Mass Effect Story Ideas

kelenas

Well-Known Member
#1
This is mostly intended as a place for people to drop off basic/half-formed ideas and see where they might go.

Here's one of mine to start with:

Rather than being next-door neighbors with most of the Citadel races in the "southern" part of the galaxy, the Sol system/Earth is located in the galactic "north", right in the middle of the Terminus Systems.

- Kelenas
 

The Eromancer

Well-Known Member
#2
So our "frontier" as it were, is quite literally like the old wild west?

I can dig it.


~~~~

Crossover Idea: The Alliance isn't the "nice" Alliance as we know it, maybe its just politics, or maybe its because they have a "frontier" like the Terminus but whatever the cause the Alliance is the same one from <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_%28TV_series%29' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Firefly</a>.

~~~~

Crossover Idea: The Protheans were not the only species around during their time, in fact there was one other great species to exist from that time. While both fought to survive against the reapers their idea of victory was different. The <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xel%27Naga#Xel.27Naga' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Xel'Naga</a> would have the last laugh.

~~~~

I've always liked the idea of changing the setting of Mass Effect, especially with the ending of ME3 now out. I've posted the "Setting Change" I found of Mass Effect where the first species humans come in contact with are the Batarians and not the Turians. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7170477/1/Renegade_Reinterpretations' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Link Here</a>)

The Alliance from Firefly is most noted for wanting to create a "Utopia" AND for the creation of actual honest to god psychics. However since they aren't focusing so much on civil disobedience and would be more concerned with everyone else out there they might just come off how Cerberus IS from the games, now isn't that scary? Cerberus as the human government, galaxy beware.

My second idea was more spawned from the ending of Mass Effect 3, or rather [i]in spite of[/i]. Okay I'm just throwing this out there. [b]John Sheppard, Ghost[/b] For story purposes, lets just say a Ghost is the trained result of a human naturally gifted with telepathic abilities and Biotics COMBINED, a specially trained government Assassin who's telekinetic and telepathic abilities make even Asari adepts stop and think twice about getting into a slugging match with. Oh sure their power ranges from person to person but they would all be trained Infiltrator/Vangaurds who have a penchant for being violent (renegades). And no that stupid Indoctrination does NOT work on Ghosts.
 

Leonite

Well-Known Member
#3
I had a couple of ideas the other day... all Transformer crossovers though

1: Despite what they say, Cybertron isn't that far away from the Sol System. Why is this such a big thing? Because then G1 Transformers (Autobots only possibly, given that this would probably take place post movie and Galvatron is cukoo for coco puffs) would probably discover the Mass Effect tech at the same time, and then the Mass Relays. How would this change things?

As to how the Transformers weren't consumed by the reapers... Primus/Cybertron happens to be a creation of whatever created the Reapers.... and the Quiessenticons (or however its spelt. They don't exactly look organic)

2: The transformers never went to earth, but instead found a Mass Effect Relay near their system, becoming part of the Galactic community, if not a Citadel race because of the fact that they still are in a civil war (This would probably work best with War For Cybertron's backstory)

3: Long ago, a civil war was started by an Ancient Autobot and an Ancient Decepticon. The war was finished by the current leaders, Optimus and Megatron, who solved the issue by making the power of ruling over cybertron shared between the two factions, creating a peace simillar to that of the Trancendent Transformers. This has two options, either have them discover the citadel and races therein, becoming part of the galactic community, or go the path of idea one, meeting humans first.

Non Transformer idea: The Council decided caution was better than nothing after Soverign's attack. Shepard returns after a few years to find the galactic community prepared to fight the reapers... just in case.
 

autobot314

Well-Known Member
#4
Leonite said:
I had a couple of ideas the other day... all Transformer crossovers though

1: Despite what they say, Cybertron isn't that far away from the Sol System. Why is this such a big thing? Because then G1 Transformers (Autobots only possibly, given that this would probably take place post movie and Galvatron is cukoo for coco puffs) would probably discover the Mass Effect tech at the same time, and then the Mass Relays. How would this change things?

As to how the Transformers weren't consumed by the reapers... Primus/Cybertron happens to be a creation of whatever created the Reapers.... and the Quiessenticons (or however its spelt. They don't exactly look organic)

2: The transformers never went to earth, but instead found a Mass Effect Relay near their system, becoming part of the Galactic community, if not a Citadel race because of the fact that they still are in a civil war (This would probably work best with War For Cybertron's backstory)

3: Long ago, a civil war was started by an Ancient Autobot and an Ancient Decepticon. The war was finished by the current leaders, Optimus and Megatron, who solved the issue by making the power of ruling over cybertron shared between the two factions, creating a peace simillar to that of the Trancendent Transformers. This has two options, either have them discover the citadel and races therein, becoming part of the galactic community, or go the path of idea one, meeting humans first.

Non Transformer idea: The Council decided caution was better than nothing after Soverign's attack. Shepard returns after a few years to find the galactic community prepared to fight the reapers... just in case.
