Vigil

Prologue: Archives

Operation: Avenger - Log File: AA-3441

Transcript: Suit recording from XCOM Operative Colonel Annette Durand (PsiCorps)

File Restriction: TOP SECRET: EYES ONLY

Timestamp: Mission Time T+22:31

(recording shows death of MUTON ELITE (Designate: OpAvenger ET-ME-2) to plasma fire in upper torso by Colonel Durand)

T+22:31: Durand: Another bastard down!

(Recording shows door at rear of chamber has opened)

T+22:31: Durand: Hawkeye?

T+22:31: "Hawkeye": All clear, nothing in my scopes ma'am.

T+22:31: Durand: Squad, move up! Gipsy take point!

T:22:32: "Gipsy": AFFIRMATIVE.

(recording shows Major "Gipsy" Beckett advancing ahead of rest of squad toward open door. At this point OpAvenger ET-UE-1 ("UBER ETHEREAL") speaks again)

T+22:33: ET-UE-1: The New One continues to surge…to prove that this was the worthy path, that we were justified in our efforts. This will bring about our redemption, and usher in our future.

T+22:33: Durand: Do you ever shut the fuck up?

(timeskip: Timestamp T+22:38)

(recording shows engagement with ET-UE-1 from the perspective of Colonel Durand. Colonel Durand is firing a plasma rifle at ET-UE-1)

T+22:38: ET-UE-1: Behold the greatest failure… of the Ethereal Ones… who failed to ascend as they thought we would. We who were cast out. We who were doomed to feed on the Gift of lesser beings… as we sought to uplift them… to prepare them… for what lies ahead...

T+22:38: Durand: Goddamn fucking right you were a failure!

(timeskip to: Timestamp T+22:41)

(recording shows engagement with ET-UE-1 from the perspective of Colonel Durand. A MUTON ELITE (Designate ET-ME-5) is covering the retreat of ET-UE-1. Another ETHEREAL, ET-E-3, lies dead in the corner of the picture. Another MUTON ELITE, ET-ME-4, is being propelled through the air by a Kinetic Strike Module impact behind ET-UE-1 and ET-ME-5)

T+22:41: ET-UE-1: The hunt draws to a close. It was not a vain undertaking… but a necessity, as our physical form has grown… ineffective. Our search for a perfect specimen was driven by our crippling limitation, and now, at long last…

T+22:42: Durand: At long last you have my boot up your ass, bastard! Hold still!

(timeskip to: Timestamp T+22:43)

(recording shows ET-UE-1 under fire from Colonel Durand. Purple psionic energy is escaping from the body)

T+22:43: ET-UE-1: This is not your path! Not your purpose! You need our guidance to hone this power… without us, what are you?

T+22:44: Durand: Better off, you piece of shit.

(timeskip to: Timestamp T+24:43)

(recording shows ET-UE-1 collapsing to the floor. Purple psionic barrier is surrounding the entity, which is under heavy plasma fire from multiple sources)

T+22:44 ET-UE-1: New One… we witness your intent. At the end, we understand. Preservation, not ascension. You deny our offer… in exchange for preserving your weak state...

(recording shows more plasma striking ET-UE-1. Majority of impacts are deflecting off barriers. Colonel Durand closes with ET-UE-1)

T+22:58 ET-UE-1: You have won a reprieve. But know this: your species has earned the attention of those infinitely your greater.

(recording shows Colonel Durand pushing through psionic barrier using her own power)

T+23:06 ET-UE-1: You cannot escape... ascension.

(recording shows Colonel Durand breaking through the barrier and leveling her plasma rifle at ET-UE-1's head)

T+23:13 Durand: But you won't live to see it.

(recording shows Colonel Durand firing into ET-UE-1's head, disintegrating it)

END TRANSCRIPT

Journal of XCOM Commander [REDACTED]

Post-war didn't bring peace.

I kept XCOM out of it, and thankfully, the Council didn't push us. I think they were terrified of what might happen if we started unleashing what we developed in conventional conflict among humans. Technically, it's in our charter, thanks to EXALT, but no one wants to see XCOM dropping in with Firestorms to kidnap your head of state. We killed plenty of human collaborators, and the post-war conflicts are against the countries that joined the aliens. South Africa. Egypt. Mexico. Argentina. China, Brazil, and India managed to escape it by executing everyone who they could find who collaborated, even the poor bastards that the Ethereals mind-controlled. I think if we lost any other countries then XCOM might not have been able to survive.

