And here. We. Go. This is what everyone came for. The story, and our wonderful characters, begin!
There are several things I'd like to mention: first, I'm sure there are some people who love to nitpick over small details. There are some details in this chapter that will be explained later, so please do rest assured you'll get your answers.
Secondly, a note on timelines. While events coming soon and in the last chapter show at what times certain universes take place within those universes, it's probably best to simply list them all out.
Mass Effect takes place slightly more than halfway through Mass Effect 2, after the Normandy has gotten all of the squad members besides Legion.
Star Trek takes place roughly during the third season of the Original Series, around the year 2268.
Warhammer 40k takes place at about 945-950.M41, at the height of the Ciaphas Cain books and just after "Choose Your Enemies". As stated earlier, in this story, Ahriman conducted his Second Rubric earlier than in canon.
Guardians of the Galaxy/Marvel takes place directly after the events of "Avengers: Endgame".
Titanfall takes place directly after the events of Titanfall 2.
Halo takes place in between the events of Halo: Combat Evolved (Halo 1) and Halo 2. This is before Regret invaded Earth or they discovered the second Halo ring.
Star Wars takes place about four years after the destruction of the second Death Star and the Battle of Endor. Now, here's the thing about Star Wars: there are two Star Wars timelines after the original trilogy movies, the sequel movie series timeline with The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker, and the Star Wars Legends timeline, with all the books and other expanded universe material that came out before the Disney movies were made. So, ultimately, as far as Star Wars goes, I will be carefully picking and choosing what makes the most sense for it out of both timelines and works with the stories. Do not fear, though: there are plenty of good things to happen with the lore in both, which is what we'll be focusing on.
The last note is about the last two characters and universes present here.
There are nine universes total but seven descriptions of universes in the last chapter's intro. Of the last two characters and universes, one is taken from the excellent web series Empyrean Iris, written by starrfallknightrise, who has been kind enough to help with this project. The second was created by myself.
Why, then, are these two groups alongside these much wider-known and popular universes? The first and foremost reason is I write what I want to write, and this is what I want to write and how I think this could best go, which connects to the second reason. The second, and something I ran into during the planning stage for this story, is I need someone to introduce this universe and act as the audience's eyes and ears. As this is such a large concept, I'm certain most people reading won't be intimately familiar with everyone present, and so we need to look through someone's eyes to describe everything. I also need a character to act as a catalyst and "mentor" (for lack of a better term) for this group. The two characters will serve this function nicely. I do know that original characters are often looked down upon, but these are necessary, and trust me… you'll like them. If there are any doubts, just look to my other series, where two "original" characters, Natrius and Zore'Reer, were probably the most popular. I create or use realistic characters to serve a function, which the audience appreciates, not just whoever and for the hell of it.
I know this was a long author's note, but I'm anticipating a lot of questions,
Thank you to Doc43Souls, Serendipity001, and starrfallknightrise for their much-appreciated help.
So, as they say, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's showtime. I hope you enjoy!
Brother Bov: I'm glad you like it, and I hope you're excited!
death'sgodson1224-DGS: I hope you enjoy what's to come!
Generation Zero: So am I! I hope you like it!
CommunistBaboon3: Well, it seems as if I'm more prolific than I thought... Yes, Ahriman will appear more going forward, though this chapter has our main characters. I hope you like it.
BonesofSmite: I hope you like what's to come!
Blin12: Well, step up and get your wish, 'cause our glorious Commissar is in this chapter and in the ones to come!
Imhappy0126: So am I, on both counts. Hopefully you guys can make sure it gets some traction; I'll make sure to deliver a tell-worthy story.
The Disquieting One: I hope you enjoy! I know nothing about Ben 10, so that won't show up, but I hope you like it nevertheless!
oOo
Meet the Team
"I won't let fear compromise who I am." - Jane Shepard
"Of all the things I've seen on the battlefields of the Frontier, the Pilot is the true dominant force… Now I serve as a Rifleman in the Militia, fighting to free the Frontier. I'm a long way to becoming a Pilot, but when that day comes, I hope I can live up to the honor." - Jack Cooper
"Our duty, as soldiers, is to protect humanity. Whatever the cost." - John 117
"They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that first Apollo mission hadn't reached the moon, or that we hadn't gone to Mars and then to the nearest star? That's like saying you wish that you still operated with scalpels and sewed your patients up with catgut, like your great-great-great-great-grandfather used to. I'm in command. I could order this. But I'm not. Because Doctor McCoy is right… in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this. But I must point out that the possibilities, the potential for knowledge and advancement, is equally great! Risk… risk is our business! That's what the starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her!" - James Kirk
"I'm Thomas goddamn Drake, and I'm the best there's ever been!" - Thomas Drake
"...I've never been the kind of man who laughs in the face of danger, much preferring to snigger behind its back and make vulgar hand gestures while it isn't looking." - Ciaphas Cain
"Never tell me the odds." - Han Solo
"Rule number one: don't chuck marshmallows at neutron stars." - Adam Vir
"[Why would I want to save the galaxy?] 'Cause I'm one of the idiots who lives in it!" - Peter Quill
oOo
On the edge of several different galaxies
Admiral Adam Vir, his mop of blonde hair rippling faintly in the small wind blowing through the streets of this tiny, unnamed planet on the edge of nowhere, stepped neatly over a puddle in the dark gray streets. Around him was a small city; a town, really, perhaps even a village, made of the same depressingly dark gray cheap concrete. This entire planet seemed gray. From orbit its atmosphere was gray, its skies were gray, its empty wastes were gray rock, its buildings were gray, its streets gray, everything the same dark color. Everything here was permeated with the calming scent of stone after a rainfall, and though there were puddles of water on the ground in dips in the concrete and the sky was gray, Vir could not sense any incoming precipitation.
Adam didn't find it depressing; he found it intriguing. How very interesting that people, humans, had come to a planet on the edge of what were now multiple different galaxies and carved out a small existence here. He didn't know the name of the planet, unfortunately, only that he'd been summoned.