How would the Council treat the Transformers? My question is would they be considered AIs or not?
 

Leonite

Well-Known Member
#5
autobot314 said:
Leonite said:
I had a couple of ideas the other day... all Transformer crossovers though

1: Despite what they say, Cybertron isn't that far away from the Sol System. Why is this such a big thing? Because then G1 Transformers (Autobots only possibly, given that this would probably take place post movie and Galvatron is cukoo for coco puffs)? would probably discover the Mass Effect tech at the same time, and then the Mass Relays. How would this change things?

As to how the Transformers weren't consumed by the reapers... Primus/Cybertron happens to be a creation of whatever created the Reapers.... and the Quiessenticons (or however its spelt. They don't exactly look organic)

2: The transformers never went to earth, but instead found a Mass Effect Relay near their system, becoming part of the Galactic community, if not a Citadel race because of the fact that they still are in a civil war (This would probably work best with War For Cybertron's backstory)

3: Long ago, a civil war was started by an Ancient Autobot and an Ancient Decepticon. The war was finished by the current leaders, Optimus and Megatron, who solved the issue by making the power of ruling over cybertron shared between the two factions, creating a peace simillar to that of the Trancendent Transformers. This has two options, either have them discover the citadel and races therein, becoming part of the galactic community, or go the path of idea one, meeting humans first.

Non Transformer idea: The Council decided caution was better than nothing after Soverign's attack. Shepard returns after a few years to find the galactic community prepared to fight the reapers... just in case.
How would the Council treat the Transformers? My question is would they be considered AIs or not?
I don't think so, the Transformer can show a clear difference to other machines in the universe in that they have sparks and have a life cycle, much more organic than say, the Geth, who are networked intelligence and their bodies are unchanging unless they physically change it.
 

The Eromancer

Well-Known Member
#6
Leonite said:
autobot314 said:
Leonite said:
I had a couple of ideas the other day... all Transformer crossovers though

1: Despite what they say, Cybertron isn't that far away from the Sol System. Why is this such a big thing? Because then G1 Transformers (Autobots only possibly, given that this would probably take place post movie and Galvatron is cukoo for coco puffs)á would probably discover the Mass Effect tech at the same time, and then the Mass Relays. How would this change things?

As to how the Transformers weren't consumed by the reapers... Primus/Cybertron happens to be a creation of whatever created the Reapers.... and the Quiessenticons (or however its spelt. They don't exactly look organic)

2: The transformers never went to earth, but instead found a Mass Effect Relay near their system, becoming part of the Galactic community, if not a Citadel race because of the fact that they still are in a civil war (This would probably work best with War For Cybertron's backstory)

3: Long ago, a civil war was started by an Ancient Autobot and an Ancient Decepticon. The war was finished by the current leaders, Optimus and Megatron, who solved the issue by making the power of ruling over cybertron shared between the two factions, creating a peace simillar to that of the Trancendent Transformers. This has two options, either have them discover the citadel and races therein, becoming part of the galactic community, or go the path of idea one, meeting humans first.

Non Transformer idea: The Council decided caution was better than nothing after Soverign's attack. Shepard returns after a few years to find the galactic community prepared to fight the reapers... just in case.
How would the Council treat the Transformers? My question is would they be considered AIs or not?
I don't think so, the Transformer can show a clear difference to other machines in the universe in that they have sparks and have a life cycle, much more organic than say, the Geth, who are networked intelligence and their bodies are unchanging unless they physically change it.
They're AI, kill it with FIRE
 

kelenas

Well-Known Member
#7
Quite possibly, yes.

Here's another thought that just occurred to me;

The Krogans manage to set up a system of population control after the Rachni Wars (possibly similar to the Salarians'), so the Krogan Rebellions never take place and the genophage is never developed.
By the time humanity enters the galactic stage, the Krogans are part of the Citadel Council...

...with Urdnot Wrex as their councilor.

- Kelenas
 

The Eromancer

Well-Known Member
#8
kelenas said:
Quite possibly, yes.

Here's another thought that just occurred to me;

The Krogans manage to set up a system of population control after the Rachni Wars (possibly similar to the Salarians'), so the Krogan Rebellions never take place and the genophage is never developed.
By the time humanity enters the galactic stage, the Krogans are part of the Citadel Council...

...with Urdnot Wrex as their councilor.

- Kelenas
how does that change anything aside from NOT being able to have him in your party?

I mean sure the Political ramifications alone would mean the Turians never get a council seat, would that ensure Garrus would take the place of Wrex as battle Hardened merc of the Shadow Broker?

Saren being a specter would be... well it would make him all the more important to his species as a whole.

And who would we end up fighting against in the first contact war, KROGAN? Hell with them pushing us we'd end up resorting to drastic measures pretty damn quick. I don't see humans getting on the council any time soon at that point and you can't tell me Cerberus wouldn't pull something like the genophage out of its ass on the Krogan, might not hit as hard as something a Salarian STG could make but still.

Okay so a LOT of thing s could change.

