Republic In A Sea of Time

Alternian Empire

Condesce's Domain (AKA Condesce CIty)

Meenah's Palace

The Wanderer bowed before the Troll Queen or Imperatrix as he should now say. While a few of his advisors made a big stink about him having to bow to a foriegn leader he didn't mind. There were rules one had to follow when meeting the Imperatrix. No exceptions were made for anyone regardless of their standing. Meenah followed all of their rules when she visited the Republic so what would it say about them if they demanded special treatment?

The Troll Immortal looked radically different from the rest of her people. While Troll skin was gray hers was pure black which when combined with her black outfit gave her the appearance of being shrouded in shadow. Her hair was a gray color and was always in motion in a manner similar to Celestia's. When the Wanderer first saw this he rolled his eyes.

"We wish to have this discussion in private." said Meenah standing up from her throne "Could you join us in our quarters?"

Royal We? Really? He followed her down a hallway that was connected to the throne room which led to her private quarters. The moment they were both inside Meenah turned to him and said "Lock the door."

Once the door had been locked she immediately sighed in relief. Her appearance began to drastically change with her black skin becoming gray and her horns becoming shorter. Her gray hair became shorter and took on its natural black color. Meenah walked over to one of the many couches that was in the 'living room' part of the large chamber in which she lived.

"Go ahead and ask." she said crashing into it.

"What's with the get up?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"Many people see me as some kind of goddess so I thought that I should play the part up a bit." she said lazily waving a hand "There are few still alive that know what I look like so I can play around with my appearance."

"Careful. Don't want to end up like Arceus." he warned

"Are you still on that? Hasn't he apologized enough already?"

"And he'll keep apologizing till the end of time! Besides using the Royal We and animating your hair. Do I need to call Celestia?"

"Oh come on. This is the most fun I've had in centuries. You should see the looks on some people's faces when they see me for the first time. One guy actually wet himself… You should try it sometime. Oh wait. You can't do magic."

"Hilarious." he said rolling his eyes "We both know I can lay you out if I wanted."

"Oh really? Wanna put that to the test?" she said grinning mischievously.

"Next time you visit the Republic we'll have a sparring match. The Assassins will let us use one of their bases. They can keep a secret."

"Oh goodie. I have something to look forward to. Now let's get to business. I'm guessing this isn't just a simple courtesy call?" she asked

"I need you to stop picking on Zootopia."

"Oh? Is that a demand?"

"Just a request. We can't make the Federation work if we keep going to war with each other."

"Why should I care if the Federation works or not. I voted against it, remember?"

"What if I made it worth your while?" he said handing her a note "That is what I'm offering."

Meenah hummed to herself. "Lionheart hasn't been the nicest to you recently. His tune would certainly change if he heard how much gold you would sacrifice for him.'

"That is just a drop in the bucket. The Republic can easily spare that and not a single person would notice."

"Flaunting your wealth like that? Maybe we should invade you instead~"

"You can try."

Meenah laughed. "Oh we most certainly could. We wouldn;t get far though. You've put me in a precarious situation, Wander. We Trolls are a warrior people. We have this urge. We have to fight something. The last barbarian in our nation was killed centuries ago. Without Zootopia we would have turned out bloodlust inward and it would have been the death of Alternia."

"I doubt Lionheart appreciates being your punching bag." he said

"On the contrary. He was actually over here a couple of days ago. Officially it was for a possible peace settlement. Unofficially we had a nice luncheon together. You aren't the only one with people that can keep secrets."

"You're joking…"

"Nope! Haven't you noticed how much Lionheart benefits from these wars? With every war he gains just a bit more control over his people allowing him to mold them to whatever form he wishes. It's amazing what you can get people to do or accept when they share a common enemy. Racial barriers knocked down, tribal identities destroyed. I hear pred/prey marriages are becoming quite common in Zootopia nowadays."

"That kind of arrangement doesn't really exist back home. Arceus hates me…"

"You're once again mistaken. He called you and I quote 'my comrade to the south' in his last letter and usually sings your praises."

"What!? I never heard of such a thing."