Pulling out a handwritten letter (a handwritten letter, from a man from another galaxy, how exciting) from the front pocket of his bomber jacket, he peered down with one good bright green eye and read the letter again.
Vir frowned and made a slight adjustment to the eyepatch covering his right eye. It had been lost in a shipboard accident a while back, and while there was actually a perfectly realistic-looking cybernetic eye beneath the patch, Vir preferred the patch. He liked it. It made him look interesting.
The letter itself was an invitation, written in flawless English and elegant, precise cursive in uniform black ink, addressed to him from one Captain Thomas Drake. It had been delivered in person to him by a frazzled courier vessel directly from the Assembly's capital and handed to him in person at the highest governmental priority.
Strangely enough, it seemed that few among his government's high command knew about the letter, which meant this Thomas Drake, despite presumably being from a different galaxy and reality, had figured out how to game the postal system. How very interesting.
Vir had immediately decided to come, of course. It had been several months since some huge terrible scientific anomaly was detected by scientists everywhere. No one seemed to understand any of it or where it came from, or indeed the result of… whatever it was. There were simply huge amounts of energy, dark matter and radiation bleeding from space everywhere. There seemed to be no ill effects besides one off positive: FTL time seemed to be very much increased.
It had fallen to Vir, perhaps the most prolific exploratory captain of the Assembly, and his ship and crew to go figure out… Well, whatever happened. Though Vir was now an Admiral, he was still in personal command of a ship, for that was simply how it went with the Assembly, and promptly set off to the edge of the galaxy to try and find some old friends who might know what was happening, only to find that there was no more edge of the galaxy. At least, not really.
Everything then seemed to all happen at once. His ship, the Omen, quickly received word from astronomers throughout the galaxy that there were now other galaxies directly next to theirs that weren't there before whatever weird event happened. It simply confirmed what the Omen had already seen.
The courier ship with the letter then promptly arrived, and the letter was written by someone from one of these different galaxies. The sender, Captain Thomas Drake, apparently figured out how to get a handwritten letter into naval circulation without too many people figuring it out and managed to get it to him quite swiftly. It also seemed no one quite knew where it came from; there were no extra-galactic ships or individuals wandering around: there was only the letter in circulation.
But, back to the present. Drake had included the date and place of the meeting, a small planet actually slightly past the edge of (both of their) galaxies. He informed Vir that he had invited representatives from each and every galaxy that was now smushed together, and politely hoped that Vir would show and the other invitees wouldn't be an issue.
And so now Admiral Adam Vir was currently walking on the gray streets beneath a gray sky on an unknown planet with two of his closest friends by his side to meet extragalactic unknowns. In short, it was what he lived for.
"Don't you think we should have brought some of the Marines?" A soft, melodic but smooth and powerful voice sounded behind him. Vir turned and looked back up at the tall form of Sunny, his chief weapons officer. She was a Drev, a bipedal, eight-foot tall four-armed alien from a warrior culture like no other. Even in the dim light of the dark sky, her vibrant blue carapace shone luminously. Two legs, muscular and hoof-like legs stood stock still as she surveyed the world around them. Her four powerful arms held a heavy-barreled rifle loosely in the typical fashion of a soldier ready for anything. Her beak was slightly crooked in a frown of displeasure at the present situation.
"We do have the Marines," reminded Adam, cocking an amused eyebrow. Sunny huffed with exasperation at his antics.
"Yes, but we left them about a block back. We're not bringing them in with us."
"I agree!" chimed in a new voice, this one more shrill and nervous. Vir looked down to the small black insectoid form of Doctor Krill, whose arms were crossed in huffy exasperation as his luminous orange-yellow eyes stared up in sheer annoyance at his commander. He too had four arms, coupled with four legs spread evenly in an x-shape below his vertical thorax. While many Vrul gently floated using air sacs on their backs, Krill had picked up quite a few human mannerisms, one of which was walking. Another, unfortunately, was arm-crossing and defiant stares. "We have no idea what's going to happen, no idea who these people are, no idea if they're here to trap us or if they're good or bad, not to mention who they might serve or if they'll have some sort of diseases we don't know about or if-"
"Krill," interrupted Vir mildly, "It'll be fine. Relax." The small insectoid doctor continued to rant about the various dangers they might face as Vir cocked an amused eyebrow and Sunny merely huffed in amused exasperation. Krill was always the worrywart, constantly baffled by the various problems humans and the non-Vrul sentient races of the galaxy could get themselves up to. Amusingly, he also seemed to accompany Vir and Sunny most places due to his own insistence they might get into some trouble he'd have to save them from.
"I don't want to sound like him," said Sunny with a nod to Krill, who had calmed down somewhat, "But we really don't have any idea who these people are."
"This is a first-contact scenario," said Vir pointedly, and that seemed to silence Sunny, for it had been Vir himself who made humanity's first contact with the aliens of their galaxy and first contact with several other species since. He was probably the most qualified expert in the area, which was why they were here in the first place. "While we certainly do want to protect ourselves, our hosts and the others here might not like it if we show up with a fully-armed contingent of Marines."
Krill began to wind up for another rant. Vir and Sunny tuned him out, even as Sunny turned back to the admiral.
"I know, but still…" She sniffed. "It rubs me the wrong way. We don't know who these people are. Besides…" She gestured to the uniform stone and concrete around them and the dreary sky. "This entire place is weird." Vir only shrugged in response.
"That's what'll happen on the edge of a galaxy or beyond," he replied, referring to the planet and its strange lack of color or anything living besides a few humans who built this place that they'd barely even seen. "As for these people… well, they want a first contact scenario. We need to find out what's going on and find out more about them and these new galaxies if we can. The Marines are here, on planet, literally half a street away, and besides, we've got our own weapons," he said, patting the holstered sidearm on his hip and Sunny's own weapons. "A minor armory, if you ask me," continued Vir teasingly at the weapon in Sunny's hands and the few that dotted the belt around her waist. The Drev gave him an exasperated look. Vir fired back a cheerful smile. He did enjoy teasing her, and she him about their respective love for various topics.
