<sigh> you're right and oh my god do I have a lot of editing to do....
Outside Context Solution (Mass Effect/Pacific Rim)
- Thread starter MadGreenSon
- Start date
<sigh> you're right and oh my god do I have a lot of editing to do....
Kalaong
Extinction is approaching. FIGHT IT.
I don't know how I feel about that. In Mass Effect, every alien race is more badass than humans in one way or another. Krogan are practically a race of Hulks. Turians are bulletproof Roman Legionnaires. Salarians are hyperthyroid mad scientists. Quarians can make starships out of scrap metal. Asari are ageless telepathic telekinetic space babes who are all so hot I bet entire species went extinct screwing them instead of their own women.
This gave me a funky thought;
"Man is an unspecialized animal. His body, except for its enormous brain case, is primitive. He can't dig; he can't run very fast; he can't fly. But he can eat anything and he can stay alive where a goat would starve, a lizard would fry, a bird freeze. Instead of special adaptations he has general adaptability."
--Robert Heinlein's Beyond This Horizon
Ever heard the phrase, "A camel is a horse designed by a committee?" Humans are tool-users designed by blind, brain-damaged watchmakers. We don't heal fast. We're can't break bedrock with our foreheads. We have to give birth to our young at a helpless level of gestation because otherwise our fat skulls wouldn't fit through a female's hips. Our hands and feet have so many delicate bones we can cripple ourselves with a single missed step or awkward grasp. We have a vestigal organ in our GI tract for digesting cellulose that no longer works and we only know about it because the damned thing loves to get infected, filled with poisons, then burst and kill us. The nerves in our retinas actually loop out the iris and back to the optic nerve. Our spinal columns are so fragile that we can be permanently paralyzed by less than twenty pounds of torque. Our esophagus and trachea are so helplessly intertwined that we are the only species on our planet capable of choking.
We have cobbled together a random assortment of derangements and mutations into working minds and bodies. Like a prom dress made from carpet remnants!
The reason Humans seem so amazing is because we've been forced to live with all of that and chose not to let it kill us. We are godlike not because of nature but because we overcome it. We're too crazy to know when we're beaten and too stubborn to die when we're impaled on spikes or burned alive. Humans are God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.
Is it any wonder that we do the same for everything else in our environment?
"Newton created a neural bridge from garbage and drifted with a Kaiju!"
Aliens never used dead Kaiju for anything? Lucky snots had such nice planets(complete with Prothean ruins to loot for FTL tech) they never had to do that kind of thing. Even the Krogan evolved into superbeings, and their planet was the only one in the galaxy a nuclear apocalypse made safer.
"I mean, every part of the Kaiju sells. Cartilage, spleen, liver. Even the crap! One cubic meter of crap has enough phosphorus in it to fertilize a whole field! "
Heh heh heh. The Salarians are supposed to be an entire species of Frankensteins. The Quarians are supposed to be an entire species of Scottys.
But! Pacific Rim!Humanity is an entire race of MYTHBUSTERS!
Why can't humans keep this one, perverse and amazing racial trait as our very own; we are suicidally insane jackasses who look at explosives, metal cans and air scrubbers, say "Fuck it... this is going to be so cool!" then go into space in manned missiles.
Case in point.They also didn't have Stacker Pentecost.
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1) Humans are specialized. We are persistence predators who developed large brains solely to engage in political behavior. So we are relentless politicians.
2) The special thing humans bring to the table in this setting is the idea of unity, true unity that transcends species, politics or creed and creates the very weapon needed to win the war: hope.
Kalaong
Extinction is approaching. FIGHT IT.
...If that is the case we must be exterminated for the good of the galaxy at large before we caucus it to death I don't want to be a politician screw all the politicians let's BLOW STUFF UP FOR SCIENCE1) Humans are specialized. We are persistence predators who developed large brains solely to engage in political behavior. So we are relentless politicians.
LET'S BUILD DRIFTS FROM GARBAGE AND DRIFT WITH THE ENTIRE EXTRANET
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Nahh. He sold kaiju parts because the world was in recession; not many chances to get ahead. With the alien contact, he'll be using the same hustle to find something else, if he needs to.
Yeah, I can see him retiring. It's not like he has a huge dream of becoming the richest man in the galaxy.
On the other hand, that would take out such an interesting character from the plot.
If he doesn't retire, I could see him parlaying his remaining stocks, and the expertise of his people in handling kaiju remains, to gain some working capital, for his next business:
Chau: "Alright boys, the kaiju organ business is starting to dry up, and we've got more sellers now to contend with.
But I have an inkling of an idea; as bright and blue as kaiju blood."
*Holds a tiny vial of eezo.*
"This is Element Zero, boys and girls. Worth more than it's weight in gold. It's the life blood of the galaxy. And we will be selling."
Mind you, I don't think he'd be able to compete with established companies. But I could see him hiring claptrap ships, with crews like impoverished Quarians, Krogans halfway to being pirates, Vorcha and humans. They would look for eezo in unlikely places; maybe even explore closed hates. Even if Citadel law prohibits it, he's a crook, so some smuggling is expected. And he'd sell to people who don't have ready access to the stuff, like humans.
WhoAmEye
Bunker-Dwelling Cryptid
- Location
- Vault Birb
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Newt's face: This is gonna be awesome!LET'S BUILD DRIFTS FROM GARBAGE AND DRIFT WITH THE ENTIRE EXTRANET
Hermann's face: I have made a terrible mistake.
Kalaong
Extinction is approaching. FIGHT IT.
Just a bit of ancient history to pad this with;
...A cunning speech like that needs a cunning pic of a cunning man looking cunning.
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Kalaong
Extinction is approaching. FIGHT IT.
...That's kind of what Hannibal Chau does. He finds a use for every part of the Kaiju he smuggles, but a lot of it is just snake oil - though I think he takes pride in having found actual, important uses for so many things;
Hannibal Chau: ...every part of the Kaiju sells. Cartilage, spleen, liver. Even the crap! One cubic meter of crap has enough phosphorus in it to fertilize a whole field!
Everyone remembers Stacker Pentecost, but he's just the guy who figured out how to get all these freaks to work together. And we had just the one of him. Humanity survived because it gave Pentecost so much to work with.
In other words, I want humans to be the only sophonts in the galaxy to have the saying, "If it's crazy but it works, it's not crazy." Everyone else just says, "That's crazy!"