~~~~~~

Alright I'll try something that's not a crossover...

IDEA!: From the get go, without anyone ever finding out, Sheppard has been an Agent of the Illusive Man, Cerberus' top operative and the man who's to represent humanity so that we can get on the council.

What I want to see from a story like this: I want people to really look into what Cerberus DOES for humanity, not just their run-away projects or terrorist actions. I want people to SEE what an organization like that can do and has done for both good and ill. For every bad operation that goes wrong with all the funds they have it shows that ten more go right by comparison. I'd almost bet money that their main sorce of recruits comes from settlers from the Terminus, those who've been attacked by Batarian Slavers, maybe even taken by those same slavers at one point or another.

An Organization that size wouldn't have the funds, the support, or such a vast and varied personnel if they weren't doing something RIGHT somewhere.

PPS- Just got done reading every official scrap of info I could get on the Illusive Man, this guy is one scary fucking dude. He built Cerberus from the ground up to fight a threat coming in the future that would wipe out all life -without knowing about the Reapers. This is a man who BECAME the IDEALS of Cerberus in both heart and soul. Oh yes, he most certainly does encompass both the worst and best of what make us human. This man is single-handedly responsible for the best defense against the reapers we can get: Sheppard. He's been preparing an organization with almost unlimited resources for the SOUL PURPOSE of fighting the reapers and people still hate this guy? Damn, I feel sorry for him cause the reapers -the very thing that he's been sacrificing and preparing for- still get to him in the end (if you believe the ME3 ending was real)

Sheppard may be humanities Spear but the Illusive Man has been it's Blacksmith.
 

Leonite

Well-Known Member
#9
... oh, this is an evil idea, but possibly good.

Idea: Switch around the roles. Saren is the Spectere that is to train Shepard, and Nihlus is the traitor...with one difference. Saren, despite trusting Nihlus, seems like the one guy who'd be suspicious about unusual stuff like "The Council thought you could use help". A combination of his Biotics and Bionics would result in him survivng.

And for bonus points, have the Shepard in question be a Biotic themself.

Why is Saren interested? Well at first, he isn't, he's doing it because the Council asked him too (Anderson doesn't like it, but allows it, if only for now). Its when Shepard comes in contact with the beacon that Saren gets interested in his charge.

Idea: Instead of being like they are in Mass Effect, Specteres are instead more like Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitors, able to doom a planet if needed, focusing on threats both ithin and without, holding with them a retinue of dedicated followers, possibly even upcoming Specteres. The only forces that can go against a Spectere are other Specteres, and the Council, and even they are investigated by the Specteres.

Cracky Idea: Commander Shepard is Commander Q Shepard, essentially Q trying to see how it is to live as a human soldier, usign the least amount of his powers as possible... mainly to show up a comment Picard would have said about him not being able to understand how humans live.
 

Chuckg

Well-Known Member
#10
The Eromancer said:
An Organization that size wouldn't have the funds, the support, or such a vast and varied personnel if they weren't doing something RIGHT somewhere.
I note that Cerberus' jump from 'well-funded outlaw organization' to 'vast world-striding army' occurred at the same time it started using Indoctrination technology.

In fact, if you can only get mass amounts of recruits for your army by conning them into your brainwashing camps and then sucking their souls out through their eyeballs and turning them into husks, that's sort of a hint that if given a choice, a lot of people would rather not join your army.

Anyway, my idea?

Dial it back about 20 years. Lt. David Anderson reacts to Saren's mass murder by quietly popping him in the back of the head, figuring that since Saren is going to totally fuck his Spectre candidacy anyway, he's got nothing left to lose by getting some curbside justice on the son of a bitch for all the innocent people he just watched him murder? How'd he get away with it? Hey, Saren just blew up a refinery right over there. Big massive explosions are great things for explaining why identifiable remains were never recovered. (Yes, modern forensics and all. *waves hand* It was a big toxic refinery explosion with lots of caustic chemicals. DNA traces not exactly traceable after all that shit.)

Meanwhile, out in space, Sovereign is going "... wasn't somebody supposed to come along and be my patsy? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?"

So, 30 years later, the Human Alliance is not getting a Spectre candidate or a Council fast-track (as the Council is still annoyed over the suspicious death of one of their leading Spectres the last time they tried this), Sovereign still has the heretic geth but is still looking for a way to sleaze into the Citadel and/or find the Conduit, and you've got a wide-open field for adventure. Because your readers will totally know the Reapers are still out there, but now you've changed so much that they have absolutely no idea where it'll be coming from.

I mean, hey, maybe Balak will be the indoctrinated viceroy of Sovereign this time around. Maybe Wrex will be that guy. Who knows? Paranoia, its gonna getcha. *g*
 

The Eromancer

Well-Known Member
#11
Chuckg said:
The Eromancer said:
An Organization that size wouldn't have the funds, the support, or such a vast and varied personnel if they weren't doing something RIGHT somewhere.
I note that Cerberus' jump from 'well-funded outlaw organization' to 'vast world-striding army' occurred at the same time it started using Indoctrination technology.

In fact, if you can only get mass amounts of recruits for your army by conning them into your brainwashing camps and then sucking their souls out through their eyeballs and turning them into husks, that's sort of a hint that if given a choice, a lot of people would rather not join your army.
I'm pretty damn sure that's about the time where the Illusive Man himself gets Indoctrinated. Before that do remember this is the same guy who flat out refused to place a control chip in Sheppard when he easily could have, this is not the same "thinking". No I'd say the reapers finally got to the Illusive Man, subtlety mind you, but enough that he'd start justifying indoctrinating others because, hey the states are high and you need every card you can pull out of your sleeves, every dirty trick to ensure survival from things that are hell bent of wiping you out.

And I can't even hate him for that reasoning either. That was the end-game, that was it, no possibility for fuck-ups. Do or die people, and we ain't even talkin about Soviet Russia.

