Post by Octo on Jul 2, 2011 1:55:47 GMT 1
This is not a story, so I don't know if one could rightfully call it a fanfic. Still, I post it here because, well, why not, heh.. As the title says, it's an alternate timeline. You can call it AU, but I never really liked the term since it can mean dozens of different things. The divergence is that an asari explorer makes first contact with humanity in 1996, and things go on from there...
1996:
First Contact
The asari explorer ship Far Reaching Light enters the Sol System via FTL travel, and discovers Earth. Human First Contact. This leads to severe social chaos on Earth, as people now have to face the reality of aliens existing. Religions are especially damaged by this, but just about every aspect of society and politics is turned upside down by it. Thus, ironically, First Contact leads to Earth becoming destabilised at least for now.
1997:
An official delegation of the Citadel Council is sent to Earth, and with Earth lacking any central government is greeted by an UN delegation. This however is purely ceremonial - the politcial situation on Earth is still far too chaotic and factional for serious diplomatic negotiations to begin, so the powerless UN is used to conduct the diplomatic formalities.
1999:
After two years of negotiations, the EU (pulling together faster in this enviroment), the USA and China agree on the Bonn Principles for negotiations with the Citadel Council. While still not able to present an united front, humanity has now at least given itself some rules and aims for extraterrestrial diplomacy.
2002:
Following negotiations initiated by the Bonn Principle signatories with the Citadel Council, a development aid delegation is sent to Earth to open up a permanent bureau. Its stated mission is too aid humanity in its own development - as such, it will not serve as a convenient tech transfer agency. However, the basic functions of mass effect physics are explained to humanity.
2005/06:
Armed with new knowledge given by the development aid delegation, Earth countries begin the first honest surveys of planets and moons in the solar system. At the same time, on Earth itself, research facilities now focus mostly on dissecting the knowledge gained from the Citadel.
2008:
The first human FTL travel is conducted by the Concordia, an Euro-American cooperation project. The Concordia visits Alpha Centauri and returns without any interesting find - but the mission shows the viability of human FTL.
2010s:
After several FTL missions to nearby stars it is clear that there are no garden worlds nearby, and no Mass Relay either - at least, that is the assumption. No Element Zero is found, either, making humanity's astrogaphcial situation seem rather disadvantaged. After the furore and enthusiasm happening after the First Contact, the 10s hence enter mankind's cultural memory as a time of disappointments.
On the other side, this gives the states of the world a change to catch up to events. The EU especially integrates further, though with an "Union of two speeds" concept. Especially the UK opts further and further out of the process.
2021:
Japanese and Chinese survey teams find, independently of each other, traces of Element Zero in Promethei Planum, a Mars region. That knowledge soon spreads and becomes public. Immediately a "gold rush" starts on Mars, with several countries trying to set up colonies in Promethei Planum
2020s:
Several conflicts about land rights between the Mars colonies (often collectively referred to as "the Mars Colony"). On Earth, those conflicts trigger several trade wars, and let tensions flare. Matters do not escalate further, but the trade wars begin to undermine the prosperity of especially the richer nations, who hence are increasingly put under pressure to find a solution. Also, it puts further pressure on the EU specifically to finally unite.
2028:
10.09.2028: Official date where the EU federalises, uniting to become one souvereign country.
In anticipation of that several member states have before already left the Union - specifically, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. Switzerland has remained outside the EU the entire time.
2032:
The G12 (USA, Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain - there had been no time to organise a new G-Whatever after the federalisation of the EU in the chaos of the 20s trade wars, so the old structures are used) come to an agreement to end the Mars conflicts, the Bali Compromise. They have enough economical clout to force this compromise on the other states.
2034:
The Prothean Technological Revolution
With the Mars Colony further expanding, survey teams in Promethei Planum find a Prothean cache, filled to the brim with their knowledge in easily understandable concepts. A quickly established European mission to Charon later this year confirms that the assumed moon is in fact an iced-over Mass Relay. A technological and economical revolutionary boom without historical precedent begins.