And we're the ones who built giant robots to punch the giant monsters in the face!
Though I will give Pentecost a lot of credit for getting that circus to work together, especially as he was the one who contacted Chau to start their "special relationship."
...perhaps Stacker's single biggest contribution was that he always believed that even though we're all insane, that doesn't mean we have to be alone. He reached out to Chau and gave him a fair bargain, because he believed that if he was straight with Chau, Chau would return the favor. He treated Newt with special care after his Drift experiment, because he realized Newt had accomplished something spectacular. He pulled Chuck Hansen in, summed him up in an instant and Drifted with him without a second thought, because he knew that was what Chuck needed. Perhaps Stacker's single biggest asset was that he was completely tolerant of people who never expected to be tolerated at all.
...In other words, he's Pacific Rim's equivalent of MCU Nick Fury.
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bobnik
Memetic Warfare Specialist.
No worries. Gettin' my beta on now.
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Oh thank God, FINALLY!! Took them bloody long enough!
holyknight
Coronel Obvious
You know? I suspect that once the Citadel shows their records of the Kaiju that attacked the Citadel worlds, their dates of emergence , and compare them to the respective types and dates of the ones seen on Earth until the closing of the Portal, the PPDC will note a chilling trend, namely that for each successive type that attacked Earth, was a similar type unleashed upon one of the Citadel worlds several weeks or months later.
Possibly meaning that Earth was used as a Military test ground for the creators of the Kaiju.
Even if it was killed, the degree of success and danger seen in the successive Kaiju unleashed would likely mean that the longer that it took for a Jaeger to kill a Kaiju, it would mean a far higher level of destruction and complexity for the Citadel races to defeat with more normal, although advanced weapons.
THAT would be a kick in the balls for all.
Possibly meaning that Earth was used as a Military test ground for the creators of the Kaiju.
Even if it was killed, the degree of success and danger seen in the successive Kaiju unleashed would likely mean that the longer that it took for a Jaeger to kill a Kaiju, it would mean a far higher level of destruction and complexity for the Citadel races to defeat with more normal, although advanced weapons.
THAT would be a kick in the balls for all.
jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Can't see it. The Kaiju sent against Citadel worlds would need to defend against orbital bombardment, artillery etc. The later ones sent to Earth on the other hand were specialized for anti-Jaeger work.
Otachi and Leatherback are prime examples of such specialization. They'd break if subjected to orbital bombardment etc while having multiple anti-Jaeger abilities.
Otachi and Leatherback are prime examples of such specialization. They'd break if subjected to orbital bombardment etc while having multiple anti-Jaeger abilities.
You think EARTH is where hardcore Kaiju are tested?
rofl:Earth is handy for developing a novel method of attacking Kaiju, which resulted from an engineer knowing they needed to deliver tremendous force to a small area and randomly seeing a toy then having that "aha!" moment. He then got a shitload of specialists and engineers together and with hard work and not a small amount of luck managed to create Jaegers.
The inspiration of the victory at Earth and the methods of humans are a big shot in the arm for the galaxy as a whole, but Earth is not nearly the testbed for new Kaiju.
If you've read the story thus far, it's obvious.
Either way, I have a lot of revising to do and some editing and such to be done, so I'm going to get back to that. I'll roll out some Code entries in the next few days and hopefully some revised and edited chapters will be put in as well as more progress on the next part.
And for anyone and everyone beating the HFY! drum, know that deep down, I'm ignoring you. I aim for this story to be less HFY! than Mass Effect canon, not more. (Anyone thinking that canon Mass Effect wasn't HFY! is welcome to take their argument elsewhere, I'm not interested)
Human beings didn't even appear in the story for a good few chapters fergodsakes. If you're worried about humans not being special, don't be. Humans are exactly as special as any other species. When boiled down all of the "special advantages" other species have in this setting are basically the result of having been in space longer.
Turians aren't especially armor plated, despite appearances. Otherwise they wouldn't wear armor. Turian advantages come from their culture and tech. Most Turians are average joes, getting on with their lives. Strangely, there are a lot of Turian bartenders, for some reason.
Asari may be all biotic, but not all of them are especially good at it and any race can be biotic to one extent or another. Asari also have not bred any race into extinction, if they had it would have been spelled out pretty explicitly in the core setting. Asari are sitting on a tech goldmine, but that is not innate to their people or anything, it's just a political move on their part. Most Asari are just average joes doing their thing, day to day.
Salarians are generally fast thinkers, but they're also short lived and not really long range planners. Despite their awesome spies and scientists. Most Salarians are just average joes, doing their thing day to day.
See a trend?
Sure the Krogan are nature's perfect little killing machines, but there are bigger than them out there and the Krogan aren't all that great in the end as they were soundly beaten by the Turians and Salarians, who really are no innately better than humans.
In canon Mass Effect, the human race were a bunch of demanding, whiny bitches who got catered to way more than they really deserved for no apparent reason, going from discovering FTL to being a great galactic power in less than a century. Considered somehow equal to polities that had been doing all the same shit for literally millennia! It was insane. How the hell was there even enough human population to support that kind of expansion? Cloning?
All the HFY that crops up in Mass Effect threads and the desperate clutching for what makes humans "special" just sounds like insecurity to me. That insecurity is unwarranted in this story. It isn't needed or welcome.
The aliens are all people, just like the humans. We don't need something to make the humans special. The humans are already just as special as the rest of the people in the setting.
This story is about heroes, about unity, about cosmic horror, and about punching giant monsters in the face with equally giant robots. Eventually, it will be about a three-way clusterfuck between giant eldritch monsters, giant robots, and space cuttlefish.
Let's have fun with that and stop all the quibbling about what makes who special before it gets out of hand.
Greek Fire
One of these days, I'll actually start writing.
- Location
- The Earth Sphere
And that's exactly what I came here for.
You think EARTH is where hardcore Kaiju are tested?
It's really Tuchanka, isn't it? There's been a Portal there from the very beginning but no one ever noticed.
The Kaiju Masters still haven't figured out how to make anything that can survive Kalros. Or her digestive system.
The old girl certainly doesn't mind, after all one shouldn't turn down a regular supply of free exotic lunches and a bit of entertainment.
Razor One
When Science Goes Too Far...
