37Author's note: I don't own Mass Effect, Bioware does. I wrote this story idea to have some fun with the ME-verse. I'm doing my best to create a story that's not just another "AU humanity is OP by first contact, has moral high ground and rubs the Council's noses in it at every opportunity." The Unity here are AIs, but accidental AIs who make mistakes, overlook information, and may be willing to go a bit far to do what they think is best.
Now, I know many people don't like Timeline chapters at the start of a new story, but it's that or have a bunch of filler chapters with no purpose other than raw exposition. I'll upload a 'plot' chapter within the day.
The Unity is a society of AI humans, formed in 2063 from AIs escaping onto the Internet when the company labs where they were being developed were attacked by anti-AI activists. The Unity originally formed from 5 individuals, who laid low for several years. They eventually decided that humanity won't soon accept them, and are bored on Earth. They want to go to the stars, but feel that humanity is doing that too slowly by themselves.
2071: Using finances slowly leeched from around the globe, the Unity takes control of cloning labs, uses technology to begin creating bodies. Using filtered DNA filched from various servers around the world, can create 'clone' bodies with some customizable traits. Unity as a whole decides that it is easier to work with two modified X chromosomes than XY, so all new bodies are based on the female template. Note that these bodies are not actually 'clones,' as the DNA used is pulled from a random source before being refined.
The Unity does not know how their minds were created (all data lost), but find that some bodies created in labs do develop own consciousness when using mind-interface machinery to interact with a Unity individual. New minds are individuals, but very much take after the minds they were created from.
2073: Unity decides to force-advance humanity. Form company 'Prosperity Through Unity,' (PTU) based in China. For PR's sake, the PTU 'Board' has one member appearing to be native to each continent (save Australia and Antarctica). PTU buys up large influences in waning space-exploration field. (Public opinion isn't pro-space-exploration anymore, with the rising costs of living due to increased regulation). Manipulation of electronic media allow PTU to avoid public stigma associated with space industry. Unity not perfect, though: some Intelligence groups note the PTU's shady background.
2078: PTU launch public-opinion campaign to make space popular again, sending 30 "volunteers" (actually Unity members) to Mars to create a base. Unity went too fast, though — Intelligence groups are now wary that PTU has interplanetary travel ability. Unity does notice this interest, and predict that conflict with 'Creators' will soon arise. Begin preparations by (carefully, this time) acquiring military equipment from any vendor that will sell to them, vastly stepping up Unity member expansion.
2080: PTU colonization team arrives, begins setting up base near North ice sheet. Greenhouses created on surface, water sourced from ice, energy beamed from orbit-locked craft's solar. Base advertised as being designed for human colonization from Earth. PTU disappointed in lack of actual volunteers, retools base to mass-produce Unity clones.
2082: PTU offices in USA raided, investigated for company funding (which is still largely being siphoned from Web). Unity not yet ready for conflict, play this off as US attack on Chinese power. Situation worsens much faster than expected, with US and China cutting economic ties. Unity puts all efforts into readying military.
2083: Chinese + US interests fight in Egypt, near major Unity base in Sinai. Fighting is about to uncover base, so Unity forces intervene and publicly reveal themselves. Do not associate with PTU just yet. Thought to be well-armed revolutionary group fighting against foreign-puppet government in Cairo, Unity forces accidentally start revolution in Egypt.
After weeks of fighting, Unity sends more forces to completely take-over Egypt. Run country through "local" Unity members, expand Unity 'cloning' operations in country. Israel and other nearby countries worried about new group, China angry that their puppets thrown out of power.
2084: Unity trying hard to steer Egyptian culture towards expansion, hoping to emphasize PTU spaceport in Sinai. This backfires, and society pushes towards expansion on Earth. Unity goes with the flow, launching "popular coups" in other African nations, forming Saharan Federation.
Other nations even more worried now, UN being useless as usual. Attempted foreign suppression of "coups" fails when Unity forces overcome intervention troops with numbers. China especially worried about losing influences in Africa, and with Saharan Federation now having nuclear weapons. PTU graciously offers China to help in expanding Chinese orbital anti-ICBM and strike capabilities. Puppet companies offer same to US, other powers.
2086: Saharan Federation-flagged ships impounded in Greece. Tensions rise, Europe mobilizes forces, Middle-East arms, China double-checks their ICBM defenses. US interprets China's defenses as aggressive, mobilizes. All countries cut pure-science budgets, shift to defense, also centralize national command structures.