"I think this is it," interrupted Krill, sounding slightly nervous. Both Vir and Sunny looked up. They had made their way through the empty streets and to a single unassuming building made from the same dark gray concrete. However, unlike any of the rest, this one had people standing outside it.
There were three of them, all human men, all unhelmeted and all wearing full black body armor with sidearms strapped to their hips. Two stood to either side of the building's doorway and hefted assault rifles. The third stood in front, and though he had a gun on his hip, he held what seemed to be a simple data slate in his hands as he watched Vir, Krill, and Sunny walk forward. Vir took note of their weapons with a slight frown. Maybe leaving the Marines might not have been the best idea ever but hey, you live, you learn.
Vir stepped forward, putting on his best smile as Sunny silently backed him up and Krill merely crossed his arms moodily. At least they were human, and so Vir knew how to act. Many species did not share human body language or mannerisms. He was actually expecting them to be human; a name like Thomas Drake and the flawless English cursive put points towards that, but who knew? All things considered, it was a bit strange that there were humans in these other galaxies, but as Vir stepped forward, he put these thoughts to the back of his mind.
The man in front stepped forward with a grin. Digging a hand in his pocket, he removed three small black circular pieces of plastic. With his other hand, he tapped the pieces then tapped his ear and offered them out to Vir and his companions.
Understanding the man's meaning, Vir took the pieces and distributed them, putting one in his own ear. The earpieces were an odd fit for Sunny and Krill's alien physiology, but somehow they made it work. The men in front of them were smiling cheerfully the entire time, which actually did a lot to assuage any of Vir's fears of this meeting.
"I'm assuming you're Admiral Vir, sir?" asked the man in front, once more brandishing his data pad. Vir nodded in reply.
"Yes." A new thought took him, and he cocked his head. "You speak English?" he asked, for it was plainly English, unfiltered by the translator earpiece. The man nodded.
"I do, the captain does, but a lot of people here don't so we need these," he replied, tapping his own ear once more. He shrugged. "There's no universal language between different galaxies that just showed up," he continued dryly.
"I'm sure," replied Vir with a laugh. He cocked his head, a question suddenly on his mind. "How do they work, though?" The man simply shrugged.
"I have no idea," he replied honestly. "I don't make 'em, I don't program 'em, I'm not the one to get language specifications from other realities, so I don't know."
"Fair enough," replied Vir with another smile. The man nodded and held out the data pad.
"Please sign your name here, then, sir, and your companions as well," said the guard politely. Vir did as instructed, and signed his name with a stylus the guard provided. He looked back up curiously.
"Why the names?" he asked.
"We're just making sure everyone invited is showing, and getting the names of any companions they might bring," said the guard as Krill and Sunny signed their own names. With a nod, the guard stepped back and gestured inside. "Go right ahead." Vir nodded his thanks and stepped past the two armed guards and inside the building. Curiously, the guards never even asked them about their weapons, let alone to surrender them. He found that curious.
However, any thoughts of his weapons were forgotten as he walked through a beautifully wood-paneled entrance hall and into the main room of the building.
It looked like… a fancy restaurant or high-class lounge. The room was wide and open, dimly lit with cozy warm lighting and decorated with wood paneling. Circular tables, draped with neat, pure white tablecloths, dotted the center of the room. Drapes of some sort of red velvet accentuated the wooden sides of the room, the white tables, and the wooden floor alike. There was an extremely ornate bar to one side, carved from wood and decorated with intricate patterns. A few guards, helmetless, armed, and armored in the same fashion as those outside stood in the corners. But it was not the room nor the guards that stole Vir's attention.
By far the most interesting sight here were the people. Sitting in tables or a few side booths of red leather, lounging or talking in hushed, clique-ish circles, were multiple different groups of highly different individuals. It was the most diverse, bizarre, and altogether intriguing group he'd ever laid eyes on.
Sitting at a circular table at the opposite side of the door was a man with short black hair and a small beard circling his mouth, going from beneath his nose to his chin. An untouched glass of amber liquid lay on the pristine tablecloth beside a strange-looking green helmet with orange stripes and a strange x-shaped viewing slit. The man was wearing some sort of strange, sleeveless armored vest. He had the look of a professional soldier, although what type of soldier and where from Vir had no idea. Unlike many others, he was all alone, and stared out morosely at the others present.
In a booth on the far left side of the room from the door was a man accompanied by some huge, strange, brown shaggy-furred bipedal alien. The man lounged back where he sat, picking absently with a finger at the wood of the both behind him as he conversed with his companion. His hair was brown, styled sweepingly across his head, and he wore calf-length leather boots, brown pants, and a vest above a tan long-sleeved shirt. He was armed; a large pistol, the likes of which Vir had never seen, was holstered on his hip.
The alien beside him wore a bandoleer across its chest; its only covering besides its length of shaggy fur. The two seemed to be incredibly interested in the people around them, and though they outwardly appeared relaxed, they conversed intently as their eyes scanned the room. Vir had no idea what these two were. They didn't look like soldiers, and wore no uniform. He put the thought aside as he continued around the room.
In another booth, again on the far side from the door and away from the others (it seemed everyone preferred their own companions over speaking to any extra-galactic newcomers), were perhaps the strangest group of people Vir had ever seen, and that was certainly saying a lot.
On either side of the booth were a man and a woman, both wearing gray-blue military uniforms. The uniforms seemed to be incredibly elaborate; dress uniforms, if Vir had to guess, though neither wore medals. Each uniform was carefully embroidered with gold lace. Above each right breast was the same symbol: a double-headed golden eagle.
Both of their faces were incredibly pale, looking as if they came from somewhere far north where the snow was plentiful and the sun rarely shone. The man had short-cut black hair, his face more rounded and brutal in appearance. The woman's hair was red, flowing like a river down her back. Her face was thin, and, if Vir were any judge, quite good looking.
It was the man in the middle that was the most intriguing. He had a long, powerful face framed by a crisp jawline and two sideburns. His hair was brown, and tucked neatly beneath an officer's cap. However, the cap itself… Where to begin with the cap?