I'll admit, the Illusive Man is my favorite character in the game, Sheppard may be fucking awesome, but the Illusive Man is someone I would follow
 

Chuckg

Well-Known Member
#12
The Eromancer said:
I'll admit, the Illusive Man is my favorite character in the game, Sheppard may be fucking awesome, but the Illusive Man is someone I would follow.
Follow a guy who treats you as more expendable than his last cigarette butt? I don't see the attraction.
 

trevelyan1983

Well-Known Member
#13

The Eromancer

Well-Known Member
#14
Chuckg said:
The Eromancer said:
I'll admit, the Illusive Man is my favorite character in the game, Sheppard may be fucking awesome, but the Illusive Man is someone I would follow.
Follow a guy who treats you as more expendable than his last cigarette butt? I don't see the attraction.
well, would you be willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good of humanity? If you believe Cerberus does in fact have the best interests of humanity in mind and is willing to do ANYTHING to protect it would you not lay down your life for the good of all?

Personally I would, but NOT for the greater good. I believe we're the top dog on the planet BECAUSE we can be the most ruthless and creative beings here. I accept that to survive against those odds and come out on top you have to put morals, ethics, and even prejudice aside.

Cerberus got screwed over because the reapers got to the Illusive Man, like Sheppard they went out of their way to target him. What does THAT tell you?
 

Chuckg

Well-Known Member
#15
The Eromancer said:
Cerberus got screwed over because the reapers got to the Illusive Man, like Sheppard they went out of their way to target him. What does THAT tell you?
That he's Saren 2.0? I already knew that.

And hell, the Reapers barely had to target him. The jackass was deliberately exposing himself to Reapertech years ago. Hell, he wanted to gather up great big piles of it and roll around in it. He practically threw himself into their tentacles screaming 'Take me! Take me!'

As a villain, he's great. He has the charisma, the grandeur, the magnificiently huge and yet tragically flawed at the heart plans, all of it. As a literary creation, he's very good indeed.

As a success story...? ahahahahahaa... no. He's the exact same sort of guy who in Warhammer thinks that hey, just because five hundred zillion other people tried to touch the Chaos for power and ended up being chewed up and spit out as a mutated husk, that doesn't mean it'll happen to him. He'll be the one who succeeds. You see!

And yes, every one in a trillion or so actually does make it to Daemon Lord. Of course, by the time they've climbed the ladder of "success" that high, they've forgotten everything that made them human to begin with, so they don't actually do any of the original goals they had way back when they first chose to chase that kind of power. Instead they just become another brick in the Chaos wall.

Trying to harness the power of the Reapers against the Reapers? That's the same flavor of ultimately stupid idea.

And that is why I wouldn't follow him; he's inevitably doomed, and so's anybody riding along with him. His very mission statement in the first place is what's ultimately going to kill him, the only question is how much damage he'll do on the way down.

I accept that to survive against those odds and come out on top you have to put morals, ethics, and even prejudice aside.
We already had this argument. I still don't agree with it. You have to believe in something other than 'I/my species has you by the throat today', or else there's no point.
 

kelenas

Well-Known Member
#16
Paragon!Shepard > Illusive Man/Jack Harper.

There are occasions where ruthlessness and the ability to coldly and calculatedly sacrifice people can be a useful, even necessary on occasion. The problem is that those are TIM's first choice more often than not, rather than his second, or third, or xth as they should be.
Under his leadership, Humanity would at best end up like Imperial Germany, or the Batarian Hegemony; isolated and with few friends, but many, many enemies. At worst, it'd end up like Nazi Germany or the Krogans; broken and shattered, and completely dependant on the mercy and goodwill of its former enemies if it ever wishes to recover.

- Kelenas
 

shinzero01

Well-Known Member
#17
Had the idea for a Mass Effect/The Matrix crossover.

Boiled down to: The Quarians stumble upon Earth, right after Neo's sacrifice.
 

Chuckg

Well-Known Member
#18
Um, Han-Gerel would probably see the server farms, go 'agggh! geth!', and bombard 'em from orbit.

Now, the geth stumbling on the world of the Matrix...
 

The Eromancer

Well-Known Member
#19
kelenas said:
Paragon!Shepard > Illusive Man/Jack Harper.

There are occasions where ruthlessness and the ability to coldly and calculatedly sacrifice people can be a useful, even necessary on occasion. The problem is that those are TIM's first choice more often than not, rather than his second, or third, or xth as they should be.
Under his leadership, Humanity would at best end up like Imperial Germany, or the Batarian Hegemony; isolated and with few friends, but many, many enemies. At worst, it'd end up like Nazi Germany or the Krogans; broken and shattered, and completely dependant on the mercy and goodwill of its former enemies if it ever wishes to recover.

- Kelenas
I think you presume too much, besides who said anything about that except for my second idea I presented in this thread.

In regards to my 3rd idea, where Sheppard is an agent of the Illusive Man I didn't say he completely agrees with the guy. If anything I'd suppose the Illusive Man would use Sheppard as his personal cleaner. A group goes rogue and Sheppard is sent in to clean up the mess they caused, besides even in the main Mass Effect universe I'd put money on Cerberus trying to push a human specter or supporting the idea.

In any case I wouldn't want it to be so clear cut, I don't want Cerberus to come off as being the good guys in this, they ARE a terrorist group.
 

shinzero01

Well-Known Member
#20
Chuckg said:
Um, Han-Gerel would probably see the server farms, go 'agggh! geth!', and bombard 'em from orbit.

Now, the geth stumbling on the world of the Matrix...
I wouldn't have the Admirals involved until much later. First contact would be around the same time the Shanxi thing would've occurred and involve an exploratory vessel checking out places for the Migrant Fleet to move to.

The Quarians would arrive basically when the survivors at Zion started to move to the surface as people started leaving the Matrix.