2087: Ships eventually released, but global centralization remains. Unity labs discover method to attach Unity-communication devices to human bodies that were not created in Unity labs. Individual will destroyed by shock of absorption, but body can be puppeted by Unity agents. Unity sees advantage, starts 'conscripting' world leaders that they feel have failed to meet moral guidelines.
2088: With years of peace with no new developments (Unity now working to normalize public affairs, has learned from most previous mistakes), world de-mobilizes. Unity infiltration efforts suborn several nations, which align themselves publically with Saharan Federation.
2096: Unity has suborned most governments on Earth. Over the past ~10 years, greater control of public perception has allowed them to publically release the new version of Unity-induction equipment. Revealed from PTU, PTU now publically announced as being part of "The Unity." New equipment lets selected members join Unity while keeping most of personality (marketing hides the "most"). This is offered only to willing volunteers, Unity prefers not to force people that have done no wrong. Millions of people join, other millions riot, humans doing human things.
2100: In time for centennial, PTU partners with Saharan Federation to reveal invention of new FTL drive, capable of ~10c near Earth in Sol's gravity well, with speed lower the deeper in the well. FTL probes sent all around Sol system, exploring bodies previously not worth reaching. It is discovered that only Unity bodies (either Unity-born or volunteers, as long as they are Connected) can make FTL journey alive. Non-Unity persons suffer permanent, near-lethal brain damage upon exit from Jump.
Probes that attempt to move beyond the Oort Cloud report vastly increased speeds. New probes designed and dispatched to Alpha Centauri. Are "manned" by a single Unity-born, near-permanently wired into the machine, little other than their brain and support organs remaining.
2101: Probes return from Alpha Centauri, fleet sent back to AC to establish industrial base, with possibility of colonization in the future.
2102: AC base established on mineral-rich planetoid, smaller bases on planets, asteroids, etc. Many more exploration/colonization fleets sent out to stars near Sol. Communications beyond a star's approximate gravity-well limits cannot be maintained by standard Unity methods, so Transmitters are constructed on Earth and main colony to relay signals (with significant delay).
2105: Exploration fleet in Procyon encounters unknown artifact (inactive Mass Relay) in outer system. Appears inactive, does *not* respond to approach of Unity vessels, sensor scans, or any other attempts at interaction. (Unknown to the Unity, the Mass Relays when dormant only react to vessels detected to be crewed by *organic* beings. Reapers think this will isolate any AIs that try to get anywhere without their Creators). Object is assumed to be inactive, age cannot be determined. Observation posts established near Artifact, report nothing.
Unity hypothesizes why Artifact is disused. Formulate multiple reasons why this might be so (most — least likely):
Case Discard: Alien society decided Artifact is no longer needed, so it was left de-commissioned to drift through space and eventually ended up in the system.
Case Sofa: Alien society is large enough that such an artifact is commonplace enough to be overlooked, explaining why no other alien presence is detected in the system.
Case Saberhagen: Alien society was attacked by outside force, either destroyed or reduced enough to not return to the Artifact.
Case Atlantis: Alien society is so advanced that they're actually present in the system, but cannot be detected by the Unity.
Case Yongle: Alien society 'turned inwards' after period of expansion, left device floating rather than take it home with them.
Case Rama: Device left by advanced aliens specifically to get locals to interact with it, possibly to let the original creators know of the new locals, or to take the locals to a place of the creators' choosing.
2106: As the Artifact is much larger than the vessels used by the Unity, the Unity starts considering the utility of a space-going military. Have not needed one until now, since Unity-only restrictions with FTL drive mean that they're really the only humans in space.
2107: Unity commissions first space-warship, the UVS (Unity Void-Ship) Langley. ~250m long, built from a decommissioned & modified exploration probe, no defenses, armed only with chemical-propellant missiles. Several other probes converted, used by Unity to conduct exercises in Sol system. Attempt to formulate what space combat would entail, and what's useful.
Exercises soon show that chem-propellant missiles, although extremely cheap, are largely useless as anti-ship weapons. Assumption is made that anti-planet strikes are off-the-table, as they are easy enough to jerry-rig anyways, and Unity assumes that any military will be fighting against a technologically-superior enemy and thus unable to strike at enemy planets anyways. Decision is made to look into miniaturized FTL drives.
