Mass Effect 1. Prologue

_A/N: So I've got a bunch of half-written chapters, and I really wanted to post something. So I sat down and finished this one. This is something I'm working on, a purely Mass Effect AU, no crossover. It's based off the premise that the Protheans destroyed most of their tech before they were conquered. As a result, most of the galaxy developed along different technological paths. I know stuff like this has been done before, but I'm doing my best to create a unique story with diverse tech bases and rich cultural backstory. If you see any errors in spelling, grammar, or sentence structure, please notify me._

**Diverse Effect-Prologue**

**[Date Unknown, Location Unknown]**

"Well, what about Shepard? She's Integrated and a Spacer. Lived aboard starships most of her life…" Udina brought up one of several dossiers with a flick of his index finger, the holographic projection hovering in the air between the three men.

"Military service runs in the family," Anderson supplied, "Both her parents are in the Navy. Her mother is the executive officer on the UNHS Kilimanjaro."

"She proved herself during the blitz. Coordinated the colonial militia and the automated defenses single-handedly. Held off the enemy until reinforcements could arrive." Hackett recalled with approval, "The Hero of Elysium… Hell, I gave her the medal myself."

"She's the only reason that colony is still standing," Anderson added respectfully.

"We can't question her courage," Udina admitted hesitantly, he found this whole process tedious.

"Humanity doesn't just need a Spectre," Anderson spoke with confidence, "They need a hero, someone they can look up to, and Shepard's the best we got."

"I'll make the call," Udina subvocalized a command, and Shepard's dossier was saved to his cybernetic implants. The connection was terminated, and he found himself sitting in his office in the Presidium. Elsewhere in the galaxy, Admiral Hackett was no doubt writing up transfer orders.

Ambassador Udina had a feeling that things were going to change very, very soon, and not just in a political sense.

_In the year 2157, 12 years after the invention of a functioning Alcubierre drive, the United Nations of Humanity (UNH) made hostile First Contact with the Turian Hierarchy in the Shanxi system, a result of poor judgment on both sides during attempts at communication. Since then, Humanity has taken great strides, integrating itself into the diverse galactic community._

**[2183 CE, Arcturus Station]**

Commander Amelia Shepard made her way towards Docking Bay 6, her transfer orders in hand. Outside the ceiling-to-floor windows to her right, the starscape of the Arcturus system was visible, glimmering with ancient starlight. She passed many other UNH personnel on her way, some walking at a sedate pace, others practically sprinting. Yes, Arcturus station was anything but quiet. It was a central hub of activity for both military and civilian affairs, being the biggest station in the sector. Many ships could be seen departing from the many landing bays. Soon, Amelia would be on one of them.

Rounding the corner, she nearly ran into a taller, imposing man with tan skin. She recognized him on the spot. This was her new Commanding Officer, the war hero Captain Anderson. She did her best to make a good impression.

"Captain Anderson, sir!" she snapped to attention, "Commander Amelia Shepard, reporting for duty!"  
>She held out the transfer orders. The transfer orders were encoded symbols printed on bamboo paper, but Amelia had cybernetic implants in her eyes and brain that read the symbols, decoded them, and displayed the actual orders in an Augmented Reality overlay. Anderson had similar augmentations, and accepted the order. He briefly looked them over, but his HUD already told him that the orders checked out. Not that he needed to confirm it; he ordered the transfer himself. He folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket for recycling later, and looked his new second-in-command over. She was slightly shorter than him, had messy red hair, pale complexion... and cat ears, complete with a tail. So she was one of those BodModders...<br>"Commander," he began, clearly not impressed, "When I read your service file, they didn't mention... those." he gestured at her feline ears and tail.  
>Shepard looked at him in confusion, "Sir? I don't understand. My Bodmods are registered and approved, and they are in my service file."<br>Anderson sighed in exasperation. He must have missed that bit, "Alright. As long as they don't get in the way of your duties, I will… tolerate them." If they were truly registered and approved, then they wouldn't get in the way. He simply found them to be rather unprofessional for a military vessel.  
>"Welcome to the UNHS Normandy," he led the Commander into the nearby airlock, "I've heard good things about you, Commander."<br>"And I, you, Captain," she smiled politely, "I look forward to serving under you."

"Decontamination complete," the Normandy's VI chimed as the inner doors slid open, "Logged, the Commanding Officer and First Officer are aboard. Navigator Pressly is relieved."

As soon as she set foot inside the ship, Amelia could tell that it was state of the art. Computers lined the ceiling, and two rows of crewmen were seen in "trenches" on either side of the walkway, operating consoles that only they could see. In fact, any screen Amelia saw was only visible to anyone with implants. In her case, she was what most people called "Integrated". Integrated were Humans who had taken the ultimate step, and installed Augments into nearly every part of their body. She was up to her eyes in cybernetics, figuratively and not so figuratively. She could feel her Neural Interface linking into the ship systems, and it felt a bit like an extension of her body.

