Author's Note: This series is one that I wasn't planning on publishing until Effecting Fate reached game 3. Unfortunately, that is a fair way into the future, and I thought of a couple of things that might prevent it from going into that story. Thus, I might as well post it as a separate series. The core idea is that the Reapers would be up against all that can be found in the Fate universe. Dead Apostles, Beasts of Gaia, Counter Force, Throne of Heroes… Everything.
Humanity, for how prominent they have become in the galaxy, is for all intents and purposes… Unspectacular.
Intelligence? The average Salarian can match many high-tier human scientists.
Resilience? Pitiful when compared to the Turians, let alone the Krogan or the Vorcha.
Longevity? While they live longer than Salarians, they were still average for most other species, and completely outshone by the Asari or the Krogan who could live thousands of years.
Looking at them objectively, humanity is strictly average in every way. Oh, if pressed a scientist might point out that humanity has an extraordinary amount of genetic diversity. And perhaps that is true… But that is more a detail, a curiosity, than anything else. The variances of skin pigmentation? The diversity of culture and religion? Surely these can't be what allows humans to overcome their obvious weaknesses to let them become the powerhouse that they are.
And a powerhouse they are indeed, nobody can deny. Upon first contact with the Turian's they were pressed into a war with a species that was not only technologically superior, but was renowned for their military ability. The Hierarchy can claim what they'd like, but no matter how small a part of the military it was, they still went up against it and came out in a draw. Their contributions to science, tactics, culture… They were even able to win themselves a seat on the Council more quickly than anyone thought possible. Humanity has carved a place for themselves in the galaxy, and everybody knows it.
But while interesting, these facts don't address the crux of the matter. At least, not directly. Humanity has been vastly more successful than it has any right to be, but why is that so? What is it that humanity has that allows them to succeed in such a way where so many others fail?
The simple truth of the matter is that humans? The one thing they have more than any other species in the galaxy? It's an unparalleled determination, a drive, one unmatched by any other species in the galaxy.
Now, determination is different from stubbornness, however related it might be. The Krogans, renowned as one of the most stubborn of species, exemplify this. Determination involves a goal, a purpose. Something that the Krogan's, despite all they've gone through, have yet to gain. A thousand years they've suffered the genophage's slow death, yet they refuse to change their ways and continue to die one by one in pointless deaths as mercenaries or in squabbles against each other, even as they rage to all those who would hear.
There are exceptions of course - you could easily find humans that are utterly lacking in any drive, while members of other species have the determination to move mountains. But it's their species as a whole, their utter determination, that gives them something no other species has. Something that no other species has ever had, if one were to trust the databanks of Harbinger, the most ancient of the Reapers.
It gives them Gaia. It gives them Alaya.
The will of the planet, and the unconscious embodiment of human will.
Gaia represents the will of all those that live on earth - every plant, every animal, and the spirits of each. It once included the gods before their age ended, and it currently includes humanity. The will that humanity has? As the most prosperous species on the planet, Gaia has inherited that.
Alaya, however, is different. Alaya is the unconscious process of belief and conviction of humanity, that which shapes gods and elevates legends to be recorded in the Root itself. Where Gaia is the representation of all, Alaya is purely of humanity.
Since humanity is only a part of it, Gaia could survive without them. It would lose a portion of itself, but it had no issues in culling them if it deemed it necessary. Alaya had no such recourse - as the unconscious embodiment of human will, without humanity, there was no Alaya.
Many mages claimed that the two saw each other as enemies, but the truth couldn't be further from that.
While it is a difficult concept to understand, both Alaya and Gaia operated on the realm of the subconscious. Enemies? No, merely a differing of agenda's. Each did what they did for the sake of their continual existence. Nothing more, nothing less.
Thus, when an enemy arrived that threatened both the Planet and Humanity, how could they not work together?
When the Reapers descended on Earth, neither Alaya nor Gaia had been caught off guard. Unlike the various governments, they were prepared to defend themselves against extinction level events.
As the Reapers began their assault, humanity was at first in denial. When it became clear that this was indeed real they fought back with all they had, only for the Reapers to continue on, barely even slowing down.
Technology failing to protect them, humanity turned to faith, to legends of old, praying for something to save them even as whole cities were slaughtered, Reapers gutting what protections they had.
The destruction hurt both Gaia and Alaya, yet it was not in vain.
Prayers of salvation, blood offered in sacrifice. Burning willpower spent.
Gaia obeyed the law of the most prosperous species on its surface. This is what caused the decline of magic, and is why the rules of the world changed from one that obeyed Mystery to one that obeyed physics.
As humanity offered up millions of prayers of salvation, the rules shifted once more. Not significantly, but enough. If the belief is power, then what of the combined belief of millions?
The earth trembled as magic not seen in two millennia began to flow once more, Alaya and Gaia both funneling and molding it to best suit their needs and the gates once again opened. Alaya would forever be to ensure humanity survived, while Gaia would destroy all that was a threat to it.
Contracts were formed,
Across the globe, Reapers began noting geographical and atmospheric anomalies.
A sandstorm formed without reason over the mountains of the Middle East, the sorrowful toll of a bell beginning to ring as the Old Man of the Mountain, the First Hassan, woke up from his slumber to enact his judgment.
In Mesopotamia, where the ancient city of Uruk once stood, the desert seethed and rumbled, reflecting the fury of the King of Heroes as his garden was being destroyed.
The seas boiled as fleets filled with ships of antiquity began to surface, while armies led by figures long dead were summoned into existence.
Whether it was in the defense of their people or merely because they wanted a good fight, their reasons hardly mattered. The Gates to the Throne of Heroes had been forced open, and the best Earth had to offer came pouring out.
Succeed or Fail, they would show the Reapers that Earth would not be so easy to harvest.
Author's Notes:
I'm trying to force myself into getting back into writing. I got really sick in January, and after that have been having a lot of issues. But writing stories is still something that I enjoy, and however difficult it may be I do still want to continue it. I just... Need to get myself to actually do it. Some author's are really good at writing, and can post incredible chapters really quickly, but I am not one of those. :( Right now I have partially written chapters for four different stories, I just need to force myself out of this slump and get it done.
This is an idea that I had, and I originally wanted it to be an accompaniment to Effecting Fate once we get to the third game. As Shirou and Arturia are going around trying to fix things in space, Earth is doing what it can to protect itself. That sort of thing. However, I thought about it, and I decided to make it a separate series for a couple reasons.
First off, I just know that the moment I post it, I'm going to get people complaining about how things aren't canon (please don't take the time to write a review just to say that. Just enjoy the story for what it is - a story). Second, the feel of this story is going to be much different from Effecting Fate, and the differing ideas might clash. I'll need to think on that some more before I fully commit... And third... Well, things are probably going to get pretty crazy, so it's probably better off as its own series. Let me know what you think.
I'd like to thank my sister CaptainDarkElf for proofreading this chapter. And for anybody that is interested or would like to support me, I have a Pa tr eon page that contains various extra's and teasers to future chapters. The link to that page is P a treon . com (slash) shdowstep. (remove the spaces).