Mass Effect Factions :: First Contact (IC)

by **Nuxipal** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 12:45 am

The Galaxy is in a relative Peace. The current date is 1.1.2157 and the galaxy is still buzzing regarding the Hanar's diplomatic prowess. They successfully negotiated with the Council and the Batarians and secured peace by permitting Batarian society to remain as it was. A citadel investigation was closed and Batarians were only permitted slave raids into the dangerous Terminus Systems by non-government funded ships. Because of this, many media sources were clamoring for the Hanar to be granted a Council Seat making them the fourth Council Race.

Lurking in the corners of the Galaxy, the people of the Citadel knew dangers existed. Because of this, activating new Mass Relays is a great crime. Even new races discovered can be a great danger. Very recently, 25 years ago, the Council discovered the primitive Yahg society on the planet Parnack. The Council delegation was attacked and murdered. Parnack was declared off limits.

Humanity has reached into the stars and have been unlocking Relays at every turn. It is only a matter of time before they come into contact with one of the nearby Citadel Races. Also nearby, the Raloi have completed their grand Telescope early and have begun peering into the skies of their home system with renewed clarity. Highly advanced for their pre-ftl civilization status, they could very well be discovered or discover another race around the same time.

How will the galaxy react to not one, but two new alien races appearing at the same time. Will they accept them into the Galactic Community, or will fear of the unknown freeze any chance these new comers could be accepted into Galactic Society.

What other dangers are lurking in the galaxy that we do not yet know about. Regardless of what is out there sooner or later, we will make First Contact.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 6:56 pm

High Orbit, Rannoch, Tikkun System, Perseus Veil

The Helmsman pulled away from the orbital docks high above the First World, invisible lines of force detaching as the behemoth of milisteel and armorplas clawed upwards away from the attraction of Rannoch. Indicators filled its vision, reporting that the other two vessels of the Explorator Fleet were prepared, and following in the heavy cruiser's wake. Adra Malitar was one of the few light engagement vessels the Geth possessed, but today she did not make her way to war, or indeed out on patrol. As the reaction drives throttled up the three vessels the nexus at the heart of the ship swarmed with sentiences, for this was a momentous day. It had been nearly a century since the Geth had sent explorers through the primary Relay, and today that changed.

With careful alignments calculated by processing power the rest of the galaxy could barely comprehend, the Relay was altered by subtle gravitic projections of the vessels arranged about it, a small constellation of ships designed purely for the purpose. As the charge built about the gateway to other worlds, the Helmsman guided the three ships forward at just the right moment when the energy was at its apex.

With a rush of color the void turned from dark to light, the silent figures of the Geth watching without emotion as a tableau almost too beautiful to comprehend rushed about them. Across uncounted leagues of space and indeed through time itself the exploration craft rushed, crewed by programs designed to go where none had been before.

by **The Orson Empire** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:39 pm

Omega

Omega was a very different place in 2157 than it used to be years ago, and has rose above its reputation as the twisted, lawless counterpart to the Citadel. Aria T'Loak's long reign had proved fruitful; she had established the first central government in Omegan history, with herself ruling as effectively an authoritarian dictator. Aria had also established the Terminus Colonization Initiative, which pushed the influence of Omega beyond the station. In addition to the rest of the Sahrabarik system, three other systems were now under the control of Omega, and new colonies had been established on these worlds. The Initiative was advertised to the rest of the Terminus Systems as a haven for anyone wanting to escape the extreme violence and lawlessness in the area, as they would be under the full protection of the Omegan Military; millions of people had flocked to these colonies in hopes of starting a new life.

Crime was still a problem on Omega itself, but as Aria's vast forces took control of the station district by district, crackdowns on gangs, mercenary factions, and anyone else who opposed Aria's reign were mandated. Aria cleaned up the station through the use of brutal force; those who opposed her could expect to either be executed or sent to a labor camp somewhere in the Omega Nebula. With agents all over the station, hardly any major criminal activity escaped Aria's notice, and any discovered was quickly put to an end. Contractors had been brought on to the station to clean up many of the slums that existed and give Omega a much-needed makeover; as nearly 1,000,000 people had left the station to the colonies over the years, entire districts were empty, and thus could be completely reconstructed and modernized.

Despite all of this, 30% of the entire station was still under the control of three major mercenary factions: the Crescent Claws, Eclipse, and Blood Pack, and they had sizable armies of their own. Skirmishes were common, no direct attacks had been made on these mercenary factions in several years. This, however, was about to quickly change.

A routine "stop-and-search" patrol conducted by the Omegan Navy in the Sahrabarik system managed to capture a Blood Pack vessel disguised as a civilian ship. As Omegan infantry boarded the vessel, they were met with heavy gunfire from the mercenaries; a short firefight ensued, and as the enemy ship was cleared out of mercenaries, the infantry made a great discovery; Gesark, the Krogan leader of the Blood Pack, and several high-ranking Blood Pack leaders were caught trying to escape. They were arrested and eventually transferred to the custody of an elite spec-ops team.

With the main leadership of the Blood Pack captured, Aria planned to take advantage of their moment of weakness. From the provisional capital on the planet Vatar, Aria ordered the entirety of the Omegan Army, as well as the Omegan Constable Force to fully mobilize and prepare for an invasion of the districts controlled by the Blood Pack.

by **Cybraxia** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 9:01 pm

The City, Virmire
Hoc System
Sentry Omega

Light's platform looked out the window overlooking the growing settlement that he had helped create. And he felt pride. Actual, emotional pride. It filled him with hope to see synthetics and organics working together to create a future that both would live to see. And he had helped make it. Thirty years ago, he could have told you the odds that this would happen were slim. But now that had all changed, and especially with Project Lazarus on the horizon...

The activity alert to his door triggered, drawing him out of his thoughts. "Come in."

The door opened, and a dark grey uniformed platform entered. They, no, he wore a red helmet, a yellow scarf. His photoreceptors, no, eyes were hidden behind the visor of his helmet. And while his designation was Model-V3N Unit D-3774, Light knew him as his son, and Light would always make that known.

"Ah, good, right on schedule." Light welcomed, turning around. "How are our defenses?"

His son shook his head. "We could have done this through the network. It would have been faster." His modulator rasped out. If Light had lips, he would have grimaced. Spirits only knew why he set his voice to that. All it did was intimidate people, but perhaps that was what he wanted.

"Perhaps it would have been quicker, but it's very impersonal. Besides, while being Chief of Security is quite important, it is nice if you visited your family once in a while, son." The son's shoulders slumped, causing Light to internally chuckle. Embarrassing one's offspring was a monopoly that Organics had held for too long. "I just want to make sure that you're doing alright. You're throwing yourself into your chosen role a little too well. Some people are starting to think that you're all machine."

"Is that not what we are?" His son asked rhetorically. "We're machines with thought, and because of that, the rest of the galaxy hates us. Fears us."

"Which is understandable. They don't comprehend something inorganic with a will of its own. It's foreign. And so, we must assuage their fears. Show them that we only wish for peace. You must show that you are more than a machine. That you are a living entity."

His son shook his head again. "They won't change. They only maintain the status quo, no matter how much it hurts others. In any case, our defenses are still at full readiness."

Light nodded, slightly dismayed at his son's fatalist attitude. On the one hand, he should be glad that his son was developing a personality much his own. But on the other hand, to take such a depressing stance. "Thank you, son. You are dismissed." He turned back to the window as his son exited the office. And as he stared into the blue sky, words, seemingly from nowhere, entered his thoughts...