Its brim was red, the main part covering the head black. Emblazoned on the front was a golden winged skull. The symbolism was rather… ominous. The rest of the man's uniform was little better. He wore a heavy, high-collared, solid black greatcoat. The collar and huge lapels were red, and the entire thing was decorated with altogether far too much gold lace. Really, who needed that much gold lace?
Beneath the coat was a simple black uniform and a red sash. The golden eagle motif was repeated a few times throughout the uniform, and that, combined with the sheer bizarreness and rather intimidating appearance made for quite the strange sight.
As Vir and his two companions stepped into the room, both officers, the man and woman wearing gray-blue, looked their way and gave positively murderous glances at the two aliens in his retinue. Adam gave a small, nervous frown. Sunny's hand clenched and unclenched on her weapon.
The two wearing gray-blue looked back to the center man in the over-elaborate black and red uniform, then back to Vir's group. They seemed to be arguing over him and his retinue, and the black-haired man made several gestures to emphasize his points before bringing down his fist on the table in front of them with a thump.
The insanely-uniformed man kept a calm expression throughout and held up his own black-gloved hand soothingly before leaning in to speak with the other two. Apparently, whatever he said placated the two for they simply leaned back, though they still kept suspiciously staring at everyone else in the room, the two new-coming aliens especially. The man in the center shook his head with a grin before swirling the drink in front of him experimentally and tossing it back.
It was only then that Vir noticed a fourth man standing behind the table. He wore a heavy greatcoat of gray-blue; something for winter weather rather than the more ornate uniform coat of the man sitting in the center. The coat was festooned with pouches and webbing holding various equipment, and in the man's hands was some sort of weird extremely heavy, very blocky gun. It was black, and embossed with the same double-headed golden eagle found on the officers' uniforms.
The man's appearance was hard to see in the dim light. Vir couldn't make out the details of his face; only his uniform and weapon. However, as Adam squinted to try and make out the details, he was assuaged by a very strange feeling. Something felt… off about the man. He was simply standing there, an unobtrusive and barely-noticeable bodyguard, but Vir couldn't shake the feeling. Looking at the man sent chills down his spine, his collar itched for no reason, and his stomach suddenly felt slightly queasy. Frowning, Adam simply brushed it off and continued around the room.
Sitting at a table very close to the door was another group of rather strange, eclectic individuals. Thankfully, they weren't clothed in something that looked like it was made by an insane Napoleonic-era Prussian tailor on too many drugs, but it was still nevertheless an odd assortment.
There were two aliens, and two human women. The first woman was wearing full black combat armor, more curved and sleek in style than that of the outside guards. The armor was accentuated with white and touches of red. There was a pistol on the woman's hip, and what looked to be a folded rifle of some sort on her back.
Her face was pale, though not to the level of the officers in gray-blue with the golden eagles. A few freckles dotted her cheeks, accentuating her looks beneath green eyes a shade deeper than Vir's own. She had red hair cut to neck-length, and seemed to be deep in discussion with the others at her table.
The second woman had deep black hair and a smooth, utterly flawless pale face. She was plainly beautiful; there was no other way to describe it. While there were certainly many other good-looking people here, this woman was different. It was an entirely different level of good looks. It was almost odd: the cheekbones were just so, the nose the perfect length, the lips the perfect mixture between thin and full.
She wore an extremely tight-fitting jumpsuit, zippered to the chest, showing her clavicle and the beginnings of cleavage. Her body was also seemingly perfect, with ample curves and just the right amount of good form to it. Vir cocked an interested eyebrow. This wasn't simply a commentary on the woman's beauty; it was odd to see someone in a room full of people that were plainly soldiers to see someone who seemed almost unnaturally good-looking. Who was she? What was she doing here?
Both women seemed to be arguing over something, though certainly not to the level as the golden-eagled officers. They kept it quiet and urgent, and didn't look around at anyone else.
Their two other companions, both aliens, would occasionally chime in, both of them seemingly on the side of the red-haired woman. The first of these was plainly female. In fact, she looked so close to a female human that Vir almost mistook her for one, until he noticed her knee joints were much more forward, her calves jutting backwards in emphasis, and she had two long toes and fingers with a smaller thumb. She wore a form-fitting suit of some sort that covered her entire body. It was violet and black, close-fitting with violet cloth draped over the hips and swirled in a sort of veil around the head. A helmet of some sort covered her head, with a mask of tinted violet completely sealing off her face. Two pinpricks of silver, eyes shining from beneath the tint, glanced around her almost in awe at her surroundings between her interjections with the arguing humans.
The second alien was impossible to mistake for a human. It looked something like a raptor, Vir supposed, but it was altogether rather hard to describe. Much like the red-haired woman, it wore battle armor of blue and black. However, its armor seemed more bulky, more rounded in the chest, fit to its proportions rather than a human's. The armor's collar was bowl-shaped, and seemed to surround the alien in a way Vir found to be much more than the radius of its chest. How interesting.
This alien had two-toed legs and two-fingered, one-thumbed hands much like the violet-suited alien. It was much taller than the humans or other alien, though not nearly reaching Sunny's eight feet or the height of the brown-furred alien occupying the both with the man farther back.
Its face was flat and gray with blue highlights, seemingly made up of a series of plates instead of skin. Some sort of crest swept back over its head, something like human hair, though it too seemed to be made of stiff and immoble silvery-gray material. There were two protrusions on the side of the face, something like mandibles, that were resting flat against the plates of the cheeks. The entirety of the alien's right face was heavily burned and scarred, though that didn't seem to stop it from moving its mandible on that side or speaking animatedly with the others at the table.
Oddly enough, it had very human mannerisms that Vir could easily pick up. It seemed amused by the argument going on, and would occasionally throw in some points with an equally-amused quirk of its mouth and mandibles. Whenever it did so, the black-haired woman would glare at it, annoyed, while the red-haired woman would grin.
To Vir, the two in armor screamed soldier. However, the other two, the violet-suited alien and the black-haired woman… well, he had no idea what they might be. He also had no idea what they might be arguing about, but in a first contact scenario like this, anything was possible.
