A fair disclaimer: I've never actually seen the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I just thought the concept was irresistible when applied to Mass Effect and other Sci-Fi franchises that seem appropriate for a crossover. So this is the start of a series, starting with this StarCraft crossover! Expect Halo later, and then a few surprises. This is only a sort of narrative Codex; an account of the lore from the perspective of a human born on Alliance space. Any actual plot will be featured in future works.

NOTE: the following text holds only the opinion of the author, a human by the name of Neil Ross. The Citadel Council is not held accountable for any of the views expressed after this point.

THE CITADEL'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

The Koprulu Sector

Ever since I started traveling the Milky Way, three years after the First Contact War, I knew I'd be in for an adventure. Inspired by my favorite childhood read, The Hobbit, by famed Human author, J. R. R. Tolkien, I set forth, knowingly throwing myself into a galaxy not even the oldest Council species knew completely. As the titular character of said story might attest, I found a wondrous collection of knowledge, though, of course, not without its fair share of danger.

The Koprulu Sector, as my kind says, is 'up there' with the most dangerous places in the known cosmos.

A relatively small section of the galaxy, the Koprulu Sector is somewhat unique in that it houses no Element Zero whatsoever. Other explored sectors have been known to contain only trace amounts of the element we in Council space so desperately need to power our technology, but Koprulu is a veritable wasteland in that sense. As such, the races that evolved there, took a much different path to the one we've come to expect as a result of Reaper influence, and the consequent dependency we've developed for eezo.

The absence of the element, however, has not been the most deciding factor in the diverging branches of the tree of life found on the myriad of systems in the sector; indeed, other elements, such as Vespene (Vp), Jorium (Jm) and Terrazine (Tz), have become the backbone of many of the Koprulu races' industry.

The defining trait of the sector is, quite simply, war.

Many an argument has been made that my species loves combat and violence, on a level only found, if overpowered, in the Krogan. It has been claimed that humanity possesses a drive greater than the Turians', a curiosity greater than the Salarians', and a knack for lateral thinking found only on the most experienced of Asari Matriarchs. This is, of course, false propaganda, likely motivated by pro-human groups such as the Terra Firma party, and the dreaded Cerberus. No, my species, unlike the others in Council space, is a 'jack of all trades'; excelling at nothing, yet being competent at nearly everything.

Surviving, paramount above all. It pains me to say it, but the Terrans take that human quality, and drive it to the extreme.

Though their origin remains a mystery, genetic studies show us that the race of humans that self-identifies as Terran is indeed a subspecies to the original, heavily modified after hundreds of years of a constant 'survival of the fittest' environment, and the particular elements native only to their region of space. As this is an introduction, I shan't dwell on them, but the fact of the matter is, Terrans raise more questions about our place in the universe, than any other race among the stars.

We do know, however, that we weren't the first out there.

Appropriately nicknamed 'Firstborn', the enigmatic Protoss were conquering the stars when the Asari were still working out basic Arithmetic. A race of pack hunters, who ironically hunted only for sport and self-preservation due to their unique biology, the Protoss are a hyper advanced race of psionics (a.k.a. telepaths), whose firm grasp of the laws of the universe allows them to break them, being capable of remarkable feats such as teleportation, energy projection, and atomic manipulation.

We must, then, be thankful that their sole purpose seems to be the protection of 'lesser' forms of life from the perils that lurk in the void, as our destruction would surely come if we sought to wage war with their kind.

And, if not by their hand, then surely by the claws of the Zerg.

In all my years of research, never have I seen something as horrifying as the Swarm. An endless mass of fangs, claws, poison and chitin, the Zerg make the now peaceful Rachni seem like defenseless babies. The Swarm exists for one purpose, and one purpose only: the assimilation of all useful life into their ranks. Though after a series of events known to the natives of the Sector as the Hybrid War, the Zerg remain secluded and neutral, their virtual immortality and endless supply of warriors is an assurance that their mission will one day be complete.

I'm no telepath, my dear reader, but I have a feeling I've got your attention. So do like Bilbo Baggins, and venture forth with me, as we delve into the unknown.

Fun fact: Neil Ross is the voiceover actor for the main Codex entries. I thought it would be appropriate that the man telling the story is him.

Other than that, not much else to say. This introduction is fairly straightforward. Expect more soon! - Darthkvzn

P.D.: Why I keep creating new projects when I have so many unfinished ones, I'll never know.