No matter how dark it gets...
Even now, there is hope...

by **Nuxipal** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 10:28 pm

Illium
Offices of the Chief Executive

Tavia Nevos, the current Chief Executive of Illium, sat high above the Illium skyline. She had been selected by the Board of Directors to lead Illium for the next century. She looked over her predecessor's pile of leftovers. She looked through a few piles of datapads and discovered a gem, a pair of dreadnoughts being constructed in orbit. They were well hidden and about halfway done. Whatever she was building them for, Tavia would be the one to reap their benefits. She also had dozens of science outposts across the planet as well as one major lab. She had a plan.

She sent orders to the science teams to begin work on Eezo Factories to increase the strategic output of Illium's economy. She looked over the colonization efforts within the Crescent Nebula. Colonization efforts on Tarith and Helyme were increasing as were the mining operations within the Tasale System.

The last bit of interesting intel, was the mention of a group known as the Crescent Claws on Omega. A source of funding was detected heading to them to keep Omega weakened. A message was crafted and a group of troops prepared.

The message was sent via Asari Commando Encryption which Aria would recognize easily enough. She turned her attention back to the colonization efforts and reviewed this month's expected expenses.

by **Jhet** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:58 am

theme

Sur'Kesh, Talat

Marlas reclined in her chair, savouring the soft fall of rain as if it were thunderous applause. She could still see their faces, the dalatrasses of the Linron bloodline finally admitting defeat as the Danse family secured themselves as the ultimate voice in the Union. They had been killed after that, one less loose end to worry about for the oncoming years. Everyone knew that she was going to do it, that executive order that had become almost a ritualistic tradition for the leaders of Sur'Kesh. No threat, no less a cornered one, could be allowed to recover from their defeat.

"They would have done the same to me," she told the cheering rain. Yes, the Linron bloodlines were renowned for their ambition. That and their willingness for a clean slate from which to leap onto the next rung of power. Now that their chief matriarchs were gone, their successors knew what was expected of them: submission.

"You said something?" Free inquired, stepping from out of the shadows to her master's side.

"Get me the High Admiral," Marlas answered, her mind already jumping to present affairs.

Free bowed, setting off at a dignified trot towards the Dalatrass's secured communications room. That left the leader of the Union alone with the rain, and fifty concealed security measures. And still they cheered.

Saradril, Orbit

Lyznat growled as the High Admiral dismissed his crew from the bridge.

"You may stay," she informed the captain, gesturing towards her own security team to take up the places now left vacant. "But do not speak."

Hergon half-blood. He bowed towards the High Admiral's back, forcing a smile to remain fixed on his face. She had supported the Linron dalatrasses, even as their power faded into obscurity, a move which would soon come back to haunt her. They were dead, assassinated by the Danse and their allies. Half a hundred reports had already reached the fleet about the incident, as Linron supporters tried desperately to call the fleet to action.

"Dalatrass Danse," the Admiral barked out, her voice apparently unsettled. "It is a pleasur-"

Lyznat could not hear the other end of the conversation, a pair of green-garbed enforcers keeping him a safe distance from his commander. You are going to die, he wanted to whisper in their ear. There are only eight of you.

It wasn't often that the salarian political infighting broke out to the fleet. Indeed, the worst ever incident in recorded history was several frigates attempting to strike out into the Terminus with their failed revolutionaries onboard. From those revoluntionaries sprang the Lystheni bloodlines, a warning to all of salarian society what happens when the fleet involves itself in the realm of the matriarchs. But the incompetence of the Linron's paranoia before their defeat had set the military on a path of political relevance.

"I am not the traitor, Marlas," the traitor declared, her voice rising to fill the command center. "Your assassins rigged the election. All the dalatrasses know this."

The High Admiral was a Linron, now the matriarch of two bloodlines and the most respected of their dalatrasses. And with her family out of power, she had taken it upon herself to seize control of what strength she could. Of course no words had been uttered, nor move made to train the mass accelerators on the Danse strongholds, but all knew that the fleet had been seized by the Linrons. How far her control stretched Lyznat could only guess at, but for as long as she remained aboard his ship, her flagship of power, the Union was divided.

"It is lawful soldiers who crew these ships," the traitor's voice rose again. "They will destroy any attempt by you to wrest control from me."

As if on que, the control station became a battleground. There was a flash, a great hissing as if from some oceanic beast, and then the bridge doors opened. Standing there were salarians, garbed in red and white. Rifles sounded off, sending the High Admiral's guards sprawling across the floor. Lyznat could barely dive to the ground before spec-ops hands were grabbing him, pulling him to the side as soldiers lunged towards the former High Admiral.

She died screaming treachery.

by **Ulls** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 11:22 am

ITS HQ,
Thoth, Corporate Half of Benning

Simon was walking through the sleek metallic hallway towards double doors as they slide to show the board room. The room was full of investors who were either there physically or as a hologram as they awaited the CEO to sit down. A number of datapads were in front of his view that made him wander what it was about.

" It seems that everyone here is happy for there return investments. I can assure you that your continue investments will not just increase, but increase substantially within the first half of this year once the company has completed its first step of the Project." Simon said to the board.

The board looked at each other with worry as one spoke.

" Mr.McMann, while we don't doubt your skills to bring your company back as a R&D Firm. Hell, you were able to be among the first businessmen to make deals with the Alliance and succeed with the largest profit margins than Horus Research could ever make. Still, this Project of yours will succeed, but we are worried that you are trying to push the company and yourself to limits that you both may not have. The Board suggest that you should let the Project take its natural course. Let the colonial immigration, while slow, fill our needs and the company will be all the better for it."

Simon gave a sigh," I'm not getting any younger. This is my Project that you agreed on, I've given you projections and what you can expect with the next six months. However, instead of praise and looking forward to making a larger profit than what you think you see, I give you the first step that can be completed quicker than a few years and you say to hold off?"

He then rose up in anger from his chair and leaned forward on the table.

" I know how this company works! I have seen numerous members of the board arrive and leave. Let me tell you something, you know what the Project can do. I suggest that you wait for the projections to match my ambitions. If you don't have what I offered, than I can retire and you can put someone else as the head of this company. If I do, then I expect this Board to be more respectful and align with what I'm trying to move with this company and my Project. Now, this meeting is over."

He walked out of the meeting room and started to go to his office. He was mad and his body responded in kind as he was hurting a bit. He knew he needed to be calm and take things slow. It was one of the things his doctor had told him if he wanted to live longer. As much as he tries to slow down, the fate of the company weighed too much on his shoulders and he swore that once Project Thoth is done then he will resign and rest finally.

He got to his office and saw the overlook of the growing city. There were no large buildings, skyscrapers, or even the sight of any commercial vehicle. The HQ itself was only two-in-a-half stories tall and it was the biggest thing around besides the newly built shipyard. Simon sat down and read through his messages. Most of them were for different parts of the budget that were needing to be signed off. Most of the budget was domestic with a dash of military as the company wanted to set up the necessary infrastructure on their half of Benning while some other interested parties were looking at the other clusters like Shanxi and the Local Cluster for planets suitable to support full corporate operations outside of UNE or Alliance control locally.

This could cause some ramifications if they don't do it right but it shouldn't be too bad, perhaps Simon could make some agreement to accept taxes to whoever in exchange of not being sanctioned or brought down. Of the many planets that they found, one came into view, the garden world of Sathur. The world itself was outside of Alliance of UNE jurisdiction for now and the system itself has been unclaimed, yet explored. The ITS had decided to gamble on the idea of establishing a corporate colony with the long-term investment of having the solar system under Simon's grip. To him, he considers this a back up idea incase that Project Thoth on Benning was found out or it became a failure itself. The colony itself was named Isis and was to set up another city, but one that can potentially maximize the use of the colony itself.