And then there was the coalition-building. Post-war politics, all bullshit. Strategic Defense Coalition formed after China's old government collapsed when they executed their collaborators. ASEAN basically got rolled into the Strategic Defense Coalition. Apparently once they joined the aliens they stopped being attacked, which let them recover faster. SDC troops asserted authority in Afghanistan, bringing Iran and Pakistan into the fold with money and weapons. North Africa and the Middle East all becoming SDC puppets after that.

European Union became stronger, as they got through the war without too much damage. North America finally coming together into one big United States of North America. Still think that's bullshit, and the politics involved went right over my head. US had to take control of Mexico after their government got subverted. At least the cartels were cleaned up. Pan-Pacific Alliance formed just after that, after Best Korea decided post-war was the best time to reunify and they got their teeth kicked in. Must have been drinking too much of their own Kool-Aid. Now we've got the USNA, Japan, Korea, Australia, Philippines, and New Zealand all allied to oppose the SDC.

Brazil and the rest of South America spent a few years sorting out Argentina's subversion and collapse, before becoming one big happy family, and brought a bunch of south and western African countries into the fold too. Guess it was join the South Atlantic Federation or become another SDC fiefdom.

Some countries got out of it without getting gobbled up. Russia. India. All those Central American countries somehow escaping the PPA. Israel. Turkey and Egypt ended up in the EU, though the latter's more of a military occupation. And all the coalitions are trying to get the "free countries" in bed. SDC squaring off against PPA and EU. EU and PPA circling the wagons and backing each other up. SAF and the independents trying to not get dragged into it. Russia building their own little coalition. Not quite World War One again, but it's not one world government either like we were hoping.

Goddammit, we survived a fucking alien invasion, and seven years later we're right back where we started. We should have unified. Or at least stopped fighting. No shooting, of course, its all cyberwar and cultural and financial and trade bullshit and proxy conflicts. But we're still broken up into a mess of alliances and not looking at the real threats: EXALT and the Ethereals and whatever else might be out there.

But I guess that's why XCOM exists. Because we can't count on each other, so we have to count on the few who can get shit done.

Excerpt from the research notes of Doctor Vahlen:

Elerium uses psionics to generate power.

A startling conclusion, at first, yet all observations point us along this path. We do not yet know the source of the energy generated by elerium or psionic powers, but we know they are tied together. Study of the energy signature released by many of the more advanced Ethereal technologies shows a developmental path focused on using psionics. Psionics for energy generation. Psionics for transportation. Psionics for communication. All of their technology draws upon the same source. Even Meld seems to use psionics as a catalyst; it doesn't work on plants or non-living material. It needs some form of psychic power to operate, even in extremely latent forms.

There's no indication of the power's source, but it is present, and it fuels every aspect of the Ethereal's technology. Furthermore, I believe it is possible that psionics can be the key to elerium synthesis. A combination of the raw materials and psionic power should enable us to eventually begin manufacturing small quantities of elerium. And if it can be done, it would explain much of the Ethereals' interest in our species, and give us the ability to truly reach the stars.

I suspect that we may be forced to rely on helium-3 fusion for much of our power generation simply due to ease of manufacture and availability, but with elerium supplementing our power supply, the possibilities are limitless. Of course, this is all theoretical; we will likely need to rely on limited elerium power to get into a position to deploy mining facilities in which we can harvest sufficient quantities of helium-3…

From the journal of XCOM Commander [REDACTED]

Council is getting tighter with the funds. Oh, sure, they give excuses. They need the money to rebuild, they can't throw away cash on an operation ten years old, they refuse to let an obvious puppet of blah blah blah. Its the world's biggest stable of bullshit.

The real reason they're cutting funding is because I'm still holding to the charter and not giving up some of the tech they want. Alloys - the grunts keep calling it Vahlenite - lasers, plasma, alien biology, a lot of the pure conventionally-derived tech advancements like SHIVs, and even the alien navigation tech, that's all been released. Elerium research is out too, and so are a lot of the armor techs; there's too much wreckage scattered about the planet to keep that out of their hands anyway, not that they can do much with it. But our psionic research, hyperwaves, Meld, the Gallop Chamber device...

I have to be careful with this. Shen's been warning me about what might be done with some of that tech. And I'm keeping a close eye on it. We might release some of it later on, but I don't trust the world right now. Not just the politicians, either.

EXALT is still out there.

We have to be vigilant, and not just from enemies without.