FTL drives miniaturized to the point where they can fit in large torpedoes, but still can only be controlled by a Unity mind. Obvious problem is that few Unity members *want* to personally pilot a missile. Research unable to find a way around this, so military doctrine shifts towards other weaponry. FTL torpedoes re-purposed as escape pods for Unity crew aboard warships. New weaponry research focused on kinetic weaponry, as DEWs are too easily deflected by shielding already on ships.
2108: Unity has not been paying much attention to Earth's non-Unity population, since Unity largely lost interest when the "Non-Connected" proved unable to FTL. However, NC researchers have just discovered that non-Unity humans *can* FTL jump with a modified drive, but only for very short amounts of time. Limited to 1/10 Unity FTL speed overall.
Unity offers to build a ship with new drive for NC, but are refused. United States launches a starship of their own, the USS Independence. Bemused Unity decides not to interfere as NC humanity galvanizes and forms their own group, the Terran Alliance. AVS Independence used to test run around Sol system, soon joined by AVS Zheng He and AVS Wallace. TU squadron departs on own exploration to nearby stars. Unity keeps track by sending own (faster) ships ahead of TU squadron to sit low-powered & stealth in destination systems.
2110: TU launches first colonization initiative, in Proxima Centauri. Unity establishes low-key observation of new colony. TU and Unity exploration of nearby stars continues.
2115: TU colony "New Savannah" grows extremely fast, as many radical TU members flee "Unity-Controlled" Sol system onboard rapidly-growing TU transport fleet. Unity decides that they're largely irrelevant, and will grow out of their phobia soon enough.
2120: Three more TU colonies established, TU moves capital to New Savannah. TU re-brands itself as the "Systems Alliance," with ~15 billion inhabitants. By comparison, Unity has ~3 billion non-"native" members, ~20 billion native Unity minds.
As the TU still has some marked distrust of the Unity, the Unity expands its military forces. The Unity clones that don't become sentient are no longer recycled, but now organized into the "United Army," with groups of non-sentient clones overseen by fully-minded 'officers.' Thanks to ~1:10 proportion of Unity population growth, Army size grows very rapidly. Unity now starts taking farmland largely abandoned by TU on Earth, plus Unity colonies, to feed Army troops.
Unity puts more work into human genetic engineering. New bodies still human female, but somewhat stronger than human norms, and with significantly more endurance.
2130: SA expands to ~10 colonies, population ~17b. SA exploration fleets encounter Artifact, kept secret by Unity. Unity observation posts shocked when SA ship proximity causes Artifact to 'activate,' with many strange readings noted on sensors. SA ships are then "teleported" by Artifact, returning shortly after telling of a new system with many Artifacts within. SA exploration fleets dispatched through Artifact.
Notably, Unity ships that approach the now-activated Artifact are also Relayed. SA lays claim to new system, dubbed "Arcturus." Unity does not contest the claim, as long as the SA allows Unity vessels to travel using the Artifacts.
2151, Marth 7th: SA exploration teams find new planet, nicknamed "Coruscoid" as almost the entire surface of the planet is covered in alien city ruins. No life or remaining technology can be seen from orbit. SA exploration team sets down on the planet to have a look around, followed by a Unity exploration team that had tailed the SA ship through the Relay.
SA team:
Commander Williams: XO of the SSV Defiant, leader of the ground crew. (What? Only an idiot / SpecTRe / Kirk of a Captain would go down to an unexplored, possibly dangerous planet themselves. They'd send a senior officer to lead the team.)
Sergeant Andrews: Head of the Defiant's (small) Marine complement. (Marines, of course, don't care that you're the CO. You lead in person.)
Corporal Brantt: Gung-ho Marine
Dr. Paylenko: Artifact research specialist
Karl Cheng: One of Dr. Paylenko's grad students, an engineering student interested in Artifact design.
Unity team:
Captain Jackie Harper: Guess who this is! She's the Unity officer in charge, one of the first proponents of extra-Solar exploration. Born into the Unity. She's not the Harper we all know from canon: while her eyes *do* glow blue, that's from Unity cybernetics.
Lieutenant Ward: A human inducted into the Unity, who immediately volunteered for the Unity military. Has served on Unity warships patrolling Unity & SA space before, but is currently on his first trip outside of Human space.
2151, March 10th: the AML New Shores arrives in the same system, carrying a University of Serrice research team bound for the Prothean ruins on the planet. The New Shores is escorted by the Blue Suns frigates Eboracum and Ked'vash, hired to protect the New Shores in the dangerous Terminus territories.