The military part of the budget was those for the ground army. There were still lots of soldiers that can be recruited from Earth and her colonies. On top of the more, practical, and advance armor that was custom made for the ITS soldiers, and advance weapon designs, they're are tanks and APCs that the company has been looking to buy ever since they had acquired the licenses to buy them from Earth.

After work was done, he sat back in his chair and took a little rest as he pondered on the next few months, it would be a substantial increase before the research is done and the profit value will have a much hire meteoric rise of power among Humanity's largest corporations.

by **The Orson Empire** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 6:27 pm

Vatar, Kairavamori System

Vatar had been the provisional capital of Omega for the past 30 years, and the capital was to be relocated back to the station itself once it was fully under the control of the Omegan Military and had been renovated suitably enough. Ever since it was colonized by Omega under the Terran Colonization Initiative, Vatar had reached a population of roughly 20,000,000 people; immigration to the world had increased dramatically in just the past 5 years, with thousands of immigrants arriving every month. Colonies were constructed mainly underground, due to Vatar's frigid surface and carbon-dioxide atmosphere; nevertheless, with an average surface gravity and a thick atmosphere, life on the planet was good enough for most species. Work was plentiful, not only in the newest mines and industrial areas, and

One of the few above-ground buildings was the Vatar Capitol Building. Not only was it the capitol building for Vatar's local government, but it was also where Aria and her council of advisors convened. The building was in the shape of a massive dome, and several hangars lined the outside of the building to allow ships to dock at. The inside of the building resembled that of a large palace, with ornate furniture and decorations being a common sight; this was not only meant to display Omega's newfound and lavish wealth, but also to offset the negative reputation Omega had to any foreigners.

In her private office, Aria had just finished speaking with members of her military staff regarding the Blood Pack war when she received a message from Illium. After reading it, she had managed to learn some useful intelligence from Chief Executive Tavia Nevos. The Crescent Claws, another problematic mercenary organization on Omega, was being funded by a bank account set up by her predecessor. Aria was already wary of Illium, as they were fierce competitors with the Terminus System regarding trade, and this seemed to have confirmed her suspicions. However, Nevos seemed to be making amends with Aria; she would offer to freeze the account if Omega opened up diplomatic negotiations with Illium. Despite being wary of Illium, Aria knew a good deal when she saw one. It could create the most powerful economic alliance in both the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Systems. Aria decided that she would entertain the idea, and began drafting an encrypted reply to Nevos.

by **Segmentia** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 9:36 pm

Thessia, Asari Republics

Thessia was the crown jewel of the galaxy, the pinnacle of civilization and culture that many no doubt sought to achieve, and yet few could claim to be near its glory. Skylines crowded with towering buildings, imposing yet elegant, and the beautiful natural environment that was almost painstakingly preserved, but many saw it as a duty the planet was owed for having nurtured the Asari so well. Matriarch Alenia Nyxemi turned from the railing she was leaning on and headed back into the expansive private residence of her old friend Benezia. They had known each other for hundreds of years, almost their entire lives, and now both sat on the Matriarchs Council, an alliance of sorts between several influential Matriarchs. Benezia had always been popular and now that she was a Matriarch her following was in the tens of millions, though her words and ideas touched far more. Alenia wasn't quite as popular in the public view, but she had connections that made her words almost as powerful, industrialists, the extremely wealthy, and throughout the military and para-military communities. They were a powerful duo.

Alenia walked down the steps, passing by a table and grabbing her drink, taking a sip of the vintage beverage before speaking. “You know I'm more or less right, Benezia. If we were to have a more centralized government we would be able to do so much more on a galactic stage.” She spoke as she plopped down onto one of the long couches in the room. Benezia looked up at her from behind her desk, her fingers not stopping as they typed.

“I don't disagree, Alenia, but a central government does tend to go against our culture. City-state republics and direct democracy have always served us well in the past. I don't see some central, Republics spanning authority going over well.” Benezia said with a slight grin. She too wanted the Asari to take a larger role in the galaxy instead of just being the mediators and influence brokers.

“Nonsense! Some of the greatest achievements in Asari pre-space history were carried out by non-democratic nations. The Great Works of Athame, several key technological developments, and dozens more. All we need to do is start highlighting those nations and people, and I think given some time we could sway public opinion. And what's more, we'll let them vote for it.” Alenia smirked. Campaigns of misinformation were nothing new, though they weren't all that common. The Asari preferred trying to understand differences rather then play upon them, but with something like this, that had to potential to change the Asari and indeed the galaxy, well Alenia had slept fine with having done worse things before, this wouldn't be a problem.

“Just leave it to me, Benezia, and don't worry your pretty head about it.” Alenia chuckled as Benezia shook her head. Alenia finished her drink before she stood and left, wishing Benezia a good day as she went about her business.

It wasn't long before Alenia was back to her own home, in fact she lived only about ten floors down the towering structure, as it was more or less the center of power for the Republic in which it stood, and where the Council of Matriarchs traditionally had its important functions. She was busy at work quickly enough, sending out messages to her subordinates and allies, getting a few research projects slated, and starting to develop a media campaign that would hopefully see progress in swaying the minds of billions of Asari.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:54 am

Near Haestrom, Geth Outer Security Zone, Far Rim

It was curious, to see a Batarian vessel so far away from Hegemony space. They must be new on the galactic scene, whoever was piloting the beleaguered craft, to have strayed so willfully in to a system that the rest of interstellar civilization knew to be under lock and key. Still, it was with regret that Naxamanus watched the munitions from his patrol dreadnought eviscerate the lumbering mining vessel. They were hapless, certainly, but the forms had to be obeyed. The Consensus was clear; no outsiders were allowed in Geth space, save with explicit permission from the Consensus as a body, and all interlopers were to be summarily destroyed and their vessels sifted for technological artifacts, to update the isolated synthetics on the progress of the organic races beyond the protected spaces of the Far Rim and the Perseus Veil.

Almost beautifully, if one did not know the context, the explosions of the thermobaric weapons blossomed in the void. Without air there was very little fire, save gouts of red flame where atmosphere vented from the stricken craft. But the tableau of expanding subatomic particles and hot plasma leftovers glinted iridescently in the light of the nearby star, and for a time the captain of the massive monolith of war wished he could comprehend the emotional impetus of the scene like other beings of the cosmos. It was a lack keenly felt, if felt was the right word for a cognitive realization in a being incapable of the indistinct thoughts of sentiment, for a passing moment.