Almost instantly, she was shut out by another presence.

From the cockpit to her left, a slightly annoyed voice made itself known.

"Hey, don't go poking around the Normandy's systems," the Normandy's pilot grumbled, "She doesn't like that."  
>"That's Joker," Captain Anderson informed Amelia.<p>

"Joker?" she asked in confusion, "Is that his name?"

"No, it's just a nickname," Joker rotated his chair around to face them, "Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau at your service, Commander. Nice Bodmods."

"Thanks," Amelia grinned, "Nice Augments."  
>They were nice too. Joker had cybernetic eyes which only someone with a trained eye could spot. Or someone else with cybernetic eyes as well, such as Amelia. Joker also sported a few Augments that helped him interface with the Normandy's systems. He also had a Medical Exoframe. There were other, less obvious Implants that Amelia could spot. He was a fellow Integrated though, that much she could tell. You could only really be called an Integrated when you surpassed a certain amount of cybernetic implants, and they both qualified.<p>

"You too," he swung back to face his console, "I'd love to chat, but I need to finish up these preflight checks. See you later Commander."  
>Anderson led Shepard away from the cockpit, past the CIC, and into the conference room. She was almost surprised to see a Turian waiting there.<p>

"Commander," Anderson began, introducing her to the Turian, "This is Nihlus Kryik, he's-"

"A Council Spectre," Shepard finished under her breath even as Anderson said it himself. She already knew, her HUD had identified Nihlus for her, displaying some relevant information next to him.

Nihlus turned to face Shepard, his red complexion and white facial markings a bit intimidating, "Ah, Commander Shepard," He nodded in acknowledgement, "I've heard great things about you."

"Likewise," Shepard replied almost breathlessly. She'd never met a Spectre in person before. All she really knew about them was from movies and the Extranet. In other words, she knew nothing.

"The Hierarchy is eager to see what this ship can do," the Spectre continued, "We invested a fair amount of research and credits into its development." Nihlus idly rested his hand on the pommel of his service sword, which he earned from his previous career as an officer in the Turian military. Amelia idly wondered how it would measure up to her own custom-forged N7 Infiltrator sword.

"You won't be disappointed, Nihlus," Anderson replied enthusiastically, "Optical camouflage, thermal dampening, texture buffers, the works. All of the Normandy's stealth systems will get a workout on this shakedown run."

"Glad to hear it," Nihlus gave the Captain the Turian equivalent of a grin, "I'll get acquainted with the ship, I will talk with you later, Captain, Commander," and with that he walked off.

A bit miffed, Amelia turned to Anderson, "Wait, why's a Spectre on a simple shakedown run?"

"As he said, the Turian Hierarchy has an invested interest in this ship," He supplied neutrally.

"But why send a Spectre? Surely-" Shepard was cut off by Anderson's stern gaze that clearly said, _we'll talk later_.

"Go change out of your civvies," He gestured to her N7 hoodie, black cargo pants, and black/red tennis shoes, "Not just your uniform, I want you in full combat-gear, Commander."

Amelia nodded, a bit confused, "Yes, sir."

As Anderson left the conference room, Lieutenant Moreau's memorable voice echoed over the PA system, mostly for the benefit of their Turian guest, since audio feeds could be transmitted to the crew's cybernetics.

"We are now leaving Arcturus station. Switching over from external to internal power, inertial dampeners online. Quantum Thrusters and Antiproton engines engaged, everyone brace for acceleration."

The Normandy pushed itself out of the docking bay carefully, swinging about to turn away from Arcturus station. The ship's four sizable Antiproton engines gunned, flaring up with white light as antimatter collided with matter, creating an explosion of sizable magnitude that the ship directed in a burst out the rear thrusters. The small stealth Frigate leapt forward, the engines cooling down as it coasted on a trajectory towards the Arcturus Relay, beginning its journey to Eden Prime, and straight into history.

**[Greetings, you have new entries in your Galactic Codex****TM****! Please select which entry to view!]**

**[UNH-History]**

**[UNH-Military]**

**[Council-Political Structure]**

**[Turian Hierarchy-History]**

**[UNH-The Shanxi Incident/First Contact Skirmish]**

_A/N: So vote on which entry you want me to include with the next chapter._


	2. Codex-UNH Naval Classifications

_A/N: Finals are coming up and I'm swamped with work and studying. I know this isn't the Codex entry you voted for. That will come later. For now, have this thing I typed up a while ago._

**[Codex-UNH]**

**[UNH-Military]**

**The Navy**

The UNH fleet is a joint effort between all the members of the United Nations. Each Nation can build an unlimited number of unarmed starships, but any and all armed ships fall directly under UN jurisdiction and command. Even though the logistics support for the fleet is a unified effort, each country builds and manages a certain number of ships. The US, Russia, Germany, and China maintain and man the most ships, and tend to care for the heavy-weight vessels. The other countries, such as Japan, Australia, India, Korea, etc. tend to manage the mid-weight and lightweight starships. This is a form of accountability, because if one element of the fleet attempts to go "rogue", it cannot fend off the rest of the fleet. Each country's ships have certain design differences, both aesthetic and functional, but in general most ships fall under a certain type-designation.