2035:
Put under pressure by the EU federalisation and the EU/USA/China dominance over the world, and also further pressured by the implications of the Prothean cache, the UK, Ireland and some Commonwelth realms federalise to form the aptly but blantly named Federal Commonwealth (still a parliamentary monarchy under House Windsor).
2036:
At the Conference of Sapporo G12 (with the EU as one entity down to 9 members) expands to become the G15 and enacts sweeping economical and de facto also political regulations for the entire world. Using their economical clout, G15 becomes the de facto world ruling organ of humanity.
2037
Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland join the EU in one ceremonial act.
2038:
Charon Relay first used by an UN mission (de facto a common G15 mission, but under UN flag), Arcturus System opened up.
2039:
Arcturian mass relay to the Exodus Cluster opened up. Since this is, unlike the Sol-Arcturs relays, a primary relay, in doing so, the humans technically violate Citadel law about not using unexplored Primary Mass Relays, though the incident is too minor to raise any real reaction, and the UN promises to play by the rules now.
2040:
G15 forces a reformation of the UN, enacted in the Congress of New York. The new United Earth Nations officially become the new world government, with the G15 as new, permanent (but veto-less) Security Council. This is largely justified with a need for coordinated space colonisation. The smaller and lesser developed states of the world feel left out, of course. In the coming years, that results in the formation of large territorial "blocs", with the hope to gain influence by banding together. Those are the precedessors of most modern System Alliance members.
2040s:
With humanity still untrained how to handle Element Zero, there have been many accidents and spills on Mars. As eezo contamination rises in the Mars Colony, many children are born dead or deformed - though others are born with biotic powers.
2041:
First creation of Red Sand out of Mars eezo. The drug is produced on Mars and smuggled to Earth. Consequently, in the same year, first recorded drug-induced human biotic activities.
2042:
First human interstellar colony founded on Demeter.
2044:
First recorded "natural" human biotic activity by Linda Altenstein, a 15-year old girl on the Mars Colony.
2045
Clearly seeing the value of biotic talent, the hastily founded "Human Biotic Program" of the UEN begins to scour the Mars population for children with that ability. However, as human experience with such talents is limited, so is the success of the HBP.
2046:
Second human interstellar colony founded at Nova Terra
2047:
Third human intersellar colony founded at Eden Prime. Further colony foundation normally not announced in the timeline
2048:
While publicly promising to honour the Citadel ban on not opening dormant Mass relays, the UEN begin to secretly use the mass relays of the Exodus Cluster and Arcturus System, and beyond, surveying the Attican Traverse - a dangerous games with high odds, though the largely untouched and unsettled lands of the Traverse make it seem very worthwhile.
2049:
Avalon Disaster: In an FedCom dome of the Mars Colony, three latent adolescent biotics unleash their powers together as a purely emotional reaction after being cornered by a criminal gang. The resulting uncontrolled force rips the Dome open and results in the death of hundreds. At the latest since then, biotics are viewed with suspicion in human society, at least for the following decades. However, politics have absolutely no idea how to solve the problems of biotics.
2050s:
A veritable mass epidemic of Red Sand addiction hits the downtrodden parts of Earth's urban communities. While this can be dammed in in the next three decades using surprisingly effective social programs, it leads to human biotics also being born on the homeworld.
2050:
Via official Citadel channels, the asari offer their aid in training human biotic children. The UEN accepts the offer.
The UEN founds the "Covert Exploration Corps", for organized exploration and activation of dormant Mass Relays while keeping the matter still secret from the Citadel.
2051:
Central Biotic Training School founded on Mars, using asari instructors.
2052:
CBTS officially folded into HBP, though de facto it becomes the center piece of it. Other arms of the HBP include an increasingly improving talent seeking program, and a research arm. Unlike the CBTS, those two arms are mostly human-staffed, but still with a substantial share of asari.
The UEN initiates a programm to save some ten thousands more drell from their dying homeworld, aided by some sympathetic asari states. The efforts are cut down however, when...
2055:
Batarian pirates raid the the young and defenseless human colonies in the Exodus Cluster, taking thousands of slaves. This leads to outrage and panic on Earth, and to a massive pressure on politics. In short, mankind is out for blood.