Though you're right about the Geth probably being more interesting. Particularly if they showed up during the events of the films and 'infiltrated'.

If I wrote it, i'd probably do something silly like having the One(s) be the result of trace amounts of eezo that would normally be destroyed entering the atmosphere making it through due to humanity's efforts in the beginning of the war. Not enough for full on biotic abilities, but enough for odd pulses.
 

kelenas

Well-Known Member
#21
The Eromancer said:
kelenas said:
Paragon!Shepard > Illusive Man/Jack Harper.

There are occasions where ruthlessness and the ability to coldly and calculatedly sacrifice people can be a useful, even necessary on occasion. The problem is that those are TIM's first choice more often than not, rather than his second, or third, or xth as they should be.
Under his leadership, Humanity would at best end up like Imperial Germany, or the Batarian Hegemony; isolated and with few friends, but many, many enemies. At worst, it'd end up like Nazi Germany or the Krogans; broken and shattered, and completely dependant on the mercy and goodwill of its former enemies if it ever wishes to recover.

- Kelenas
I think you presume too much, besides who said anything about that except for my second idea I presented in this thread.

In regards to my 3rd idea, where Sheppard is an agent of the Illusive Man I didn't say he completely agrees with the guy. If anything I'd suppose the Illusive Man would use Sheppard as his personal cleaner. A group goes rogue and Sheppard is sent in to clean up the mess they caused, besides even in the main Mass Effect universe I'd put money on Cerberus trying to push a human specter or supporting the idea.

In any case I wouldn't want it to be so clear cut, I don't want Cerberus to come off as being the good guys in this, they ARE a terrorist group.
The problem isn't just that Cerberus is amoral, or even downright evil. It's that they're deluded at best, downright idiots at worst.
Seriously, I can't think of a single "special project" of theirs that didn't blow up in their face in some way. Even Project Lazarus ended up with Commander Shepard walking out on them with countless millions worth of equipment and personel in tow. And their "masterpiece", to get control over the Reapers would have resultet in Harbinger practicing his catchphrase on TIM.

Frankly, the only way a Cerberus!Shepard story could work well is if Shepard starts out somewhat similar to Jacob, slowly grows disillusioned with the way Cerberus is run, and ends up blowing TIM's brain out and taking over. Because even Renegade!Shepard would be hard-pressed to run Cerberus worse than TIM did, and Paragon!Shepard would likely do a vastly better job for everyone involved (both Cerberus itself and also the rest of the Galaxy).

...

Now that I think about it, that could actually make for a pretty interesting story. Shepard spends ME2 gaining TIM's trust enough for a face-to-face meeting or at least a visit to Cerberus' main base alongside Miranda, and ends up killing TIM and taking over, ready to turn it into an anti-Reaper taskforce.

- Kelenas
 

Kibbles

Well-Known Member
#22
Due to an almost pathological aversion to creating new threads, I think I'll borrow this one for the time being if that's quite all right.

Either way, the idea for this crossover started in the ME3 thread, following some comments about space magic and just shouting fuck it and adding proper magic. Thanks go primarily to kelenas, since:
A ) He helped refine most of the base ideas that went into this;
and B ) He did provide the necessary motivation, without which this would've ended up as a scrawled bit of text in one my notebooks

So, for the ignorant, this is a crossover between Mass Effect and Dragonstar (information about which, little as there may be since it's pretty obscure, can be found <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonstar' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>here</a> if you like text or <a href='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JdTU5Um6qRI/TU10peJ4l6I/AAAAAAAABMQ/pzMU_RE7SvQ/s1600/dragonstarposter.jpg' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>here</a> in convenient pictoral form). In case you can't be bothered, Dragonstat is what happens when you give your standard D&D fantasy settings spaceships and laser guns, then cut them loose on an unsuspecting galaxy. Which is precisely what happens here.

Without further ado:

--------------------
No title yet - have been considering 'Where dragons roam' or 'Here be dragons'
--------------------

Prologue (parts 1 and 2)
--------------------

It was alien. Utterly and incomprehensibly alien. No Mass Effect field emissions, only a faint heat signature, no visible propulsion system It was enough to make any crew nervous, but the ship's appearance alone ... like something grown rather than built, twisted organic lines and alien growths, weapons arrays that appeared more akin to blisters on the skin of some creature than a proper weapons mount.

It was like some terrifying alien creature dragged from the darkest depths of the deepest oceans.

It was enough to reduce a crew of experienced Asari soldiers to panicked schoolgirls, half-disgusted and half-terrified by the implications.

Nalia Myrtys was, fortunately, made from sterner stuff. A veteran of two centuries both as a Commando and as a naval officer were more than enough for her to keep up a calm facade around her crew. But that was all it was, a facade. First contacts were notoriously difficult, bearing the potential for disaster each time. They were the domain of experienced and trained diplomats, not the military.

And these new aliens gave every indication that they were truly and utterly alien. A form of life completely foreign to the view of the universe of the Citadel Races, of any race that had developed Mass Effect technologies.

So, even as she calmly stood before the airlock, every bit the calm and collected officer, Nalia was nervous.

They hadn't communicated, there have been no discernible transmissions from the alien vessel, just a slow, deliberate approach with their weapons inactive. Not even a response to the Lenaris' hails, no indication that they could even receive the transmissions the Asari frigate had been emitting constantly since detecting them.