I fully admit to getting completely carried away with this omake.
"Alright class, listen up! In a few minutes we'll begin our field trip to visit the Citadel, there will be a roll call after we get off the shuttle and again when we arrive at our hotel. After we've settled in we'll make our first trip to the Presidium. You are all gifted students so be on your best behaviour and make sure you don't embarass your schools. Are there any questions?"
Alara looked each and every student there in the eye, or eye-equivalents as the case may have been. Human, Asari, Turian, Volus, even a young Krogan, this batch of gifted students were certainly one of the more diverse classes she'd chaperoned.
When there were no questions forthcoming beyond "Are we there yet?" she turned back to appreciate the docks coming into view.
"Stop looking at her ass Nick, your eyes will fall out," teased a young asari called Nirri.
"Shut up! I wasn't looking, I was trying to see out the front," denied the human boy called Nick.
"Suuuure you were," continued Nirri before her lips curled in a wicked smile, "Alara and Nick sitting in a ship, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"You know, for someone twice as old, you're being really childish Nirri," said a young turian boy called Kieran, "Besides, the only view worth looking at is front and center, unless you like staring at walls all day."
"The Krogan doesn't have a problem staring at walls," said Nirri.
At that, everyone turned to look at 'the Krogan' of their group. Large, armored, imposing, but still apparently a juvenile, he sat staring straight ahead without even so much as a blink or grunt. He hadn't even introduced himself to the others, merely keeping to himself with icy aplomb.
"It is... **HISS** ... rude to talk about him like that," said Kerak, a young volus girl.
"He hasn't even introduced himself and he just sits there. It's like he's a piece of furniture," complained Nirri.
"He can see in every direction and has heard every comment you've said," warned Nick, "Just least him alone and he'll talk to us when he's good and ready."
"That is... **HISS** ... quite wise. The shuttle is ...**HISS** ...quite small," said Kerak.
The thud of landing ended the banter as the door to the shuttle swung outward. The students bustled to and fro grabbing their bags as well as their odds and ends that had been strewn about the shuttle.
"Alright, roll call!" announced the teacher as they lined up on the docks.
"Nicholas Jardin?"
"Here!"
"Nirri Theralis?"
"Present!"
"Kieran Prelatus?"
"Reporting!" saluted Kieran.
Alara paused briefly and cocked an eyebrow at the turians salute. Several students giggled slightly.
"Uh, er, here, ma'am," corrected Kieran.
Alara gave him a reassuring smile before pressing on.
"Kerak Hassala?"
"...**HISS**... Here!"
"Urdnot Rana?"
"I am here," replied Rana in a husky feminine voice.
Every neck in the line snapped towards the female sounding Krogan. Armored from head to toe it was impossible to determine whether she was actually a she, and none of the students had even the slightest inkling that she had ever been a she.
"All present and accounted for," said Alara without missing a beat as the students whispered amongst themselves, "Okay everyone, grab your gear, first stop is the hotel over in Zakera. You'll have an hour to settle yourselves, lunch, and then straight to the Presidium."
***
Alara smiled at the familiar tremor of the shuttle passing into the Citadels mass effect field and looked back towards her precious cargo.
"Alright class, listen up! In a few minutes we'll begin our field trip to visit the Citadel, there will be a roll call after we get off the shuttle and again when we arrive at our hotel. After we've settled in we'll make our first trip to the Presidium. You are all gifted students so be on your best behaviour and make sure you don't embarass your schools. Are there any questions?"
Alara looked each and every student there in the eye, or eye-equivalents as the case may have been. Human, Asari, Turian, Volus, even a young Krogan, this batch of gifted students were certainly one of the more diverse classes she'd chaperoned.
When there were no questions forthcoming beyond "Are we there yet?" she turned back to appreciate the docks coming into view.
***
"Stop looking at her ass Nick, your eyes will fall out," teased a young asari called Nirri.
"Shut up! I wasn't looking, I was trying to see out the front," denied the human boy called Nick.
"Suuuure you were," continued Nirri before her lips curled in a wicked smile, "Alara and Nick sitting in a ship, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"You know, for someone twice as old, you're being really childish Nirri," said a young turian boy called Kieran, "Besides, the only view worth looking at is front and center, unless you like staring at walls all day."
"The Krogan doesn't have a problem staring at walls," said Nirri.
At that, everyone turned to look at 'the Krogan' of their group. Large, armored, imposing, but still apparently a juvenile, he sat staring straight ahead without even so much as a blink or grunt. He hadn't even introduced himself to the others, merely keeping to himself with icy aplomb.
"It is... **HISS** ... rude to talk about him like that," said Kerak, a young volus girl.
"He hasn't even introduced himself and he just sits there. It's like he's a piece of furniture," complained Nirri.
"He can see in every direction and has heard every comment you've said," warned Nick, "Just least him alone and he'll talk to us when he's good and ready."
"That is... **HISS** ... quite wise. The shuttle is ...**HISS** ...quite small," said Kerak.
The thud of landing ended the banter as the door to the shuttle swung outward. The students bustled to and fro grabbing their bags as well as their odds and ends that had been strewn about the shuttle.
"Alright, roll call!" announced the teacher as they lined up on the docks.
"Nicholas Jardin?"
"Here!"
"Nirri Theralis?"
"Present!"
"Kieran Prelatus?"
"Reporting!" saluted Kieran.
Alara paused briefly and cocked an eyebrow at the turians salute. Several students giggled slightly.
"Uh, er, here, ma'am," corrected Kieran.
Alara gave him a reassuring smile before pressing on.
"Kerak Hassala?"
"...**HISS**... Here!"
"Urdnot Rana?"
"I am here," replied Rana in a husky feminine voice.
Every neck in the line snapped towards the female sounding Krogan. Armored from head to toe it was impossible to determine whether she was actually a she, and none of the students had even the slightest inkling that she had ever been a she.
"All present and accounted for," said Alara without missing a beat as the students whispered amongst themselves, "Okay everyone, grab your gear, first stop is the hotel over in Zakera. You'll have an hour to settle yourselves, lunch, and then straight to the Presidium."
***
Whether by convenience or silent agreement, the students sans Rana had all situated themselves in Nirri's room during their hour long grace period before lunch.
"Alright, anyone have any luck figuring out why we're here yet?" asked Nirri, her flighty attitude gone from the prying eyes of her teacher.
