Mass Effect: The Traverse

[Doomed Wombat]

The Traverse​

The year is 2159, two years after the first contact war when humanity was violently introduced to the greater galaxy due to laws set down before their people even thought of reaching for the stars.

The effects of this have been staggering and after two years of constant movement, confusion and negotiations the systems Alliance has finally settled down, starting to incorporate technologies gifted by the elder races of the galaxy and integrate into the galactic community, while in the shadows xenophobia and fear rises higher, spurred on by an Illusive Man and a terrorist organisation.

You of course see little of this, as you are preparing a colony to take advantage of the gold rush of the new age.

The Attican Traverse, the gateway to the Terminus Systems.

In this region of space lies some of the most fought over worlds in galactic history, constantly raided by the Terminus Systems for whatever resources maybe found there, with refugees and criminals constantly spilling over from both sides.

A mad bad land where everything can be gained, and then lost in a matter of moments.

There are few colonies here, and even fewer survive more than a few years before being destroyed by one group or another, the resources of the galactic governments too tied up in their Core territories to expand into this no man's land and risk provoking the chaotic beast on the other side.

But, here you are. The Humans.

Boldly going forward into this new age, filled with mystery where you are but, rambunctious, precocious children compared to those that have been here since before your people mastered fire.

But, before anything else who exactly are you, after all you have to fill in many many forms informing people of your intent. Then there are back ground checks and more.

So, who are you and what did you do?

[] Retired Military: You fought on both land and air against the Turians and were among the more successful commanders against the unknown alien force until you were finally captured. While you were defeated you came to respect, if not like, these unknowns. After peace was negotiated you were released with an honourable discharge after decades of decorated service, but you could not let your old life just die and either could many of your old friends. You've all got at least one more fight left in you and on the edge isn't the worst place to die. Martial Start: Begin with experience commanding, favours in the Systems Alliance Military and you get to bring a fairly large core of veteran fighters with you to defend the colony. Have a single contact within the Turian Hierarchy.

[] Successful Diplomat: When the Turians came you were one of the diplomats that tried to unsuccessfully stop them through diplomatic means and when the Citadel came down on them for their actions you were one of the first contact with the Asari and Salarians and managed to explain to them many intricacies of human culture and understanding, even made yourself from very nice friends. Under immense pressure after the negotiations were finally over you retired too much stress for an old buffer like yourself, but after recovering you decided to make use of your talents in other areas and finally call in those little favours that you have been saving up all these years. Diplomacy Start: Begin with several contacts within the wider galactic community, can negotiate with non-humans much easier, many saved up favours in the Systems Alliance

[] Lifetime Spy: Simple enough, you were a spy an intelligence gatherer, employed by the Systems Alliance to gather information upon its allies and enemies and you had been since the day you were conceived. Now they had decided your skills were best served creating an intelligence network in the Traverse. The reasons are numerous, to protect human interests, to keep an eye on this "Hegemony" and "Terminus," to look out for Cerberus, but at the end of the day your job was still pretty much the same as it was when you started decades ago. Intrigue Start: Extremely dangerous and experienced spy, Systems Alliance has their eyes on you. Fulfil their askance and you'll get very nice bonuses.

[] Veteran Administrator: To put it bluntly you were an accountant and a damn good one. You could squeeze every single drop of value from just about any document you were given and while that did make you some enemies, it made you damn wealthy as well, so it evened out. You made a true fortune when you out negotiated some of those Volus people and acquired a very lucrative deals on some rather potent technologies. But, with boredom setting in during your dotage you decided to go all in, on the riskiest deal of your life. Administration Start: Lots and lots of money, a few initial trade deals already set up from the start, colony bound to run smoothly. Enemies in the Alliance and even a few in the Galactic Community.

[] Curious Professor: You were at the cutting edge of your field when the Turians arrived and were for decades pushing humanity towards the stars and, now you're at the bottom of it. A rather curious predicament for one such as you who was sought after by every single major university in the Systems Alliance. Still you did not let it phase you for long, you entered and excelled in the education courses the Citadel offered, and your flame only soured higher as you gazed upon that fascinating construct of dreams. The stars are ancient and hold many many secrets. You want to uncover them all. Learning Start: Old Professor, up to date on galactic understanding of the universe, many contacts with educational institutions back in the Systems Alliance.