Just silence and an extended exterior docking cradle. Open and inviting. Repulsive, like some lengthy organic intestine rather than the product of a technological society.

And now they were about to meet, face-to-face. It was a terrifying prospect, that a single mistake, a single misstep would trigger a war, possibly even another Rachni War given the appearance of their ship.

None of the doubts or fears showed on Nalia's face as the airlock opened. She represented the Asari Republics, the entirety of the Citadel, she couldn't afford to appear like a terrified child, repulsed by everything she'd seen.

Three creatures stepped through the mist, a blast of warm, moist air washing over the Asari as the airlock finished opening. The breathing masks prevented any whiff of scent from reaching them, but something told Nalia that if she could smell it, she wouldn't enjoy it in the slightest.

She stepped forward to greet them, showing no fear or hesitation.

They were wrong. Tall and impossibly lean, arms too long for their bodies, grey moist skin that shone disturbingly under the lights. Tiny, beady, black eyes observed them, set deep into an alien face that gave just enough hint of Asari appearance for it to be truly disturbing. A tangled mess of writhing tentacles allowing only the barest glimpse of a sucker-like mouth. Space suits that seemed more like coral than metal or ceramic, with odd growths and protrusions with no discernible purpose. No masks, no helmets, no cover of any kind.

Then the centre one stepped forward and spoke, but not with words or sound.

It slammed into NaliaÆs mind, like long, thin, slimy fingers caressing it, not gently at all. The ævoiceÆ bore an aura that could only be described as cold and wet, a resonating thing with the barest hint of other voices in the background, just at the edge of perception whispering in an alien language.

The mere presence of it was enough to give the Asari officer the beginnings of a headache, <I am Zahz. We speak for the Illithid. We offer a hand of friendship to you, NaliaMyrtys; to the worlds of the Asari and the Citadel.>

The ævoiceÆ cut off suddenly, but the presence remained, probing and cold, the whispers a constant background noise.

Nalia took the momentÆs relief to look around. Given the wide-eyed stares the newcomers were receiving, theyÆd been speaking to all of the Asari present.

It was supposed to be impossible. Everything Citadel scientists knew said it wasn't possible.

And yet ...

It took a moment for the Asari officer to find her voice again, ôY-youÆre telepathic?ö

The ævoiceÆ, which she could only assume was from the one that called itself Zahz, resumed instantly, as did the headache, <Yes. We share thoughts and memories, we sing together, one great chorus in the void. We wish you to join our song. We wish to share our thoughts and our memories with the Citadel.>

The claim was followed by à glimpses for lack of a better word, for no word could possibly suffice. Images and thoughts, concepts, ideas and pure knowledge. Grand, alien cities on worlds lit by dying crimson stars. Vast archives older than Asari civilization. Knowledge of a hundred races, accumulated across countless millennia. Languages lost to time. Works of art saved from dead worlds. Secrets of growing, not building, but growing ships and buildings and entire cities. Whispers of psionics, more than simple telepathy, but power enough to move ships and alter the fabric of reality itself à

And just as Nalia saw the alienÆs thoughts, it saw hers. She remained dimly aware of what it saw. Thessia and the Citadel. The smells of the markets on Omega. Her first melding and a game she used to play with friends as a child. The voice of her teachers announcing her name as the finest cadet in her generation and the welling pride at the announcement à

Then it stopped and she found herself looking at ZahzÆs beady eyes as it considered her, seemingly seeing her for the first time.

There was something strange to the creatureÆs tone when it resumed, a glimpse of alien thoughts and alien ambitions, incomprehensible to Nalia, to any being not Illithid probably, <Your minds sing of such wonder. Roads not taken. Songs never imagined. We wish to join you. We wish you to join us.>

For a bare moment, the voices, the murmur in the back of ZahzÆs ævoiceÆ reached a crescendo, a half-choked scream of alarm and fear and terror, the barely audible voice split into a thousand, speaking in a hundred alien languages, shouting incoherently. Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, NaliaÆs headache was gone, as were the probing, alien, thoughts in her mind.

The lead Illithid, no, all of them were no longer paying attention. Their tiny eyes focused elsewhere, locked on a bare bulkhead, their expression indecipherable.

NaliaÆs question was hesitant, neutral so as not to upset a, so far, successful first contact situation, ôWhat?ö

<The slaves of the Dragons are here. Take your ship to your colony and muster your fleets.> The touch of the ævoiceÆ was lighter now, distracted and alarmed, no longer accompanied by the headache of previous interactions, <The Empire comes to exterminate us all.>

The barest hint of a memory. Metal warships and ultra-violet lasers lashing out. Grim, armoured figures marching through corridors, firing as they came. Illithid vessels vanishing into flame as they attempted to flee. Worlds being burned just because the Illithid once built homes there. Ruthless beings, so like Asari in appearance, cutting down Illithids with sword and laser fire, singing joyous hymns to their gods.

It terrified the Asari commander, the simple certainty of ZahzÆs claim. There was no grand-standing, no doubt. It was a statement of fact, casual and calm as if remarking that the sky was blue or that space is big.

The Empire was coming to kill them all. No debate, no discussion, no attempt at communication. For speaking with the Illithids, for being tainted by their mere presence, Lenaris would be destroyed and her crew exterminated out of hand. Nothing less would be acceptable.

The omni-toolÆs chirp of an incoming transmission sounded so very à final.