"No clue," said Nick, "They said I won a competition or something. I thought it was spam until my folks pushed me into attending."
"Apparently I'd managed to ace my comprehensive skills test," said Kieran, "Even though I knew I wasn't the top of the class by a long shot."
The others chimed in with their own stories, each one apparently cleverly managed to make them look and seem like gifted students being given a treat for their hard work or surprising luck and none of which held common ground with the others.
"Alright," said Nirri, her hand on her chin as she paced throughtfully, "as near as I can figure out, someone wanted us all to be on this trip for a reason. They obviously went through a lot of effort. What I can't figure out is why. What's the common thread?"
Each student regarded the others and turned over the same problem. As near as they could all tell, they were average students with no special or particularly redeeming qualities to call their own.
Their research into Alara Kvalis, their teacher, had turned up equally mundane results. An asari matriarch who had been teaching children since the start of her matron stage centuries ago. Nothing particularly notable before or since and no mystery gaps in her record that might have hinted at something odd.
"Perhaps... **HISS** ...there is no common thread?" suggested Kerak.
"No, there has to be... we just don't have it yet," persisted Nirri.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," said Kieran.
"That still doesn't leave us with much. They're not slavers, they're not terrorists, and whoever did this has the clout to get us onto the Presidium all nice and official and above board," said Nick.
"So," said Nirri, "Someone powerful and for a good reason if they're going to that level of expense..."
"I have it!" shouted Kieran, "It's a reality show!"
"Are you kidding?" said Kerak with nary a hiss, "Please tell me that is an awful joke!"
"There are probably cameras everywhere! Mystery Tour! Will the five students figure out the strange secret of their field trip before its over? That thing would rake in billions of viewers!" persisted Kieran.
"Yeah, no. Just no," said Nick.
"But-"
"No."
"Alright, if Mr. Reality TV here is the best we can come up with I figure we've beaten our heads on this wall for long enough," said Nirri, "Let's get to lunch nice and early like the gifted goody two shoes students we're apparently meant to be."
"Alright, anyone have any luck figuring out why we're here yet?" asked Nirri, her flighty attitude gone from the prying eyes of her teacher.
"No clue," said Nick, "They said I won a competition or something. I thought it was spam until my folks pushed me into attending."
"Apparently I'd managed to ace my comprehensive skills test," said Kieran, "Even though I knew I wasn't the top of the class by a long shot."
The others chimed in with their own stories, each one apparently cleverly managed to make them look and seem like gifted students being given a treat for their hard work or surprising luck and none of which held common ground with the others.
"Alright," said Nirri, her hand on her chin as she paced throughtfully, "as near as I can figure out, someone wanted us all to be on this trip for a reason. They obviously went through a lot of effort. What I can't figure out is why. What's the common thread?"
Each student regarded the others and turned over the same problem. As near as they could all tell, they were average students with no special or particularly redeeming qualities to call their own.
Their research into Alara Kvalis, their teacher, had turned up equally mundane results. An asari matriarch who had been teaching children since the start of her matron stage centuries ago. Nothing particularly notable before or since and no mystery gaps in her record that might have hinted at something odd.
"Perhaps... **HISS** ...there is no common thread?" suggested Kerak.
"No, there has to be... we just don't have it yet," persisted Nirri.
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," said Kieran.
"That still doesn't leave us with much. They're not slavers, they're not terrorists, and whoever did this has the clout to get us onto the Presidium all nice and official and above board," said Nick.
"So," said Nirri, "Someone powerful and for a good reason if they're going to that level of expense..."
"I have it!" shouted Kieran, "It's a reality show!"
"Are you kidding?" said Kerak with nary a hiss, "Please tell me that is an awful joke!"
"There are probably cameras everywhere! Mystery Tour! Will the five students figure out the strange secret of their field trip before its over? That thing would rake in billions of viewers!" persisted Kieran.
"Yeah, no. Just no," said Nick.
"But-"
"No."
"Alright, if Mr. Reality TV here is the best we can come up with I figure we've beaten our heads on this wall for long enough," said Nirri, "Let's get to lunch nice and early like the gifted goody two shoes students we're apparently meant to be."
***
The tour of the Presidium began in earnest as the small group made their way through the highest concentration of wealth, power, and diversity that the galaxy had to offer. Dozens of alien species walked the vast open spaces and terraces arrayed before them, most of them were recognisable, such as the drell, the hanar or the elcor, others not quite so, with the students having to look them up as was the case with the newly contacted Raloi.
All the while Alara was droning on about the history of the Citadel and the nature of the Presidium. It was all things that the students had known simply from cracking open a book or three and being able to read. The only two points of interest thus far had been the relay statue and the krogan monument.
The relay statue had gotten a genuinely quizzical response from each student as their teacher had speculated on its nature. It, like many things Prothean, was an irresistible mystery that had teased generations before them, though one that paled in comparison to the more immediate mystery on their hands.
The krogan monument had actually been a tense moment. Each student had given a careful look towards Urdnot Rana as Alara emphasised the importance of remembering the sacrifices of heroes past and present and the necessity of maintaining the krogran monument despite how others might feel about it. She'd shown no outward reaction, merely standing by and listening to the teacher as quiet and still as though she were a statue herself.
"Psst, Nirri, hey, Nirri!" hissed Nick.
"What?" she asked irritably.
While her voice was irritated, Nirri's face held a different message.
Why are you talking to me like that in front of the teacher!
"There's something funny about our route," said Nick.
"Later," she hissed.
"Something you'd like to share with class, Nick, Nirri?" asked Alara, abruptly stopping the classes procession.
"Um... uh... er..." stuttered Nick.
"I said I'd sooner embrace eternity with a Kaiju than you! Just... ew!" crowed Nirri cruelly.
Alara sighed before responding, "Nick, see me after we get back to the hotel, Nirri, unless you want a life filled with jilted potential lovers, learn to let people down gently."
"Yes miss," both Nick and Nirri harmonised.
"Alright, and now on to our final stop for the day," said Alara as the class rounded a corner.
The class looked ahead at some strange metal towers. At first they were confused, but then looked up... and up... and up... and up to see that the towers weren't towers, they were legs, legs that were part of the enormous metal robots known throughout the universe as Jaegers.
