races died out from fragmentary data. Many of which were crushed by the Protheans it seemed, which despite being unsurprising was still shocking to the Citadel who had seen the Protheans as ones who could do no wrong. As such she was ostracized for the most part, though her war record still garnered respect.
Kaiden, now a full Lieutenant, goes on a long vacation on Cadia. Unwinding and recovering from the wars the Imperium had emerged from. During this time, he falls in love with one Doctor Ishi Serezawa, one of the Combat Doctors who had fought in the war. The two begin dating slowly, making sure they not only like each others' personalities, but that they could stand each other for possibly thousands of years. When they discover the answer is yes, the two wed. Within this time they would have four sons, each equally capable of biotics as well as Psyker powers.
As for Ashley, Michael, and Tali, the three remain in the Marines. Michael becoming a full captain by the end of AU 36 due to numerous acts of gallantry and daring, including his one man clearing of a planet infested by thresher maws. Though on a more private note, the three friends were growing ever closer. This led to some rumors that they were in a polygamous relationship, rumors that were rebuffed quite readily by the three and their families. After all, even if they were in such a relationship, surely they would be the first to know before anyone else, wouldn't they?
Wrex discovers the truth behind the Shadow Broker. Ever since late 25 After Unity, the Shadow Broker had been a mouth piece for Cerberus. The Intelligence Cell had finally tracked down and taken control of the largest information network in Citadel Space. Instead of being liquidated, he is offered an opportunity he had hoped to pitch to the Empire. In return for aid in uniting the Krogan under one banner and working to cure the Genophage, the Krogan would forever be bound to the Imperium's cause. This would take years of preparation and work to seem organic and natural to observers. But that was no issue to either party, they had the life spans to wait.
Lastly of note for our purposes, during this time, the Primarchs were appointed overlords over sectors of the Imperium, and leaders of the expeditions to the remaining unexplored half of the galaxy. With their superior skills, they not only made their sectors prosperous beyond the dreams of many, but brought vast swathes of space under the rule of the Imperium.
It is a glorious time to be alive in the Empire of Man.
2.10.37 AU: Citadel Council Meeting Chambers
The meeting chamber was full of smoke from a pair of cigars. One was being smoked by Councilor Spartus, who had taken up the habit during the war to help calm his nerves and focus his mind. This habit had served him well, especially as human cigars didn't cause cancer in Turians, and had allowed him to contribute to Turian defensive policy and redeem his mistake somewhat.
The other was being smoked by a human in a business suit, Director Harper. The head of the Cerberus Cell had hand delivered the new batch of potential Imperial spectres to the council this time, as had been requested by Divisional Head Gregor Isenhorn. He was not pleased to be out of his office, but at least he knew that he and the Turian Councilor shared the same taste in cigars now.
The meeting didn't last long, the councilors looked through the recommendations of the Imperials with a critical eye, and found most wanting in one trait or another. Until they found the final candidate, Captain Michael Shepard. Hero of Thessia, The Liberator, The Slayer of Worms, and so many more titles…Including being one of the few recipients of THREE Stars of Terra to still be in active duty service.
He was instantly approved for Spectre Candidacy trials under Spectre Nihlius. Their first task would be to go to the recently founded colony of Eden Prime, and escort a Prothean Beacon to the Citadel Research Labs.
Next Time: Mass Effect 1: Blue Milk Run
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Codex: Normandy Class
A top secret warship of Corvette size, the INS Normandy is the flagship of the new Normandy class of stealth ships intended to be the successor to the aging Ravens and other stealth ships. Designed by joint Imperial-Turian efforts, and built above Mars, the Normandy is a sleek and fast ship. Packing firepower equivalent to an old Citadel Super Dreadnought into a one hundred fifty meter long hull, and a stealth system that renders it invisible to both the naked eye and sensors, it is the top of the line when it comes to recon and interdiction.
The shakedown of the first ship of this class will be under Commodore Anderson, whose instructions have the ship flying to Eden Prime carrying Spectre Nihlius and ODST Captain Shepard along with some other members of the ODST core.
Codex: Project Hephaestus
The old quantum lathes of the past have started to show their age now. They are not as efficient as the Imperium needs them to be any longer. Nor are they as quick in manufacturing new designs. Project Hephaestus is intended to develop the replacement to the old quantum lathes. Faster, more powerful, and less wasteful of time and energy. These new machines are toted as the next stage in 'printing' technology.
Codex: Operation Icarus
The code name given to Cerberus' take over of the Shadow Broker's network. It involved one squadron of Commandos, led by Miranda Lawson, boarding the Broker's ship aboard the world it was hidden on. Fighting their way to the Broker, and executing him. After which, he was replaced by an AI loyal above all else to the Empire. The plan went off flawlessly, and within less then a half an hour, the entire network was under the control of the Imperium.
This allowed them to control and direct the vast resources into the war effort by keeping supply lines and the rear protected from assault. A valuable service considering the still depleted manpower of the Imperium.
Codex: Shepard's File
From: Senior Operative Miranda Lawson
To: Director Harper
Enclosed find my analysis of Shepard and his compatriots as well as potential contacts. I believe he will be the perfect candidate, even more then Agent Leng, for the Spectre Candidacy. I whole heartedly recommend Cerberus champion him for selection, as the Imperium will have no better champion then him on the Galactic stage. He is well respected by all the citadel races, and has a charisma that will serve him well in addition to his double black operation training and Psyker training.