Then the Geth vessel turned away, signaling the cleanup drones that another husk was ready for inspection. Nobody would ever hear of the fate of that Batarian crew, unless one day organic researchers accessed the interminably vast record-logs of the Consensus itself, but wives and children would look up at the stars for husbands and fathers never to return. It was a cruel policy, but one designed in the face of the harsh reality of hatred that pervaded the space beyond Geth borders. Only through constant vigilance and a naked sword could the balance be maintained.

by **Theyra** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:06 pm

Elcor Courts
Silean Nebula
Phontes system
Dekuuna
Sereuun

Xeltan was in his office looking over at the most recent reports, reading though the information on his data terminal.His office had not changed much since his move from Malvuon, the second capital. The Elcor are unique in that they have twin capitals and reason for that was that the Elcor of old would migrate between the dry and wet seasons. Though this tradition has been rendered obsolete by modern technology, but it is still a respected tradition. He started to think about the new developments that were going to be made. After consulting the libraries of Sereuun, it was clear that the Courts should colonize the rest of the Silean Nebula. One planet in the Nahuala System was already be picked for a target and is being colonized as he looked at the report. However it is a low-gravity world for the Elcor and that will cause some problems for the colonists. But they will endue and hopefully prosper on the world. Along with the development of the nearby gas giant, the process appears to be going well. Xeltan stopped looking at the reports and walked to the window of his office. His office overlooked the plains that existed outside of the city. He took a deep breath and started to think the process that the Elcor have been made. From when they lived in clans to now, it made him feel good and this time, the Elcor are coming out of their comfort zone.

by **Nuxipal** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:22 pm

Results of Omegan Exploration of the Exodus Cluster

The Light Cruiser makes its way carefully through the Mass Relays along its intended route, steering clear of Citadel Council patrols. Upon reaching the edge of Batarian Space, the Exodus Cluster, the ship uses the mass Relay network to locate an inactive relay deep within the cluster. It takes a few hours to interface with it, but once they establish the location of another relay, also inactive, they remotely activate it through this relay. They then make the jump through the uncharted relay.

The voyage is quick as any other Relay Jump is and they find themselves in the same cluster in a strange system. As they do preliminary scans on the system, one planet sticks out as its biological readings are off the chart. As they approach this world they note that the planet is nearly in garden status. As the crew approaches the planet they find what the bio readings were from.

The crew finds a haze of insect-like creatures in the upper atmosphere which seem to be feeding off of the sunlight. The exotic world continues to surprise them as additional fauna across the surface shows unique evolutionary paths in which animals feed through a type of photosynthesis. The more science inclined crew find this planet fascinating and cannot wait to set up a more permanent base here.

Results of Geth Exploration of the Perseus Veil

The Relay slung the Geth along a new path, sending them along a carefully calculated path. They emerge hours later, their instruments confirm they are in a newly discovered cluster. While the system was very uninspiring, the geth were not a race looking for inspiration. The large Hydrogen-Helium Gas Giant had two moons and was sandwiched between two asteroid belts, which may have been failed planets. They orbit a dim, red dwarf star that is somewhere near the middle of its extensive lifespan, but such is the way of the edge of the galaxy.

by **Elerian** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 1:48 am

Truth is Treason in an Empire of Lies

Toxic smoke exploded out of the seemingly infinite factories that covered the landscape as far as the eye could see. The sky was a darkling, twisted grey as the atmosphere had been polluted to obscene levels. The air was unfit to breathe, so citizens wore masks whenever going outside, or simply breathed it and lowered their lifespan in doing so. To live as a Laborer on Kar’shan was to live a bestial, primitive existence. Working long, forgotten hours in a nondescript factory that barely formed a blip on total production levels. Knowing you were meaningless in the grand scheme of things would pervade a rational person's mind, but propaganda was everywhere. In every street electronic billboards bombarded the citizenry with frightening tales of foreign invaders, of atrocities committed by the enemy, whose identity was only known by a few, against their fellow Batarians. Promises of salvation and spiritual evolution accompanied floating balloons, promoting immigration to Batarian colony worlds. Commissars roamed the cities to ensure the Hegemony’s narrative remained unquestioned, dragging away known dissidents at night to never be seen again.

While Kar’shan was neither breathtaking nor particularly splendid in the same way the Citadel was, it's influence was cemented as the center of the Hegemony's power fanning out to the rest of the dominions of the Hegemony. Despite everything, this was still the Batarian’s homeworld. Billions called this cesspit home, even if they wished they could escape it. And even with transport ships constantly leaving, it was still nearly impossible to secure a spot on an outbound ship.

You see, on Kar’shan lotteries aren’t played for fortunes, lotteries are played to get off Kar’shan. Every week thousands or even tens of thousands of names are called, and those chosen are whisked away from the slums of Kar’shan to start a new life elsewhere. Yet, even having won the lottery, families must play the waiting game for months, if not years to get a spot on one of the over-packed passenger transports. It sadly wasn’t unheard of for some lottery winners to waste away from the toxins before they got a chance to leave, such was the way of Kar’shan.

Citadel, Batarian Delegation

The Hegemony emissary ship descended through the vast skyscrapers and mid-air traffic towards the Citadel Presidium. The Diplomat, belonging to one of the few castes that were given permission to leave the borders of the Hegemony, was named Anaran Bhaesh. He remembered the schooling he’d learned about the various races. As a diplomat, he had lived his whole life learning about foreign nations, Anaran specialized in Galactic law and Citadel Customs. He’d been chosen by the senior diplomats to convey the word of the Hegemon to the Council.

Approaching the Presidium, the ship slowed down significantly to launch a pair of armored shuttles that sped off towards the shuttle bays. Their ship sped back up and zoomed off to go and dock at one of the docking bays. The shuttles radioed to the ground crews to alert them of their arrival.

After that, the shuttles slowed and touched down. It slowed down just before the docks, and moved to a crawl as drones surrounded the shuttles and began scanning them for contraband. After a couple minutes, the drones turned and floated off to the security station. The shuttle’s doors opened with a pneumatic hiss and a dozen Batarians stepped from the shuttles.

Customs and security still weren't done. Armed C-Sec agents searched the ship to ensure no contraband was missed, then gave them the all clear. The pilots left the delegation behind as they wandered off to the dock registry to record the shuttle’s entry. Anaran knew that the other species weren’t treated this way, their diplomatic envoys were never searched or held up. The Batarians on the other hand were treated worse than Pyjek. It had gotten so bad several years prior that the Batarians were on the verge of leaving their position as a client species. Anaran pushed it from his mind as he and his staff departed for their species’ embassy in the Presidium.

by **Brotherhood Steel the 2nd** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 11:19 am

Human Systems Alliance

"We Fight or We Die"

Arcturus Station - Arcturus Stream
January 1st, 2157

The Human Systems Alliance, or the Systems Alliance as it was being referred to more and more each day, was at the for-front of human expansion throughout the galaxy and putting itself forward as the public face of human affairs. With the discovery of the Prothean artifact at the Mars Archives a decade prior, all of humanity was in a race to colonize the space beyond the Sol System of the Charon Relay; ready to explore the vastness of the galaxy and enrich humanity as a whole. With their United Nations charter founded in 2149 to expand the holdings of humanity beyond the Sol System and to manage the external affairs of Earth, the Systems Alliance had grown from being considered the "space arm" of the United Nations to steadily becoming it's own political and sovereign entity, and with its' growing power, it needed a leader to help guide it into the next age of expansionism for humanity. Luckily for humanity and for the Systems Alliance, that man happened to be their current Prime Minister, a man that seemed to be out of time in the name of Francis Cincotti.

Overlooking into the vastness of space, with the occasional passing of an Alliance Navy cruiser or dreadnought in the distance, the offices of the Systems Alliance Prime Minister offered an unparalleled and dramatic view. A man of above average height at a little over six foot tall and in his mid-fifties, Francis stood far apart from the norm that was expected of politicians or persons of power in the 22nd century on Earth or in the Systems Alliance. Coming from an old Italian family, Francis looked to be a call-back to the politicians of the mid-twentieth century; bull faced, no nonsense and to the point men that talked straight and didn't let personal interest nor politics get in their way of achieving their end goal. Forgoing wearing the clothing of most politicians or humans for the time, the Prime Minister wore a three-piece suit similar to the clothing of the 21st century with a modern style on them. Having been the first elected Prime Minister for the Systems Alliance since the Charter of the Systems Alliance in 2152, as the previous two had been selected by the United Nations back on Earth, Francis was determined to make his election and win from two years prior to make sure that his time in office would help solidify the position of the Systems Alliance to eventually no longer require the backing of Earth to become self-sufficient and eventually represent all of humanity as the face.