"Behold, the Jaegers," said Alara, "The jaeger monument was erected as the Outsider War, or Kaiju War as the humans call it, was drawing down to a close. With the galaxy safe, the people of Citadel Society wanted to show their gratitude to the humans of Earth for the enormous gift, not only in the form of the jaeger, but also the great hope they gave to us the day Stacker Pentecost and his team struck down the first portal."
"Before you stand the final four jaegers of Earth, its last defenders in its darkest hour, its shining champions during its brightest days, Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, Striker Eureka, and Gipsy Danger. Through the efforts of their pilots, the first breach was closed and hope was given to a galaxy on the brink of destruction."
"Of the jaegers here, Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon are the genuine articles, rebuilt, repaired and refurbished before being retired and finding their way here. Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka are replicas of the originals built according to their original blueprints with period materials, equipment and manufacturing techniques..."
The students stood in awe for the duration of Alara's speech. It was all a history they knew and knew well. They all knew about the Kaiju. They all knew about the jaegers. They all knew about the Kaiju war and its result. Knowing, however, was very different to being in the presence of that history, to stand before a jaeger and feel both its size and weight well and truly brought it home for each student present.
As one they rushed foward towards the barricade erected at the feet of the Jaeger filled with signs that said 'DO NOT CLIMB' and 'DO NOT TOUCH' in at least forty languages, craning their heads upward to get a better look at the quartet of the most awesome things built by intelligent hands in living memory and jostling each other to get as good a selfie as they could to show off to their friends. Only Rana stood her ground and apart from the rest, the only indication that she was even interested being the way her helmet tilted to peer upwards.
All the while Alara was droning on about the history of the Citadel and the nature of the Presidium. It was all things that the students had known simply from cracking open a book or three and being able to read. The only two points of interest thus far had been the relay statue and the krogan monument.
The relay statue had gotten a genuinely quizzical response from each student as their teacher had speculated on its nature. It, like many things Prothean, was an irresistible mystery that had teased generations before them, though one that paled in comparison to the more immediate mystery on their hands.
The krogan monument had actually been a tense moment. Each student had given a careful look towards Urdnot Rana as Alara emphasised the importance of remembering the sacrifices of heroes past and present and the necessity of maintaining the krogran monument despite how others might feel about it. She'd shown no outward reaction, merely standing by and listening to the teacher as quiet and still as though she were a statue herself.
"Psst, Nirri, hey, Nirri!" hissed Nick.
"What?" she asked irritably.
While her voice was irritated, Nirri's face held a different message.
Why are you talking to me like that in front of the teacher!
"There's something funny about our route," said Nick.
"Later," she hissed.
"Something you'd like to share with class, Nick, Nirri?" asked Alara, abruptly stopping the classes procession.
"Um... uh... er..." stuttered Nick.
"I said I'd sooner embrace eternity with a Kaiju than you! Just... ew!" crowed Nirri cruelly.
Alara sighed before responding, "Nick, see me after we get back to the hotel, Nirri, unless you want a life filled with jilted potential lovers, learn to let people down gently."
"Yes miss," both Nick and Nirri harmonised.
"Alright, and now on to our final stop for the day," said Alara as the class rounded a corner.
The class looked ahead at some strange metal towers. At first they were confused, but then looked up... and up... and up... and up to see that the towers weren't towers, they were legs, legs that were part of the enormous metal robots known throughout the universe as Jaegers.
"Behold, the Jaegers," said Alara, "The jaeger monument was erected as the Outsider War, or Kaiju War as the humans call it, was drawing down to a close. With the galaxy safe, the people of Citadel Society wanted to show their gratitude to the humans of Earth for the enormous gift, not only in the form of the jaeger, but also the great hope they gave to us the day Stacker Pentecost and his team struck down the first portal."
"Before you stand the final four jaegers of Earth, its last defenders in its darkest hour, its shining champions during its brightest days, Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, Striker Eureka, and Gipsy Danger. Through the efforts of their pilots, the first breach was closed and hope was given to a galaxy on the brink of destruction."
"Of the jaegers here, Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon are the genuine articles, rebuilt, repaired and refurbished before being retired and finding their way here. Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka are replicas of the originals built according to their original blueprints with period materials, equipment and manufacturing techniques..."
The students stood in awe for the duration of Alara's speech. It was all a history they knew and knew well. They all knew about the Kaiju. They all knew about the jaegers. They all knew about the Kaiju war and its result. Knowing, however, was very different to being in the presence of that history, to stand before a jaeger and feel both its size and weight well and truly brought it home for each student present.
As one they rushed foward towards the barricade erected at the feet of the Jaeger filled with signs that said 'DO NOT CLIMB' and 'DO NOT TOUCH' in at least forty languages, craning their heads upward to get a better look at the quartet of the most awesome things built by intelligent hands in living memory and jostling each other to get as good a selfie as they could to show off to their friends. Only Rana stood her ground and apart from the rest, the only indication that she was even interested being the way her helmet tilted to peer upwards.
***
"So," said Nirri when they were all finally behind closed doors again and out of sight of Alara, "What was it about our route that was so important?"
"Uh, well, I figured it out when the jaegers came into view," said Nick sheepishly, "before that I thought we were being lead somewhere shady."
"Nowhere is shady on the Presidium," said Kieran, "It's too well controlled, too many patrols and beat cops. The wards are a different story though."
"I wouldn't... **HISS** ...be so sure. Anything can be hidden. Even in plain sight," said Kerak.
"Guys, guys," said Nick conspiratorially, "I... I want to climb those jaegers."
His three non-human compatriots glared at him.
"Are you nuts?" asked Nirri.
"What? I want to climb them. See what the view is like from the top, don't you?" asked Nick.
"No," said Kieran dryly, "That's just your ape ancestry talking there."
"You can't climb a jaeger anyway... **HISS** ...and did you see all those signs? I bet its been tried before," said Kerak.
"You totally can climb a jaeger!" said Nick, activating his omni tool and bringing up an old looking picture on holo display, "See this? That guy sitting on Vulcan Specters left knee? That's my great great grandad!"
"You think that's something? My great great grandad got eaten by an outsider. Tasted so bad it spat him back out, and then he shot it in the eye," said Kieran with a grin too wide to be genuine.
The entire room looked at Kieran.
"What?" asked Kieran, "I thought it was funny."