2056:
The UEN starts a massive navy construction programm. However, most naval assets are still national fleets,
2060:
Renewed batarian slave raids beaten back by human space fleets. However, most ships still belong to national navies, so coordination between them proves to be difficult, a further point putting pressures on politics. In later observation the time is noted for massive demands for reforms, which paved the way for creation of the Earth Alliance.
2061:
The UEN officially uses the surveyed dormant mass relays for the first time. The Citadel now enacts sanctions against the UEN, and sends turian ships to patrol against further offenses. However, the already used mass relays may be used by the humans, who thus can link up to the already known mass relay routes in the Attican Traverse.
Elysium founded in the Skyllian Verge, the first human colony in the region. In the following years, several more human colonies will be founded in Verge and Traverse.
2062:
The asari Council Spectre Tela Vasir frees some hundreds of the human slaves. Their stories upon return fill the media for months, telling horrible tales of abuse, torture and casual cruelties. This sparks further outrage, and put further pressure on the political process.
2064:
The first independent, non-UEN Human colony is founded in the Terminus Systems, named Libertas (Freedom's Progress). Its founders are human dissidents disastisfied mainly with the Council's influence over humanity, but they also feel the UEN is not aggressive enough against the batarian threat. Of course, at that time humanity still only has a limited amount of space vessels, and the Terminus Systems are far off, so Libertas starts off very small.
2065:
Reacting to the calls for reforms and the massive pressure put on it, the member states of the UEN reform the organisation yet again, pulling it closer together to form the new Earth Alliance. The Earth Alliance is granted power over all extrasolar colonies and installations, and the responsibility to protect them. As such, it already has the core powers of the modern System Alliance. During this process, the power of the former G15 is also finally broken, and a more just system recognicing the single blocs is installed. Officially at least - behind the scenes of course the more prosperous blocs and countries remain the true power holders. But there is now at least no Security Council or anything like it anymore.
2067:
To inaugurate the new Earth Alliance Naval Forces, its ship begin several coordinated raids against known batarian pirate bases. The following years are a hit and run game between the pirates and the EANF. Despite the Navy's best efforts, some slavery raids succeed, but the EANF's record in destroyed slaver ships and facilities is impressive.
2071:
The mood on Earth has finally reached a boiling point, as more and more evidence leaks through that the Batarian Hegemony funds Batarian pirates and slavers. The Earth Alliance officially declares war on the Batarian Hegemony and starts an offensive.
2071-2075:
1st Human-Batarian War.
Against most expections, the humans manage to drive the batarians out of most of the Skyllian Verge, while at the same time destroying pirate nests in the Attican Traverse and nearby Terminus Systems. Focusing mostly on raids, piracy and slavery, the Batarians prove to be woefully unprepared for heads-on war.
2074:
The Batarian Hegemony demands Citadel meditiation and recognition of the Skyllian Verge as a batarian interest area. The Council denies both demands, and the batarian in protest close their embassy and leave Citadel Space.
Leviathan of Dis found by EA troops during the war. It is quickly transported away by the Covert Exploration Corps acting on its own, and EA troopers talking about a supposed ancient and gigantic bioship are soon dismissed as legend tellers or lunatics.
2075:
Human-Batarian Ceasefire ends the War (de facto). Some systems are designated a Demilitarised Zone, with no side allowed to station troops there, or to allow anybody to set up stations there, though EA forces have the right to patrol such systems to keep them clear of pirates. However, the ceasefire still leaves large problems for the Earth Alliance: Several planets are now under EA rule, while still having comparatively large Batarian populations. Any ideas of resettlement programs are ruined by the realities of logistics, and the fact that the Hegemony sees those Batarians as now "tainted" and hence unworthy to return to the Hegemony.
2077:
The planet Feros is settled by corporate interests, mainly Interplanetary Expeditions (IPX), who are drawn by the Prothean ruins covering the entire solid surface of the planet.
Liara T'soni is born
2078:
The volus are granted an own embassy on the Citadel (the former batarian embassy). The humans get their part of the embassy shared with the elcor.