Excerpt from the journal of Doctor Shen

Despite years of effort and research, and an understanding of the nature of how the substance works, no scientist in XCOM has been able to break the secret of Meld. We can understand what it does, direct it to the ends we need, but the nanotech itself… It cannot be replicated. Attempts to reverse engineer it run into issues with generating the power and computational capacity to produce nanites that can achieve similar results, let alone actually replicating the genetic and cybernetic integration required. We can vaguely emulate the abilities of Meld through retroviral gene therapy and cybernetic surgery, and studying its effects has improved our knowledge of human augmentation by leaps and bounds, but Meld itself is a mystery.

And I feel that the difficulty in replicating Meld is a blessing. The reason is simple: it makes it too easy to play with what we are. It is an easy path, a quick and simple way to turn a man into a genetic supersoldier or cybernetic warrior. In a time of war, while fighting for the very survival of our species, it proved incredibly useful. In a time of peace… disastrous. We do not need to research the associated technology to make these enhancements for ourselves. We do not undertake the decades of research to perform such modification. We do not fight through the social issues, the ethical problems, the conundrums a civilization must face to earn such knowledge. Meld simply gives us these gifts, without allowing us to learn. We are given the "how" without the "what" or the "why."

Like giving nuclear weapons to cavemen.

I think that was the Ethereals' goal. To give us weapons before our time, to elevate us without the social and mental maturity to use these tools properly. Taking away limitations, enforcing artificial growth, molding the shape of our development like a bacteria culture in a petri dish. All to make us into weapons that would be dependent on them for control and guidance - and as weapons, mankind exceeded expectations, burning the very ones who gave us this fire.

I've reviewed the final logs of Colonel Durand endlessly, listening to those messages that the alien leader sent before the Colonel gave her life to save us all. The Ethereal's last words told us that without them, we had no guidance to control the power they had given us. Was that the statement of a megalomaniac bent on controlling us, or a warning that we would destroy ourselves without carefully mastering this power?

At least the Commander has heeded my warnings.

Excerpt from the journal of XCOM Commander [REDACTED]

In the thirteen years since Operation Avenger, we've seen so many psionics show up. The good news is that I managed to keep our funding and even expand it by leveraging some of our secrets.

That, and I called dibs on the psionics.

Oh, the Council members that hate XCOM's relative autonomy were pissed. But no one else is as qualified as XCOM to screen, train, and if necessary police human psionics. Most of the Council backed my proposal, though, even the pissed-off ones, because they couldn't exactly say no to the ones that saved mankind. And with us having the responsibility to train psychics, it gives us a whole lot more funding. After all, we can't synthesize elerium without psionics.

We don't control the psychics, of course. I've made it clear that there's to be no brainwashing, no mind control, no implanting. Not like we have the Meld left to do that anyway; our Meld reserve is being kept under tight lock and key until we figure out how to replicate it, if we ever do. But we do keep the screening and training process under our control, and if anyone wants access to our pool of knowledge regarding the powers of the mind, they have to agree to that restriction.

We'll have to be vigilant of course. The Council's agreed that only XCOM should be allowed to train psionics, but that won't stop some of them from trying to end-run us.

The first Psi Academy is opening next year on Luna. We're not just going to be defending humanity anymore. We'll be leading it into the future.

PRIORITY ONE HYPERWAVE TRANSMISSION: ALPHA PRIORITY CHANNEL

TIMESTAMP: 12:33 HOURS ZULU TIME, 4/6/2035

FROM: XCOM CENTRAL COMMAND: MARS DETACHMENT

TO: ALL XCOM FACILITIES IN SOL

CASE IRON DRAGON CONFIRMED - EXTRATERRESTRIAL PRESENCE DETECTED

At 4 June, 2035, hyperwave sensors at XCOM Recon Site Theta-Kappa detected extraterrestrial construction on the south pole of Mars. Anomalous gravity shifts and energy signatures at site CONFIRMED to be caused by active extraterrestrial technology. All XCOM facilities are to initiate protocol CASE IRON DRAGON. Briefing packets are to be unlocked and standing military personnel are to go on full alert. All reserve and civilian staff are to be mobilized for possible military contact. All current Council government heads of state are to be alerted immediately.

Taskforce STRIKE-ONE personnel are to report to nearest XCOM facility for transportation and briefing.

From the journal of XCOM Commander [REDACTED]

Its been two years since the biggest false alarm in the history of the human race. I don't think anyone breathed a bigger sigh of relief than we did when they turned out to be empty ruins and the active energy signature was just a malfunctioning core.