You shake your head, clearing it of cob webs, before blinking at the form. You've spent quite a long time on who you are, but your name and gender has actually remained blank...quite foolish of you no? You must be slowing down as the years catch up to you in earnest.

Name

[]

Gender
[] Male

[] Female

Typing down the final pieces of information you sigh and lean back in your chair, before pressing the send button.

If this is approved, then your life will never be the same again. You will have more responsibility heaped on your shoulders than you ever believed possible, and if the stories you have heard and read are true your chances of success are slim to none. But, victory. That slim chance of victory is tantalising.

If you succeed, then you will eternally write your name into the stars themselves...if you fail then...well you probably would not be remembered much anyway.

---

Well I may as well try my hand at this once again.

Welcome to the Traverse, a quest where you will be setting up a colony in...well the Attican Traverse, the new Gold Rush zone of the galaxy, only a few years after the end of the First Contact war.

The area you are colonising will be dangerous, it will have hazards both natural and unnatural and your survival is by no means assured. Survive and you will do more than most. Prosper and you maybe able to influence the galaxy as a whole depending on who or what you choose to support.

The quest for the most part will focus on CKII, with you taking control of the leader of a colony, shaping it's early development and when that leader is removed for reasons ranging from death, to uprising, to good old being voted out of office you will control the next leader...unless everybody's dead in which case you loose.

This first post will select your first character, the second your sponsor (colonies are expensive), the third your planet and finally initial colonisation. Then the quest will begin in earnest.

Good luck y'all and most importantly thanks to @PoptartProdigy both for inspiring this quest and giving advice to me while planning.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

Character Sheets

James Raynor
Age: 87
Martial	17+4=21: You've been fighting for a very long time and spent a lot of that commanding once you were promoted. You are an expert commander and can see off most foes
Administration	16: A nack for maths sees you as a skilled logician, and an appreciation for having proper equipment saw you develop it. You are a skilled Administrator
Diplomacy	14+3=17: Naturally good with people, dealing with internal military politics saw you become a competent, if blunt politician.
Intrigue	12+3=15: Your preference was always for more direct tactics, but you gained an appreciation for them over your years, especially after you were tricked into defeat. You are a competent, if unsubtle spy
Learning	11: You're not dumb sure and respect egg heads, but learning was never your strong suit. You are an unable scientist.
N7 Founder: You were one of the boys who helped found the original N7 programme and oversaw its first intake of graduates and their training. To get that honour you had to be in every level of the military before then and earned a lot of experience and contacts at every level of the Alliance. +4 Martial +3 intrigue, +3 diplomacy
Born long before the discovery of the Prothean relics on Mars James, Jimmy, Raynor started off as an impoverished farmer boy from Texas. Falling into crime at a young age due in part to recklessness, desperation and bad influences, Raynor was arrested sent to the military to try and straighten him out, a task which it at least partially excelled in, turning him into a highly competent soldier. When the Systems Alliance was founded in 2149 Raynor was recruited into its military. His decades of experience meant that he was selected to help train the first groups of N7 soldiers. He finally decided it was time to retire after being defeated on Shanxi by Tiberius Martem, commander of the Blackwatch forces present with the fleet. Despite being captured and the general sentiments of humans around the Turians at the time he and Tiberius connected due to their shared skill, with Tiberius introducing him to Talshiran, Turian Chess. The two parted on friendly, if awkward terms. After recovering and finally being discharged, Raynor has gathered several of his old colleagues in order to make a permanent mark on the galaxy.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

Spoiler: Codex: Planet Perkwunos

Codex
Location: Milkey Way/Attican Traverse/Numan Confluence/Aiur System/Third Planet
Perkwunos

First surveyed in 696CE the planet of Perkwunos was prepped for colonisation by the Krogan, but the Krogan rebellions which started only four years later prompted the planet to fall from recollections, aside from being the occasional lair of pirates, or some adventurous Terminus miners.