The following years and decades are a time of growth, prosperity, peace and stabilty for the Earth Alliance. Batarian piracy after the war is on an all-time low, there are no political conflicts back home, and humanity spreads further out into the stars.
1996:
First Contact
The asari explorer ship Far Reaching Light enters the Sol System via FTL travel, and discovers Earth. Human First Contact. This leads to severe social chaos on Earth, as people now have to face the reality of aliens existing. Religions are especially damaged by this, but just about every aspect of society and politics is turned upside down by it. Thus, ironically, First Contact leads to Earth becoming destabilised at least for now.
1997:
An official delegation of the Citadel Council is sent to Earth, and with Earth lacking any central government is greeted by an UN delegation. This however is purely ceremonial - the politcial situation on Earth is still far too chaotic and factional for serious diplomatic negotiations to begin, so the powerless UN is used to conduct the diplomatic formalities.
1999:
After two years of negotiations, the EU (pulling together faster in this enviroment), the USA and China agree on the Bonn Principles for negotiations with the Citadel Council. While still not able to present an united front, humanity has now at least given itself some rules and aims for extraterrestrial diplomacy.
2002:
Following negotiations initiated by the Bonn Principle signatories with the Citadel Council, a development aid delegation is sent to Earth to open up a permanent bureau. Its stated mission is too aid humanity in its own development - as such, it will not serve as a convenient tech transfer agency. However, the basic functions of mass effect physics are explained to humanity.
2005/06:
Armed with new knowledge given by the development aid delegation, Earth countries begin the first honest surveys of planets and moons in the solar system. At the same time, on Earth itself, research facilities now focus mostly on dissecting the knowledge gained from the Citadel.
2008:
The first human FTL travel is conducted by the Concordia, an Euro-American cooperation project. The Concordia visits Alpha Centauri and returns without any interesting find - but the mission shows the viability of human FTL.
2010s:
After several FTL missions to nearby stars it is clear that there are no garden worlds nearby, and no Mass Relay either - at least, that is the assumption. No Element Zero is found, either, making humanity's astrogaphcial situation seem rather disadvantaged. After the furore and enthusiasm happening after the First Contact, the 10s hence enter mankind's cultural memory as a time of disappointments.
On the other side, this gives the states of the world a change to catch up to events. The EU especially integrates further, though with an "Union of two speeds" concept. Especially the UK opts further and further out of the process.
2021:
Japanese and Chinese survey teams find, independently of each other, traces of Element Zero in Promethei Planum, a Mars region. That knowledge soon spreads and becomes public. Immediately a "gold rush" starts on Mars, with several countries trying to set up colonies in Promethei Planum
2020s:
Several conflicts about land rights between the Mars colonies (often collectively referred to as "the Mars Colony"). On Earth, those conflicts trigger several trade wars, and let tensions flare. Matters do not escalate further, but the trade wars begin to undermine the prosperity of especially the richer nations, who hence are increasingly put under pressure to find a solution. Also, it puts further pressure on the EU specifically to finally unite.
2028:
10.09.2028: Official date where the EU federalises, uniting to become one souvereign country.
In anticipation of that several member states have before already left the Union - specifically, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. Switzerland has remained outside the EU the entire time.
2032:
The G12 (USA, Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain - there had been no time to organise a new G-Whatever after the federalisation of the EU in the chaos of the 20s trade wars, so the old structures are used) come to an agreement to end the Mars conflicts, the Bali Compromise. They have enough economical clout to force this compromise on the other states.
2034:
The Prothean Technological Revolution
With the Mars Colony further expanding, survey teams in Promethei Planum find a Prothean cache, filled to the brim with their knowledge in easily understandable concepts. A quickly established European mission to Charon later this year confirms that the assumed moon is in fact an iced-over Mass Relay. A technological and economical revolutionary boom without historical precedent begins.
2035:
Put under pressure by the EU federalisation and the EU/USA/China dominance over the world, and also further pressured by the implications of the Prothean cache, the UK, Ireland and some Commonwelth realms federalise to form the aptly but blantly named Federal Commonwealth (still a parliamentary monarchy under House Windsor).