"Uh, well, I figured it out when the jaegers came into view," said Nick sheepishly, "before that I thought we were being lead somewhere shady."
"Nowhere is shady on the Presidium," said Kieran, "It's too well controlled, too many patrols and beat cops. The wards are a different story though."
"I wouldn't... **HISS** ...be so sure. Anything can be hidden. Even in plain sight," said Kerak.
"Guys, guys," said Nick conspiratorially, "I... I want to climb those jaegers."
His three non-human compatriots glared at him.
"Are you nuts?" asked Nirri.
"What? I want to climb them. See what the view is like from the top, don't you?" asked Nick.
"No," said Kieran dryly, "That's just your ape ancestry talking there."
"You can't climb a jaeger anyway... **HISS** ...and did you see all those signs? I bet its been tried before," said Kerak.
"You totally can climb a jaeger!" said Nick, activating his omni tool and bringing up an old looking picture on holo display, "See this? That guy sitting on Vulcan Specters left knee? That's my great great grandad!"
"You think that's something? My great great grandad got eaten by an outsider. Tasted so bad it spat him back out, and then he shot it in the eye," said Kieran with a grin too wide to be genuine.
The entire room looked at Kieran.
"What?" asked Kieran, "I thought it was funny."
***
Nick was nervous, but knew that as long as he walked tall, proud, and confidently, he would make it past the hotel lobby toward the row of cabs, and from there to the jaeger monument to climb it. He'd timed everything perfectly. The Presidium would be entering its night cycle, making him harder to see, Alara would be busy correcting papers the students had written up, and he'd made certain to make a show of being appropriately cowed into thinking the whole thing a bad idea in front of the others.
All that was left was to-
"Psst! Hey moron! Come on!" hissed Nirri.
"Wha?" said Nick.
Nirri pulled him aside and out of view of the hotel lobby.
"Climbing a jaeger you fool!" she grinned.
"But... but I thought that was a bad idea?"
"Of course it's a bad idea," said Kieran from behind Nirri, "but... what was that human word? Yow-low? Yurlow? Something like that. You only live once."
"Count me in as well," said Kerak, "As the greatest volus say, no risk, no revenue!"
"You guys..." whispered Nick with a tear of happiness in his eye.
All that was left was to-
"Psst! Hey moron! Come on!" hissed Nirri.
"Wha?" said Nick.
Nirri pulled him aside and out of view of the hotel lobby.
"Climbing a jaeger you fool!" she grinned.
"But... but I thought that was a bad idea?"
"Of course it's a bad idea," said Kieran from behind Nirri, "but... what was that human word? Yow-low? Yurlow? Something like that. You only live once."
"Count me in as well," said Kerak, "As the greatest volus say, no risk, no revenue!"
"You guys..." whispered Nick with a tear of happiness in his eye.
***
The quartet of jaegers loomed above the quartet of students, stretching upwards into the darkness of the night cycle of the Presidium like the titans they were. The journey there had been an uneventful ride of ratcheting tension as each student felt the excited butterflies in their respective stomachs growing more and more fluttery with every meter closer to their objective. Now, at the feet of the titanic behemoths that had given a galaxy hope, the students had a decision to make.
"Okay, which one do we climb?" asked Nirri dizzily.
Nick barely heard the question. He was busy running his hand along Cherno Alphas foot, the foot of the titan that had killed thirty kaiju.
"I think Nick has the right idea," grinned Kieran, "I like Striker and Gipsy but they're not the real deal even if their spirits live on in them. Crimson's legs don't look the best for climbing, so that leaves Cherno."
"I concur," said Kerak, "but before we begin, perhaps... **HISS** ...a wager?"
"You mean a bet?" asked Nick.
"Last one to make it to the top... **HISS** ...has to take responsibility if we get in trouble," said Kerak with a grin clearly in her voice.
"Challenge accepted!" said Nirri.
Her biotics flared and she launched herself in a tremendous leap upwards onto Cherno's foot. Such was the size of the Jaeger that she would need many of those jumps to make it the entire way.
"Do you need a hand?" asked Nick, looking towards Kerak.
"A volus is always prepared," said Kerak as a telescoping harpoon detached itself from her belt and launched upwards before pulling her along, "so long!"
Nicks glance drifted downwards and towards Kieran.
"So, anything up your sleeves?" he asked.
"Just my arms," said Kieran, "and maybe my talons too."
"Well, this jaeger won't climb itself," said Nick before kneeling to give Kieran a leg up.
"You know, there are people that would pay to see that," said Kieran.
Nick believed him.
"Okay, which one do we climb?" asked Nirri dizzily.
Nick barely heard the question. He was busy running his hand along Cherno Alphas foot, the foot of the titan that had killed thirty kaiju.
"I think Nick has the right idea," grinned Kieran, "I like Striker and Gipsy but they're not the real deal even if their spirits live on in them. Crimson's legs don't look the best for climbing, so that leaves Cherno."
"I concur," said Kerak, "but before we begin, perhaps... **HISS** ...a wager?"
"You mean a bet?" asked Nick.
"Last one to make it to the top... **HISS** ...has to take responsibility if we get in trouble," said Kerak with a grin clearly in her voice.
"Challenge accepted!" said Nirri.
Her biotics flared and she launched herself in a tremendous leap upwards onto Cherno's foot. Such was the size of the Jaeger that she would need many of those jumps to make it the entire way.
"Do you need a hand?" asked Nick, looking towards Kerak.
"A volus is always prepared," said Kerak as a telescoping harpoon detached itself from her belt and launched upwards before pulling her along, "so long!"
Nicks glance drifted downwards and towards Kieran.
"So, anything up your sleeves?" he asked.
"Just my arms," said Kieran, "and maybe my talons too."
"Well, this jaeger won't climb itself," said Nick before kneeling to give Kieran a leg up.
"You know, there are people that would pay to see that," said Kieran.
Nick believed him.
***
The climb up was harder than any of the four had realised. Certain areas had no grip for Keraks grappling hook, the Presidium's mass effect field after a certain height began to make Nirri's biotic jumps too risky to even contemplate, and Nick and Kieran's climb began to take its toll as their arms began to turn to lead.
Coordinating via omnitool, the group suspended their wager and met up on Cherno's shoulder for the last and most dangerous portion of their climb to the top of Cherno Alpha's 'hat'.