The planet's most striking characteristic from orbit is the eternal thunder storm raging in its orbit which made habitation daunting even to the Krogan, with only the discovery of the planet's underground tunnel system ensuring that colonisation would go forward.

The underground tunnels that cross the entire planet are theorised to either have been built artificially, or to have been created by active eezo being pulled from the planet by lightning. Either way these tunnels are where life thrives on Perkwunos.

On the surface there is very little life, mostly giant trees that subsist on the lightning strikes, and other creatures of immense fortitude or with special adaptations to survive out there.

In the caverns, life can be divided into three general biomes.

Around the equator is the aqueous zone. This is a giant underground ocean and a constant chorus of flashing biotics as the under-sea creatures fight for survival and triumph. Breif scans of this zone indicate that there are large amounts of minerals in this area but mining them will be very difficult.

Second are the "jungle" zones. These form around hot spots and are where plants adapted for humidity reside. These areas are where the plants reign supreme as constant heat and water sends them into overdrive, the undergrowth constantly competing with the over growth, both by proximity and in some cases literally as well. These zones are in a constant cycle of decay and rebirth, as they will burn themselves out, rot and then start all over again.

Finally, are the "alpine" zones. These zones are colder than average and make up most of the space between the other zones. These areas are characterised by pine like "trees" that root deep into the rock. However, here is also where one finds the most animals.

These can generally be divided into two categories, those that bulldoze their way through the trees in some fashion, and those that work with and slink through them, both being dangerous in their own way.

Of course, there are variations within these biomes.

More detailed information will be added to the codex as the colony develops and explores its new environs.

Spoiler: Codex: Numan Confluence Colonies

There are 4 other colony worlds currently surviving in your cluster, with you making the fifth and only human one.

Roquibian- is a primarily Salarian world, although originally slated for Asari development. A world of striking natural beauty it was colonised, by a Salarian tourism mega corporation. While it is not rich in resources, it already has a stream of tourists, artists and dreamers going to it in order to get away from Citadel, or even Terminus systems. Initial contact with them was friendly, but you get the feeling that they were a bit quick on giving you tourism brochures.

Olmatsi- a joint Asari and Walking Jellyfish Hanar colony and currently the most important one in the cluster due to the presence of valuable prothean ruins. As such it receives large amounts of attention from both the Citadel and from Terminus. While you were welcomed with open arms (and tentacles) there are apparently significant issues in the colony due to tensions between the Asari researchers and the religious Hanar. They are the ones buying your small amount of animal bits.

Kappa Su- The previous youngest colony in your area, Kappa Su was founded by an Elcor Food Giant and apparently has been bubbling along ever since. According to the Matron there's some buzz about them as the colony is one of the first Elcor colonies so far from their space. Apparently they have opened up migration with the Systems Alliance already. The general reception you received was sleepy, if courteous.

Hogranis- The smallest world Hogranis is little more than a multi species research colony. Full scale colonisation is currently forbidden under council law, due to the world being a "young" world. Life is in its prehistoric stages and the whole world is a unique opportunity to study its emergence. Your reception here was quiet, but polite.

Kadris- Founded after Perkwunuous by the Batarian Hegemony Kadris is best summed up as a frozen ice block, but a frozen ice block rich in Helium 3, hence the extensive mining and extraction operations that take place there. To fund this rapid expansion the Hegemony sent hundreds of thousands of slaves there despite the colony not having the facilities to safely house them. Currently produces a significant amount of high quality Helium 3.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