"That's because you and Arceus don't talk. Hell you barely talk to anyone that isn't Goliath, Asgore, or your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" said the Wanderer face turning red

"Oh? Would 'Fuck Buddies' be more accurate? Because with the amount of times my spies report on you two secretly visiting each other I refuse to believe you aren't screwing each other regularly. After all you do so with me-"

"And that is my cue to leave." said the Wanderer standing up.

"Leaving so soon?" said Meenah fake pouting "And here I was hoping for another intimate discussion. Do try to be friendlier with your fellow Immortals, Wander. We all want the same thing. Peace and Prosperity for our people."

AN: Meenah uses magic to change her appearance. When in 'Imperatrix' mode she becomes the Condesce and turns into her normal self when alone or with trusted individuals.

I wanted to do something different with the Immortals here than how they are in For The Republic. Here they are secret friends and allies. The Wanderer didn't know about this whole 'backroom deals' thing because he (aka Me) spent the entire game shut in on their own continent and just… built things. The game was peaceful enough that I was able to make this particular plotline work. (How else was Alternia able to go to war against Zootopia THREE times but not take a single city? This was how. Backroom Scheming between Immortals to gain more control over their people)

1872 AD- The Queendom of Equestria is now the Democratic Republic of Equestria after books written by Starlight Glimmer, creator of Equalism, gained an important fan. Queen Celestia had long harbored disappointment towards Equestria's nobility who looked down upon common ponies and whose policies typically involved enriching themselves rather than the nation. After reading Starlight's books Celestia saw she had a way to bring forth the society that she always wanted: all of her 'little ponies' on equal standing in a society where they shared everything.

The October Revolution was a relatively bloodless one. The nobles of Equestria were all stripped of their titles as Celestia proclaimed that Equestria was now an Equalist State. While some nobles accepted the change in regime many thought their immortal queen had gone mad. How was she to run the country without the nobility!? Several nobles attempted to launch a coup but they underestimated the popularity of Equalism among the populace. The Royal (now People's) Guard and several Citizen Militias take up arms against Noble rebels. Those that rebelled were imprisoned and had their wealth confiscated. A National Assembly was set up with Starlight Glimmer as the first General Secretary. Celestia remained in power as 'First Citizen' of the new Equalist Republic. Cynical citizens of other nations say she's still just a Queen 'but with extra steps'.

While Equestria had become Equalist the Liminals of the Underground preferred the freedom that Democracy provided. King Asgore becomes President Asgore as the Liminal Kingdom transforms into a Federal Republic similar to the United Republic. The Wanderer in a surprising amount of openness signs a Mutual Defense Treaty with Asgore forging closer ties between the two nations.

1874 AD- Cave Johnson, a wealthy industrialist, buys up a large amount of real estate in Rapture. Construction begins on his 'enrichment spheres' which hang off a trench near the underwater metropolis. When construction was complete he unveiled his new company Aperture Science. A company that would advance the realm of science & technology not just for the Republic but for all Terrans.

Two of Aperture's greatest discoveries were made shortly after the labs came into operation. The first was the Aperture Quantum Tunneling Device or the Portal Gun. Using a secret technique that scientists all over the world claim should be impossible (and the fact Aperture did it anyway drives them to drink) Aperture managed to stabilize a miniature black hole and use it to tear holes in space which allows instantaneous travel between two points. Ground, sea, and air based travel starts to fall out of favor as Aperture Portal Hubs allow citizens to travel to their destination instantaneously. While it costs an arm and a leg people that use it say that the benefits outweigh the cost.

You can't go back to normal transport after traveling to Liberty City to see a Broadway show, zip over to Gotham for a concert, visit Jurassic Park in Rapture, and return home to Republic City without having to board a single ship, train, or airship.

The second discovery was a species of Sea Slug that apparently made their home in the ruins of R'lyeh that Rapture had ready access to. The slug naturally produces a form of stem cell that allows a person's genetic code to easily be rewritten. Recovered data from R'lyeh identified this substance as ADAM and that the ruined city had actually been built to study it. While the data from R'lyeh didn't reveal much due to corruption it did mention that those that use it would devolve into a 'splicer' and acquire a dependence on the substance. Tests on injecting ADAM lab grown cells show this to be true with the cells mutating out of control. Cave orders his researchers to figure out how to remove the ADAM dependence and mutations from the substance before they put it out on the market.