Vir's gaze continued around the room to the bar, where the last individuals stood. However, before he could get there, he noticed with a start another individual standing in the shadows in the far end of the room. Vir did a double take. How hadn't he noticed this one before?
The person (if he had to guess, he would say it was a human man, though beneath that armor he had no idea) was wearing a heavy suit of powerful green full-body armor. It was much more bulky than anything either the raptor-alien, red-haired woman, or exterior guards wore. However, it was still nevertheless sleek and very powerful-looking. This was only accentuated by the sheer size of the person.
He, or, rather, it, whomever might be under that armor, was slightly bigger than seven feet in height, and had a broad and powerful torso and limbs to match. A heavy rifle, curved and sleek, was clutched in both arms. The helmet was broad and sleek, with a vision slit of inscrutable yellow-gold taking up the upper part of the face and framed by a slight overhanging visor of the same green as the rest of the armor.
Though Vir could not see the figure's face, he could tell that behind that gold-yellow and green helm, whoever was in that armor was staring intently at him. It was incredibly disconcerting. This figure, easily seven feet tall, was standing in the shadows so unobtrusively that Vir barely noticed it at first. Its stare was curious, head tilted ever-so-slightly, nearly imperceptibly, to the side, but somehow Vir knew that there was a person in that huge armored suit, and it was carefully picking him apart, looking for any weaknesses. It was the stare of a military veteran, someone who was carefully weighing every person, entrance, and exit in the room and figuring out how to quickly obliterate anyone here.
Whoever this was, Vir got the sudden nervous feeling that it was extremely dangerous. Looking away with a slight gulp, he continued his turn to the rest of the people at the bar. He could still feel the green-armored figure's iron gaze on the back of his neck, though after a moment it faded as it turned to the rest of the room.
At the far side of the bar were three men wearing very strange uniforms, though in an entirely opposite direction as the former too-much-gold-lace-and-entirely-necessary-epaulets man. The uniforms looked something in between jumpsuits and full-body leotards - a very odd design. The pants were black and very form-fitting. The man in the center wore a shirt of yellow, and the two men to his left and right blue. There was no decoration on the uniforms beside a simple pin above each left breast; a bent triangle with what looked to be a star, or perhaps some sort of spaceship in the center.
The man in the center and the man to his left both had brown hair in relatively straightforward, normal haircuts. The one in blue had a rounder face and was slightly older, more apprehensive, and more reserved. The man in yellow looked slightly amused as his companions spoke to him, mouth upturned in a slight quirk. They were not arguing like a few of the other groups, nor looking around suspiciously, but rather quietly chatting amongst themselves, uncaring of the room around them besides some quick looks to illustrate their points.
Vir almost mistook the last individual as human once more, but as he turned his head towards the light, Adam was able to see his full face. He certainly looked like a human, with simple black hair and a normal tone of human skin, but his ears were pointed at the top and his brow looked as if it were set in stone. Perhaps he was a human: it was within the realm of possibilities. If not for the ears, Vir probably wouldn't have noticed. But those themselves didn't necessarily mark him out as alien, only as someone with pointed ears. Perhaps they were a birth defect or some sort of modification.
What these three men were, Vir had no idea. Most of the others in the room had the blatant look of soldiers about them. They were armed, armored, and wore careful, guarded glances as if expecting trouble at any moment. These men… they looked like normal everyday people with the exception of the uniforms and ears. Vir pondered the question as he turned to the final individual.
This too was a human man, standing by himself at the edge of the bar closest to the door. His face was pale, somewhere in-between the tone of the nearly ivory golden-eagled officers and the arguing red-haired woman in black armor. His hair was pitch black, and styled neatly swept to the side of his head. Beneath the dark hair was an extremely handsome face, powerful and regal, jaw tilted upwards with a knowing smile playing about the lips. His eyes were an extraordinarily vivid shade of blue, sparkling with a series of emotions Vir could not quite put a finger on.
The man wore all black: a black trench coat, going to the knees and flaring out around the upper legs covered black pants and sleek, shined, knee-high black boots. Black gloves covered his hands. A leather belt was looped around his chest and soldier; part of the coat, making it look both far more elegant and far more utilitarian. He wore another belt around his waist, this one much thicker and with pouches and various holders going around the body. On his right hip was a heavy matte black holstered revolver.
As Vir continued forward, the man turned around. He stepped forward with a broad grin, taking in Adam and his two companions with a friendly quirk of his mouth and shoulders.
However, before the man could make it to them or speak, the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor sounded behind Vir. Adam turned around.
Behind him was yet another group of people. There were once more three total: a man, a green-skinned woman, and… And… A… a raccoon? Vir blinked rapidly and did a double take. Yes, that was a raccoon. It could be nothing else. A raccoon, wearing some sort of leather-like vest and walking on two legs.
"What are you looking at?" asked the raccoon in what sounded suspiciously like a New York accent as it crossed its arms and glared up at Vir. Its voice sounded perfectly human. Vir blinked rapidly a few times.
"Uh… Nothing," he replied lamely, still trying to process this.
"That's what I thought," replied the raccoon. The two people beside the raccoon simply stared, looking around the room.
The first was a human man. His hair was brown and more on the shaggy side. He wore a red-brown calf-length greatcoat above plain brown pants and a cream-colored shirt. There were a few technological knick-knacks on his belt beside two holstered pistols, one on each hip. Vir couldn't immediately tell what the man was: his general appearance looked like that of a rather unassuming, normal person, but his clothing and weapons marked him as someone who was easily accustomed around weapons and probably violence.
The woman was an alien, human in appearance except for her green skin. Her face was sharp, and topped with straight black hair tinged with red-violet. Her clothes and boots were brown, her shirt vestlike. Everything was tight-fitting, though it seemed more of a practical, utilitarian tight-fitting for combat rather than style or fashion. Much like most everyone here, she wore a variety of weapons on her belt; both guns and a series of wicked-looking knives.
Vir actually found it rather comforting that they had all been allowed to keep their weapons. Their host, Drake, obviously was not gun-shy. That was the standing: they all had their weapons, they all could protect themselves if anything went wrong, and they all knew everyone else was armed. No shenanigans, no politics. Everything was out in the open. It was perhaps the most refreshing first contact he'd been in, though certainly the strangest.