Took us a long time to figure out what the hell we were looking at. I think we treated the devices in that outpost like everything except what they were. None of us thought we were entering an archive of all things. We all went in expecting to find an Ethereal monitoring station, or a base to launch attack craft, or some communications relay they had hidden away.

Doctor Vahlen was first in there after the site was secured, and Dr. Shen came out of retirement so fast that we barely got him suited up properly to explore the site. Pushing eighty now and he didn't give a damn. He had to look at new tech, to figure out how it worked. And in six months he'd managed to crack the secrets of this technology.

We had no idea what it was when we first looked at it. It wasn't Ethereal. Looked nothing like Ethereal tech, behaved nothing like it. If anything it resembled pre-Elerium tech. There were what we guessed were ships, but they couldn't hope to break atmosphere, not with their mass and power supply. Not until Shen and Vahlen studied them in minute detail, and noticed how a certain substance within the machinery was designed to receive an electrical charge. When they tested it, they discovered an electrical charge increases and decreases mass in a field around the material.

Vahlen calls the substance "element zero." Because the stuff influences mass, she dubbed it a "mass effect." Straightforward. If we let the grunts name it, we'd likely end up with something silly.

Element zero. Mass effect. The ability to literally alter the effective mass of an object by a positive or negative electrical charge. Incredible. It changes everything.

But it was the archives that really got our attention. They confirmed what we suspected: we were looking at an old species, much older than ours, and nothing like the Ethereals. Protheans, they were called, and going by their recorded star charts, Vahlen theorizes that these ruins are fifty thousand years old.

What happened to them? Are the Protheans gone? Did they run afoul of the Ethereals like we did, and get destroyed? If they did, why didn't the Ethereals use their technology? Could one of the species we were killing be the Protheans, turned into slaves of the Ethereals?

Too many questions, and no answers. We haven't even started to decipher the archives, to figure out what's intact and what's corrupt. Vahlen theorized that the Protheans appeared to operate with different senses than what humans are capable of, even our sensory psionics. This isn't even counting an extremely complex script. Vahlen theorizes that there could be thousands of different languages making up this archive's data store. It could take decades to even get started on translation.

Until then, we have to act as normal. Study their technology. Understand them. I pray that the Protheans are gone, because I don't want to see a repetition of the previous war.

But if they're not, if something is out there…. well, we're XCOM. We'll destroy them just like we destroyed the Ethereals.

Excerpt from the journal of Doctor Shen

I feel young again.

It is not simply the technology, although the chance to study and integrate new designs is welcome. It is the… purity of the work, I would say. Whenever I look at Ethereal-derived technology, I still see the twisted hulks of metal and flesh that we fought decades ago. I am confronted with the lengths we went to alter our own soldiers to match the enemy. I sublimated my ethical and moral reservations to win and survive.

With Prothean technology, however, I do not have these issues. The ethical and moral simplicity of the technology helps. These devices are not made to twist a species into something it wasn't, to force evolution and subservience. They simply alter physics, without altering ourselves. I do not feel the pangs of guilt or the fears of complicity in the idea of remaking humanity itself into something horrific.

Another issue is the relative simplicity, yet difficulty, of this new technology. I can experiment with element zero, building devices and creating designs, but so little of the Prothean ruins are functional. It forces me to think more than I did with the Ethereal technology, where I simply adapted what we stole from our enemy to our own ends. Nor do I feel the apprehension of knowing that I am working with technology that would have played a part in the Ethereals' plans to enslave us all.

There have been some breakthroughs, limited though they are. I believe we will eventually be able to forge a faster-than-light engine, with the help of Doctor Vahlen's research, if her theory on how mass effect fields alter light speed itself. Even if that does not pan out, the fields themselves, coupled with elerium, would allow us casual interplanetary travel and space colonization. But there is so much more I think that could be possible with this technology.

I know I don't have the time to discover it all. But, I can work in peace, and that has shaved a few decades off these old bones.

Excerpt from the research notes of Doctor Robert Boyle, XCOM

While unable to precisely match the elegance, versatility, and simplicity of the Meld nanotech, we have made great strides in replicating many of the effects of these remarkable little devices. Study of Meld's effects has improved our capability at gene therapy and mechanical augmentation by leaps and bounds. I don't think we'll be able to make MEC personnel or advanced gene-mod troops standard, but with some proper research and application of our own treatments, we could eliminate most genetic diseases and strengthen the immune system, reduce aging, and more.