2036:
At the Conference of Sapporo G12 (with the EU as one entity down to 9 members) expands to become the G15 and enacts sweeping economical and de facto also political regulations for the entire world. Using their economical clout, G15 becomes the de facto world ruling organ of humanity.
2037
Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland join the EU in one ceremonial act.
2038:
Charon Relay first used by an UN mission (de facto a common G15 mission, but under UN flag), Arcturus System opened up.
2039:
Arcturian mass relay to the Exodus Cluster opened up. Since this is, unlike the Sol-Arcturs relays, a primary relay, in doing so, the humans technically violate Citadel law about not using unexplored Primary Mass Relays, though the incident is too minor to raise any real reaction, and the UN promises to play by the rules now.
2040:
G15 forces a reformation of the UN, enacted in the Congress of New York. The new United Earth Nations officially become the new world government, with the G15 as new, permanent (but veto-less) Security Council. This is largely justified with a need for coordinated space colonisation. The smaller and lesser developed states of the world feel left out, of course. In the coming years, that results in the formation of large territorial "blocs", with the hope to gain influence by banding together. Those are the precedessors of most modern System Alliance members.
2040s:
With humanity still untrained how to handle Element Zero, there have been many accidents and spills on Mars. As eezo contamination rises in the Mars Colony, many children are born dead or deformed - though others are born with biotic powers.
2041:
First creation of Red Sand out of Mars eezo. The drug is produced on Mars and smuggled to Earth. Consequently, in the same year, first recorded drug-induced human biotic activities.
2042:
First human interstellar colony founded on Demeter.
2044:
First recorded "natural" human biotic activity by Linda Altenstein, a 15-year old girl on the Mars Colony.
2045
Clearly seeing the value of biotic talent, the hastily founded "Human Biotic Program" of the UEN begins to scour the Mars population for children with that ability. However, as human experience with such talents is limited, so is the success of the HBP.
2046:
Second human interstellar colony founded at Nova Terra
2047:
Third human intersellar colony founded at Eden Prime. Further colony foundation normally not announced in the timeline
2048:
While publicly promising to honour the Citadel ban on not opening dormant Mass relays, the UEN begin to secretly use the mass relays of the Exodus Cluster and Arcturus System, and beyond, surveying the Attican Traverse - a dangerous games with high odds, though the largely untouched and unsettled lands of the Traverse make it seem very worthwhile.
2049:
Avalon Disaster: In an FedCom dome of the Mars Colony, three latent adolescent biotics unleash their powers together as a purely emotional reaction after being cornered by a criminal gang. The resulting uncontrolled force rips the Dome open and results in the death of hundreds. At the latest since then, biotics are viewed with suspicion in human society, at least for the following decades. However, politics have absolutely no idea how to solve the problems of biotics.
2050s:
A veritable mass epidemic of Red Sand addiction hits the downtrodden parts of Earth's urban communities. While this can be dammed in in the next three decades using surprisingly effective social programs, it leads to human biotics also being born on the homeworld.
2050:
Via official Citadel channels, the asari offer their aid in training human biotic children. The UEN accepts the offer.
The UEN founds the "Covert Exploration Corps", for organized exploration and activation of dormant Mass Relays while keeping the matter still secret from the Citadel.
2051:
Central Biotic Training School founded on Mars, using asari instructors.
2052:
CBTS officially folded into HBP, though de facto it becomes the center piece of it. Other arms of the HBP include an increasingly improving talent seeking program, and a research arm. Unlike the CBTS, those two arms are mostly human-staffed, but still with a substantial share of asari.
The UEN initiates a programm to save some ten thousands more drell from their dying homeworld, aided by some sympathetic asari states. The efforts are cut down however, when...
2055:
Batarian pirates raid the the young and defenseless human colonies in the Exodus Cluster, taking thousands of slaves. This leads to outrage and panic on Earth, and to a massive pressure on politics. In short, mankind is out for blood.