Looking out into the vastness of space, Francis smiled as he made a few general comments to his secretary. "Isn't marvelous, Diane? Forty years ago, back on Earth, no one could have predicted that humanity would have colonized beyond the Sol System for another century or so with our technology. Thanks to the Mars Archives and the discovery of the Charon Relay, humanity has made great strides in this past decade. Indeed, we are in a golden age for all of humanity to witness. Who would have thought that we would standing here, on a space station of this size, and be leading humanity across the stars?" As Francis finished his thoughts, his secretary, a young Systems Alliance Officer in her late twenties, responded back. "This is a wonderful time to be alive, Mr. Prime Minister. Growing up on Earth and then Terra Nova, I would have never thought that we as a race would have reached so far in so little time, and not in my life-time as well." As Diane took a moment to appreciate the view that with the Prime Minister before she reminded her boss of the day's schedule and the updates that had been coming in from the colonies.

Taking the calmness in for the moment, Francis sighed before he turned to his secretary and responded back. "Indeed, we are reaching new heights it seems with each passing month now as we find more and more Mass Relays from our travels into the galaxy. Keep me updated with news from the 2nd Frontier Flotilla and how their mission with Relay 314 is going, as I am sure that President Theodore Eric Schindler of the United Nations of Earth will want to hear about it in our weekly call later this week. Thank you, Diane, your dismissed." As the Prime Minister finished, the young secretary nodded before leaving his office. Smiling at the news that progress was being made with the discovery of a new mass relay, Francis made his way to his liquor cabinet and proceed to pour himself a glass of single-malt scotch and light a cigar as he noted to himself on this great news. At the rate our ships are finding new relays and at the rate that we are settling them, humanity will probably have settled over 100 planets by the end of the century. Indeed we live a great age of discovery for humanity, and the Systems Alliance is at the forefront of that charge. Finishing his thought, Francis smiled as he rose a toast to the vastness of space before proceeding to finish his drink.

Smoking his cigar, Prime Minister Francis proceeded back over to his desk to read over some reports from the rest of the colonies and news throughout the Systems Alliance. Reading through the notes on his datapad, Francis pondered and made mental notes with the other developments going on throughout the Systems Alliance, as different points of interest seemed to be happening throughout the realm of humanity, and as such many decisions needed to be made to keep the holdings of humanity maintained and ever expanding.

Little did the Prime Minister, nor anyone in the Systems Alliance or humanity as a whole, would soon discover that the answer to their long-age question of whether they were the only intelligent race in the galaxy would be discovered. To that answer...they weren't.

Shanxi - Exodus Cluster
January 1st, 2157

Almost a spitting image of Earth itself, Shanxi was one of the newer and more populous colonies thus far that the Systems Alliance had managed to founded for all of humanity. Founded in 2152, Shanxi already bolstered a population north of one million inhabitants and was bringing in more and more colonists every week from Earth. Having relative access to Terra Nova a few systems away and with access to a host of other planets for resources, Shanxi was looked towards as the future staging point for all traveling moving forward as the Systems Alliance continue its' expansion into the unknown galaxy.

With Alliance Taskforce 1 in orbit around the planet itself, and with the 1st Frontier Marine and 201st Marine Divisions under the command of General Bradley Williams on the ground, things seemed to present themselves to be a calm and cool nature both for Shanxi and the rest of the system itself. Indeed, Shanxi represented the progress that humanity had made with developing it's frontier colonies in record time and how humans as a whole were eager to settle the vastness of space.

Little did they know that only a few systems away, humanity would soon come into contact with an alien race, and that the planet itself would become famous for being known as the first hostile actions of humans against an alien race.

Code: Select all: Alliance Taskforce 1 - Shanxi: 1 Heavy Cruiser, 2 Light Cruisers 1 Escort Carrier, 3 Destroyers, 4 Frigates, Two Marine Divisions

Mass Effect Relay - Number 314
January 1st, 2157

Having just founded the new Mass Relay, being called Relay 314, the 2nd Flotilla of the 2nd Alliance Fleet was still in the process of making their scans in the new system that the dominant relay was in. Made up of the light cruiser SSV Geneva, and the frigates SSV Agincourt, SSV Iwo Jima, and SSV Trafalgar, the 2nd Flotilla was under the overall command of Captain James O'Malley. Marking almost a month since the flotilla had entered into the system, O'Malley was visibly in a pissed-off mood that the newest relay was taking this long to activate as compared to the previous ones that he had been assigned to over the last few years, as normally they would only, at most, take a week to get up and running.

Looking over the CIC as the other officers worked, O'Malley sighed as he spoke. "Almost a month we have been here since the discovery of Relay 314, and still those bloody scientists haven't gotten it up and running yet? At this rate, we'll discover sentient live in this system before we get this relay to work." As O'Malley finished his words, his XO spoke in the retort to calm the captain down from his prissy mood. "Sir, the science team from the Iwo Jima as tried every technique and way to get the relay to start that we know of, but they are having no effect on it. It almost seems like this particular one was purposefully rigged to not work anymore by someone else. Who, we don't know." As his XO finished his retort, O'Malley proceeded to get into an argument with his XO over the effectiveness of the scientists and this whole operation, causing both men to argue back and forth and not paying attention to their surroundings.

Suddenly, the Navigation Officer spoke up to the two arguing men with a message of urgency. Captain, we are detecting at least ten unknown signatures 20 kilometers out from our positions. They seem to be heading from the asteroid belt further into the system. Could be another fly-by of asteroids." As the Navigation Officer finished, O'Malley looked to the young man as he responded back. "Asteroids coming all the way out here? That seems unusual, as our previous data and experience has shown that the fields caused by the Mass Relays normally keep away any asteroids from coming near them. Run another scan!" As O'Malley finished, he continued back to arguing with his XO as he ignored the obvious signs that this wasn't a routine reading that was being picked up.

Little did the 2nd Flotilla knew that the scans on their systems was going to result in First Contact with another intelligent race of the galaxy, and this first interaction with the rest of the galaxy was not going to go well.

OOC: Monthly builds will be in next post to follow later today in my shorter post. Thanks.

by **Kinistian** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 8:14 pm

Turian 1&2 Scout Flotilla

Captian Fernius looked at the strange looking Flotilla of ships that were attempting to active the relay that they were there to protect. "What do the scans indicate"he inquired to his deck officer who worked on a interface nearby."Signatures to match any known codes,and they are attempting to scan us as well but we are flooding it was junk data"he replied as he punched a few buttons as a pop up of the relay came on screen."Sir tampering with the relay as been detected"he said and brought up the image that showed the relay had been toyed with by the strange ships.

Captian Fernius looked at the strange ships before narrowing his eyes"Our orders stand,no one is allowed to tamper with the relays. Prepare a warning shot right across their haul and launch the fighters!"he said and the crew responded accordingly. The gunner started to warm up the main gun,the heat it exerted would easily be detected by any scanner while the two Escort carriers launch their two fighter squadrons that approached in two V formations.

"Hold your fire and attempt to hail the trespassers,if they fail to respond or attempt to move fire the warning shot"Fernius orders as he watched the situation unfold. His hands held behind his back as he watched the battle map that he stood above,watching his fighters slowly approach the friagtes size ships.