Vir was snapped out of his thoughts by the black-coated, black-haired man who advanced on both his companions and the newcomer, a grin on his face and arms spread wide in welcoming.
"Ah, Admiral Adam Vir, Sunny, Doctor Krill, Mister Peter Quill, Miss Gamora, Rocket, how good of you to join us," he said, calling out each one of their names in turn. Vir's eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets. He turned to look at Sunny, who wore a very suspicious look, then to the other group. The man simply shrugged back at him, confused. His other two companions, the raccoon and the green-skinned woman, fingered their weapons suspiciously.
"How do you-" began the raccoon, only to be cut off.
"It's good to understand who one's guests are, my dear Rocket," replied the black-haired man with a mischievous grin and slightly dangerous quirk of his mouth. The man was very welcoming, yet Vir couldn't help but feel off-balance. He got the sneaking suspicion that he was meant to feel that way. "So!" Vir was once more startled out of his thoughts by the man delightedly clapping his hands together. He spun dramatically to the rest of the room, black boots gliding on the floor. "We are all here! How delightful. I know that everything is a bit confusing, and you're all wondering what's going on and who we all are and may or may not be wondering how to brutally and violently murder everyone here, so I think it would be best if we began." He grinned again and stepped forward, motioning everyone to the center of the room. "So, if everyone could get over here, we'll get started."
The man (Vir was pretty sure this was their host, Drake) walked to the middle of the room, boots clicking neatly on the floor, completely uncaring of the variety of stares being leveled his way. He started pushing a few tables together, then turned back. Seeing no one was really moving, unsure of exactly what was happening, he simply smiled and gestured again.
"C'mon, there's a reason you're all here. Get over here," he said once more, amused. Vir hesitantly looked over at Sunny and Krill, then to the newcoming group that was standing beside him, apparently just as unsure as himself.
However, everyone apparently decided to do as told, getting up and hesitantly walking to the center of the room, throwing curious or suspicious stares at the others present. When they got there, they made themselves comfortable, sitting or standing in a strange circle of fellow unknowns, brought together by strange circumstance.
The man in black remained standing, and as everyone assembled, he gave another wide grin. Stepping back with one foot, he dipped into an elaborate bow, then straightened, still grinning.
"I am Captain Thomas Drake, if you haven't guessed already," he told the assembled parties. "Captain of the Apocalypse, head of the Apocalypse mercenaries, and mercenary extraordinaire. Now, I'm sure you all have many questions, but I believe we should probably start with introductions. Now… who wants to go first?" he asked politely. Vir looked around. This was becoming less and less of a typical first-contact scenario. It seemed everyone else was thinking the same thing; though the very atypical behavior did make things a lot more relaxed.
Vir was starting to suspect that was purposeful as well.
"Fine," sighed the man wearing a dark vest over his cream shirt with the large, brown-furred alien by his side. "I'm Captain Han Solo of the Millennium Falcon. This here," he gestured to his companion, "Is Chewbacca, my first mate." Chewbacca made a slight growling, keening sound that sounded like an introduction. Solo shrugged and sat back, staring at everyone else as if daring them to ask questions.
"I'm Captain James Kirk of the starship Enterprise," said the man in the yellow jumpsuit-like uniform, apparently deciding to go next. "This is Doctor McCoy, our chief medical officer," the human man nodded, "And Mister Spock, our science officer and first officer." The strange man with elongated ears also nodded curtly as he was introduced.
Introductions seemed to be in full swing now. To Vir's slight surprise, this was going smoother than expected. No one was screaming or shooting.
Yet.
"I'm Commander Jane Shepard," said the red-haired, green-eyed woman wearing heavy black armor with white and red trim. "I'm the commander of the Normandy, and this is Miranda Lawson, my second-in-command," there seemed to be a slight atmosphere of tension between the group at those words, though the black-haired woman in the white and black jumpsuit nodded as she was introduced. "This is Garrus Vakarian, the weapon's officer and the Normandy's sniper," at this, the scarred, raptor-like alien nodded, "And Tali'Zorah, our chief engineer." The slim, violet-suited and masked woman nodded shyly as she shuffled behind Shepard and Vakarian.
"Colonel Regina Kasteen, commander of the Valhallan 597th," said the red-haired woman in the grey-blue officer's uniform, crossing her arms and frowning at everyone else present.
"Major Rupurt Broklaw, second-in-command of the Valhallan 597th," added the man in grey-blue beside her.
"Commissar Ciaphas Cain, regimental commissar of the 597th," said the insanely-uniformed man with a soft smile and polite incline of his head. Vir had no idea what was going on with this group, but it seemed Kasteen and Broklaw disapproved of being here while this guy, Cain, didn't. Maybe he wasn't so bad, despite his odd fashion choices. "My aide, Jurgen," continued Cain, gesturing to the man wielding the odd weapon, still standing in the shadows behind him. The man gave a small, polite bow.
Vir still couldn't fully make out the man's face. The same strange prickling, itching, odd sensation came into the back of his head as he stared at the Commissar's aide. No one else seemed to notice it or care, so he put the thought to the back of his mind once more as he tried to continue matching names to faces.
"I'm Jack Cooper," said the black-haired bearded man wearing an armored vest and sitting by himself. "I'm a Pilot, a Titan Pilot, not a starship pilot. I'm not really attached to something like you guys seem to be," he added with a shrug. Vir had no idea what a Titan Pilot was. He'd have to find out. In fact, he'd have to find out quite a lot about these other people, who they were, who they served, and where they came from, but hopefully this meeting would answer a few of those questions.
"Peter Quill," said the leader of the group standing beside Vir cheerfully. "Though you can also call me Star-Lord if you like. This is Rocket," the raccoon standing beside him crossed his arms and glowered up at everyone else, "And Gamora." The green-skinned woman nodded curtly as she fingered a knife on her belt. Vir got the feeling she either didn't want to be here or was incredibly suspicious of everyone present.
Probably both, all things considered.