"Alright, here's the plan," said Nirri, "Nick will climb up with Kerak's grappling hook. If he falls, and for the love of the goddess please don't, it should keep him safe. Once he gets to a good spot above us, he'll anchor the grappling hook. Kieran will then climb up, and I'll grab onto Kerak and biotic jump us both up while holding onto the rope. The last stage should be easy since there's an old maintenance ladder there. We all good?"
"If Nick falls, won't the rope cut him in half?" asked Kieran, nervously looking down and wishing to the spirits that he hadn't.
"If he does I'll try to catch him with my biotics, it should slow his fall enough that it won't be... deadly... goddes this was such a bad idea," groaned Nirri.
"In a hundred years you'll look back on this... **HISS** ...and think this was awesome," said Kerak.
"Alright, I'm heading up," said Nick.
Finding hand holds in the old armour plating was easy enough. The entire jaeger had been built to be maintained by human hands in the midst of a kaiju enforced depression. In the absence of proper safety gear and abseiling equipment, handholds had been built into the old Russian jaeger to make maintenance cheaper. Those old practices made scaling the jaeger not only possible, but eminently doable. What challenge there was in the climb was purely physical, and as tough as the ascent was, the descent would be all the harder.
Before long Nick found himself at a ledge in Cherno's cooling tower, ten meters long by a meter wide without so much as a safety rail. At the end of the ledge, the ladder to the top waited expectantly. It would have been easy to climb to the top and claim victory before heading back down, but Nick didn't feel that would be right. Instead, he tied the grappling hook at the base of the ladder and signalled the others via omni tool.
Kieran was up first, the turian panting from exertion and more nervous about the height than Nick was. Nirri and Kerak were slow in coming up, and the two watched with trepidation as Nirri made a series of small and carefully timed biotic jumps. They were a lot smaller than what she'd started with and the two boys realised that the climb had not only taxed the asari but the burden of carrying Kerak, the lightest of them, was also weighing her down.
When it became apparent that Nirri couldn't jump anymore, both Nick and Kieran began to pull them both up via the rope, carefully anchoring themselves so they wouldn't fall until eventually all four of them lay upon the ledge, panting, sweaty and tired from their climb but giddy with impending victory.
It was Kieran who recovered first, making to the ladder and starting the final leg of the climb, followed soon after by Kerak and Nirri. Nick was the last one up, and as he looked over the edge, he was greeted by the strangest of sights.
Sitting by herself in front of a campfire of all things was Nara, still armored but with her helmet off, giving them their first look at her face. With her armored chitin and rugged features, she was utterly Krogan.
"'Bout time you lot got up here," said Rana, "sit down and dig in."
"Dig in?" asked Kieran, who had stood there in shock the entire time.
"Yeah," said Rana, indicating the fire.
The group looked to the fire and saw sticks poking out of it. On each stick was a speared fish, roasting in the fire and exuding a smell that made every belly growl. They each looked to the other before taking their places by the fire. Nirri, Nick and Rana grabbed their sticks with roasted fish and began to tuck in. Only Kieran and Kerak held back.
Rana turned to Kieran and pointed. Kieran crossed his arms across his chest, expecting some insult, but soon followed her point to see a particular fish roasting in the fire separate from the rest.
"Is that a silvertongue grouper?" asked a bewildered Kieran, "wait, no, of course it's a silvertongue, no fish is like that. Thank you."
Rana nodded before turning towards Kerak.
"Here," said Rana, handing her a package.
"Th-thrumian fish paste?" asked Kerak with trepidation.
Rana merely nodded.
"But, how? Only the richest volus can afford this! It's one of the few fish that surived when... when..." said Kerak, there were clearly tears behind her encounter suit.
"And how did you get fish on the Presidium? Let alone firewood? And all on top of this jaeger?" asked Nirri between bites.
"And how did you know we'd be climbing up here?" asked Nick.
"All things are possible with sufficient Krogan," grinned Rana.
Coordinating via omnitool, the group suspended their wager and met up on Cherno's shoulder for the last and most dangerous portion of their climb to the top of Cherno Alpha's 'hat'.
"Alright, here's the plan," said Nirri, "Nick will climb up with Kerak's grappling hook. If he falls, and for the love of the goddess please don't, it should keep him safe. Once he gets to a good spot above us, he'll anchor the grappling hook. Kieran will then climb up, and I'll grab onto Kerak and biotic jump us both up while holding onto the rope. The last stage should be easy since there's an old maintenance ladder there. We all good?"
"If Nick falls, won't the rope cut him in half?" asked Kieran, nervously looking down and wishing to the spirits that he hadn't.
"If he does I'll try to catch him with my biotics, it should slow his fall enough that it won't be... deadly... goddes this was such a bad idea," groaned Nirri.
"In a hundred years you'll look back on this... **HISS** ...and think this was awesome," said Kerak.
"Alright, I'm heading up," said Nick.
Finding hand holds in the old armour plating was easy enough. The entire jaeger had been built to be maintained by human hands in the midst of a kaiju enforced depression. In the absence of proper safety gear and abseiling equipment, handholds had been built into the old Russian jaeger to make maintenance cheaper. Those old practices made scaling the jaeger not only possible, but eminently doable. What challenge there was in the climb was purely physical, and as tough as the ascent was, the descent would be all the harder.
Before long Nick found himself at a ledge in Cherno's cooling tower, ten meters long by a meter wide without so much as a safety rail. At the end of the ledge, the ladder to the top waited expectantly. It would have been easy to climb to the top and claim victory before heading back down, but Nick didn't feel that would be right. Instead, he tied the grappling hook at the base of the ladder and signalled the others via omni tool.
Kieran was up first, the turian panting from exertion and more nervous about the height than Nick was. Nirri and Kerak were slow in coming up, and the two watched with trepidation as Nirri made a series of small and carefully timed biotic jumps. They were a lot smaller than what she'd started with and the two boys realised that the climb had not only taxed the asari but the burden of carrying Kerak, the lightest of them, was also weighing her down.
When it became apparent that Nirri couldn't jump anymore, both Nick and Kieran began to pull them both up via the rope, carefully anchoring themselves so they wouldn't fall until eventually all four of them lay upon the ledge, panting, sweaty and tired from their climb but giddy with impending victory.