But I think that one of the most promising applications would involve some adaptation of Ethereal computers, genetic research tools, and Meld-derived nanotech. The processing capability of these devices are extraordinary. Experimentation has shown that it is possible to include highly sophisticated sensory capability in specialized nanotech. These genetic tools could allow us to craft or alter existing human bodies to an unprecedented degree. Altered human genomes with special adaptations to zero gravity, aquatic environments, or surviving in harsh terrain uninhabitable by our current bodies. And with the Ethereals' technology, we could build specially "morphed" human bodies from the womb.

But most intriguing, I believe, is that it is possible to use these tools to map a human brain to an exacting degree, right down to the individual connections between neurons that form the fundamental underpinnings of memory, skill, and personality. And if we can copy personality, we can transfer that personality to another brain. Or even an artificially-grown or assembled brain.

Doctor Shen, my mentor, does not welcome this. He fears this technology, and I cannot entirely disagree with him. There are dangers inherent to such developments. But I cannot cast aside these gifts. We have earned them, one slain alien and fallen human at a time.

Adaptable, designer human bodies. Transferrable minds. Functional immortality.

Utterly terrifying, but also impossibly tantalizing. All possible with the technology we pried from the bloody hands of our would-be conquerors.

Excerpt from the research notes of Doctor Vahlen, XCOM

Wormhole transition remains difficult, despite having all this time to study the Ethereals' technology. The challenge is not so much in targeting a point-to-point gateway so much as it is maintaining a gateway in the face of disruptive energy signals and conditions. We are able to open portals between points within a star system, but current range is limited to seven AU and the gate can only remain open for a few seconds. Thankfully, hyperwave scanning continues to maintain pace with wormhole range, so we are able to maintain up-to-date targeting that is vital to properly positioning wormhole openings.

However, much like our issues with targeting terrestrial locations with precision hyperwave scanning, we cannot open a gate within a gravity well. There are complications both due to gravitational distortion as well as instability caused by friction with atmosphere and the much more severe problem of pressure differential between vacuum and atmosphere. And the strain on the wormhole psionics is so great that I cannot ask them to push themselves to force the wormhole open. It could kill them, and I will not have that on my conscience.

We have not been able to determine how the Ethereals managed to bypass these issues. It may not even be possible to open a gateway for anything smaller than a craft the size of the Temple Ship. This would be consistent with alien behavior during the war, with UFOs being able to "vanish" once they left our atmosphere or appear without warning despite extensive scanning of the skies. They were never in orbit to begin with.

Until we solve this problem, we will be forced to open gateways outside of atmosphere or strong gravity wells. Fortunately, our range outside of atmosphere is still extensive.

Mass effect technology appears to be a much more viable option for extrasolar travel. I believe it possible that we could alter the properties of light with a strong enough mass effect field. Even more intriguing are some - purely theoretical currently - applications of wormhole generation coupled with mass effect fields….

From the journal of XCOM Commander [REDACTED]

Its the end of my career as XCOM's leader. The next Commander might actually get to keep his name as public record. Heh. Even after all these years we're still so secretive. The fact that we exist and what we do is public, but the details, the secret technologies, even the names of most of the soldiers and scientists and noncombat personnel still active are all secret. We've released a lot of the tech over the years, but Meld, the Gallop Chamber, some of the more… disturbing psionic tech… that's ours and its going to stay that way. I think that's fueled a lot of the resentment from Council nations.

Despite that, XCOM is still spearheading our future as a species. We've started extrasolar exploration, finally. Vahlen's team of successors still hasn't gotten the psionic wormhole tech to extend past solar system ranges. I shouldn't expect miracles from them, though; they're not Vahlen's original team, and they're not… motivated as we were forty years ago. They keep talking about how they might be able to couple the wormhole with the mass relays to create some kind of long-range device, but the physics of it are purely theoretical.

But we've still advanced by leaps and bits of Prothean records we discerned pointed us toward the Charon Mass Relay. I hate the idea that our FTL is limited by Prothean hardware, and that we haven't even begun to figure out those giant quantum-locked bastards. But we've still made use of alien tech as best we can.

Politics, though… the more things change, the more they stay the same. Russians have formed a big coalition to play mediator in this idiotic cold war between the PPA/EU alliance and the SDC. XCOM's close to getting dragged into the whole thing, too. Big corporations - they're calling them "hypercorps" now, some trendy buzzword - have been setting up their own little capitalist fiefdoms on Mars and Venus and Titan.