Vir suddenly realized his group seemed to be the last. He hurriedly stepped forward.
"I'm Admiral Adam Vir," he said with his best friendly grin and nod. "I'm the commander of the starship Omen, and this is Sunny, my chief weapon's officer," Sunny nodded, hands still on her weapons, "And Krill, our head doctor." Krill didn't say or do anything, which, all things considered, was probably for the best.
Adam almost didn't realize he was not the last person to go until Drake turned the corner and regarded a figure looming the shadows behind Kirk and Shepard's groups. The others followed Drake's gaze, several of them actually starting in alarm at the huge figure's silent presence staring behind them.
The green-armored giant stood there, weapon in hand, yellow-gold visor staring at Drake and the others with intent curiosity. Vir blinked. How could someone so large go so unnoticed?
"And you?" asked Drake smoothly, a charming smile still on his face. "What's your name?" Vir cocked an eyebrow. Drake already seemed to know their names… So why ask? Simply to make everyone feel more at ease, he supposed. It was rather admittedly a good tactic.
The green-armored figure cocked its head in response. It seemed to be considering something.
"Master Chief," he eventually replied. It was undoubtedly a he beneath all that armor, the masculine voice heavy and gravelly but somehow still reserved and smooth.
"Is that… Is that a title, or a name?" asked Kirk, turning his head to face the huge figure slightly behind him.
"That's what you can call me," replied Master Chief evenly. He didn't elaborate any further. Vir got the distinct impression he was a man of very few words.
The group looked at each other rather awkwardly, each staring at each other in the silence. It was a weird moment of quiet for a group that had so much to ask, so much to say, but Master Chief simply looked on serenely as Drake once more stepped forward to take charge.
"Well, now that we know each other's names at the very least, it's time to get down to business," he said with a grin. Drake spread his hands open. "So, where shall we begin?" Nearly everyone opened their mouths, but were beaten to the punch.
"Why are we here?" asked Shepard immediately, crossing her arms. Drake grinned at her in reply.
"So, exposition it is." He grinned once more and began. "So, as I'm sure you're all aware, there have been some… shenanigans going on recently."
Everyone looked around. There were mutterings between each other. Vir cocked an eyebrow. There certainly had been a lot of that going on lately.
"We don't really know what happened," continued Drake, shrugging apologetically. "I really don't think any of us do. However, while we may not be able to deduce what happened, we can deduce its results, or, rather, what's going on now and why we are here." Drake drew a small device from his belt and placed it on the table before him. With the touch of a button, a green hologram sprang to life, showing a group of nine different galaxies floating across different heights and widths. "Our various galaxies, or, in my own theoretical opinion, realities, as from what I've gathered we seem to all be at different periods in time yet share a common species, humanity, have somehow collided." With another press of a button, the galaxy swirls that were once separate suddenly converged, clustering around each other and touching, creating one huge circle of circles. "From what I've gathered, this is where we exist now." He looked around for any questions.
"I've noticed that unlike what previously seemed to exist there is no end barrier to the galaxy, or, at least my galaxy anymore," mused Kirk, scratching his chin in thought. "It also seems that we travel much faster at FTL, hence how we were able to reach this place beyond the edge of the galaxy so quickly," he continued.
"I've noticed that too," chipped in Vir. "We seem to travel a lot faster. Whatever happened to bring…" He struggled for words a moment before gesturing to the room and everyone around him, "Well, this, it seems it also affected our FTL speeds just as you said." Kirk nodded.
"The Warp currents seemed to be unusually good, especially for beyond known stars," mused Kasteen, speaking for the first time. "Not sure how we could navigate, but we did…" She trailed off, frowning.
"It might have had something to do with me, actually," spoke up Cooper. Everyone turned to look at him curiously. "We were trying to stop a super-weapon that could fold space and time. We did so by blowing it up, and…" He trailed off, thinking. "A friend of mine sacrificed himself to destroy it and should have died, but lived. We awoke nearby, in a ship in orbit. It was… weird." He looked up at the others, a slightly haunted look on his face. "Time shenanigans, I guess. I don't know how any of that was able to happen, but like you said, weird things are going on."
"There was also some incident with one of our ships and a Warp drive…" added Kirk, lost in thought. "Don't know how that could have resulted in this, though…"
"Well, whatever happened, happened," said Drake cheerfully. "Our galaxies, or realities, or whatever, now exist side-by-side and are seemingly just as easily traveled to as through our own galaxies themselves." He smiled. "Which brings us to our next question-"
"Why are we here?" continued Solo. He crossed his arms and leaned back. "As in meeting in this place." Drake nodded and pointed a black-gloved finger at him.
"Exactly." He grinned once more, blue eyes dancing with playful amusement. "My dear friends," he stated with another slight theatrical bow, "Now that we're all introduced, on to the reason we're all here." Everyone stared at him expectantly. "I have all invited you here for a very specific purpose. My plan is to create a group, for lack of a better term, of all of us. You, all of you," he said, gesturing to everyone gathered around, "Are perhaps the greatest heroes of your realities. More importantly, you're the heroes that are right for this sort of situation." There were a few grins, and a few minor blushes. Drake continued. "Put together, we can overcome any obstacle, learn more about this new reality of many different galaxies from the inhabitants of those galaxies," he gestured to everyone around him, "Eliminate any new and/or terrible threats to the governments or factions we work for or the people we love, and, if none of those are incentive enough, make an ungodly amount of money." There were a few grins at the last point. Drake spread his hands out once more. "So, who's in?"
There was a moment of silence. Everyone seemed to be deep in thought at exactly what was going on. Vir pursed his lips.
"Why did you invite us here?" asked Gamora, the green-skinned woman standing nearby, still looking suspiciously at Drake and fingering her weapons. Drake simply shrugged in reply.
"It's a neutral place, and rather in the middle of where our galaxies seem to meet up," he replied. Gamora actually shrugged at that, her facial expression saying fair enough. Vir couldn't agree more.
Despite the oddness of the situation, and Drake's bluntness at what was happening combined with his somewhat strange unbalancing act towards everyone here, he did certainly seem very fair. Everything about this meeting was refreshingly forthright: the ability to keep weapons, the neutral and convenient location, and his good treatment of everyone. Vir would have to learn more about him. About everyone here, really.