It was Kieran who recovered first, making to the ladder and starting the final leg of the climb, followed soon after by Kerak and Nirri. Nick was the last one up, and as he looked over the edge, he was greeted by the strangest of sights.
Sitting by herself in front of a campfire of all things was Nara, still armored but with her helmet off, giving them their first look at her face. With her armored chitin and rugged features, she was utterly Krogan.
"'Bout time you lot got up here," said Rana, "sit down and dig in."
"Dig in?" asked Kieran, who had stood there in shock the entire time.
"Yeah," said Rana, indicating the fire.
The group looked to the fire and saw sticks poking out of it. On each stick was a speared fish, roasting in the fire and exuding a smell that made every belly growl. They each looked to the other before taking their places by the fire. Nirri, Nick and Rana grabbed their sticks with roasted fish and began to tuck in. Only Kieran and Kerak held back.
Rana turned to Kieran and pointed. Kieran crossed his arms across his chest, expecting some insult, but soon followed her point to see a particular fish roasting in the fire separate from the rest.
"Is that a silvertongue grouper?" asked a bewildered Kieran, "wait, no, of course it's a silvertongue, no fish is like that. Thank you."
Rana nodded before turning towards Kerak.
"Here," said Rana, handing her a package.
"Th-thrumian fish paste?" asked Kerak with trepidation.
Rana merely nodded.
"But, how? Only the richest volus can afford this! It's one of the few fish that surived when... when..." said Kerak, there were clearly tears behind her encounter suit.
"And how did you get fish on the Presidium? Let alone firewood? And all on top of this jaeger?" asked Nirri between bites.
"And how did you know we'd be climbing up here?" asked Nick.
"All things are possible with sufficient Krogan," grinned Rana.
***
Alara grinned to herself as she watched the video feed from the students before turning back to her main monitor.
"As you can see Marshall Tomoe, the latest potential drift candidates are shaping up rather nicely if I do say so myself," said Alara happily.
"I must admit that you've become quite adept at singling out those who have drift compatibility. Care to share your secret?" asked the latest in a long line of human Marshalls.
"I'm afraid its all instinct and gut feeling," conceded Alara, "No rhyme or reason, just a feeling."
"Well, that instinct is getting sharper, guess how highly the last batch scored on the Beckett-Mori scale?"
"How much?"
"82 out of 100," said Marshall Tomoe, "give it another few years and I think you may well be able to finally break the Beckett-Mori scale."
"Goddess... do you think it could be this class?" she asked excitedly.
"Who knows?" said Marshall Tomoe cheekily, "I'll keep in touch. Next time you visit the shatterdome, I'll make some time to have some tea with you. Until then."
"Until then," responded Alara.
She turned back to her feed of the students. The latest batch of jaeger trainees was turning out to be very interesting indeed.
"As you can see Marshall Tomoe, the latest potential drift candidates are shaping up rather nicely if I do say so myself," said Alara happily.
"I must admit that you've become quite adept at singling out those who have drift compatibility. Care to share your secret?" asked the latest in a long line of human Marshalls.
"I'm afraid its all instinct and gut feeling," conceded Alara, "No rhyme or reason, just a feeling."
"Well, that instinct is getting sharper, guess how highly the last batch scored on the Beckett-Mori scale?"
"How much?"
"82 out of 100," said Marshall Tomoe, "give it another few years and I think you may well be able to finally break the Beckett-Mori scale."
"Goddess... do you think it could be this class?" she asked excitedly.
"Who knows?" said Marshall Tomoe cheekily, "I'll keep in touch. Next time you visit the shatterdome, I'll make some time to have some tea with you. Until then."
"Until then," responded Alara.
She turned back to her feed of the students. The latest batch of jaeger trainees was turning out to be very interesting indeed.
CompassJimbo
Where’s Your North?
- Location
- The former Rubber Capital of the World
Marshall Tomoe... is that a reference?
Razor One
When Science Goes Too Far...
Amongst others, yes, though only a very slight reference since I don't give an indication beyond a name and a proclivity for tea. Even the gender is ambiguous there.
Lunaryon
Dual Aurora Wave
- Pronouns
- She/Her
A goldmine of tech locked in a Security Lockbox older than their Civilization, locked using a method that they have no real understanding of how it works designed for a type of biological interaction that they can't do and devised by minds who perceive the world in an entirely different way than they do.
From how I understand it, while they have that beacon, using it is pretty much hit or miss and the end result is something no unlike what happened to Shepard, which Liara admits would break most people. Meaning that using that thing is like rolling a random DC fort save not to die with no idea what kind of die you are using, no idea what the modifiers are, and no idea what the DC is.
Wisdom.
Yeah. But a lot of times the Asari beacon gets thrown out as an example of "unfair alien advantages", so I figured I'd just cut it off before we got there. Honestly it wouldn't be surprising if they did have stuff they'd fished out of it that they were sitting on for the time being for one reason or another, but that's galactic politics for you.
Kalaong
Extinction is approaching. FIGHT IT.
Ehhh... Just want to call attention to my favorite summary of the Athame Beacon debacle. Because it's a stated fact of the canon Mass Effect universe that the Asari always have the best tech, and that's why you Can't Argue With Elves.
WhoAmEye
Bunker-Dwelling Cryptid
- Location
- Vault Birb
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Imagine an ME AU where the Asari were all male and instead carried the ability to get any species pregnant with their young instead of them getting pregnant with... whatever. And they ran on testosterone instead of whatever the female Asari run on.
Their "Maiden" years might be spent a little different from exotic dancing XD
Their "Maiden" years might be spent a little different from exotic dancing XD
To all of which I say: Meh.
None of the Prothean stuff worked against the Reapers when the Protheans used it. Also, in this story, a lot of Prothean toys and tech were found and transmitted back to the Citadel as a whole by the STG, plus additional finds such as pulse-plasma weaponry and various other doodads which may or may not be of importance later.
Note, all of this fun tech, which was transmitted to the Council as a whole, was found by the Salarian Special Tasks Group*. If you think for a second that the Salarians don't have copies of all of it too and are exploiting the shit out of it, then... well I don't know? You've never paid attention to how Salarians are?
So yeah... The "Renaissance" part of the current section is partially a tech renaissance due to that plus war encouraging tech growth.
I'm planning a Codex entry or two about emergent technologies during the Renaissance period brought about by the war.
*Adventure Archeology Task Force