ôCommander, a ship just appeared on our sensors. Cruiser, unknown design.ö It was the sensor officerÆs, AeliaÆs, voice, highly alarmed, ôThey appear to be charging weapons!ö


(scene break)


As he marched on the bridge of his ship Captain Arehn Tyrell exchanged a polite nod with the shipÆs political officer, the slight Drow woman offering a respectful nod in return. This time there werenÆt any snide comments, irreverent smiles or provocations.

For all their differences, for all their disagreements, both were creatures of action. Hunters and predators, perhaps that was the reason for the mutual animosity, but there wasnÆt any now. No time for it, there was blood in the air and both could smell it.

There was a barely restrained blood-lust in the eyes of ISPDÆs Navathis Elmansara. There was a barely restrained blood-lust in the eyes of every officer, technician and legionnaire onboard the Alacris, including itÆs CaptainÆs.

As he took his place in the CaptainÆs seat, Arehn allowed himself a small. Small and sharp and so very eager, a hunterÆs smile.

For twelve days, they had played a game of hide and seek with the Mind Flayer raider that had struck at Taurida, leaving devastation, death and destroyed minds in their wake. For twelve days, they had hunted the enemy. For twelve days, they searched.

And now that the enemy had been found, the EmpireÆs vengeance would be swift, merciless and complete.

Arehn nodded to his XO, issuing a single order, ôAction stations.ö

The burly orc/human hybrid grinned widely even as he saluted his superior, ôYes, sir. Sound action stations. Intercom.ö Orag MindanosÆs voice echoed across the ship, dispassionate as a proper officerÆs voice should be, ôAll hands, report to your stations. Alacris is now at condition red, battlestations. Repeat. All hands, report to your stations. Alacris is now at condition red, battlestations. This is not a drill.ô

The alarm klaxon began to wail. There was no perceptible change on the bridge, of course, all stations were manned and ready at all times, but elsewhere on the ship the crew would be getting ready for combat.

Damage control teams assembling and moving to jump-off positions. Technicians running final checks on AlacrisÆs fighters even as pilots rushed to reach their ships. Legionnaires gearing up and setting up positions in case the battle reached the corridors of the Imperial cruiser à or those of the enemy vessel. Off-duty personnel rushing to get to their stations.

AlacrisÆ crew were highly trained professionals, kept at a fine edge of effectiveness by the patrols in the Outlands, by skirmishes with pirates, raiders and independent powers in the Outlands refusing the recognize the EmpireÆs authority.

Four and a half minutes after the announcement, Orag nodded to his Captain. The cruiser was ready for combat.

ôReady Starcaster. We have a raider to catch.ö It was theatre, but Arehn nevertheless raised a clenched fist, both battle cry and motivation for the crew, ôVengeance for Taurida.ö

Twenty raised fists joined the Captains, twenty voices speaking as one, ôFor Taurida!ö

No more needed to be said. There was no need to call for a teleport, the crew and Arehn had fought and bled together for ten years, they were veterans, all of them, familiar with each otherÆs instincts, reflexes and personalities.

There was no need to command a teleport. Navigator Kothik Lemar did it without prompting.

There was a flash of light as the teleport field expanded from the Starcaster, a momentary sensation of falling as the casterÆs gravity field shut down. A sensation of being crushed for the barest of moments, then expanding back into normal size.

Then the flash faded and everything returned to normal.

Not even a secondÆs transit.

Jump complete, Arahn barked out a, ôReport.ö

ôTwo contacts. One Flayer raider, positive ID for Taurida raider.ö The Lieutenant in charge of the shipÆs sensors reported immediately, ôOne unknown corvette, not Flayer. Nothing like it in warbook. ItÆs linked with the raider by an umbilical.ö A pause as she tapped the consoleÆs controls, ôHostiles are detaching, raider is turning to engage.ö

A holographic display sprang to life, taking up the entirety of the bridge, lines denoting distance and angle, text denoting the velocities and accelerations of the Alacris, the flayer vessel and the unknown, a warbook profile of the flayer raider with firing arcs prominently displayed in bright orange, symbols showing positions of hostile ships in red, windowed displays showing AlacrisÆ status, showing a close-up of the enemy vessels.

The flayer raider was immediately recognizable. Warped organic lines only the mind flayers didnÆt find utterly repulsive. Unique, different from other raiders encountered in shape, but identical in performance, weapons clearly marked. It had no chance at defeating the larger Imperial vessel and yet it still charged, interposing itself between the unknown and the AlacrisÆ guns.

The unknown was à alien. Almost elven in itÆs elegance, visible fusion torches and a glittering metal hull, certainly easier on the eyes than the Illithid vessel.
Arahn was hesitant for a moment, even if NavathisÆ voice softly whispered what he was thinking, ôThralls or victims. Nothing we can do for them at this point.ö

The moment passed and the Imperial Captain sighed heavily, and then ordered, ôLock targets and fire. Focus on the raider, I want them dead!ö

ôOne fried squid, coming right up.ö There was a grin in Lieutenant DethisÆ voice, ôDirect hits. TheyÆre trying to close.ö

It was difficult not to share that eagerness, ArahnÆs growled, ôFinish them off.ö Was all the encouragement the gunnery officer needed

ôGladly.ö DethisÆ voice dropped to an almost-whisper, still loud enough for the bridge crew to hear, ôThis is for Taurida, you sons of bitches.ö

AlacrisÆ deck didnÆt shudder or heave, there wasnÆt a surge in artificial gravity or any other indication that the shipÆs weapons were firing. Looking at the ship from outside, there wouldnÆt even be any visual sign.

