I am not sure if I want to write this. This story (or at least its predecessor) was my first attempt at creative writing. I remember finishing my first version of the now much overhauled timeline (which I now can't read without cringing), showing it to my family across the dinner table, having so muc pride in those three thousand words. I remember procrastinating, writing Codex chapters for a long time as I feared my efforts in writing characters would not be good enough. I remember choosing to post a chapter anyways, knowing that I wouldn't ever think I was ready ( a chapter that has held up rather well). I remember loving that people seemed to like my work, that people gained entertainmentfrom it. I also remember watching the first version decay, looking ar my latest work and see that it could not be saved. I remember starting anew, using the lessions learned to improve on the next iteration.
This story has always been important to me, special, which is why I am ending it. I have noticed recently my writing has suffered, I have failed to meet my own deadline, I have slaped together chapters at the last minute, I have left plotpoints hanging for far too long. It hasn't devolved to the level of the last iteration, but i fear it could.
I am not sure if there will be a direct rewrite, or if I will continue at a later date, or if a new First Contact War story will replace it, but the story is over for now. I am posting an outline of my plans for the story (mostly held in my head) in case I decide to not revisit the story.
Baikonur Ark: Battle over Baikonur. The Alliance fights until it can evacuate the planet and Turian ship.
Alliance learns that the colony's data core was never destroyed as the colony just used the Outpost's core and forgot they had it. They send a Marine team down to destroy it as the Hierarchy sends a force of their own. They fight in the research colony, the first land battle between the Alliance and Hierarchy. Eventually, the Alliance wins, destroying the data core, and the 6th Squadron leaves, retreating to Da Ling San, but lossing the SSV Lagos in the process.
In the interlude chapter (don't name them that but they seem to be pretty obvious) the Alliance cruiser from the peacfull contact with the Long Haul is destroyed and the Long Haul's crew is detained.
Skirmisher Ark: Alliance and Hierarchy fight as the Alliance strikes Hierarchy scouts to prevent them from finding Da Ling San. They also start fortifying the system to prepare for a potential invasion. The Council learns of humanity, but don't stop the Hierarchy as they think the Alliance is allied with Terminus Systems.
Battle of Da Ling San Ark: The Hierarchy finds Da Ling San and the Alliance fights them to retain control of it. Eventually, after significant losses, the Alliance is forced to retret in space, fleeing from Shanxi orbit to the Dowager Keep, the only other major human settlment in the system.
The Sidge of Shanxi Ark: The Hierarchy makes landfall on Shanxi, finding a number of small towns strewn across the planet and a single half built city (ment to hold a million people), which has been turned into a death trap. They would fight across the planet, attempting to take the colony site and hunt down the scattered human settlments while the Alliance garrison harrases them on the ground, and the 6th Squadron raids them in space.
the events with The Illusive Man and the Reaper artafact would be mentioned, with secondary events like the Turians grabing the artafact from the Shanxi spaceport, being shown.
During the sidge, the prospecing crew mentioned earlier will be traped in Da Ling San. Another crew will attack them for dssperetly needsd supplies, and they would later go to Dowager Keep and begin assisting the Alliance in small ways, eventually using their ship as a unmaned kamakazi to destroy a Hierarchy cruiser.
The Fall of Shanxi: The Alliance regional forces (not the full fleet), launches a counterattack against the Da Ling San System. It starts off reletivly well, with the ground based Alliance forces launching a concurrent attack on the surface, but long excpected (and repeatedly mentioned) Hierarchy renforments arrive mid battle, causing a massive rout among the Alliance fleet in space and leeding to major losses on the ground. One chapter ends with a scene (in my head for months) of General Williams watching the Hamburg fall to Shanxi's surface, Admiral Hawking going down with her ship. Soon after, as the situation deteriorates over the next few days, Williams surenders.
Occupation Ark: The Hierarchy occupies Shanxi, with a small resistance existing. The reminants of Alliance force raids the Hierarchy in space, causing problems for their supply line. The Hierarchy believes that the force the Alliance deployed during the Fall of Shanxi was majority of the Alliance's navy, a belief supported by Alliance POWs as part of a disinformation campaign, with the higher ups claiming that the Allaince inflated the numbers for the public. Pirate forces in the Cyclops Delta take advantage of the Hierarchy's distraction to start a raiding campaign across the cluster. Those actions both harm the Hierarchy's operations around Shanxi, drawing ships away to patrol the cluster, and it confirms to the Council thr connection between humanity and the Terminus, leading to them approving of a Hierarchy plan to use Shanxi as a staging base to strike deeping into human space.
The Alliance is working both politically and logistically to prepare to liberate Shanxi, which culminates in a number of national ships mutinying to join the Alliance in the liberation fleet.
Liberation of Shanxi Ark: The Hierarchy sends its first expadition beyond the Shanxi Theta Relay into the Ginnungagap, right as the Alliance is preparing for the liberation of Shanxi. The force is mostly destroyed, but some of it manages to escape and warn the Hierarchy. The Alliance follows soon after and a massive battle begins both in orbit and on the ground, culminating in an Alliance victory.
Detente: The Alliance fortifies Da Ling San in preparation for another Hierarchy attack. However, the story of the Long Haul's crew, originally buried by mistake (another connection to the tradgidy in the title), is revealed, causing the Council to consider the situation may be a true first contact, and precede to panic about it. They send an envoy do Da Ling San, which makes peacefull contact with the Alliance.
Epilogue: A single ling chapter which ties up the story, including information on the Alliance's nect gen cruiser, the public reaction on both sides, Williams being bashed by humanity, and humanity's first visit to the Citidel. Final scene is of Sovereign being informed of humanity's introduction to the rest of the galaxy, and a mention that the cycle is soon to end.
A pseudo-sequel was also planned, telling the story of mankind's first diplomatic mission to the Citadel through letters sent by one of the ambassador's aids to his sister, speaking on the politics, diplomatic functions, food, and life on the Citadel.