A/N: This is my first attempt at venturing into the world of crossover fanfiction. This is a crossover between Mass Effect and Worm. The Mass Effect is from the beginning of the Mass Effect 1, and the Worm is an AU.Any others will be explained as requested.

The poem I use for chapter titles is "The Last Stand" by David Musoke.

DIsclaimer: I own nothing. Not Mass Effect, Not Worm, Not even the poem I use as chapter Titles.

Chapter 1: Crimson Red Drops Stain His Armour

Contessa stood in front of Scion, seeing him just float there, as seemingly emotionless as always. "Well, big guy, what is it that you want? Come on, surely there is a way we can help you. Why do you spread all your shards around?"

The entity floating in front of her seemed to think for a while, considering whether or not to answer. In the end, it simply said "Not dying."

Contessa nodded. "Okay, so you're trying to avoid heat death, presumably by self-propagating across many people, letting the Shards grow into maturity, and harvesting them when the host dies. Why do you want to destroy us?"

"Want to have purpose."

"Okay, I can work with this. What if, we went somewhere, where you had a purpose? A contained society, where you can harvest shards from the people who die, and there is no need for you to kill anyone. If you just talk to us, we can work something out."

"...Agreement."

The entity hovered over the planet's surface. The primitive bipeds that inhabited this planet had quickly agreed to begin negotiations, using the one they called Contessa to interpret things between the two groups. It was agreed that a group of humans, large enough for his purposes, would board an immense spacecraft, on a course across dimensions and space. Aboard this ship would also be Scion himself, or at least a manifestation of him, so that newborn infants could receive powers, and the powers of the dead could be safely returned to him.

With that agreed upon, the next step was to engage in a truce with the Parahumans who might not want to co-operate with everyone on board the ship. Tinkers were willing to go along, as it would allow them nearly unfettered access to the materials needed to create the things that their power drove them to make, and so began the construction of the ship. The designs had it being forty kilometres long and, at its thickest, three kilometres thick. Professor Haywire and Dodge began working on pocket dimensions for various things, like storing Scion's real body, and creating extra storage space.

Any capes that did not want to co-operate, like the remnants of Slaughterhouse Nine, were harvested by Scion, allowing him to capture the Endbringers, as it was politely asked by the Earth governments that that problem be solved before the Parahumans left. After that, it was agreed that not much more could be done before the Parahumans left. So, on the first of January, 2015, two million Humans and Parahumans got on the Imperator, and went up into space, on their ongoing voyage across dimensions.

Timeline time!

2011:More research is done into manned missions to Mars.

2030: The first united Earth government, called the United Earth Government, begins plans to colonize non-Earth bodies, beginning with Luna.

2069: Armstrong Outpost at Shackleton Crater is formally founded as the first human settlement on Luna, on the 100th anniversary of the first lunar landing.

2103: First human colony on Mars, Lowell City, is established in Eos Chasma.

2137: Humanity discovers Helium-3, further aiding their space program.

2139: Fearing an eventual eezo shortage, the Citadel Council plays with the idea of repealing the harsh laws against opening new Mass Relays, but decides against it based on a combination of a lack of dire need, and many Asari Matriarchs fearing another Rachni War, with no signs of a species that could be uplifted to fight for them.

2147: The United Earth Government finds ancient alien ruins on Mars. These ruins, left by aliens known as the Protheans, hint at advanced alien secrets.

2148: With the discovery of Element Zero, and the Mass Effect principle, and faster than light, Humanity is poised on the brink of becoming a truly interstellar species.

2151: The first extra-solar colony, Terra Nova, is birthed, leading to a change in name from the United Earth Government to the Systems Alliance. Work is begun on Arcturus Station.

2156: Arcturus station is completed.

2157: First contact between Humanity and a Council Race. Due to this race being the Turians, and the human ships being in the middle, this quickly devolves into the events that became known as the First Contact War.

2183: Eden Prime war, Saren kills Nihlus, Shepard sees Prothean death note, and is on his way to the Citadel.

"Citadel Control, This is the SSV Normandy, requesting clearance to dock."

"Copy that Normandy, passing you on to Alliance Tower."

"Normandy, you are cleared to dock at Alliance Tower. Please proceed to an available docking bay."

Joker smiled. "There you go Commander, one trip to the Citadel, compliments of the Systems Alliance. Please give my regards to the Ambassador."

"Will do. Alenko, Williams, you're with me."

The three of them set foot on the Citadel for the first time of many, and set out for Ambassador Udina's office in the Alliance Embassy. On the way, Shepard took care to purchase an extra fish for his fish-tank, a small goldfish he called Larry. When they arrived at AMbassador Udina's office, they were greeted with the sight of the Ambassador in the middle of an argument, pardon, a "heated debate" with the Council holograms.

"I do not care for the colony's location! Were this an attack on a Turian colony, there is no doubt that the Council would be doing all it could to have the damage fixed and the guilty party brought to justice! Is it so bad that we want the same for our people?"

The hologram of Councilor Tevos spoke up. "Ambassador, your people were made aware of the danger when they settled in the Attican Traverse. The only people we have conclusive proof of being privy to the attack are the Geth, and we have not nearly enough strength to match them. We will not risk the safety of the galaxy on a foolhardy quest for vengeance."