Current State of the Colony Turn 9
Population	Credits	Moral	Defences
126,92 currently. (3500 of those so far are Batarian escapees) 300 Asari Immigrants 150 assorted other immigrants 1402 Biotic Children Pop growth: 3.5% per year. Single city, close to large eezo deposit. Three additional mining towns-Defiance, Forgebound and Glimmering.	Reserves: 4620 Income: 26,460 per turn Maintenance: 16,150 per turn.	Markedly positive.	2 corvettes 1 frigate 7,500 professional soldiers. Strong defences on city. Wide Scale Competent Militia.
Additions Decent Housing Good Hydroponics. Good medical system Colony command and control Fortified Command post Orbital trade port. Aqua Extractors. Orbital Mines Ground Based Mines Fantastic police force. Good exotic animal parts trade. Strong shock tourism trade. Extremely good orbital defences Hanhe Kanar factories Decent electrical grid Education until 18 Five Constantinople defence platforms four Harmony Class defence platforms.	Food situation, Moderate surplus	Diplomatic information close to home: Know the general information about all worlds and are generally friendly with them. Nal'vatanis: Very happy to have you on board as one of their first big areas. Hopeful for a very successful partnership. Pirates:??? Overall Prominence: 40/100 Helping the economy of the cluster and getting ready to help your neighbours has given you a good reputation. Now the ruins have made you somewhat more important.	Diplomatic information Wider galaxy: SAI is irritated with you, but SAM approves of your progress. Currently expected to expand into a ship yard in exchange for assistance in helping with the rail road. Overall Prominence 40/100 Ancient precursor ruins get people to pay attention.

 

[Prince Kyros]

[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

Gimmie some super thicc power armour and the zer- I mean the Rachni won't know what hit 'em

 

[Nevill]

[x] Veteran Administrator

 

[Nurgle]

[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[Pensive-Nerves]

[X] Retired Military
[X] Gabriel Fisher

Retired Military gives us an "in" with some of the more notable characters from the Mass Effect franchise. Hackett, Anderson, ect.
Not really fussed about the gender, I think Gabriel is gender neutral enough name to pass for both.

 

[invictus1829]

[X] Curious Professor

If someone wants to come up with a name and gender be my guest. But I really want to get that delicious learning. I mean, what better way to prove the power of humanity than by creating technologies most glorious?

 

[Doomed Wombat]

Ok need to turn up quick, please vote in plans.

For example

[L] Plan dingbat
[L] Retired Diplomat
[L] Dingbatus
[L] Dingbat.

It makes it easier for everyone no?

Jim Raynor for example can be easily fixed by just adding [] Plan Starcraft or what have you.

 

[Prince Kyros]

Sure

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

@Nurgle made it a plan if you want to vote the same

 

[Nurgle]

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[huntsman0697]

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[Mask]

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[Prince Kyros]

All that talk about this being the frontier of space and everything in the opening part really got me pumped up for a space cowboy character. Gunslinging pirates, robbing convoy trains and counter raiding slavers with our 30-somthing cousins

 

[Pensive-Nerves]

[X] Plan Ex vet
[X] Retired Military
[X] Gabriel Fisher
[X] Female

Not going lie the name Jim Raynor is a bit too meta for me, feels like it might as well be a crossover if we're going to call the character that. But that's just personal preference.

 

[Prince Kyros]

But all the cool scifi cowboy names are already taken. And they all sound sorta similar. Like Malcolm Reynolds

 

[Void Stalker]

[X] Plan Cerberus are Amateurs
[X] Lifetime Spy
[X] Zoe Song
[X] Female

The Illusive Man, the Shadow Broker, and the Batarians along with Terminus are the enemy. But they rely on shadows to cover their moves, lets be the ones that can shine a light into the dark places and expose their actions for what they are instead of letting them hide behind cutouts.

 

[Slaggedfire]

[X] Lifetime Spy:
[X] Name: Nova Terra
[X] Female

Nova was all about dat intrigue being a Ghost and all that.

I'm also considering naming her Nova Harper, for some interesting interactions with TIM.

 

[MonkeyTypewriter]

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[NathanMedium]

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[Slaggedfire]

Couldn't at least be Tychus? I suppose Raynor is as good a choice as any.

 

[tapkomet]

I like Raynor

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[ComradeDoge]

[X] Plan Space Cowboy
[X] Retired Military
[X] Jim Raynor
[X] Male

 

[giodan]

[X] Plan Ex vet
[X] Retired Military
[X] Gabriel Fisher
[X] Female