2056:
The UEN starts a massive navy construction programm. However, most naval assets are still national fleets,
2060:
Renewed batarian slave raids beaten back by human space fleets. However, most ships still belong to national navies, so coordination between them proves to be difficult, a further point putting pressures on politics. In later observation the time is noted for massive demands for reforms, which paved the way for creation of the Earth Alliance.
2061:
The UEN officially uses the surveyed dormant mass relays for the first time. The Citadel now enacts sanctions against the UEN, and sends turian ships to patrol against further offenses. However, the already used mass relays may be used by the humans, who thus can link up to the already known mass relay routes in the Attican Traverse.
Elysium founded in the Skyllian Verge, the first human colony in the region. In the following years, several more human colonies will be founded in Verge and Traverse.
2062:
The asari Council Spectre Tela Vasir frees some hundreds of the human slaves. Their stories upon return fill the media for months, telling horrible tales of abuse, torture and casual cruelties. This sparks further outrage, and put further pressure on the political process.
2064:
The first independent, non-UEN Human colony is founded in the Terminus Systems, named Libertas (Freedom's Progress). Its founders are human dissidents disastisfied mainly with the Council's influence over humanity, but they also feel the UEN is not aggressive enough against the batarian threat. Of course, at that time humanity still only has a limited amount of space vessels, and the Terminus Systems are far off, so Libertas starts off very small.
2065:
Reacting to the calls for reforms and the massive pressure put on it, the member states of the UEN reform the organisation yet again, pulling it closer together to form the new Earth Alliance. The Earth Alliance is granted power over all extrasolar colonies and installations, and the responsibility to protect them. As such, it already has the core powers of the modern System Alliance. During this process, the power of the former G15 is also finally broken, and a more just system recognicing the single blocs is installed. Officially at least - behind the scenes of course the more prosperous blocs and countries remain the true power holders. But there is now at least no Security Council or anything like it anymore.
2067:
To inaugurate the new Earth Alliance Naval Forces, its ship begin several coordinated raids against known batarian pirate bases. The following years are a hit and run game between the pirates and the EANF. Despite the Navy's best efforts, some slavery raids succeed, but the EANF's record in destroyed slaver ships and facilities is impressive.
2071:
The mood on Earth has finally reached a boiling point, as more and more evidence leaks through that the Batarian Hegemony funds Batarian pirates and slavers. The Earth Alliance officially declares war on the Batarian Hegemony and starts an offensive.
2071-2075:
1st Human-Batarian War.
Against most expections, the humans manage to drive the batarians out of most of the Skyllian Verge, while at the same time destroying pirate nests in the Attican Traverse and nearby Terminus Systems. Focusing mostly on raids, piracy and slavery, the Batarians prove to be woefully unprepared for heads-on war.
2074:
The Batarian Hegemony demands Citadel meditiation and recognition of the Skyllian Verge as a batarian interest area. The Council denies both demands, and the batarian in protest close their embassy and leave Citadel Space.
Leviathan of Dis found by EA troops during the war. It is quickly transported away by the Covert Exploration Corps acting on its own, and EA troopers talking about a supposed ancient and gigantic bioship are soon dismissed as legend tellers or lunatics.
2075:
Human-Batarian Ceasefire ends the War (de facto). Some systems are designated a Demilitarised Zone, with no side allowed to station troops there, or to allow anybody to set up stations there, though EA forces have the right to patrol such systems to keep them clear of pirates. However, the ceasefire still leaves large problems for the Earth Alliance: Several planets are now under EA rule, while still having comparatively large Batarian populations. Any ideas of resettlement programs are ruined by the realities of logistics, and the fact that the Hegemony sees those Batarians as now "tainted" and hence unworthy to return to the Hegemony.
2077:
The planet Feros is settled by corporate interests, mainly Interplanetary Expeditions (IPX), who are drawn by the Prothean ruins covering the entire solid surface of the planet.
Liara T'soni is born
2078:
The volus are granted an own embassy on the Citadel (the former batarian embassy). The humans get their part of the embassy shared with the elcor.
The following years and decades are a time of growth, prosperity, peace and stabilty for the Earth Alliance. Batarian piracy after the war is on an all-time low, there are no political conflicts back home, and humanity spreads further out into the stars.