Republic diplomats hear of another Pokemon plot on the Gargoyles. The Wanderer instead of simply acting the Wanderer decides to privately talk to Arceus…

"There has got to be an easier way for me to come here." said the Wanderer as he climbed out the shipping crate. This warehouse was in a remote part of the Hall of Origin. He was teleported here by a Kadabra member of the Assassins. The crate was a precaution.

"Sorry." said Arceus sounding genuinely apologetic "Humans aren't exactly popular around here so a disguise would be unwise. Besides this was on fairly short notice."

"Well a friend put me up to this." the Wanderer replied taking a moment to stretch

"It was Meenah wasn't it?"

"Was it really that obvious?"

"No. Just a lucky guess. I'll send her something nice later. I really am sorry for letting those fanatics do as they please." Arceus said sincerely.

The Wanderer was silent for a moment before saying "I guess I'm sorry for overreacting like that. In hindsight completely flattening an entire city because of what a small group of zealots did was a little extreme."

"A little extreme?"

"Ok. Very extreme. I'm just really overprotective about my people."

"Same. Though they make me want to shoot myself most of the time I would do anything to protect this nation."

"So what's this about a war with Goliath?" the Wanderer asked

"You heard about that? That's mostly to distract the people. The nation and this city in particular are Koffings about to self-destruct. There's mobs of vigilantes attacking the Arcenationalists who they blame for the war, there's the normal tribal riots, and then there's the Black Shirts who want to and I quote 'do something about the humans'. I'm fairly certain they intend to launch a coup."

"Oof." was all the Wanderer could say. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Not publicly. Though I could use a lot of behind the scenes help. First up I need a bit of help… 'cleaning house'. There's a few individuals causing trouble that can't be allowed to continue. They'll see my agents coming a mile away and most likely have made precautions but human agents? They'll never expect that."

"The Assassins can help. They can keep secrets...:"

"I'll pass along the names. Next is the most difficult part. I want you to attack the Hall of Origin."

"...I'm gonna need context…"

'The Black Shirts' coup can't be stopped. Not at this stage. I'm a little envious at the amount of control Meenah has over her nation & people but I can't just make that kind of change here, not without reason. In a couple years when the Black Shirts have their little rebellion I'll have a state visit to the Republic. I'll let the Hall of Origin descend into chaos for a few years so the people can finally see what things were like before I showed up…" Arceus says darkly "The senseless death and destruction. People dying simply because of the type they were born as…"

"And when the violence reaches an all-time high you'll show up to liberate the city with the Republic Military at your back." the Wanderer finishes.

"That should bury all this Anti-human nonsense quite nicely. So what do you think?"

"Risky but nothing worth doing isn't. Let's get started."

The Wanderer (with Arceus' blessing) publicly signs a Defense Pact with the Gargoyles to deter Pokemon plots of war. In other news several prominent pokemon all die from natural causes or freak accidents.

Astronomers in several nations catch sight of the asteroid Ulysses which is headed toward Earth. Due to Ulysses' 'Planet Killer' status the Terran Federation puts forward the Ulysses Global Defense Plan. With help from the Republican company Vault-Tec defensive bunkers would be built across the world in case of planetfall. Rapture was also heavily expanded since many theorized that the underwater city would be the only safe zone when the asteroid hit. The most important part of the Defense Plan was the construction of 'Stonehenge' in the United Republic. A ring of eight rainguns named after the Quarian Wonder that are capable of firing nuclear shells well into space would defend the planet by breaking the asteroid up into chunks small enough to burn up in the atmosphere. The asteroid is predicted to arrive in 1916.

That Defense Plan isn't the only proposal put on the Federation floor. The Quarians want to make the Assassin's the Federations' official agents. A move that is supported by the Republic, Liminals, and the Gargoyles but receives less enthusiasm from the other nations. The Liminals propose the creation of an Federation run orbital research station. Until this point only the Republic has done any many operations in space launching satellites, putting a man in space, and building a small space station. This International Space Station would have a crew of at least 30 and have experimental magical runes to generate artificial gravity. It was to be the Federation's first step into the stars.

