This is...an interesting story. It came about through a discussion with one of my reviewers, where we decided that a race of super-intelligent dinosaurs with space ships would be insanely awesome. Things kinda snowballed from there.

Though I am going to try to be at least a little scientifically accurate when it comes to this story, please remember it's about TALKING DINOSAURS. Science left the building a little while ago, and took the kids with it. We're officially in crack fic territory now! Well, a little bit of crack, anyway. The plot and characters will be (somewhat) serious, but the concept definitely isn't. So kick back, relax, and get ready for a story about prehistoric monsters fighting aliens IN SPACE!

Approx. 250,000,000 BC (Triassic Period): Reptilian mega-fauna known as 'dinosaurs' first evolve. Though not biologically related, pop culture would eventually add other aquatic and aerial mega-fauna to the 'dinosaur' category.

Approx. 245,000,000 BC: First dinosaurs show signs of sentience, and settle into many varied city-states throughout the world.

Approx. 200,000,000 BC (Beginning of Jurassic Period): Dinosaur civilization enters its Golden Age, spanning the entire world and producing revolutionary breakthroughs in engineering, biology, and advanced physics. Synthetic meat, advanced agriculture, and population control measures remove the need for conflict, and the dinosaur civilization enters a period of peace that lasts for over 150 million years and becomes known as the Pax Saurus. Dinosaur astronomers discover first signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life.

Approx. 200,000,000 BC: Dinosaur astronomer Caltex first discovers an alien race of machines known to the dinosaurs as Architeuthis. The Architeuthis are observed visiting and wiping out all other extraterrestrial signals, and historical signals indicate that this is a repetitive cycle that repeats every 50,000 years. Now advanced enough to attract the attention of Architeuthis and fearful of discovery, the dinosaurs retire their own space exploration efforts. They erect a series of signal dampeners around the planet, hiding their presence from the rest of the galaxy. Dinosaur technological development begins to slow, eventually stagnating.

Approx. 65,000,000 BC (End of Cretaceous Period): A rogue Archieuthis enters the system, penetrating the dampeners around the planet. Having anticipated this event, billions of dinosaurs retreat to hidden shelters hidden deep underground. As they do so, several genetic viruses are released, stimulating the evolution of Earth's mammals. While the Archieuthis destroys all traces of their civilization, the dinosaurs enter cryogenic stasis, waiting for mammals to evolve and release them.

2124 AD: A human survey team stumbles across one of the stasis chambers located under Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada. Automated systems awaken the dinosaurs, initiating first contact between the two species. Though the humans are understandably terrified, the obvious intelligence and peaceful intentions of the dinosaurs prevent hostilities. The dinosaur stasis chamber and its newly awakened occupants are declared an international scientific resource of immeasurable value, placing interaction and study off limits for all but a few intellectual elites.

2125 AD: Though the language barriers are difficult to overcome, after months of work technical specialists from both groups are finally able to create a translation program. Full communication is finally possible between humans and dinosaurs. The dinosaurs relate their story to mankind, as well as the location of the other buried stasis chambers. The UN immediately classifies all stasis locations to prevent nationalist looting, and Task Force Phoenix is created to secure and excavate all stasis sites.

2126 AD: The last stasis chamber is opened. The influx of dinosaurs captures the popular imagination. Though the sudden appearance of so many massive creatures causes great economic and ecological concern, dinosaurs are swiftly able to work with several large corporations to create synthetic meat and bio-engineered super crops, preventing serious damage.

2127 AD: Facing serious housing issues, Project Lindenbrock begins. Project Lindenbrock is an international project to create hundreds of geofronts in Asia, Africa, and North America. These geofronts would allow dinosaurs to live in comfort without overcrowding native wildlife.

2128 AD: The UN announces the planned geofronts are to be donated to the dinosaurs, so that they can create their own sovereign nation. The dinosaurs accept the offer, but continue to share their knowledge and technology freely.

2129 AD: A devastating terrorist attack destroys one of the geofronts, killing thousands of humans and dinosaurs. Local warlords and criminals begin raiding geofront construction around the world, stealing valuable resources and advanced technology. As dinosaurs have not constructed weapons in several hundred million years, Task Force Phoenix is reconstituted to protect the geofronts and help train the dinosaurs to defend themselves after millions of years of pacifism.

2135 AD: Advanced dinosaur technology officially ends world hunger. Dinosaur medical technology has also eradicated most diseases. Attention begins to return to the original Archieuthis attack, and possible solutions to the problem.

2137 AD: The first permanent research base is constructed on Luna. Plans for large orbital colonies to help house the growing human and dinosaur populations are drafted. Construction begins on Javelin 1, a manned space craft to explore Mars.

2139 AD: Javelin 1 launches with a crew of both humans and dinosaurs. It reaches Mars later that year, and advanced dinosaur sensors detect strange readings from the planet's south pole. The ship lands and discovers a cache of advanced Prothean technology. Though the scientific community is still reeling over the possibilities of the Mass Effect, another discovery is made. Using advanced dating technology, the survey team is able to estimate when it was abandoned and come up with an approximate timeline for the Archieuthis Exterminations. The timeline reveals that another extermination is due in less than 200 years.

2140 AD: Faced with an imminent threat, the people of Earth unite as one. Putting national conflicts aside, loose articles of confederation are drawn up and signed by all of Earth's nations. The Pangea Alliance is born. Design work begins on new interstellar vessels that will utilize mass effect technology. Task Force Phoenix is reorganized into the military arm of the Pangea Alliance.

2141 AD: Comet Alpha, the Pangea Alliance's first FTL vessel, launches. Following data recovered from the Protean archive, it discovers the Mass Relay in orbit around Pluto. Comet Alpha excavates the relay and uses it to travel to the Arcturus system.

2142 AD: Construction begins on a large naval yard, hidden in deep space several light years from Sol. The facility is jokingly codenamed "The Hatchery". At the same time, Comet class exploration ships begin surveying the Relay network and plans are made for orbital defenses around Sol and Arcturus.

2144 AD: Retathrx, a renowned dinosaur physicist, creates the quantum scanner, allowing objects to be studied at the subatomic level and deeper. Structural analysis of the Arcturus relay with this device reveals that the relay could not possibly be Prothean in origin. Fearing the Relays are Archieuthis constructions, all exploration fleets are recalled.

2145 AD: The first warship is launched from the Hatchery, the Tyrant class battleship Star King. One kilometer long and three kilometers wide, the Star King is armed with six dreadnought class mass accelerator cannons, but its primary armament is the K-PG launcher, which fires kinetic kill missiles at FTL speeds.

2148 AD: Continued construction combined with limits on exploration drain the Pangea Alliance's element zero reserves. Relay exploration missions resume in an attempt to locate more element zero.

2150 AD: Using quantum scanners, scientists are able to create the first synthetic element zero. This synthetic element zero, also called syntho, breaks down three times as fast as natural element zero, but can be easily mass produced. Relay exploration is slowed but not halted as a period of widespread colonization begins.

2151 AD: The first human and dinosaur biotics are born. Blame is placed on the widespread use of syntho, but quantum analysis of afflicted infants reveals that the biotics are benign in nature. Design begins on biotic amplifiers to help the new biotics harness their abilities when they mature. The first Meteor class exploration ships are launched, which begin phasing out the aging Comet class.

2157 AD: Comet Alpha, the only Comet class exploration ship still in service, is destroyed by a Turian patrol while trying to activate Relay 314. The First Contact War begins.