"What exactly would we do in regards to your offer?" spoke up Shepard. Next to her, Lawson, her second-in-command, opened her mouth to speak but apparently thought better of it. She closed her mouth and leaned back with a frown.
"We would be just that: a team," replied Drake. "We have ships, we can transport ourselves and others to different places and assist each other completing whatever missions we might have. We can learn from each other, help each other… a team, in every regard, just as much as many of us are already in, only this time larger and more powerful." Shepard pursed her lips and shrugged.
"Well, I'm in. It sounds like a good idea to me." Next to her, Lawson frowned. Shepard ignored her.
"How do we know you're not going to kill us?" asked Solo. Beside him, Chewbacca growled his ascent.
"If I wanted you dead you'd be dead already," replied Drake bluntly, staring Solo directly in the eye. Vir shrugged. Once more: yeah, fair enough.
Solo seemed to agree. He leaned over and whispered something to his first mate, who replied in that strange growling language, voice soft.
"Alright," said Solo finally. He pursed his lips and nodded at Drake. "Sounds like you've got the fastest ship in the galaxy with you." Drake gave a polite half-bow, half-nod in reply.
"And the rest of you? Questions? Comments? Concerns?" asked Drake, turning back to everyone else. Cain, Kasteen, and Broklaw were quickly arguing in hushed tones. Kirk, McCoy, and Spock were whispering among each other. Vir turned to Sunny who shrugged as if to say it was his choice and she'd support it either way.
"How good's the money?" asked Rocket in his strange gruff voice. Vir still found it odd that a raccoon was walking on two limbs and speaking.
"My dear Rocket, I'm the greatest mercenary in the galaxy," replied Drake with another grin, this one far more bloodthirsty and far less cheerful. "The money is the best."
"I'm in," shrugged Rocket with a grin. Behind him, Quill and Gomara looked at each other. Quill shrugged.
"I guess we're in, then," he told Drake. Drake smiled.
"Excellent," he purred in reply.
"We're in as well," said Cain smoothly, looking up. Beside him, Kasteen and Broklaw didn't look happy, but they were begrudgingly going along with it. "However, we don't necessarily have a ship," he continued apologetically. "We were dropped off here, more or less. And we've got quite a few soldiers; we'll need something a bit on the larger side."
"Me too," threw in Cooper. "I'm in, and I need transportation, something with a height of six meters minimum."
"That's no problem," replied Drake with a smile and shrug. "I'm sure we can find you some form of transportation."
"We're in as well," said Vir suddenly. He had made up his mind. Visit other galaxies, learn about new cultures and civilizations, see new planets, meet new species, and understand everything that went on in them? Oh, he was in. This was what he lived for. "We've got a ship, too, if needed."
"Excellent, excellent," replied Drake with a nod. "I'm sure we can figure out how to get you guys on board; I myself would be perfectly fine with sharing my ship." Before anyone could reply to that, Master Chief suddenly spoke.
"I'm in. I need a ship," he said. Everyone looked at him. He looked back. He didn't elaborate.
"Alright, then," said Darke with a nod. "He's in. And you?" he asked Kirk's group.
"I'm not sure if this is in the best interests of the Federation," mused Spock woodenly. McCoy looked over at Kirk, with a small frown. Kirk looked between the duo.
"While I do understand your concerns, and the concerns others here might have, I think it would be best to learn more about each other, as Captain Drake said," he mused. He looked over to Drake. "We're in." Drake smiled.
"Excellent. Well, it seems we're all in, then." He looked around. "I have a hangar with a ceiling height over six meters. You're welcome aboard, Pilot Cooper, should you wish, as is anyone else."
"We can fit quite a few soldiers on our ship," interjected Vir, nodding politely towards Cain, Kasteen, and Broklaw. "You're welcome aboard if you want." Broklaw's eyes flew to Kasteen, who opened her mouth, seemingly to object, but then closed it. Cain smiled and nodded politely.
"That's very gracious of you," he replied. "We accept your very generous offer."
"And we can take you," said Kirk, nodding towards Master Chief. Master Chief simply nodded back in lieu of words; consent enough for him.
Everyone then simply seemed to look at each other, hesitant or confused at what to do next or how smoothly this had gone. Vir silently thanked Drake for choosing to take individuals, heroes as he had put it, instead of inviting governments or ambassadors.
It was Cooper who broke the silence.
"I feel short," complained Cooper, looking up at the towering Garrus, Master Chief, Sunny, and Cain. Actually, the only ones here below six feet seemed to be Miranda, Tali, Shepard, Kirk, McCoy, and Kasteen. The rest, even Drake's guards, were all over six feet.
"I feel outnumbered," mused Shepard, crossing her arms and cocking an amused eyebrow at the other all-male captains and the very few females in the room. Neither Gamora, Miranda, or Kasteen did anything other than glare at her as Tali glanced around, bewildered. Shepard closed her eyes in an expression suspiciously similar to an eye roll.
Drake merely gave a huge smile in response and stepped back with an elaborate bow.
"Well, we are accepting of all, any physical deformities or possible cooties aside," he said with an impish grin. That actually got a laugh out of Shepard, while Cooper merely fought to keep the grin off his face as he shook his head.
"Very well then, Captain Drake," replied Solo, imitating Drake's theatrical tones and bow, "It seems that we are in agreement then." Drake laughed in genuine amusement.
"Well then, we shall get to the ships and off we go!" he said excitedly. "I shall send you the coordinates for our first mission; nothing difficult. A trial run, as it were." He grinned again. This man was incredibly theatrical, mused Vir. "Ladies, gentlemen, I am so glad I to have met you all, and I look forward to working with you all in the future." He grabbed a drink, water, off a nearby table, and held it up in a toast. "I give you… the future."
oOo
And there we have it! I hope you all enjoyed. The team meets, and great things are to come… beyond some getting-to-know-each-other hiccups, of course. So the story begins…
Please do feel free to leave any questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, or reviews!