1876 AD- The first ever Olympic Games are held in Republic City. Tens of thousands from all over the world come to watch their nation compete. While only a couple nations take home medals the event wasn't about winning. It was about fun. The resounding success of the games leads the Federation to decide to have them every ten years like the world's fair. The extensive facilities built for the games in Republic City (Olympic Village) are the most popular venue with games being held in the Republic capital quite frequently.

1878 AD- The 22nd Ranger Regiment (22nd Special Air Service) is formed in Republic City. Specializing in airborne assaults the 22nd Rangers are the most elite Ranger groups in the entire United Republic.

The Third Zootopian-Troll War ends. Due to the grim realities of modern warfare casualties once again exceed a million deaths on both sides despite this being the shortest war of them all. Zootopia and Alternia sign a permanent non-aggression pact to end the wars between their two people. While Zootopians would continue to distrust Trolls the wounds between the two nations were finally able to heal and some limited form of cooperation could take place.

The Black Shirts launch a massive rebellion in the Hall of Origin. Mobs of Black Shirt Militias and traitorous soldiers swiftly take the Palace and assume control over the city. It would just so happen that Arceus was in Republic City on a state visit when the rebellion happened. The rest of the Pokemon Empire remains loyal and other nations refuse to recognize the 'Greater Pokemon Reich' and instead label the Hall of Origin 'Barbarian' territory.

The United Republic constructs the first Nuclear Missile. This missile is capable of hitting every capital in the world (sans Zootopia & Castle Wyvern) from Republic City. Despite its destructive capability the weapon wasn't intended to be used on other powers. While the Republic was pouring a lot of resources into the Ulysses Defense Plan and Stonehenge the Wanderer wanted a Plan B in case Stonehenge failed.

1880 AD- On an island of the coast of Republic City, Fortress Intolerance comes online. Built as a secondary defense station for the approaching Ulysses 1916XF04 asteroid the fortress used the newly developed nuclear missiles. The fort also was capable of taking on a significant part of Republic City's population in its underground bunkers.

Black Shirt rule over the Hall of Origin has been a hard one. Public executions are common and dissent is dealt with harshly. The Black Shirts are dead set on getting rid of anything deemed too 'foreign'. Everything from clothes, books, films, and even the speaking of Common is banned under the new government. Those that disobey are executed. Kill Squads roam the streets dealing death to all those they saw breaking the Reich's sometimes contradictory laws. The people of the Hall of Origin cry out for their leader.

Like the god his people believed he was Arceus returned to free them from their torment. With him was the battleship URS Liberty, the destroyer URS Gotham City,and the airships URS Akron & Sky Warrior along with a force of loyal Pokemon soldiers. In a blitz attack the Republic and Pokemon loyalists quickly invade the city. The rudimentary 'Reichs Guard' was easily swept aside by Republic and Pokemon forces. Arceus takes up residence in his palace again. Arceus tells his people there will be sweeping changes in the Empire to prevent such a thing from happening again. Seeing the devastation that was wrought in his absence the people gladly accept his reforms.

In the Quarian Nation there is a government change as the Quarians embrace the ideals of Freedom like their human and liminal neighbors. The Quarian Council is reorganized into a parliament and Tali'Zorah becomes Prime Minister of the Quarian Commonwealth.

The Cereal Mills Corporation is founded in Liberty City. It's most popular cereal brand is Sugar Bombs which can be found on every breakfast table in the United Republic. An explosion of flavor in every bite!

1882 AD- The CN Tower is built in Raccoon City. Tune in to see your favorite shows from Bendy the Devil Darling and the Adventures of Cuphead to the Midnight Zone.

1884 AD- There are reports of a bat-like figure stalking around Gotham City. While the GCPD will deny reports of the existence of this 'Batman' they would soon ally with him to deal with the growing threat of Gotham's 'Super Criminals'. In other news, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne will privately fund many enterprises around Gotham City from a renovation of GCPD HQ to the construction of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prisons.

AN: I built the Batcave if you can't tell.

A new research laboratory begins operation near Los Santos. The Black Mesa Research Facility was founded (with a little help from the military) as a direct competitor to Aperture Science. Aperture is not pleased at the new competition with a rivalry quickly developing between the two companies. A rivalry that has been described to resemble one between two competing Frat Houses.