The holographic display showed the invisible, ultra-violet beams connecting with the mind flayer vessel as purple lines, thicker where the AlacrisÆ nose-mounted heavy guns were firing, lighter and thinner for the secondaries.

The raider did, however, show every sign of being under attack. Gashes opened in the hull, edges white-hot from the laser fire, steam and fluids escaping the organic hull, itÆs tendrils writhing in agony. If it could have screamed, the flayer vessel would have.

And if they could hear it, the Imperials would have laughed.

Flashes on the display as AlacrisÆ lasers hit sensitive, explosive gear, ôReporting, direct hits. Secondary detonations.ö DethisÆ voice was smug, triumphant, ôSheÆs dead in the water, confirm one kill.ö

ôThe unknown is trying to run.ö It was a simple report, but enough to cut down on any momentary sense of elation at the destruction of an enemy ship in a proper battle

The unknown, no longer covered by the raiderÆs bulk, was indeed burning itÆs engines as hard as it could in an attempt to put distance between itself and the Imperial cruiser. A brief glance showed that they hadnÆt run far enough, a light-second.

ôDisable it.ö Turning briefly to the political officer, Arahn remarked on the worry they both felt, ôIf the flayers subverted an Outlander Empire àö

ôTarget locked, firing.ö The triumphant cry transformed into a curse, ôDammit! IÆve lost him, sensors!ö

The sensorsÆ officerÆs voice was hesitant,ôItÆs gone, IÆve got à an unknown FTL method. Unknown went FTL.ö

For someone who spoke little and softly, NavathisÆ voice was like the crack of a whip when she wanted it to and, this time, she did, ôTrack it!ö

ôOne moment, analysing.ö There was a shout in a language Arahn didnÆt recognize, but judging by the tone it was a good shout rather than a colourful curse, ôGot it! If theyÆre going in a straight line, itÆs a white dwarf star, two systems over. Ten light-years.ö

ôExcellent work.ö Arahn smiled as he leaned back in his seat, ôPut together a report on the unknown, I want it on my desk in an hour.ö After taking a moment to watch the dying flayer raider, spinning in place and leaking fluids like a wounded animal, the Captain ordered, ôAnd gunnery, finish that raider off.ö

ôGladly, sir.ö

It was oddly satisfying, watching the raider being carved up by AlacrisÆ weapons until it was in a dozen pieces, drifting apart in the void of space.

Dismissing the holo-display with a wave of the hand, Arahn rose to address the shipÆs mage, ôI want a report to command. Looks like weÆll need reinforcements.ö

Lieutenant Ingram Teecham nodded. A tall, weedy man with a pinched face that made him look older than he actually way, (name) was a perfect embodiment of a wizard the populace had in appearance, at least. In personality, the man was far more social and friendly than his dour appearance indicated, though, in ArahnÆs opinion, he tended to get a bit too professional and formal while on duty, a distinct difference from the crewÆs less formal behaviour developed by years away from the core worlds of the Empire.

It took barely a minute before Ingram straightened, ôSir, response from command.ö A subtle shift occurred, as the wizardÆs voice lost any trace of inflection, sounding more like a machine than a living being, ôReinforcements en route. Recon in force once additional ships have arrived, locate enemy outpost and determine defences. Engage if victory seems possible. Captain Tyrell to assume command of squadron. Communication ends.ö

ôGood.ö Turning to his second-in-command, Arahn issued his next order, even as he sat back down to wait for reinforcement to arrive, ôCommander Mindanos move crew to stand-by positions, I want combat readiness at a momentÆs notice.ö

ôYes, sir. Intercom.ö As the flashing lights went out OragÆs voice filled the corridors, ôAll hands, àö

--------------------

And that's all that's been written so far. I have other parts plotted out, some more sections are still stuck in the planning stage, but so far I'd like feedback and see if this is even worth bothering with further.
 

kelenas

Well-Known Member
#23
Well, I'm pretty sure I don't have to mention whether I think you should continue with this or not.

I suspect one problem is that Dragonstar isn't a particularly well-known setting, which might hamper interest. You could consider posting on SpaceBattles if there's some more interest.

As for the title, you could always go with the cliche'd "Mass [Something]" or "[Something] Effect". Though neither sounds particularly inspiring.

- Kelenas
 

Kibbles

Well-Known Member
#24
kelenas said:
Well, I'm pretty sure I don't have to mention whether I think you should continue with this or not.

I suspect one problem is that Dragonstar isn't a particularly well-known setting, which might hamper interest. You could consider posting on SpaceBattles if there's some more interest.
I probably will, once I've got the scenes currently under construction complete.

As for the title, you could always go with the cliche'd "Mass [Something]" or "[Something] Effect". Though neither sounds particularly inspiring.

- Kelenas
No ... just, no. I'm prone to coming up with weird names, 'Here be dragons' works as, at the least, a temporary name if nothing else.

Although the thought of naming this Mass Dragon Assault did make me smile for all of five seconds.
 

Raye_Terse

Well-Known Member
#25
Don't really know about the setting beyond the wiki link and a little prior knowledge about DnD, but I enjoyed the snippet all the same. Also, having the Illithid find the ME-verse first... holy shit, that's going to screw things up royally.

As for a title, well, the Illithid are obviously going to be an important part of the plot, so something like 'Mind Games' shouldn't be too far off, right?
 
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