Citedal||Turian Embassy|| Councilor Puter Natadros

Puter was finally finished with today's council sessions,the male Turian plopping down on his desk to rest his knees that have been keeping him in one place for hours. He grabbed a wine glass and poured a blue liquor like substance into it before sitting back and talking a sip from it"Haaa that's it!"he said before setting it back down on his desk. He then decided to see what his government was currently building this month.

by **The Orson Empire** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 11:09 pm

Outpost Zokash, Vrai System, Exodus Cluster

As war with the Blood Pack commenced, Aria had approved a top secret expedition to the Exodus Cluster, located to the galactic south and deep in the Attican Traverse. The expedition would involve one light cruiser, led by a female Turian known as Captain Alnaria Vria, and a crew of several hundred soldiers and sailors; a group of scientists were also present to study any new planets they would come across. For years, Aria and her advisors had the goal of establishing a presence outside of the Omega Nebula, and finally, Omega was powerful and wealthy enough that this became feasible.

The location of this new colony was strategic; the Exodus Cluster, like the nearby Horse Head Nebula to the north, was barely surveyed and explored. It was in close proximity to Citadel Space, and the Citadel Council formally claimed the area as its own (though they had no actual power there); however, the Exodus Cluster was one of the lesser known clusters in the Traverse, and did not attract significant attention from the Council, the nearby Batarian Hegemony, or the other forces of the Terminus. There were unlocked mass relays in the area, but ships usually passed on through them to other clusters in the Traverse, or straight to Citadel Space. Aria and her advisors decided that it would be best to unlock a dormant relay and explore the connecting system. Once a colony was established, it would not only solidify Omega's presence in the Traverse and allow for more colonies to be founded, but its proximity to Citadel Space would allow information and intelligence gathered about the Council races to reach Omega faster.

The expedition received significant funding, allowing for the provision of extra supplies and modifications to the light cruiser that would aid the survival of the crew. Once all the preparations were complete, the light cruiser lifted off from its orbital docks above Vatar and set sail. The trip from the Omega Nebula through Hawking Eta and the Horse Head Nebula was relatively short, though the crew were ordered to keep watch for any Citadel patrols lurking around the mass relays. The crew then spent a few hours interfacing with the mass relay network in the Exodus Cluster, and after managing to find another relay, they made the jump into the great unknown.

Upon emerging on the other side, preliminary scans revealed that the system contained two planets and an asteroid belt, with one planet and its moon both being barren. However, the other planet stuck out, as its biological readings were incredible. The light cruiser moved into orbit around this world and discovered that it was actually habitable; it appeared that the expedition had been a resounding success. The crew would spend days exploring the surface of the world; one notable discovery was a haze of insectoid creatures feeding off of the sunlight in the upper atmosphere. More research would have to be conducted in order to find out how these creatures achieved this.

The new system was named Vria in honor of the captain, but news of its discovery was still not revealed to the general public. The habitable world was referred to by the military as "Outpost Zokash", and its colonization would begin with the establishment of military bases on the planet. Mines and factories were under construction, and a shipyard was being constructed in orbit. Working with local contractors, workers and freighters were contracted by the military and sent to Outpost Zokash; while these contractors knew of the existence of the system, they were forbidden under penalty of death from disclosing the information to anyone else.

Utopia System, Systems Alliance Space

A large civilian freighter, having delivered all of its cargo to Outpost Zokash, began the long journey back to the Omega Cluster. The freighter was under the command of Captain Udanna Rokborr, a male Batarian contractor who had seen an opportunity to make a pretty penny delivering supplies to this new system. Udanna and his motley crew of everything from Asari to Vorcha cared little about the fact that this was a major military base; all they cared about was the money, despite the risk of coming into contact with Citadel patrols or other dangers.

They had attempted to take another route to the Exodus Cluster to avoid any Citadel patrols. After interfacing with the local mass relay network, they chose a random unlocked relay to go through. Once on the other side, they ended up in a system that wasn't on any star charts they had access to, despite the fact that the relay was unlocked. This meant that it had only been unlocked recently. However, the situation quickly deteriorated from that point on.

"What the hell is this..." Udanna stated while looking at a screen which showed the scans of the system. Numerous ships showed up on the screen, jumping in and out of the system from the mass relay; a full map of the system with all planets and moons was also available.

A nearby Turian, who was apart of the bridge crew, turned towards the captain. "None of these ships match any known signatures of Citadel Council ships, or for that matter, any ship in our records. This is beyond bizarre."

Udanna turned towards the pilots. "Burn towards that second planet in orbit, seeing as it's the most habitable."

The pilots followed their orders, and the ships main engines fired at full power, moving the freighter at an incredible speed towards the planet. Meanwhile, Commander Hulaki, Udanna's right hand man approached him. He was a large, intimidating, and no-nonsense Krogan that nearly everyone on the ship either feared or respected. Udanna and Hulaki had formed a strong friendship over the years, and they both respected and trusted each other.

"Are you certain this is a good decision?" Hulaki would ask the captain. "We don't have the time to hang around this system, and the longer we stay, the greater the chance of us being discovered by those damned patrols."

"I know what I'm doing," Udanna replied. "Besides, I have a strange feeling about this system..."

by **Lunas Legion** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:12 am

Hall of the Archon, Turvess

Turvess would be regarded by many as a garden among garden worlds. The view from the glass walls of the Hall of the Archon was rainforest that stretched to the horizon, undisturbed and unspoiled. The Raloi, as a rule, hated spaces from which they couldn't see Or, at least, they couldn't see enough to do whatever job they had. They hated darkness more.

The first Archon had been a firm believer in the principle that to rule a planet, one must see the planet. Hence the location of the Hall, far from other civilization, with only the Archon's office on the surface, a hall of glass in a sea of trees. The few supporting amenities needed were supplied from a well-camouflaged building that had been covered with nature. The sole link to civilization was a heavily-lit underground monorail that ran for miles and miles to a tiny bunker, at which an aircraft waited to carry her wherever she wished.

Blissful isolationism. The perfect environment from which to run a planet. No political intrigues, no lobbyists, just herself, information, nature and her 5-person staff.

Yeria Bessea was a 10-year Archon. She had been lucky. Most recent Archons had short terms. The Raloi chose both their leader and their term length by popular vote. It made for an interesting political system. 10 year terms were above average in terms of length, but not exceptional. One elderly Archon had been chosen to rule for life. One had been Archon for a day.

But that was history. There was not much happening within the Republic now. The Grand Parliament had broken up, awaiting re-election from their nations. The Academy of the Republic had yet to discover anything with the new space telescope that she had funded out of the Republic's coffers. Or at least they hadn't found anything exciting beyond a minor anomaly seemingly locked in position by a nearby star.

All in all, it was just another week in the Republic.

by **Pac Kindom** » Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:25 am

Aeia Orbit - Rosetta Nebula - Alpha Draconis System

Praetor Bython and the high council Primarchs watched as the as there new and largest ship dragged itself orbital docks high above the Aeia, as the behemoth took it position in the centre of Aeia defence feet. A smiling Praetor Bython turned and started to speak “My fellow Turian’s today is a great day for the Union. It the day we leave the Rosetta Nebula for the first time in 500 years” as he stop speaking the Primarchs exploded some shouting “we are not ready” and others cheering. Bython waved his hands and waited for silent and press the com button and only Spoke one word “Go”.

