Mass EffectUnknown Space2083 - 100 Years Before ME-1
There were a couple of things in Mass Effect that he wanted to do now that he thought about it. Ben appeared among a throng of idle Reapers. The things were absolutely huge. He had thought he was prepared, but the scale was insane.
Ben loved the series but hated the Reapers. It felt like throwing away a series full of potential. There were other plot lines that they ignored or abandoned simply to make way for giant space squids. A few changed to the first game plotline would open the series to so much more.
It was time to fix that.
Ben swapped his power to full godhood with an extra boost to his superpowers. He felt multiple attempts to assault his mind. The indoctrination kicked in a few hundred times at once. He glared at the space squids in front of him.
He leaned his head to the side to crack his neck. Time to get to work. He launched himself toward the assembled Reapers. Time seemed to pause for them as Ben tore through the first squid. He ventilated the first one before repeating the process to three more before changing his tactics. The various fluids that covered him. Thankfully, they were machines rather than organic beings. Science fiction versions of coolant, oil, and all other sorts were better than gore.
Ben ripped one of the legs from the latest dead squid. He used it to bludgeon a few before it shattered. There were plenty of legs in reach to keep the tactic going. Each improvised club lasted around five squids before it lost effectiveness. He swapped over to his laser vision. It easily sliced through one squid but lost effectiveness after that.
There were plenty of Reapers for his experimentation. He summoned his Asgardian Blades but found them lacking. Due to the size of the Reapers, he could only concentrate on a single target if he used his swords.
He had just punched out the other side of a Reaper, literally, when he felt a huge influx of belief. The Reapers feared him on the level of some otherworldly being. Every death solidified his spot in their rapidly forming pantheon. As of yet it consisted of him as the incarnation of ruin.
Ben grabbed one of the Reapers, his hand crumpled the metal like cheap paper. In that moment he understood every physical aspect of the creatures. Countless years ago, they had once been organics. Over a vast stretch of time, they evolved into these gigantic robotic space squids. Whatever biological aspects of their physiology that held on the longest had vanished over a thousand years ago. This made things so much easier. All he had to do was figure out their power source. He was able to create an off-switch a moment after he identified it.
He turned to face the horde of Reapers. They hovered in space observing him. Dozens of dead space squids hovered behind the diminutive human form.
Ben pointed a finger at one Reaper. It died. He moved to the one beside it. That one died as well. He continued on, moving down the line. The intelligent squids realized what was happening. Another rush of belief flooded him. A wicked idea crossed his mind.
He took a moment to gather his newly acquired godly energy then released it in a burst. The Reapers that came in contact with the blast were instantly changed from machine to biological. They went from being Giant Space Squids to Giant Squids. Space didn't have air, water, or the sort of temperature a living creature could withstand. The squids depressurized as they froze and suffocated at the same time.
Another, much larger portion of faith engulfed him.
Ben glared at the remaining Reapers. There were still over a hundred that he could see. The number he had killed wasn't much in comparison. They were accustomed to lifeforms trying to fight, but this was something completely different. This wasn't a battle. It was an extermination.
His increased power now covered all that he could see. Godly observation expanded what he could perceive to mind blowing proportions. His gaze swept over the first row of Reapers. They died as his eyes moved along the line.
The process continued until he had thinned the numbers down to less than a hundred. Thirty-seven to be exact. It felt like a good number. The storm of faith, fear, and belief grew in strength every second he continued his extermination. He had gained more than double the power in the last few hours than he had in years on Earth.
"Your plans are finished," Ben addressed the remaining Reapers. "You will allow the civilizations to grow and progress without your interference. I will return and destroy the rest of you if you decide to ignore this warning."
He let the words hang in space. A concentrated pulse of faith raced toward him from the remaining Reapers.
"Glad you understand," Ben stated.
He vanished.
CUBE
"Holy shit," Ben muttered.
It felt appropriate considering the boost to his godhood. That was a fun distraction. He would need to wait for around a hundred years before Shepard and the Normandy arrived. That should be long enough for the Reapers to decide if they want to listen or not.
"Let's check in on the others," He said to himself.
The Walking DeadGreene Village, Georgia, USA – 2014
Ben hovered in the air above Green Village. He was invisible as he took time to study the area. The village had grown quite a lot. A smattering of trailers, RVs, and a few Yurts dotted the area. He smiled when he recognized the group from the Longterm Care Facility from Atlanta. The majority of the old people were missing, but he could see most of the crew.
The greenhouses were doing well, guards were patrolling the walls, and there were some new towers for extra security as well. They were in the process of cutting down trees to make room for more people. The fields had been cleared as they added cover for the undead to approach unseen. A double-layer fence stood at the edge of the property facing that direction. The first one was about four feet tall and the next was easily ten. Between the two walls had been lowered by a few feet as well as lined with spikes. A few truly dead zombies dotted the stretch.
Ben closed his eyes. He focused on the flow of the air around him. Slowly, he was able to identify the various components that saturated the sky around him. The traces of pollution were drastically lower than elsewhere, woodsmoke drifted along the breeze, and most importantly, the Wildfire Virus.
He examined it down to the genetic structure then let it go. His knowledge of virology was severely undeveloped for this. Ben let the thought swirl around his mind for a few moments. Doctor Jenner was an expert. He still had the snapshot of Jenner's mind.