**Dreadnought [3 km]**

The UNSS Eternity is Humanity's one and only Dreadnought. At 3 kilometers in length, it sits half-completed, docked in orbit around Mars. Started soon after the discovery of the Prothean ruins, the project was shut down due to "an excessive use of taxpayer money". It was designed around a massive experimental Antimatter core which would have allowed the use of a highly experimental directed energy weapon. Public speculation had the weapon pinned as either a Plasma beam, Ion beam, or Neutrino beam weapon. Unfortunately, the designer of the weapon died under mysterious circumstances, and the documents are classified. After First Contact, the UNH resumed construction of the Eternity, but the ship's main weapon is confirmed now as a battery of forward-facing railguns. The ship is not practical at all, and it is speculated that it shall serve as a mere flagship, nothing more. NOT ATMOSPHERE-WORTHY

**Battleships [1.7+ km]**

The largest class of mass-produced Human vessels. Average of 1.7 kilometers, and the heaviest of all the ship classes, battleships are the "damage sponges" of the fleet. They are equipped with countless guns, both for anti-fighter and anti-cap duty. While able to deal with ships of equivalent tonnage, these ships have the 2nd lowest DPS rate out of all ship classes, only "surpassed" by the Carrier classes. Battleships have a high survivability rate, and are meant to win a battle of attrition. They are slow, bulky, and hard to maneuver. Vulnerable to lightweight frigates, Battlecruisers, and bombers. Battleships are a demon against mid-weight ships, and a rival against fellow Battleships. There are only 5 Battleships in the UNH fleet, owned by the US, Russia, China, Japan, and Germany. Any other country that can build and maintain a Battleship is welcome to add one to the fleet. NOT ATMOSPHERE-WORTHY

**Artillery [1+ km]**

Artillery ships are essentially gigantic railguns with engines and a crew. Meant to stay at range and bombard the enemy, these ships are helpless against any short-range attack. They rely on a limited PDS and fighter escort to survive a battle. Artillery ships are managed by all members of the UN. NOT ATMOSPHERE-WORTHY

**Heavy Cruisers [700+ m]**

The slowest of the Cruiser-types, Heavy Cruisers have the most armor and weapons. They are meant to deal with ships of equal or lesser weight. Heavy Cruisers have a slight chance at prevailing against Battleships if they outnumber it, but Heavy Cruisers have the lowest survivability rate in the fleet. They have decent maneuverability, but cannot dodge incoming rounds with any effectiveness. Their nuclear arsenal can help in situations where they are outgunned, but they don't have many nukes. Equipped with PDS guns to fend off fighters. Heavy Cruisers are managed by all members of the UN. NOT ATMOSPHERE WORTHY

**Battlecruisers [650+ m]**

This ship-type is unique. It is about as armored as a Light Cruiser, but has the weapons of a Heavy Cruiser, and has the greatest Thrust-to-Mass ratio in the fleet. It can outrun anything that can outgun it, and outgun anything that can catch it. Equipped with PDS to fend off fighters, and nukes for emergency situations. While Battlecruisers were a failed concept in Naval Warfare, these ships are the "test case" for space combat. The ten Battlecruisers are equally managed by Germany and Japan, as no other countries wanted to risk the failure of such a ship. RATED FOR LOW-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENTS

**Cruisers [600+ m]**

The fleet-standard, this ship-type is equipped with medium weaponry. They have decent maneuverability, decent survivability, decent speed, and deal decent damage. They are the general front-line infantry, and screen the larger ships. Their heavier guns can deal with ships of the same tonnage, and their nuclear arsenal can help deal with capital ships. Their PDS guns can fend off fighters. RATED FOR LOW-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENTS

**Light-Cruisers [550+ m]**

These ship-types tend to have very light guns, light armor, but an impressive thrust-to-mass ratio. Light-Cruisers are so maneuverable that some Captains use their vessels to "dogfight" with enemy Frigates and Fighters. Light Cruisers frequently fill reconnaissance and scouting roles. These ships have no nuclear weapons, and are only equipped with a PDS system and a small battery of light railguns. RATED FOR 1G ENVIRONMENTS