1886 AD- The Megalith facility is built on an island near Rapture. A near copy of the Fortress Intolerance facility the structure is intended to protect the other side of the planet which is outside Intolerance's range.

The Gaiuss Tower is built in Metropolis. The building easily takes the title of Tallest Building in the World and comes to symbolize Metropolis' progress in rebuilding since the Human-Pokemon War.

1890 AD- The Pokemon Empire has become a more autocratic state similar to Alternia. Arceus crowns himself Emperor taking direct control of many aspects of governance. Religious influence is toned down with obedience and equality being the new driving force of Pokemon society. While some anti-human sentiment remains, the Republic's involvement in the Liberation has cooled many tempers.

1892 AD- The Republic Space Administration launches the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope when pointed towards Mars discovers ancient structures on the planet's surface. This data is immediately classified with only a select few (including the Immortals) knowing about it.

Republican Culture has become influential with Zootopia. Human culture having spread to every nation is recognized as 'Earth' culture. Vinewood Films are exported worldwide and any fad that is popular in the United Republic is guaranteed to spread across the planet.

AN: I won a Cultural Victory by this point but decided to continue until I finished researching the entire tech tree.

1894 AD- Zootopia makes some Freedom inspired reforms to their government. Lionheart becomes President while every Zootopian is able to vote instead of just landowners.

Gasoline goes the way of the dinosaurs as the Standard Ethanol Corporation is founded in Liberty City. A new cheaper more environmentally friendly fuel source is flooding the market which when combined with the growing popularity of fusion powered cars makes gasoline powered vehicles a thing of the past.

1896 AD- The Grand Opera House (Sydney Opera House) is built in Metropolis. Those visiting the city can scarcely believe that it was nothing but ruins less than a century prior.

Two new proposals are put forward at the Terran Federation. Both are to formally create a unified Federation military. The first was the Independent State Allied Forces or ISAF. It would make use of the various militaries of its member nations (each nation had to donate a part of their armed forces to ISAF) with a unified chain of command. The second was the creation of XCOM, a secret special forces type group created to counter a possible alien invasion. (After the discovery of the Martian Ruins an alien invasion is an all too real possibility).

The Federation gains covert operatives in the form of the Assassins with the vote to make them a Federation sponsored organization passing.

1898 AD- The final touches on the Terran Federation are complete. The planet is united under a single world government.

1908 AD- The Think Drink Corporation is founded in Liberty City. It's main competitors are the Nuka Cola Corporation and Sunset Sarsaparilla.

1912 AD- The first Megadeus is built in Rapture. Named the Big O the machine is equipped with an experimental Turing-Class Difference Engine making the device partially sentient. The Megadeus (and all those after) is very picky only letting certain individuals pilot it.

AN: Was rewatching The Big O right around the time I played this game. Decided to make all the Giant Death Robots Megadeuses (Megadei?). You can't stop me…

1916 AD- Ulysses enters within range of Earth. All across the planet people flee to defensive bunkers while Stongehenge, Fortress Intolerance, and Megalith fire their payloads with reckless abandon. The asteroid is mostly reduced to chunks small enough that they burn up in the atmosphere. The few that didn't cause minimum amounts of destruction. The Earth had survived an extinction level event. Due to its usefulness as a planetary defense weapon in the event of an alien invasion the Stonehenge facility is given to the fledgeling XCOM Organization.

With the threat of Ulysses gone, engineers in Rapture are able to put their all into a construction project that had been fairly low priority. Construction on the International Space Elevator precedes at a breakneck pace and when the gargantuan structure is complete the Republic allows the other nations to use it giving them access to space.

1922 AD- The URS Normandy (Red October) slips out of its drydock in Gotham City. An experimental submarine undetectable from any sort of scanning device and equipped with an invisibility cloak that can cover the entire sub. It's lead designer Patrick Normandy was a former scientist at Aperture Science who specialized in cloaking technology. He left the company for the Republic Military and was put in charge of its stealth sub project.

Astronauts from the United Republic land on the moon. In a well received move instead of planting the flag of the United Republic they plant the flag of the Terran Federation (Galactic Empire Flag). Plans for a long term base and a mission to Mars are put in place.