Weirdest of all, there was a revolution among the miners at Jupiter, backed by the SAF. Now they've formed a "Jovian Republic." More like a Jovian Junta. Place has been a magnet for the entire "bioconservative" movement opposed to the new augmentations and gene mods. Biocons, authoritarians, anti-alien survivalists, hyper-con militants, and pretty much anyone terrified of where the Ethereal tech is taking us, all flocking to that planet. Wouldn't matter much except that they own the best slingshot position in the system and control sixty percent of Sol's helium-3 production.

This… is going to be trouble. I just know it. But its out of my hands now. On the plus side, the first extrasolar colony is going up next year. Arcturus is already being settled by those pioneer teams from the Armacham hypercorp, and they'll open the gate for civilian settlement.

I hope I live to see it grow.

I'm the last of the old team. Bradford, Vahlen, Shen, Durand, Zhang, Martinez…. We did good. I just hope we've prepared mankind for whatever lies beyond our solar system.

Good luck, everyone. Godspeed.

PRIORITY ONE HYPERWAVE TRANSMISSION: PRIORITY ALPHA CHANNEL

TIMESTAMP: 03:22 HOURS ZULU STANDARD TIME, 21/8/2103

FROM: XCOM ARCTURUS STATION

TO: ALL PPA, EU, SDC, SAF, ALLIED EARTH COUNCIL, AND XCOM FACILITIES

SUBJECT: CASE BLOODY JESTER CONFIRMED - HOSTILE EXTRASOLAR ALIEN CONTACT

As of 21 August 2103: PPA colony on planet Lincoln of the in Caldera System in the Armstrong Nebula cluster reported unidentified alien contacts. USNA 77th Recon Flotilla frigates USN Outlier and USN Wildeye, Jovian Space Force 3rd Flotilla frigates JSF Bulwark and JSF Kitesfear, and XCOM frigate XCS Gettysburg were on station at the colony. Unidentified alien contacts opened fire upon USN, JSF, and XCOM ships after transmitting an unclear broadcast. Both USN recon ships transmitted transcripts, sensor data, and navigation data before being overwhelmed. Final transmissions indicate self-destruction to prevent capture of sensitive technology and personnel. Enemy technology consistent with mass effect artifacts recovered from Prothean ruins. Sensor returns are NOT consistent with Prothean structural patterns.

Emergency hyperwave beacons triggered from colony surface before power grid disabled by orbital fire. Last transmissions indicate hostile landing in progress.

CASE BLOODY JESTER is now in effect. All military assets are to go to full alert and prepare for immediate action. Reserve units are to be mobilized for deployment.

XCOM rapid-response units are mobilized. XCOM Direct Action Task Force Seven has been dispatched to Arcturus Wormhole Relay.

FULL XCOM REARMAMENT APPROVED BY COUNCIL ORDER 112-A90.

For additional information on the technology, organizations, and species in this setting, please see the Vigil: Codex and Supplemental Information story.

Author's Notes: The idea for this one has been percolating in my head for a while, and I eventually had to write it lest it drive me insane. I'll say right off the bat that Agayek's XCOM: Second Contact was a big inspiration for this, along with IgnusDei's Mass Effect: Human Revolution and Earthscorpion's Aeon Natum Engel/Aeon Entelechy Evangelion stories for being the big, direct influences on how I approached this story. It was originally written as a straight Mass Effect/XCOM crossover, but the story I started writing was dreadfully derivative and unoriginal. It wasn't until I started experimenting with other settings that I realized drawing elements from FEAR and Eclipse Phase and... other sources would provide some interesting wrinkles into the setting. After several revisions, I finally hit on an idea that I liked. Thus, Vigil.

This story is primarily a Mass Effect and XCOM fusion. Its following my fairly standard formula with these fusions: Mass Effect's larger galaxy is the core backdrop, with elements from other franchises integrated. Don't worry if you're unfamiliar with Eclipse Phase. The EP elements will be generally explained by context and some exposition, and for the most part I'll try to keep things clear. I'll mostly be drawing from the transhuman elements of EP's setting, mostly as a means to help define the society and culture of post-Ethereal War humanity.

Another thing I really wanted to develop with this setting is internal politics. In a lot of crossover/fusions, humanity is a single unified force, and in a lot of XCOM crossovers, XCOM is the primary human military. I'm attempting to avoid that, mostly because the story becomes a lot more interesting in my opinion when you have many conflicting interests and your protagonist military isn't superpowered and massive.

One last, crucial, important thing I need to make clear: This isn't going to be a stompfic, and the Citadel is not going to get wrecked by plasma fire. If you came to read a story about XCOM kicking turian ass and pimp-slapping asari, hit your browser's back button and go read something else.