It was now Sparatus' turn to go on the offensive. "As for these claims that Spectre Saren Arterius is in any way linked to the attacks, I believe that you have yet to present evidence that is actual proof, not the crazed ramblings of a traumatised dockworker. We await your presence in the-"

Whatever it was that the Councilor was going to ask them to do, he was interrupted by a series of sharp tones, as all of them received a message on their omni-tool. The message was short, bearing only the words:

UNKNOWN SHIP DETECTED APPROACHING THE CITADEL AT SUBLIGHT SPEEDS. ALL MILITARY SHIPS TO SCRAMBLE IMMEDIATELY, HIGHEST PRIORITY, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Immediately, with the ease of people who understand when to question orders, and when not to, people from all over the Citadel headed for the docking bays, even people who merely owned civilian ships with minimal weapons attached going out of a sense of duty. Those who had no armed ships began setting up defensive positions across the citadel. While nearly two millennia in the past, everyone was taught that the Rachni Wars were officially started by one ship opening fire on the Citadel. And, without a primitive, violent race to uplift to fight for them, no-one wanted to start another war, with anyone.

Normandy

It had been five minutes since long-range scanners had detected the vessel approaching, though still no-one could get a visual on it, the nebula distorting any attempts to gain any more information than "There it is!". The Normandy had been one of the first to mobilize, not counting the ships that were always on guard around the Citadel. Just looking at the Destiny Ascension was enough to make one wonder if there was any need for this complete mobilization.

"Joker."

"Aye Captain?"

"Activate the stealth drive, get us closer to whatever this thing is. I want a nice, clear visual that I can report back to the brass with."

"Aye aye, sir."

"Oh, and Joker?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Drop the aye-ing."

GIving a smug little smirk, Jeff "Joker" Moreau engaged the stealth drive.

Imperator

"Come on, Tracy, just one date? How bad could it be?"

"Will you shut up already! I told you, my idea of a perfect man is not, by any means, a Striker. It's bad enough that I have to put up with my kid brother always freezing my coffee while I'm busy, the last thing I want is more immaturity around me. If I ever want to be annoyed that much, I'll just go try to make a Tinker make sense for once. Anyway, shouldn't you be flying this thing? I thought that was the job you were so glad to get, once they found out your power."

"I know, right? I mean, Helmsman on the Imperator, what more could you ask for?"

Tracy sighed. "Junior Helmsman, Malcolm. Only Junior." While Malcolm could be attractive at times, he was far too big of a nerd to be worth the effort it would take to actually make him presentable, and, while she liked him, she felt that her family, all quite strict, would not approve very well of his rather laid-back attitude. Glancing down at her console, she was shocked at what she saw. "Malcolm?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Umm, there is something coming towards us. Sensors indicate lifesigns, though the nebula is making things more difficult to tell. I think it's a spaceship!"

"Ohh, shit. Umm, what's the standard operating procedure for this?"

"There is none! Oh, why the night shift."

It was indeed the night shift, with only Tracy, Malcolm, and Ben on the bridge, and Ben had fallen asleep at his post, the tactical console, while Tracy and Malcolm ran Ops and Helm respectively. During the day, there would be at least thirty people on the bridge, all working together smoothly to ensure that nothing went wrong, so of course the sudden change in everything they knew would happen on their watch. Sod's law forbade it be any different.

"Okay. Don't panic, nobody panic. We just need to casually engage in First Contact with an advanced alien race."

"What do you mean, advanced? Tracy, there is no way that whatever these aliens can field will in any way surpass all the Tinker-tech we have. Have you seen those books they have in schools now, showing what the Imperator was originally like?"

It was true. A hundred and seventy-two years had passed since the Imperator left Earth, at least according to the history books. In that time, all efforts were constantly made, not only to keep it running, but to improve it, make it better. It became a test for Tinkers, that, by the end of high school, they had designed and prototyped something for the ship. As it was, it did not look the friendliest ship from the outside, something Tracy was becoming aware might be a problem.

"Malcolm, I'll wake Ben, you wake the Captain."

Normandy

"Captain, you may want to see this."

"Not now, Joker, just patch it through to the Conference Room."

"Sir, you will want to be on the bridge for this, I guarantee it."

With much grumbling, Captain Anderson left his letter to his family unfinished, and went to see what Joker had in store for him this time.

"Well, what is it?"

Joker simply pointed out the front window, speechless for once. Following the pointed finger, Captain Anderson saw why.

It was huge, larger than the Citadel, and bristling with, well, anything. The closest resemblance he could think of were the Quarian liveships, and those were only dreadnought-sized. He snorted. Just earlier that morning, he had though dreadnoughts to be the top of the food chain, and the Destiny Ascension to be the queen of those. This thing put every dreadnought to shame. His only thought? "Please let this be a unique vessel. Lord help us if they have a fleet."

"Joker, turn us around, and get us back to the Citadel. I don't care if we have to drop stealth, we have to warn them, And I intend to do that as soon as humanly possible."

As he turned to run and finish that letter, he heard the only words that could, in any way, make the situation worse. "Sir, they would appear to be hailing us."

Imperator

"Come on, aliens, pick up the phone. I hope that new translator works…"

Captain James Mortland, captain of the Imperator, was waiting anxiously. It had been sixty years since the Imperator last encountered sentient life, and those ones had only been a species that, while showing signs of technological prowess, had yet to take a trip outside their planet's atmosphere. Back then, it had been decided to leave them alone, only littering the surface of their moon with capsules, each with messages from the crew and maps to the other capsules. No contact since.

And now here they were, all ready to go forth once again and begin talks with a member of a race so alien, they had no idea what they might look like, no possible way of finding out…

And then the screen turned on and showed what was quite clearly a human, who seemed just as shocked as him to be seeing a human face on the other end.

"Um, hi, I guess?"

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