The XCOM Initiative comes online. An underground base is built in a remote part of Republic State. Smaller bases are built in the major nations around the world. Telescopes are pointed towards the sky as XCOM searches for any evidence of alien activity. With unrestricted access to Hubble the Organization quickly notes that the entire solar system is filled with evidence of alien activity. Abandoned space stations, the ruined cities on Mars, and debris fields covering much of the solar system.

1924 AD- The International Space Station is built. Equipped with artificial gravity generators and capable of sustaining a crew of 30 people for six months with resupply the ISS is the Federation's first foothold into space. A rudimentary drydock would be added to the station allowing purpose made spacecraft to be constructed in orbit. The Republic's Mars One Spacecraft would be built at the ISS.

1928 AD- Zootopia builds the Porcelain Tower.

1934 AD- The unified chain of command for ISAF is completed. The Federation now has an army. ISAF is equipped with weapons and armor that might not be the best the United Republic can produce but are leagues better than what the other nations can come up with. Standard Infantry Armor (Clone Trooper Phase I) is the main armor of the Federation which is a less advanced version of the Republic's main infantry combat suit (Clone Trooper Phase II). The Republic also provides T-45, T-51, and T-60 power armor suits to the Federation while the Republic military stands behind the X series of Power Armor. For infantry weaponry the Federation uses a mix of Quarian Morita rifles, Alternian Lasguns, and Republic Blasters.

The GHQ for ISAF is built in Republic City just right across the street from the Pentagon.

AN: This is where I stopped playing. I had researched the entire tech tree, built all the wonders I wanted, and all the resolutions had been passed in the World Congress. The Federation won't meet the Council until around 2210 so I'll do story bits at random points in time next chapter. Until then here is the Mars Mission. ;)

August 6, 1945

A group of three Republic Astronauts stepped out their lander on the red sands of Mars. They have travelled farther than any Terran who has ever lived and now gaze upon a sight few even know about. The Great Martian Ruins. Skeletons of ancient skyscrapers stretch on for miles. Evidence that the world was once home to a powerful civilization. The astronauts enter their rover that was sent to the landing site ahead of time to explore. The landing sight was selected because of strange energy readings coming from this area. As they approached their destination the astronauts couldn't help but feel that their entire history, all of their struggles and achievements, had been leading up to this moment.

They arrived at their destination. A small bunker like building standing defiant amidst the shifting sands. The entrance was thankfully uncovered allowing the astronauts entrance into the building. Inside they were met with a large green shield over the door leading deeper within the building. One of the astronauts tossed a rock at the shield only for the rock to be immediately disintegrated. They weren't getting through that anytime soon. They best return to the lander and report this. As the astronauts began to leave a light emitted from above the shielded door and began moving up and down.

"It's scanning us!" said one of the astronauts.

"Humans detected. Disengaging security protocols. Of course you would be the first to arrive…"

The astronauts stood there in shock. Where they… expected? The first voice was obviously some kind of automated system but the second was definitely organic. It was also very familiar but the ancient intercom system made it difficult to hear properly. The shield over the doorway had turned from green to blue possibly signifying it was now safe to enter. While it would be wise to report this to their superiors the astronauts felt drawn to explore further. They had a feeling that there was nothing here that would try to hurt them.

They continued deeper into the facility passing what appeared to be large storerooms containing hundreds of large containers. Eventually they reached another large chamber containing a single door. This door had eight scanners embedded into it. One was shaped like a human hand. Another was for a three fingered hand. One was shaped like a pony hoof.

"Wanna bet that one is for Arceus?" said an astronaut pointing at a circular hole.

"Yes it is actually."

The astronauts turned to the source of the new voice only to see First Citizen Celestia. The Pony Immortal was wearing a gray jumpsuit with black boots on each of her legs. They wondered how she had gotten here when she 'flickered'. This wasn't the real Celestia. This was a hologram.

"Hello, brave explorers." she said bowing her head "I am CelestAI. Welcome to the Storeroom."

AN: Decided to have this shorter than what I intended. Will continue this in the next chapter. Get ready for a lot of exposition in the beginning because CelestAI has a lot to tell the Immortals.