Commander Accius stood on the bridge of the light Curser Oceanus as the distorted voice came thro the com “Go” he look around the bridge and thought how did I end up with such a young crew and spoke “lets go” he turn his attention to the to the view screen as the Relay power up, light seam to dance before his eyes and he grinned as he herd some one behind him say “Where no Turian has gone before” and with that the ship was launched in to the unknown

by **Nuxipal** » Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:27 am

Tavia Nevos
Chief Executive's Office, Illium

Progress on the Factory's front was going well. She had also received a message from Aria regarding a meeting between diplomats on Vatar, a planet in the Omega Nebula. She would send one of her close friends, another former Commando by the name Ceiah. She would be dispatched to Vatar to discuss diplomatic options with the Omega diplomats. With some luck, some kind of agreement could be brought forward. She prepared a briefing package for Ceiah.

Following this, she would now make contact with the Republics to determine the situation in citadel space.

Envoy Ceiah
Vatar, Kairavamori System

Ceiah's transport landed near the coordinates for the meeting location. She had a spec ops squad with her as guards, she herself was well outfitted should this be a trap. Her team waited nervously keeping an eye out for potential threats. She sent the message to the Omega delegation that they were in position and ready to begin negotiations.

by **Jhet** » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:33 am

Veles, Orbit

The salarian flotilla was a motley collection of construction and mining vessels, guarded by a single light cruiser loaned from the Union's 12th Fleet, still serving its tour within the Krogan DMZ. And despite their benign assembly, the Noverian authorities still had expressed their distrust for the Council's presence.

Raman heard but did not listen to the planet's most recent abusive communication, instead training his eyes on the tactical map of the system. Space within Union space had filled up, and the mega-corps which had backed their new dalatrass were pressuring for greater expansion into the marchland that was the systems past the Upanisha Sea.

The reasoning aside, Raman knew only a little of the actual political authority behind the move. His warship was nothing more than private security, protecting corporate interests who aligned with the Union. They were expanding legally, whatever the criminals down on Noveria said, and so legally the wealth of the system would flow back to the homeworlds. Even if he had not been duty-bound to carry out this task, Roman knew that he wouldn't have hesitated to volunteer. The Horse Head Nebula was a forgotten trove of potential, left by the weak-willed asari to their corporate masters and unclaimed by the turians who felt only dread at the idea of living life in the untamed frontier. So it fell to the salarians - the Union and its fleet - to do what needed to be done.

For every planet that they expanded onto, another planet entered Council space.

Yunthorl, Orbit

Coron blinked softly as his ship pulled out of ftl. The journey had not taken them long, a small blessing in the world of the present. His father called the rest of the mining crew to their stations, the clatter of boots signalling their response. Here was where they were going to make their money, carving out a small piece for themselves with only the Union as their taskmasters.

Behind their small craft came several more, construction craft and cargo haulers dragging the modular stations into position. It was going to be a long job, building in a system no one else wished to waste their resources in. With a cruiser at their backs, and the legal loopholes of the mega-corps defying the other races for their hesitation, the workers were able to swing into position above their new livelihood.

STG Operation Recording

They studied the ------ soldiers from afar. Major ------ let out a held breath, steadying his heartbeat as best as he could. Peering through his scope, the salarian watched as the ------ loaded up their transports with what could only have been munitions. Among the crates of assault rifles and shotguns, ------ spied what could only have been a crate of portable rocket launchers. For a brief moment it remained in his sight, teasing him with its proximity before it was gone. Turning back to the rest of his team, he clipped off several orders.

They were on the hunt.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 10:02 am

High Orbit, World Procyan, System Manifold, Veristatalian Expanse
Daydancer

From far above the small gas-enshouded world named Procyan, the Adra Malitar's sensors were hard at work. At the heart of the smooth gray vessel the Helmsman was sharing the readings with the rest of the crew, and they were intriguing. Though barely habitable by the standards of organic life, and devastated by planet-wide storms that were kicked up by the Coriolis effects of the planet's rotation so near its parent star, there were signs that an intelligent race had once called Procyan home; immense pits and mines stretched down from the blasted surface of the world, so deep and large that entire dreadnoughts might be able to pass their mouths and not touch the sides.

This was of particular interest to the platform named Daydancer, for her creation directive had been to understand the myriad archaeological works of the races and civilizations that had come before the Geth and current galactic society. So often worlds had no stories to tell save those of rock and stone, but here she had found something potentially worthy of her calling. As the crew poured over the readings, the captain turned and inclined his head toward her; acquiescence to her request to launch a ground exploration party of the ruins.

Minutes later, the transport rattled down through the thick atmospheric soup of Procyan. In their docking bays a dozen heavily armored Geth Explorator units waited patiently as the landing craft dodged shear layers and cyclonic winds for the better part of an hour, searching for a sheltered landing site near one of the vast yawning chasms. Eventually the transport slowed and with a gentle crunch of landing struts on ashen soil settled itself on to the surface of the uncharted world. Lights powered on in the platforms as they returned from idle cycles, and with a pneumatic hiss of depressed cylinders the door of the transport opened.

Daydancer's normal metallic sheen had been traded for matte gray and mottled camiofoil for this expedition, but her spry steps marked out the curious Geth unit from her protectors easily enough to the trained observer. The light on the planet's surface was a dull brown-red, filtered down through layers of exotic gases and omnipresent storm clouds, and it made the foliage of the blasted world a sight to behold. Mostly of the color of rust the plants were, from small scrub trees with bases hidden in layers of excreted rock-concrete, to filament-fronds stretching skyward on sacs of buoyant gas to take advantage of the time between storms for photosynthesis.

And before the Explorator team the chasm stretched to the horizon, an empty blackness scarred by the passage of machines larger than any the Geth utilized, endless causeways and ruts stretching down in to the darkness. Daydancer's headlamp shone brighter. This would be a day to remember indeed.

by **Brotherhood Steel the 2nd** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:43 pm

Human Systems Alliance

2nd Flotilla

Mass Effect Relay - Number 314
January 1st, 2157

As both O'Malley and his XO were getting to the climax of their heated exchange, their argument was stopped suddenly by the Navigation Officer yelling out in a frantic voice to the CIC. "Captain, it's the SSV Iwo Jima, they have reported to have been hit and are losing power to their engines and weapon systems. Our systems indicate that the damage is coming from that supposed asteroid field ahead!" As the Navigation Officer finished his quick response, Captain James O'Malley looked in bewilderment towards the man as he responded back. "What do you mean they were damaged by an asteroid field? How in the bloody hell is that possible?" Just as the Alliance captain finished, a large explosion rocked the cruiser as many of the officers and soldiers began to lose their footing as multiple alerts and warnings began to go off.

Looking out the windows of the Alliance Cruiser, the command staff of the SSV Geneva, the crew looked in horror as the Alliance Frigate SSV Iwo Jima was torn apart from supposed enemy fire, the weapons ripping through the ship like it was nothing. Being as close as they were to the Iwo Jima, to the horror the command crew could see the bodies of fellow Alliance personal were jettisoned into dark-space to a quick death. In horror over the image before them, the crew barely listened as the Navigation Officer spoke again. "Sir, computers have calibrated. Those asteroids are now showing up as enemy ships of unknown origin. We are reading at least 20 signatures. It seems we have made first contact. What are your orders, captain?" As the young officer finished his response, the rest of the command staff looked to Captain O'Malley as it seemed now the 2nd Flotilla was in danger of being lost entirely.

With the SSV Iwo Jima now a wreckage field and with more and more enemy contacts being confirmed on their sensors, Captain O'Malley looked to his crew before giving his commands. "To battle stations, soldiers! We need to regroup with the Agincourt and Trafalgar and get back at these bastards before we can back through the Relay to warn the rest of the Alliance. Now get moving!" As the captain finished, the CIC of the Alliance Cruiser became a center of activity as various officers and soldiers began to relay commands to the rest of the 2nd Flotilla as their own cruiser got into formation at the head of the other two Alliance Frigates to engage the enemy.