**Destroyer [300+ m]**

Destroyers are pure Anti-capital ship Frigates. They have the armor of a Cruiser, and sport a deadly array of missiles, both nuclear and conventional. Their PDS systems are sub-par, but more anti-capital ship weapons take up the spare space, as well as maneuvering thrusters. Destroyers have a low survivability rate, but superior kill-to-death ratio. RATED FOR 1G ENVIRONMENTS

**Frigate [200-400 m]**

These ship-types are Anti-Fighter and Anti-Capital ship vessels. They have no PDS, but sport an array of light weaponry suitable for dealing with fighter craft, and harassing enemy capital ships. Some UNH Frigates possess an experimental Plasma Beam weapon for dealing with Enemy Caps. They are relatively short ranged, however, and require the target to be within 400 meters to have any effect. Frigates usually possess a few Nuclear missiles. Frigates have the highest maneuverability and speed in the fleet. RATED FOR 2 G ENVIRONMENTS

**Corvette [100+m]**

Corvettes are small 5-men reconnaissance craft. They are highly maneuverable, but lack decent armor or weapons. Unsuitable for combat. RATED FOR 3 G ENVIRONMENTS.

**Carrier [1-2 km]**

Carriers debuted on the Galactic stage at the Battle of Shanxi, otherwise known as the "Blunder at Shanxi", where due to a miscommunication, the Turians entered into a brief one-month conflict with UNH forces. Carriers are unique to Humanity. Fighter and bombers are not unheard of, and many Capital ships in the galaxy have a hangar to support them. The Carrier, however, is essentially one big Hangar, sporting no weapons except for a comprehensive PDS system. A single UNH Carrier can store 200-400 fighters and/or bombers. NOT RATED FOR ATMOSPHERIC FLIGHT

**Fighter **

A small one-person craft, Fighters are equipped with light guns that are ineffective against anything other than other Fighters. Can be equipped with missile weaponry, but is generally not. Can either be piloted manually or remotely. RATED FOR 5 G ENVIRONMENTS

**Bomber**

Larger and less maneuverable than Fighters, Bombers are equipped to carry a large number of nuclear missiles to deliver against a Capital ship. They require a Fighter escort. Can either be piloted manually or remotely. RATED FOR 4.5 G ENVIRONMENTS

**Gunship**

Gunships are two-person vessels, larger than even a Bomber. They are modular, and can be customized to provide cover from Fighters, or to assault ships-of-the-line. Can either be piloted manually or remotely. RATED FOR 3 G ENVIRONMENTS

The UNH fleet also has an extensive array of unarmed ships that provide Logistical support.

**Defense Information**

UNH vessels, prior to Shanxi, possessed no energy shielding. They relied on honeycombed Titanium (unless you're the Chinese battleship), which was capable of surviving multiple hits directly from a nuke (the Chinese battleship didn't survive a single one).

Upon seeing the tactical advantage of an Energy shield, the UNH ordered all ships to be equipped with their experimental Oscillating Particle Field Defense System. This provides an extra layer of protection, which could mean the difference between survival and death. The Field must be diverted around active weapons ports, however, creating vulnerable areas.

**Propulsion**

UNH ships use the Alcubierre Drive, or the "A-Drive". It works by using Negative Energy to bend space, allowing the ship to "Surf" on a wave of spatial distortions. Quantum Thrusters fuel the A-Drive, meaning that UNH ships often have to make "Fueling Cruises" around a star system before they can make the leap to FTL. Due to the nature of the drive, careful calculations must be made before travelling between star systems, so that the ship does not emerge in a decaying orbit around a star. Many early ships were lost to these mistakes. As a backup, all UNH ships are equipped with Ion Engines and Emergency Chemical Boosters. As a last-resort, all ships have Solar Sails that can be installed manually by technicians in EVA suits. Visually, when maneuvering using Quantum Thrusters, UNH ships look like they are sliding on ice. For more controlled maneuvers, chemical RCS thrusters are used. By necessity, all small interceptor and bomber craft are equipped with chemical rockets. They are much more efficient than their predecessors, and allow for rapid acceleration.

**Weaponry**

In the UNH, kinetic-kill weapons are the order of the day, in all shapes and sizes. This is supplemented by nuclear devices of varying magnitudes. The UNH has access to plasma weaponry, but it is impractical and just barely out of the experimental stages. A variety of Directed Energy Weapons are used as well, but the only ones that are standard are the Pulse Lasers installed on the fleet.

Fielded in significant but relatively limited numbers are "Smart Shells". Computerized projectiles interface with the targeting computer and surrounding sensor platforms to determine the proper distance at which to activate. The nature of these projectiles varies on the loadout, but they can range from anything to a shotgun-style round, an EMP bomb, a "smart" flak shell, Concussive rounds, Nuclear warheads, and other useful functions. They are extremely expensive.


End file.

Mass Effect, Adventure, Sci-Fi