Ben didn't think applying it directly to his own mind would be a good idea. Instead, he created an illusory version that only he could see. A bit of poking around allowed him to identify the portions of the brain as well as delve into the knowledge. The years of study, labs, and practical experience were absorbed with a mere touch. Best of all, Ben was still Ben.
He approached the virus again with his new knowledge. This time it was easier to understand. With that came the knowledge that he had no idea how to combat it. An anti-viral might make it so he could take them to another world without fear of spreading it. They would still be infected and would still turn once they died. On the plus side, they wouldn't be contagious even in zombie form.
Ben wasn't going to rush to project now that he knew how to absorb knowledge from others. His enhanced understanding told him how outclassed he was if anything.
There were still a few things that could potentially work. Years ago, he read a Spider-Man comic that dealt with a virus. He didn't remember the details, but he did recall that the heroes came up with the plan to infect people with other things to combat the bad virus. The process of becoming a vampire or werewolf would burn off the other infection. He would need a couple of volunteers to test that out.
Another option would be to copy people into new bodies. He could recreate their physical form, make a snapshot of their brain, and then transfer it into the waiting clone. At least a part of them would be free of from a world controlled by zombies.
Ben would come up with something eventually. They looked like they were doing well for now. He kept his invisibility active as he landed then took a tour of the village. Little issues were fixed, failing plants were revived, and the walls suddenly became sturdier. Improvised towers made from construction equipment were replaced by military versions. The new dwellings were restored to brand new quality. He restocked all of the shelves before he left as well because he could.
He returned to the sky to watch. It didn't take long for people to notice the change. The influx of faith was a nice bonus. It was nowhere close to the size of a single Reaper, but it wasn't soaked with fear. Each source of faith came with its own flavor. He preferred the light sweetness to awe than the charred taste that fear made.
There weren't that many places to check on now that he thought about it. He spent a lot of time here, more in Asgard, and then a few years in The Circle. Other dimensions were short visits. He killed Palpatine before the Clone Wars, trimmed the Lannister family tree, and slapped Peter Griffin. Creating avatars from specific dimensions held his interest until technology proved to be the wrong approach. He wasn't going to have multiple versions of himself spread across different dimensions at the same time. The thought was to send one then absorb the clone and its experience upon their death or completion of a prearranged goals. He was restricted to one body at this point in time.
Ben was curious to see how the timeline for Star Wars progressed with Palpatine dead. He would come up with another destination after he investigated.
Star Wars UniverseMos Espa, Tatooine, 3248 Lothal Year – 29 BBY
How could he visit Star Wars and not spend time on Tatooine? It just wasn't possible. Plus, news on the Outer Rim shouldn't be as complimentary to most parties. Information gathering was a lot easier than most people made it out to be. Buy a drink or two, ask the working class what was going on. Frame it as someone looking for work and wanting to know the lay of the land. Talking to the workers might not get secret documents, but you could find out that the new night janitor liked to take naps in a blind spot at the same time every night.
Ben swapped his clothes to a simple set of coveralls. There were signs of the standard wear and tears when worn by a person that worked with their hands. His name was even sown above the breast pocket in Galactic Common. The logo on the back was a metal shield with a phrase carved into the edge.
Draar Hoyir Nuhoyir Krayt.
Translated from Mandalorian: Never wake a sleeping dragon.
He made his way to the nearest cantina and took a seat at the bar. Language was still one of the things that could trip him up. Ben paused. He could just take the knowledge like he did with Jenners' snapshot. It wasn't removing it from the person he was using them as a cheat sheet.
Ben tapped the bartender on the shoulder. The physical contact helped make the snapshot take hold. It could be done with eye contact as well. That brief touch gave him access to every bit of knowledge of languages the bartender knew. They knew five languages, not counting Galactic Basic. He idly wondered what other things he could learn by walking around the room and bumping into a few people.
"You're new," One of drinkers wearing a half-mask over the top of his face said.
Ben nodded, "Yep. Looking for work, got any?"
"What's your trade?" Half-Face asked.
He shrugged, "A little of this, a little of that. Groundcrew mostly. Anyone I should avoid?"
"Stay away from the Republic unless you want to get blown up by the Separatists," Half-Face answered. "Avoid the Separatists unless you want to get recruited. The Hutts are Hutts. May their enemies perish and riches grow."
A few others around the room repeated the last part.
"Thanks," He replied. "How are things out here with everything going on?"
Half-Face shrugged, "We're far enough out to avoid most of it. Don't take any runs that go further than Mid-Rim. Pirates and mercenary groups are taking advantage of the distraction. Security companies are doing good business too."
"Thanks for talking," Ben put a few gold coins on the counter. "Will this cover it?"
The bartender looked at the coins. They were from the demi-plane, which meant they were actual gold and didn't have Earth symbols. The bartender picked one up to get a closer look. He shrugged, then nodded. It was enough to buy the entire bar a few rounds of top-shelve liquor in the demi-plane. I had no idea how that translated to this dimension. Were credits gold? Was gold worth it in this dimension?
"I'll check out the hangars," Ben stood.
He vanished once he reached the doorway. The burst of light that flooded the room when the door opened provided the perfect cover for his jump.