With the remainder of the 2nd Flotilla now in position, with the two frigates flanking the cruiser, the ships proceeded to target the unknown alien vessels and proceeded to unleash their armaments onto them as they closed the distance.

by **Nuxipal** » Tue Mar 07, 2017 7:14 pm

Month 2

HUMANITY MAKES CONTACT! Humanity has made first contact with an alien race and it has gone horrifically wrong. A battle erupted with the alien menace and now humanity must stand up and face this new threat, but who will fight? The Systems Alliance is but a supranational organization with no strong political body, and the United Nations of Earth continue to squabble among themselves. Humanity seeks a savior in this great hour of need.

Turian military board reviews reports of Mass Relay tampering. During their search they notice that another relay had been opened recently in the Exodus Cluster and have brought this to the attention of the Primarch. What he does with this knowledge of another breach of protocol is entirely up to him.

Across the rest of the galaxy life moves along as normal and various events have taken place in each part of the galaxy.

Asari Republics: [9] - The information campaign worked extremely successfully. Several organizations have appeared across Thessia re-enacting ancient battles between great Asari Warlords. +4 Espionage Points this month.

Turian Hierarchy: [10] - News that a battle group has made contact with some raiders in a remote system was all the Hierarchy needed to have as an excuse to start a minor military build up. -10% build costs of military units until month 4.

Salarian Union: [3] - An STG agent may have either defected or accidentally tipped off a crime syndicate. Agents on Illium and the Citadel have temporarily become unavailable and resources must be allocated to looking for them. -1 Espoinage point for the next 2 months as those resources are required to find these agents.

Batarian Hegemony: [8] - The Batarians have been able to bring a great deal of income after dozens of ships return from the Terminus Systems, holds filled with credits for the Hegemony. +5% income this month.

Elcor Courts: [2] - Changes come hard to the Elcor and creating a network of colonies makes for a difficult sell to the Elcor People. The The Elcor cannot build new Urban areas off of the homeworld for the next two months.

Human Systems Alliance: [8] - Outer patrols report first contact, though there is no confirmation. Recruitment rates have increased and tens of thousands of volunteers have flooded to recruitment centers across Alliance Space. 1 Free Infantry per Garden World, ship upgrades cost 5% less this month.

United Nations of Earth: [5] - The Nations of Earth are frozen in a stand still

Clan Okeer: [5] - The Krogan Clans maintain their current status

Omega: [6] - The work of Aria's forces on Omega has not gone unnoticed. Where the void of power exists: new, smaller, and less organized merc bands have appeared. However, this has severely crippled any chance of organized resistance to Aria's rule of the station. Additionally, some of these merc bands are paying tribute to Aria to prevent her from attacking them. +50 credits from these tributes.

Migrant Fleet: [5] - The Migrant Fleet has had no major changes to its mission.

Geth Consensus: [9] - The Consensus has made new discoveries in nearby systems and has thus gained a new means of resource gathering. The new resources have been having a great impact on the geth productivity. -10% to build cost of new ships through month 3.

Illium: [10] - Good news for the trading state: recent influxes of precious metals from mining worlds have caused consistent drops in the prices of imported luxuries, making commerce flourish between the Terminus and Council as elegant products formerly inaccessible to the masses are bought in bulk. +10% Credits this Month

Raloi Republic: [9] - The New Satellites have been fully upgraded and have given insight into the space beyond our system. This has excited our population which are now working more towards bringing our people into the stars. Dozens of new private studies have given us new, completed lines of research. +20 RP this month.

The Eclipse Initiative: [7] - The Lazarus Project, a project whose name seems to have appeared from no where, has gone off to a roaring start. A rogue AI from a Salarian Research center has joined the Initiative and has brought 75 credits worth of resources for the Research Project.

Iconoclasm Technical Solutions: [8] - The investors are very pleased with the ITS performance in the last month and further invest 100 credits in the company as a means of improving the output of the company long term.

Rosetta Union: [10] - The Ship seems to have gone off course, but instead ended up in a new Cluster near their current position. In this system the ship finds the remnants of dozens of cruiser sized starships. For the next 3 months, Light Cruisers and Heavy Cruisers cost 50% less and take 1 month less to complete due to easily salvagable materials from this new system.
Planet A - Barren
Planet B - Hostile Terrestrial
Asteroid Belt
Planet C - Barren
Planet D - Gas Giant
Planet E - Gas Giant
Planet F - Barren
Asteroid Belt
Planet G - Garden - High Eezo Content (+5 cr/mine and +10 cr/major mine)
Moon G1 - Garden
Moon G2 - Garden
Planet H - Hostile Terrestrial

AGOTO Corp: [5] The Corporation has undergone no major changes.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 2:41 pm

World Procyan, System Manifold, Versitatlian Expanse
Daydancer

The Explorator team descended carefully in to the massive borehole, using anchor-spars and their platforms' inbuilt rappelling claws to scale areas where the causeways and lifts had been blocked with rubble by tectonic activity, or simply disappeared in to the depths of the mine due to shifts in the landscape. Such disasters were not uncommon. It had clearly been a long time since this shaft had been carved down through the crust of the world, and entire geological eras might have passed since the first miners swung their tools down against the ground beneath them. Around them as the team trod downwards their headlamps revealed vast arcologies of metal and mining equipment delved in to the walls, some large enough to make even the tall Geth reinforced suits feel like tiny ants climbing on the face of a giant.

Strangely, as the borehole descended, Daydancer got the impression that it actually grew wider. The far wall of the borehole, barely visible even to the enhanced optics of the synthetics, seemed to be receding in to distance. But that was probably just the mystique of the eternal dark and quiet stillness of the cavern working on even her steeled sensory inputs; Geth could not hallucinate, but they could misinterpret data. The team had obviously been climbing down an incline plane, and the scans said the other side of the chasm was sloping inwards as well, so if anything the walls would be approaching slowly but steadily. Far above the gray light of day was beginning to wane, an orb of sky in the distance sinking in scale towards a pinprick as the Explorators descended.

Formally they wanted to map the extent of this mining shaft, and conduct a reconnaissance of any mineral wealth that might have been left behind. But as the team descended, Daydancer questioned whether it was really wise to disappear so far in to the bowels of the earth for a few rare metals.

by **Theyra** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:28 pm

Elcor Courts
Silean Nebula
Phontes system
Dekuuna
Sereuun

Xeltan was walking around the capital and was enjoying the sights of the city. He was near a park and he started to think about recent developments. Xeltan knew that they would be resistance to his plan, it is the Elcor way to not move outside of their comfort zone. But he had plans for the Elcor and for it to happen, the Elcor had to move out of their comfort zone. Luckily the colonists on Hyetiana are doing well and he was glad that he found Elcor that were willing to move to non-high gravity world. For now though, many Elcor are not willing to move to another worlds and any chance colonizing more worlds is at a hold. So in the meantime, the worlds they do have will be develop and a construction of a series of mines has been planned on the world of Agessia. Plus, the military is going to be expanded some. Though this is mainly in part due to Thunawanuro being in the Terminus Systems and they have been reports of pirates attacking shipments from the planet. On the plus side, soon the Dekuuna Science Academy will be built and soon and the project will soon be started.

Mass Effect Factions :: First Contact (IC)

Mass Effect Factions :: First Contact (IC)

2.1.2157

Who is online